There was never a more perfect metaphor for detoxification than the ancient and wise Arabian Night's tale of Aladdin and the magic lamp. The lamp seller wanders the streets at night crying, “New lamps for old.” In the same fashion, one of my mentors, Dr. Bernard Jensen, taught that one is not cured until “old diseased cells are replaced by new healthy cells.”
Put another way, we could say medicines do not cure. They only create the opportunity for your immune system and natural detoxification pathways to do their job of regeneration and healing. Similarly, the saying “What's old is new” might also have been custom-made for this chapter. Though fasting and detoxification are en vogue today, to experienced naturopathic physicians and doctors of Oriental medicine there is nothing new about these practices. They are a cornerstone of natural healing approaches.
To be well, we need to renew ourselves from the inside out, exchange old cells for new. When individual cells are renewed, tissues are improved and organ function can be restored—only then does a cure take place. The curative process begins with detoxification, a cornerstone of natural health and the key to cellular renewal—which is to say, the beginning of a lasting cure.
Strangely, in this modern age, our technological advancements exist side by side with the waste from excess consumption. We pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. The accumulation of toxic chemicals greatly weakens our immune systems and undermines not only our health but also undermines the treatments designed to rid us of disease. Fortunately, we are becoming more aware of the necessity to use detoxification and cleansing therapies as part of a total health plan.
Detoxification therapies, like fasting and hygienic diets, have been used since the time of Hippocrates. Indian Ayurvedic medicine has well-developed and extensive systems of detoxification called panchakarma that are thousands of years old. Nature cure practitioners like Benedict Lust, Bernard Jensen, and John Bastyr (the founder of Bastyr University of Naturopathic Medicine in Seattle, Washington), healed people in America and Canada with detoxification regimens in the early and mid-1900s.
Now in the twenty-first century, we know more about detoxification from a scientific point of view than before, and we're able to put this new knowledge to work in assisting the body in its job of cleansing and purification. Modern practitioners of scientific natural detoxification include Walter Crinnion, N.D., who specializes in environmental medicine in Bellevue, Washington, and David W. Quig, Ph.D., a research scientist in the field of nutrition and heavy metal detoxification at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Many medical doctors, notably Leo Galland, David Perlmutter, Majid Ali, and Sandra Cabot, are convinced that modern chronic illnesses cannot be cured with drugs alone. That is why these enlightened physicians have incorporated natural therapeutic detoxification therapies—also referred to as tissue cleansing—into their practices.
For detoxification therapy to be effective, it is necessary to reduce the toxic burden on the body's organs, tissues, and cells. Every second of every day, toxic substances are ravaging our planet's environment and the consequences of chemical wastes and the way they combine with other molecules predispose us to all types of disease, including increased susceptibility to viral infection. Evidence keeps mounting on how toxic environmental substances reduce our immune capacity by as much as 50 percent.
Toxic substances in the environment have three primary targets: (1) the immune system, primarily affecting cellmediated immunity and leading to an increase in humoral immune components like inflammatory cytokines; (2) the nervous system, leading to diseases like multiple sclerosis; and (3) the endocrine system, causing infertility, menstrual disorders, birth defects, and menopausal symptoms.
In more than twenty of clinical practice, I have taught and supervised detoxification programs with several thousand patients, and from these patients I have learned what the nature cure doctors, Oriental healers, and yoga masters already know: detoxification works and will improve your health.
My system of detoxification for viral immunity is based upon a synthesis of the best from the Eastern energy models, modern naturopathic medicine, outcome-oriented functional medicine, and the latest scientific research—all placed upon the shoulders of earlier nature cure giants like Jensen and the others mentioned.
Two case studies come to mind, and both clearly illustrate how effective these methods are. The first I wrote up and published in the American Journal of Acupuncture in 1992. With this patient, I successfully applied detoxification therapies, along with Chinese herbs and acupuncture, to normalize the patient's liver function (as indicated by her blood studies), and improved her overall health and sense of well being. In fact, she was so impressed with the results that she enrolled in an acupuncture college shortly afterwards and is practicing natural therapies today (Williams 1992).
The second case also involved a patient who had abnormal liver enzymes, as revealed by his blood tests. Since he had no apparent disease according to his medical doctors, even though he did not feel well, he was told there was nothing wrong with him. In his late fifties, this man complained of headaches, abdominal pains, and digestive difficulty; he had high cholesterol and suffered from constipation. After detoxification therapies that included intravenous DMPS (discussed below) for mercury toxicity along with natural therapies, his liver enzymes normalized (see table 12), the cholesterol levels declined into the normal range, his abdominal pain completely disappeared, his digestive problems and constipation cleared up, and he felt great.
Elevation of the liver enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (AST), formerly called serum glutamicoxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), is seen in many conditions involving liver cell (hepatocyte) damage. Though not an exact test for any specific liver condition, it is a good laboratory test to monitor the course of liver disease. Lowering the levels of AST with natural medicines may indicate improvement in the condition of the liver.
