Detoxification is growing increasingly popular. The basic premise is that your body accumulates more toxins in the modern world than its natural detoxification system (your liver, kidneys and lungs) can get rid of. Proponents say that chemicals from pesticides, chlorine, bleach and ammonia, and carbon monoxide build up over time and cause disease.
Dr. Tanya Edwards, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Integrative Medicine, often starts patients out with a change in diet. Because Americans tend to have diets that lead to constipation, a change in diet can accomplish the same thing as many herbal detoxification products that are really just laxatives.
People are ideally supposed to have one or two bowel movements a day, but many people go two or three days between eliminations. The normal pathway for toxins to move out of the body is through the liver, which converts harmful chemicals into water-soluble molecules that can be flushed out in the urine or feces. If there's a delay in elimination, however, those toxins remain in your system longer.
Tamara MacDonald, a naturopathic physician, uses detox techniques because some people aren't able to detoxify chemicals naturally -- their systems aren't working well for one reason or another. But MacDonald is wary of poorly researched techniques like foot baths and colonics, and thinks that people should steer clear of fasting techniques like the "Master Cleanse," a 10-day detox plan that consists of nothing but lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.
"One of the worst things that you can do for your body in terms of detoxification is doing a fast," she says. "That was the idea about 20 or 30 years ago, but we know now that your body actually needs specific nutrients to be able to perform its job of detoxification."
Sources: The Cleveland Plain Dealer May 5, 2009
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
As Dr. Edwards states in the article above, the old idea for detoxing was to fast, but your body needs nutrients to perform optimally under any condition, and that includes performing the tasks of detoxification.
Your environment has profound impact on your health. Everything from the quality of the air you breathe to what you put into, and onto your body makes a difference. Mercury alone can mimic or cause any illness currently known, or at least contribute to it. Detoxing and cleansing your body of toxins periodically can definitely help counteract some of this onslaught of damage.
But what is the best way to rid your system of toxins?
The Top Ten Priorities for Detoxification
Dr. Tanya Edwards, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Integrative Medicine, often starts patients out with a change in diet. Because Americans tend to have diets that lead to constipation, a change in diet can accomplish the same thing as many herbal detoxification products that are really just laxatives.
People are ideally supposed to have one or two bowel movements a day, but many people go two or three days between eliminations. The normal pathway for toxins to move out of the body is through the liver, which converts harmful chemicals into water-soluble molecules that can be flushed out in the urine or feces. If there's a delay in elimination, however, those toxins remain in your system longer.
Tamara MacDonald, a naturopathic physician, uses detox techniques because some people aren't able to detoxify chemicals naturally -- their systems aren't working well for one reason or another. But MacDonald is wary of poorly researched techniques like foot baths and colonics, and thinks that people should steer clear of fasting techniques like the "Master Cleanse," a 10-day detox plan that consists of nothing but lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.
"One of the worst things that you can do for your body in terms of detoxification is doing a fast," she says. "That was the idea about 20 or 30 years ago, but we know now that your body actually needs specific nutrients to be able to perform its job of detoxification."
Sources: The Cleveland Plain Dealer May 5, 2009
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
As Dr. Edwards states in the article above, the old idea for detoxing was to fast, but your body needs nutrients to perform optimally under any condition, and that includes performing the tasks of detoxification.
Your environment has profound impact on your health. Everything from the quality of the air you breathe to what you put into, and onto your body makes a difference. Mercury alone can mimic or cause any illness currently known, or at least contribute to it. Detoxing and cleansing your body of toxins periodically can definitely help counteract some of this onslaught of damage.
But what is the best way to rid your system of toxins?
The Top Ten Priorities for Detoxification
Late last year, I participated in a three day think-tank outside of Los Angeles with some of the top experts in autism detoxification. We explored some of the major modalities that are available. I will be presenting this information in Chicago this weekend at the Chicago Autism One Conference.
