Demystfying Detox

- [Announcer] Our world is becoming increasingly toxic and dangerous to our health, but we aren't helpless victims.

We can arm ourselves with practical, science-based research and learn how to supercharge our body's detox systems.

- [Minich] We need to ensure our bodies to be better primed to eliminate and to get things out and to move things in and that will enable us to have a better quality of life, long term.

- [Trasande] There are safe and simple steps we can all take to limit these exposures of concern and the great news-- it doesn't require a PhD in Chemistry and doesn't have to break the bank.

-[Announcer] But there are so many myths and so much misinformation out there about what detox actually is.

Is it a fad, a trend?

How do we make sense of it all?

In Demystifying Detox, renowned cardiologist Dr. Alejandro Junger-- often called the "Father of Detox"-- explores his simple and powerful approach to better health to separate the facts from the fictions.

His Clean Program is designed to be easily incorporated into a busy schedule, providing all the practical tools necessary to support and rejuvenate our bodies.

Learn how to help nagging health problems disappear.

See extra weight drop away and experience what it truly means to feel vital, happy, and healthy.

Join Dr. Alejandro Junger for Demystifying Detox.

(audience applauding) - [Junger] I'm Dr. Alejandro Junger.

I don't want to alarm you, but it's inevitable.

There are toxic molecules all around you, in your home, your car, your office, and many of the foods you eat.

Many of these toxins can disrupt your metabolism, cause inflammation and ultimately are linked with many diseases.

In my opinion, toxicity is one of the main reasons behind the current pandemic of chronic diseases in the modern world.

I compare it to a falling plane heading for a fatal crash.

Your detox system is your parachute.

Wouldn't you like to know how to operate it?

Of course, that's the power of detox.

But maybe you heard that the whole detox thing is just a fad, that it isn't real.

That's Myth Number One, that there is no such thing as a detox program-- that the body already knows what it needs to do and there is nothing much that we can do to help.

This argument is true in one essential way.

Your body comes equipped with an incredible detox system that knows, and is trying to do, what it needs to do.

And it would succeed if we were living in natural conditions, but we are not.

I have witnessed how a great detox program can help people deal with this invisible and serious health threat.

Just to show you how crazy some of these detox fads are-- there are people out there who claim that a hot dog with charcoal can detox your whole body.

(audience chuckling) Really, a hot dog?

That's crazy.

There are so many myths and misconceptions but I've seen the effects of a properly functioning detox system in patients that I work with.

And that's why I developed the Clean Program, which is an easy-to-follow, optimal way to get your detox system under control and functioning in the right way.

An optimal detox program like the Clean Program has given so many people their lives back.

In fact, I have experienced it myself.

Let me take you back to where I was born, in Uruguay in the 1960s.

A very simple time there.

There weren't even supermarkets.

My mom cooked our meals from scratch every day, and we ate together as a family.

When I graduated from medical school there in 1990, I moved to New York for an internship and residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiovascular diseases.

The change in pace and lifestyle was really drastic.

I was working nonstop.

I was eating from the hospital cafeteria and from vending machines after hours.

I gained more than 40 pounds.

I developed allergies, I had difficulty digesting, but what really scared me the most was that I was sad all the time.

I visited three specialists and I was diagnosed with three diseases and I was given seven prescription medications.

It was around this time that a friend of mine stopped by to visit me and say, "Hi."

I had seen him ten days before, but this time when he came to visit, he was like a different person.

He had lost a lot of weight.

His skin was soft and glowing.

He exuded a sense of calm.

He took me to a detox spa where he had gotten these results, and I was blown away when I heard the stories of the people who were there about the resolution of all kinds of health issues.

I met the owner and I told her about my symptoms.

She suggested I try the program.

So I did.

Ten days later, I, too, was a different person.

No excess weight, no more bloating, no more diarrhea or constipation, no more depression and my allergies had completely resolved.

All of this with no medications.