The present book is not a detoxification manual. It is about the immune system and viral disease. However, because of the vital importance of detoxification for health, in this chapter you will learn about the necessity of cleansing diets, how to promote natural detoxification, and how to conduct a specialized detoxification regimen safely and effectively to enhance your natural immunity.
Detoxification helps your body overcome viral illness. If you are healthy now and without a viral illness, or if you are generally well but catch colds and the flu frequently, application of the information in this chapter can help prevent infections from taking root in your body.
Detoxification therapy is the process of cleansing the body from the inside out using natural methods like herbs and nutritional supplements, combined with nutraceutical and even pharmaceutical medications when necessary. There are many other descriptive terms used for general detoxification, including tissue cleansing, internal cleansing, and detox. This term refers to many different processes such as drug and alcohol detox; removal of industrial chemical byproducts, and environmental cleanup.
In the context of this book, I use the term therapeutic detoxification therapy to indicate the removal of the disease-promoting toxic burden from the cells, tissues, and organs for the purpose of improving health, normalizing immunity, and the complementary treatment of chronic disease. The toxic burden of the body is the total load of accumulated environmental toxic substances from inhalation and contact exposure, use of drugs, toxic chemicals ingested in the diet, and naturally occurring toxins generated by metabolic processes within the body.
Detoxification Pathways: The body is designed by nature to regulate and repair itself. As part of this design, inherent mechanisms exist for the removal of wastes and toxins. Referred to as detoxification pathways, these processes are largely carried out by the liver and involve a two-step process called Phase I and II detoxification. Both phases work synergistically and are codependent on many endogenous molecules (ones already in the body), such as steroid hormones, fatty acids, and amino acids, to complete their function.
Phase I involves activation of a series of enzymes called the cytochrome P450 mixed-function oxidases. These have oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, hydration, and dehalogenation activities.1 Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D., and Stephen Barrie, N.D., director of Great Smokies Laboratory in North Carolina, have written extensively on the importance of the cytochrome P450 cycle (Bland 1997; Bennett 1999). In this stage, P450 enzymes break down toxins into intermediate forms called biotransformed intermediates. Some of the bio-transformed toxins are ready for elimination at this stage but others require more processing.
I use the term therapeutic detoxification therapy to indicate the removal of the disease-promoting toxic burden from the cells, tissues, and organs for the purpose of improving health, normalizing immunity, and the complementary treatment of chronic disease.
In Phase II, these new forms, unlike the original toxin yet still toxic—some may even be more toxic than their original forms—are eventually converted into nontoxic, water-soluble molecules through a series of different pathways. These nontoxic waste products are eventually excreted by the kidneys in the urine or are conjugated in the bile by the liver and excreted via the gallbladder into the intestines and then eliminated in the stool.
I find it amazing that the body detoxifies and neutralizes toxins before eliminating and passing them into the environment. Industrial corporations might copy this example of environmental responsibility from how the body works, and process their own chemical wastes into safe organic substances before they are released into the environment.
Depending on the authority, there are between six and eight different detoxification routes that biotransformed toxins follow before final elimination from the body. Among the Phase II pathways, one of the most important routes in eliminating toxins is the glutathione conjugation pathway. This pathway is also responsible for eliminating many pharmaceutical drugs, environmental toxins, and alcohol.
However, if liver function is compromised by viral disease, drinking alcohol, or medical or recreational drug use, or if one has had excessive exposure to chemicals or environmental toxins, or is under severe emotional stress, the body will not be able to keep up with detoxification. It is as if you were cleaning your house while the kids were still messing it up. If the body is over-whelmed with toxins, it cannot keep up. To reduce the toxic load, first you must remove the offending toxins, reduce stress, and take only essential pharmaceutical drugs. In this way, the incoming burden on the body is reduced and detoxification can more effectively take place.
Such situations, especially the accumulation of heavy metals like mercury, can exhaust glutathione reserves. Chronic viral infections, as in HIV and HCV, as well as in cirrhosis, tax the liver's detoxification potential and use up glutathione in the process. Now you can see another reason why I emphasize restoring glutathione reserves in step 2. Without adequate glutathione, you are at risk for toxemia, chronic disease, premature aging, and increased susceptibility to viral infection. Detoxification processes also depend on glutathione to function properly.
All living things have mechanisms for detoxification, even the smallest of cells. Bodily processes fluctuate between life-supporting growth activities and those that de-animate, tear down, detoxify, and remove. When this balance is unfavorably tipped due to accumulation of toxins, along with the direct damage they cause, disease gradually develops. Though many of the body's internal organs, tissues, and cells contribute to detoxification and the removal of wastes, certain organs are more responsible than others for carrying out the detoxification processes. Ultimately, of course, it is the cells within the tissue of these organs that perform the bulk of the detoxification processes.
