Trying a Few Other Kinds of Detoxification
▶ Seeing the detoxification benefits of saunas
▶ Calling on the detox strengths of chelation
▶ Assessing the usefulness of acupuncture
▶ Harnessing the power of meditation
The human body is a wonderful machine. It is designed to heal itself and correct almost anything that goes wrong, so long as it has all the nutrients it needs and is not poisoned. Unfortunately, in the last 50 years or so we have been getting poisoned by the environment and many foods. Fortunately, we do have available some really good options to boost the body’s ability to get rid of toxins.
Because toxins and nutritional deficiencies are major factors in acute and chronic disease today, we need to look at ways to increase our detoxification efforts. That’s what this chapter is all about.
Sweating It Out in a Sauna
If you’re really interested in detoxifying your body, you can’t ignore the usefulness and practicality of saunas. Using a sauna is a wonderful way to rid your body of toxins.
Saunas certainly aren’t a new invention. They’ve been around for thousands of years, and their use developed independently in many different societies throughout human history. The Romans had their baths (called thermae), the Japanese their hot springs (called onsen), and the Aztecs their sweat lodges (called temescalli). All were based on the same idea: Humans spend time in a hot environment and sweat heavily to produce curative and restorative effects on health.
Why are saunas so effective at removing toxins? The concept is simple: Saunas make your body sweat at a very high level, and sweating helps to flush toxins from your body. Most of the toxins you’re exposed to are fat- soluble, which means your body is able to tuck them away in your fat cells in an effort to get the toxins away from your organs and other vital parts. But fat-soluble toxins are released during times of stress or illness, and they then travel through your bloodstream, causing harm to organs and important tis- sues. After that, some of them end up right back in your fat cells, where they can persist for years. After the toxins reach your fats cells, the only way to detoxify them is to sweat.
Your sweat glands are capable of removing one-third as much toxic material as your kidneys, and many of the toxins that are removed through sweating aren’t removed by the kidneys or broken down by the liver. These two facts alone give you a terrific idea of the importance of detoxification through sweating.
Before the advent of air conditioning, humans in most parts of the world were subjected to a kind of sauna every year for several months during summer. That helped to keep the toxins — which were much lower at that point anyway — to a minimum.
Without the natural detoxification caused by sweating in the continuous summer heat, humans must find another way to sweat enough to flush out the accumulated toxins. Saunas are the answer.
Understanding the many benefits of sauna
Saunas have been around for thousands of years for a reason: They’re great for your health. Your body benefits several ways from spending time in a sauna regularly, and I give you a feel for these advantages in the next couple of pages.
Flushing out toxins
Saunas are great for flushing out the toxins that build up in your body’s fat cells. Your kidneys are detoxification powerhouses, and the intense sweating you can enjoy while spending time in a sauna can clear out about one-third of the toxic material that your kidneys remove from your bloodstream. That is no small contribution to a detoxification effort.
Multiple studies have shown that saunas are effective in removing solvents, organic chemicals, PCBs, pharmaceuticals, and heavy metal toxins from the human body.
L. Ron Hubbard’s sauna protocol
In the 1970s, L. Ron Hubbard developed a sauna protocol to help drug addicts heal from their addictions. His theory was that even after addicts stopped taking drugs, drug residue was sequestered in fat cells. Like any other toxin, the drug residue would be released occasion- ally during times of stress. Those releases would trigger the flashbacks and cravings that plague addicts who are trying to keep moving away from their addictions.
Hubbard’s protocol uses a dry sauna for three to five hours per day, for an average of 34 days.
It involves exercising before sauna and even during the sauna. Integral to the program are the use of vitamin B3 (an essential vitamin, also known as niacin) in increasing dosages, cold- pressed oils with omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, phosphatidylcholine, and a few other vitamins and supplements. Not only are recreational drug residues removed during the program, but fat-soluble residues of numerous environmental toxins, heavy metals, and even pharmaceutical drugs are flushed out as well.