What was even more amazing-- the more I looked into it, I discovered that you don't even have to go to a spa to get these incredible benefits.

That's how I came to develop the Clean Program-- as a way to bring that experience that I had to everyone in the world.

After my own personal experience, all I could think of was why didn't I learn this in medical school?

That's a myth too.

We think that all of our trusted doctors know everything, but as you learn, modern Western medicine has a lot of blind spots.

Remember, I'm a cardiologist myself, I believe in modern Western medicine, but I never learned one thing about toxins in medical school.

And a lot of other doctors I've met are completely detox-blind too.

Which brings me to the central question-- What are toxins?

Well, they're more than you might think.

- [Minich] Toxins are anything that stand in the way of our optimal health.

So, they can be seen as being physical, emotional and mental.

Physical, from the environment-- things like heavy metals and plastics, but also emotional toxins.

Things like emotional baggage or stress-- or even, I would say, mental toxins.

So, things like worry.

- [Trasande] People got lulled into the assumption that chemicals were always good for us.

We have rapidly-accelerating evidence.

Now it's not just a molehill.

It's a mountain, suggesting effects on conditions like cognitive deficits, heart disease, infertility and even certain forms of cancer, which have increased.

These are all byproducts of chemicals in our daily lives spamming up our hormone system and ultimately contributing to disease and disability.

- [Junger] That sounds scary, but true.

Toxic chemicals are changing the health outcomes on planet earth.

The good news is that there is something you can do.

You don't have to wait.

It's easy.

Anyone can do it.

Just like Jacqueline.

She was in a profound depression for almost a year.

She had crippling arthritis pain.

That's when I met her.

We came up with a Clean Program, especially for her circumstances that profoundly changed her life.

Her depression lifted.

She was back to doing what she loved, walking on the beach, looking at the sunset, and cherishing being alive again.

Jacqueline was 70 when she started her program.

So, it's never too late for anyone to complete your own Clean Program successfully.

So let's talk about how you do it.

First, you need to know what toxins to be aware of and where they come from.

I think of it as the four layers of toxicity, a way to simplify how we think about toxins.

This can help you cut through the noise to make the right choices to optimize your detox system.

The first layer of toxicity is the most intimate layer.

It's everything inside your skin-- organs, tissues and cells that make your physical body.

Your cells are continuously producing toxic waste products.

These are the endotoxins generated inside.

On top of the internal waste products of your metabolism, we are exposed to many external toxic molecules called exotoxins.

These can be either natural or manmade.

These toxic molecules are in the air, they've infiltrated the water, woven into our clothes.

Some of them get inside of you every day through the air you breathe, the water you drink, the medications you consume, but mostly through the processed edible stuff that you eat.

The second layer of toxicity is right outside of that-- anything that you apply on or that touches your skin.

That includes cosmetics, toiletries, clothes, sheets, mattresses, and all the products that we use to wash and dry them.

The third layer is where we live.

Our homes, our offices, our vehicles.

You know that new car smell?

That's a toxin from off-gassing of new plastic sprays that you breathe in whenever you're driving down the road.

The fourth layer is our environment and atmosphere-- everything outside of our homes.

I'm talking about air pollution, water pollution, even noise and light pollution.

At a time in human evolution where we are exposed to more exotoxins than ever, a time when our detox systems should be adapting to work harder and more effectively, the complete opposite is happening.

As a result of our modern lifestyle, we are weakening our detox systems to the point that they cannot handle modern life any longer.

Look around, everybody is suffering from one symptom or another.

Most people are taking over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Something is obviously not working.

Why is our detox system not working optimally?

We are eating all day long, and therefore, digesting all day long, and all night long.

This requires a lot of energy, which leaves less energy to fuel the detox systems and others.

Also, what we eat is deficient in essential nutrients for the liver to manufacture the enzymes responsible for detoxification.

Even if we eat good, nutritious foods, most people are walking around with some level of gut damage from the exotoxins altering our intestinal flora and damaging the intestinal wall.