Liver: The liver is the primary organ of detoxification, filtering viruses and bacteria from the bloodstream. It is the most metabolically active organ in the body and performs an estimated 500 functions. These are too numerous to list here, but among the most important are: assisting in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism; maintaining blood sugar levels; producing bile to break down dietary fats; storing vitamins D, A, and B12; and regulating the body's use of iron. The liver is also involved in cholesterol metabolism and its conversion into steroid hormones such as estrogen and testosterone, as well as in the removal of used estrogen and other hormones from the bloodstream.
The liver is the primary focus in all detoxification regimens. Besides nutrients from the diet and antioxidants, a number of substances improve liver function, promote detoxification, and protect the liver cells from damage by toxins and alcohol. Liver-protective herbs, such as milk thistle (Silybum marianum), celandine (Chelidonium majus), and dandelion (Taxaxacum officinale), and lipotrophic nutrients (substances that break down fat in the liver) such as the amino acid methionine, as well as choline, betaine, folic acid, and vitamin B12, are essential for restoring liver function. Many foods improve liver function, including beets, radishes, radish seed spouts, dandelion greens, and all green leafy vegetables.
These are the typical signs of a sluggish liver:
Large Intestine: I have always found it interesting that each country has a certain organ on which their folk medicine historically blames everything. What is more fascinating is that these are always the main organs of detoxification and elimination. To the Chinese it is the kidney; in France and Germany, it is the liver; for the British and United States, it is the large intestine.
This is not surprising because the lining of the gastrointestinal tract is the body's first site of contact with toxins ingested with food or medications, and with a wide array of infectious microorganisms. Also, part of the first line of immune defense is in the gastrointestinal tract. The gut lining provides a physical barrier, keeping toxic substances and organisms from entering the body, and the mucosal membrane inhibits and removes toxins and microorganism.
The second most important organ of detoxification (after the liver) is the large intestine. Contrary to popular notions, the large intestine or colon is more than a mechanical tube for the passage of feces, ending in defecation. Within it exists a living environment densely packed with anaerobic bacteria (called intestinal microflora), some “friendly” and some possibly pathogenic, crowded together with parasites, yeast and molds, tissue cells of various kinds, bile salts, excreted hormones, toxins, drug residues, water, and digested food material. Microflora are as integral to effective cleansing and health as is a good diet; microflora supplementation with acidophilus bacteria is often a part of a detoxification and rejuvenation program.
Blood and Lymphatic System: Traditional nature cure doctors knew that “cure” meant the complete replacement of diseased cells with healthy ones. To achieve this, they emphasized that cleansing the blood was the first goal of detoxification therapy. Without healthy and clean blood, the cells can never be renewed.
These are the typical signs of toxic blood:
Another vital body system for detoxification is the lymphatic channels, which are of particular importance for clearing out viruses. The lymphatic system is a network of tiny tubules running through all tissues in the body. Lymph, a clear fluid filtered from blood, circulates in these tubules. The lymph nodes are filtering stations positioned along these channels and are mostly found on the front and back of the neck, in the armpit, along the groin, and in the abdomen. White blood cells are very active inside the lymph nodes, clearing out viruses, bacteria, other infectious microorganisms, and allergens.
For detoxification therapy to be successful, it must improve lymph circulation, cleanse the lymph fluid and nodes, and improve liver and bowel function. Naturopaths and medical doctors who are adopting the naturopathic model believe that the three main goals of detoxification are to detoxify the liver, cleanse the colon and restore the microflora environment, and clean the blood. For viral immunity, this list should also include a fourth goal—to purify the lymph.
Exercise helps to move the lymph, especially aerobic types such as using a mini-trampoline, jumping rope, or old-fashioned calisthenics. Aerobic types of yoga are perhaps the best exercises to move the lymph. Inversion of the body, as done in many yoga postures, is very beneficial for improving lymph circulation and providing great benefit for general health. I cannot overemphasize the importance of correct physical activity for health, because without exercise, you cannot be completely physically healthy.
Antimicrobial and blood-cleansing herbs are essential in clearing the lymph vessels from toxic overload in chronic viral disease. These herbs include red clover (Trifolium pratense), yellow dock (Rumex crispus), and echinacea (Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia). Mixtures of these herbs along with other blood purifiers have a long history of use in natural medicine, including the famous Hoxsey and Essiac cancer formulas. Though these formulas may not be cures for cancer, they are both excellent detoxification formulas, and I often recommend them to my patients as part of a cleansing program.
Connective Tissue: According to the late Dr. Hans-Heinrich Recheweg, a German medical doctor and the founder of homotoxicology (a system of medicine using homeopathic combinations to remove toxins and stimulate natural immunity), the connective tissue is one of the branches of what he called “the great defense system.”
