Keep Your House Clean – Your Body-House, That Is!

Now that we know something about our toxic environment, both inside and outside our homes and inside and outside our bodies, how do we go about DE-toxifying our environments?  We can move from our home to avoid pollution, but our body-home is ours until…..  In the last issue we touch upon some of the measures we can take such as avoiding exposure, eating organic, and taking supplements such as Vitamins A, C and E.  But there is one thing that we can do - we can most effectively detoxify our bodies by supporting the body's self-cleansing mechanisms. The liver, kidneys, and bowels are the body's key detoxifying systems.

Liver: Our Chemical Filter

The liver is a very versatile organ. It is also the second largest organ in the body (The largest is our skin).  The liver is involved in the storage of sugar in the form of glycogen, synthesis of various substances used in the digestion and metabolism of food and in detoxifying the system.  The blood flows directly from the gastrointestinal tract to the liver, so the liver can detoxify some of the poisons before they're distributed to the rest of the body.  These altered substances can then be eliminated.

Only a fraction of ingested chem­icals are altered on their first trip through the liver, according to Nutrition, Stress, and Toxic Chemicals, by Arthur j. Vander, M.D. However, the blood keeps returning to the liver, recycling the chemicals, where they can be transformed on return visits. Most of the altered toxins circulate throughout the body until they're excreted by the kidneys or in the bile, through which they reach the intestine and can be excreted with the feces.  There is one over-the-counter medication that is notorious for liver damage because the liver can’t detoxify it – acetaminophen.  It is imperative that the correct dosage be followed.  Now there is a class of pharmaceuticals that have the potential to damage the liver – the cholesterol-lowering statins.  Use of these drugs requires that your liver function be tested often. 

To support healthy liver function, avoid alcohol and tobacco; follow a low-fat, high-fiber, nutrient-dense diet. Avoid refined sugars and refined processed foods. A multivitamin and mineral supplement, regular exercise, and stress management are also beneficial.

A standardized extract from the common milk thistle, Silybum marianum, also supports liver health. Studies have shown that silymarin, available in capsule form in health food stores, works as an antioxidant, fighting free radicals. Silymarin has also been shown to raise the glutathione (GSH) content of the liver by over 35 percent in healthy people, according to Michael T. Murray, N.D., physician, teacher, and author. GSH is able to detoxify a broad range of potentially damaging substances. Raising the liver's glutathione content boosts this organ's ability to detoxify the body.  Curcumin is a standardized extract from the spice turmeric.  It also provides powerful support and protection for the liver and is also available in capsule form.

Kidneys: Waste Removal Experts

Toxins and by-products of metabolism are wastes that must be removed from the body so they don't build up and contaminate the cells, preventing the normal functions of the cells. Blood transports wastes and toxins to the two kidneys. In the kidneys, these wastes are filtered out of the blood and mixed with any excess water to produce urine. At periodic intervals, urine is expelled from the bladder through a tube called the urethra.

The importance of drinking plenty of high-quality water to kidney health cannot be over-emphasized. The kidneys can operate efficiently only if the volume of water flowing through it is sufficient to carry away the filtered wastes.

Dehydration is the most common source of stress on the kidneys. Drinking eight glasses of pure water daily is rec­ommended for kidney health. Avoidance of, or limiting coffee, colas, alcohol, and excessive protein will take stress off the kidneys.  Caffeine acts as a diuretic – it increases the rate at which the kidneys excrete water.  Colas are a known irritant to the kidneys and bladder as well as a culprit in the loss of calcium through the urine.  Long-term use of high protein, high fat diets put tremendous stress on the kidneys and disrupt the water balance of the body leading to the excess excretion of the good nutrients such as potassium and calcium.  Many antibiotics and other drugs are excreted in the urine.  If allowed to remain in the body, these drugs would soon become toxic instead of beneficial. 

Herbs and supplements, as well as a healthy lifestyle of good diet, plenty of water and exercise that help normalize blood pressure can be beneficial to the kidneys.  High blood pressure puts extra pressure on the small capillaries in the kidneys and interferes with their filtering functions.  Consult the knowledgeable experts at our health food store or other  independent health food stores for suggestions that would help you.

Bowels: Toxin Eliminator

Healthy bowels and colon are essential to effective detoxification. In Bowel Toxemia: A Dusty Old Concept Re­considered, Patrick Donovan, R.N., N.D., writes, "If colon health is compromised in any way...there may be a greater release of toxins from the bowel into the systemic circulation."

Dr. Donovan links this release of toxins to crippling diseases, organ dysfunction and failure, and accelerated aging. Bowel toxemia is believed to contribute to autoimmune and immune complex diseases as well as inflammatory conditions.

Colon detoxification entails improving the quality of digestion and elimination, increasing the amount of whole foods and fiber in the diet, and occasional fasting. In addition, drinking sufficient volumes of high-quality water and exercising regularly support bowel regularity.

Naturopathy advocates the use of short-term fasting to reduce the toxic load on the system. Three days to a week of consuming only freshly “juiced” vegetable and fruit juices (not “store bought”) gives the digestive system a rest from its usual routine and allows built up waste to be eliminated. 

To support a healthy colon:

1. Eat a diet low in fats and rich in fresh, whole, unprocessed vegetables, grains, legumes, and fruit. Get your protein from grains, legumes, fish, and skinned, white meat fowl.

2. Increase fiber intake from oat and other bran, pectin, psyllium seeds and husks, and flax seed. Herbal laxatives should only be used infrequently and in small amounts.

3. Phytosterols and saponins, present in many edible plants, and pectin and oat bran bind to cholesterol, pro­carcinogenic bile acid metabolites, and other toxins.

4. Decrease ulceration, inflammation, or irritation of the bowel mucosa, which make the bowel more permeable to toxins. To soothe inflammation and promote healing, try marshmallow root, slippery elm bark, licorice root, Chinese skullcap, witch hazel bark, chlorophyll, and goldenseal.  All are found in our health food store or other independent health food stores.

5. Prevent overgrowth of "unfriendly" bacteria in the bowel. Goldenseal helps balance intestinal flora by supporting systems that filter toxins from the body. “Good guy bacteria” Acidophilus – can be found in capsule form.  Certain fermented foods such as miso, sauerkraut, yogurt, and kefir (a liquid “yogurt”) also help suppress "unfriendly" bacteria and promote "friendly" bacteria.

6. Decrease colon spasms (spastic colon or irritable bowel syndrome).  Chamomile eases colon spasms, colic, diarrhea, and indigestion.

It is very important that any supplements taken be used in the correct amounts and be standardized if necessary.  You would be wise to consult with a practitioner knowledgeable in their use. 

Clearly, we need to address the causes, not just the effects of environ­mental poisons. But while we're bat­tling the pollution, we must also take care of our own bodies. We must reduce the toxic load on our systems as much as possi­ble and support our own self-cleansing functions. Through the use of pure water, clean nutrient-rich foods, antioxi­dants, fiber, specific herbs, and occa­sional fasting, we can reduce the im­pact of pollutants on our health while we work to promote a cleaner, more nontoxic environment.

Health is not everything, but without spiritual and physical health, everything is nothing.

Until next time we meet – may God Bless you with good health, with a little help from you!

The information in these columns is for educational purposes only and not to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Please consult your physician for any serious condition.

Len Rossi, ND has been a proponent of Natural Healing for 30 years. After a 25-year career as a pro wrestler, Len earned his Doctor Of Naturopathy degree in 1982 and is a Licensed Massage Therapist.