Consider a very dramatic example of the detoxification power of saunas related to the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. As you may imagine, the people at Ground Zero were exposed to massive amounts of toxins. Firemen and other rescue workers were exposed to toxins ranging from solvents to heavy metals, and the exposure lasted as long as the cleanup effort. Mercury was one of the biggest problems; there was enough mercury in the fluorescent light bulbs in buildings that were destroyed to poison every person in Manhattan.
To help these heroic individuals fight off the dangerous health effects of the toxins they’d been exposed to while helping to save lives and clean up Ground Zero, an intense sauna program was implemented. The program was based on one designed by L. Ron Hubbard. (You can read about Hubbard’s sauna program in the nearby sidebar.) A total of 822 people who were exposed to toxins as a result of the events of September 11, 2001 were treated with frequent, long sauna sessions over a period of weeks. The results have been truly remarkable; an overwhelming majority of the program participants have reported major improvements in the toxin-related ailments they were suffering from as a result of their exposure to toxins at Ground Zero.
Enjoying the other benefits of sauna
The health benefits of using a sauna don’t stop at detoxification, although they do fit in with the core values of a detoxified lifestyle. For instance, the high temperatures of a sauna can give your immune system a boost. The number of white blood cells that fight infections increases as much as 58 per- cent with the levels of increased temperature you get in a sauna. And that’s just the beginning. Your T cells (another important part of your immune system) and antibodies can increase by as much as 2,000 percent. Also, a lot of microbes just can’t take the heat; many of them die off at temperatures of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Sauna treatments are often used to help people suffering from the common cold, and the success levels are high.
Increased temperatures also help your body to secrete endorphins, which are the “feel good” chemicals in your brain. Endorphins also make great painkillers, so it’s very common for people suffering from chronic and acute pain to get quite a bit of relief from sitting in a sauna.
Studies have shown sauna to be effective in reducing the symptoms of a range of conditions, from arthritis to chronic fatigue syndrome to fibromyalgia. Research has also supported the use of sauna to help with glaucoma, anorexia, chronic obstructive lung disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and atherosclerosis. If all that weren’t enough, saunas can even help people quit smoking and kick drug addictions. Pretty incredible, huh?
If you spend time in a sauna, your cardiovascular system will also thank you. Here are just a few of the benefits you can get from regular sauna sessions:
✓ Stronger heart muscle contractions
✓ Improved function of the cells that line your arteries, which are extremely important in helping to keep cardiovascular disease at bay
✓ Reduced incidence of abnormal heart beats
✓ Lower blood pressure resulting from a healthy enlarging of the blood vessels
✓ Increased blood plasma and number of red blood cells, which helps with oxygen distribution and increases exercise tolerance
✓ Increased fat metabolism, which leads to weight loss
In addition to that last bullet point, a second mechanism for weight loss is also related to saunas. When you sweat heavily in a sauna and flush the toxins out of your fat cells, that process allows the fat cells to reduce in size, which can be a big help with weight loss. I’m a firm believer that toxins imbedded in fat cells are a major contributor to the obesity epidemic in the United States.
Getting a feel for the three different kinds of sauna
If you read any of the last few pages, you’re probably pretty excited about using saunas to improve your health. I’m happy to report that you have three excellent sauna options to choose from: wet saunas, dry saunas, and far- infrared saunas.
No matter which type of sauna you choose to enjoy, here are a few sauna basics to keep in mind:
✓ Wear as little clothing as possible when in a sauna. Enjoying a sauna in the buff is a great idea, but if you’re in a public place, you need to find out if that’s appropriate before going au naturel.
✓ When you first start using a sauna, limit your sessions to 20 minutes or less. Gradually work your way up to sessions of 30 to 40 minutes. Do two sessions each day for maximum detox.
✓ Drink lots of water while in the sauna. About 10 to 20 ounces every 30 minutes is a good general rule.
✓ Make sure you’re relaxed while in the sauna to maximize the experience.
Saunas are a great place to meditate — just be sure you don’t fall asleep!
