Introduction

The concepts of internal cleansing and detoxification have been around for centuries. Detoxification of the body refers to the cleansing of the bowels, kidneys, lungs, the liver and the blood since these are the organs involved in the detoxification of chemicals and toxins from the body.

Toxins

A toxin is defined as any compound that has a detrimental effect on cell function or structure.

Toxins can damage the body in an insidious and cumulative way. Once the internal detoxification system becomes overloaded, toxic metabolites begin to accumulate. We also become progressively more sensitive to other chemicals, some of which are normally non-toxic. It is this accumulation of toxins over a period of time than can wreak havoc on our normal metabolic processes thus causing numerous allergies and addictions.

Toxins include industrial chemicals and their polluted by-products, pesticides, additives in our foods, heavy metals, anesthetics, drug deposits, environmental hormones, and secondary smoke. More than two million synthetic substances have been identified and 25,000 new toxins are added each year. About 30,000 are produced on a commercial scale. Unfortunately, only a miniscule percentage is ever tested for toxicity.

Long term exposure to toxins can result in metabolic and genetic alternations that can affect cell growth, behavior and immune response. This is because the molecular structures of toxins are carcinogenic as they interact with human DNA. The World Health Organization has implicated environmental toxic chemicals in over 60 to 80 per cent of all cancer cases.

Types of Toxins

These can be broadly classified into the following categories:

1. Heavy metals toxins
2. Liver toxins
3. Microbial toxins
4. Protein by-products toxins
   

A. Heavy Metals Toxins

Lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, and aluminum are included in this category. These metals tend to accumulate in the brain, kidneys and immune system.

Up to 25 percent of the US population suffer from heavy metal poisoning especially from lead, mercury, and aluminum. Over 600,000 tons of lead is released into the atmosphere from industrial processes and leaded gasoline. The toxins could then either be inhaled or ingested after being deposited on food crops, fresh water and soil.

Heavy metal toxicity has been linked to several diseases including Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and severe neurological disorders.

Other common sources of heavy metals include lead from pesticides sprays and cooking utensils; cadmium and lead from cigarette smoke; mercury from dental fillings, contaminated fish, and aluminum from antacids, cookware, and soda cans.

Hair mineral analysis is a convenient but often unreliable screening test. The most accurate measurement is by blood analysis of actual toxin levels within the red blood cells. Many toxic metals have a tendency to accumulate inside the cell where most of the damage is done. Serum toxic metal levels do not correlate well with intracellular toxic metal levels.

The early signs of heavy metal poisoning are vague or often attributed to other diseases. The early symptoms of heavy metal poisoning include headaches, fatigue, muscle pain, indigestion, tremors, constipation, anemia, indigestion and tremors. Mild toxicity symptoms include impaired memory and distorted thinking ability. Severe toxicity can lead to death.

Solution: Chelation therapy using EDTA to bind toxic metals, high potency multiple-vitamin-and mineral supplement, vitamin C and B complex, sulfur containing amino acids (methionine, cysteine, and taurine), and high sulfur-content foods such as garlic, onion, eggs, water-soluble fibers such as guar gum, oat bran, pectin and psyllium seed.

B. Liver Toxins

The liver is the major detoxification center of the body. It acts as an "in-line" filter for the removal of foreign substances and wastes from the blood. Toxins that are cleared by the liver include alcohol, solvents, formaldehyde, pesticides, herbicides and food additives. Despite varying chemical toxicity, the liver has the function of reducing toxins into compounds that the body can safely handle and remove through the kidneys (as urine), skin (as sweat), lungs (as expelled air) and bowels (as feces). Optimal liver function is therefore essential for good health.

The symptoms of heavy metal poisoning in the liver include psychological and neurological symptoms such as depression, headache, mental confusion, mental illness, abnormal nerve reflexes and tingling in the hands.

The solution is to take compounds that support the liver's detoxification mechanism. Such compounds include milk thistle extract, choline, methionine , and antioxidants.

C. Microbial Toxins

Toxins produced by unwanted bacteria and yeast in the gut can be absorbed which can cause a significant disruption of bodily functions. Examples of such toxins include endotoxins and exotoxins from bacteria, toxic amines, toxic derivatives from bile and many carcinogens. These toxins have been implicated in many diseases including Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, liver disease, psoriasis, lupus, pancreatitis, allergies, asthma ,and immune disorders.

In addition, antibodies formed against microbial molecules (antigens) can "cross-react" with the body's own cellular structure. This in turn causes autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, diabetes and autoimmune thyroiditis.

The solution is to follow a diet rich in fiber, particularly water-soluble fibers such as those found in vegetables, guar gum, pectin and oat bran. Fiber has the ability to eliminate toxins from the gut and promote their excretion. The replacement of healthy bacteria such as acidophilus is also helpful. Large doses of Vitamin C also have anti-bacterial and phagocytic effects, in addition to being a laxative.

D. Protein By-Product Toxins

The kidney is mainly responsible for the elimination of toxic waste products from protein breakdown such as ammonia and urea.

Detoxification of the body involves cleansing the kidney with adequate amounts of water (at least 8 to 10 glasses a day) and a reduction in protein intake (such as red meat) to avoid overloading the body with urea which is resulted from the breakdown of protein.