That makes it hard for us to absorb the nutrients that we need.

The biggest damage is in your gut, where most of your immune and repair systems are located.

The immune system detects the threat and activates a response-- inflammation.

Inflammation starts spreading like wildfire, turning from local to systemic.

This leads to the chronic diseases of the modern world.

(soft upbeat music) I'm an open-minded doctor, and I want to give all ideas a fair chance, but here's one that I just cannot wrap my mind around-- The Werewolf Diet.

I can see you shaking your heads right now.

(audience laughing) This crazy concept is to eat only certain foods during a full moon.

What?

(audience laughing) - [Minich] There are so many different terms that are bandied about to talk about detox.

What it's about, is ensuring that we are reducing toxic substances going in and ensuring the removal of whatever we have taken in, out of the body.

And that we are in a state of health, as well as a state of happiness.

- [Junger] So let's talk a little bit about the concept of detoxification.

Where does it come from?

(soft bright music) Detox has a long and rich history, actually.

We've known about the power of resting our systems for millennia.

This is where a lot of current research on detox is concentrated, in fact.

Universities around the world, including Harvard, Stanford and even the National Institutes of Health are investigating the effects of fasting-- and in particular, intermittent fasting-- as a key to optimizing your health.

The most intense way of pushing the detox system into high intensity is by not eating anything at all.

But that fact has led to a terrible myth, that turns a lot of people off.

The myth is detox has to be extreme to get extremely good results.

Water fasting, juice fasting, drinking only water with lemon, cayenne pepper and maple syrup, can be very intense and safe ways of detoxing, when guided by someone who understands the right conditions needed.

It took me a decade to figure out how to adapt a detox program to be suitable and effective for someone living in their busy lives.

That's the Clean Program.

It adapts this idea of intermittent fasting in a way that anyone can do it.

I call it the 12-hour window rule.

You give your digestive system a rest for a minimum of 12 hours between the last meal of one day and the first meal of the next.

12 hours is enough to increase detox activity but not enough to cause the problems of a too-intense detox program.

The 12-hour rule is a great way to think about how you are eating.

It's simple and very effective at bringing the benefits of fasting into your life without being too difficult to do.

You simply stop eating by 8: 00 p.m., no more midnight snacks.

And then you eat your breakfast meal at eight o'clock in the morning or later.

What makes it so easy to do?

Guess what?

You are asleep for most of that time, letting your body rest and reset its systems for optimal detoxification.

The Clean Program is the perfect way to get started on your detox and to gain and maintain optimal health.

I designed it so you can succeed even if your life is so busy that you think you can't.

In fact, after the first few days, you'll feel as if you can deal with anything that life throws at you, and I am going to show you how to harness the power of the Clean Program, detox the four layers of toxicity and give you more steps towards crafting your own plan, when Demystifying Detox returns.

(audience applauding) (audience applauding) - [Announcer] We're back with Demystifying Detox.

- [Junger] I'm Dr. Alejandro Junger.

We've already spoken about the toxin overload that we are exposed to, and the layers around you where these toxins come from.

We've explained how modern diets and lifestyles weaken the detox system and the consequences to your health.

Here's another detox myth for you to chew on, or better said, to not chew on.

It's called the Cotton Ball Detox.

(audience laughing) It's hard even telling you this, because it sounds so crazy.

The idea is to eat only cotton balls to reset your metabolism.

(audience laughing) Insane.

Sometimes, stating the obvious is necessary.

Cotton balls are not food.

(audience chuckling) Please don't fall for these types of crazy detoxes.

- [Minich] The biggest thing that I want everybody listening to take away from this is that detox is not a trend, it's not a fad, it's not just about fasting, lemon juice and water, anything that's simplified.

It's an ongoing personalized process, and it's a way for you to better optimize all of your organs of detoxification for the best elimination and the best optimization in order to help you to have a healthier, better quality of life.

- [Junger] Let's see what we're dealing with layer by layer from the outside to the inside.

