Gm gents. Lets talk detox maxxing
I’m a notoriously bad detoxer. Found this out the hard way after years of feeling like garbage. Brain fog, irritability, skin issues, always feeling gunked up. My lifestyle didn’t help. I drank a lot, was on SSRIs, and had an affinity for sour gummy worms. I also lived in some of the most polluted places on the planet (Bangkok & Mexico City to name a few).
For the longest time, I thought I was just weak. That all I needed was more juice cleanses, fasting, and restrictive dieting. That was until I understood what detox actually was: Not a cleanse but a lifestyle. The detox industry has it backwards. They’re ramping up your body’s toxin-processing system without understanding that Phase I detox actually creates MORE dangerous compounds than it eliminates.
Turns out I just had bad detox genes. MTHFR polymophisms and other pathway deficiencies that made my Phase II detox pathways run like a Honda Civic on the Autobahn, maybe my mom took too much tylenol. The worst part was, I would get glimpses of who I was when I wasn’t overloaded with toxins. A few days where everything worked out. I could think clearly, wasn’t inflammed, bright and vibrant.
The real breakthrough came when I stopped following generic detox protocols and started treating my body like the unique biological system it is. I had to figure out MY specific bottlenecks, support MY weak pathways, and work WITH my genetics instead of against them.
What is “Detox”?
Everybody thinks detox is a cleanse. Something you do every few months to shit and sweat out all the bad stuff. Thats not how this works. Detoxification is a complex and continuous process your body is constantly undergoing. It ramps up and it ramps down. Too much detox is just as bad as too little. Like all things going on under your hood, its complex and nuanced.
But if there’s one thing I’m good at its oversimplifying complex functions that are outside my range of comprehension. And that is what this post will be: a super simplified yet practical and tactical overview of the primary detox phases.
Regardless of your unique genetic makeup, Everybody could use detox support. Life is inherently toxic nowadays. There’s no biological precedent to keep up with our internal and external toxin burdens and we’re all suffering because of it.
(PS: Scroll to the bottom if you want to see my personal detox stack & protocol)
The Detox Pipeline
Our digestive system is really one big tube. Things come in one end and out the other. Your body is actively trying to filter the good from the bad every step of the way: maximize nutrient intake, minimize toxin accumulation. I have broken this down into five steps, each with specific jobs, failure points and optimization strategies. The detox lifestyle starts with optimizing each of these.
Pre-Detox: Minimizing Toxin exposure
Step 1 of detox is to avoid toxins in the first place. Every toxin that makes it past your gut lining, lungs, and skin puts a burden on your liver. Controlling exposure is easier than retroactively mitigating damage, just like preventing hair loss is easier than regrowing it.
One can’t even begin to comprehend the sheer toxin burden they’re put under on a daily basis. No matter how healthy you are, you’re being blasted by toxins. Toxins that your body never had to consider up until a few generations ago:
Commercial glyphosate use started in 1974
Plastics/synthetic polymers took off post-WWII
Heavy metal contamination exploded post-industrial revolution
These toxins accumulate in the environment. In the water, in the air, in the soil, and ultimately in our body. These are novel burdens with no biological precedent. Your body is resilient, but resiliency only goes so far. We’re getting double whammied: More toxins than ever, less capacity to manage toxins than ever.
Types of Toxins:
Not only are we being bombarded with toxins from our environment, our own body is producing them en masse. The more dysfunctional your biology, the more toxins you produce. The more external toxins you’re exposed to, the less you’re able to manage internal toxins.
External Toxins (Exogenous):
Dietary: alcohol, caffeine, pesticides, food additives, rancid oils, processed foods
Environmental: pollution, plastics (BPA, phthalates), heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic), household chemicals, smoking
Pharmaceuticals/OTC meds: acetaminophen, NSAIDs, antibiotics, prescription drugs
Lifestyle: mold, cosmetics, cleaning products, fragrances, flame retardants
Internal Toxins (Endogenous):
Hormones: estrogen, cortisol, testosterone breakdown products
Neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, histamine metabolites
Cellular waste: free radicals, oxidized lipids, protein byproducts
Gut-derived toxins: LPS (endotoxins), ammonia from poor protein metabolism
How to Lower Your Toxic Burden:
Food:
Go organic where possible (especially dirty dozen produce)
Eliminate seed oils, processed foods, and artificial additives
Moderate alcohol and caffeine
Environment:
Use air filters, water filters, non-toxic cleaning and personal care products
Minimize plastic contact with food and water
Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke
Gut Health:
Support microbiome with fiber, fermented foods, prebiotics
Ensure daily bowel movements to prevent gut-derived toxin buildup
Lifestyle:
Reduce medication dependency where possible (not medical advice)
Sweat regularly through movement or sauna
Get fresh air daily
ENDOTOXINS: Your Internal Toxin factory
If your toxin avoidance is dialed but you still feel clogged up, you’re probably an endotoxin machine. While your liver is busy processing alcohol, environmental toxins, and metabolic waste, endotoxins are overwhelming your glutathione pathways, depleting glutathione, and creating systemic inflammation.
