Your skin is your body’s largest elimination organ, working tirelessly to remove toxins from your bloodstream. When other elimination pathways, like your colon, become sluggish due to constipation or poor diet, toxins can back up and overwhelm your system.
Toxins accumulating in the colon can seep into the bloodstream, especially if the colon walls are weakened. The liver, your primary detoxification organ, then becomes overloaded. If the liver can’t process all the toxins, it stores them in its own tissues and other areas of the body, including joints, organs, cells, and skin.
Excessive toxins can overwhelm your immune system. These toxins migrate to the skin’s surface via the blood, attempting to exit through hair follicles (pores). When pores are congested, these trapped toxins can lead to acne breakouts.
Body odor is another sign of toxins being eliminated through the skin instead of the usual channels.
When your skin is clean and pores are open, toxins can escape without causing pimples or eruptions. The skin naturally eliminates about 1-2 pounds of toxins daily.
You can tell if your pores are open if you sweat freely during exercise. If you rarely sweat, your pores are likely blocked.
To keep your skin functioning optimally as an elimination channel, incorporate daily skin brushing before or during your shower. Always brush in one direction, starting from your feet and moving towards your heart. This technique stimulates lymphatic drainage and encourages toxin removal.
As Loree Taylor Jordan, C.C.H., I.D., author of *Detox For Life* (2002), states, “One of greatest gifts of health that you can give yourself is the gift of skin brushing… Dry skin brushing removes the top layer, which helps to eliminate uric acid crystals, catarrh, and various other acids in the body. The skin should eliminate 2 pounds of waste acids daily.”
Understanding how your skin works empowers you to maintain its cleanliness. Make skin brushing a daily habit to help your body eliminate toxins and achieve radiant, healthy skin.