Safe & Effective Ways to “Spring” into Detoxification
By Todd A. Born, ND and Lindsay Jones, ND
For many of us that includes some type of ’cleanse .’ Here are some reasons to cleanse your system, and some safe and effective ways to do so. There are more than 83,000 chemicals registered with the U.S. Environmental Pro- tection Agency (EPA). Most of these have not been thoroughly tested for their effects on human health. The Centers for Disease Con- trol’s (CDC) 2011 National Report on Hu- man Exposure to Environmental Chemicals (NHANES), Fourth Report, presented data on 212 chemicals, including 75 measured for the first time in the U.S. population. Key findings from the report include widespread exposure to some commonly used industrial chemicals; the first avail- able exposure-data on mercury in the U.S. population; and a first-time assessment of acrylamide exposure in the U.S. population, just to name a few. The research literature indicates that many of these chemicals act as neuroendocrine disruptors, which get stored in fat tissue, organs, and the fatty sheaths surrounding nerves. This can wreak havoc on some organ systems.
S Adequate Hydration
• The human body is composed of approxi- mately 65-70% water. Every cell, tissue, and organ contains water. Every metabolic reac- tion and function in the body needs water. • The evidence is conflicting regarding optimal water intake. It can vary depending on daily activities. I tell my patients to drink enough filtered water to make the urine clear or straw colored. (Drink filtered water, not distilled – drinking distilled water can alter electrolytes in the body and cause harm.) • Performing the above ensures that all met- abolic waste products, as well as contami- nants in the environment, are safely removed from the body without excessive burden on the kidneys.
Diet
• Fruits and vegetables are your friends. The more varied the colors, the more vitamins,
pring is the perfect time to take advan- tage of the longer days to re-implement our flagging New Year’s resolutions.
minerals and antioxidants you get. Most detoxification path- ways in the body utilize the nu- trients we obtain from fruits and vegetables. Buy organic when you can. If you’re on a budget, try to at least avoid the inorgan- ic forms of “dirty dozen,” listed by the Environmental Working Group (
www.ewg.org). • There are certain functional foods (foods that have actions beyond their basic nutrient content) that are known to enhance the body’s ability to detoxify. Examples include arti- chokes; the Brassicaceae (Cruciferous) family of vegetables such as broccoli and brussel sprouts; beets, onions, garlic, green tea; and herbs like turmeric and dandelion root. • Fiber. Just as water helps to excrete toxins via the urine, fiber is needed to excrete toxins via the stool. The Institute of Medicine states that adequate (not optimal) intake of total fiber in foods is 38 and 25 grams per day for young men and women, respectively. The 2008 National Health and Nutrition Ex- amination Survey found that 93% of Ameri- cans consume less than 25 g/d.
Exercise
• Sweating removes toxins. In addition, as one’s heart rate goes up, so does metabo- lism, which burns fat. Many of the toxins that we’re exposed to on a daily basis get stored in fat. Burn the fat, release the toxins, and sweat them out. With adequate hydra- tion and fiber, even more of these contami- nants will be excreted and secreted. • Studies have shown that certain toxic met- als, such as mercury, can be excreted via our sweat. • The more vigorous the exercise the more we respirate. Some of the most volatile compounds – solvents, cleaners, etc. – can be excreted via the lungs (about 40% total excretion.
Biotherapeutic Drainage
Biotherapeutic drainage is a method of medicine that cleanses, purifies, corrects
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function, and optimizes all cells, tissues and organs in the body, including the brain and central nervous system, using medicines called UNDA numbers. These are carefully constructed homeopathic combinations of low potency botanical medicines and metals that are organ specific. They were formulated using anthroposophical principles, metallur- gy knowledge (alchemy), and the principles of Chinese medicine and homeopathy. They have been used in Western Europe since the 1920s. Originally there were 1002 different remedies, but after years of clinical experi- ence, physicians decided on the 76 that work best. Biotherapeutic drainage is a process of detoxifying the body by opening the emunc- tories (organs of elimination; i.e., liver, kidney, lung) and then excreting the toxic accumulations. Unlike detoxing or metabol- ic cleansing, biotherapeutic drainage works extracellularly and intracellularly, restoring
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