Part 2: The importance of detoxing while fasting

[Guest guest]

> Detoxing and the Flagging Liver

> (part 2 of 3)

> (From Gerson Healing Newsletter Vol. 15, No. 3, May-June, 2000)

>

> by

> [This is Part 2 of a 3 part series of articles by Ms. ]

>

> I've come to the conclusion that nowadays treatment follows the premise

" the

> more that is wrong with you, the more you put in. " Many clients come with

> bags full of nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies and herbal

> preparations and have been following a diet that I couldn't fault on a

> scientific nutritional basis and yet they have seen no significant impact

on

> health or real reversal of their condition. Why? - they ask. The answer is

> simple - if you don't address the toxicity then you can expect no

long-term

> results. In fact, with detoxification - the more that is wrong with you,

the

> less you put in.

>

> There are three questions that need to be answered: how great is the toxic

> load, how well can it be eliminated and how fast can we safely do this?

For

> although a person may come with specific problems in reality these only

> reflect varying degrees of toxicity. The more toxic, the lower the

vitality

> and the more severe the illness. In any case history you see a gradual

> deterioration on all levels; the impairment of the digestive system which

> may have started with simple food intolerances leading to severe allergies

> and chemical sensitivities; the gradual impairment of the immune system

> giving rise to recurrent infection, candidiasis and later parasites; the

> gradual decline of thyroid activity (closely connected with immune

function)

> where the slight drop in body temperature allows persistent activation of

> viruses including HIV; poor blood sugar control leading to addictions and

> later depression and last, but not least, the general decline in

fertility.

>

> So how do we handle toxicity and remove it? Detoxification involves

firstly

> getting the tissues to release toxicity and secondly, ensuring its

> elimination to the outside. The second part of the equation is the most

> important of all, for you may be unleashing years of accumulated toxins

that

> have been " safely " tucked away (albeit lowering the vitality of the

tissues)

> into the blood stream at one go. This can be a greater toxic insult to the

> tissues and organs than the small doses received on a daily basis leaving

> the body in a more weakened condition than before. Unfortunately this is

the

> first mistake that people make. They feel that the greater the toxicity,

the

> more aggressive the treatment should be. The strongest impetus is fasting,

> next is fruit juice fasting, then fruit and vegetable juices, then just

> vegetable juices. Next comes foods - first fruits, then vegetables, first

> raw and then cooked. A recent case I had provides a fine example of the

> famous saying by the late Dr. who said " Fasting is like fire -

> it can either gently warm you or it can kill you. "

>

> A 47 year old man suffering with chronic fatigue over the last four years

> sold his business and decided to take a six week holiday and go on a water

> fast. His previous history showed that he suffered tonsillitis as a child,

> later developed food intolerances, hay fever, and recently had gallstones.

> There was a very strong family history of heart conditions and cancer.

> Almost immediately following the fast the man was diagnosed with bacterial

> endocarditis, which carries 30% mortality. He underwent treatment but is

> left with a permanently compromised heart valve where he may require a

valve

> replacement within the next 2 years.

>

> When we unlock such poisons in our system unless we ensure their removal

to

> the outside they will damage the body and leave it vulnerable to

infection.

> We assume that the body detoxifies as it goes along- including toxins from

> drugs. Yet it becomes apparent, for example, when a patient who has

> undergone chemotherapy starts to detox that the bone marrow may become

> depressed in the initial stages as the chemotherapy residue is shifted

into

> the circulation: thus the patient effectively gets a second dose. If this

is

> managed properly no ill effects occur. It is obvious from the case history

> of the example above that this man was not able to complete the second

stage

> of the equation - elimination to the outside because his liver, a major

> route of detoxification, was blocked (gall stones).

>

> The more toxic we become, the more " stuck " we are and the treatment must

be

> more carefully managed. The liver is like an exit from a congested

freeway.

> If the exit is blocked, the traffic will jam. If we then decide to send in

a

> bulldozer to shift the traffic you will have a pile up. This is exactly

what

> happens when you detoxify too aggressively without ensuring that the liver

> can cope with the amount of toxicity released. The liver is like a filter,

> which can clog and become weakened. This is especially true if you have

> suffered from glandular fever, Ross River Fever, hepatitis, digestive

> problems and gallstones.

>

> We need to support the liver in its task of detoxification and there are

> various ways to do this. You can take specific herbs, which promote the

> production and flow of bile by the liver (major route of detoxification of

> drugs and chemicals), but this may not be totally efficient as a good

> proportion of the toxic bile is reabsorbed from the gastro-intestinal

tract.

