January 2001 Holistic Health Newsletter
Feasting brings the family or the tribe together and strengthens bonds. Feasting is a fine tradition in all cultures and ours is not to be left behind. We eat our way through the calendar from Thanksgiving to New Years. After the first of the year we gratefully return to plainer fare and ponder the dilemma of losing the extra pounds we put on.
During the holidays not only do we eat more food than usual but with the increased amount of food we ingest increased amounts of chemicals, pesticide residues and food additives.
Detoxification is the body's natural process of eliminating toxins or poisonous substances. The organs of detoxification are the kidneys, the liver, the intestines, the lungs, and the skin which produce urine, feces, exhalation, and perspiration-the substances of elimination.
To help the organs of elimination, many cultures, as well as some of the major religions of the world, require ritual detoxification which include fasting or special cleansing diets. The result is a rejuvenation of the body by clearing away wastes and dead cells and revitalizing the body's natural functions and healing capacities.
How do you know if you need detoxification? Some of the symptoms of a toxic body can be headaches, joint pain, insomnia, recurrent respiratory problems, back pain, allergy symptoms and mood changes.
Detoxification should be undertaken with the help of a qualified professional, and people with certain medical conditions should not try it.
There are several methods of detoxification: fasting and diets, colonic irrigation, chelation therapy and hyperthermia, to name the most popular forms.
Fasting and diets are some of the easiest and least expensive methods of detoxification. A weekend juice or water fast can do wonders for our bodies.
Try equal parts of carrot and celery juice diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio or a full weekend of monodiet (eating a single food for every meal) such as apples, pears or papayas. With digestive demands at a minimum, the body is able to clean out dead cells and toxic material.
cleanses the large intestine of deposited matter and draws toxins from the blood and lymph back into the colon for excretion.
uses a synthetic amino acid called EDTA which binds to toxic metals in the blood, such as cadmium, aluminum and lead and is flushed out through the kidneys.
has been successful in removing fat-stored toxic chemicals.
Any of these detoxification therapies can work well singly or in combination under professional supervision. The reward for your trouble is a feeling of lightness, sometimes weight loss, increased energy, younger skin and clearer mind.
When our liver is overloaded with the task of detoxifying too much food and too much chemical input, tempers flare easily.
The connection between liver function and emotions has long been recognized. A person with a congested liver who is quick to anger was said to have a "choleric" temperament.
The homeopathic remedy nux vomica is made from the seeds of the strychnos nux vomica tree. The seeds of this tree have been used medicinally since the Middle Ages.
In lower potencies nux v. is used to treat extreme oversensitivity and irritability. People who need this remedy feel angry and frustrated when their expectations are not met and become ill when they bottle up their anger.
Digestive complaints, such as indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea with cramps, nausea with colicky pain, constipation and hemorrhoids are all helped by this remedy.
In higher potencies nux vomica is used to treat a personality type who is ambitious, thrives on challenges and is often an entrepreneur or upper management professional. Impatience, perfectionism, explosive anger, overuse of coffee, alcohol and drugs characterize the nux vomica type.
They like rich, fatty foods, lots of spices, chili peppers, curries, coffee and alcohol-no wonder their liver rebels.
If you find that over the holidays you have indulged in too many items on the above list and are suffering the consequences, consider nux vomica for quick relief.
Two of the most useful herbs for blood cleansing, detoxing and taking care of your liver are dandelion and milk thistle.
Next time you feel plagued with dandelions in your yard, consider using them with gratitude.
The whole herb has medicinal and food value. The leaves, rich in potassium, add a fresh, appetite stimulant flavor to salads, the flower buds can be saut�ed, and the open flowers add edible beauty to a plate. The roots are a gentle cleansing tonic and the infusion is used for a range of problems including gallstones and jaundice, constipation, joint inflammations, eczema and acne.
These tall and beautiful but prickly plants with their purple globes pop up in neglected fields. The medicinal parts are the seeds and have been used for centuries so successfully that the thistle has been dubbed "Blessed" or "Holy". A decoction made from milk thistle strengthens, protects and helps regenerate liver cells. It's a general tonic for liver, gallbladder and spleen problems, for jaundice and gallstone colic.
You can buy the medicinal parts of these plants and brew up a tea or purchase a tincture and add drops to your tea or water according to the directions on the bottle. Dandelion and milk thistle are available in tincture combination as well.
It has been said that one man's medicine is another's poison. So how do you find out what is your medicine and avoid your poison?
Ancient healing disciplines such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda held that individuals belong to one of several different body types. Through centuries of observation they have arrived at lists of foods that, although beneficial for one body type, are harmful to another. Western versions of body typing include the blood type diet and the metabolic typing diet.
Our nutritional needs are as uniquely individual as our faces. Moreover, these needs vary depending on our age, health status, lifestyle and stress level, and can change from day to day.
When designing a beneficial, life supporting diet, take into account the whole person, his or her medical history, body type and lifestyle. In order to rekindle our intuition about what is good and what is bad for us, we must learn to read the clues our body gives us. Also keep in mind that food needs to be a source of enjoyment. Lack of enjoyability is the main reason stringent diets and calorie counting don't work. The right diet makes you feel good inside and out.
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