6 Primary Causes of Excess Endotoxin:
1. Hormonal Overload
Cause: Excess estrogen, chronic stress, sluggish thyroid function
Solution: Lower body fat, stress management, support estrogen clearance with crucifers
2. Poor Gut Function/Dysbiosis
Cause: Pathogenic bacteria producing LPS, constipation causing reabsorption
Solution: 25-40g fiber daily, probiotics, digestive support, fix constipation
3. Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Cause: Inefficient energy production creates excess ROS
Solution: Zone 2 cardio, CoQ10, magnesium, prioritize recovery
4. Chronic Inflammation
Cause: Overactive immune response creating constant oxidative stress
Solution: Cut processed foods, add anti-inflammatories, address root causes
5. Excess Protein or Poor Protein Metabolism
Cause: Amino acid breakdown creates ammonia and nitrogenous waste
Solution: Optimize protein intake, support urea cycle, improve gut clearance
6. Impaired Antioxidant Defense
Cause: Low glutathione, excess oxidative stress
Solution: Boost glutathione with NAC, eat antioxidant-rich foods, reduce major drains
If exposure is greater than detox capacity, you get backlogged. No amount of Phase I-III detox can keep up with an overactive endotoxin factory.
Phase I Detox (Demolition Crew)
Phase I converts fat-soluble toxins into intermediate metabolites through:
Oxidation (adding oxygen)
Reduction (removing oxygen)
Hydrolysis (splitting molecules with water
These modifications are done by enzymes in the CYP450 family and actually make intermediates MORE damaging than their predecessors.
If you read my alcohol protocol you know that acetaldehyde is what makes alcohol so damaging, and guess how acetaldehyde is created? Phase I detox.
So Phase I is a necessary evil, and requires a sensitive balance of B-vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids to run properly. We will get into how to optimize this (without overload).
Phase I Nutrient Requirements:
Phase I enzymes need specific cofactors to function properly:
B-vitamins: B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6, B12, folate
Antioxidants: glutathione, vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids
Amino acids: cysteine, methionine, glycine
Minerals: iron, copper, zinc, magnesium
Problems When Phase I Goes Wrong:
Overactive Phase I (demolition crew working overtime):
Symptoms: Chemical sensitivity, hangovers that last days, anxiety after caffeine, feeling wired but tired
Cause: High toxin exposure, genetic fast metabolizers, certain medications/supplements that induce CYP450
Problem: Creating too many reactive intermediates for Phase II to handle
Optimizing Phase I Without Overload
The goal isn’t to chad ram Phase I, its to balance it so Phase II can keep up
Support Phase I cofactors:
Leafy greens for folate and flavonoids
Grass-fed liver for B-vitamins and bioactive compounds
Citrus fruits for vitamin C and bioflavonoids
Quality protein for amino acid building blocks
Avoid Phase I inducers when Phase II is weak:
Excessive cruciferous vegetables (ironic, but they can ramp up Phase I)
High-dose supplements that induce CYP450 enzymes
Chronic alcohol consumption
Smoking
The Balance Principle:
Phase I without Phase II support is metabolic chaos. You’re creating reactive oxygen species, depleting antioxidants, and flooding your system with partially processed toxins. This is why some people feel worse on certain “detox” protocols. They’re accelerating the demolition without upgrading the cleanup crew.
Next, we’ll cover how Phase II neutralizes these dangerous intermediates and why it’s the real bottleneck in most people’s detox capacity.
Phase II Detox (Cleanup Crew)
Phase II takes those dangerous, reactive intermediates from Phase I and neutralizes them by attaching molecules that make them water soluble and safe to excrete.
This phase is all about conjugation pathways. Adding chemical groups to toxins so they can leave the body. Like shrink-wrapping rubble before throwing it away
Phase II Pathways:
There are 6 major phase II pathways. Some of which may sound familiar:
Glucuronidation – adds glucuronic acid. Clears hormones, drugs, bilirubin.
Sulfation – adds sulfur groups. Clears neurotransmitters, hormones, toxins.
Methylation – adds methyl groups (from SAMe, folate, B12). Clears estrogens, histamine, heavy metals.