The connective tissue, and the thick extracellular collagen fluids that embed the connective tissue fibers, are easily damaged by toxins, disease, infection, inflammation, and excessive bacterial die-off from antibiotic use. Connective tissue is responsible for maintaining the form of the body, as well as for cushioning and support, and includes adipose fatty tissue, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and the bones. These tissues are also directly affected by stress by the adrenal hormone cortisol. All of these influences increase inflammation and contribute to chronic pain and abnormal immune response.
The web of the connective tissues, a viscous group of protein fibers and a transparent substance composed of glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans (long chains of polysaccharides), exchanges fluid and molecular compounds with the blood and lymph. This relationship between the connective tissue, the substances that compose them, and the circulating blood and lymph is critical to health. If the lymph is not draining properly due to sluggishness, is loaded with infection, or the nodes are swollen with antigens and allergens; and if the blood is clogged with fat (as in those with high cholesterol and triglyceride levels), or full of circulating toxins and antibodies to infectious microorganisms, then the connective tissue will become loaded with toxins and become blocked with mucus and fat.
Therefore, cleansing the connective tissue is imperative for effective detoxification to take place. Exercise, especially graceful types that activate the limbic or “ancestral” brain such as tai chi, dancing, swimming, and yoga, are helpful in improving lymphatic circulation. Also connective tissue massage, acupuncture, and trigger point therapy are helpful. General detoxification measures are useful, and once the blood and liver are freer of toxins, the connective tissue can often resume cleansing itself if the toxic burden is not too great. To support the connective tissue repair process, specialized biological medications called drainage remedies, composed of cellular enzymes and herbs, are used.
Drainage remedies are natural herbal medicines or homeopathic preparations that assist in the removal of toxins and promote the function of the organs and substances of detoxification, primarily the liver, blood, lymph, and the connective tissue. Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory medications, and others dedicated to cellular detoxification, may be combined with organ drainage remedies to destroy bacteria and viruses circulating in the blood and lymph.
Cellular detoxification is part of the body's defense mechanisms and is the process by which the cells themselves release toxins, as well as viruses and viral particles, into the bloodstream for elimination from the body. Since viruses are intercellular parasites, gradual cellular detoxification is necessary to eventually rid yourself of the virus or to establish a symbiotic balance of coexistence between your immunity and the virus.
Professional drainage and cellular immunity products can be obtained through a physician practicing detoxification therapies. There are several homotoxicology drainage remedies that I routinely use in my practice, which I'll list here:
Drainage remedies can also be prepared at home by mixing herbal tinctures or teas. You can make an effective drainage remedy by combining tinctures of echinacea and goldenseal into a tea of red clover, yellow dock root, and other herbs.
Other Organs Involved in Detoxification and Elimination: Included in this group are the kidneys, lungs, and skin. The kidneys are not primary detoxification organs like the liver and large intestine, but they are important in helping to maintain normal fluid levels and facilitate the exchange of fresh fluids in body tissues. They also filter the blood and excrete urine, through which a number of toxins, hormones, and immune substances are eliminated. Drinking copious amounts of pure water, fresh juices, and herbal teas is an important feature of a cleansing program. However, it is important not to overconsume fluids on a regular basis, since they can cause excessive excretion of minerals.
The lungs are responsible for respiration. They are the site in your body where air from the outside atmosphere interacts with the internal environment. Through a process involving specialized lung tissue, an exchange of gases occurs in the lungs and eventually oxygen circulates in the blood. Due to the direct contact with outside air, the lungs are influenced directly by environmental toxins and allergens. Since air must first pass through the nose and then to the lungs via the sinuses, it is not surprising that there is an epidemic of allergic rhinitis (inflammation of the nasal passages) and chronic sinusitis due to increasing exposure to toxins and irritants.
Gargling with salt water and using saline rinses or sprays in the nose are necessary to cleanse and heal the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory passages. Qi gong breathing exercises and yogic alternate-nostril breathing are helpful in cleansing the lungs. Most importantly, one has to stop smoking and avoid indoor air contamination and outdoor pollution. The habit of jogging during lunch hour in urban environments should be strictly avoided, as the pollution levels are highest around midday due to increased automobile exhaust and heat from solar radiation; this causes increased release of toxins from plastics and synthetic building materials.
As I have previously mentioned, when you exercise outdoors it is always best to perform your routine early in the morning when the air is freshest, the oxygen content richer, and the outdoor pollutant levels lower.
The skin is the last organ of elimination I'll mention in this discussion. Toxins are eliminated in the sweat and in secreted oils from the sebaceous glands distributed all over the body's outer protective sheath, the skin (the intestinal lining is the other, inner, sheath). I recommend showering at least twice daily during a cleansing regimen and taking at least one hot bath in Epsom salt, or a detoxifying bath composed of hydrogen peroxide and sea salt. Dry skin-brushing is also very helpful, as are saunas, steam baths, or soaking in hot mineral water.
I have already discussed how detoxification improves general health by removing wastes and stagnated toxins from the connective tissue, how it improves sluggish lymph, enhances liver function, promotes the return of normal gut ecology, and improves many other physiological and biochemical processes. Detoxification improves overall health, and by doing so indirectly engenders a positive effect on the immune system.
