There are many ways to open drainage pathways to prepare the body to clear liver congestion, allowing you to experience more energy, mental clarity, and better gut health! 

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Whenever I begin working with a new client, we have a detailed conversation about why and how to open drainage pathways before diving headfirst into liver detoxification, gut protocols for imbalances like parasites, and replenishing good gut bacteria and nutrients. 

Many gut health programs focus primarily on “killing” or removing the pathogen, infection, or harmful bacteria. While this is often a necessary step to heal the gut, when done before opening drainage and detox pathways, it can make the person feel worse. Therefore, working to open drainage pathways should be the prerequisite to ensuring a successful detoxification plan and gut healing protocol. 

The good news is that there are many ways to open drainage and detox pathways to prepare the body to clear liver congestion, allowing you to experience more energy, mental clarity, and better gut health! 

WHAT ARE DRAINAGE PATHWAYS? 

Drainage pathways are responsible for removing waste and toxins from the body. Ensuring your drainage pathways are open and flowing properly differs from performing a “detox diet.” While detox diets or programs are short-term, temporary fixes, learning how to open your drainage pathways prepares your body to detox naturally every day. 

Daily detoxification and elimination of toxins are fundamental, sustainable, and long-term approaches to optimal gut health (and overall health)!

Opening drainage and detox pathways is different than doing a detox. By learning how to open drainage pathways, you are essentially preparing your body for daily detoxification.

WHY YOU NEED TO OPEN DRAINAGE PATHWAYS

Before discussing how to open drainage pathways, it is essential to understand why this is such a crucial step to supporting health. 

Detoxification is one of the trendiest subjects in health and wellness. However, detoxing is a lot more than just drinking green juice. If you want to reduce toxin buildup and support detoxification in your body, it all starts with optimal drainage pathways!

Optimizing drainage pathways supports Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) production, which provides energy to every cell in the body. Producing adequate ATP helps prepare our body for detox and ultimately promotes cellular renewal and tissue repair (an essential part of gut healing). 

Opening drainage pathways can support: 

• Daily detoxification
• Oxidative stress and aging 
• Inflammation 
• Energy production 
• Metabolism 
• Gut imbalances
• MTHFR 
• Autoimmune disorders
• Successful pathogen removal

Making every effort to open drainage pathways is essential if you are ready to improve your overall health. It is non-negotiable! This is especially true for those struggling with deeper imbalances and health conditions, as their drainage pathways are likely more vulnerable to feeling sluggish.

Check out my Microbiome Makeover program to learn more about how I help you utilize your unique lab data to create a personalized plan to help optimize your gut health so you can experience better digestion, boundless energy, and mental clarity! 

SIGNS YOU PROBABLY HAVE SLUGGISH DRAINAGE PATHWAYS 

So, the question is: How do you know if you have fluid or sluggish detox pathways? 

Below is a comprehensive (and rather long)  list of common signs and symptoms in those with sluggish or slowed drainage pathways. I always say that if you experience three or more of these symptoms, you likely have congested drainage pathways and would benefit from working to open them:

• Bad breath
• White/yellow coating on your tongue 
• Skin disruptions like acne, psoriasis, rashes, etc. 
• Fluid retention 
• Allergies/histamine issues
• Frequent headaches or migraines
• Constipation
• Fatty liver
• Iron/ferritin overload 
• Heavy metal toxicity
• High C-reactive protein 
• Infertility/miscarriages 
• Hormonal imbalances such as PCOS, PMS, PMDD
• Intense cravings 
• B vitamin sensitivities 
• Sinus congestion 
• Autoimmunity
• Gallbladder issues 
• Gallbladder removal
• Bloating
• Excessive sweating/overheating
• Fatigue 
• Moody/irritable 
• Chemical sensitivities 
• Increased belly or visceral fat 
• Insomnia
• Aches and pains 
• Brain fog/neurological problems
• Cancer
• Weight loss resistance 

As you can see, this is a pretty extensive list! I’ve determined that the individuals who should pay the most attention to opening drainage pathways are anyone experiencing: 

• Leaky gut 
• Autoimmunity 
• Difficulty losing weight 
• Extreme chronic fatigue 
• Individuals with high CRP (C-reactive protein) 
• Individuals with high liver enzymes (ALT and AST) 
• Individuals with an MTHFR mutation 
• Anyone currently removing pathogens and toxins (such as H. Pylori, parasites, heavy metals, mold, etc.)