The group came up with the following consensus and priority for achieving optimal health:
1. Healthy Living
2. Avoiding Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)
3. Clean Water
4. Healthy Food
5. Healthy Movement
6. Emotions & Relationships
7. Tests
8. Organ Support
9. Supplements
10. Detox Tools
As you can see detoxification is an important tool, but it is not at the top of the priority list -- especially if you are sick. Unfortunately, a lot of people first consider detoxing when they’re not feeling well.
It’s important to realize that if you fail to follow an orderly process and begin detoxification processes prematurely, it can deteriorate your health even further, making you very sick.
Why is Your Diet so Important When it Comes to Detoxing?
In addition to avoiding or limiting your exposure to toxins, you need to focus on eating a healthy diet, preferably based on your nutritional type to reap maximum overall health benefits.
The Weston A. Price diet recommendations -- which were written in 1920 and still, like all truths, hold true today -- includes these timeless guidelines:
• Eat foods that are natural, unprocessed, and organic (and contain no sugar except for the occasional bit of honey or maple syrup).
• Eat foods that grow in your native environment. In other words, eat locally grown, seasonal foods.
• Eat unpasteurized dairy products (such as raw milk) and fermented foods.
• Eat at least one-third of your food raw.
• Make sure you eat enough healthy fats, including those from animal sources like omega-3 fat, and reduce your intake of omega-6 from vegetable oils.
Additionally, it’s important to understand that if you’re deficient in essential metals, your body will actually use toxic heavy metals as “stand-ins” instead.
For example:
• Calcium is replaced by lead, which deposits primarily in bone, and disrupts the formation of red blood cells. Lead contributes to poor bone health such as osteopenia and osteoporosis.
• Zinc is replaced by cadmium, which tends to accumulate heavily in your kidneys. Cadmium overload is associated with peripheral neuropathy.
• Magnesium is replaced by aluminum, which, among other things, induces neurochemical changes and has been identified as a contributing factor to developing Alzheimer’s.
• Manganese is replaced by nickel, which is carcinogenic.
So not only do you need to make sure you’re getting vital nutrients in order to avoid this toxic metal replacement process, you also need nutrients to aid your body’s natural detoxification process.
Toxins are naturally eliminated from your body through your liver. It converts many (but not all) of the harmful chemicals you ingest or absorb into water-soluble molecules that are flushed out in your urine or feces.
Remember, Your Skin Eliminates Toxins Too
One beneficial detox method is using an infra-red sauna, particularly for slow metabolizers. It heats your tissues several inches deep, which can enhance your natural metabolic processes. It also enhances circulation and helps oxygenate your tissues.
Your skin is another major organ of elimination, but many people do not sweat on a regular basis. This may be due to wearing synthetic or tight clothing that does not breathe. Sedentary living and sun damage also inactivate your skin. Repeated use of the sauna slowly restores skin elimination, which can help reduce your toxic load quite significantly. Steam baths, sweat lodges, vigorous exercise and hot tubs are other options, but not as effective.
Your results will be best when saunas are part of an integrated program as described above. You may want to add some natural, unprocessed salt to your diet to replace minerals lost through sweating.
The group came up with the following consensus and priority for achieving optimal health:
1. Healthy Living
2. Avoiding Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)
3. Clean Water
4. Healthy Food
5. Healthy Movement
6. Emotions & Relationships
7. Tests
8. Organ Support
9. Supplements
10. Detox Tools
As you can see detoxification is an important tool, but it is not at the top of the priority list -- especially if you are sick. Unfortunately, a lot of people first consider detoxing when they’re not feeling well.
It’s important to realize that if you fail to follow an orderly process and begin detoxification processes prematurely, it can deteriorate your health even further, making you very sick.
Why is Your Diet so Important When it Comes to Detoxing?
In addition to avoiding or limiting your exposure to toxins, you need to focus on eating a healthy diet, preferably based on your nutritional type to reap maximum overall health benefits.
The Weston A. Price diet recommendations -- which were written in 1920 and still, like all truths, hold true today -- includes these timeless guidelines:
• Eat foods that are natural, unprocessed, and organic (and contain no sugar except for the occasional bit of honey or maple syrup).
• Eat foods that grow in your native environment. In other words, eat locally grown, seasonal foods.
