8 Ways To Detox

8 Detox Methods That Really Work
There are lots of detoxes out there, and many of them don’t work.
Your body is wise does a lot of detoxing on its own, but certain chemicals or a
higher toxic load make it tough for your body to clear toxins efficiently.
Here’s what you can do to help your body’s natural detox pathways along.
It’s no wonder detox diets are so popular. They promise to give you more energy,
help you lose weight, and clear up your skin, among other things. You can use a
good detox to bounce back from overindulgence, like a sugar binge or having one too
many with your friends.
The trouble is, many common detoxes don’t work. Juice and water cleanses, for
example, are often counterproductive because they deprive your body of essential
nutrients it needs to function.
A good detox protocol can help you eliminate more stubborn toxins by supporting
your natural detoxification pathways. Juice isn’t in the answer, but there are
plenty of other ways to assist your body without spending a lot of money or a ton
of your time.
See the detox methods checklist
What are toxins?

Yes, harmful chemicals are everywhere. Car exhaust, secondhand smoke, flame
retardants, plastic packaging, heavy metals, pesticides, exogenous hormones in
conventional meat and dairy, BPA-coated receipts… Unless you’re living in a virgin
forest, you’re going to come into contact with some less-than-optimal chemicals
pretty much every day.
No reason to panic. Your body is wise and does a lot of detoxing on its own.
However, certain chemicals or a higher toxic load may make it tough for your body
to clear toxins efficiently.
For example, you eliminate most of the bisphenol-A (BPA) and other plastics you
ingest, but a small percentage hides away in your fat cells, messing with your
hormones and accumulating over time. It’s the same deal with several mold toxins,
heavy metals like lead, nickel, cadmium, mercury, and aluminum, and with certain
pharmaceuticals and drugs.
Benefits of detox
No one is immune from the toxic load of modern life. From the air you breathe to
the food you eat (yes, even when you’re Bulletproof!), supporting your natural
detox pathways can lead to some major benefits.[1]
More energy
Better sleep
Clear skin[2]
Fewer cravings
Lower inflammation[3]
Better digestion
Weight loss[4]
1) Sauna for detox
Sweating does more than cool you off. It also helps you get rid of both heavy
metals and xenobiotics – foreign compounds like plastics and petrochemicals – in
small but significant amounts. A 2012 review of 50 studies found that sweating can
remove lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury, especially in people with high heavy
metal toxicity.[5] Another study put participants in both traditional and infrared
saunas and found similar results[6]. Sweating also eliminates hormone-disrupting
BPA, which accumulates in your fat cells.[7]
What kind sauna is best for detox?

There’s debate about the best kind of sauna for detox. A couple studies have shown
that infrared saunas are the most effective for detoxing, but the research was
funded by infrared sauna companies, so take the results with a grain of salt. Both
traditional and infrared saunas are effective for detoxing.[6] That said, I prefer
infrared saunas for a few reasons:
Benefits of infrared saunas:

They don’t get as hot. Traditional saunas heat the air around you, while infrared
light penetrates and heats your tissue directly. You sweat in an infrared sauna at
around 130-150 degrees instead of at 180-200 degrees so you can stay in for longer
without feeling like you’re going to pass out. I’ve done 2-hour infrared sauna
sessions (drinking salt water the whole time to replenish electrolytes and fluids,
of course).
They’re easier on your electric bill. Again, infrared saunas require less energy,
especially if you get a sauna that reflects infrared light back on you. This one,
for example, costs about 15 cents an hour to run.
Infrared saunas are usually cheaper. Not only are the generally cheaper than
standard saunas, there are tons of different sizes and price points when it comes
to infrared saunas.
I personally use a Sunlighten infrared sauna and love it. If you don’t want to buy
an infrared sauna and there isn’t one around you, a standard sauna will work
perfectly well.[6] There’s probably one in your local gym.
Keep in mind that sweating pulls electrolytes and trace minerals from your body, so
it’s important to drink a lot of fluids and get plenty of salt (preferably
Himalayan pink salt or another mineral-rich natural salt) if you’re going to use a
sauna to detox.[6]
2) Exercise to flush toxins

