Magnesium: absorption vs. evacuation

February 28, 2002

In order to avoid mental strain, I haven't followed a certain recent

long thread, only reading selected, presumed highlights. Before I get

to the point, I'll just say that one shouldn't be hung up on Hulda

: while she may have some, ardent (but nice) fans, too, there

are open-minded people here who would question a few aspects of what

she does (like, giving hard-and-fast liver-flush rules with exact

timings, having a probably exaggerated view on the role of parasites,

going a very long way in promising good effects...). The liver flush

is an old trick (quote from web site: " My late grandmother removed

her gall stones by drinking double cream and melted butter " ) passed

down by many people in many variations, and in this forum I'm

interested in liver and gallbladder flushing, not in

prosecution.

Now, I have an honest, information-seeking question for Dale and

others about one detail. There are several approaches to flushing the

intestines during the cleanse: using Epsom salts, using cascara,

using warm water with 0.9% salt and yoga exercises, using nothing.

The common purposes (in the cases when something is used) are

evidently to clear the way for the stones and such, and to flush the

bowels for higher than normal levels of toxins released from the

liver, so that they don't stay in the bowels and get absorbed into

the blood or back into the liver. What I was told in another forum

(independently of the liver-flushing issue) is that the main reason

for the laxative effect of magnesium sulphate is that it irritates

the gut lining and consequently is expelled.

Some (many?) people believe that the magnesium sulphate has a good

effect on their results, beyond the laxative effect. I wonder

(innocently! I promise!) what effects can be had if the salts really

act as a laxative. For example, for the magnesium to relax smooth

muscle, including those controlling the bile ducts (which is often

maintained), it must be absorbed, and can it be absorbed and function

as a laxative at the same time? For muscle relaxation, it would seem

better to take a couple of magnesium capsules (which is actually what

is suggested on 's site, post-laxative). Do I have a point, or

am I missing something? What of the factors mentioned in one of

Dale's excellent posts (magnesium coming into the bile, etc) do not

depend on absorption, and what factors depend on it?

This is emphatically not an argument against liver flushing, rather

almost like a side issue, but it's still an unclear point for

inquiring minds. This post is not meant to be one of those totally

annoying ones, oozing of unfriendliness and unclear motives.

We haven't mentioned the sulfur, by the way (so there is nothing to

object to either!): sulfur is said to be good for the liver function

(it's needed to make bile acids), but, again, I guess this is when

it's absorbed?

-- Helge

March 2, 2002

Hi Helge,

I'm afraid I can't answer your question about the epsom (and we need people like

you to ask questions like that, and smart enough to understand the answers ;-)

), but because you threw in some comments about Dr. , I'd like to make a

couple observations. First, I don't think you can argue with success. What I

mean is, I imagine that one of the reasons Dr. lays out the procedures of

the cleanse so specifically and ridgedly is so that people will be sure to get

benefit from the liver cleanse. If they at least do it " her " way, they'll be

sure to have good results. And she does speak of having clinical evidence to

back it up. But, I'm sure there are other ways, additions to, or variations of

her cleanse that would be equally successful. However, most people would not

know what they could change. Agnes has been helpful in that regard in many of

her posts.

I find that I'm not always in agreement with Dr. myself. Coming from a

chiropractic phisophical background, I find that Dr. has completely

overlooked the health of the spine as a factor in establishing good health.

Helge Gundersen <helge.gundersen@...> wrote: In order to avoid mental

strain, I haven't followed a certain recent