Tarryall.net
. . . a Guide for Living Energetically
. . . a Guide for Living Energetically
Toxins
Many people think that they have little to fear from toxins
unless they spent years on a job being exposed to specific
chemicals or radiation. However, even four thousand years
ago, Egyptian physicians were using enemas to help patients
detoxify. In more recent times, the famous Greek physicians
Hippocrates and Galen both gave patients cleansing herbs to
help ensure body balancing and health in what we now know
as the body's seven systems of detoxification:
- Lungs
- Liver
- Colon
- Kidneys
- Skin
- Blood
- Lymph
self toxicity that occurs from incomplete digestion, but they,
too, experienced environmental toxicity. And today, many
holistic health practitioners consider most chronic disease
states to have as root cause an auto-toxic body which then
leads to a myriad of apparently disconnected diagnoses.
Today we not only must continue to be aware of all the
internal toxins, but also we must be aware of all the external
toxins which began in earnest with the Industrial Revolution.
In truth, today dangerous chemicals are found everywhere in
our homes from baby bottles to plastic wrap and storage
containers, from non-stick cookware to stain-resistant
upholstery fabrics, from flooring to paint to cleaning and
personal care products including shampoos, deodorants and
makeup. Women can absorb up to 5# of chemical toxins per
year from their so-called beauty products alone! Toxic
additives such as chlorine and fluoride are even deliberately
placed into our water and mercury is deliberately placed in
our mouths (silver fillings) and in our vaccines (under the
name of the preservative thimerosol). Even our medications
are toxic whether over-the-counter or prescribed. As L.F.
Kebler M.D. asked, "Why would a patient swallow a poison
because he is ill, or take that which would make a well man
sick?"
Certainly our lives may appear "easier." We can now flip a
switch so we can read or watch TV into the wee hours of the
morning or to store and prepare an almost ludicrous amount
of food. We can stay in telephone connection with all and
sundry even if we are halfway across the world. We have an
unlimited amount of knowledge at our fingertips via the
internet. We simply pop a pill if we have a headache.
Yes, we have technologically come a long way, baby, but at
what cost to the health and well-being of our bodies and of
our environment? I believe that the massive crisis facing us is
not so much the global "warming" (which certainly does exist,
but how much is also due to natural cycling?) but global
toxicity which will render the earth uninhabitable long before
the warming takes full effect.
Let's take a brief look at the current environmental toxic load.
Some Alarming Facts
According to the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency,
over 70,000 chemicals are used commercially, 65,000 of which
are potentially hazardous to our health.
According to the Environmental Defense Group, more than 4
billion pounds of toxic chemicals are released into the
environment each year, and 72 million of those pounds are
known carcinogens.
Every year 10.9 million people across the globe are diagnosed
with cancer and 6.7 million people die because of cancer. This
is about 12% of all global deaths. The U.S. ranks in the top
three countries with the highest rate of cancer in both men
and women. The U.S. is also one of the top toxin producers.
The Environmental Working Group discovered in 2004 that
toxicity begins in the womb. The placenta apparently does
not protect the developing fetus from toxins and pollutants.
The study demonstrated an average of 287 industrial
chemicals found in babies’ umbilical-cord blood, including
mainly known carcinogens and neuro-toxins (brain and
nervous systems), but also others that affect lungs, hormone
production, and general fetal development. These toxins
consisted of pesticides, consumer product ingredients, and
wastes from burning coal, gasoline, and garbage.
The study proceeded to reveal that as we age, the levels of
these contaminants only continue to persist. Toxins such as
heavy metals, PCBs, pesticides, herbicides, and various other
cancer-causing and neuro-toxic chemicals, including
nitrosamines found in processed meats and a probable
causative factor in type-II diabetes, are all considered prime
immune system stressors which can lead to numerous
diseases including neurological problems, cancers, and
general cellular aging. Also highly evident were metals such
as mercury (which amazingly enough is still found in many
vaccines and "silver" dental fillings), cadmium, arsenic and
lead, which are all strongly correlated with various
neurological disorders such as autism, Alzheimer's disease,
dementia, etc.
A more recent study by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in
New York, in collaboration with the Environmental Working
Group, showed an average of 91 industrial chemicals in the
blood and urine of participants. Other studies are finding
rocket fuel in 100% of breast milk samples taken from women
across 18 states, but even unborn children are at high risk.
