Definition
Detoxification is the process of removing or removing and metabolising substances that are harmful to the body. A detox can either be initiated or carried out by the body itself, e.g. when the amount of harmful substances exceeds a certain level, or it can be induced from the outside by the administration of drugs or substances.
Forms of detoxification
First of all, one has to distinguish natural detoxification from medically induced detoxification and from naturopathic detoxification. Natural detoxification takes place in the body every second. Numerous substances that are taken in with food, drinking water or air must be rendered harmless and removed by the body.
This is the only way to ensure that the substance does not accumulate in the body and reach heights that threaten the metabolism. Metabolism or detoxification can take place via the liver, kidneys and bile. Many toxins are filtered through the kidneys into the urine, important substances are reabsorbed from the urine.
Enzymes in the liver also metabolize toxins, render them harmless and remove them via the kidneys and urine. This is the most common detoxification process when detoxifying drugs. For this reason, it is important to note that patients who suffer from a disease of the liver (cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma) may only receive certain medications with special caution.
In the liver, the detoxification process takes place in two phases. In phase I, the liver either converts toxic, degradable substances into a water-soluble state and then drains them via the kidneys, or the substances are neutralized and incorporated into the production of bile acids. The bile then serves as a carrier substance and is excreted via the bowel movement; or the substances are converted into a chemically active form (this process takes place in many drug metabolisms). In phase II, these intermediates are then bound to other carrier substances (minerals and salts), thus making them water-soluble and excreted via the kidneys. If various steps of the detoxification phases are defective or work too slowly, an unnatural and dangerous accumulation of the toxic substances in the body occurs with accompanying symptoms.
