Exhaling, expectorating, urinating and vomiting

Although defecating and sweating are critical functions for the human body, these other elimination methods are important in their own respective ways. These four elimination pathways are also involved in removing toxins, heat and excess water.

Exhaling is basically a path for removing carbon dioxide after a successful breath. The vast majority of exhaled air is CO2. There are a few other volatile organic compounds like ethanol and methanol that are released making the lungs and blood more clean.

Effective exhalation controls the autonomic nervous system inducing a relaxed posture. The effect of breathing in a pattern of 1 beat of inhalation to every 2 beats of exhalation is to induce the relaxed parasympathetic tone to the autonomic nervous system. This is the opposite state to the hyper alert stressed state. If you suffer from supra ventricular tachycardia, a fast heart rhythm, this breathing pattern is magical at reducing your symptoms.

Expectorating is the process of relieving the lungs, throat or mouth of saliva and mucous that has trapped chemicals and pathogens. This is a critical process for clearing pathogens that the body has sequestered during the fight against an infection in the respiratory pathway. When you inhale toxins from the environment, they get trapped in the respiratory tract’s mucous layer allowing you to clear them via spitting out the mucous.

Completely stopping this process with medicines is not a good idea as it encourages the body to keep unwanted pathogens and chemicals in the system. When you have increased mucous development, clear it via spitting it out after a cough.

Urinating is the process by which the body removes excess water and clears chemicals after the kidneys have completed the blood filtration process. This process is critical for maintaining normal blood volume and cleanliness. The kidneys are filtering the blood constantly, clearing it of unwanted chemicals and balancing common electrolytes like salt.

The most important aspect to remember for us is to maintain adequate hydration to keep flushing the kidneys and blood stream. Urine color is our barometer into hydration. Clear to light yellow urine is a good sign that you are drinking adequate amounts of water. In contrast, when you child’s urine is yellow, this is the time to have them increase water intake. A caveat to this principle is when consuming vitamin B2, riboflavin, which turns urine bright yellow.

Vomiting is the final process for removing toxins or pathogens from the stomach before the material reaches the absorbing intestines. This is a straight forward involuntary natural response that the body employs when it senses a pathogen or toxin is in the stomach. When self limited, it is very safe although uncomfortable.

If vomiting persists or follows an unusual pattern like only in the morning or following meals, seek out medical advice as this is likely linked to disease. During the vomiting period and immediately following it, rehydrating with water or an oral rehydration solution is very important. Again, your urine color is a one way to know if you are back in balance.

This completes the elimination tour.

Allow your body proper elimination and you will be effective at clearing unwanted toxins that inevitably find their way into your body and potentially damaging cellular function.

Get out and sweat, drink lots of water, have a bowel movement daily by eating lots of fiber, cough and spit and breathe your way to health.

Release the evil humours,

Dr. M

Dr. Chris Magryta is a physician at Salisbury Pediatric Associates. Contact him at newsletter@salisburypediatrics.com