The specialized viral immunity cleanse is somewhat different from typical detoxification regimens because it focuses on improving immune function and the removal of viruses and their wastes from your system. It uses drainage medications to discharge cellular toxins, cleanse the blood, and defeat infectious microorganisms at the cellular level. Keep in mind that this program will not directly kill viruses, nor is it meant to do so. It is designed to be a complementary part of the complete 10-step viral immunity program. Results occur gradually, so patience and perseverance are required to achieve the best results.
Detoxification improves general health by removing wastes and stagnated toxins from the connective tissue, improves sluggish lymph, enhances liver function, promotes the return of normal gut ecology, and improves many other physiological and biochemical processes.
Is It Safe to Use Detoxification Therapies for Viral Illnesses? In my experience, it is not only safe, but mandatory to practice detoxification if you have a chronic viral disease. Remember, it is not a fast. During the three-day viral immunity cleanse, described later, you eat whole foods and take supplements and herbs. I do not recommend complete fasting for patients with a viral illness, and I never recommend active cleansing during the acute phases of illness when inflammation and fever are present, or at the end stages of viral infections when the patient is extremely weakened by the disease process.
During acute phases, the body's inflammatory and febrile processes must be supported and managed (discussed in step 5), and during end-stage disease, the body must be supported and nourished. Detoxification plays a role in both these cases, but it is beyond the scope of this book to explain it here. I suggest you seek the help of a licensed naturopathic physician or other doctor skilled in these methods if you have an advanced viral disease and want to detoxify.
In viral illness, the body is already weakened by at least three things. The first is the original immune deficiency that allowed the virus to enter and remain in your body. Factors that negatively influence immunity include environmental toxins, stress, unhealthy aging, or all the other contributors discussed in part 1. The second is the damage to tissue and organs caused by the virus itself, and the third is immune elements from your own body that build up in response to the virus but may cause more harm than good and result in chronic inflammation.
It is important not to stress your system further and never to push it beyond its capacity to regenerate. Remember, the goal is improved health. The steps to good health begin with a healthy diet and balanced lifestyle, supplementation of micronutrients, detoxification, and regeneration therapies to restore organ reserve and promote normal physiological and biological body function.
Fasting on water or juices for too long may further weaken your body, allowing the virus to dig in deeper and perhaps even replicate further. With that said, let me say that this is a generalization. Some people may benefit from short fasting (1–3 days). However in my opinion, fasting any longer than a few days should only be done with the approval of and under the supervision of a qualified professional and in a facility with twenty-four-hour care.
In addition, people with inflammatory skin disorders like psoriasis, or with rheumatoid arthritis, may experience severe exacerbations of their conditions and should never undergo a fast or lengthy detoxification regimen. If you have these conditions, you should be able to safely undergo the three-day viral immunity cleanse presented below; however, if your symptoms worsen during the program, discontinue it immediately.
Who Will Benefit Most? Nearly everyone in our stress-filled, toxic world will benefit from natural detoxification methods. For many health conditions, detoxification is a mandatory part of a comprehensive healing program. Patients with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and degenerative neurological conditions can benefit most from detoxification.
Healthy people can promote wellness and prevent disease by using detoxification therapies. Those with minor recurrent problems like headaches, joint pains, stiffness, constipation, edema, and who are overweight can also greatly benefit from detoxification. The methods in this chapter are specifically designed for people with immune challenges and chronic viral disease, so they will receive the most benefit.
Detoxify When and for How Long? You might be wondering if detoxification is so important why isn't it step 1 or 2 instead of step 4. The reason is simple. You should never detoxify unless you are strong enough to handle the release of toxins from your body. Detoxification is not a benign process. My clinical mentors referred to detoxification and fasting as “nature's operating table.”
It puts great demands on your body's reserves and stresses metabolic processes. In addition, chemical toxins and residues are released into the bloodstream, causing the liver to function at an increased level during the cleansing process. As mentioned, some of these released chemicals are even more toxic than their original forms. Sometimes this leads to a detoxification crisis with severe headaches and nausea. Generally, these crises last only a few hours or no more than a day; however, occasionally, they are so severe you will have to discontinue the detoxification process and start again later when your body is better prepared. Do not be discouraged. As long as you persistently move forward, even with a few false starts, you will eventually succeed.
Therefore, you have to first eliminate harmful substances, improve your diet, and strengthen your body with health-giving nutrients and enzymes. Then, by optimizing nutritional factors, your body will automatically begin its own intracellular detoxification. It will restore glutathione reserves, improve organ function and restore organ energy reserve, improve the management of oxidative stress from free radicals, improve gut ecology, build mineral reserves, and improve your strength and endurance.
How Can You Tell When You Are Strong Enough to Detoxify? If you are acutely ill, you are probably not ready for detoxification and should stay with steps 1–3 for an extended period of time, even up to one to two years, before you attempt detoxification. For the most part, it is relatively easy to tell when you are ready for detoxification.
