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cleansing the body, detoxification and cleansing, fasting, acid/alkaline balance, 3 day fast, cleansing fast, natural help for detoxing, heavy metal cleanse, herbs for constipation, naturally helping irregularity, vitamin lady writes about detoxification, vitamin lady writes about detox fasting, mercury teeth health, mercury alzheimers
DETOXIFICATION - Cleansing the Body
by Lynn Hinderliter CN, LDN
Every practitioner of
alternative medicine will tell a prospective patient
that before health can be rebuilt, the body must be cleansed.
I liken the state of a body needing detoxification to a city
where the sanitation units have gone on strike: as the garbage bags pile up
curbside, the entire city slows down and if the situation were to continue to
crisis levels, disease and filth would bring illness and epidemics. The crews in
our body that do this work, our detoxification systems, are designed to find and
eliminate toxins in our body: but when they are severely overworked they too, go
on strike, and inefficient channeling of nutrients, overload of toxins, and
various disease states, are the inevitable consequence.
In contrast, the purified body is like a country road, running
free and unobstructed, with fresh air and sustaining views... among my clients,
I have seen many instances of persistent poor health overcome by cleansing and
supporting these supremely important functions of the body.
The chief causes of
toxic overload are
faulty elimination, and poorly chosen input;
in other words, a bad diet and constipation. If food is
not digested properly in the intestines then the work of the colon is made even
harder: originally, when our diet consisted mainly of raw and unprocessed foods,
much of the enzyme power and fiber we need was provided by the actual food
we ate.
Now, however, the body can be exhausted just by the demand to
manufacture enzymes to digest the denatured, devitalized foods that make
up much of our daily diet.
When partly digested food lacking in fiber is dumped in the
colon it ferments and decays there, causing constipation and inflammation, and
toxins are re-absorbed into the bloodstream to recirculate in the body .
Add to these problems
other sources of toxins
such as
stress
antibiotics and other drugs,
lack of exercise
pesticides
cigarette smoke
smog, lead
problem substances (to include pharmaceutical drug
residues) in the water
and the road to disease is soon paved with a slew of toxins:
many of these bind to enzymes at the cellular level and inactivate them, so that
the cell no longer functions optimally. Holistic health professionals consider
this to be the underlying cause of most diseases.
Some of the signs our
body sends to tell us that we need to detoxify are:
muscle pains (usually my warning signal),
fatigue, lack of energy and headaches,
constipation and indigestion.
In fact. it was a recent painful bout with stiffness
& inflammation in my neck that led me to ponder anew the mysteries of
the body, and how wise it is to take the time now and then to clean it out and
set one's house in order.
Some effects people
claim to have experienced from detoxification
joint pain relieved
eyesight improved
elimination improved
digestive problems alleviated
more energy
better sleep
clearer skin
better concentration
Interesting
research suggests that fasting just one day a month positively
affects cardiovascular health, possibly through reduced exposure to glucose.
Researchers theorize that this one day without food gives the organs time to
rest and work more efficiently. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/88030.php
Many experts are convinced that such chronic conditions as
arthritis, sinus, psoriasis, and acne, together with lowered immune function and
the more serious conditions that follow that, are all connected to high toxin
levels in the body, & they will not proceed with diagnosis and treatment
until the patient has been thoroughly detoxified since only then can the
underlying cause of the symptoms be determined.
One of the most serious causes of toxicity is mercury
overload, from dental fillings. There is a great deal of literature on
this subject, and many websites devoted to the problem (see RESOURCES), so I just mention it here. It is a difficult problem to address
because of the danger of detoxing before the fillings are removed, which can
actually withdraw MORE mercury from the fillings and deposit it in cells.
Do not underestimate the power of Homeopathy to address this problem - I have
one link in RESOURCES that may help you.
No discussion of
cleansing would be complete without
a mention of parasites.
No one wants to consider the possibility that they are
infested, but the sad fact remains that parasitic infections are common.
One estimate suggests that as many as 50, 000, 000 American children have this
problem. Some of the possible symptoms are:
Bloating, diarrhea, flatulence,
constipation, cramps, and maldigestion/malabsorption.
Less frequent enteric symptoms include bleeding, irritable bowel,
leaky gut, and excess mucus secretion.
Extra-intestinal symptoms include allergies, fatigue, nausea,
nervous-sensory disorders (ex., brain fog, memory loss, poor
coordination), skin rashes and disorders, pain, and muscle problems.
Less frequent extra-intestinal disorders include fever, headache,
immune deficiencies, insomnia, and weight changes. Some of these
symptoms are probably related to parasite toxic metabolic byproducts
particularly in immune compromised patients.
