Part Three: Detoxification and the Healing Crisis - Knowing When To Detox, Detoxification and Bad, Bad Breath!

Detoxification and the Healing Crisis: How do you know when you need to detox?

By now, if you've read, part one, and part two of the detox series you have a general idea of how important it is to keep your body free of excess toxicity.

As long as we continue to eat processed foods, live with excess stress, and push ourselves beyond what is good for the body, we can never hope to be completely toxin-free but we can help the body greatly to eliminate toxins before they present a health challenge. Are you still not sure whether or not you need to detox? Take this simple test to find out!

(If you have come to this page directly from a search engine search, I suggest reading parts one and two before proceeding.)

Part One, Detoxing and the Healing Crisis and Part Two, What is a Detox?

Detoxification is a holistic health term for the process that happens when a toxic body seeks to return to balance by dumping toxic waste from the system. But how do you know when you really need a detox? Take this simple test to find out.

Detoxing the body from parasitic infection and colon toxicity can result in some pretty offensive breath for a few days. Keeping the breath fresh through a total body detox can be a challenge but you will find some excellent information right here on taming halitosis and good dental health.

Detox Test, Part One

1. Do you drink at least a gallon of pure water (not tap) per 100 pounds of body weight, daily?

2. Do you eat at least 80% raw foods, if under 40 years old and 100% raw foods if over 40 years of age?

3. Do you have two to three good bowel movements every day? (Read "good" to mean substantial, softly formed, honey-colored stool that can be passed without straining, quickly).

4. Do you totally avoid white flour products, hydrogenated oils, refined sugar, MSG and aspartame?

If the answer to even one of the above questions is no, you are almost certainly toxic to some degree, depending on how well your body handles excess eliminatory stress and your age.

If you answered yes to all three questions, congratulations and I want to meet you because you'll be the first! Even if you did answer all three of the first questions with a yes, please proceed to the next round of questions, which are:

Detox Test, Part Two

1. Do you have pets who live inside but go outside, even occasionally?

2. Do you ever walk outside barefoot where any type of animal has played?

3. Do you ever eat salads that have not been thoroughly cleaned, or eaten salads somewhere outside the home where you did not personally clean the greens?

4. Do you ever eat less than well done meats, particularly pork or beef?

5. Do you ever drink water from an unknown source, like at a restaurant?

If the answer to even one of the above questions is yes, you may well have parasites.

Detox Test, Part Three

1. Do you regularly experience stress at work or at home at a level you would consider taxing to your peace of mind?

2. Do you experience poor sleep on more than a very occasional basis?

3. Do you experience indigestion, gas, or bloating on a more than very occasional basis?

4. Do you suffer from yeast infections?

5. Do you suffer from more than normal fatigue?

6. Do you now or have you in the past, worked in any environment where chemicals, auto fumes, salon products or other toxic substances were in the air in your immediate work area? Particularly, have you worked near paints, acrylic nail counters, chemical factories, mechanic shops, or photo labs?

These are all emotional or environmental factors that can work against your body's ability to eliminate properly and can indirectly contribute to constipation and to internal toxicity.

For example, our body needs good sleep to repair and rejuvenate. When we do not sleep, this ability to restore the body to optimal health is greatly impaired. Also, when we have indigestion and other symptoms of improper assimilation of nutrients, it indicates that our body cannot process foods in the correct manner. This leads to toxicity very quickly within the eliminatory organs. In fact, if you experience indigestion very much at all, it's a sure sign that your body is backing up and is not able to use what you are feeding it before it begins to putrify.

A few words about constipation: As a wellness counselor, I consider constipation as much more than a nuisance or something that makes a person feel sluggish. I consider it dangerous. It is my belief that a colon that does not eliminate properly eventually poisons the entire system.