• Eat unpasteurized dairy products (such as raw milk) and fermented foods.
• Eat at least one-third of your food raw.
• Make sure you eat enough healthy fats, including those from animal sources like omega-3 fat, and reduce your intake of omega-6 from vegetable oils.
Additionally, it’s important to understand that if you’re deficient in essential metals, your body will actually use toxic heavy metals as “stand-ins” instead.
For example:
• Calcium is replaced by lead, which deposits primarily in bone, and disrupts the formation of red blood cells. Lead contributes to poor bone health such as osteopenia and osteoporosis.
• Zinc is replaced by cadmium, which tends to accumulate heavily in your kidneys. Cadmium overload is associated with peripheral neuropathy.
• Magnesium is replaced by aluminum, which, among other things, induces neurochemical changes and has been identified as a contributing factor to developing Alzheimer’s.
• Manganese is replaced by nickel, which is carcinogenic.
So not only do you need to make sure you’re getting vital nutrients in order to avoid this toxic metal replacement process, you also need nutrients to aid your body’s natural detoxification process.
Toxins are naturally eliminated from your body through your liver. It converts many (but not all) of the harmful chemicals you ingest or absorb into water-soluble molecules that are flushed out in your urine or feces.
Remember, Your Skin Eliminates Toxins Too
One beneficial detox method is using an infra-red sauna, particularly for slow metabolizers. It heats your tissues several inches deep, which can enhance your natural metabolic processes. It also enhances circulation and helps oxygenate your tissues.
Your skin is another major organ of elimination, but many people do not sweat on a regular basis. This may be due to wearing synthetic or tight clothing that does not breathe. Sedentary living and sun damage also inactivate your skin. Repeated use of the sauna slowly restores skin elimination, which can help reduce your toxic load quite significantly. Steam baths, sweat lodges, vigorous exercise and hot tubs are other options, but not as effective.
Your results will be best when saunas are part of an integrated program as described above. You may want to add some natural, unprocessed salt to your diet to replace minerals lost through sweating.
Cautionary Notes
Please remember that you should avoid starting any detox regimen when you are sick.
You need to establish a healthy lifestyle and dietary habits FIRST, so you have a reserve that your body can draw on to allow your liver to do its job properly.
If you fail to do this you can easily overwhelm your liver's ability to process the toxic substances that are being eliminated and you will become very sick, wishing you had never done the detox in the first place. I have seen this happen many times, so please use caution and evaluate your current state of health before embarking on any kind of detoxification program.
Please remember that you should avoid starting any detox regimen when you are sick.
You need to establish a healthy lifestyle and dietary habits FIRST, so you have a reserve that your body can draw on to allow your liver to do its job properly.
If you fail to do this you can easily overwhelm your liver's ability to process the toxic substances that are being eliminated and you will become very sick, wishing you had never done the detox in the first place. I have seen this happen many times, so please use caution and evaluate your current state of health before embarking on any kind of detoxification program.
Detox in the Sauna
By Lawrence Wilson, MD
Everyone today is exposed to heavy metals and toxic chemicals. Particularly for slow metabolizers, a very good method to detoxify the body is the far-infrared sauna. Its dry, warming energy is highly compatible with the human body. It heats the tissues several inches deep, enhancing metabolic processes. One can construct an excellent home sauna for under $75.00.
Sauna Benefits
Heating of the tissues enhances metabolic processes. Greater cellular energy production facilitates healing. Viruses, tumors and toxin-laden cells are weaker than normal cells. They tolerate heat poorly. Raising the body temperature causes infections to heal more quickly. Hyperthermia or fever therapy help combat infections and even cancer. Our bodies develop fever when ill to enhance metabolism and help kill germs.
Saunas enhance circulation and oxygenate the tissues. They open the nasal passages and assist the sinuses to drain. A major eliminative organ, most people"s skin is very inactive. Many do not sweat. This may be due to synthetic or tight clothing that does not breathe. Sedentary living and sun damage also inactivate the skin. Hundreds of chemicals affect the skin from lotions, soaps, creams and deodorants. Other are cleaning solvents, detergent residues and chemicals from bathing water.
