None of us likes to think of our world as a “toxic jungle,” a world surrounded by environmental toxins that may cause illness. But the fact is, we cannot escape exhaust fumes, dioxins, heavy metals, or chemical compounds in the air, soil and water. Even our food contains dyes, preservatives and pesticides. And once the body can no longer self-detoxify by natural elimination, one’s health may be compromised.
Symptoms from toxicity can range from frequent headaches, PMS, joint pain, fatigue, skin eruptions, digestive symptoms, halitosis (bad breath), recurrent infections and immune deficiencies, to problems involving the nervous system and heart. (www.vitamintrader.com)
Detoxification Therapies Aid in Restoring Health
The Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts offers a variety of therapeutic detoxification services, including spa and cleansing programs. According to the Center’s Director Su Bibik, many of their therapies are designed to remove toxins by drawing them out through the skin.
“All of our therapies are geared toward getting the lymphatic system to move and flow correctly,” Bibik says. “The therapies are focused on cleansing and keeping the inner body moving.”
Symptoms that may require detoxification vary, and range from congestion, sinus blockages, allergies, migraines and skin sensitivities, to constipation or a general feeling of malaise and low-grade fatigue. “Physical toxicities can also aggravate emotional problems,” Bibik says, “so it’s important to help move those toxins out of the system.”
Some of the therapies that draw toxins from the skin include salt glows, an exfoliating process, and herb or mud body wraps. Hot stone therapy, where stones are placed on various parts of the body, is used as a grounding and clarifying treatment.
The Center also provides colon therapy, or colonics, a process that gently flushes the large intestine, or colon, with water. “It’s a closed system and very hygienic,” explains Janet Masters, Instructor in the Natural Remedies Program and a Certified Colon Therapist. “It’s a very gentle way to cleanse the large intestine where toxins can build up only to be reabsorbed into the blood stream.”
The Center practices a type of colon therapy called “gravity flow,” in which a certified therapist controls the process. The treatment takes about one hour. (www.kcha.com) “Colon therapy helps support the entire digestive system,” Masters says. “It flushes out toxins and supports healing to allow the digestive system to work up to its potential.”
Clients may choose a series of colon therapy treatments to eliminate toxins, or may prefer periodic sessions as a preventive measure.
A build up of toxins in our bodies due to chronic exposure to heavy metals is a more serious medical assault, and can cause kidney failure, mental confusion, joint and muscle pain, short-term memory loss, vision problems, chronic fatigue and more. (www.digitalnaturopath.com) Once someone is diagnosed with heavy metal toxicity, chelation therapy may be recommended.
Chelation therapy is the “chelating,” or removal of heavy metal toxicity. It’s an intravenous therapy used over the past 50 years for both children and adults diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning and poor circulation caused by atheriosclerosis. Using the synthetic amino-acid EDTA (ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetate), heavy metals such as calcium, lead, cadmium, nickel, aluminum, and mercury are eliminated from the body through the kidneys, liver and bowel. DMSA (meso 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid) is an oral chelator, specifically for lead toxicity, but has been shown clinically to detoxify other heavy metals as well. (pages.prodigy.net/naturedoctor/chelation.html)
“The benefits of chelation therapy are two-fold,” says Dr. Eric E. Born, DO, of Parchment Family Practice, P.C. “One, it’s used to remove heavy metals out of the body and two, it helps with arterial plaque regression, and improves kidney function, circulation, and blood pressure.”
According to Born, a person’s ability to self-detoxify depends on genetics and diet. Age, too, is a factor. “The body is constantly processing food, air and what we drink,” he says. “Some people are better at naturally eliminating toxins and heavy metals that we’re all exposed to.”
To restore cardiovascular health and/or eliminate heavy metals, an initial 20 to 30 IV chelation treatments twice a week are typical. After the initial series is completed, additional lab work indicates whether more treatment is necessary.
A nourishing diet can assist detoxification. And some herbs and dietary supplements may also help the body’s system clear toxins. (www.vitamintrader.com) “We must be more aware of what we’re eating and drinking,” Born advises. “Our environment, with its pesticides, arsenic in the water and mercury in our fish—we keep polluting ourselves and we just don’t detoxify well enough.”
Depending on the severity of the toxic load and the overall health of an individual, improvement can take from several months to several years.
Sources
The Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts — www.kcha.com
Detox Therapies, Nutrition Science News, Mar., 1997 — www.vitamintrader.com
Chelation - pages.prodigy.net/naturedoctor/chelation.html
The Analyst - Internet Health Report: Heavy Metal Toxicity - www.digitalnaturopath.com