The fourth layer of toxicity seems so far away from your inner body, but that is just an illusion.

The atmosphere all around us is like the water that the fish are swimming in.

Whatever toxins are in our environment will end up in your bloodstream.

Air and water pollution are the two major components of this toxic layer.

We can counter this in all kinds of ways: by observing our carbon and toxic footprint in all the choices we make, by supporting policies that bring solutions, and by using air and water filtration systems in our homes and workplaces.

Prices are coming down as demand grows and technology improves.

A cheap and easy way to keep the air cleaner in your house is to let it flow.

Open the windows when possible, put plants all over your house.

Plants are a natural air filtration system.

There are also affordable HEPA filters for the air vents in your home.

Also, find time to get out in nature when you can.

Take a breathing break.

Walking in nature has so many benefits and is really easy to add to your life.

The third layer of toxicity refers to the toxins in your intimate environment: your homes, your cars, and workplaces.

Here, the invasion is nonstop.

The materials and ways we build our homes make up for the majority of pollution on Earth.

Did you know that?

(audience murmuring) Greener architecture exists with nontoxic materials and sustainable practices.

We can also detox this layer by choosing the least toxic materials, paints, glues, and furniture for our home.

For example, lead-free paints that will not off-gas VOCs-- Volatile Organic Compounds-- which are very toxic to humans.

The second layer of toxicity is the one right on top of you, and in intimate contact with your skin, your clothing materials, your bedding, and the detergents that you use to clean them.

These are all constantly in contact with your skin, which also has the ability to absorb things into your bloodstream.

This layer also refers to the cosmetics and toiletries that we apply on our bodies.

Cosmetics are known to have many toxins that-- even though are linked to many chronic diseases-- are still legally allowed as ingredients.

But your first layer of toxicity is the most important and intimate layer for you to protect.

It's your body and all the systems, organs, tissues, and cells within it.

The first layer includes the endotoxins from the waste products of your metabolism, and the exotoxins that you put directly into your system through the liquids you drink, but mostly, the edible stuff that you consume as foods.

Modern life has made it very hard to escape the toxic barrage in foods these days.

Processed products that can sit on the supermarket shelf.

The longer the shelf life of what you are eating, the shorter your life.

(audience murmuring) That's true.

Why?

Because the same chemicals that prevent bugs from growing, and spoiling these foods with mold, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, will kill the good bacteria in your gut and make it easier for resistant bacteria to grow and other bugs to-- to thrive.

It will create a condition known as dysbiosis, or unhealthy microbiome.

We are only beginning to understand the many functions of the intestinal flora, but we already know how important it is.

It performs 30 to 40% of the detox work needed in the first layer.

It helps digesting food and making certain nutrients absorbable.

It communicates with your immune system, keeping it alert, and it communicates with your brain.

The unhealthier your intestinal flora, the unhealthier your food cravings and choices become.

Isn't that scary?

(audience murmuring) You get these intense, unhealthy food cravings because your unhealthy bacteria are craving them.

This is a result of a detox system that's not functioning optimally.

You need to pay attention to toxins if you care about your health.

And even when you shop in the 10% remaining of the supermarket where you can buy real foods-- animal meats, fruits, vegetables-- you're still not safe.

Real foods can be a huge source of exotoxins because of fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, hormones, antibiotics, and many other environmental toxins such as glyphosates, they often contaminate the real food choices in modern supermarkets.

So the first layer is where our Clean Program will have the most impact.

Now, I should tell you, Clean is a program for optimal detoxification.

What I'm telling you is how to take the full plunge to get those incredible results that I want for you, right now.

But any change that you make, no matter how small, is going to put you on the right path.

And when you start to see the results, you'll want to add even more parts of the program into your daily life, to make the difference in your health that only an optimal detox program can.

There are two components to the Clean Program.

One-- removing.

Two-- restoring.

One, removing the sources of toxicity in your foods is like shutting the faucet if your bathroom is flooding.