Repeated use of the sauna slowly restores skin elimination. Toxic chemicals and metals can be removed faster than with any other method. It is a daily habit that pays many dividends. Steam baths, sweat lodges, vigorous exercise and hot tubs are more extreme and less effective.
Types of Saunas
The traditional sauna is electric, wood or gas fired. Preheating to 150-200 degrees is required for copious sweating. The intense heat is difficult for many to tolerate, especially when ill.
Far-infrared heats the body, the air remaining cool. Sweating begins quickly and the experience is rather pleasant. Preheating is unnecessary which saves electricity. Most use ceramic elements to generate gentle heat. Excellent, but costly, another option is to use infrared bulbs. The latter also provide warming and stimulating color therapy.
According to research, far-infrared is more cleansing than traditional saunas. The deep penetration of the infrared energy allows the cells to eliminate better.
The Sauna Experience
Supervision and Safety. Saunas are safe for most people providing one follows a few simple rules. Remain inside no longer than 30 minutes at a time. Rest lying or sitting for 10 minutes afterwards. This allows time to eliminate dead cells and other debris. Drink mineralized water before and after the sauna. Make sure the bowels move regularly, as sauna therapy will increase elimination.
Use the sauna with supervision if you have a chronic condition. If debilitated or very heat-sensitive, begin with a shorter time. The presence of an attendant or friend is also most helpful. Those with multiple sclerosis, hyperthyroidism, hypertension or serious heart conditions should consult a health professional.
Slow metabolizers may use the sauna up to twice a day. Upon arising and at bedtime are excellent if time permits. Evening is probably best if you use it once a day. If ill, however, the morning is better when energy levels are higher. Less often is also acceptable if beginning or to maintain your health. If you are very debilitated, begin with once a week. Work up to daily use as you feel able. Fast metabolizers should use the sauna once or twice a week.
Taking the Sauna. Drink two glasses of mineralized water before entering the sauna. Add juice or minerals to your water if it is mineral-free. The infrared sauna will not work through clothing. Men, position yourselves so the testicles are not directly exposed to infrared energy. Pass the time meditating or review your day.
Use a small towel to wipe off the sweat. Not recommended are talking or working in the sauna.
Ventilate the sauna whenever you use it. This may be built into the design. This avoids breathing toxic gases. If you use a bathroom or closet, leave the door slightly ajar.
Bulb Saunas. Turn every few minutes if your sauna uses heat bulbs. Sit on a stool or a chair without a back. Face the bulbs, turn to the side and around to the back.
Avoid touching the hot bulbs, though looking at them is fine. Do not let water, a towel or clothing touch the bulbs when they are on.
Finishing Up. Remain in the sauna no more than 30 minutes. Use your judgement regarding the time. The temperature should not exceed 110. Some days you will sweat more than others.
When finished, take a shower, warm or cool but not hot. Avoid using soap as you will be clean. Soap leaves a film and clogs the pores. Wash off the sweat with a skin brush or loofa. Brush all over, even face and hair. Painful at first, it soon feels wonderful. Brushing enhances the cleansing effect. Shampoo and conditioner use only if needed. Most contain chemicals toxic to the body. Also skip most lotions and creams. These also contain harmful chemicals.
After the sauna drink a glass of water. Sit or lie down for at least 10 minutes. These simple steps allow your body to reap the full benefit of the sauna experience. As you become healthier, you will sweat more easily. Also, to heat up the sauna will take longer. The body dissipates heat more efficiently and fewer cellular toxins are there to be removed.
An Integrated Health Program
Results are much better when saunas are part of an integrated program. To your diet add extra sea salt or kelp granules to replace minerals lost through sweating. Eat natural foods grown on mineral-rich soil. Rest and sleep plenty, and exercise a little each day. Breathe deeply clean, fresh air. Reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals. Create and maintain a positive environment. Stay happy and bright regardless of what others may say and do.
