Detoxification info needed

[Niko]

Does anyone have any information about body detoxification supplements and programs? Are the claims valid? If so, can you kindly let me know brand, type, etc.? Also, please relate any experiences as I am keenly interested.

With repsect,

[Vbrown]

what are you trying to remove? A "general detox" in my experience is a waste of money and time. But if you've been exposed to something in particular, it could be helpful.

Drink alot of water, up your anti-oxident intake, eat your asparagus and smile more.

FWIW,

Vince
A,CST

Agree - most "detox" is a scam other then the long slow process of eating less crap.

[Niko]

Thanks Vince and Thanks Bill,

No, I haven't been exposed to anything in particular. I am just trying to get back on the right path after many years of eating horribly, inactivity, chronic pain and smoking. Warrior Wellness is doing wonders for me and I was hoping there was a nutritional adjunct.

With respect,

[Vbrown]

Don't stress it. Rather than punish yourself (ie detox is usually unpleasant) for you past poor behavior, be happy and proud that you have made the decision to take control of your own health.

Best thing you can do is LEARN TO COOK. People get trapped with pre-made garbage or only know 3 recipies for boiled water. Buy Alton Brown's book which teaches you the basic skills of cooking. Find fruits and veggies (more veggies than fruits) that you like and learn to cook them a million ways. Learn to cook meat right. Even tofu can be made to be tasty.

And I wasn't kidding about asparagus. It seems to help leech out ammonia waste products from the liver, which is why one's urine smells weird later. Plus it's really good and grills well.

Once you learn not only how good you feel but how good it tastes, it's easy to stay "good" because it is it's own reward.

Vince

[James Boelter]

'Detox' is a tricky thing. I tend to subscribe to the school of thought that sees the body as a self-correcting entity - simply return to 'eating right' for the long term and things will straighten out in the course of a few months. It helps to drink a lot of water, of course, and to spend some time in a dry sauna once or twice a week, or attend a class in Bikram or Ashtanga yoga (Bikram typically is held in a room heated to over 100 degrees F,a and makes me sweat like a stevedore in August).

Some people recommend a 24-36 hour fast once a week to help the body 'take care of business' and clean itself out. I am sure this would work for some individuals, but it never really appealed to me. I may adapt this as soon as my work and school schedule slow down a bit and I have my weekends free again.

A typical 'natural hygeine' approach to detoxification would be a gallbladder/liver flush recommended by my massage therapy instructor in the 'hygiene' section of the class. It involves several 'prep' days of drinking apple cider/juice, then a day of nothing but water with lemon juice. This is meant to help soften any mineral deposits/biliary calculi which may be gumming up the works. Then, at the end of the day, you take 2 tsp of epsom salts in hot water (the emetic), followed by a cup of olive oil/lemon (to lubricate the insides); then you lie on your right side for 30 minutes/1 hour with your right knee raised (so it presses into your liver). Be sure there is a clear path between you and the bathroom - once things start, you won't have a lot of time before the Intestine Express goes into full dump mode. In the morning, take another dose if epsom salts in hot water to finish the purge. There are many variations on this, they all involve a period of fasting, an emetic, some citrus juice, and a 'lubricant' oil.

Lalitha Thompson's '10 Essential Herbs' describes a 21 day detox program using chaparral tea - you essentially steep the same batch of chapparral overnight in room temperature water and drink the 8 -12 oz of resulting tisane in the am three times; then discard the used batch for a fresh batch; you follow this cycle 7 times for a total of 21 days. The idea is that each successive steeping extracts different combinations of factors from the chapparral. This is to be done a maximum of once or twice a year.

Chaparral is very controversial - at one point the FDA banned the use of it and it was almost impossible to obtain. There was some indication that using too much chaparral would damage the liver (similar to comfrey). That 'ban' seems to have died down and you can usually find it in bulk in your local health food store. My own teacher in the subject believed that chapparral is a VERY powerful cleansing agent and must be treated with care and respect - just like antibiotics, steriods, or even echinacea, you don't go slamming it into your system every day...you cycle the use of it.

I've done this 21 day detox twice to no noticable effect, but I am already a fairly healthy person who practices a lot of chi kung, kettlebell lifting and swimming. I normally don't get sick or hurt. I imagine everyone's mileage may vary on this.

[Niko]

Thanks James,

I see that I need to pick up Lalitha Thompson's book. Some of what you state appeals to me. Perhaps there may not be an actual physical cleansing but the ritual of it and the thought that "perhaps I amy be doing some good" is leading me to believe I may give it a whirl.

With respect,

[Chuck Sproule]

Niko, if you are really interested in how to cleanse your body, I have found a very interesting and brilliant approach from a therepist named David Webster. His site is http://www.thewholewhey.com.

I have found it to have been one of the most beneficial things that I have ever done.

All my best

Chuck Sproule CST Gamma Cadre
Warrior Diet

[BullOnTheBeach]

Niko,

If you are interested in just collecting knowledge right now, I would suggest looking into Dr Bernard Jensen's books. He has a sanitarium in Calabasas, CA. The guy is 80 and has been treating people with chronic illnesses for years. He is certainly a man to take seriously in terms of detoxing for treating illnesses and other ailments.

Another brilliant mind in the spectrum of detoxification is Dr Richard Schultze.

You can "google" both of them and get their respective web sites.


Travis

[Niko]

Thank You Travis for the book information. So many books, so little time *sigh*

Thanks to you also Chuck. You state that Webtser's approach is the most beneficial thing you have ever done. Can you kindly explain what you experienced?

With Repect,