Body’s Systems: Detox, Boost, Heal Naturally

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In this article, you’ll learn how your body works and natural ways to detoxify, energize, and rejuvenate your body’s key systems. From the blood-pumping circulatory system to the defensive barrier of your skin, understand how they work together to maintain your health. And how to make your body’s thirteen major systems work better. Let’s dive into the wonder of human biology and find out how you can naturally support your body’s functions for a healthier life.

Another benefit of knowing how the body works is that you can be a better healthcare consumer. As a healthcare consumer, you have the responsibility to make informed decisions about your health. But most people nod and say, "Yes doctor, whatever you say. I'll fill that prescription right away." Without researching how this new prescription might interact with the other medicines you're on.

As a healthcare consumer, you hire doctors to help take care of your body. You buy medications and consent to surgeries. You make healthcare decisions for your children, yourself, partners, and family members as they age.

Knowing how the body works, the prescription drugs you use, the surgeries you have, the food you eat, the supplements you take or don't take, the vitamins and minerals, and the micronutrients you need to support good health will make you a better healthcare consumer.

Or you can stay ignorant about how your body works and what makes it healthy and what makes it sick and just get sicker and sicker, poorer and poorer from all of those doctor's visits, copays, and pharmaceuticals until you die early. And you leave medical expenses for your loved ones to pay off.

Those are your only two choices.

Choose to be informed and proactive about your health—your future depends on it.

What your body really needs to be well

Remember, most doctors don't have time to thoroughly read your medical problem list, test results, and prescription list during the fifteen minutes you spend with them during a doctor's visit. And sometimes, they lie. I've had doctors lie to me.

One neurologist told me there were no known side effects to the Botox shots he was trying to force me to take. But I had done my own research and listed the side effects to him. Then he really became aggressive. This is why I'll teach you how to be your own patient advocate in a future article and podcast.

So, sign up for our newsletter to know when this important info drops.

You can get smart about how your body works with this comprehensive overview of the major systems in the human body, their names, their primary functions, and the vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements that make them work better. On the last Monday of this month, you can download this list and more helpful information to make you a smarter healthcare consumer today.

In addition to the natural ways we’ve listed in the next article to boost the thirteen most important systems in your body, there are some additional essential takeaways to remember. In future articles, we’ll dive into these takeaways more, but keep them in mind as you practice what you’ve learned today.

10 Ways to improve your body’s health and vitality today

You’ve already been diagnosed with a health condition. Or your doctors don’t know what’s making you sick. However, if you fix these ten things, you’ll start feeling better while looking for a diagnosis and an effective treatment plan.

You need to stay well hydrated. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day. Drink a little more if you’re very active or sweating a lot. If you weigh 175 lb, drink at least 87.5 ounces of water daily.

an Asian man and woman drinking water from a water bottle outdoors

Re-learn how to breathe the right way. Yes, there’s a wrong way to breathe. I’ll show you why you feel constantly out of breath and what might contribute to your headaches. I’m not on asthma medication anymore after learning ancient breathing techniques.

Reduce inflammation. Start eating like the Greeks and Italians and adopt a Mediterranean eating style. I don’t like to call it a “diet” because I don’t mean cut calories. And that’s what most people think of when you say “diet.” When you start making healthier food choices, like prioritizing fresh fruits and vegetables over pre-packaged foods, you’ll find that you’re actually eating more food. But you’re losing inches if not weight.

Give your body what it needs to be healthy

Correct any vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Ask your primary care physician to test for vitamin deficiencies.

Avoid things you’re allergic to. I found out that I’m allergic to natural substances that are in some of the health supplements I wanted to take. I’m highly allergic to alfalfa, sumac, a concentrated protein in shellfish, and mushrooms. If I didn’t know that about myself, I would take supplements that cause inflammation because I have an allergy to them. I recommend allergy and food allergy testing for everyone.

Reduce the unhealthy stress in your life. Not all stresses are harmful. There is good stress, and there’s bad stress. We’ll discuss this in a future article, but here’s a good way to think about it.

Whenever you’re stressed out by something that feels like it’s outside of your control, that’s usually the kind of stress that’s bad. However, when I’m whitewater kayaking a fast-moving river out in Northern Colorado, for example, it’s stressful. Still, it’s good stress because I have the skills and knowledge to read and run the river and paddle my boat to where I want to go. And this is the kind of stress that wakes up your body at the cellular level and makes you feel alive. People who’ve had high-adrenaline jobs, like the military and first responders, especially need this kind of challenge.

Black woman whitewater kayaking in a red boat — Antoinette Lee whitewater kayaking the Cache la Poudre River near Fort Collins, Colorado.

Get enough deep restorative sleep. If you’re tossing and turning for eight hours, sleeping a few minutes here and there but never reaching a deep sleep, that’s not good quality restorative sleep.

Get social. Humans need other people, so they need to get face-to-face with people. Do things you enjoy and connect with other humans.

Get outside. Human beings are part of the natural world, but our 21st-century, always-connected lifestyles have kept us indoors and isolated from others. Get outside and adventure.

Finally, move and stretch your body. Think of your body as a system where energy flows through it. When you don’t move, energy can get trapped in an area and cause you pain, stiffness, and disease. Our bodies were meant to bend and reach, run and jump as we gathered food, farmed the land, hunted, and processed animal meat. When you don’t move enough, you become sick, and your body stops functioning properly.

Empower yourself with knowledge about your body, and you'll not only enhance your health but also gain control over your medical journey. Understanding your body's needs, from hydration to stress management, equips you to make informed decisions, potentially reducing unnecessary medical expenses and improving your quality of life. By signing up for our newsletter, you'll unlock a wealth of information, from mastering the essentials of each body system to adopting lifestyle changes that promote vitality. Choose to live informed, proactive, and healthier — your body, your life, your way.

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