Wouldn't it be nice to live in a pollution-free environment, where we drank only the purest of water and ate naturally untainted foods? Where the homes we lived in were free of chemicals and the air we breathed, the water in which we swam, and even the clothes hugging our skin were clean of any artificial substances?

Of course, this idealistic notion has probably never been the case, and is especially impractical today. That is why the next best thing we can do for our health is to cleanse our bodies of these toxins from time to time through methods of detoxification.

Detoxification refers to the elimination of poisons or toxins. Due to the huge amounts of today's environmental contaminants, our bodies are in serious need of regular cleansing to reduce damage to our immune systems and metabolism. Detoxification is vital to maximize the body's energy and to prevent chronic illness. It is also a time-honored way to keep digestive elimination regular, circulation under control, and stress to a minimum. Detoxification both maintains good health and promotes healing from illnesses.

A handful of common methods of detoxification are described here. Some are physical approaches that speed toxin removal from tissues so they can be excreted. Others are plant- or food-based, which treat the body to loads of immune-boosting substances that inactivate toxins and enhance their elimination.

Massage, dating back at least to the ancient Greeks and Romans, is an excellent method to improve lymph movement and blood flow. That, in turn, aids in getting cellular waste products and accumulated toxins out of tissues, into the bloodstream, and to the kidneys, where they are eliminated through  urine.

Melinda Pizzano, LMT, of Bodhi Massage Studio in Hudson, matches specific massage techniques to a client's constitution. One of her favorites is a salt massage or salt glow. "I use this method to stimulate the large lymph glands and exfoliate the skin, as the skin is the largest organ of elimination." She uses a blend of salt, oil, and an assortment of herbs and sugars during the massage, then rubs it off with hot towels. Melinda adds, "A Swedish massage, which is a more vigorous rubbing technique that really stimulates the lymph and circulatory systems, might be better for someone else, while the lymphatic drainage technique might suit another individual." Aromatic essential oils such as lemon and grapefruit enhance the detoxification process, as does regularity of treatments. Pizzano suggests massage be enjoyed on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis to ensure the treatments reach the body's deepest layers, where unwanted substances build up over time.

Hyperthermia techniques, which elevate body temperature slightly to remove toxins, have been used throughout history, such as by ancient Greek physicians, in the ornate bath complexes of the Romans, in sweat lodges of the Native American Indians, and in the steam baths of the Scandinavians. These techniques are still very popular today. Steam baths, hot tubs, and saunas in particular are favorite ways to get your heart beating and your blood circulating, which improves toxin transfer from tissues to the bloodstream, then to the liver, which chemically alters many harmful substances into harmless ones, and then to kidneys for elimination.

Further, according to authors Patricia J. Benjamin and Francis M. Tappan in Tappan's Handbook of Healing Massage Techniques, "steam rooms help clear the sinuses and relieve respiratory congestion. Steam also raises the body temperature and causes sweating." A cold shower following a steam washes off toxins released in sweat and brings body temperature down to normal.