If you are not overly weak, are gaining strength, feeling much better than before you started the first three steps, and have been on steps 1–3 for at least three months, then you are ready. If your exercise tolerance has improved, your appetite is better, and you are able to eat more foods and tolerate more different foods, you are most likely ready.
When Is the Best Time to Start? There are many cleansing styles and different types of detoxification regimens, so the answer to this question is that the best time is individualized. However, for those with viral disease, my recommendation is for a mild three-day detoxification program repeated once each month for up to one year. Take a month off if you are feeling very tired or have an active exacerbation of an infection. Set aside a weekend, begin on a Thursday night, and go through to Sunday afternoon.
In general, for longer cleansing diets and detoxification programs, begin any time and go from seven to twenty-one days. For more intensive detoxification, you need at least seven to nine days set aside, preferably without working too hard and with no social functions to attend. For those with serious viral illness, I recommend that you only do the longer and more serious detoxification programs under the direct supervision of a qualified health care practitioner or in a facility that specializes in detoxification therapies and provides twentyfour-hour care. Several such facilities are listed in the back of this book. Regardless of how long or when you plan to start your detoxification program, it is important to plan ahead and make it a priority that you schedule into your busy life.
In this section, the nine most important strategies for detoxification are outlined. Each is mandatory and contains important clues to successfully carrying out your detoxification plan. In the next section, I give a sample program. Review each strategy and program carefully, and read them several times to be sure you understand every point.
Strategy #1. Remove toxic lifestyle factors: You begin a detoxification regimen by removing, gradually, and over time if necessary, all dietary and lifestyle habits that are not health-promoting. This includes reducing, or stopping altogether, smoking, alcohol consumption, the use of coffee, caffeinated soft drinks, and recreational drugs including marijuana, as cannabinoids may be liver-toxic. It is not wise to start a detoxification program until the negative influences on your health are permanently removed.
Prescription drugs pose a problem. Some drugs are critical for controlling symptoms while at the same time they place a high toxic load on the liver. If you are taking prescription medications, review each one with a pharmacist and discuss their necessity with a medical doctor or osteopathic physician who supports your choice of following a detoxification regimen. You can still do the three-day viral immunity cleansing program if you are taking prescription drugs; however, under these conditions, I recommend supervision by a physician for your own safety.
Limit or completely avoid the use of refined sugar in any form, such as commercial fruit juices, candy, pastries, and sweetened cereals. The consumption of all other refined or processed foods, fried and preserved foods (including chips and commercial pickles), and processed fats and oils, like margarines including soy spreads, should be discontinued. Avoid all cow's milk and milk products such as yogurt and cheese, since dairy products increase intestinal fermentation and yeast activity, are highly allergenic, and may contain hormones and antibiotics.
Strategy #2. Emphasize phytonutrient- and enzyme-rich foods, juices, and amino-acid-rich whey protein: To support natural detoxification and maximize Phase I and II liver detoxification pathways, enhance your diet by eating only fresh, seasonal, (organic, if possible) vegetables and whole fruits. Rice is allowed, but all wheat products are out; animal meats, fish, and poultry are not allowed. Drink 1–2 glasses of fresh vegetable juice or a green drink every day.
According to David W. Quig, Ph.D., a specialist in detoxification processes, cold-processed, hydrolyzed whey protein is one of the most important supplements for cleansing. Whey protein increases glutathione levels, adds important amino acids that support liver detoxification pathways, and is high in cysteine and branched-chain amino acids (BCCAs). These prevent the heavy metals that move into the bloodstream during detoxification from entering the brain. The following is a list of generally allowed foods during a detoxification program:
Strategy #3. Increase redox with antioxidants: Increasing supplemental antioxidants is essential, and vitamin C is again the main building block. Take 500–1,000 mg of pure or buffered vitamin C powder frequently throughout the day, up to bowel tolerance. Take the recommended dosages given in step 2.
Additionally, antioxidant amino acids and specialty antioxidants that facilitate detoxification pathways are necessary, such as: L-glycine, L-glutamine, taurine, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), and methionine. Here is a detoxification nutrient schedule:
Keep in mind that if you are chelating heavy metals from your body either by oral DMSA or intravenous DMPS, it is best to avoid supplemental minerals twenty-four hours before and three days during or after chelation, as these minerals will also be chelated out of your system. However, it is critical to add them back in, along with molybdenum and copper, immediately following the chelation period to replace those lost in the process.
DMSA, or dimercaptosuccinic acid (Captomer), and DMPS, or sodium dimercaptopropanesulfonate (Dimaval), are chemical substances that bind to mercury and lead and remove them from the body. DMSA is a non-toxic, water-soluble oral medication that is capable of removing heavy metals, including mercury, from brain and other difficult-to-access body tissues.
