What
Detoxification Techniques are Available?
Several
methods of detoxification are currently available.
These include fasting, specific diets, colon therapy, vitamin
therapy, chelation therapy, and hyperthermia. As a
word of caution - All long-term fasts require medical supervision
as well as prior assessment as to levels of nutrients, to
insure that deficiency does not occur. Weekend fasts
are safe for most people, although it is still wise to seek
advice from a professional experienced in detoxification.
The
most easiest, inexpensive and effective methods of detoxification
are fasting and specific dietary regimens. Keep in
mind that the goal is to achieve a healthier way of eating,
not weight loss, or to rid the body of all bacteria.
In fact, "the good bacteria," known as Probiotics,
is necessary in order to remain in good health.
Water
and Juice Fast:
Most experts recommend beginners to
do one or the other over every weekend for a few months.
A water only fast starting Friday evening and ending Sunday
morning (or just all day Saturday, as an alternative) should
be broken with a day of raw foods (fruit/salad only, plus
water), not with a heavy meal. Make sure that not
less than four, and not more than eight, pints of water
are consumed during the fast.
Weekend
Monodiet:
This consists of a full weekend of
relying on a single food such as grapes, apples, pears (best
choice if you have a history of allergy problems), brown
rice, millet, or even potatoes (boiled only).
Alkaline-Detoxification
Diet:
Developed by Dr. Haas, this three
to four-week plan helps to detoxify the body tissues of
protein and acid wastes and can also help to reduce weight,
increase vitality, and promote healing. This plan
involves the elimination of acid-forming foods from your
diet and eating only fruits and vegetables (mostly vegetables),
plus fresh sprouts and millet. The diet also focuses
on particular eating principles, including exceptional chewing
(thirty to fifty times each mouthful), drinking quality
water plus the steamed vegetable water, and eating all food
prior to nightfall.
Vitamin
C Therapy:
Exposure to various toxins, like lead
or benzene, will deplete your vitamin C stores. Evidence
also suggests that vitamin C deficiency hampers the body's
own detoxification process.
Chelation
Therapy:
A synthetic amino acid known as EDTA
(ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is administered intravenously
and binds to various toxic metals in the blood. The toxins
are then flushed from the body through the kidneys.
Used primarily to treat cases of lead poisoning, many doctors
have found that EDTA can remove the calcium and plaque present
in the walls of arteries in atheroscelerosis. This
therapy has net to receive FDA approval as a treatment for
heart disease.
Regardless
of which program you choose, make sure you get plenty of
rest, and keep warm.
See also: How Do You Know if You Require
Detoxification?
Net Resources:
Fad
Diets From Ask The Dietitian.
Fast,
Therapeutic
By Evart Loomis, M.D. This therapeutic encounter is in direct
contrast to the usual medical practice of today.
Gerson
Therapy From the Gerson Institute.
Tibetan
Dietary Therapy From Steven C. Hollifield, Ac.Phys.
