Detoxification: A “Systems” Approach To Rid Your Body Of Toxins

 

By Dr. Myatt

 

Conventional medicine claims there is no evidence for physical toxicity and therefore detoxification is unnecessary and unscientific. In other words, detoxification is “quackery.” But conventional medicine is DEAD WRONG on this issue, and that’s a fact provable from the conventional medical literature.

Physical toxicity is not only real, it starts in the womb. That’s not alternative medicine mumbo-jumbo, it is hard-core science, supported by hundreds of conventional medical studies. Get ready for some real medical science if you can handle the alarming truth.

Where Do Toxins Come From?

Humans are exposed to toxins on a daily basis, both from inside (natural wastes, a product of normal metabolism) and from outside (through food, air, water, cosmetics, etc). Exposure to toxicity begins in the womb. One study identified more than two hundred toxic chemicals in the blood of newborns. (Read this frightening study here)

After birth, babies are exposed to toxins in mother’s milk and formula. And that’s just the beginning. As children, adolescents, and adults we are all exposed to toxins on a daily basis. Many toxins, many times per day. Some sources of toxicity, like mercury amalgam fillings, are present 24/7. Here are just a few of the common toxins that we are exposed to on a daily basis, their sources, and their effects:

• Parabens: A preservative used in cosmetics – linked to endocrine disruption and possibly carcinogenic.
• Pesticides – organochlorines, organophosphates, and carbamates: From agricultural operations – endocrine disruption / hormonal disturbances, cancer including lymphoma and leukemia, fetal death and birth defects, neurological toxicity and more.
• PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls): now banned in the U.S., were used in lubricants, coolants, adhesives, flame retardants, paints, etc. – hormone/endocrine disruption, immune suppression, neurotoxicity, mutagenic, carcinogenic.
• Phthalates: used to soften plastic and lengthen the life of scents. Especially harmful to the endocrine systems of children.
• VOC’s: found in paint, furniture, carpet and other household items – immune suppression is common.
• Dioxins: result from trash incineration and from burning fuel like wood, gas and coal and from industrial processes like paper mills and cement kilns. Much of our exposure comes from breathing polluted air and from diet – especially animal fats which concentrate these compounds. Toxic effects may include liver damage, alterations in heme metabolism, serum lipid levels, and thyroid functions, and diabetes and immune suppression.
• Heavy Metals: Including mercury, lead, aluminum, cadmium, nickel (nickel salts are toxic), arsenic, antimony, thallium, and others. Sources include water, pesticides, antiperspirants, smog and many more – most common toxic effects include neurotoxicity but there are a large and varied number of ill effects that result from heavy metal toxicity.
• Chloroform: Found in air, water and food. Commonly formed when chlorine is added to water. Toxic effects include liver and kidney damage, birth defects, cancer.
• Perchlorate: may be found in drinking water and can interfering with iodine uptake into the thyroid gland.
• Atrazine: (a pesticide) may cause cardiovascular and reproductive problems, cancer – found in drinking water.
• Perchloroethylene (perc): A VOC commonly used in dry cleaning. Accumulates in fatty tissues. Carcinogenic and may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
• Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE): Flame retardants – formerly added to furniture, car upholstery and mattresses, but voluntarily taken off the market by manufacturers because of concerns about toxicity. PBDE now commonly found in TVs and computer monitors in the plastic. Effects include hormone disruption, reduced fertility, hepatic damage and disruption of neurologic development.
• Bisphenol-A (BPA): polycarbonate plastic, resin lining in cans, linked to certain cancers, fertility, and behavioral problems in children.
• Furans: Used in plastics – toxic, carcinogenic, endocrine disrupter.

 

Although the human body is well-equipped to eliminate it’s own metabolic waste products, we are NOT designed to deal with the numerous and increasing amounts of external toxins that we are exposed to on a daily basis. Toxic overload can overwhelm the body and cause widespread health problems. These “problems” are not diagnosed as “toxicity.” Instead they are labeled with a name like “cancer” or “heart disease.” But the real question is “why are these diseases on the rise?” A large body of evidence points to our increasingly toxic environment as the cause. The immune system, cardiovascular system and nervous system are targets of excess toxicity.

How To “Detox”

Detoxification means, literally, “to remove the poison (toxin), or effect of poison, from.” The human body has multiple organs and organ systems for such toxin removal. In order to “detoxify” the body, all systems of detoxification must be fully functional and supported in their efforts. It is not enough to take fiber and “bowel cleansing formulas” as you will learn, although this is a good start on a detox program.