Detox Kit, Colon Cleansing Kit

The two main causes of constipation, beside stress which is a factor in just about any chronic condition I've ever personally dealt with or helped others deal with, are lack of water and lack of fiber. However, simply taking a fiber pill will not help, particularly if you are already constipated. This is because fiber needs water to expand and taking it while you are not even taking enough water for normal function will often only make the cramping and constipation worse. Better to increase the water uptake for a few days, and use a natural non-habit forming cleanse supplement like ReleaseZyme and THEN add fiber to your diet after things are moving along, so to speak. Also, remember that the body doesn't manufacture cellulase, the enzyme needed to digest fiber like what is in Metamucil or other such products so it's important to add an enzyme supplement that can help your body with this, such as DigestZyme.

In the short term, for most of us, constipation is not what would be considered a serious condition. The body can handle a temporary period of constipation although such symptoms as fatigue, dizziness, confusion of thought and cramping can occur quite quickly so why wait to fix this problem?

Long term, the effects of chronic constipation are far more serious. Because straining to evacuate can cause excess pressure to be exerted against the areas of the colon wall where the impaction occurs, constipation can eventually lead to weakened areas in the wall of the colon itself. Diverticuli and waste can settle in these pockets and become lodged.

Important: When the body detoxes, the mind and emotions detox as well. This is because our mind and emotions were involved in creating the original condition, through stress, worry, etc. It is not unusual for one to experience temporary feelings of depression, and irritability while detoxing so these are not to be alarmed about unless they persist or there is an existing emotional problem.

DETOX PROTOCOL: Before.... Prepare for the detox by arranging to start on a weekend when you have no other plans, or better yet, when you can arrange to take a Monday or Friday off from work for a three-day rest time.

Start increasing your intake of water at least 3-4 days before starting your detox, and be sure you are up to at least a gallon of pure water daily, per 100 pounds of body weight.

Take a gentle non-habit-forming laxative before starting your detox, to assure the colon is at least partially relieved of toxic waste. One good formula is ReleaseZyme.

During.... Eat lots of raw foods, fruits and vegetables and try your best to reduce or avoid refined sugars, fried foods, white flour products and red meats during at least the first week of your cleanse.

Take Internal Cleansing Kit by Blessed Herbs, as directed or as internally directed. If you are in tune with your body, you may find that adjusting dosages up or down, or taking a break between the different phases of the cleanse to be beneficial. Personally, I did not do the cleanse in 21 days, but over a period of a few months, to slow the cleanse process.

Take frequent baths and showers, to help elimination through the skin (our body's largest eliminatory organ).

Incorporate gentle stretching into a daily routine. Particularly, incorporate stretching that involves the abdominal region, like holding the arms out to either side and turning slowly to the right, holding a few seconds, returning to center, and then repeating stretch to left. A most excellent gentle exercise that can not only be incorporated into your cleanse regimen but kept at, long term, for many health benefits to your entire system, is Qigong.

If you can arrange it, have at least one foot reflexology treatment before you start your detox and perhaps a second session after the first week on the regimen. Reflexology is just wonderful for assisting the colon, liver, spleen, kidneys and lymph system to eliminate toxins quickly and effectively.

After.... Keep your water intake high, work daily at stress reduction, and continue as high a regimen of raw foods, fruits and veggies as you can enjoy.

Getting a monthly or bi-monthly reflexology treatment will do wonders for helping keep you regular, as well as reducing stress. Write it into your life, as a gift to yourself. Put it on your calendar and make it a part of your scheduling priority.

Foot reflexology is excellent for relieving constipation and also for assisting with detoxification. I recall one time when I was working with a lady who was very constipated. Within 20 minutes of the reflexology treatment, there was a normal bowel movement! Of course, reflexology is not intended to replace any needed medical attention and chronic constipation can be a sign of a more serious health challenge so check with your doctor in such cases.

Reflexology is also amazingly easy to learn and you can treat yourself with reflexology as long as you can reach your own feet. Though not as relaxing as having someone else do it, reflexology is effective when self-applied.

Every month or so, or whenever you may notice any slowing of normal bowel movement, take a 2-3 day mini-cleanse with the ReleaseZyme or other gentle cleanser.

Every three to four months, or no less than every six months, I'd suggest a colon cleanse like this powerful cleanse from Blessed Herbs.

If you are around fumes or chemicals, follow exposure with a few days on PureZyme.

