The term “detoxification” means many things to different people. To the doctor specializing in toxicology it means the treatment for patients suffering from drug and chemical overdose, for the pharmacologist it means the mechanism by which the body metabolizes pharmaceutical substances and eliminates them from the body, for the environmental scientist it means the way that substances in the environment are decontaminated, for the chemically dependent person it means a treatment program designed to rid them of their drug addiction. In the context of the book 7-Day Detox Miracle by Drs. Peter Bennett and Stephen Barrie, both naturopathic physicians of international distinction, it means the process whereby people who have chronic health complaints due to the low grade “poisoning” of their metabolism. As is eloquently described in this book, this low grade “poisoning” is something that happens to many of us as we accumulate toxins from a polluted environment, lifestyle habits such as smoking, excess alcohol and caffeine consumption, faulty diet, medications, stress, and too little activity.
What makes 7-Day Detox Miracle such an important book is that it represents the clinical wisdom and experience of two doctors who have successfully practiced natural medicine over the past fifteen years that includes the use of science-based detoxification programs. Their clinical experience in the use of the approach described in 7-Day Detox Miracle makes this book much more than a theoretical and interesting approach to improving health. Rather it is a tried and proven program for people who are looking for a way to get rid of chronic health complaints such as fatigue, low energy, digestive complaints, muscle aches and pains, and a myriad of other aggravating symptoms.
As a nutritional biochemist who has been involved in research focused on the better understanding of how nutrition influences the body’s detoxification process, I found Drs. Bennett and Barrie’s book to represent a significant contribution to making this concept more accessible to the average person who can benefit from its application.
Biochemists often speak in very specialized jargon that makes their message hard to understand. Drs. Bennett and Barrie have made a major accomplishment by weaving together in understandable terms the basics of the physiological and biochemical processes of detoxification with their clinical experience in how this information can be used for improved health. The most amazing distinction of the book is that they have done this without compromising the integrity of either the science or the easy reading style of the book.
By using case histories and clinical experiences the story of the 7-Day Detox Miracle unfolds. From our experience at our Functional Medicine Research Center, our clinical staff has found that a nutritionally supported detoxification program can help improve the health and functional vitality of many people who are “walking tired.”
Although no single program is successful for all people, 7-Day Detox Miracle does provide a very well-formulated and clinically evaluated approach to accessing the power of our own body’s detoxification and recuperative abilities. It is interesting that nutritionally based detoxification is not considered a standard approach in medicine even though it has been demonstrated to reduce migraine headaches, improve the muscle pain of fibromyalgia, and improve sleep in many studies. This may be a result of the fact that medicine today is based upon the presumption that “don’t fix it until it’s broken.” A person may not be sick enough yet to be seen as “broken” during this age of managed care, but rather may be suffering from a significant reduction in their quality of life due to chronic symptoms for which 7-Day Detox Miracle could be of great value.
I am very pleased that Drs. Bennett and Barrie have written this very helpful book that will make the power of nutritionally based detoxification more accessible to countless people.
Jeffrey S. Bland, Ph.D., President,
Institute for Functional Medicine