> Or there's the coffee enema! Gerson's genius lay in the fact that he

> recognized the dangers of toxic release into the system and he found a way

> to deal with it. He was working against time with many of his terminally

ill

> patients and it was vital that he secured maximum detoxification right

from

> the beginning. Gerson found that if he matched the rate of elimination of

> toxicity from the tissues with its rate of removal to the outside then

over

> a period of time total healing occurred. It was the coffee enema that made

> this possible.

>

> Gerson knew that the coffee enema dilated the bile ducts and caused a

> flushing of toxic bile from the liver. (Drinking coffee constricts the

bile

> ducts). He also knew that this was the most effective method for

> detoxification. Since Gerson's time various active ingredients in coffee

> have been identified and most interestingly, the palmitates present in

> coffee increase the binding of toxic elements by the bile 7-fold and this

> enzyme-enhancing ability in the liver and small intestine does not allow

> reabsorption of the toxic bile. Most cholerectic herbs do not ensure this

> complete removal of toxins but only an increase in bile flow.

>

> In order to assist detoxification I often recommend the coffee enema. They

> guard against a toxic build-up that can make you feel so dreadful and in

> this way help the body to heal. It is important to remember that the

coffee

> enemas go hand-in-hand with the juices: no enemas - no juices and no

> juices - no enemas. The juices will remove toxicity from the tissues and

the

> coffee enema ensures its removal to the outside. If used without the

juices

> they will ultimately have a depleting effect on nutrients. The rule of

thumb

> is - 3 juices (3 x 250mls) per coffee enema. If you increase the juices

then

> you can safely increase the enemas.

>

> About the author

> , a dietary therapist, is author of the book " Get a Life:

> the detoxification diet made easy! " ISBN 0-646-31829-2. You may order this

> through her web site at: www.getalife.on.net. has a practice in

> Australia and holds regular workshops and lectures on the topic of

> detoxification. She also runs courses for students and practitioners of

> natural therapies. has completed phases I and II of the Gerson

> Practitioner training, and she is currently fulfilling her Phase III

> requirements. She is also a member of the Gerson Institute's board of

> directors

[Guest guest]

> > http://www.gerson.org/healing/articles/nl_detoxingliver.htm

> >

> > Detoxing and the Flagging Liver

> > (part 2 of 3)

> > (From Gerson Healing Newsletter Vol. 15, No. 3, May-June, 2000)

> >

> > by

> >

> > [This is Part 2 of a 3 part series of articles by Ms. ]

> >

> > I've come to the conclusion that nowadays treatment follows the premise

> " the

> > more that is wrong with you, the more you put in. " Many clients come

with

> > bags full of nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies and herbal

> > preparations and have been following a diet that I couldn't fault on a

> > scientific nutritional basis and yet they have seen no significant

impact

> on

> > health or real reversal of their condition. Why? - they ask. The answer

is

> > simple - if you don't address the toxicity then you can expect no

> long-term

> > results. In fact, with detoxification - the more that is wrong with you,

> the

> > less you put in.

> >

> > There are three questions that need to be answered: how great is the

toxic

> > load, how well can it be eliminated and how fast can we safely do this?

> For

> > although a person may come with specific problems in reality these only

> > reflect varying degrees of toxicity. The more toxic, the lower the

> vitality

> > and the more severe the illness. In any case history you see a gradual

> > deterioration on all levels; the impairment of the digestive system

which

> > may have started with simple food intolerances leading to severe

allergies

> > and chemical sensitivities; the gradual impairment of the immune system

> > giving rise to recurrent infection, candidiasis and later parasites; the

> > gradual decline of thyroid activity (closely connected with immune

> function)

> > where the slight drop in body temperature allows persistent activation

of

> > viruses including HIV; poor blood sugar control leading to addictions

and

> > later depression and last, but not least, the general decline in

> fertility.

> >

> > So how do we handle toxicity and remove it? Detoxification involves

> firstly

> > getting the tissues to release toxicity and secondly, ensuring its

> > elimination to the outside. The second part of the equation is the most

> > important of all, for you may be unleashing years of accumulated toxins

> that

> > have been " safely " tucked away (albeit lowering the vitality of the

> tissues)

> > into the blood stream at one go. This can be a greater toxic insult to

the

> > tissues and organs than the small doses received on a daily basis

leaving

> > the body in a more weakened condition than before. Unfortunately this is

> the

> > first mistake that people make. They feel that the greater the toxicity,

> the

> > more aggressive the treatment should be. The strongest impetus is

fasting,

> > next is fruit juice fasting, then fruit and vegetable juices, then just

> > vegetable juices. Next comes foods - first fruits, then vegetables,

first

> > raw and then cooked. A recent case I had provides a fine example of the

> > famous saying by the late Dr. who said " Fasting is like

fire -

> > it can either gently warm you or it can kill you. "

> >

> > A 47 year old man suffering with chronic fatigue over the last four

years

> > sold his business and decided to take a six week holiday and go on a

water

> > fast. His previous history showed that he suffered tonsillitis as a

child,

> > later developed food intolerances, hay fever, and recently had

gallstones.