✓ Shower immediately after you’re done, taking care to brush the skin thoroughly to remove the toxins you just flushed out with your sweat.
✓ If you can, try to rest for 15 minutes after your sauna session.
✓ Saunas are a great way to start or end your day, so don’t be afraid to go for a sauna session first thing in the morning or in the evening.
I’m convinced that saunas should be a part of all our lives. Our exposure to toxins makes saunas a necessity if we’re going to keep our bodies healthy.
Saunas can be hazardous to your health if you have certain conditions, especially heart disease or high blood pressure, so be sure to talk to your doctor before beginning any sauna program. I go into more detail on who shouldn’t sauna a little later in this section.
Wet saunas
A wet sauna is exactly what it sounds like: a space with elevated temperatures and also elevated amounts of water vapor in the air. If a dry sauna is like the weather in Phoenix, a wet sauna is like the weather in sultry New Orleans.
The steam in a wet sauna is usually generated by pouring water on volcanic rocks that are heated by electric or gas heaters. Some saunas use wood fires to generate heat, but they’re not common. Temperatures in a high humidity wet sauna generally range from 150 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
One of the problems with wet saunas is that it’s harder to evaluate the amount of sweating you accomplish because the water vapor condenses on your skin and creates excess moisture. Wet saunas can also be difficult to keep clean because mold is likely to grow in the warm, moist environment. Finally, some people find that the extremely high levels of water vapor can bother their nose and sinuses.
Dry saunas
Dry saunas are extremely common because they’re easier to construct and maintain, and you don’t have to deal with the mess that the water in a wet sauna creates. Mold is much less of a problem, as well, and many people cite that as one of the main reasons they prefer dry saunas. Temperatures in a dry sauna can reach up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit! That’s plenty to generate a very healthy sweat and help to move toxins from your fat cells out through your skin.
Far-infrared saunas
Far-infrared saunas may sound a little space age, and truthfully they’ve only started catching on in popularity in recent years. At its core, the technology is pretty simple: Far-infrared saunas have a specialized heater that produces energy in the infrared spectrum. Feel free to dig up your high school physics books to read up on the details of the infrared spectrum if you’d like, but for this discussion you just need to know that infrared energy heats up your body without heating up the air around you. It can sound a little discomforting to some people, but the practice really is safe. If you read about it, you’ll find that some people absolutely swear by it. Many users contend that far- infrared saunas penetrate the body better than wet or dry saunas, producing a more thorough and heavier sweating effect.
Here are a few advantages of far-infrared saunas:
✓ There aren’t any hot surfaces, so there’s nothing that can burn your skin.
✓ Lower heat ranges (100–130 degrees Fahrenheit) are easier on patients with cardiovascular problems.
✓ Far-infrared saunas are more energy efficient.
✓ The warm-up time is only about 5 to 10 minutes, compared to 30 minutes or more with a wet or dry sauna.
✓ Far-infrared saunas are portable, easy to assemble, and less expensive.
✓ Some reports indicate that you sweat two to three times more than you do in wet or dry saunas.
✓ Recent studies have shown that sweat from traditional saunas is 97 percent water, but sweat generated using far-infrared saunas is about 85 percent water and about 15 percent other materials, such as heavy metals, sulfuric acid, sodium, ammonia, uric acid, and fat-soluble toxins.
Knowing who shouldn’t sauna
Saunas are safe for most people, but you shouldn’t use one if you have any of the following health conditions:
✓ Adrenal suppression (meaning that your body doesn’t respond to heat)
✓ Anemia
✓ Hemophilia
✓ Hyperthyroidism
✓ Recent myocardial infarction (heart attack)
✓ Unstable angina pectoris (chest pain or discomfort)
Also, you should avoid using a sauna or at least use extreme caution if any of the following is true:
✓ You’re pregnant.
✓ You have acute joint injuries.
✓ You have enclosed infections.
✓ You have artificial joints.
✓ You have silicone implants.
✓ You’re menstruating.