Besides this long list of potential red flags, one of the KEY indicators and clues that someone needs to prioritize opening drainage and detox pathways is if they have swelling in their face. 

HOW TOXINS IMPACT DRAINAGE PATHWAYS

Think of drainage pathways as opening your system to eliminate the accumulated yucky substances from the body. When our toxin bucket is filled to the rim or our drainage pathways are sluggish and clogged, we aren’t as efficient at removing these pathogens and toxins. As a result, inflammation, brain fog, weight gain, digestive distress, and other unwanted symptoms can arise. 

To better understand your drainage system, imagine it as a baggage claim at an airport. When everything runs smoothly, luggage moves along the conveyor belt and gets picked up. But if there’s a jam or too many bags, everything backs up. Similarly, if your body’s drainage pathways are congested, toxins don’t get ‘picked up’ and removed, and everything starts to pile up.

When you take steps to open drainage pathways, you’re clearing the way for the toxins to be released daily. 

HOW TO OPEN DRAINAGE PATHWAYS 

There are numerous ways to open drainage pathways. To keep this list practicable and achievable so you can move your health forward, I want to break down the 7 pathways to focus on and an effective strategy for each. If you can focus on these 7 ways to open drainage pathways, you can experience significant improvements in your health! 

If you’re ready to go even deeper, download the free Pathways Checklist, which includes 100+ tips on how to open drainage pathways. 

As with any new modification to your diet, lifestyle, or supplement routine, please discuss adding the following recommendations with your healthcare provider. 

7 WAYS TO OPEN DRAINAGE PATHWAYS TO SUPPORT GUT HEALTH

There are seven main drainage pathways to consider, including your liver, skin, bowels, lungs, lymph, kidneys, and emotions. These drainage pathways affect your body’s ability to remove waste. You can use lifestyle, diet, and supplements to improve these drainage pathways and support daily detoxification. 

How to Open Drainage Pathways: 

Liver Pathway 

The liver is the body’s primary filtration system and works closely with the gallbladder. For one to work efficiently, the other must also. For those who have had their gallbladder removed, the liver is busy working overtime and is likely more vulnerable to congestion.

Various everyday toxins, such as alcohol, processed foods, trans fat, household toxins, etc, burden the liver. 

My top recommendation for opening your liver pathways is to consider drinking one cup of dandelion tea per day. Dandelion tea supports both the gallbladder and the liver. 

Check out this article for 15 ways you can further enhance liver detoxification.

Skin Pathway

The skin is the body’s largest organ. It quickly absorbs anything applied to it (within a matter of seconds) and is used to detox toxins primarily through sweating. 

To open your skin’s pathway, I recommend avoiding antiperspirant and opting for an all-natural deodorant. I love Earthley’s Pit Detox and their mineral deodorant to help with this! 

Bowel Pathway

Despite common belief, healthy bowels should empty 1-3 times daily. Yes, you read that right! Having bowel movements every other day is not enough and could indicate a sluggish detox system. 

A big clue that your bowel pathways are sluggish is if you leave home and notice constipation (Read my tips on Traveler’s Constipation here). Dehydration, gut dysbiosis, poor posture, and processed foods can result in sluggish bowels. 

My top recommendation to support opening this pathway is to start your day by drinking 1 cup of warm water with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a pinch of Celtic sea salt. Ideally, this should be sipped right after waking up and before food, coffee, tea, etc. 

Adding 1oz of pure aloe vera juice to this every morning and following up with a full cup or two of filtered water can help take it up a notch. You can read more about the benefits of aloe for gut health here.  