> > There was a very strong family history of heart conditions and cancer.

> > Almost immediately following the fast the man was diagnosed with

bacterial

> > endocarditis, which carries 30% mortality. He underwent treatment but is

> > left with a permanently compromised heart valve where he may require a

> valve

> > replacement within the next 2 years.

> >

> > When we unlock such poisons in our system unless we ensure their removal

> to

> > the outside they will damage the body and leave it vulnerable to

> infection.

> > We assume that the body detoxifies as it goes along- including toxins

from

> > drugs. Yet it becomes apparent, for example, when a patient who has

> > undergone chemotherapy starts to detox that the bone marrow may become

> > depressed in the initial stages as the chemotherapy residue is shifted

> into

> > the circulation: thus the patient effectively gets a second dose. If

this

> is

> > managed properly no ill effects occur. It is obvious from the case

history

> > of the example above that this man was not able to complete the second

> stage

> > of the equation - elimination to the outside because his liver, a major

> > route of detoxification, was blocked (gall stones).

> >

> > The more toxic we become, the more " stuck " we are and the treatment must

> be

> > more carefully managed. The liver is like an exit from a congested

> freeway.

> > If the exit is blocked, the traffic will jam. If we then decide to send

in

> a

> > bulldozer to shift the traffic you will have a pile up. This is exactly

> what

> > happens when you detoxify too aggressively without ensuring that the

liver

> > can cope with the amount of toxicity released. The liver is like a

filter,

> > which can clog and become weakened. This is especially true if you have

> > suffered from glandular fever, Ross River Fever, hepatitis, digestive

> > problems and gallstones.

> >

> > We need to support the liver in its task of detoxification and there are

> > various ways to do this. You can take specific herbs, which promote the

> > production and flow of bile by the liver (major route of detoxification

of

> > drugs and chemicals), but this may not be totally efficient as a good

> > proportion of the toxic bile is reabsorbed from the gastro-intestinal

> tract.

> > Or there's the coffee enema! Gerson's genius lay in the fact that he

> > recognized the dangers of toxic release into the system and he found a

way

> > to deal with it. He was working against time with many of his terminally

> ill

> > patients and it was vital that he secured maximum detoxification right

> from

> > the beginning. Gerson found that if he matched the rate of elimination

of

> > toxicity from the tissues with its rate of removal to the outside then

> over

> > a period of time total healing occurred. It was the coffee enema that

made

> > this possible.

> >

> > Gerson knew that the coffee enema dilated the bile ducts and caused a

> > flushing of toxic bile from the liver. (Drinking coffee constricts the

> bile

> > ducts). He also knew that this was the most effective method for

> > detoxification. Since Gerson's time various active ingredients in coffee

> > have been identified and most interestingly, the palmitates present in

> > coffee increase the binding of toxic elements by the bile 7-fold and

this

> > enzyme-enhancing ability in the liver and small intestine does not allow

> > reabsorption of the toxic bile. Most cholerectic herbs do not ensure

this

> > complete removal of toxins but only an increase in bile flow.

> >

> > In order to assist detoxification I often recommend the coffee enema.

They

> > guard against a toxic build-up that can make you feel so dreadful and in

> > this way help the body to heal. It is important to remember that the

> coffee

> > enemas go hand-in-hand with the juices: no enemas - no juices and no

> > juices - no enemas. The juices will remove toxicity from the tissues and

> the

> > coffee enema ensures its removal to the outside. If used without the

> juices

> > they will ultimately have a depleting effect on nutrients. The rule of

> thumb

> > is - 3 juices (3 x 250mls) per coffee enema. If you increase the juices

> then

> > you can safely increase the enemas.

> >

> > About the author

> > , a dietary therapist, is author of the book " Get a

Life:

> > the detoxification diet made easy! " ISBN 0-646-31829-2. You may order

this

> > through her web site at: www.getalife.on.net. has a practice in

> > Australia and holds regular workshops and lectures on the topic of

> > detoxification. She also runs courses for students and practitioners of

> > natural therapies. has completed phases I and II of the Gerson

> > Practitioner training, and she is currently fulfilling her Phase III

> > requirements. She is also a member of the Gerson Institute's board of

> > directors.