We do this in three ways: we avoid processed edible stuff, we choose real foods with the least toxic chemical exposure-- organic when possible.

We avoid the foods that trigger toxic reactions in the body.

This is achieved by following the elimination diet, the most powerful tool in functional medicine.

With this, we cut down and then remove certain foods.

We focus on foods that are mucus-forming, and the ones that are pro-inflammatory or induce acidity, for example.

These are the big five trigger food categories.

They are gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol, and coffee.

What people love, right?

(audience laughing) Two-- restoring whatever is lacking.

This is so important, and in fact, Dr. Deanna Minich, a nutritional researcher, can tell us more about how to make a simple strategy for this in your life.

- [Minich] You can do two different things when it comes to reducing your toxic load or your toxic burden.

One is to avoid foods that are toxic.

You can also bring in foods that help to bind and reduce the effects of toxins.

So what would those foods be?

Number one, first and foremost, fiber, all kinds of dietary fiber.

Many different kinds, rotate those different forms, whether they're food based, through legumes, nuts, and seeds, or even supplemental fibers like psyllium or flaxseed meal.

Secondly, I would say the color green.

Look at the food supply that you have and make sure that you have got a lot of plants that are green things like cilantro, leafy greens of all types.

And then thirdly, I would say bringing in more herbs and spices.

So having nutrient density, meaning that with every plate of food that you have, you have variety, lots of color, and you have enabled yourself to get the most nutrient-dense meal possible, getting more nutritional density greater antioxidant potential, which in the long run are going to protect you from the effects of toxins.

- [Junger] As always, check with your doctor before you begin any kind of detox program.

In the Clean Program, I want to give you the control.

So your food choices are of the utmost importance.

But even when eating the healthiest, cleanest foods you still need to decrease the workload of the digestive system.

In an optimal detox program, the best way I found to make this happen is by replacing breakfast and dinner with liquid meals.

Maybe that sounds intimidating, but it's actually really simple.

Liquid meals require less digestive work.

They are much easier to absorb.

All the energy that the body saves from heavy digestion can then be reallocated to the detox and repair system.

So don't believe the myths out there regarding what to eat for a good detox result.

In fact, one of the biggest myths I hear every day is really just another roadblock to keep people from detoxing.

The myth is, for optimal detox you can only drink juices or be vegan.

Not true.

Remember the spectrum of the detox strength?

The less energy your body spends digesting, the stronger and more intense the work of your detox system.

Juices do provide many important nutrients, antioxidants, but very little protein and fats.

The liver needs proteins and fats for proper detoxification.

On the Clean Program, we equalize the process to a level compatible with most people going about their daily lives.

We tone down the detox strength by giving the digestive system some work, just this time, a healthy workout.

The liquid meals you will have are not only juices, but smoothies and soups where it's easier to include proteins and fats.

For lunch, you will have a solid meal avoiding the trigger foods that we mentioned.

Doing it as a vegan or vegetarian can be a deeper detox, but you can achieve wonderful results including animal meats as well.

So don't let this myth about detox keep you from getting the health that you deserve.

Modern medicine is still detox-blind, for the most part.

Western medicine has a divide-and-conquer approach.

That is why there are more and more specialties and sub-specialties that deal with smaller and smaller parts of the body.

Typically, nobody's talking to the other, as if every organ was an island disconnected from the rest.

Functional medicine, as well as Ayurveda, and other ancient medicine schools recognize that all parts are connected through the different systems.

Every organ participates in more than one system.

For example, the liver participates in the detox system and also in the digestive and hormonal systems.

All systems are interconnected and dysfunction in one system will result in adaptive and survival mechanisms that will alter all the other systems.

Leo Trasande is an expert in the effects of chemicals on the endocrine system.

So he has an important message about what happens when toxins upset this system in the body.

- [Trasande] Hormones are our natural signaling molecules.

When we're talking about endocrine-disrupting chemicals, we're talking about synthetic molecules that are not designed with the human body in mind.