... and it goes on and on. Even if some studies show a
particular toxin is harmful, no one has done, or is capable of
doing, a study which shows how all these toxins interact with
each other and what the effect of the combination is on us.
Of course we can observe for ourselves the astronomical
increase of auto-immune diseases, "genetic" abnormalities,
and brain dysfunctions to name just a few of the modern
health challenges. Decide for yourself.
Signs of Toxicity
Toxicity overload affects not only our elimination organs of
liver, kidneys, lungs and skin, but also other organs including
the brain, and every system such as the nervous or circulatory
systems and every single cell in our body. It can indicate in
numerous conditions such as:
- fatigue
- insomnia
- allergies/asthma
- depression
- nervousness or hyperactivity
diseases such as:
- appendicitis
- arthritis
- bronchitis
- colitis
- conjunctivitis
- dermatitis (including psoriasis & various lesions)
- hepatitis
- lymphademitis
- nephritis
ulcerations, tumors and all forms of cancers.
The Bowel and Liver Connection
We learned in the first paragraph that the colon/bowel and
liver are two organs of elimination. Unfortunately, if a person
has bowel movements LESS THAN 3 TIMES PER DAY, that
person is considered by most naturopaths to be constipated.
We know that most Americans are constipated to one degree
or another by the sheer amount of laxatives they buy; it's a
multi-billion dollar industry!
However, standard laxatives simply force peristalsis without
taking care of the ever-expanding volume of toxic waste
lining the intestines. This waste in turn causes our livers to
work overtime. Then when you add environmental toxins to
the mix (those we breathe, drink and eat), the liver can
pretty much give up becoming very inefficient.
And we become sicker and sicker with modern-day chronic
health problems that no medication (itself another toxin) can
fully alleviate.
Toxin Removal & Detoxification
It takes real awareness and dedication to route toxins from
our homes, but hundreds of thousands of allergy and asthma
sufferers attest to the fact that when homes are toxin-free,
they are symptom-free and can frequently become medication-
free.
Purifying the diet with sound nutrition (and appropriate
amounts of water per day!) for not only you but also your
animals (and yes, your soil, too), is the best start to
detoxifying your system from most metabolic waste build-up,
but sometimes a little help is needed even there when there
has been toxic overload for quite some time.
METABOLIC DETOXIFICATION - Having Louisa Beatty, DC
(her husband was the famous naturopath/chiropractor Herman
Beatty) and Hanna Kroeger, a Master Herbalist, as my mentors
back in the early 1960's in Boulder, I learned my lessons well
about the necessity of cleansing the inside of the body
thoroughly but gently. Harsh cleansers can harm the body
greatly. They also were the first people I ran across who
believed that various parasite, including liver flukes, had a
great deal to do with ill-health; the emphasis on
environmental toxins was yet to come.
Along with purifying the diet and using various gentle
vegetable juice cleanses (of which I speak in my book Living
Energetically), Hanna also suggested the Sonne's products #7
(a Bentonite Clay product) and #9 (psyllium seed product)
still available from her herb shop (www.hannasherbshop.com)
along with numerous other herbal and homeopathic products
for more specialized cleanses and everything else. Dynamite
Specialty Products also offers an ultra-pure Bentonite Clay
(called Miracle Clay) plus two formulated detoxifiers, Excel
and Herbal Tonic, each of which is made and marketed strictly
for animal use - although I, and many others, have happily
utilized them for ourselves as well as for our animals.
However, one of the best organic/wildcrafted herbal cleansers
I have recently found have been those formulated by Dr.
Richard Schultze, a Master Herbalist and Naturopath. He has
a 2-part cleansing program, Intestinal Formula #1 and
Intestinal Formula #2 to be taken only when all the on-line
criteria are met. Both of these are in easy-to-take capsule
form although his Herbal Detox Tea is very helpful if added to
the capsules. Then there is his Liver/GallBladder Tincture
which I advise taking only after the other two are well on
their way. Do read all about Dr. Schultze's preparations and
his complete instructions at www.herbdoc.com/abptoc.asp.
Another cleansing system, from Carol Spenser, M.D., is
purported to me even more gentle yet still effective. Go to
www.ultimatecoloncleanse.com to learn more.
