Dr. Saunders’ Easy DETOX Program – For Life!

Strolling through a vitamin aisle or searching on the internet will bring a very wide array of products and services for detoxification.

• Some are potions of multiple herbs and foods.
• Some are simple such as vinegar.
• Diets of all kinds are advocated.
• Other detox modalities include enemas, saunas, foot pads and so much more!

How do we make sense of all this?

Chemicals are everywhere.  Our air and water are filled with thousands of toxins, even prescription drugs have been found in the water supply.  In some cases, these toxins can build up in our bodies and cause us to feel bad, sick, or just plain yuck. It turns out we don’t always have control over what’s in our air, food and water.

Product Of Our Environment

At age 69, Larry’s neurologist told him he had Alzheimer’s disease.  He was given a drug that was supposed to help him think more clearly, but it didn’t help at all and was told there was nothing else that could be done.  His wife then brought him into my office to see if there was something better than the drugs.  After evaluation, we found the lead in his body was more than 50 times the acceptable level.  We have him a series of chelation therapy treatments to remove the lead and he became normal again, able to think clearly.

The truth is those things that are part of our environment become part of us. We need to be able to use the normal mechanisms of our body to excrete those things that are harmful back into the environment. The process of detoxification has two components: 1) avoiding toxins and 2) getting rid of toxins, which we cannot avoid.

Avoiding Toxins

Larry was a welder, but never wore a mask to filter the metals.  The torch he used vaporized the metals and, as a result, he was breathing them over many years.  Since lead isn’t easily excreted from the body, it built up and became toxic to his brain.

When we are aware of a potential toxin that could be absorbed by our body one way or another, it is important for us to consider the many ways to avoid exposure to that toxin.  Safety officers on every job should try to make the workplace free of toxins.

Anne was a very active interior decorator in her early 50s.  She started getting illnesses frequently. “I catch everything that goes around,” she complained.  Moreover, she was getting more and more fatigued.  She felt achy all over.  The usual tests failed to find a cause of her problems, so she was referred to an environmental medicine specialist.  The doctor found she was reacting to a toxin made by a mold, which was apparently growing in the older house she was renovating.

Avoiding mold is very difficult because it is so prevalent in our environment.  You can’t avoid all toxins, but you can significantly diminish them in your own body.

Those who eat organically-grown foods, for example, have much lower levels of heavy metals, pesticides and chemical fertilizers detectable in their bodies.

There are many chemicals that can be part of our everyday diet.  Avoiding these is essential to maintaining a healthy metabolism.

• Both artificial and natural flavorings often contain ketones and aldehydes.
• Artificial colorings can poison cellular systems.
• Even common additives such as MSG can be dangerous to some people.  MSG is an excitotoxin on the nervous system.  Those who have adequate supplies of inhibitory neurotransmitters may be spared, but the rest will lose brain cells.
• One toxin to avoid at all times is artificial sweeteners.  These have multiple toxic effects on the body from neurotoxicity to causing dysbiosis (killing the normal bacteria in the bowels).

Detox Program

Because we are constantly exposed to toxins, both internally and externally, it is important that we maintain a lifetime detox program.  Most detox programs only deal with the liver because it is the primary organ in our body which neutralizes and excretes toxins.  However, just as important in detoxification are the minor players: the intestines, kidneys, lungs, and skin.  We will discuss how to maximize the benefits from each of these systems.

Liver Detox

The liver rids us of toxins through chemistry. It has proteins, enzymes and antioxidants to change the chemical structure of toxins, making them either useful to the body or allowing them to be excreted in the kidney or stool.  Everything absorbed through the intestines must pass through the liver before it can get to the rest of the body.  This is a beautiful mechanism for preventing damage from poisons.  Alcohol, for example, is very toxic, but a dehydrogenase enzyme in the liver renders it harmless.  Also, acetaminophen is extremely toxic, but is rendered almost harmless by glutathione in the liver, before it can get to the rest of the body.

There are several ways to allow the liver to serve its function well:

1. Eating lots of fiber prevents sludging of bile by secondary bile acids.
2. Taking selenium and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) allows adequate glutathione production.
3. One herbal supplement that has been shown to prevent damage to the liver by toxins such as acetaminophen or poison mushrooms is milk thistle.  This can be obtained as an extract or a purified form called sylimarin.

Skin Detox

When we sweat, we can excrete both organic toxins and heavy metals.  The best way to sweat is with exercise, but steam rooms, saunas and other methods work, as well.

Kidney Detox

Most of the water-soluble toxins are excreted through the kidneys by both active and passive mechanisms.  There are two things to help the kidneys perform at their best:

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   Drink enough water.  It has been recommended to drink 8 cups (2 liters) per day, but that isn’t true for everyone.  Some can even get toxic on water by diluting their sodium too much.  The best way is to drink room-temperature (coldness tricks the thirst mechanism) water between meals when you are thirsty and not to drink anything with meals.

