detox your thighs

During Christmas vacation in Colorado, my family and I decided to go to the local hot springs. It was just what we needed to warm our bones from the cold of being outside all day cross country skiing. There were people of all shapes and sizes. What I noticed in almost all women and adolescents was the appearance of cellulite on the thighs. I started paying attention to who had more cellulite and who had less. No woman was immune to its effect. There were even female athletes with washboard stomachs who had cellulite on their thighs. I found it very disturbing that so few women did not have cellulite. What is it in our culture that promotes this unsightly bulge and what do we do to prevent it? Is it exercising the key or is it something more than that?

What really is cellulite and how do we get rid of it? After doing some research on how to get rid of these deposits naturally, I discovered that women in Europe have been going to spas and using creams to get rid of cellulite or “unsightly fat deposits” for at least twenty years. American doctors consider this type of fat to be a problem, but they don’t treat it as a “connective tissue disease” like the medical community in Europe does.

Cellulite is a gel-like substance made up of fat, toxic waste material, and water that gets trapped between fibrous tissue just below the skin’s surface. Cellulite is mainly a female problem due to the higher percentage of fatty tissue in women and the greater elasticity of the skin. The layer of fat under the skin appears between this fibrous tissue causing a “bulge of fat” in the subcutaneous layer. In a healthy woman without cellulite, the fat would remain in the dermal layer. This problem occurs when the blood vessels deteriorate and deprive the skin of important nutrients. Second, fats clump together and bind to proteins. Water fills the cells due to toxicity in adipose tissue. The water dilutes the toxic waste and creates a gel-like substance that creates the orange peel appearance on the skin. It can be said that cellulite is an inflammatory process due to:

1. Decreased circulation in the area

2. Loss of capillary networks

3. Excess fluid retention

4. Fat deposition usually mediated by hormones

5. Vascular changes within the dermis.

6. Toxic waste material that is stored in less vascular areas of the body in adipose tissue.

7 steps to detox your thighs

Some doctors say that cellulite is caused by damaged and dehydrated skin. I think this is one of the causes of cellulite, but it is not the whole truth. The first step in reducing cellulite is to repair damaged skin cells and connective tissue. We can do this by following these seven essential steps.

1. The first step to change is to use antioxidants to eliminate free radical damage and promote microcirculation. Vitamin C and vitamin A are the most important antioxidants for the skin. Collagen cannot be produced without vitamin C. Vitamin A is one of the most important nutrients for keeping skin healthy and firm.

2. The second key is to increase circulation throughout the body. Gingko biloba increases microcirculation and thus removes stored toxins from the body. Dry brushing is an important addition to our detox regimen. Dry brushing for five minutes a day is equivalent to half an hour of exercise. Use a dry vegetable bristle brush in a circular motion from your toes to your heart. This acts like a manual lymphatic pump to flush out toxins and maintain healthy circulation. Use circulation-boosting essential oils like rosemary and birch to start breaking down fat deposits. Put 20 drops each in 4oz. of a carrier oil such as sesame or almond oil and rub it on your buttocks, thighs, and hips daily.

3. Eliminate foods that produce a lot of mucus and most dairy products, especially if they are not organic. The lymphatic system has a direct impact on the appearance and condition of your skin. When the lymph becomes clogged with mucus-forming foods, toxins cannot be eliminated and many of these waste products end up deposited and trapped in the skin. Cellulite forms when stagnant lymph full of toxins gets stuck in the accumulations of fat just under the skin. Non-organic dairy products contain high amounts of synthetic hormones that disrupt our sensitive hormonal system.

4. Regulate your hormones with oils rich in specific nutrients. High amounts of estrogen in the body determine where fat will be deposited, especially in the hips, buttocks, and thighs. Remember, estrogen strengthens the body, just like in pregnancy. It also promotes the retention of excess water in the tissues. If the lymphatic system is sluggish, toxins get stuck in the storage containers in the thighs. Essential fatty acids also hydrate the skin by strengthening the cell walls. The oils keep the skin well hydrated. This is important due to the fact that essential fatty acids regulate the body’s hormones. When hormones are balanced, cells hydrate properly. It is also easier to maintain the proper weight. An easy way to do this is to rotate the organic flax oil and evening primrose oil with the waxing and waning moon. This will regulate estrogen and progesterone in the body naturally. After menopause other oils should be used. If your hormones are truly out of balance, I recommend weekly acupuncture treatments and specific formulas to help with this. A hormonally balanced woman is usually a healthy woman.

5. Opens the pathways of elimination by stimulating detoxification of the liver, kidneys and large intestine. When a vacuum cleaner is full of toxic waste, it won’t work. We need to clean up our system so it works more efficiently. When we are constipated, our elimination system is “backed up.” The other organs then have to do “double duty.” Sometimes when this happens, too many toxins flood the system at once and the liver has to store this waste material for a later day. It does this by storing waste matter in a lobe of fat. The liver then sends it away from major organs and into areas of the body where there is little circulation. These toxins will remain in this place, safe from important bodily functions. A French herbalist named Maurice Messegue did extensive research on cellulite control with women from all over Europe. Only when these women gave up foods containing pesticides and chemicals (mostly processed foods) were they able to decrease the amount of cellulite on their bodies. By stimulating liver function with milk thistle, dandelion, or specific individual detox formulas that target the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system, we can help them function more efficiently. At my clinic in Austin, Texas, I use individual formulations and patient-specific nutrients to break down waste material stuck in cells. The general ways to do this are to squeeze half a lemon into water three times a day to break down mucus and stimulate the liver. Next, I suggest taking organic, raw apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon in 8 ounces of water) before meals to stimulate the digestive processes and alkalize the body.

6. Boost your metabolism. Drinking three cups of green tea a day is one of the best ways to do it. Not only does it boost your metabolism, it has lots of antioxidants, but it has the ability to emulsify fat! The second ingredient to improve our metabolism is to use cayenne in our lemon juice every day. Cayenne stimulates our digestion and improves our circulation. Don’t use cayenne if you have heat symptoms, such as hot flashes or constant thirst.

7. Take saunas and hot baths regularly. The most important secret of cellulite detoxification is to heat and break down fat deposits. Warming up the body stimulates the elimination of toxicity and increases metabolism and circulation. After taking a hot bath, you need to squeeze and twist your thighs and buttocks with your thumb and first two fingers. Do this gently, but firmly. By doing this, you are breaking down the fat and dispersing it into your bloodstream. Then use firm movements towards the heart to move the blood and lymph. You can use the vegetable bristle dry brush for this part. If you don’t have access to a sauna, hot tubs are wonderful. Add essential oils like juniper, grapefruit, and rosemary to stimulate the liver and flush out toxins. Other additions can include Epsom salt and baking soda. Use two cups of Epsom salt and one cup of baking soda in the bath. Epsom salt draws toxins out of the body while baking soda alkalizes the system. Soak for twenty minutes until you sweat. When you get out of the bath, massage your tummy, buttocks, and thighs, then rest. Do this at least three times a week.

To conclude, detox thighs is not a simple quick fix pill. Most women will agree that staying healthy should be part of a lifestyle change. A diet rich in grains, vegetables and fruit with small amounts of meat, fish and vegetables will keep us full of energy, strong and slim. Daily walking and yoga keep our body flexible and strong in addition to the above steps. By incorporating all of these factors into your daily life, you will have incredible success in reducing those unwanted bulges. Our body just needs the right nutrients, the right diet, and proper detoxification.

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