HEAVY METAL DETOXIFICATION - The generally accepted
form of detoxifying humans from heavy metals, is to undergo
"chelation therapy." While it is very effect for sure, it is also
very expensive and lengthy, plus it removes even beneficial
minerals and other nutrients from the body thus creating
imbalances which then need to be rectified. For some, this
may absolutely be the answer. However, for many, the
Bentonite Clay mentioned above also works well on most
heavy metals and the herbs cilantro and spirulina also seem
to be heavy metal attractors. There are other options
including what could be regarded as a safe, simple, cost-
effective liquid home chelation therapy.
For more on the reality of heavy metal dangers, click here.
For a home heavy metal testing kit: http://ncdtest.com.
DETOXIFICATION FREQUENCY - Because both metabolic
and heavy-metal toxins are ever-present and all-pervasive,
we advise doing a full detox at least once per year but
preferably twice. If you continue to eat a lot of junk food, live
in an area of especially heavy toxicity like in a busy
downtown area or jog on the roadways, you might consider
detoxing more frequently, perhaps quarterly.
Removing Household Toxins
Breathing toxin-free air is something we all yearn for. Perhaps
that is why the great weekend exodus to mountains, forests
and lakes or oceans! While we cannot totally mimic those
ultimate pristine locations, we can make a relatively small
investment in some special air filtration systems. We have
found the room devices manufactured and sold by Sharper
Image to work great for us partly because they are so very
easily cleaned. Dr. Mercola also offers one on his website.
But do your own comparison shopping. Of primary importance
is removing drapes, carpeting and fabric upholstery all of
which both hold on to and promote various toxins such as
molds, fungi, mites, animal parasites, etc. Far more
preferable is to go with natural solid-surface flooring (be
careful of vinyl out-gassing), window blinds and leather
upholstery plus a good vacuum! Changing air/heating duct
filters frequently is also of great help.
Water is used in every aspect of our lives and is frequently
the most insidious toxin carrier. Ideally one would purchase a
whole-house filtration system. Where that is impossible, at
least get one each for the kitchen sink and tub/shower since
toxins are absorbed through the skin as well. Both distilled
and Reverse Osmosis fliters are very effective, especially
during cleanses, but they do leave the water "dead" and
acidic, meaning that beneficial minerals need to be replaced
for at least the drinking/cooking water or else minerals can be
pulled from the body. See my April 2007 Newsletter for some
alternatives.
Perhaps the most abundant toxins are in our cleaning
products. For years I used only vinegar, and some tea tree oil
or peroxide, even lemons, to clean everywhere. For
suggestions on making your own Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit,
please click on http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-
own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html.
Another area of toxin contamination is in our personal care
products. The ingredients in most are an exercise in chemical
jargon and the latest research is showing that a woman using
daily make-up can absorb up to 5# of toxins through her skin.
That's just the make-up! Best to use natural herbal products
only. One enterprising woman, www.evansgarden.com, carries
a line of her own superb, handcrafted personal care products
including mineral-based make-up.
Yet another area to examine is cooking-ware. Avoid aluminum
and teflon-coated anything, going instead for the highest
quality stainless ware you can find and afford. Although this
still can be involved in some heavy metal contamination, it's
far better than the alternatives above. Perhaps best options
of all are glass and porcelain-covered steel or cast iron.
These are the least reactive of all cooking materials but can,
especially for the cast iron, be too heavy for young or older
hands to use safely. With all cookware, make sure the
handles are flat; rounded handles can easily turn in your hand.
Many individuals concerned with removing all household
toxins should also banish microwave ovens because of their
inherent hazards including reversing electron spin on foods
subjected to their radiation. To learn more about this
invisible toxin, please visit http://www.mercola.
com/article/microwave/hazards.htm. Dr. Mercola also offers a
round tabletop convection oven to replace the ubiquitous
nuker.
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| The information contained on this webpage has not been evaluated by the FDA. This information in not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material provided is for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health program. |
| "We all need to work toward a fully nourishing toxin-free food regimen that provides all the right nutrients for building new tissue while promoting adequate elimination of normal wastes and toxins from both internal processes and the external environment." Dr. Bernard Jensen from Dr. Jensen's Guide to Diet and Detoxification: Healthy Secrets from Around the World |