If you choose to consume alcoholic beverages to any significant degree, then it is important to give your liver and spleen more support than would normally be required. PureZyme would be my top recommendation for cleansing the liver and spleen specifically, and also helps clear the blood stream of toxins like alcohol. In fact, I keep a bottle of PureZyme on hand for any time that my system seems sluggish or I feel the beginnings of cold or flu. PureZyme, if taken at onset of cold or flu symptoms, has unfailingly stopped my own symptoms cold overnight. An occasional week of Milk Thistle can help the liver back to normal as well. And most importantly, DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO REDUCE STRESS!

Two additional detox and healing supplements I use and recommend: I love Essiac Tea! Once a year, as maintenance, I like to give my blood, lymph and eliminatory system a good internal scrubbing with Essiac. If I'm ever in a health crisis, I take it for at least two months, six days on and one day off. If the crisis were chronic or if it involved cancer, I'd probably use the Essiac for at least six months.

A new supplement I've recently added to my own health regimen after reading a lot about it, is Activated Oxygen. I tried one of the brands that are out with both hydrogen and oxygen and kinda liked them but they didn't feel quite right. So I started looking for one that was just oxygen. Found one and ordered it and I like it very much. In addition to being a natural parasite zapper, oxygen feeds and cleanses at a cellular level and gives most people more energy within 5 minutes. I have to admit the first time I took it, it threw me into detox but amazingly, this only lasted one day!

Why do we need to detoxify and cleanse our bodies?

21st Century life brings with it stress, environmental pollution, unhealthy diets and fast foods. Illnesses like cancer, heart disease, arthritis and other lifestyle conditions are becoming more frequent.

Despite plentiful food supplies and excellent medical facilities, many people in the Western world do not really know what it is like to feel truly healthy, full of energy and bounce.

Modern farming methods are often more geared to producing food which is 'bigger and better' - rather than food which is healthy and life sustaining.

Even so-called 'healthy food' is full of artificial hormones, insecticides and other chemicals, which destroy the vitamins and essential nutrition of the food we eat.

Research has shown that environmental pollution enters the blood stream via food, water supply and the atmosphere and causes levels of toxins to build up in the body. These toxins affect body functioning, especially the functioning of the liver.

The liver is the second largest organ in the body and is often seen as the most important one. In traditional Chinese medicine, for example, a healthy liver is seen as the most critical element in the body's ability to fight disease and function optimally.

Amongst other important functions, the liver is responsible for eliminating and detoxifying the poisons that enter our blood stream. It also produces bile which is essential in the breakdown of fats and is the organ which stores Vitamin A, D, E and K.

Environmental pollution, fast foods, drugs, alcohol and sedentary lifestyles all contribute to sluggish and diseased livers.

The result? Depressed immune systems, constant fatigue, obesity, sluggish livers and digestive systems, allergies, respiratory ailments, unhealthy skin and many other health problems.

This information courtesy of Native Remedies, the makers of Detox Drops, a Natural Detox Solution.

Learn more about how Detox Drops naturally assists in the elimination of toxins from the body.

Parasitic Infection: Are You at Risk?

Parasites are everywhere, and they are very easy to contract from our food, water, animals, even from each other. Some parasites (eg. Pinworms) can even be transmitted through the air. Therefore, for prevention, it's recommend that a complete cleansing be performed twice a year.

What Is A Parasite?

A parasite is an organism which lives off, and generally within, a host body, such as our own body, or other living organisms, like plants and animals. They live off the "life" of another body, feeding on the nutrients, cells and organs of the host, reproducing by depositing thousands of eggs, or simply replicating by cell division, within the host's tissues and cells.

Parasites are often mobile, "grazing" in one area of the body after another, eating the host's cells directly or draining the best of the nutrients directly from the host's tissues, all while secreting their fecal wastes throughout the host's body, leaving their poisonous toxic sludge (like ammonia) behind, further taxing the host system's abilities even more gravely. Parasites likely infect everyone. It's estimated that as many as 85% of the world's population is so inflicted. In fact, it's highly likely that you are infected by one or more of over 1000 known parasites which can live in your body at any one time.