Lung Pathway 

The lungs are responsible for circulating oxygen throughout the body while expelling extra carbon dioxide. When the lungs are burdened, they might be sluggish at doing both.

The lungs are burdened mainly by toxic laundry and cleaning irritants, fragrances (found in perfumes, candles, plug-ins, beauty products, and cleaning products), and air pollution. 

My top recommendation to support lung pathways is to change the air filter in your home every 3-4 months (use unscented) and invest in a quality air filtration unit, such as the Air Doctor. Start with your bedroom as you spend the most time there, sleeping and breathing. 

Lymph Pathway 

The lymphatic system is the primary defense of the immune system. It works to identify and destroy pathogens in the body. This explains sore lymph nodes when you’re sick. Your lymphatic system is working hard to get you healthy!

Household toxins, inflammatory foods, stress, etc, burden lymph tissue. 

My top recommendation to support lymph drainage is to walk 10,000 steps per day and use a gentle yet powerful lymph cream on your lymph nodes 1-2 times daily. Massage lymph node areas and rotate through each region, including the neck, armpits, groin, lower ear lobe, stomach, breast, ankles, behind the knees, etc. 

Kidney Pathway 

The kidneys remove toxic waste through urination. Hydration and electrolyte balance are of the utmost importance for healthy kidney function. Hence, dehydration and electrolyte imbalances are the most common causes of sluggish kidneys. 

My top recommendation to support kidney drainage is to drink enough filtered water every day and add 1 cup of organic unsweetened cranberry juice daily. Since this will have natural sugar, having it with a meal and replacing a carbohydrate source is typically helpful to avoid blood sugar dysregulation. 

Emotion Pathway 

Did you know your emotions are considered to be a drainage pathway? Learning to manage stress and process feelings in a healthy, productive way is one of the best ways to encourage detoxification. 

Experiencing high stress, trauma, unhealthy processing patterns, and toxic relationships can all burden emotional pathways over time if left unattended. 

My top recommendation for supporting the emotion pathway is to spend the first 10 minutes and last 10 minutes of each day journaling, praying, or meditating on God’s word and Biblical affirmations. This seems simple, but it is incredibly effective! Take it up a notch by taking a few deep breaths during this time (breathe in for four seconds from your diaphragm, hold for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds) 

OPENING DRAINAGE PATHWAYS (PRE-TOXING)

In my Microbiome Makeover program, I take clients through a personalized journey to help them optimize their gut health. While we utilize advanced functional medicine testing like a GI Map, blood chemistry panels, and food sensitivity testing, part of my 4-phase method to helping clients feel their best is to do a pre-tox. 

After working on the foundations of a healthy gut and a balanced body, we move into the pre-tox phase. In this phase, according to the person’s unique chemistry, we customize a plan based on the pathways that need the most attention. Our pre-tox work is often the most impactful step of someone’s journey to better gut health! 

Only after we complete the pre-tox phase can we move to the “Gut Tox” phase, which is where we focus on supporting and enhancing liver detoxification to achieve a healthy gut. This paves the perfect path for the gut to heal! Once these main phases are completed, we can then dive into a gut protocol with confidence knowing their body is in a more resilient state. These protocols are completed customized and based on the person’s unique findings and address areas like gut infections, dysbiosis, and deficiencies. 

You can learn more about our unique approach and my personalized Microbiome Makeover program here!

WRAPPING IT ALL UP 

Opening your drainage pathways makes it easier for the body to heal and is essential to your gut and overall health. By supporting your drainage pathways, you reduce toxin accumulation, oxidative stress, aging, inflammation, imbalances, and disease. 

Learning how to open drainage pathways can feel overwhelming, so start by choosing one lifestyle or dietary modification per pathway. 

Make an effort to prioritize each of the seven modifications daily and habit stack from there to improve your drainage over time. You can change these up each month or every other month. 

Let me know in the comments if you are working on opening your drainage pathways and what you’ve noticed. I would love to hear from you!

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