2. Keep your body alkaline.  Too much acid prevents excretion of certain organic acids.  The best way to maintain alkalinity is to eat vegetables and avoid simple sugars and meat.  One study of people with kidney disease showed that those who took 2 grams of baking soda in water stopped them from progressing to kidney failure and dialysis.

Intestines Detox

“Amazing” is the best word to describe the digestive system.  When we eat a meal, we will excrete gallons of fluid into the intestines.

This starts with saliva in the mouth, continues with the stomach “juices” and then bile in the duodenum from the liver and pancreas, but is even greater in the small intestine.  These fluids have specific enzymes and binders to digest and absorb our nutrients, allowing our bodies to function normally.  Toxins are excreted with these fluids so we can remove many toxins by binding them in the intestines before they can be absorbed, or re-absorbed into the body.  They then go out with the waste.

Moreover, there are some toxins produced within the intestines themselves by bacteria, yeast, and parasites that normally live there.  We can help keep the entire body free of toxins by doing the following:

1. Take a probiotic. This is the good bacteria that help us digest our foods and prevent the growth of bad bacteria, candida, yeast and parasites. An excellent probiotic is Renew Life Ultimate Adult Flora Formula.
2. Fast periodically. One to three days of fasting once per month is a great way to improve the digestion and prevent the overgrowth of harmful organisms.
3. Glutamine is an amino acid that helps repair the lining of the intestines, preventing “leaky gut syndrome,” where toxins from the bowel can “leak” into the blood.
4. Eat lots of fiber. Don’t get drawn into taking fiber pills.  The best fiber is a mix of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts.  Fiber is not digested and it holds on to organic toxins so they can be taken out in the stool.
5. Use a “chelator” periodically. Diatomaceous earth, bentonite clay, EDTA and other chelation agents can be used to take heavy metals out of the intestines by holding on to them. Try this natural and powerful detox derived from bentonite.
6. Eat lots of greens. The chlorophyll in green vegetables help to rid the body of heavy metals.  In fact, in several studies cilantro (coriander) has been shown to take mercury out of the body more effectively than even intravenous EDTA chelation therapy.

Lungs Detox

Most detox programs don’t even consider the lungs as part of a detox program.  But, breathing is essential to maintaining homeostasis for several reasons.  Mostly, the lungs keep the oxygen and carbon dioxide ratio in equilibrium.  This is important in creating oxygen free-radicals, organic acids and keeping the acid-base balanced.  When we breathe deeply and slowly, we hold on to carbon dioxide and get more oxygen.  When we breathe fast and shallow, we get rid of carbon dioxide.

If we are exercising a lot, we need to get rid of all the excess CO2 so we breathe fast. However, when we are relaxed, we should breathe slowly to hold on to CO2. This keeps our blood vessels and airways opened.  One study showed that people with hypertension could bring their blood pressure to normal in 10 minutes just by doing this exercise:

• Take a deep breath
• Hold it for ten seconds
• Let it out slowly — all of it
• Repeat three times

Lifetime Daily Detox Program

As you can see, detox doesn’t come in a box, bag or pill.  Nor is it something you do once a year, but rather must be part of our regular health routine in your environment.  The best detoxification program includes daily, weekly and monthly actions.

Daily Detox

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  High-fiber diet
• Three servings of green vegetables
• Take a probiotic every day for one month each year
• Drink enough water
• Take ½ teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in your water
• Meditation with deep breathing exercises

Weekly Detox

• Exercise to sweat three times per week (or at least just sweat)
• Take selenium, 1 mg (that’s 5 pills of 200 mcg each)
• Take NAC, 3 grams

Monthly Detox

• Fast 1-3 days of water only with 1 teaspoon of glutamine
• Chelation therapy (bentonite clay, diatomaceous earth or blue-green algae)

This detox program is easy to do at home and will foster good health for every part of your body.  It would prevent Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinsons disease and dementia in the brain.  It would also prevent most cancers.  Moreover, people who follow it will maintain energy, stamina and look and feel younger longer.  You couldn’t expect a “3-day detox” program to do all that!

Dare to detox! What has worked for you? Each person handles a detox differently and results may vary.  Have you found them to be helpful or dangerous?  Start sharing below!

 

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Dr. Scott D. Saunders, M.D. (Ask-an-MD) is a practicing physician, specializing in preventative healthcare, who utilizes eclectic health care for the whole family, including conventional, orthomolecular and natural medicine. He is also the medical director of The Integrative Medical Center of Santa Barbara in Lompoc, CA. He went to UCLA medical school and is board certified in family medicine. View natural remedies with Dr. Saunders at: http://www.youtube.com/user/naturalEdoctor01