Home | About
The Clinic | About
Herbal Medicine | Herbs A-Z | Conditions Treated A-Z or By Group | Videos | Articles, Poems, Music | Contact Us | Site Map |
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||
Our Pages
ABOUT
|
What exactly is a toxin?
A toxin is any substance that causes a negative effect on our cells ability to survive and function properly. Toxins that originate from outside the body are called exogenous toxins. Common examples include the array of chemicals now used in food processing and agriculture, solvents in cleaning materials, pharmaceutical drugs and the extensive contamination with environmental metals such as lead, aluminium, mercury and cadmium. We live in a heavily polluted world, mostly we can’t see it, but it’s there. Toxins that we produce inside our own bodies are called endogenous toxins. These come from our own metabolic processes and include carbon dioxide and lactic acid (by-products of cellular respiration), urea (one of the by-products of breaking down proteins) and the common problem of gastrointestinal toxaemia (the absorption of waste products from the digestive system into the blood).
There are many physical signs that the body needs help with removing a build-up of toxins such as dark rings under the eyes, bad skin or white to yellow ‘fur’ over the surface of the tongue. Often the body itself tells us when it is labouring under a too heavy burden of waste products. The most commonly affected systems in the body are the nervous system, the digestive tract and the immune system. Excess toxicity frequently manifests in the nervous system because if your body is unable to rapidly remove a toxin it gets stored in fat and each and every nerve cell is dependent on a healthy coating of myelin (tissue made almost entirely from fat).. Typical signs of toxicity in the nervous system include; fatigue, headaches, poor concentration and mental confusion. Behavioural changes are also common, excess toxicity can cause irritability, moodiness, depression and anxiety. The digestive system shows toxicity in symptoms such as excessive gas, bloating, belching, heartburn, constipation or diarrhoea. Other problems (such as allergies) can cause the same kinds of symptoms and sometimes the only way to know for sure is to do some effective detoxification and see what improves. The immune system is always directly involved when toxins are present. We have billions of powerful immune cells throughout our bodies that are there to deal with toxicity just as much as microbes. When our immune systems can't keep up it is common to see food allergies, recurrent infections, autoimmune disorders, sensitivities to substances in the environment, inflammatory joint disorders and chronic skin problems.
It is very common that, in the process of getting rid of toxic substances, people experience one or more symptoms of what is known as a ‘healing crisis’. Typical experiences include feeling cold sweats or other changes in body temperature, having headaches that come and go or move around, getting stiffness deep in the joints, feeling achey and sore (people often think they are getting a flu) and getting changes in gut function (the most common one just being going to the toilet more than usual). People often get a sense within themselves that these are not sinister symptoms and that they will soon pass. Most people make an instinctive connection with it being a necessary process and not a sign that they are getting sicker. It is important to drink plenty of water and to rest when you are tired. Doing those two things will ensure that this stage passes quickly. If done properly, the long term response to detoxification is superb. People feel a lot better in themselves and, vitally, we usually see a big shift start to happen with their health problems a a resutl.
For many people, so long as they are taking the right herbs and eating a clean diet, it takes as little as 2 or 3 weeks, for others it can take as much as 3 months. There is no set rule and I personally take each case as it comes.
Do not go out and buy a herbal detox program from a shop. Don't worry, I am not going to sell you something online instead! You should read the cleansing diet notes as a general guide. However if you want to get the best medicine in the best way then find a good herbalist and go see them. Will it cost you more in the first place? Yes. |
|
||||||||||||||||
TOP
Home | About Richard | About
The Clinic | About
Herbal Medicine | Herbs A-Z | Conditions Treated A-Z or By Group | Videos | Articles, Poetry, Music & more | Contact Us | Site Map |
© 2011 R.J.Whelan Ltd