They can send different faulty signals, ultimately getting in the way of how our body is going through its natural functioning.

A subtle change in thyroid hormone function can lead to cognitive deficits.

We've also seen rapid acceleration of knowledge suggesting that chemicals can literally make us fatter.

There are 50 or so chemical obesogens that are known.

- [Junger] That is true-- and scary.

Toxins are making us fat.

This is why a detox program like Clean is so important.

There are so many myths about detox, it is no wonder people don't understand the power of an optimal detox program.

And that power is necessary because toxins are often having a deep impact on the health of your brain.

We are in the middle of an exploding pandemic of mental health issues, anxiety, depression, mood instability, and stress in general.

Within and around our intestines, there are more neurons than in your skull.

Did you know that?

(crowd murmuring in agreement) But the brain within and around your intestines is actually larger than the brain in your skull.

And it has functions that are really, really important.

Like your intuition.

You've heard of gut feelings, right?

[crowd agreeing] This is where this incredible intelligence resides in the body.

And it's governed by this brain, not this one.

The gut brain is your second brain.

And in fact, where most of the neurotransmitters in your body are produced.

And when this brain is focused on survival mechanisms, it will decrease its normal function and production of neurotransmitters causing an imbalance that can have a profound effect on your levels of presence, happiness, and ultimately your wellbeing.

So removing toxins from harming the microbiome and restoring it to proper functioning is critical.

In fact, I have witnessed people improve and resolve so many of their mental health issues when they follow the Clean Program because it restores a healthy gut-brain axis.

But toxicity in your physical body is only a part of the problem.

Just as important in terms of the damage they can inflict, are toxic thoughts and toxic emotions.

This is what I call quantum toxicity.

It is not measurable as scientifically as toxic molecules, but quantum toxicity is equally dangerous.

Toxic thoughts and toxic emotions also give you the desire to eat toxic foods and vice versa, like a vicious circle that becomes a trap that you can't escape.

In Ayurvedic medicine, meditation is prescribed as a way to break this cycle and make important changes.

Dealing with quantum toxicity is also a part of our detox program.

Meditation, art, music, creativity are all incredible useful tools to deal with quantum toxicity.

I encourage you to include as many of them as you can-- and are interested in-- during the Clean Program.

The Clean Program can decrease your toxic load and reduce inflammation.

You can improve your brain health with an appropriate detox program.

And when we come back, I'll show you how to put everything together and design a Clean Program for yourself.

Please stay with me.

(audience applauding) - [Announcer] Welcome back to Demystifying Detox.

(audience applauding) - [Junger] I'm Dr. Alejandro Junger.

We have now become aware of an invisible problem that-- it's at the root of how we ended with a pandemic of chronic diseases.

The toxicity of our planet.

You now know how to identify the sources of toxicity and divide them in the four layers to better organize how you deal with them.

We've explained what toxins are, how they behave in your body, and what kind of damage they can cause.

We've also seen that despite this growing problem, there is a lot you can do to defend yourself and live a healthier, more vibrant life.

Our Clean Program is the perfect tool to get you started and to use periodically.

Furthermore, you can use its components separately, all the time, without the need to do the full program.

That is why it's useful to break down the program into the different components.

Avoid new toxins by detoxing the four layers of toxicity.

Reduce the workload of the digestive system by avoiding the trigger foods, replacing meals with liquid meals, and respecting the 12-hour window.

Enhance elimination by keeping yourself well-hydrated.

Detox quantum toxins by meditating, being creative or simply having some fun.

The Clean Program is an optimal detox program, so all of these steps are what I recommend my patients to follow to get the full results.

But incorporating any of the principles will help you.

It just won't get you the full results that are possible.

And it's not hard to do.

The first few days are harder for some people because of the changes that you're making.

But after a few days, you will be feeling the extra energy.

Your skin will start glowing, and your mind will get clearer and more focused.

Your sleep becomes deeper and more recharging, and your aches and pains and other symptoms will begin to improve.