Glutathione conjugation – adds glutathione. Clears heavy metals, pesticides, oxidative stress products.
Amino acid conjugation – attaches glycine, taurine, glutamine. Clears bile acids, aspirin, benzoates.
Acetylation – adds acetyl groups (from acetyl-CoA). Clears sulfa drugs, caffeine, histamine.
You can improve function of any given pathway by upping your intake of conjugates/cunjugate precursors (ie taking NAC for glutathione synthesis)
Phase II Nutrient Requirements
Phase II is nutrient hungry. And this is why most of ours stalls out:
Sulfur sources: cruciferous vegetables, garlic, onions, eggs.
Amino acids: glycine, cysteine, taurine, glutamine.
Methyl donors: folate, B12, choline, betaine, SAMe.
Glutathione: either made in-body (from cysteine, glycine, glutamate) or supplemented.
Minerals: magnesium, zinc, selenium.
Problems When Phase II Goes Wrong:
Phase II can be underpowered (most of us) or unbalanced. Neither are ideal:
Weak Phase II (underpowered cleanup crew):
Symptoms: chemical sensitivity, poor tolerance of caffeine/alcohol, estrogen dominance, chronic fatigue, headaches, sluggish bowels.
Cause: protein deficiency, low sulfur foods, genetic polymorphisms (MTHFR, COMT, GST).
Unbalanced pathways:
Example: Overactive methylation + weak glucuronidation = estrogen buildup → PMS, fibroids, mood swings.
Example: Weak glutathione conjugation = poor heavy metal clearance → oxidative stress, neurological issues.
You can reverse engineer what pathways need support by:
a) Assessing personal side effects
b) Digging deeper into specific toxins and referencing their clearance pathways
(I recommend using my custom health research GPT tool, GEEKBOT)
Phase III Detox (Transport)
Phase III is the transport stage. Once toxins are packaged in Phase II, they still need to be moved out of the liver and body. This phase is all about transport proteins and excretion routes, ie getting trash into the garbage trucks and efficiently sending it to the dumpster (your toilet).
The Three Major Elimination Highways:
Bile → Stool
The liver pushes conjugated toxins into bile, which flows into the intestines and exits in stool.
Sluggish bile flow or constipation will cause toxins to get reabsorbed (enterohepatic recirculation).
Kidneys → Urine
Water-soluble toxins are filtered and excreted through urine.
Hydration, kidney function, and electrolyte balance are critical.
Skin & Lungs → Sweat & Breath
Backup systems for elimination. Acne and bad breath is often a sign of poor detox function
Sweat helps with heavy metals, volatile compounds leave via breath (e.g., alcohol).
Optimizing Phase III:
Hydration: 2-3 liters/day for urine clearance
Fiber: binds toxins to prevent reabsorption
Bile flow support: bitters, taurine, magnesium, TUDCA
Gut motility: daily bowel movements prevent re-toxification
Sweating: exercise, sauna, hot baths
Movement: improves lymphatic and bile flow
Problems When Phase III Goes Wrong
If phase
Sluggish Phase III (Traffic jam on clearance highways):
Symptoms: constipation, bloating, skin breakouts, brain fog, headaches, hormone recirculation (PMS, estrogen dominance).
Causes: dehydration, low-fiber diet, gallbladder issues, sedentary lifestyle.
Enterohepatic Recirculation (toxins getting dumped back into your system):
Toxins reabsorbed into the bloodstream instead of eliminated.
Consequence: chronic inflammation, toxic burden, hormonal imbalances.
How to Reverse Engineer Weak Phase III
Stool check: Are you pooping daily, well-formed, easy to pass?
Urine check: Pale yellow (hydrated), not dark or infrequent.
Skin check: Are you sweating easily and regularly?
You can map your symptoms here: Constipation + skin issues = poor bile/gut clearance. Fatigue + chemical sensitivity = kidney or hydration issue
Diagnosing Detox Imbalance
Here’s a general overview of detox imbalance symptoms
Slow Phase I = can’t tolerate caffeine, perfumes, alcohol, meds hit too hard
Slow Phase II = hangovers that last forever, stimulant sensitivity, anxiety, insomnia.
Slow Phase III = constipation, bloating, skin breakouts, brain fog, headaches, bad breath, body odor
Balanced = energy is stable, alcohol/caffeine cleared normally, resilient under chemical stress. Daily bowel movements, clear skin, steady mental clarity
My Personal Stack
After years of trial and error, this is what actually works for my genetically-challenged detox system. I don’t run this daily, I cycle everything based on toxin load, stress levels, and how I’m feeling. Don’t copy this, but use this as a launchpad for your own research/protocol