Day 4 -Detox with your DOC - Side effects of Detox

There are many normal side effects that you can expect while doing a liver detox that are completely normal. I wanted to write this blog to help you from being discouraged if you started a detox and are not feeling your best yet. As toxins leave your body you might feel "off" for a few days. Most people it is one to two days, my experience is that I felt pretty bad for about 3 days and today it day 4 and I feel a lot better. 

So what are these symptoms?

1) Headaches and irritability are the most common side effects. This can be from the change from high sugar processed foods to decreasing your caloric intake the first few days. This can also be from a withdrawl from caffeine. The detox recommends no coffee and not black tea. Incorporating green tea with caffeine can help lesson the symptoms of caffeine withdrawl. If you begin to wean yourself off sugar and caffeing before that cleanse this symptoms 

2) Nausea and upset stomach This can be from your body not being used to the supplements that are used for detoxification. 

3) Fatigue the first few days can be due to your body working to decrease the toxins but is also due to the decrease in calories the first few days. Your body is getting used to becoming fat adapted meaning it needs to use other sources of energy to keep you moving. If your body is not fat adapted when you deprive it of food it tries to send you signals to get you to eat which include fatigue as well as the other symptoms listed above. 

So what can you do to reduce these horrible symptoms. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water! Water will help move these toxins along to decrease the effects. Allow yourself to rest! Start the cleanse at the end of the work week to allow yourself time to take care of yourself. Also give it time these symptoms will pass.

Day 4 - 

Today it day four and I have a lot more energy than I did yesterday. The headache is not present. I woke up and did my core support and supplements. After my core support shake I did not feel hungry so I followed it with a green tea. I had carrots and strawberries for lunch. For dinner I will have a spinach/arugala salad with fun toppings. My cravings are down and am excited to have almost made it through day 4!

Four down three to go! Half way there!!!

Author

Emily Jensen PA-C