We have normalized the aches and pains of aging, but it doesn't have to be that way.

I hear from a lot of people about the myth of detox, that detox programs are hard to follow, and that you feel hungry all the time.

This is simply not true.

The Clean Program is not a deprivation strategy.

You will actually eat better-quality food with dense nutrient content.

This will make you feel less hungry than usual since so many of us are overfed, but undernourished.

What so many of us call "I'm hungry," is not really true hunger, but just the desire to eat.

We confuse other body sensations with hunger as well, such as sadness, boredom, anxiety, leading to emotional eating.

And we also eat to self-medicate.

A detox program will bring all this into focus.

So let's see what that looks like.

What does a day on the Clean Program look like?

How does it work?

Well, when you wake up, you will have a liquid breakfast.

Make sure that at least 12 hours have passed since your last meal the previous day.

Your liquid breakfast can be a smoothie or a soup.

The ingredients you will be following are from the elimination diet's list of allowed foods.

And you will respect the foods to avoid.

The elimination diet is one of the functional medicine's most powerful tools.

It consists of eliminating any foods that for any reason have a negative effect on the body.

It could be because they contain toxins, such as processed edible "stuff."

It also includes some real foods that affect the body negatively, especially the detox system.

This group of foods are the big five, gluten, dairy, sugar, coffee, and alcohol.

It includes other real foods that are frequently allergenic, such as strawberries; that are pro-inflammatory, such as nightshades; that cause acidity, such as oranges; or slow down intestinal transit, leading to constipation-- bananas.

For lunch, you will have a solid meal following the elimination diet guideline.

You will eat enough to be 80% full.

This is so important.

You do not want to eat until you are totally stuffed.

This is an old Japanese tool that has been passed down for generations.

Always leave the table 80% full and 20% hungry.

Your dinner will also be a liquid meal with ingredients that follow the elimination diet.

The earlier your dinner, the closer you will be to completing digestion when you go to sleep.

This is something that not a lot of people talk about.

Sleeping and recharging during sleep actually depends on having no digestion going on at the time.

You might think that stopping these foods is impossible, that it is difficult enough to stop one of them, let alone all of them at the same time, but it is my experience witnessing thousands of people go through the Clean Program that the contrary is true.

It is easier to stop all of them, than one by one.

This is because we often crave one to counteract the effect of the other.

For example, you may crave pasta, usually a downer.

Gluten has been compared to opioids in the way that your brain responds to them.

And after the crash in energy that results, you crave a stimulant, such as coffee or sugar.

This is a self-perpetuating cycle.

So don't be discouraged or intimidated.

And during the program, you will pay attention to cleaning the four layers of toxicity.

Layer four, air and water filters.

Spending time in nature, expose yourself to the sun.

Layer three, start noticing where toxins are in your intimate spaces and take action when possible; green architecture, non-toxic paints and glues, non-toxic home cleaning products.

There's a lot you can do to improve your third layer.

I clean the floors in my house with water and white vinegar.

Try it out, it works, and it leaves no toxins for you to walk on.

Layer number two, choose non-toxic materials for your clothing, your linen, and the detergents that you use to wash them.

I think of mattresses as belonging to the second layer.

You spend up to a third of your life on them.

Most modern mattresses are treated with fire retardants.

This will off-gas for years and you will spend a third of your life breathing these gases in.

They have been linked with many chronic diseases, including cancers and infertility.

Organic non-toxic mattresses can be expensive, but I see it as an investment.

And then layer number one.

This is where the Clean Program will have the biggest impact, by strengthening and supporting your detox system.

Throughout the day, engage in activities and practices that will help with quantum detoxification, meditation, restorative yoga, walking, listening to music, praying, drawing.

It is very helpful also to keep a diary of everything you eat and drink and how you are feeling day by day.

And that's the Clean program in a nutshell.

Always check with your doctor before beginning any kind of detox, diet or health program.

Before I go, there is one more myth to debunk.