Constructing a Sauna at Home
Four, red heat bulbs from the hardware store are mounted on a piece of 1/2" plywood, 40" high and 15" wide. The unit is placed in a small bathroom or closet at least 4' long, 3' wide and 6' high. In addition to the wood and bulbs, you will need four flush-mount bulb sockets, fifteen feet of heavy lamp cord, a medium-heavy duty male wall plug and 8 wood screws to fasten the sockets to the plywood. An on-off switch and a thermometer are optional, but recommended.
Mount the sockets on the plywood in a diamond shape. The bottom socket is in the center, 1" from the bottom of the plywood. Two sockets are 28" from the bottom of the plywood and 10" apart. The top socket is centered on the plywood and 3" from the bottom. This should form a narrow diamond shape.
Large sockets sold as fixtures can only be wired from the back. Drilling the holes will be more work. You may find smaller flush mount sockets that can be wired from the front. Wire the sockets together in parallel so one bad bulb won"t disable the unit.
With each use, instead of plugging the unit in, it is easier to have a switch. The best is probably a wall switch that can handle 1000 watts. This requires an outlet box screwed to the plywood. Keep sweaty hands off the switch as they could cause a short.
The bulbs must be the red type, of 250 watts each. Do not use the clear ones as their spectrum is not correct. You must not touch the bulbs during use, or let water or anything touch them. Observe all cautions as with any appliance exposed to heat and moisture. If children or the disabled will use the unit, consider a protective screen. Bend some chicken or stucco wire around the bulbs and staple it to the wood. Another way is to recess the bulbs or place them in reflectors. If building an enclosure, you could place the bulbs behind.
Lean the unit against a bathroom or closet wall. Secure it so it won"t fall over. The enclosure needs be small enough to hold the heat, and large enough to turn around. The other option is to build an enclosure of wood, glass or cardboard. Build the unit at least 4' by 3' by 6' high. Siding made of cedar or fir is a popular option. The siding slides into a frame and no nails are needed. Walls can be built as modules, then screwed together.
Plywood will also work, since the enclosure stays relatively cool. Some sauna companies use glass for at least one wall. Glass reflects far infrared energy but is not a good insulator. Cardboard is the least expensive. Tape or staple together two refrigerator boxes. Ventilating the sauna is a good idea. To allow gases to escape, leave a crack around the door or somewhere else high up.
'Detoxifying' Foot Pads are a Scam
An NPR experiment on Kinoki foot pads tested to see if they'd drawn anything out of a reporter's body.
Reporter Sarah Varney and her husband bought some “detoxifying” Kinoki foot pads and wore them to bed. In the morning, they both awoke find the pads covered in the brown mess that the advertisement had promised. But when they took the foot pads to a lab and had them analyzed and compared with unused pads, the used pads were almost identical to the blank.
Further experimentation showed that the “gunk” in the pads shows up if you hold the pad over a pot of boiling water. Who knew steam had "metabolic waste"?
Sources: The Consumerist August 19, 2008
ABC News April 11, 2008
MSNBC June 19, 2008
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
I have received quite a number of emails from readers lately asking questions about these types of detoxifying foot pads; seems a lot of people desperately want to believe they work as advertised.
The Kinoki foot pads -- as well as other brands -- promise to draw out everything from heavy metals to metabolic wastes, toxins, parasites, cellulite and more, to restore your vitality and health.
I always questioned the value of this tool for detoxification, and, despite the lack of scientific research, the independent investigative reports above seem to agree: The likelihood that detoxifying foot pads work is slim to none.
However, certain foot pads may still offer some value – just not necessarily what they’re advertising. And, you’re not likely to get it from most brands.
Dr. Klinghardt Sheds Light on “Detoxifying” Foot Pads
In my recent two-hour Inner Circle interview with my good friend, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt -- who is a pioneer and one of my primary mentors in natural medicine, and founder and president of the American Academy of Neural Therapy – I had the opportunity to ask him for his perspective and experience with detoxifying foot pads.
I came in contact with the foot pads about ten years ago through a Swiss-based company that was marketing the first footpad in Europe. The company is called Seguin, and they’re marketing the traditional Japanese foot pad.
