At the moment, you have one of your most powerful natural detoxification systems ready to rumble! All you have to do is sweat.
We are told to break a sweat to give our body the benefits of exercise, but what we don't hear enough about is how sweating can immediately heal you from within.
When we hear detoxification, you probably think of the liver or perhaps a diet cleanse. Most likely, you don't think of getting nice and sweaty as a safe way to rid your body of pollutants, heavy metals and other toxins.
Here I want to dive a little deeper into two of the more dangerous toxins from which sweating can relieve you.
Heavy metals are much more abundant in your sweat than in urine! A 2010 study examined 20 patients and compared toxicology in urine and sweat. They found that the sweat of the participants had 3x more aluminum, 16x more lead, 19x nickel and 24x more cadmium.
18 heavy metals were monitored during this study, and sweat was more efficient in removing 14 of them (1). Take this into account next time you want to skip a workout.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupting toxin found in polycarbonate plastics, such as water bottles, eyewear, metal food cans, bottle tops and water supply pipes. The main source of human exposure is food, but dust, air and water are other sources. BPA can leech into foo from the protective coatings of canned food and food storage containers.
In the same 2020 study as above, 16 of the 20 sweat samples collected contained BPA, only 14 urine had it, and only 2 blood samples tested positive for it.
This shows that sweating is the best way to remove BPA from the body. Perhaps blood and urine tests should not be the primary testing sites for toxin exposure.
Most exercise will make you sweaty, and we have a whole host to choose from. Walking, swimming, running, sport, yoga, etc. If these activities are not available to you or you are like me, just don't like running, a great option is to spend time in a sauna. It is fascinating that different types of saunas detox different toxins at different rates.
You will excrete more arsenic, aluminum, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, lead, tin, thallium and zinc from a steam sauna, but more bismuth, cadmium, chromium, mercury and uranium from an infrared sauna (1).
Of course, if we do anything to release water from the body, we must be sufficiently hydrated.
Sweating can be beneficial to your health, but dehydration has many problems.
Sweat has a salty flavor because it contains essential minerals. These minerals join water for the ride during sweating, so we need to replenish these minerals to avoid nutritional depletion.
You can supplement with something like our BMD, which is properly balanced, extremely bioavailable mineral supplement with the right vitamins to ensure that you don't just feel good about taking it, but that you feel great about taking it.
BMD has 7 properly balanced bone building and hormone balancing minerals.
3 vitamins necessary for the absorption and proper assimilation of calcium in the body, and uses proprietary absorption technology to ensure that the minerals get to where they need to go in the body.
Next time you head out for a walk, jog or gym session, ask yourself if you can push it that little extra, to get that sweat going!
Your body will thank you.
Have the best day!
Simon Brazier. Dip HN, NNCP
simon@truehope.com
References
Genuis, S.J., Birkholz, D., Rodushkin, I. et al. Blood, Urine, and Sweat (BUS) Study: Monitoring and Elimination of Bioaccumulated Toxic Elements. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol61, 344–357 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9611-5