Patients often ask me about the value of “detoxification” products, as if detoxification of the body could be accomplished by using a single therapy or supplement. But the body has multiple organs that cooperate together in detoxification. The large intestine (colon),  liver, skin, kidneys, lungs, lymphatic system and extra cellular fluids are all part of the “detoxification system” of the body. Each of these organs and systems contribute to the body’s elimination of internal waste and externally-introduced toxins. Therefore, a true detoxification program should address all of these eliminative organs.

Organs of Detoxification

• The colon (also called the Large Intestine, or LI), is responsible for removing undigested and unabsorbed food from the body. The colon is also the primary absorptive surface for water and salts. Water soluble waste products are absorbed into hepatic/portal circulation (the liver), then into general circulation, from the colon. Biotransformation of endogenous (internally derived) and exogenous (externally derived) waste products also occurs in the gut mucosa.

  Under normal circumstances, the large intestine contains approximately three pounds of native “good” bacteria and some yeast species. The floral balance of the colonic environment can be altered by dietary imbalances, insufficient digestive function, and antibiotic or other drug use, which allows pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and parasites to overgrow. These non-native gut species often produce toxic substances which are reabsorbed into hepatic and then general circulation. Maintenance of normal diet, digestion, and gut micro flora is essential for the proper elimination of food wastes, prevention of gut-derived endotoxins, and normal biotransformation of toxins.

• The lungs bring oxygen into the system and eliminate carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is the end-product (waste) of cellular respiration. Respiratory regulation of the acid-base balance is one to two times as great as that of the body’s chemical buffering systems, making the lungs additionally important in the acid-base balance of the body.
• The skin contains sweat glands that excrete 5-10% of all metabolic wastes. The substances found in sweatsalts, water, and nitrogenous wasteare similar to the composition of urine only more dilute.
• The kidneys remove the majority of cellular metabolic waste products including nitrogen-containing amino acids and carbon dioxide.
• The liver converts endogenous and exogenous toxins into excretable metabolites. The term detoxification is often used to refer exclusively to this intracellular biotransformation process, although as you see, all eliminative organs are crucial to the process of detoxification.

 

Other Factors Affecting Detoxification

Acid-base balance (pH of the bloodstream). The pH of the arterial blood is 7.4, and venous blood 7.35. These limits are narrowly maintained within the body. Metabolic waste products of cellular metabolism generate 50 to 100 millimoles of acid per day. Excess acids are removed through blood-buffering systems of the lungs, kidneys, and through pH capacity of the blood itself.

Sources of Toxicity

Xenobiotics are substances that are toxic to the human system. Such substances may be either externally derived (chemicals and drugs in the environment) or internally derived (metabolic by-products). Internal sources of xenobiotics include metabolic waste products and gut-derived endotoxins.

Detoxification by System: Dr. Myatt’s Complete “Spring Housecleaning” Detox Program

GI Tract

• Fiber: E-Z- Fiber: 1-2 heaping TBS. daily, taken in water or better yet, in a Myatt Muffin. Additional Fiber: Flax seed and/or psyllium, 20-30+ grams daily taken in muffins or a Super Shake.
• Probiotics: Gram positive bacteria (Lactobacillus spp., Bifida bacteria spp., etc.). One Supremadophilus at bedtime is recommended.
• For Candida, parasites or non-native GI bacterial overgrowth: I.) Capri Plus: 2 tabs, 2 times per day on an empty stomach. Don’t know if you have any of these “buggers” or dysbiosis? A comprehensive GI Health Profile can be highly revealing. Learn More Here.
• Similase and/or betaine HCL: improve digestion (which helps eliminate unwanted organisms and improve absorption of nutrients) with digestive enzymes and additional hydrochloric (stomach) acid.

 

Kidneys

• Water — yup, plain ol’ clean water. Do NOT use tap water (which contains chlorine and flouride, two toxic chemicals). If you don’t already have one, a good water purification system is a smart and inexpensive investment in your good health. Aquasana Water Purifiers makes some of the highest-rated filters at the best prices.
  
• Chitosan: 6 caps at bedtime. Chitosan is a fiber derived from the shell of crustaceans (sea creatures like shrimp). This fiber binds up toxins and carries them out of the body. Studies have shown that chitosan can even help the toxic build-up caused when a person has damaged kidneys and is on dialysis.

