Being Well

Monthly Naturopathic Newsletter Promoting Wellness in Our Community

Detoxification:
Time for the Fall Cleanse

October 2007

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

With the excesses and binges of Thanksgiving weekend now behind us, it is the perfect time to give your body the gift of a cleanse. For many readers, this newsletter will be a review and a reminder, since over the past years I have walked through this process with a number of you. For other readers, this newsletter will contain new information highlighting effective and practical tools to support your body’s detoxification and healing processes. May this newsletter encourage you to make your wellbeing a priority by committing to a cleanse, providing you with a rejuvenating boost as we head into both the cold and flu season, and the hectic Christmas holiday season.

As with many aspects of natural and alternative medicine, the concept of detoxification has become main stream. We are bombarded by ads, articles, and products to clean our colons, flush our gallbladders, and detox our livers. In the spirit of marketing and advertising, and in the interest of maintaining convenience, this information is often incomplete and misleading. For starters, detoxifying is not something that you buy in a kit or complete in a 5-day program. Detoxification is an integral part of your physiology that is occurring at each moment of every day. Aside from the numerous other demands placed on your liver, your liver is also responsible for detoxifying unwanted material, known as toxins. This unwanted material can either be generated internally, known as an endotoxin, or originate externally, known as an exotoxin.

Once these toxins have been either ingested or generated, they are shunted to the liver to undergo phase 1 of the detoxification pathway. The biochemical reactions of phase 1 turn these toxins into reactive oxidative intermediates, which are actually potentially more harmful than their original state. However, in the wisdom and intelligence of the human body, phase 1 is quickly followed by phase 2, which neutralizes these reactive intermediates. Both phase 1 and phase 2 pathways are dependent on co-factors for successful completion, such as B vitamins and N-acetylcysteine, respectively. That is why nutraceutical supplements are often used when supporting detoxification to maximize the neutralization of toxins. These neutralized toxins are now ready to be excreted from the body through the organs of elimination: skin, lungs, kidneys, and colon. In other words, you sweat, breath, pee and pooh out your toxins.

So here is the question … if your body is already doing what was outlined above in Section 1, then why should you consider supporting detoxification? The answer is simple … your liver is overworked. The following lifestyle factors and modern realities all contribute to overburdening the liver, causing inefficient detoxification, and resulting in increased toxic load on the body.

- Increased stress: home, work, relationships, financial concerns, …

- Environmental toxins: the average North American ingested 5 lbs of pesticides annually

- Alcohol

-Coffee

- Prescription and over the counter drugs

- Poor food quality

-Pollutants and contaminants that surround us, from the upholstery in your new car, to the carpet on your floors, to the paint on your walls, to the off gases of your fridge and air-conditioner, …

The toxic load spills out of the liver, where it can wreak havoc on any body system, contributing to autoimmune diseases, arthritic conditions, food sensitivities, eczema, acne, reproductive hormonal imbalance, depression, migraines, irregular bowels, and the list goes on …

When working one-on-one with patients, I design an individualized detox protocol determined by my assessment, and the health concerns and medical conditions of the patient. The individualized protocols often include vitamin and mineral therapy, herbal medicine, and homeopathic remedies to support liver detoxification (as discussed above) and the appropriate body systems. For example, if a patient has eczema, then their protocol will include further support to clear toxins from the skin. If a patient has a history of chronic vaginitis, then their protocol will further support the clearance of toxins from the genito-urinary system, as well as support to the immune system. If a patient has been or is currently medicated with several prescription drugs, then attention will be brought to the appropriate phase of liver detoxification. If a patient experiences constipation, then attention will be brought to regularize bowel function BEFORE a detox program is started. Since this individualized approach can not be summarized in a newsletter, I will outline how anyone and everyone can facilitate detoxification by following dietary and in-home treatment suggestions.

I recommend that patients adopt a program to facilitate detoxification twice annually, in the fall and in the spring. Reference points to keep in mind are after Thanksgiving and Easter weekends, respectively. The program is adopted for a minimum of 3 weeks, allowing your body the time to effectively facilitate detoxification, eliminate toxins, and support digestive function. Generally speaking, first timers follow the program for 3 weeks, while more experienced patients adopt the program for 4 weeks. As previously stated, specific vitamin, mineral, herbal, and/or homeopathic supplements are to be recommended by your local ND, based on your individual requirements. Below, I have outlined information that everyone can try for the 3 or 4 weeks. Let’s start with the obvious … diet.

1. DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS

*for more details on FOODS TO INCLUDE, see August 2007 Newsletter at www.paciencia.ca

2. EXERCISE

Avoid rigorous exercise during the detox program; focus on light exercise appropriate to your fitness level. Ensure daily exercise, including brisk walk for 20-30 minutes.

3. SAUNA

For those with access to a dry sauna from your local gym or spa, use it! A 20 minute sauna followed by a cold shower is a wonderful support to eliminating toxins through the skin and lungs.

4. DRY SKIN BRUSHING

Before getting into the shower or bath, brush your dry skin in light, circular motions with a body brush from the tips of your extremities towards your heart. Be sure to cover all skin surfaces. This supports elimination of toxins from your skin by exfoliating dead skin cells, as well as stimulating blood and lymph circulation for the removal of toxins.

5. CONTRAST SHOWERING

Ensure that the last 30-60 seconds of your shower are cold, as cold as you can tolerate. This is to stimulate the constriction of blood and lymph vessels, thereby stimulating circulation and the removal of toxins.

6. IN-HOME CONSTITUTIONAL HYDROTHERAPY

Constitutional hydrotherapy is an ancient and effective tool used to increase healing in the body by tonifying the digestive system, normalizing circulation, soothing the nervous system, and stimulating the elimination of toxins. Here is the procedure:

Take a hot bath or shower for 5 minutes. Get out and dry off quickly. Take a towel wrung out in cold water and wrap it all around the trunk of the body, from armpits to the groin. Cover with a blanket (preferably wool) to avoid being chilled. Leave the cold towel in place for 10-20 minutes or longer, until it has become warmed.

7. CASTOR OIL PACKS

Castor oil increases circulation and promotes elimination and healing of tissues and organs underneath the skin. It is particularly effective in being absorbed into lymph circulation, which can improve digestion, immune function, and reduce swelling in injured joints and extremities.

*DO NOT USE ON ABDOMEN DURING PREGNANCY OR MENSTRUATION

Materials:

·Castor Oil

·Flannel or wool cloth large enough to cover the enitre abdomen when folded into 2 or 4 layers

·Plastic, large enough to cover the cloth (plastic bags are O.K.)

·Heating pad or hot water bottle

Method:

·Drizzle evenly castor oil on the cloth

·Place the cloth over the entire abdomen with the casotr oil directly against the skin, covering the skin surface from underneath the breast to above the pubic bone

·Cover completely with plastic or a towel

·Place a heat source over plastic or towel for 20 minutes

·Rest while the pack is in place; this a perfect opportunity for deep breathing

·After removal, cleanse the area with warm water, if desired

·Store the cloth in a sealed plastic bag to reuse

Note: the castor oil may leave a stain on your clothing

8. HOT LEMON WATER

Upon waking, add the juice of ¼ - ½ freshly squeezed lemon to a cup of warm to hot water, and drink of any empty stomach. The sour taste of the lemon acts as a cholagogue stimulating the liver, which in turn promotes movement in the intestines.

9. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Add 1 tsp apple cider vinegar to ½ glass water and drink at the beginning of 1-3 meals daily. Apple cider vinegar has 2 beneficial properties in this case. First, it is a source of probiotics providing the digestive tract with good bacteria. Second, it stimulates the production of stomach acid, which in turn stimulates the production of all digestive enzymes.

Now that you have the information to get started, the next step is to sit down with your calendar and commit to a start date. Remember, there will never be an ‘ideal’ time. There will always be a dinner party, or a wedding, or a birthday. You can still participate in social activities, but you may need to bring your own food or limit what you will eat. Also remember that you are not alone. A number of my patients, including myself, have started or will be starting their fall detox. The resources are all at your fingertips. Just be sure to invest the appropriate preparatory time, so that your kitchen is filled with the good foods you will be eating and cooking. Good luck!

Be well, pdc