The need to detoxify the body has become increasingly more important over the past 50 years. We live in an environment that is overflowing with dangerous chemicals. They have permeated our soils, our water supply, and the air that we breath. Even the best efforts to eliminate toxins from your household and work place have become more difficult, since there are over 75,000 synthetic chemicals registered with the EPA- most of which you aren?t even aware of.
Every year, more than 24 billion pounds of toxic substances are released into the environment, only a fraction of which have been tested for safety or how they interact with each other. At the same time, chronic degenerative diseases are on the rise. The CDC estimates that 1 out of 2 men and 1 out of 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. 70 million American?s have been diagnosed with some form of cardiovascular disease and 16 million adults are suffering from asthma.
The link between the degenerative disease epidemic and the volume of toxic substances in our environment can no longer be ignored. In 2003, the Mt. Sanai School of Medicine tested 211 volunteers for possible contaminants and found an average of 91 pollutants in the volunteer?s blood samples. Of those 91 pollutants, an average of 53 were known carcinogens including PCBs, dioxins, pthalates, insecticides, pesticides and heavy metals. The group of volunteers included individuals who lived in a rural coastal community and had eaten organic foods for over 30 years.
So what can you do? Fortunately, there are a variety of detoxification methods available. I employ the following detoxification methods:
Far Infrared Sauna
Far Infrared (FIR) Saunas were invented in Japan and used almost exclusively there until the early 1980?s when Western practitioners discovered their success at detoxifying the body. FIR sauna?s use radiant energy instead of convectional heat and operate at a lower temperature than conventional saunas, ranging from 105 to 130 degrees.
FIR energy penetrates the body as much as 4.5 cm below the surface of the skin, reaching all layers of the dermis and subcutaneous fat. The energy is then converted to heat, causing the body to sweat, which removes toxic waste, including alcohol, nicotine, sodium, cholesterol, and certain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium and aluminum.
In addition to the detox benefits, FIR heats up the body, causing your heart to beat harder and faster resulting in a safe cardiovascular workout. The heat also causes the peripheral blood vessels to dilate, stimulating circulation that delivers oxygen-rich blood to the cells and removes the waste. FIR has also been found useful as a treatment for pain, since it relaxes the muscles, reducing stress and tension.
Chelation Therapy
The accumulation of heavy metals in the body can lead to serious health concerns. Metals such as lead and aluminum can lead to neurological disorders, loss of balance, memory loss, lack of coordination and depression as well as attention deficit disorder and lowered IQ in children. Researchers are currently looking into the link between heavy metal toxicity and Alzheimer?s disease.
Chelation is the administration of a substance that binds with heavy metals in the body, forming salts that can then be excreted from the body. The chelator can be administered orally, intravaneously, rectally or topically on the skin. There are several different chelator substances, each of them tailored to bind to specific metals. Before deciding that chelation is for you, it is best to have your doctor test you for heavy metals. Once you?ve determined which heavy metals are present in your bloodstream, you can then determine the chelatation process that would be appropriate for your needs.
Body Cleanse
Body Cleanse, also known as Foot Detox, is a relaxing way to rid your body of toxins. It works by placing your feet in a basin of salted water containing an ion generator. A power supply attached to the ion generator delivers a small current (1.6 to 1.8 amps) creating positively and negatively charged ions in the water. The charged atoms act as a magnetic field, attracting oppositely charged particles in the body, drawing them out through osmosis. The charged particles target toxic substances within the body, attaching to them and then releasing them safely and painlessly into the water.
Lymphatic Therapy
The lymphatic system is a vital circulatory system and the body?s primary immune defense and waste eliminator. It is critical to managing the elimination of toxins from the body. The lymphatic system is comprised of over 600 ?collection? sites called lymph nodes and has a massive network of collecting vessels. The primary responsibilities of the lymphatic system are to carry disease-fighting material to cells attacked by germs, transport the dead germs away and supply the heart with protein-rich plasma. When this system is blocked, the body becomes defenseless against attacks by viruses, fungi, bacterium and other toxins.
Because the lymphatic system is not driven by the heart, there is no engine pumping fluid through the vessels. The lymphatic system relies on pressure generated by activity to move the toxin-laden lymph fluid out of the cells. Without sufficient movement, the waste can build up in the lymph system and health problems can ensue. I have found two methods extremely beneficial to detoxify the lymphatic system: Rebounder Therapy and Light Beam Generator.
Rebounder Therapy works by getting the body in motion to encourage the lymphatic system. Jumping up and down on a mini-trampoline is one of the best ways to compress the lymph vessels and move lymph fluid throughout the system, without causing high-impact stress on the musculo-skeletal system.
A Light Beam Generator (LBG) is a device that can assist the body in detoxifying the lymphatic system. LBG is a non-invasive technology that uses extremely low current and negatively charged light photons providing compatible frequencies to the blocked areas in the lymphatic system, resulting in the cells correcting their out-of-balance condition. Rapid movement of waste material within the cells occurs, greatly increasing the delivery of waste material to the organs responsible for body waste disposal.
Healthful Supplementation
Due to both the increased use of synthetic fertilizers and the over cultivation of farmland, the grains, fruits and vegetables grown on most farms today lack the important nutrients that the body requires. More and more, the soil is being depleted of vitamins, minerals and necessary nutrients due to man-made changes (i.e., construction of dams and absence of floods). Today, the food we eat probably has only 25% of the nutritional value that it had just 100 years ago. Because of this, we are sorely lacking in the vital nutrients that assist our bodies in detoxification.
Without the proper nutrients, the body cannot function at an optimal level and is powerless to fight off dietary carcinogens and repair damaged DNA. I recommend that all of my patients take a daily food-based multivitamin. It is both important and necessary to replenish the body with magnesium and potassium for heart health, selenium to reduce skin disease, iron to combat fatigue, colds and anemia, and folic acid to ward off cancer. In addition, I advise that the multivitamin be made from organic greens such as grasses, vegetables, sprouted grains, herbs to provide the maximum benefits.
In the 21st century we are faced with a degenerative disease epidemic. Each day, new chemicals are invented with the intention of making life easier, but these same chemicals are creating health problems that no one anticipated. It is imperative that you protect yourself from these dangerous toxins by detoxifying your body regularly. Don?t wait for a health ailment to arise to take action. Being proactive today can prevent problems down the line. Ask your doctor to evaluate your toxic body burden and discuss with him or her the right detoxification method for you. Ridding your body of the harmful substances will make you feel like a new person and protect your health from succumbing to degenerative disease.
Dr. Connealy, M.D., M.P.H. began private practice in 1986. In 1992 she founded her medical practice in California. Her practice is firmly based in the belief that strictly treating health problems with medications does not find the root cause of the illness. Dr. Connealy writes monthly columns for Coast and Health magazines, and is a weekly cohost on Frank Jordan?s ?Healthy, Wealthy and Wise? radio show. She routinely lectures and educates the public on health issues. Please visit http://www.perfectlyhealthy.net for product and more information