Lungs

• Deep breathing – heavy exercise can accomplish this. So can singing and deep breathing exercises.

Liver / gallbladder

• Silybum marianum –  milk thistle. The all-time most amazing substance for improving liver function. During a detox program, I recommend 9 caps per day of Lipotropic Formula OR a combination of Lipotropic Formula and Milk This Plus+ to equal 9 caps per day. (3 caps at 3 meals).

  Foods that improve the liver’s ability detox to include:

  Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale). Higher doses of the “detox magic” in these vegetables can be obtained in supplemental form from diindolomethanes or DIM’s.

  Limonene (lemon peel). Add some “lemon zest” (grated lemon rind) to Myatt muffins or other food to get your limonene.

  Adequate dietary protein (use whey protein to boost immunity and liver detox)

  Dietary sulfur (onions and garlic) and/or MSM (supplemental sulphur)

Skin

• Skin brushing
• Saunas and steam baths

Extracellular fluid

• Urtica urens – nettle
• Taraxacum officinale – dandelion
• Arctium lappa – burdock

Adipose Tissue

• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Weight loss (if overweight): many toxins accumulate and are stored in fat cells.

Lymphatic System

• Lymph drainage massage
• Exercise (especially rebounding [mini trampoline])

Blood vascular system

• Alkaline-ash diet (fruits and vegetables: starch and proteins 4:1)

General Detox

• Allium sativum – garlic – also available in a potent supplement as Garlitrin.

A Total Approach to Detoxification:

Diet And Lifestyle

• Weight loss diet if overweight. Fat cells store many toxins; losing excess fat releases these toxins so they can be eliminated.
• Drink 64 ounces of pure water daily. Water is the single biggest detoxifier of the kidneys, liver, and extracellular fluid.
• Exercise regularly. Exercise stimulates circulation and metabolism, speeding detoxification. The deep breathing encouraged by exercise is detoxifying to the lungs, and sweating is detoxifying to the skin. Rebounding (bouncing on a mini-trampoline) has the additional benefit of moving lymphatic fluid and assisting lymph drainage.
• Skin brushing daily; sauna or steam bath at least one per week.
• The Body/Mind Connection video: watch this at least three times. Clearing out old “emotional toxicity” is an important but often overlooked aspect of detoxification.

Primary Support

• Maxi Multi: 3 caps, 3 times per day with meals. A deficiency of any vitamin, mineral, or trace mineral can slow or stop various detoxification pathways. Optimal (not minimal) doses B complex vitamins, beta carotene, vitamin C, E, zinc, selenium, sulfur, calcium, magnesium and molybdenum are particularly important in detoxification.
• Flax seed (source of lignan fibers and Omega 3 fatty acids): 2 teaspoons per day of ground, whole flax seed OR E-Z Fiber OR Fiber Formula, 12 caps per day in divided doses.
• Maxi Greens: 3 caps, 3 times per day with meals as a source of broad-spectrum “green Superfoods” and flavonoids.

Additional Support

For the GI tract

• E-Z Fiber: 2 heaping teaspoons per day.
• SupremaDophilus: 1 capsule with 1-2 ounces water at bedtime.

For the Liver

• Milk Thistle Plus+: 1 cap, 3 times per day with meals.
  OR
  LIpotropic Complex:9 caps per day in divided doses.
• MSM (fundamental sulfur): 750-1,000mg 3 times per day with meals.
• Diindolomethanes or DIM’s: 1 cap, 1 time per day with a meal.

For General & cellular detoxification

• Chlorella: 2-3 caps, 3 times per day with meals.
• Green Tea: 1 cap, 2 times per day OR drink green tea as a beverage, 2-3 cups per day. Or take as a supplement – Green Tea Extract.
• Protein: Whey protein: 2 scoops per day in water or make into a “Super Shake.” The liver requires adequate protein in order to perform it’s detoxification tasks.

Heavy Metals detoxification

• Modifilan was reportedly developed in Russia by scientists at the State Rehabilitation Institute, where victims of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe underwent treatment. It detoxifies the body from heavy metals including strontium-90 and cadmium, radioactive elements, free radicals and toxins.

7 Instant Health-Boosters:

 

Dr. Myatt’s 60-Second Rejuvenation Routine

 

Who says better health has to be expensive, complicated or time-consuming?

 

Imagine better circulation and nerve flow, a relaxed back, neck and shoulders, plus better thinking and attitude, in only 60 seconds!