It's the idea that detox is expensive.

You need to pay a lot of money for supplements for detox to work.

This is more disinformation.

I have witnessed thousands of people achieve incredible results by just following our detox program's basic action steps of removing toxicity, reducing the workload of the digestive system, and engaging in practices that boost elimination as well as quantum detoxification.

Having said that, supplements can be useful to enhance and speed results.

The supplements I recommend the most are: plant proteins to add nutritional value to your smoothies and soups, digestive enzymes to further reduce the workload of the digestive system, magnesium-- a mineral that participates in more than 400 functions-- that we know of-- Vitamin D3, a vitamin that has such important functions that in functional medicine, it is thought of more of as a hormone than a vitamin.

Herbal antimicrobials that help get rid of unwanted bugs in our intestines.

Probiotics, in my experience, can be helpful, but the emerging understanding is that the good bacteria are never fully decimated, even after a course of antibiotics.

If you create favorable conditions for them, they will thrive and repopulate the intestines.

And finally, natural laxatives.

There's no shame in using natural laxatives.

Contrary to common perception, they're not addictive, and they can be the heroes during a detox program.

Bowel movements are the main elimination channel, and it is vital to have at least one a day.

Constipation is a huge problem for so many people.

And a lot of people don't even know they're constipated.

I compare it to not taking the trash out from your home.

(audience chuckles) Eventually, the accumulation of trash will cause all kinds of problems that will make your house unlivable.

This is exactly what happens in your body and especially during a detox program.

So it's imperative for us to do something I call "eating clean."

This can reduce the impact of toxicity as much as possible.

Dr. Minich shows us how easy it is to do.

- [Minich] For me, "eating clean" means to make, again, the most conscious, healthy choice, the lowest toxic residue choice whenever possible.

So that would be at the point of purchase in the grocery store, at the farmer's market, but it can also mean how we prepare food.

So when we're in our kitchens, eating clean can mean making sure that we are paying attention to expiration dates, the method of cooking, making sure we're not grilling or fryling or broiling so that we produce a lot of these inflammatory compounds in the food; looking at the cookware that we are using, making sure that we're not using perfluorinated, toxic cookware.

I think eating clean is highly personalized, but there is a general framework of reflecting on how we can reduce the amount of toxins that we're taking in; at where we're getting our food how we're preparing it; and then when we finally sit down to have that meal.

- [Junger] Clean is a program that you can adjust and fit to your life and your preferences.

It is so flexible, so it can be used by anyone because everyone is different.

That flexibility is key because I want everyone to be able to get the incredible benefits of detoxification in their life.

But the most important thing is: take that first step.

Make that decision today to think about toxins and the impact they have on you and your life.

And realize that you have control.

You have power, you have the Clean Program to make your detox system as powerful as possible.

And anyone can take that first step today.

You can make small changes that can have a huge impact in your life.

The most important thing to know about detox is: you can do it.

I know because I did it.

And I know because Andrea did it, and her results were amazing.

She came to me after being diagnosed with many inflammatory conditions.

Two autoimmune diseases-- rheumatoid arthritis, and dermatomyositis.

She was weak and had to stop working.

It was awful.

But she started the Clean Program, and she told me that what she liked the best about it were some of the recipes and how she was able to create a detox list of her favorite foods.

When she was done with the program, she visited her dermatologist.

She told her that she was on the Clean Program, and that she was feeling fantastic.

The dermatologist looked at her and said she looked amazing and had an incredible energy and that she should keep going.

Andrea's experience is something that I have seen repeatedly in my years of practice.

It's what you can expect with a properly-functioning detox system.

When you follow the Clean Program, you will feel more focused, more energetic, clearer, cleaner, and healthier than ever before.

You deserve the best, and the healthiest and most protected life possible.

And you can get it right now.

Wishing you your best toxin-free life.

I am Dr. Alejandro Junger.

Thank you for joining me.

(audience applauding) (bright upbeat music)