DMPS is administered intravenously or by injection, and once in the bloodstream binds with mercury and is excreted in the urine. It is used as a challenge test to evaluate mercury toxicity by collecting a sample of overnight urine, administering 300 mg of DMPS, and then collecting another urine sample 6 hours later. If mercury levels are elevated, indicating mercury toxicity, another chelator, EDTA, is used to chelate the mercury from the system. EDTA, ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid, is a weak acid used to remove heavy metals and it is considered beneficial in reversing atherosclerosis.
You can obtain each of these supplements separately, or use a commercial detoxification products such as UltraClear Plus or MediClear. These products are composed of all of the supplements listed above along with vitamins and minerals in a hypoallergenic rice base; I regularly recommend them for my patients.
Strategy #4. Improve blood and lymph circulation: Circulation of blood and lymph is essential. Light, non-strenuous exercise such as tai chi, swimming, walking, mild cardiovascular workouts on the treadmill, and calisthenics is helpful. Strenuous exercise like martial arts, jogging, tennis, and heavy weight training are too enervating and you should not do these during a cleanse. Never exert yourself to the point of exhaustion.
Sweating in a sauna is very helpful to improve lymph drainage and eliminate toxins in the body fluids, but do not stay in for longer than twenty minutes. Drink at least three liters (3.15 quarts) of distilled water daily to replace the fluid lost in sweating and urination, and an extra liter (1.05 quarts) if you sweat heavily. Bikram's (or “hot yoga”) is a style of intensive yoga practice done in a room heated to 105º F and is an excellent way to cleanse and strengthen the body as it causes copious sweating during practice; it can be exhausting for some people, so take it easy if you attend a class. These practices can be performed daily during the cleanse regimen.
Swedish or lymphatic massage can be helpful, but remind your massage therapist that you are undergoing a detoxification regimen and ask him to do a thorough but light massage so as not to release too many toxins from the connective tissue. You can have a light massage daily if you wish, but be sure to drink at least a quart of water immediately afterward to facilitate the cleansing of acids released from your tissues as a result of the massage.
Skin brushing is also helpful. Use a dry luffa or vegetable-bristle brush and lightly stimulate the skin over all of your body until it seems to glow. A dry, coarse washcloth will also work. Do not rub or brush yourself too hard. Immediately afterwards, take a warm shower and rinse, but without using any soap.
Strategy #5. Promote elimination: Never allow yourself to become constipated during the detoxification process. Take extra fiber, such as 1–2 teaspoons of psyllium powder with bentonite clay, 1–2 times daily. If you experience constipation, first try increasing your dosage of vitamin C; as mentioned, high dosages of vitamin C have a laxative effect. If necessary, use an herbal laxative containing cape aloe (Aloe socotrina), cascara (Rhamnus purshiana), or senna (Cassia senna). Commercial products containing these herbs are available from health food stores.
Coffee enemas have a long history of use in detoxification therapies. They activate the liver pathways, stimulate the gallbladder to release bile, and act as a laxative. However, I do not recommend enemas unless you are experienced in the correct manner of delivery or are under the supervision of a health care practitioner. Likewise, colonic irrigation can be helpful; however, limit its use to one colonic per cleanse and use only as necessary, as they can be enervating. Older, weaker, and frail patients should not use colonics.
Probiotic supplements of acidophilus should be taken during the cleansing process. I generally recommend 5–10 billion units two times daily of a combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium infantis; both are readily available in combination from health food stores.2
Strategy #6. Improve liver function: Many of the nutrients listed and the cleansing diet in general facilitate liver function. Several herbs in particular greatly improve the outcome of the detoxification process and protect the liver from excessive overload by free radicals and toxins activated by the cleanse. Combinations of these herbs are obtainable from health stores or from your naturopathic doctor.
Strategy #7. Promote kidney function: Natural diuretics are found in carrots, parsley, watermelon, peaches, and peach leaf tea, and should be used during your cleanse to promote urination. Water itself is also a diuretic, leading to increased urination. Kidney-supportive herbs include uva ursi (Arctostaphylos uva ursi), stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), and cleavers (Galium aparine). Carrot juice, especially with added parsley, and watermelon juice work well as mild diuretics. During the summer peach season, ripe peaches can prove effective in promoting urination; green tea is also a diuretic if taken in large amounts.
Urine that's dark yellow (not bright yellow, which is from B vitamins), cloudy, or frothy indicates excessive concentration and insufficient fluid. If you experience this during your detoxification, increase your water intake. If the urine continues to be a dark brownish-yellow color or has a strong odor, try the juices. If that is not enough to turn the urine to a clear color, add the diuretic herbal teas while increasing water intake until your urine becomes clear or a very light yellow and without any odor.
