CT scans, MRIs, and anesthetics all contain toxic chemicals that can build up in the body. That’s why it’s important to learn how to detox from toxins properly.
Many of these tests use contrast material. Doctors use contrast material so that they can see the inside of our body better in visual tests.
Although it does help visualizations, which can help someone in a life-threatening circumstance, it’s adding toxic material to the body that it can’t flush out.
You shouldn’t do away completely with testing, but you should do them only if absolutely necessary, and detox your body immediately after.
I’m going to share with you steps you can take in order to protect yourself, and remove the toxins that these tests put in your body.
Contrast Toxins to Watch Out For
As stated above, contrast materials contain toxic chemicals that can cause health issues. These toxins include:
- Barium sulfate – A contrast material that is swallowed as a liquid, tablet, or powder. Barium is a metal and is toxic to our bodies when ingested. It has been known to cause many GI problems and even cancer.
- Iodinated dyes – Commonly used in x-rays and CT scans, the iodine can aid in seeing hollow spaces inside of the body, such as a blood vessel or an organ, and is injected. Iodine is a radioactive substance that can cause cancer in large doses.
- Gadolinium – The key component for MRIs. It contains heavy metal. It alters the magnetic properties of nearby water molecules, enhancing the imaging quality of an MRI. Gadolinium can be found in a lot of water supplies and can create many autoimmune-related conditions.
- Saline or Gasses – Salines or gasses are used for ultrasound imaging and heart exams. You are introducing a gas into the system that is foreign, which has negative effects on your body.
- Anesthesia – Used to control pain in surgeries or injuries. They have a damaging effect on the nervous system and brain. The more anesthesia that is used consistently, the higher the chance that you will experience memory and brain issues. Anesthesia is administered locally for stitches, generally for gas inhalation, or regionally like an epidural or an injection.
How to Protect & Detox From Toxins
These are some contrast toxins that you should watch out for. How can you detox from them?
When you’re getting these kinds of tests done, you’re damaging the friendly bacteria in your body. The more toxins you have in the system, the less friendly bacteria that your body has.
Friendly bacteria protect you from antibiotics and clean up the toxins and pollutants that wreak havoc on the body. They can actually protect you from the negative effects that medical tests have on your body!
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are the source of food for bacteria. We want to have enough probiotics to feed these little armies with because they’re made up typically of soluble fibers. Soluble fiber is fermented by gut bacteria. That becomes the source of our microbiome.
Some good food sources of prebiotics you can eat include:
- Onions
- Leeks
- Chives
- Garlic
Probiotics
Probiotics are made of beneficial yeasts and bacteria that are found in our gut which help protect us.
It’s important to consume probiotics around the time of medical tests because it increases our level of antibiotic resistance. This allows us to ingest and absorb good bacteria rather than lose them.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are what the probiotics produce when they consume prebiotics. In fact, many of the health benefits that are linked with pre and probiotics come from the production of postbiotics.
Research shows that the risk of many health issues that can occur in the GI and colon is reduced by postbiotics. They help bolster the immune system, and decrease digestive issues, and sensitivities such as IBS, and diarrhea.
Postbiotics can even prevent food allergies from occurring altogether!
Pre, pro, and postbiotics should be used in unison to get the full benefit of what these bacteria do in our bodies because they work together to protect us.
Avoid Yogurt
A lot of people think yogurt is a good source of probiotics. I would advise against eating yogurt, because of the high amount of sugar that it has.
Yogurt has lactose, which means it turns into sugar in your body. There are also often added sugars and flavorings that are used in the processing of yogurt for taste.
Most of us don’t need extra dairy in our systems anyway. If you eat dairy, make sure it’s organic. I would recommend cutting yogurt out of your diet because it’s unnecessary dairy.
The process of acidifying the dairy to make yogurt creates a byproduct that can’t be dissolved. This is incredibly acidic for the earth. The process of Greek yogurt production is actually bad for the environment.
Good Sources of Probiotics
If you’re looking for healthier sources of probiotics than yogurt, I recommend the following:
- Fermented foods
- Kimchi
- Sauerkraut
- Kombucha
Supplements For Bacteria
Although there are no foods that give you postbiotics directly, you can still supplement them if you’re not getting enough.
Most probiotic supplements in the market today contain a prebiotic. It’s rare that you’ll find a supplement that includes postbiotics. Unfortunately, you get a much bigger benefit from getting all three bacteria together.
I have a formula that includes pre, pro, and postbiotics in one easy to take powder that you can mix with anything. It helps to support the gut, and lower colon and provides a good blend of all the bacteria you need in order to detox and recover.
Soil-Based Organisms
Most probiotics are created in a laboratory in a synthetic form and are fragile.
They don’t get by the acidic state of the stomach and don’t make it into the small intestine, let alone the large intestine.
Part of the benefit of gardening and growing your own vegetables is that you’re getting microorganisms from the soil on your skin and on your food.
When you take those in, they are excellent sources of pre, pro, and postbiotics. Be careful not to overwash them, because it can actually remove some of those benefits.
Soil-based probiotics are also more shelf-stable than food sources that are not soil-based. This means they can make it past the stomach, into the small intestine, and get into the digestive tract.
You get more benefits from them and they don’t lose their potency nearly as fast.
Detox Protocol
So, how do you detox from toxins? You can start a detox protocol before your procedure begins to start preparing your body for its effects.
Start detoxing 7 days before the medical test and continue it for 23 days after.
- Increase Glutathione – Glutathione is the street sweeper that’s responsible for sucking up chemicals and toxins.
- Increase antioxidants – Fruits, vegetables, and berries are good sources of antioxidants.
- Take Activated Charcoal – Activated charcoal is effective especially on the day of the test, to soak up what is remaining in the digestive tract or in the bloodstream immediately.
- Fiber – Fibers help move those toxins out of the body so it doesn’t just sit in there.
There are several other nutrients that help in that process that is included in my Livingood Daily Detox.
I recommend taking double the dose on the day of the test, and then continuing to take it every day until the box is gone. It’s a 30-day supply and has the three building blocks of glutathione and tons of antioxidants.
Take the daily detox in the morning to bolster the body. In the evening, take activated charcoal, fibers, and magnesium to filter out toxins from your system.
I would recommend this detox, even if it’s been a while since your test.
3-Day Juice Cleanse
You should follow the 3-day juice cleanse immediately following your test. You’d be focusing on green juice, whether it’s a green powder like we have, which would be high in antioxidants.
The cleanse will work better if you can abstain from food. You’re consuming green juice every day for 3 days consecutively following the test.
Summary
Hopefully, I’ve made health simple for you, because that’s my goal. Being proactive during tests, taking in good bacteria, and doing these cleanses can all lead to better health.
When we’re getting these tests that we have no way around, if they are an emergency, you have to get them, but there’s a way to protect your body. Check out more resources so that you can be able to dig deeper into understanding how to do these processes and protect yourself.
