Naturopathic Detoxification
By Denice Finnegan
The health of an individual is determined by their ability to detoxify. Toxic substances are everywhere - in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. One category of toxic substances is heavy metals, including lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, nickel and aluminium.These metals tend to accumulate in the brain, kidneys and immune system, where they severely disrupt normal functioning. Most of the heavy metals in our bodies are due to environmental contamination from heavy industry, such as the coal industry, and from petrol and exhaust fumes. Early signs of heavy metal poisoning are vague, but usually include headaches, fatigue, muscle pains, indigestion, dizziness and poor co-ordination. Brain function is often impaired, with reduced ability to think and concentrate, poor memory, and word finding difficulties. There is a strong link between high levels of heavy metals and ADHD, autism and learning disorders.
The second category includes all the chemicals such as solvents, pesticides, herbicides, formaldehyde, drugs, cigarette smoke, alcohol and food additives.The liver has it's work cut out for it dealing with the huge amount of toxins we ingest from household products used in cleaning, fumigating, washing and renovating, as well as the many toxic personal care and beauty products we put on our bodies.
There are also toxins in our food - such as the ubiquitous MSG (flavour enhancer 621), colourings and flavourings, sulphites and nitrates. These toxins typically result in such symptoms as depression, headaches, mental confusion, nervous system disorders, and cancers. Bacteria can also be present in food, and these too must be detoxified by the liver.
Initially, it is important to assess what toxins are present in the body. This may be through symptom analysis, iridology, examination of the tongue, and checking for signs of nutritional deficiencies. A number of special laboratories exist to test for heavy metals, chlorinated pesticides, and PCB's. These laboratories can also test the functioning of the liver to ascertain which detoxification pathways are blocked or underfunctioning. How well you detoxify is demonstrated by:
- how long it takes you to clear the caffeine from a cup of coffee from your body,
- how strongly you react to volatile chemical smells,
- reacting with nausea from eating fatty foods,
- having a strong "hangover' effect from small amounts of alcohol,
- easily getting headaches from certain foods or substances such as MSG.
Fasting as part of the detox program is not something I recommend, as it can deplete the body of exactly those nutrients it needs to detoxify. It is smarter to eliminate from your diet all the toxins, chemicals and allergens that cause problems. It is also crucial to rehydrate and flush clean tissues that are holding toxins. Detoxification may involve using vitamins, minerals and amino acids which chelate the toxins and draw them safely out of the body. (This is not the chelation process using EDTA, which can be dangerous and it's efficacy is not proven). It is also necessary to support the digestion, including the functioning of the stomach, pancreas, gall bladder and small and large intestines. When detoxifying, care must be taken where a person has:
- a pre-existing condition (such as depression, chronic fatigue or headaches),
- past or present drug usage (such as alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana or other recreational drugs, and prescription medication),
- had glandular fever or chronic fatigue syndrome
- an auto-immune disease or inflammatory condition such as colitis, inflammatory bowel disease or IBS
- had anaesthetic recently
- undergone radiotherapy or chemotherapy
- asthma, diabetes, or insulin resistance
These conditions require treatment first, before any detoxification is attempted, or the detox will not be successful, and the conditions may worsen. As you proceed with your physical detox, you may also experience cleansing of toxic thoughts and emotions. There are many layers of cleansing of the body, mind and spirit, so your detox program should be as comprehensive as you need it to be.
If you are interested in detoxing, Denice can tailor a program to suit you.