Detoxification
Detoxification
“Virtually all human diseases result from the interaction of genetic susceptibility and modifiable environmental factors.” - Center for Disease Control, Gene-Environment Interaction Fact Sheet, DHHS, Washington, DC, 2000
Our practice is based on that reality. We assess genetic susceptibility (which can often be improved with simple nutritional cofactors for detox enzymes), and lower body burdens of toxic environmental factors through avoidance and detoxification. There is a lot of popular misunderstanding about detoxification. A simple liver flush, for example, is a start, but it is not enough to get the job done. In order to clarify options, and make informed choices, it is necessary to understand the mechanics of detoxification.
Most of the toxins which make people sick are fat-soluble. Consequently, these substances tend to deposit in body fat, or in the brain or other fat-rich organs where they are stored and slowly released. (Think of the body as a very large time-release capsule and you get the picture.)
As they are released, toxins interfere with normal bodily functions, according to their chemical structure. Pesticides, for example, tend to interfere with nerve or hormone function; plasticizers act like estrogen. Various other chemicals interfere with DNA transcription or various enzyme or hormonal functions. Heavy metals interfere with brain, immune and enzyme function at various points throughout the body. Chemicals, molds and metals also affect the gut, the liver, the pancreas, and so on. There is no organ in the body that is not potentially harmed by toxic exposures, which can produce a very wide range of possible symptoms.
The key to regaining normal function is effective detoxification – effective removal of toxic materials from the body. This is done through several means. The first step is avoidance – preventing further intake of toxic materials by minimizing future exposure. This gives your body a fighting chance to get rid of the toxins. (Illustration: if your body can’t process agricultural chemicals, you need to try to move upwind from the fields.)
The second step is upgrading your liver detox function by genomic testing. This tells you which of your detox enzymes is not doing its job properly. That gives you two useful pieces of information: it tells you what specific chemicals you most need to avoid, and also which nutritional factors (vitamins, minerals, dietary changes) will make your detox enzymes work more normally. This is very important, because when you take these individualized nutrients to make your liver work as well as it potentially can, it is generally able to start the process of healing from within, which is our ultimate goal.
The third step is increasing mobilization of toxins stored in various parts of your body. This step has several potential strategies, all intended to stir up deposited toxins and increase their movement out of the body, individually, or in combination.
- sauna is a traditional technique with a recent modern medical literature; it appears to be very effective in mobilizing fats and metals from subcutaneous fat. Volatile organic chemicals which move from fat to sweat exit via that route; those that get into the blood stream exit via the lungs.
- chelation is a technique which has also been around a long time; it is very effective in pulling heavy metals out of the body, and very safe when done according to the protocols established by the American Board of Clinical Metal Toxicology.
- massage has proven very effective in mobilizing chemicals deposited in muscles; this is particularly useful in fibromyalgia, but also has potential value in other toxic conditions. It is also useful in improving lymphatic circulation, sometimes in conjunction with the Noblerex K1 exercise machine
- exercise helps mobilize toxins by several means; it increases body temperature, like sauna, and thereby helps mobilize volatile organics; it improves blood flow through the muscles, thereby flushing out loculated toxins; it increases liver blood flow and also liver size, thereby increasing the quantity of available detox enzymes; for all of these reasons, it speeds the detox process
- exercise with oxygen has the additional advantage of improving microvascular flow and oxygen utilization in patients with poor oxygen extraction. This has many advantages, including improved energy production, better wound healing and more rapid detoxification
- sublingual immunotherapy has proven very helpful in treating allergies which interfere with life, proper nutrition, or detoxification; we test blood for specific antibodies to foods, molds, chemicals, pollens, and create drops which go under the tongue to produce T-suppressor cells which shut down pre-existing allergies
- First Line Therapy (therapeutic lifestyle change) is a proven program for moving your diet and exercise into a health-promoting pattern; it is common-sensical and enjoyable and does not require going hungry nor painful exertion
- Ondamed is a biofeedback machine which we are using under FDA supervision for pain control and stress reduction. Stress is a real physiological state which produces real cytokines which influence real disease states.
- vitamin and mineral IVs are occasionally helpful for persons with special needs
- colonics and coffee enemas are also often useful to minimize recirculation of excreted chemicals from colon back to liver
- acupuncture may also prove useful in selected cases