Some parasites are sufficiently invasive to become
blood-borne, and can cause cause serious liver or brain damage.
If you have been abroad, have pets, work with the soil, have
been bitten by insects, have ever drunk from a stream, and have any of the above
problems, you would be wise to have your stool tested to see what might
be there! The kit below UroKeep Kit to the Parasitology lab, where
their diagnostic fee is $100.00 .
This includes the testing of fecal, blood, tissues and skin specimens to
diagnose and taxonomically identify human and animal-borne parasitic organisms
and agents of medical and public health importance.
SPRING
CLEANING THE BODY
Having addressed the WHY of cleansing our bodies, let's
go into the HOW. Let's look at the organs of the body most involved in
this process, one by one, starting with the liver. I'm sure we are all familiar
with the old bon mot "is life worth living? It depends on the liver!",
but perhaps not all of us realize the essential truth contained therein. To a
very large extent, the health and well-being of an individual is dependent on
the proper functioning of this important detoxifying organ.
Without the good offices of your liver, 3 extremely vital
functions would fail to be performed:
the blood supply would not be filtered, which
is your body's method of removing bacteria, allergens, and other
undesirables from circulation,
bile would not be secreted, which means the
absorption of fats and certain vitamins would be inhibited, and
metabolic functions, such as controlling
hormone secretion, extracting toxins and fats, proteins, carbohydrates,
vitamins & minerals, together with the regulation of blood sugars
through the thyroid hormones and the production of GTF chromium would not
take place efficiently.
What causes less than optimal liver function? High on the list
are oral contraceptives, Hormone Replacement Therapy, and exposure to many drugs
and chemicals. All drugs are foreign to the liver, and put a great strain on it.
Next are alcohol use, and faulty diet .
Some of the symptoms of a "sluggish liver" are:
fatigue,
general malaise,
digestive problems,
blood sugar regulation disorders (such as hypoglycemia),
high cholesterol,
psoriasis,
allergies ,
chemical sensitivities
hormone imbalances
constipation.
Extreme examples of liver problems would be jaundice,
hepatitis and cirrhosis.
Many experts recommend
a 3 day juice fast
every month to detoxify the liver
using carrot and beet juices, aloe vera in small amounts and
distilled water with a little lemon juice. ( Obviously many people would be wise
to consult a health expert before doing anything radical.)
An extension of this approach is to come gently off the fast
on a diet of vegetables, fruits and grains to provide high fiber, while at the
same time following a course of nutrients for organ support, such as Choline
and Inositol from lecithin, the amino acid Methionine, herbs such as Milk
Thistle, Artichoke and Dandelion, and the antioxidant Alpha Lipoic
Acid, which has been known to normalize liver enzymes in a matter of days.
The art of Ayurveda,
Indian medicine in existence for thousands of years, places great
emphasis on liver function.
Picrorrhiza Kurroa is one of the herbs they
recommend to support the liver not only in everyday situations, but in cases
where severe viral infections attack: a 1996 study by Vaidya (Better Nutrition
June 1999 p. 29) found protection against viral hepatitis, and other studies
have demonstrated its helpfulness in protecting against alcohol.
Phylanthus has been researched for its effects on
hepatitis, and in 1988 Thyagaran et al. (ibid) reported that 22 of 37 cases of
Hepatitis B lost their "carrier" status after using the herb for a
month. In the placebo control group only 1 person out of 23 had equivalent
results.
Outstanding results in people suffering from jaundice have
been obtained using a herb called Tinospora Cordifolia: In 1993, Rege et
al. (ibid) used the herb in malignant obstructive jaundice: half of the group
received conventional treatment - drugs and drainage - the other half were
treated with drainage plus T. Cordifolia. After conclusion of treatment, 50% of
the drug-treated group were found to have blood poisoning while none of the herb
treated group developed this problem. After surgery, only 40% of the
drug-treated group survived, whereas an amazing 92.4% 0f those treated with the
herb lived.
It is important to take into account that a poor diet, which is
effectively a daily insult to the health of the liver, can cause it a great deal
of damage: regular consumption of food fried in often rancid oil, high intake of
alcohol, foods low in protein and high in carbohydrates and fats, frequently
with chemical preservatives, colorings and flavorings not only do not support
the liver, but actually add to its workload.
Overeating is also a common cause of liver malfunction,
causing it to overwork and become fatigued, no longer able to efficiently filter
toxins out of the bloodstream. I frequently recommend adding a good green food
to your regimen when you are detoxing, since these are not only excellent for
the detoxification process, but also contain enzymes and compensate for the lack
of vegetables in so many people's diets.