How Do We Become Infected With Parasites?

Most parasitic infections come from our food and water sources but can also be transmitted by human or animal contact. Simply petting and grooming our pets can facilitate infection, the parasites' eggs passing from their fur to our hands, nose and mouth. Some parasites (e.g. pinworms) can even be transmitted through the air and are in the dust we breath. It's likely, therefore, that those who live in the same household will all have the same parasitic infections, whether they are currently symptomatic or not.

There are a number of major common parasites which can live in the human host and which we should be concerned about:

• Protozoan,
• Flukes (flatworms),
• Roundworms
• Tapeworms.
• Protozoan, Organisms that live in the blood, tissues and intestines.

Although exceptionally small, protozon parasites may remain active in the human body for an entire lifetime, causing multiple complications.

Flukes (Trematodes), or flatworms, are likely the most common form of parasite found in humans worldwide. These commonly infect everyone's intestines and other tissues including the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. All Flukes are terribly difficult to get rid of once infected, accumulating over a period of 10 to 20 years.

The largest intestinal Fluke: Fasciolopsis buski - Fleshy, red and beef-colored, Flukes attach themselves within the mucosa of the small intestine. Living up to one year per adult organism, they proliferate easily and spread to other organs. Transmission is through unwashed vegetables, as well as fish and pork. Although they normally develop outside the body, new theories suggest that when "propyl alcohols" are used or consumed (either in foods or cosmetics), they provide the fluke with an environment which enables it to complete its entire life cycle within man. This allow the fluke to migrate throughout the body, thus infesting every tissue and organ with which it comes into contact

Other Types of Parasites

Roundworms (Nematodes) include the families of hookworm, pinworm, whipworm, threadworm, etc. Commonly found in the intestines and often contracted through the skin, they, like other parasites, may migrate throughout the body and present multiple symptoms of disease.

Tapeworms (Cestodes) are generally the largest of the parasites. These segmented worms, containing 50,000 eggs within each of its 3,000-4,000 segments, can release up to one million eggs per day! Some tapeworms may live as long as 25 years and can quickly reach upwards to 10 meters/33 feet in length within the gastrointestinal tract. However, their larvae can be found in almost any organ, being capable of infecting other tissues in varying stages of its development. Parasites have survival skills which are beyond the capabilities of our Immune System, and that's why they can generally live for years within their host.

Other parasites include the Dog Tapeworm (Echinococcus granulosus), the Pork Tapeworm (Taenia solium), and hundreds of other species of parasitic scavengers, just starving for a human host! Parasitic infection is a systemic problem for the body and should be addressed regularly.

How Do I Know If I Have A Parasitic Infestation?

Medical tests are available which will only detect some 50 out of 1000 different varieties of parasites, but even the effectiveness of these tests detect only about 20% of those truly infected, because parasites can take so many different physical forms within their development. These "numbers" translate to some rather abysmal confidence levels as to the accuracy of the tests, and the probability of them working correctly on you. Chances are, if you're tested and you really are infected, you only have a 1% chance of finding out. Not very good odds to say the least!

What Can I Do To Get Rid Of Parasites?

Unfortunately, most available pharmaceutical drugs (parasiticides) are specific for only one particular parasitic organism. And most are generally not that effective because drugs target only certain areas of the body's metabolism, or only certain stages of parasitic development. Parasiticides are generally very toxic, even in the small doses needed, and thus, must be used carefully. Because of the cunning survival strategies of parasites, and the fact that most are motile, they can quickly migrate from the area of your body that is being medicated, to one that is not, thus, making it almost impossible for effective and complete elimination.

Natural Parasite Remedy

Parasitin+'s Homeopathic Formula helps to attack most major gastrointestinal parasites, including tapeworms, roundworms, flukes and protozoans. There are no side-effects with Parasitin+. Parasitin+ is completely safe and nontoxic! Unlike other anti-parasitic medications, Parasitin+ works naturally without the harmful side-effects that may cause nausea, diarrhea, headaches, etc.