Let’s chat the best supplements for detox {gut + skin} and all things detox today with Dr. Laura Belus.
Dr. Laura Belus is an excellent follow on the ‘Gram, which is how I found her. She is a wealth of knowledge for all things acne, hormones and how the gut works with both. One of her tips for “top mistakes when trying to clear acne” is “only treating the outside not the inside.”
So, I could not wait to introduce you to her through the podcast!
Here is my conversation with her. Below, you will find a ton of supplemental information to the episode on best supplements for detox.
Get that notepad and pen out!
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Best Supplements for Detox {gut + skin}
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Resources
- Dr. Laura’s website
- Book your virtual appointment with Dr. Laura
- Gallbladder vs Heartburn {Episode 52 with Erin Holt}
- The Secret to a Healthy Gut Microbiome
- How to Achieve Optimal Microbiome Diversity
Don’t Miss These Thoughts
- Who is Dr. Laura Belus?
- From a naturopathic doctor’s standpoint, what is a detox? What might a detox diet look like? And what is the best way to approach a detox?
- Why Dr. Laura thinks women in particular might need extra support via lifestyle changes and/or supplements in order to optimize gut and skin health.
- What are some common vitamin deficiencies she sees with women that are contributing to poor gut and skin health? And what are her theories about why these are occurring?
- Is there a connection between the digestive system and skin; what is it? In other words, if and when skin conditions – any skin conditions – arise, what might be going on from a digestive standpoint?
- What does Dr. Laura believe a healthy diet for both gut and skin might consists of (generally speaking) and also what an overall healthy lifestyle includes?
- Dr. Laura’s 3-5 best supplements for detox (gut and skin).
- If someone has a terrible skin condition due to gut issues, is there ever a time she turns to prescription medications? When?
- Are there any tests she always runs for patients with both gut and skin issues occurring simultaneously?
Detox for Overall Health
In the episode, Dr. Laura discusses how a detox is not a cleanse. She goes over the differences between the two, most notably that a cleanse consists of liquids and shuts off digestion vs a detox which supports a healthy liver.
What we are talking about today is the detox for a healthy body, long term.
Dr. Jockers has an incredible article regarding this topic. In it, he lays out the 5 major areas a true detox must focus on for optimal health benefits:
- cells
- gut
- blood
- kidneys
- liver
The podcast episode that accompanies this post (above) plus the below information are focused primarily on the gut and liver.
If you’re needing to detox to improve your quality of life, this is for you!
9 Ways to Detox {food and lifestyle}
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While your dietary supplement can be a great way to add to a detox, it isn’t the only piece to the puzzle.
Your body’s ability to heal and detox is innate, but you have to be willing to do all the things you can to support your body’s natural processes in order to aid in the detox process.
But how? What are those things?
Here are my top and favorite 9 food and lifestyle “treatment options”:
1. Cutting the junk food.
Healthier eating habits is a must. This includes things like fried foods, sugar, fast food, and anything packaged + overly processed.
In other words, if part of the main ingredients contain something you don’t know or can’t sound out, toss it.
I did a whole podcast episode on this, “Healthy Food Ingredients {Ditch Processed Food}.”
2. Ensuring proper essential nutrients intake + consuming anti-inflammatory foods.
Also, Dr. Laura mentions food variety in order to increase good bacteria.
If you want my personal lists to help achieve this, you’ll find them “Yes To” + “No To” in A Gutsy Girl’s Bible and also The First Three.
3. Adhering to the Dirty Dozen.
A simple swap from the Dirty Dozen to Clean 15 can massively help.
4. Eliminating alcohol consumption.
When we hear the word “detox,” oftentimes the first thing that comes to mind is drug and alcohol addiction and the need for and alcohol detox and/or other harmful substances detox. For some this might be the case. But I am not addressing that today.
BTW – If you think you fall into this category, please seek help. My cousin Jason just wrote a book on it and there are a ton of helpful resources for where to turn. (A Perfect Tragedy, Jason Lennox).
5. Consuming dandelion greens and other bitters.
Bitters are such an easy way to incorporate natural detoxification into your lifestyle.
