Detoxification and bowel cleansing time

There is no "fixed time for detoxification and bowel cleansing" that applies to everyone, and the "fixed detoxification timetable for organs" spread online cannot be applied blindly. The best "detoxification time" is the defecation pattern that suits your own circadian rhythm.

The earliest mythical saying of "detoxifying the large intestine at 5-7 a.m. and detoxifying the liver at 11 p.m." is actually an extension of the Meridian Flow Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In fact, from the perspective of the logic of traditional medicine, there is nothing wrong with this correspondence - the ancients always went to bed early and woke up early, and the qi and blood in the large intestine were most vigorous between 5 and 7 in the morning. But it’s different now. Many friends who work in new media and foreign trade stay up until 2 or 3 o’clock every day and don’t get up until 11 or 12 noon. The entire rhythm of the body has been shifted for several hours, and the schedule of thousands of years ago is stuck.

I have met a young man who works as a game operator before. He has a standard American time schedule. He goes to bed at 3 a.m. every day and starts at 12 noon. His bowel movements are fixed at 1 p.m. after eating brunch. He rarely has constipation throughout the year. Last year, he had a colonoscopy for a physical examination. His intestinal condition was better than that of many office workers who are stuck in squats every day. The judgment standard of Western medicine is actually more straightforward: there is no clear medical concept of "detoxification" at all. The intestinal "toxins" that everyone talks about are essentially unabsorbed food residues and waste products from normal intestinal metabolism. As long as they can be excreted regularly, no matter in the morning or evening, they will not cause a burden on the body. Clinical standards for judging healthy defecation have never included the clause "must defecate at a certain point in time". As long as the frequency is between twice a day and once every three days, the stool is soft and formed, and there are no abnormalities such as difficulty in defecation or blood in the stool, it is considered normal.

Don’t believe it, I have received messages from readers before, saying that in order to catch up with the “detoxification window period” of 5-7 am, I specially set an alarm clock to get up, and also drank Internet celebrity intestinal cleansing tea. After drinking it for more than a month, my originally good intestinal function was directly disrupted, or it took three or four days. If you don’t have diarrhea, or if it is so thin that your legs become weak, you will go for a colonoscopy and find that there are signs of black bowel disease. Most of the bowel cleansing teas that cause diarrhea after drinking are added with anthraquinone laxatives. Long-term drinking will damage the nerves of the intestinal mucosa and aggravate constipation. Isn’t this just a waste of money?

In fact, it is very easy to find your own bowel cleansing rhythm, and there is no need to read complicated strategies on the Internet. Just take three to five days and make a note of the time you feel the need to defecate. Just look at the relationship with your diet and work schedule - some people feel the urge after eating a hot breakfast, some people have to go to the toilet after a glass of ice cream, and some people only want to defecate after taking a bath at night and are completely relaxed. After finding this pattern, deliberately fix this time to go to the toilet and squat for three to five minutes.

When I first started doing health science popularization in the past two years, I was more serious about it. I deliberately adjusted my schedule according to the online schedule. I set the alarm clock for 5:30 and got up to drink warm salt water. I squatted on the toilet and brushed health posts and other bowel movements. Every time I squatted down, my legs went numb and I didn't respond. Instead, my stomach was bloated and uncomfortable all day long. Later, I simply gave up and went to the company at 8 o'clock every morning. I drank a glass of warm water at about 40 degrees Celsius while standing and slowly drank it. After drinking, I walked around the workstation twice. Within two weeks, I developed the habit of going to the toilet around 8:30. Now every day is smooth. Last year, my intestinal age was measured and it was five years younger than my actual age.

To put it bluntly, our bodies are alive, not an assembly line that follows a step-by-step process. How come there are so many KPIs that must be stuck? Don’t be fooled by those PUA posts selling anxiety, such as “if you miss this time, toxins accumulate and you will be ten years older”, this is pure bullshit. If your bowel movements are comfortable, regular, and have no uncomfortable symptoms, then the time for detoxification and bowel cleansing is most suitable for you.