The Drainage Funnel – Part 2 of 2

As I discussed in the post titled The Toxic Burden We All Face, we know scientifically that we are being exposed to more and more chemicals that can impact our health negatively. So how do we know how our bodies are handling all of that chemical burden?

The Drainage Funnel

The scientists at Cellcore Biosciences, a leading supplement manufacturer in the US, created a super simple visual that helps us understand how our body systems work together to drain away toxins.

At the top of the funnel we have each individual cell. Even the basic processes of life at the cellular level create toxins and waste products that need to be shuttled away to keep the cellular environment healthy. Groups of cells are of course organized into tissues and organs with specific roles. Some of these organs are directly involved in toxin removal as we’ll see in a moment, but all of these cells and organ systems are surrounded by the vessels of the lymphatic system. The lymph system is responsible for taking toxins that are outside of the cells and moving them into the bloodstream. Eventually, these fluids are moved through the liver, where the major act of chemical detoxification takes place. Toxic byproducts are then carried by bile into the gallbladder, eventually to be emptied into the small intestine to make the journey through the colon to our toilet bowl.

We also have other “support” organs that assist in clearing toxins from our bodies. With each breath, our lungs are clearing carbon dioxide from our blood. Our kidneys also perform a huge job in clearing toxins from our blood through urination. Even our skin helps to remove toxins through our sweat.

When this funnel is working well, we have our best chance of being healthy. When this funnel isn’t working well, toxins can get backed up in a hurry and lead to all sorts of issues.

At each step along the funnel, toxins are becoming more and more concentrated and this is a critical thing to understand. That means that when the bowels aren’t moving regularly, the whole funnel gets “backed up”. So step 1 is to make sure that the colon is healthy and that we are having 1-2 bowel movements per day.

Once that is happening, we need to turn some attention to the liver and the gallbladder. So many people have poor functioning liver/gallbladder systems. In fact, doctors perform over 1 million gallbladder surgeries every year and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease now affects a full 1/3 of the world’s population. This critical organ is simply being overwhelmed by the challenges of modern lifestyles.

When the liver, gallbladder, and colon aren’t working optimally, the body needs to rely more heavily on the kidneys, lungs, and skin to help clear toxins. Increases in asthma, allergies and other breathing disorders increase and the sensitive filters of the kidneys become damaged.

We could further this line of reasoning up the chain all the way to the level of cellular function but I’m sure you get the idea at this point.

Looking at this Drainage Funnel as a step by step process can often make all of the difference for patients, especially those with chronic problems that aren’t responding to more direct treatments.

1. Start with the basics of gut function and get the bowels moving better.
2. Move to the liver and gallbladder system.
3. Improve lymphatic drainage.
4. Shift attention to any system or organ that is showing signs of dysfunction and then address overall cellular health.

I hope that this simple concept makes sense to you. If you are concerned about the direction your health is moving and you’d like to sit down with our team and evaluate your drainage funnel, give the office a call today!