By stringing together 7 simple “mini exercises,” Dr. Myatt’s 60-Second Rejuvenation Routine can make a profound positive impact on your health.

All together, this series of moves takes about 60 seconds. No exercise equipment or gym membership is required. No special clothing. Doesn’t matter the weather.

Sixty seconds. Free. Easy. Let’s get going…

Dr. Myatt’s 60-Second Health Rejuvenation Routine

We will be combining the following 7 techniques: posture, deep breathing, stretching, visualization, affirmation, smiling, laughing

Here is the sequence:

Stand with feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly flexed. Take a deep breath. Exhale.

1.) Stretch (rag doll roll-up). Keeping your knees flexed, slowly bend and touch the floor (or at least aim for the floor). Feel the stretch in your legs (back of) and lower back. This should feel good. Let yourself hang like a “rag doll.”

Then slowly roll your way up to a standing position, feeling the stretch as it moves up your spine.

At the top of the stretch, assume a tall-standing, straight posture. (see #2 below).

Why it Works:

This stretch engages the hamstrings (back of legs), paraspinal muscles (muscles on either side of the spine), shoulders and neck. It limbers the entire back and helps counter the effects of prolonged sitting. This stretch also helps prevent and correct low back pain, which can be due to a tightening of muscles from sitting in a fixed position for long periods.

This exercise isn’t about keeping the knees straight and touching the floor; it is about feeling a good stretch in the back of the legs, lower back and spine all the way up. Pay attention to these areas as you perform the stretch.

Although it is possible to injure a body part by “too much stretching,” I have never seen this happen when a person pays attention to the stretch and does it to the point of “this feels like a good stretch.” By paying attention to how your body, especially your lower back and spine, feel when you perform the exercise, you are far less likely to “hurt” yourself. This is not, after all, an inherently “dangerous” stretch.

Do the stretch slowly and listen to your body. If it says “stop,” stop. Don’t push it. This is not a competitive sport. You don’t win points for touching the floor with locked-straight knees. If you push too hard, this won’t feel wonderful (like it should) and it is possible to hurt yourself. Go slow and enjoy the stretch.

Do It Right:

Consult a physician before doing this move IF you have any history of low back injury or disc herniation. Although this type of stretching usually helps low back pain, even the type of pain caused by disc herniation, it is best to work with an orthopedic physician and get “clearance” for this move if you have a history of back injury. That and “go slow and enjoy the stretch” are really the only two caveats.

Be SURE to stop the exercise OR bend you knees more if your feel pain. A good stretch should feel good, not bad. Try flexing your knees more if you feel pain in your back or legs. Stop if discomfort persists.

If you are too fat, inflexible or for whatever reason can’t comfortably perform this exercise standing, try one of these variations:

I.) Standing stretch while hanging on to furniture (or exercise bar):

II.) Same stretch, sitting in a chair:

2.) Posture: at the top of the “rag doll roll-up,” rotate shoulders to a full / tall upright standing position, tuck hips under and assume good posture.

Why It Works

Good upright posture allows the internal organs to assume a normal position. This in turn allows them to function normally.

Sitting tends to encourage slouching. Slouching compresses the diaphragm and internal organs and leads to shallow breathing.

Using the muscles of good posture exercises them, encouraging better muscle tone and more good posture.

Good posture gives an instant “body lift,” making you taller, flatter (pulls the belly in), decreases appearance of double-chin. In addition to the health benefits of good posture, you get an immediate “good looks” benefits. What’s not to love?

Do It Right

You may want to assume this posture in front of a mirror a few times in order to get the “feel” of standing up straight. Look at the following picture and make sure you are aligning yourself correctly.

3.) Breathe: Take 3 deep breaths as follows.

Breathe in as deeply as you can through your nose, hold for a count of 3 or 5 or whatever is comfortable, then exhale as completely as you can through your mouth. Repeat two more times.

Do It Right

Place one hand on your stomach at waist level. Breathe in slowly through your nose. Your stomach should expand with your breath. Feeling this expansion with your hand ensures that you are breathing deeply. When you exhale, you should feel your stomach get smaller like letting the air out of a balloon. After you are familiar with how it feels to deep breath, you will not have to put your hand on your stomach for the breathing part of the exercise.

Pic 1: the exhale. Pic 2: belly should expand on inhalation.

Why It Works

People tend to breathe shallowly when under stress. Sitting for prolonged periods also contributes to shallow breathing. Shallow breathing leads to decreased oxygenation.