Strategy #8. Use drainage remedies: Drainage remedies are important additions to the viral immunity detox program, assisting and protecting the liver, improving kidney function, activating cellular response, and cleaning the lymphatic vessels. If you have access to the homeopathic medications previously mentioned, use them as indicated. Otherwise use the homemade tea and tincture combination explained earlier. If none are available, use echinacea tincture by itself; empty a two-ounce bottle into a quart of water and drink a quarter of a cup four times each day. As a reminder, the homotoxicology drainage remedies for the three-day viral immunity detox are:
Strategy #9. Rest and recharge: Get as much rest, stress reduction, peace, and quiet as you can. Allow your body to experience the natural cleansing process and give it the opportunity to heal itself. See step 10 for more advice on how the mind and spirit can heal the body. The three days of the cleanse program is your time to rest and recover.
Special Guidelines for Three-Day Viral Immunity Detoxification Regimen: Even though the detoxification method I have outlined is very safe, there are several special circumstances of which you need to be aware.
Heavy metal toxicity: If you have mercury amalgam dental filings, have worked in a dental office, or have tested positive for accumulation of environmental mercury, you will have to undergo intravenous or oral chelation therapy. The most effective form is EDTA given in a series of intravenous sessions and administered by a licensed physician. Oral DMSA is somewhat effective for mercury and is equally effective as DMPS or EDTA for other heavy metals like lead and cadmium. These therapies should only be administered by a qualified health care professional.
Morning: Upon waking, drink one ounce of aloe vera juice with two ounces of the homemade antiviral drainage tea, along with liver-protective herbs.
Lunch: Eat a mixed vegetable salad seasoned with olive oil, lemon or lime juice or vinegar for dressing.
Mid-afternoon: Take the second dose of supplements, without food, along with a second glass of vegetable juice, and a second cup of UltraClear Plus or MediClear.
After dinner: Take the homotoxicological medications from strategy #8 (choose one from the group or take another cup of drainage tea).
Very weak or elderly patients: People who are frail, very elderly, or weakened from disease may undergo cleansing therapies and even fasting, but only under the supervision of a qualified health care professional.
Patients with serious infections: Those with serious viral infections, like HIV and HCV, should only undergo aggressive detoxification under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional. The Three-Day Viral Immunity Detoxification Regimen should pose no problem; however, if you have a concern, consult a professional experienced in detoxification before you begin.
Patients with other microbial infections: Patients with yeast, fungal, bacterial, or parasitic infections need specialized medications to combat these infections, and this is beyond the scope of this book. However, if you have other microbial infections, you can use the basic three-day detox plan, adding to it antimicrobial and antiparasitic herbs.
Herxheimer and other reactions: First noticed with the early use of antibiotics, if excessive die-off of microorganisms occurs, flulike achiness and malaise or a worsening of symptoms can occur. This is known to medicine as the Herxheimer reaction. For a short time, you feel worse than before as your system struggles to eliminate a great deal of toxic substances. With natural remedies, massive die-off with Herxheimer reactions does not usually occur, but is possible. The best way to deal with microbial die-off is to increase vitamin C by taking 500 mg of buffered C every half hour until the symptoms disappear. Because many viruses are expelled in the stool, colonic irrigation can also be extremely useful to limit these reactions.
If the liver is excessively burdened or unprepared for detoxification, you may experience severe headaches and fatigue, perhaps even dizziness. If this happens, increase your fluid intake, reduce solid food, and increase vitamin C. Usually headaches clear in a matter of hours; however, if they persist or are severe, you will have to discontinue the cleanse and start again next month.
Systems of cleansing and detoxification are also integral to both Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurvedic physicians use complex regimens of fasting, steaming the body, cleaning out the orifices (like the sinus cavities), purging the colon of fecal matter, using retained oil enemas (which means the oil is retained in the lower large intestine for a short while), and taking cleansing herbs. Called panchakarma, these programs have been used for thousands of years in India and are now practiced in specialized centers in the West. Traditional yoga practices also have numerous cleansing regimens and rituals, many of which, such as nasal washing with a saline solution, are practiced daily; they can be learned from an advanced yoga teacher.
Chinese medicine, mainly practiced in cooler, more temperate climates than India, advises against harsh cleansing regimens. Instead, it focuses on improving the energy flow within the body, thereby indirectly enhancing the body's own natural detoxification mechanisms. Enemas, colonics, and emetics have a potential to weaken the body, so are used only when necessary. However, energy clearing and rebalancing—recharging one's batteries—are essential during a cleansing regimen.
The ancient Chinese concept of ping gan, or “settling down” the liver, would greatly improve the quality of health in the West if we were to apply it. According to this concept, rest, extra sleep, and general peace and quiet provide the opportunity for the liver to harmonize itself. Metaphorically, the white caps on the waves of a choppy sea settle down on their own when the wind stops. It's the same with the liver.
Exercises that activate the limbic brain, such as tai chi or qi gong, are excellent ways to clear the acupuncture energy meridians or channels during a cleanse. Energy balancing therapies, like acupuncture and acupressure, are very useful also and may be included as part of a detoxification and regeneration process.