Regular exercise is another way to flush toxins from your body, and through more
than just making you sweat. Exercise increases lipolysis (the breakdown of fat
tissue), releasing toxins stored in your fat tissue. Lipolysis is especially
effective when you combine it with liver and kidney support or adsorbents that can
suck up the released toxins. This article focuses on all of the above.
Studies show that people who exercise and lose body fat end up with higher levels
of circulating hormone disruptors.[8] Increasing lipolysis through diet does the
same thing.[9]
Mobilizing toxins isn’t necessarily a good thing, particularly if you’re unequipped

to get rid of them. You want to be sure you’re getting rid of toxins, not just
moving them to a different part of your body. Working out addresses the issue to a
degree: it improves circulation, providing more oxygen to your liver and kidneys so
they can better filter out toxins. You can also give your system even more support
and pull out bad stuff with the next two detox tools: activated charcoal and
glutathione.
3) Activated charcoal to bind toxins

Activated charcoal is a form of carbon that has massive surface area and a strong
negative charge. It’s been around for thousands of years and it’s still used in
emergency rooms today to treat poisoning.
Charcoal binds to chemicals whose molecules have positive charges, including
aflatoxin and other polar mycotoxins,[10] BPA,[11] and common pesticides.[12] Once
the chemicals attach to the charcoal you can pass them normally (i.e. poop them
out).
Charcoal can bind to the good stuff, too (i.e. vitamins and essential minerals) so
I don’t recommend taking it within an hour of other supplements. Try taking a
couple charcoal pills along with exercise or have a sauna session. They should
absorb many of the toxins you release into your gut and GI tract.
4) Glutathione to protect your cells

Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that protects you from heavy metal damage,
according to studies in both human and rat cells.[13][14][15][16]. This powerful
antioxidant also supports liver enzymes that break down mold toxins and heavy
metals. Your digestion will destroy normal glutathione, so opt for a liposomal
glutathione supplement that makes it through your stomach. You can also supplement
with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and alpha-lipoic acid, which your body can use to build
glutathione on its own.[17] If you have severe heavy metal or mycotoxin poisoning,
talk to a naturopath or functional medicine doctor about intravenous (IV)
glutathione. It’s expensive and less convenient than an oral supplement, but it
works very well.
5) Calcium-D Glucarate for liver support

Calcium D-Glucarate converts to glucaric acid in your body, supporting a crucial
detoxification pathway in your liver. Glucaric acid scavenges your body to bind and
eliminate unavoidable toxins that would otherwise wreak havoc on your health and
performance.
6) Cryotherapy to stimulate mitochondria

We’ve talked about how heat and exercise can increase fat burning to detox your fat
cells. It turns out cold can do the same. Cryochambers are gaining popularity with
professional athletes and other high performers for their ability to quell
inflammation. It turns out they can help you burn fat – and release the toxins
stored in it – as well.
A cryochamber uses liquid nitrogen to supercool your body, stimulating

mitochondrial function and decreasing inflammation. Intense cold also destroys fat
cells, which has led to cryolipolysis therapy as a way to slim down.[18][19] You
can use it to detox, too.
Can’t get your hands on a cryochamber? Try traditional cold thermogenesis instead.
7) Ketosis for fat flushing