✓ You’re taking medication that can be removed through sweat.
Capitalizing on Chelation
Chelation is another detoxification process that can be very useful as you work to rid your body of the harmful toxins that can have long-term damaging effects on your health. Generally speaking, chelation is a term used to describe the chemical attraction of one substance to another substance. The word chele means “claw-like,” and you can think of chelation as one sub- stance acting as a claw that grips another substance in your body. The basic idea is that you introduce a substance — called a chelating agent — to your body, where it binds to toxic material and is flushed out with your urine.
When it comes to detoxification, the most basic and well-known form of chelation is the use of the drug ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid — you’re better off referring to it as EDTA — to remove lead from the body’s systems. EDTA was developed by the Germans before World War II to remove lead from clothing dyes. It was later found that EDTA could be given to people with lead poisoning, and the chemical would remove the lead from their bodies. After the war, EDTA was brought to the United States and patented by a pharmaceutical company for its usefulness in treating lead poisoning. Further research showed that EDTA removed not only lead but also chromium, iron, mercury, copper, zinc, cadmium, cobalt, aluminum, manganese, magnesium, and calcium.
Since then, the effectiveness of chelation using EDTA has come under fire. Many traditional physicians are skeptical about the usefulness of EDTA, even though it has been identified as a potent antioxidant that has been shown to produce beneficial effects in many studies. Millions of people have received chelation therapy to remove heavy metals from their bodies, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive.
The effectiveness of EDTA in removing heavy metal toxins has been disputed over the years, but no matter what you hear, keep in mind that it is an FDA- approved drug that has been used safely for more than 60 years.
Several different types of chelation are commonly used today: natural, oral, rectal, transdermal, and intravenous. Each method has its advantages and potential problems, and I fill you in on the range of options over the next few pages.
Natural
Natural chelation involves the use of a substance that occurs naturally to draw toxic materials out of the body. The natural substances are many and varied, but one prime example is glutathione. Glutathione is a natural antioxidant that has been shown to work well in the removal of heavy metals. Most people take it orally, in capsule form. Glutathione is thought to remove multiple toxins from your body, and you can increase its effectiveness by taking melatonin supplements at the same time.
Another common substance used in natural chelation is chlorella. Chlorella is a single-celled, freshwater algae that has been shown to attach to heavy metals in the intestines. From there, the mix of chlorella and heavy metal toxins is removed from the body with the feces. I would certainly place chlorella in the “might help, and can’t hurt” category, and I would recommend taking it on a regular basis if you’re interested in natural chelation.
If you want an extremely natural form of chelation, try incorporating more cilantro into your diet. Cilantro is an herb in the parsley family that has been shown to help remove heavy metals from the intestines. Many people find it delicious even without considering its detoxification properties!
Oral
Oral chelation involves the use of chemical chelating agents that can be taken orally to help reduce the amount of toxins that are floating around in your body. Two of the most common chemical chelating agents taken orally are dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and sodium 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1- sulfonate (DMPS). Taking something orally is extremely easy because you can eat it or drink it with few issues, but DMSA and DMPS have been called into question recently because many people believe they aren’t absorbed very well by the body when taken orally. Also, if you have existing stomach or bowel problems, the absorption rate is even weaker.
Rectal
If you’re looking around for chelation options, you’ll probably run across rectal suppositories that include EDTA. (You can find such products easily on the Internet.) All I can say is buyer beware! EDTA and DMSA can be given rectally, but the absorption rate is very poor and the results are extremely hard to evaluate. If you go this route, don’t expect much!
Transdermal
Like rectal suppositories used for chelation, transdermal chelation doesn’t produce the best of results. Absorbing a chelating agent through the skin doesn’t really work all that well. I don’t recommend the transdermal method of chelation. If this method appeals to you and you decide to pursue it, just don’t plan on the best possible results, especially when it comes to reducing heavy metal toxicity.
Intravenous
When it comes to chelation, intravenous administration of chelating agents is the gold standard. IV chelation offers exact dosages that aren’t affected by varying rates of absorption, and it really removes all the variables that are present with oral, rectal, and transdermal options.
