Thinking about Toxicity
At this time of year, when we have been sitting in our chairs too much and eating things we know are not the best choices, we begin to think about detoxification. I have seen many people over the years ask me about detoxification from the end of January to the middle of March. I think our bodies just naturally want to clear out the residues of winter and prepare for the hotter, more active summer.
Acupuncture is a natural detoxification stimulator. My teacher Miki Shima says that it increases the activity of the detox pathways of the liver. We certainly see evidence of this when sicker patients have a day of feeling unwell after a treatment. That shows that they are fairly toxic and when the acupuncture increases their detox biology, they get ‘detox sickness’ just like patients on a detox. In clinic I use a specific protocol, called the Seki Bypass, to prevent detox sickness in acupuncture patients who are prone to it.
Healthier people who eat a high vegetable diet rarely get detox sickness from acupuncture.
In addition to the usual suggestion to eat more vegetables for people who tend toward toxicity, I often recommend a structured detox for a deeper ‘cleanse’. I like the Orthomolecular Products detox, called Core Restore. It has a mixture of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and targeted nutrients to increase the activity of all aspects of the liver detoxification pathways. It is based on very solid science from peer-reviewd medical journals, and that makes me feel good, too.
It comes in a kit for the first week, everything included. For people who want to continue beyond a week, we provide the components of the detox in larger quantities.
During the detox, the client has two drinks per day of the detox beverage, usually mixed in the blender with fruit or vegetables. Along with that they take a high dose multivitamin, that includes the important cofactors such as B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, manganese, and folic acid to support liver detox biology. Thirdly it includes a supplement that contains some of the well known herbs to stimulate liver detox pathways, such as dandelion and milk thistle.
The reason I like the Orthomolecular Products detox is that I have seen the fewest people get sick on it. On other ones, I have seen people end up with nausea, headache and fatigue for a few days near the beginning. One person had this reaction for 3 weeks on another product. The Core Restore program improves the function of the liver in a specific sequence, which prevents the ‘detox sickness’, as I call it.
When people feel bad on a detox, it can often be helped with a good dose of buffered vitamin C, this is because the detox sickness is caused by a build up of ‘free radicals’ in the body. These are partially detoxed molecules that are waiting in line to complete their process. While waiting in line, they aggravate lots of things. Vitamin C ‘quenches’ these free radicals so they are not aggravating to the body.
Contact us to set up a time to talk about detoxification.
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