It’s been out for over 100 years; the Japanese are using fermented bamboo vinegar. Now, what struck me at the time is that this bamboo juice had to be fermented for nine years before it was used.
We tried other foot pads, and there was clearly an effect similar to acupuncture, where people’s energetic systems improved.
I did not see any significant triggering of detoxification—we just saw improvements in the autonomic nervous system, depending on where you put the foot pad.
Typically, by putting it on the soles of the feet, there is, in acupuncture, a relationship to the kidney meridian. And we did find that an improvement in urine, and in the organic acids. The kidneys bind toxins to organic acids, and the more organic acids come out, the more effective the kidneys are working.
And we clearly saw an improvement with that.
So, the benefit is not really relating to heavy metals, but more to the carbon-based toxins.
Then several other companies came out with different concoctions of things that they put in a footpad -- that were not fermented for 9 years -- other sorts of more exotic things, and they made all sorts of claims…
I simply use my muscle testing in my autonomic response testing system, and none of the [commercial] pads have held up. Some of them looked promising, but none of them held up and have become part of my approach. I don’t want to say that all of them are bad or worthless, but the ones I tested certainly didn’t hold their promise.
There’s always an initial placebo effect when you do something like this.
Certainly I can say that bamboo vinegar in the original pads had clear benefits that we could also biochemically demonstrate, but I think there is a lot of questionable science out there with that, so I have stopped using them.
So there you have it.
There may be some biochemical benefits from the original Japanese foot pads that contain more expensive ingredients, such as 9-year old fermented bamboo vinegar.
But, as far as detoxing heavy metals and toxins, not even the original foot pads could accomplish that.
As the investigations by the NPR, ABC and MSNBC, Dr. Klinghardt couldn’t find any proof that the pads drew out toxins or metabolic wastes either.
Toxicology Lab Found No Toxins in Used Foot Pads
Like reporter Sarah Varney, 20/20’s correspondent John Stossel also took used pads in for toxicology testing. And, like hers, Stossel’s results came back negative.
20/20 asked NMS Labs, a national laboratory in Willow Grove, Pa., to analyze used Kinoki and Avon pads from eight volunteers. They tested for heavy metals, including arsenic and mercury, and 23 solvents such as benzene, tolulene and styrene.
None of these common toxins were found in the used pads.
So what’s that brown, foul-smelling gunk?
It’s just a natural reaction between the ingredients and the moisture from the bottom of your foot.
Exposing the pads to moisture, either by placing them over a steaming pot of water, or putting a few drops of water on them will make the ingredients turn a darker color and emit an unpleasant odor.
Dr. Devra Davis, director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh and an expert on toxins, also conducted a similar experiment on her own, leaving the pads out overnight without their protective packaging. In an article for MSNBC she stated the pads contain “little more than green tea and vinegar,” and that the color and odor are likely the result of these ingredients “interacting with oxygen, heat or moisture.”
20/20 asked Avon and Kinoki for scientific test results showing the pads do what they claim to do, but neither company fulfilled the request.
Detoxing… For Real
Your environment does indeed have a profound impact on your health. Everything from the quality of the air you breathe to what you put into, and onto, your body makes a difference. Mercury alone can mimic or cause any illness currently known, or at least contribute to it. Detoxing and cleansing your body of toxins periodically can definitely help.
I will be providing more information about these in the future as our group comes to a consensus but the key is that detoxification is a late step done after you have started the basics.
If you fail to follow an orderly process and begin detoxification processes prematurely before you are ready you can become very sick.
When Should You NOT Detox?
So please remember do not start a detox regimen when you are sick.
You need to start your healthy lifestyle FIRST, before you start detoxing, so you have a reserve that your body can draw on to allow your liver to do its job properly.
If you fail to do this you can easily overwhelm your liver's ability to process these toxic substances that are being eliminated and you will become VERY sick, wishing you had never done the detox in the first place. I have seen this many times, so please use some caution.
I can see that you are an expert at your field! I am launching a website soon, and your information will be very useful for me.. Thanks for all your help and wishing you all the success in your business.
ReplyDeletedetox na organizma