If you’re interested in learning more about this one, you’ll enjoy the Gut Health Guide to Digestive Bitters.
6. Getting a grip on chronic stress.
Hormones, such as cortisol, are broken down in the liver. If liver health is not optimal they are unable to do their job, which means it’s important to address chronic stress.
7. Reducing or eliminating caffeine.
Because caffeine is a nervous system stimulant, many find that they have to reduce or cut it altogether in order to fully detox. Caffeine is also metabolized in the liver, and the goal of a detox is to reduce the amount of work and stress put on the liver.
I have done cut caffeine several times on my healing journey.
You may or may not need to, and you can learn more about caffeine HERE.
8. Rethink that Birth Control pill.
During the episode, Dr. Laura focuses a lot on the Birth Control pill and its damaging effects on the detox process.
In fact, her Healthy Hormone Reset addresses it because she thinks it’s such a critical piece of overall detoxification.
9. Removing fluoride from water through the use of a water filter.
We have an AquaTru at our house mostly because of this, “AquaTru’s patented 4-Stage Ultra Reverse Osmosis Technology is certified to NSF standards to remove 83 contaminants, including Lead, Chlorine, Fluoride, Nitrates, PFAs and many more.”
You’ll have the best results when you combine food and lifestyle with supplements.
18 Best Supplements for Detox
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Depending on your unique circumstances and specific needs, you might need any combination of the following.
For any and all medical conditions, be sure to consult with your practitioner on the below.
I have taken the main supplements Dr. Laura discusses on the episode and combined them with others research indicates play an important role in any detox program.
1. Vitamin D
The results of this study support the idea that vitamin D is a significant factor in detoxification and protection against environmental toxins.
Remember, though that not just any old vitamin D will suffice. You’ll need one that contains vitamin D3 + K2. THIS is the one we recommend. (Use code ‘AGUTSYGIRL’ at checkout to save 15%.)
Learn more about vitamin D and gut health.
2. Magnesium Citrate
The human body needs to poop.
If you’re reading about detox and there is no mention of the digestive tract and/or daily bowel movements, then move on.
Pooping is an absolute must.
There are many ways to get “moving,” but one way can be through the supplemental use of magnesium citrate. Magnesium Citrate is the type of magnesium which targets bowel movements.
3. N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
NAC is a compound which is a precursor to the major anti-oxidant glutathione (see below).
4. Omega 3 fatty acids
National Integrated Health Associates state,
Essential fatty acids are required in all functions of the liver including detox, all cellular membranes, which is where the majority of cellular reactions occur, and nerve and brain tissue repairs. Omega 3 fatty acids are for detox, brain food, and more.”
The best Omega-3 supplement contains both EPA and DHA, which is why you’ll find that power combination in More Omega.
5. B vitamins
According to Sunshine Behavioral Health,
Since B vitamins keep the nervous system healthy, their absence can cause additional stress and deplete energy levels. Restoring healthy B vitamin levels may help aid the digestive tract and return the body to its normal state. These vitamins (B1, B3, B5, and B12) combine to convert sugar into energy and to produce healthy blood cells.
6. Good multivitamin
The good news about incorporating a high-quality multivitamin is that it has the ability to cross off a ton of individual supplements on this list.
Take for instance Nourish Plus. Here are all the things from this list that are included in it – yes, even molybdenum (!): Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin B-6, Folate, Vitamin B – 12, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and molybdenum.
7. Ginger root
Ginger is common most notably because it stimulates digestion (see #2 – pun intended – above).
In fact, ginger is found in Digest Plus due to gingeroids – the compounds that are responsible for most of ginger’s beneficial effects on digestion, such as relieving occasional indigestion, bloating, belching, and discomfort after meals.
8. Burdock root
Recent evidence has found that burdock root contains active ingredients in its root system that can remove toxins from the bloodstream. (source)
9. Turmeric
By now we all know that incorporation turmeric is a good idea due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
But who knew you could also supplement with it for even better results?
