When Going Number Two Is Really Number Three

Most people in the mold illness and CIRS community have heard about supporting Phase 1 of liver detox. That’s where things like milk thistle, NAC, and glutathione usually come into play. Phase 1 is all about taking toxins — often fat-soluble, like mycotoxins — and running them through chemical reactions that start to break them down. Phase 3 gets plenty of airtime, too. That’s the part where the body actually excretes the toxins, sending them out in urine, sweat, or, yes, bowel movements.

But here’s the dirty little secret: Phase 2 is often ignored. And Phase 2 is the bridge. If Phase 1 takes toxins apart, and Phase 3 takes them out, then Phase 2 is what makes them safe to transport. It’s the middle child of detox — overlooked, underappreciated, and often blamed when things go sideways. But without it, the whole system grinds to a halt.

And here’s where we have to talk about the infamous M-word: methylation. Everybody in the chronic illness world has heard of MTHFR by now. You can practically buy a coffee mug that says, “Don’t talk to me until I’ve checked my SNPs.” But what most people don’t realize is that methylation isn’t just about mood or folate supplements. It’s a core Phase II detox pathway. This is the part where your liver slaps a chemical tag (a methyl group) onto toxins so they can actually be shoved out the door. When methylation is running smoothly, toxins get neutralized and escorted toward Phase 3 like bad houseguests who’ve finally overstayed their welcome.

But here’s the kicker: if you’ve got under-methylation — from MTHFR, COMT, MTR, CBS, or whatever alphabet soup your 23andMe spit test turned up — Phase II gets jammed. It’s like running a factory assembly line where the middle worker is asleep at the conveyor belt. Phase I is revving up, breaking toxins into smaller pieces. Phase III is sitting there at the exit door with the toilets and sweat glands wide open, ready for business. And Phase II? Phase II is bottlenecked. Suddenly you’ve got a pile-up of half-processed toxins waiting to go somewhere, except there’s no one to tag them for transport. That’s when “detox” starts to feel less like relief and more like being hit by a truck.

This is exactly where CDG, glycine, and oregano oil shine. They don’t “fix” your MTHFR, but they create detours and bypasses. CDG supports glucuronidation, which is another major Phase II pathway. Instead of asking your overworked methylation system to tag everything, glucuronidation boxes up toxins in a different way and sends them on their merry way. Glycine plugs into yet another Phase II pathway, glycine conjugation, which helps mop up overflow when methylation is underperforming. And oregano oil? It’s not just antimicrobial — it nudges glutathione-S-transferase activity, another Phase II route, and tones down beta-glucuronidase, that troublemaker enzyme that tries to rip toxins loose after they’ve been packaged.

Here’s the science-y bottom line: methylation is one pathway, but Phase II is a whole city of pathways — sulfation, acetylation, amino acid conjugation, glutathione conjugation, and glucuronidation. If methylation is your freeway and it’s jammed, you’d better hope you’ve got some side streets open. CDG, glycine, and oregano oil help open up those side streets. That’s why so many people with genetic methylation issues crash and burn when they load up on folate and B12 without thinking about the bigger picture. They’re pouring more cars onto a freeway that’s already at a standstill. What they really need are alternate routes.

And this is also why Phase II is the place where the rubber meets the road. If you can’t conjugate your toxins — whether because of genetics, chronic illness, or just years of accumulated junk overwhelming the system — detox will never feel good. Phase I will just make nastier intermediates, Phase III will sit idle, and you’ll wonder why “detox” makes you feel poisoned. But when you support Phase II, suddenly the system clicks. Toxins get tagged, binders have something to grab, and bowel movements actually mean progress instead of misery.

Now let’s circle back to the binders. Charcoal, clay, cholestyramine — they’re your gut janitors. Modified citrus pectin is the overachiever that also works in circulation, picking up toxins and metals before they can settle back in. CDG isn’t a binder at all, but it’s the one that keeps toxins conjugated long enough for binders to do their job. Without it, beta-glucuronidase undoes the packaging, toxins slip out, and you’re back on the detox merry-go-round. Together, they’re like the cleanup crew, the security guard, and the garbage truck, all making sure the bad guys don’t sneak back inside.

And when all three phases line up — Phase I breaking things down, Phase II packaging them up, and Phase III shipping them out — detox actually works. That’s when number two becomes number three. Because it’s not just about moving food out anymore. It’s about moving toxins out. And when you’re constipated? Forget it. You’re not detoxing. You’re marinating.

So yes, keep your milk thistle and your glutathione. They’re important for Phase I. But don’t forget that Phase II is where most of us crash, especially if methylation isn’t firing on all cylinders. That’s where CDG, glycine, oregano oil, and the right binders make all the difference. They don’t fix your genes, but they sure as hell help you work around them.

Around here, “going number three” isn’t just bathroom humor. It’s a reminder that detox is a three-phase job, and if you ignore the middle, the finale never lands.

Disclaimer

This article is for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting any supplements or detox protocols.