By: Jamie Doughty ND, Medical Director
Detoxification has become a common household term as we move into the 21st century. We’ve known for over 60 years that as technology was progressing so were the toxins and chemicals being detected in our environment. Every human being on our planet is subject to numerous commonplace chemicals such as plasticizers, phthaltes, bisphenols and pesticides (to name a few).
Basic detox perquisites include daily bowel movements, plenty of fiber, anti-inflammatory foods and water, water, water! Your body can only detox as fast as it can elimate, so ensure the liver and gut are functioning at their optimal capacity before beginning any detox regimen.
Case: Katie, a 35 year old mother of 4, presented wanting to lose 8-10 pounds of stress weight she had put on over the past several months. Her bowel movements were a few times a week and the days between movements left her irritable, bloated, puffy, uncomfortable in her belly and fatigued. Her diet included vegetables daily with high amounts of protein with little carbohydrates and fat. She had little time for exercise and self care.
The first step in any detoxification and weight loss program must included the guts’ ability to excrete what the liver is packaging for elimination, otherwise toxins can be reabsorbed back into systemic circulation. We began with the goal of having at least one effortless bowel movement a day. She began taking 15 pellets of Diju with each meal and 30 at bedtime to support intestinal regularity with cathartic and digestive supportive herbs.
Later that week she began a series of 3 colon hydrotherapy sessions every 4-5 days. At her first colonic she had been having a bowel movement every other day which was an improvement. Her colon hydrotherapy released 4 pounds of old dry waste material! After the first session we added supplemental compounds to support the biotransformation of toxins in the liver, these included Curcumin, NAC, Milkthistle and Glutathione. It was also important for her to eat Cruciferous vegetables daily for their fiber content and anti-oxidant compounds.
At 2 weeks after her third colon hydrotherapy session she was having daily snake-shaped complete bowel movements, her energy was stable and strong and she had lost 8 pounds. Our individual capacity to metabolize and detoxify is is arguably the most important piece for cellular repair, regeneration and thriving in our modern age.