Quick disclaimer: I haven’t found studies specifically looking at ketosis and toxin
load, so you may want to take this section with a grain of (Himalayan) salt. That
said, ketosis is a very effective way to induce lipolysis, particularly if you’re
fasting.
When you’re in ketosis and you haven’t eaten recently, your body breaks down your
fat stores into free fatty acids, which it then converts to ketones for fuel. That
means that, in theory, you should be able to supercharge your detox (and fat loss)
by dropping into nutritional ketosis.
The Bulletproof Diet puts you into mild ketosis, which curbs your hunger and
sharpens your brain without forcing you to forego carbs entirely. If you want to
try nutritional ketosis for detoxing, you’ll have to modify the Bulletproof Diet
slightly. Skip carb reefed days for a couple weeks and limit carbs to ~30-50 grams
per day. You can use keto urine strips or – even better – a blood ketone meter to
test and make sure you’re becoming fat-adapted. Once your levels read around 1.5
mg/dL, you’re comfortably in nutritional ketosis. At that point, fasting will
attack your fat stores and mobilize toxins, which you can mop up with activated
charcoal or sweat out (or both).
8) Chelation therapy for heavy metals

Chelation therapy is the strongest way to detox heavy metals. It can also be
dangerous, so many doctors don’t recommend it unless you have moderate to severe
heavy metal poisoning. Chelation therapy uses compounds called chelators that form
strong bonds with heavy metals, leaving them unable to further poison your body.
Chelators mobilize the toxins, and you can either pass them normally or bind them
up with adsorbents like activated charcoal. Chelation therapy is very effective for
removing lead, mercury, aluminum, arsenic, iron, and copper.
If you’ve been exposed to a lot of heavy metals, talk to a functional medicine

doctor about chelation therapy. You really want to go to a medical professional for
this one, because it’s so effective that if your liver and kidneys aren’t able to
process the metals (a common problem in people with heavy metal poisoning) you can
get seriously ill.
Bulletproof detox protocol

Each of these 8 methods works well on its own, and you can stack methods for an
even greater effect. Exercise and sauna sessions are a good example. Preliminary
evidence suggests that exercising and then hitting the sauna afterward will
detoxify you better than either one alone does. With that in mind, here’s a sample
detox protocol:
Take 500-1,000 mg liposomal glutathione and 2-3 g vitamin C an hour before

exercising.
Take 500-1500 mg of Calcium D-Glucarate daily.
Exercise for at least 20-30 minutes (HIIT is a good option).
Take 3-4 activated charcoal pills.
Spend 45-60 minutes in a sauna. Remember to get plenty of water and
salt/electrolytes.
If you have a lot of fat and you’re burning it off quickly, you’re probably getting
rid of a lot of toxins at once, and you may get a headache, digestive problems,
brain fog, etc. If that happens try taking more glutathione, vitamin C, and
charcoal. Be sure you take charcoal at least an hour away from other supplements,
as it binds to vitamin C.
Toxins are a fact of modern life, especially if you live in a city or somewhere
with poor air quality, mold, and/or a lot of petrochemical byproducts. These detox
methods can give your body a little extra support dealing with pollutants and help
you perform your best.
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References
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10895516
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3748731/
[5] http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/184745/#B30
[6]
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen_Genuis/publication/47701626_Blood_Urin
e_and_Sweat_BUS_Study_Monitoring_and_Elimination_of_Bioaccumulated_Toxic_Elements/
links/5561456c08ae86c06b64aad6.pdf
[7] http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/185731/abs/
[8] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11093288
[11] http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es0481169
[13] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654245/#B20
[14] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882944/
[17] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4540061/
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8 Detox Methods That Really Work

See the detox methods checklist

What are toxins?

What kind sauna is best for detox?

Benefits of infrared saunas:

2) Exercise to flush toxins

Mobilizing toxins isn’t necessarily a good thing, particularly if you’re unequipped

3) Activated charcoal to bind toxins

4) Glutathione to protect your cells

5) Calcium-D Glucarate for liver support

6) Cryotherapy to stimulate mitochondria

A cryochamber uses liquid nitrogen to supercool your body, stimulating

7) Ketosis for fat flushing

8) Chelation therapy for heavy metals

If you’ve been exposed to a lot of heavy metals, talk to a functional medicine

Bulletproof detox protocol

Take 500-1,000 mg liposomal glutathione and 2-3 g vitamin C an hour before

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