As you can imagine, the intravenous chelation method must be done by a qualified professional, so if you’re very serious about removing toxins — particularly heavy metal toxins — from your body using chelation, ask your doctor about your options for chelation with intravenous chelating agents, but don’t expect a traditional physician to have any knowledge or respect for chelation.
DMPS
When administered via IV, DMPS is a slam dunk for removing mercury from the human body. It has a long, illustrious history of success and safety. It hasn’t been approved by the FDA but is approved to be imported and used legally, and pharmacies that offer compounding can prepare it for IV use.
EDTA
If you want to harness the power of chelation to remove any toxin other than mercury, EDTA administered through IV is one of the best ways to go. It has a 60-year history as a safe and effective means for removing a wide range of toxins, particularly the heavy metal toxins that are so prevalent in our environment today.
Advocating Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an ancient method of improving health and healing, and it fits in extremely well with a general effort to make your body perform at a higher level without the introduction of potentially harmful toxins. The origins of acupuncture are in Asia, where acupuncture is a part of traditional Chinese medicine. Variations also come from Tibet, Vietnam, and Korea. At this point, more than 3 million adults and 150,000 children in the United States receive acupuncture treatments each year.
In broad terms, acupuncture involves the use of extremely small, sharp needles that are inserted into the skin at specific points that have been shown to produce a range of effects on the body. In total, more than 2,000 acupuncture points on the body can be stimulated individually or, more commonly, in groups.
The needles aren’t the extent of acupuncture treatment, however. Several variations exist, including the use of mild electric currents in the needles. Some practitioners choose to apply pressure to certain points instead of actually inserting needles. Some others embrace a variation of acupuncture called auriculotherapy, which is based on the concept that acupuncture points on the ears can be stimulated to produce effects across the entire body.
A trained, talented acupuncturist will assess your health history, as well as any symptoms of current conditions, to figure out which abnormalities in your health are causing you the most harm. He then stimulates the acupuncture points on your body that will help to relieve you of your conditions.
Here are just a few conditions that are commonly treated using acupuncture:
✓ Allergic rhinitis (allergies to dust, dander, or pollen)
✓ Chemotherapy side effects
✓ Depression
✓ Dysentery
✓ Headache
✓ Hypertension
✓ Nausea and vomiting (including morning sickness)
✓ Primary dysmenorrheal (painful periods)
✓ Rheumatoid arthritis
✓ Sciatica
✓ Sprains
✓ Stroke
The most accepted use of acupuncture in the United States is for the treatment of pain. Acupuncture is used to treat fibromyalgia, carpel tunnel syndrome, lower back pain, menstrual cramps, myofacial pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis, tennis elbow, and postoperative dental pain.
Acupuncture is safe and, when practiced correctly, has no harmful side effects. The big challenge is to find someone who is skilled in the art. You should check the credentials of anyone you’re thinking of seeing for an acupuncture treatment. Training varies from weekend courses to thousands of hours of training. I once checked the credentials of an alternative practitioner who was the president of two national organizations, which seemed very impressive at first. The problem was that he was the only member of both organizations.
Mixing in Meditation
Meditation dovetails extremely well with other detoxification measures. It has taken many forms across the centuries, and many different cultures and religions use it. I don’t have the space here to explain all the various types of mediation, but you should try to embrace some general principles related to the practice as you endeavor to lead a detoxified life.
In general, meditation practices are mental disciplines in which a person attempts to reach beyond reflective thought to grasp a deeper state of consciousness, relaxation, and awareness. If practiced effectively, meditation results in a marked reduction in stress that can improve your health on every possible level.
Many religions utilize meditation as an integral part of the belief system, but meditation doesn’t have to be related to any religion. Every person needs to seek out the form of meditation that suits him or her best, but you need to keep an open mind and realize that you stand to gain quite a lot just through clearing your mind and focusing your thoughts for a few minutes each day.
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