Detoxing is a loose term covering the processes involved in nourishing and resting the body as well as removing toxic elements from our bloodstream. It also covers the follow-up work of giving our bodies a more nutritious diet and igniting our resolve to actively maintain our health.

Any doctor will tell you that your body has a perfectly good system dedicated to removing toxins. Alternative health practitioners will say that detoxing will enhance your body's natural cleansing systems but mainstream medicine says any extra detoxing efforts are completely unnecessary. Most doctors say that even people in poor physical shape are able to rid themselves of toxins in a very short time just by letting nature take its course.

To get down to basics, it is our blood that is cleansed when we go on a detox diet. Toxic substances that enter our body are removed from our blood when they get to the liver. The skin, lungs, lymph system, kidneys and intestines also have jobs to do in detoxing our bodies. If our natural detoxing network is unable to process the toxins, then, according to detoxification advocates, our whole body is vulnerable to poor health.

Your average detox plan gives you an opportunity to rest your digestive system by fasting. It will also help you with enhancing blood circulation, helping the liver, skin, kidneys and intestines to eliminate poisons.

The very first step in detoxing your body lies in stopping those bad habits that load your body with poisons. Cigarettes, coffee, refined sugar, alcohol and saturated fats are all load our body with harmful chemicals and stop our organs from engaging in the healing process.

You could go further now, and look at the chemical-based products you use in your daily life. Things like cleaning products, shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste all have more natural counterparts that you can use without clogging your system with nasty toxins.

Next, look at your life. Do you live under stress? Stress makes your body release hormones into your bloodstream. The hormones help you in things like achieving goals and winning races but if your body is making unnecessarily large quantities of stress hormones, the unused amounts will convert to toxins. Meditation and yoga will help you with eliminating stress hormones.

Finally, I should warn that there are some people who are putting themselves at risk by starting a detox program. Boys and girls in their teens and pregnant women can ill afford to be depriving their bodies of important food groups.