If you are an experienced modern medicine patient, you have most likely never heard of the importance of detoxing your body in an effort to improve your health. Because of this, there is a pretty good chance you have most likely never heard of the word “binder” as it results to your detoxification efforts.
In the context of detoxification, binders are substances that bind to toxins and other harmful substances or poisons in the body, and then work to eliminate them through the digestive tract, pee, poop, skin, etc. Binders can be our best friends in the detox world! In fact, unless it’s directly through the skin, I would not do a detoxification effort without using a binder. Our family’s book, The Year I Stopped Wearing A Bra – “How” We Got Our Health Back shares important details about binders, why they are needed, etc. The information we discovered is based on our family’s personal healing journey.
We learned binders are important in our body’s detoxification process because they help to reduce the burden on the liver and other detox-oriented organs, such as the kidneys and the lymph system. They do this by preventing the reabsorption of toxins right back into your bloodstream only to land somewhere else in your body. When toxins are released from the body’s tissues through a detox process, they can be reabsorbed if they are not properly eliminated. Binders help to prevent this situation by binding to toxins. making them less available for reabsorption as they make their way out of your body.
Binders commonly used in detox protocols include activated charcoal, diatomaceous earth, chlorella, bentonite clay, apple pectin, and zeolite just to name a few. These substances each have different benefits/uses, and are often paired with other therapies, such as diet and exercise, to support the body’s natural detoxification processes. Our family’s favorite binder is G.I. Detox®️+, which contains zeolite clay, activated charcoal, aloe vera, apple pectin, and humic powder just to name a few ingredients. Your doctor can help you find what will work best for your individual detox needs, but G.I. Detox®️+ will remain at the top of our family’s list.
I have also been known to make my own binder concoction that a friend lovingly labeled “mud mix”. To make the “mud mix”, I combine the following ingredients, but you may find something you like better in your own research:
- 1 tsp Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
- 1 tsp Food Grade Zeolite Powder
- 1 tsp Food Grade Bentonite Clay (for internal use also)
- 1 TBSP Food Grade Activated Charcoal
Instructions: shake the four powders in a covered glass jar to mix well. Store in a cool, dry place. When ready to use, use a plastic spoon to add 1/2 – 1 tsp mud mix to a small covered jar with 2-3oz distilled water. Shake until it’s a consistency you are able to drink. It often looks like a runny black sludge, but it has virtually no taste. Here’s a tiny snapshot of what we learned when researching the different ingredients for our own bodies. Of course my research has not been approved by the FDA:
- Activated charcoal absorbs toxins so they can exit the body.
- Diatomaceous earth destroys nanotech and other parasites.
- Zeolite helps remove heavy metals.
- Bentonite clay helps detox mycotoxins and aids in digestive comfort. We also use it in our tooth paste powder.
We also learned it’s highly recommended to use distilled water when mixing up the muddy concoction. If you don’t have access to it, use the best water you can… do NOT use tap water.
When detoxing, you may experience unpleasant symptoms. This is actually your body’s response to getting rid of poisons and toxins that should not be in your body. Research the Herxheimer Reaction before doing any kind of detox process. You need to be aware of what could happen and what to do if you experience it. Your functional medicine doctor can help coach you through the process.
If you know of a great binder option, please comment below. We are all here to learn, and anything we can do to help each other feel our best is what life is all about (at least to me).
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and cannot recommend or prescribe treatments. This post is solely based on my own personal research that ultimately helped our family heal. Also, some links on this page are affiliate links which means that, if you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only post products I have personally used and found to be amazing. Cheers to good health!
Photo by Isaac Benhesed on Unsplash