According to Tibetan medicine, “+ take Turmeric before meals to benefit the lungs and throat, + take it with a meal to enhance digestion, and + take it after meals to aid the colon and kidneys. Turmeric is a digestive bitter, which is an herb that supports digestive function by stimulating bitter receptors on the tongue, stomach, gallbladder and pancreas.”
We love this Turmeric Complex, which also includes ginger. (<- When you use this link you’ll automatically save 15%. PLUS, when you order 3 bottles or more you’ll receive FREE shipping and handling!)
10. Vitamin C
By now, we are all aware that vitamin C has strong immune system indications.
What you might not know, though, is that vitamin C is used for detox as a “vitamin C flush.”
Its main purpose is to rid the body of toxins and “reset” the body’s natural need for various vitamin C doses.
11. Milk Thistle
Today, millions of people consume milk thistle to support healthy liver function.
Researchers have focused their efforts on studying silymarin, a mixture of flavonolignans extracted from milk thistle, and the most active ingredient of this extract, silybin. (source)
12. Activated Charcoal
Activated Charcoal helps mop up endotoxins, supporting a healthy detox regime.
Learn more about Activated Charcoal.
13. Folate
It’s folate, not folic acid, that is also a crucial building block to many of your detox processes.
Folate works as a coenzyme, helping other enzymes in the body maintain their proper levels to do their jobs. (source)
14. Glutathione
Glutathione has been labeled the “master antioxidant” due to its essential role in maintaining all other essential antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E in their active forms.
It is estimated that every cell within the body must face 10,000 strikes by free radicals each day.
Glutathione is the key player in disarming these free radicals and cleaning up any mess they make before lasting damage occurs. (Dr. Jockers)
15. Selenium
Selenium has emerged as one of the key compounds to help the body detoxify environmental chemicals. (source)
16. Zinc
According to Green Eatz, “Magnesium and zinc are the best minerals for flushing toxins from the cells of your body. Zinc is a strong antioxidant that works to destroy ‘free radicals’ in the body. Zinc also helps in removing heavy metals from the body.”
17. Molybdenum
Molybdenum is not spoken about often (if at all), but it is super important!
I learned a couple years back of its importance when speaking with a gut health scientist.
It is in the Nourish Plus formulation for these main reasons:
- Molybdenum is a trace mineral that was consumed as part of the Paleolithic era.
- Your body uses molybdenum to process proteins and genetic material like DNA.
- Molybdenum also helps break down drugs and toxic substances that enter the body.
And there you go, number 3!
18. Spirulina
And last, Spirulina.
“Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids, antioxidants that can help protect cells from damage. It contains nutrients, including B complex vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and gamma linolenic acid (an essential fatty acid).”
Note: If something is heavily marketed as “detox products,” caution the product(s). None of the above would fall in this category. They just are what they are.
More from A Gutsy Girl
Want to learn even more about the gut and ways to heal it?
Learn all the secrets via my signature book, A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach to healing the gut. Grab your copy on Amazon HERE.
- Welcome to A Gutsy Girl Podcast
- Hang out on Instagram
- BFF’s on YouTube
- Free resource: The Master Gutsy Spreadsheet
- Rated-G Email Club
Wrap Up
Time to wrap this up. As always, a huge goal for this show is to connect with even more people. Feel free to send an email to our team at podcast@agutsygirl.com. We want to hear questions, comments, show ideas, etc.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please drop a comment below or leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Bio: Dr. Laura Belus
Dr. Laura Belus is a practicing naturopathic doctor in Toronto & virtually with a focus on hormonal health.
After battling adult acne and migraines in her early 20s she managed to resolve these chronic issues by detoxifying her liver.
She now helps women rebalance their bodies through supporting hormones & their immune system.
She is the creator of the 21 Day Whole Body Detox & Healthy Hormone Reset online programs as well as H.E.R. Skin club (an online membership site for women with acne).
Recently she just finished publishing her first book, Just One Thing, all about making health simple & easy.
If you liked this post you might also enjoy:
- Liver Cells {Do you need a liver cleanse?}
- Cellular Healing {+ Diet Food List} {Episode 56 with Paola Xhuli}
- How to Clean Your Stomach and Intestines Naturally
Xox,
SKH
You will heal. I will help.