Deep breathing helps increase oxygenation, giving the body a near-instant “oxygen boost.” If this makes you feel light-headed, you are probably oxygen-deprived. Enjoy the natural buzz. It is a good sign that you are getting more oxygen.

4.) Visualization – Think an uplifting thought —- even something simple like “I’m taking one minute to do a good thing for my health and it feels good.”

Why It Works

“We create what we think.” Think a bummer thought and you send a blast of “bummer” nerve energy and hormones throughout your body. Send a blast of worry or fear and you do the same. But this “thought shot” works both ways.

Think an uplifting thought —- even something as simple as “I’m taking one minute to do a good thing for my health and it feels good,” and you create a blast of goodness —- neurotransmitters and nerve flow — that give you a “shot” of upliftment and refreshment.

In other words, regardless of whether you think a positive thought or a negative thought, you give yourself a little chemical and nervous “shot.” Make this work to your favor by taking time to think a good thought.

Do It Right

Thoughts translate directly into physical function. In order to understand this better, please get a copy of my presentation “The Body/Mind Connection” DVD and watch it. I guarantee you will have “ah ha!” moments or your money back. And when you understand how the Body/Mind connection really works (the scientific understanding), your visualizations will become even more powerful.

5.) Affirmation – Speak or whisper a positive thought — like “Good for Me!” — out loud. (That would be your “insider code” for “That felt good and I’m glad I did it because it was good for me”). Or use any similar, positive phrase that feels right to you.

Why It Works

What we say — the actual act of speaking aloud — “feeds back” into our subconscious mind is a manner similar to visualization.

Do It Right

Some studies have shown that affirmations don’t work when we say things we don’t believe. The subconscious mind apparently rejects such affirmations as untrue. So aim small — and true.

“Good for Me” is a statement of fact. “That felt good and was good for me” might be another. “I absolutely LOVE this job” (that I’m taking a break from) if you DON’T love the job will not be as helpful as a simple uplifting thought, spoken with conviction. Don’t lie to yourself. It doesn’t work.

As I mentioned with visualization, I recommend that you get a copy of my presentation “The Body/Mind Connection” DVD and watch it. I guarantee you will have “ah ha”! moments or your money back. And when you understand how the Body/Mind connection really works (the scientific understanding), your visualizations and affirmations will become even more powerful.

6.) Smile – “just do it.”

Why It Works

Smiling has been found to have positive health benefits including improved mood, even when participants gave a “fake smile.” Scientists believe this may be due to nervous system connections we develop from earliest childhood. Most people appear to have an “automatic” connection between a smile and a good feeling behind it.

Do It Right

Good news. There is no way to do this wrong. “Just do it” — smile — and you’ll reap the benefits.

7.) Laugh. Out loud. This doesn’t have to be a belly laugh (although it can be!), a chuckle will do. Like the relationship between visualization and affirmation, laughing is the companion to smiling.

Why It Works

Unknown. However, laughing appears to be a deep human emotion-response, crossing language barriers. This may mean that the act of laughing is something associated with good feeling, right down to the level of our DNA.

Some studies have shown that laughing decreases blood pressure, increases immune globulin (improves immunity), decreases anxiety, increases circulation and oxygenation and gives the diaphragm and breathing apparatus a work-out.

Although results are inconclusive about the many benefits, no negative effects have ever been identified in association with laughter. In other words, it will either help you or it won’t, but it doesn’t hurt!

Do It Right

Good news again… There is no way to do this wrong. “Just do it” — laugh — and you’ll reap the benefits.

If you’re having trouble getting started, imagine a humorous situation, recall a funny joke, or think about how ridiculous it is to be laughing by yourself over nothing. Or just fake a laugh, like an actor laughing for a part.

8.) BONUS point if you have a mirror and you smile at yourself OR you smile at another person upon completion of the exercise, give yourself a bonus point. Remember, “Keep smiling. It makes people wonder what you’ve been up to!”

Summary

There you have it. Seven simple, free, nearly instant things you can do to improve your mental and physical health. When you string them together, you have a “mini rejuvenation” program in just around 60 seconds.

Try the exercise at least 3 times per day to start. (Wow, a whole 3 minutes a day to help yourself feel better. Can you afford the time?)

Don’t rush. Take your time and enjoy the wonderful feelings of a good back stretch, a tall posture, a deep breath, a good thought and affirmation, topped with a smile and a laugh.

All free. All easy.

All in just 60 seconds.