Above are two reasons why concentrated green foods, and in
particular Chlorella, can be important additions to your supplement
regime. Not only is Chlorella a nutritional powerhouse, but it is a rich
source of enzymes, and an effective detoxicant. Chlorella offers rich amounts of
chlorophyll, Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF is high in RNA/DNA), proteins, beta
carotene, B vitamins and various minerals. The phytonutrients in Chlorella
support healthy cell growth and development and promote detoxification,
especially heavy metal excretion
Give this hard-working and essential part of your body a rest
and a tune-up, and you will be rewarded with better health, more energy and
higher disease resistance.
Now let's look at
some strategies for avoiding problems of digestion and elimination that
can often set the stage for ill health.
When someone comes to me and says they are
doing everything they can think of right, and are still not feeling well, my
immediate thought is that for some reason, they are not absorbing their
nutrients properly. It stands to reason that if this is the case, it doesn't
matter how optimal your diet: there's no fuel getting to the engine! And
while we are using the engine as a metaphor, the most common complain of
civilization is constipation, and we all know what happens to an engine when the
exhaust system is blocked!
Proper functioning of the colon
begins in the mouth and stomach
where the digestive enzymes are secreted: if
the food that arrives in your colon has not already undergone the necessary
preliminary digestive stages, it will be moved through the colon much more
slowly and incompletely, often becoming highly toxic during its stay there, even
putrefying and allowing poisons to escape into the blood stream. Needless to say
, this is also very damaging to the cells that line the lower intestine. The
good news is that those cells are replaced very quickly, so that by first
cleansing and giving the area a rest, and then supplying it with some of the
nutrients needed to reproduce, the function of the colon can be greatly
improved.
What follows I suggest not only for
those who already have a problem, but for those who would like to AVOID
a problem.
We all know that the engine that runs well for
years is the one that has undergone regular maintenance, and so I recommend a
gentle cleansing fast, combined with the use of herbal detoxifiers,
followed by a week of supportive digestive enzymes while limiting your diet to
mostly raw foods with no animal products.
Repeat this once or twice a year.
Instructions for a fast follow, which is
really not as terrible as it sounds: many people actually experience increased
energy after the first day!
I recommend two approaches which can be done simply at
home.
A
Mustard Bath - essential oil of mustard contains isothiocyanate
of allyl, which has the effect of enlarging the blood vessels in the
skin, creating circulation, opening the pores and allowing the body to
get rid of poisons. Hippocrates himself was familiar with this usage of
Mustard!
Foot
Pads - which incontrovertibly pull toxins our of the body through
the soles of the feet. Wear these while you sleep, and you will be
amazed at the gunk you find on them in the morning. You can even send the
results off to be analyzed to determine which toxins have been removed.
Lastly, we need to take care of the
kidneys , which are the hard-working regulators of many functions in the
body, mostly concerned with maintaining balance
Every minute, app. one liter of blood passes
through our kidneys, where the Ph, water content, hormonal secretions, blood
pressure, and blood sugar content are all modified by their actions.
A disturbance in their function can mean
problems as different as osteoporosis and uremia (a toxic blood stream), and no
one who has ever had one needs me to tell them what a kidney stone is like.
A gentle fast with plenty of liquids
gives these important organs a chance to rest, detoxify and get back on track,
and some herbs that are beneficial for supporting kidney function are Goldenrod
(Solidago), Parsley and Juniper Berries. These all have a cleansing and
astringent effect on the kidneys.
Consider this article part of a manual for proper body maintenance! This
is, after all, the only body we will be issued, and taking good care of it on a
regular basis is repaid a hundred-fold in good health.
What can be done? I have written before about the value of
periodic fasting, because I believe that fasting and detoxification go together
hand in hand.
The right time to
rejuvenate the digestive and cleansing systems -
the kidneys, the liver, the stomach and the colon -
is when you have cut back on your intake of food.
They will all be glad of an opportunity to cleanse and rest,
and nearly always (particularly if this is a process you repeat at regular
intervals) benefit considerably from the break, and function at increased
efficiency thereafter.
Keywords: cleansing the body, detoxification and
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Quick Links
Best
and Closest Organic
Food - http://www.localharvest.org/
Depleted
Soil increases
cancer risk - http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news-print.cfm?art=2953
Dr.
Dalpe is a Classical
Homeopath who
consults both on-line and by telephone on mercury toxicity (and
other things). ttp://www.onlinehomeopath.com/bio.shtml
More
information about Parasites - http://www.myplanet.net/yeec60bp/understand_parasites.htm
Sticking
it to non-stick - TEFLON and your health - http://www.tuberose.com/Teflon.html
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