DETOXIFICATION

WHY DETOX?

A very good question. At Helping To Heal, we understand a toxin to be a substance which is at a concentration considered harmful to the health of the body. Many substances are considered to be toxic in fairly small concentrations, such as aluminum, lead, mercury, and arsenic. We absorb them from environmental sources such as well water, industrial chemicals, food additives, medicines, even hair sprays and other chemicals in contact with the skin. When their concentrations are large enough to cause a problem, we expect health to be improved as they are cleared from the body, That is what “detoxing” is all about.

ARE SOME TOXINS WORSE THAN OTHERS?

Definitely. Mercury in its methyl form is said to be the most poisonous non-radioactive chemical known to man, estimated at some 30,000 times more poisonous than arsenic. Mercury toxicity is common among our patients. Mercury may also be involved in individuals with symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other neurological conditions. Work at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine indicates that low levels of mercury can inhibit the growth of brain nerve fibers and cause their entanglement in a manner similar to what has been observed in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Click on the web link below to see a video from their research that may be as troubling to you as it is to us: Detox Video

HOW DO I KNOW IF TOXINS MAY BE AFFECTING MY BODY?

It is tempting to say that if you’ve lived a few years on the planet, you need to clear the poisons which have accumulated in your body. According to Andrew Hall Cutler PhD, PE, (Hair Test Interpretation: Finding Hidden Toxicities, available at www.noamalgam.com) heavy metals, especially mercury, may be implicated in a long list of conditions, such as ALS, learning disabilities, depression, allergies, cancer, autism, ADHD, colitis, anxiety, obesity, diabetes, insomnia, infertility, birth defects, fibromyalgia, schizophrenia, chronic fatigue, hypothyroidism, vision problems, MS, Parkinson’s, lupus erythematosus, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, to name just a few. If you have symptoms which mystify your family physician, toxins may be a factor. Since your physician may simply not be knowledgeable in this area and so may be reluctant to order a test for fear that he cannot justify its need to your insurance company, you may need to become your own “health detective” and invest in the tests yourself.

Since urine and blood tests tend to primarily measure very recent exposure, a careful hair test is frequently a reliable and cost effective measure of the overall body burden, especially for heavy metals. In this method, a tablespoon of hair is snipped from near the skin, usually at the nape of the neck, and sent to a lab for analysis. It is important that the hair has not been treated with bleach, permanents or colorants within the past 60 days. (The client may supply pubic hair in this case.) Our analysis is done by Doctors Data Inc. of St. Charles IL. Periodic hair sampling is used to determine how the client is progressing in detoxing. Shown below is a recent hair analysis report for a female client. The bars at the top of this page are those for "potentially toxic" elements, such as aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, & mercury, while those in the lower half are for "essential and other" elements, such as calcium, magnesium, and iron. This client shows high levels of arsenic, cadmium and lead. High levels of arsenic are common for clients in our geographical area who get their drinking water from a farm well. The client is also a smoker, which may account for the high levels of cadmium, and the older farm house in which the family lives may have water pipes joined with lead based solder. (The toxic metals indicated are normally removable over several months time, using the approaches discussed below.)

I HAVE HAD A HAIR TEST, AND THE MERCURY LEVEL SHOWS AS VERY LOW. COULD I STILL BE MERCURY TOXIC?

Yes, according to Dr. Cutler. When the mercury toxicity reaches high levels, mercury may not be excreted through the hair. Instead, it can be detected statistically, from its disruption of the levels of the essential elements. Unfortunately, most physicians are not aware of this behavior. An inexperienced physician who tests for mercury at the insistence of a patient but finds a low level, may conclude that mercury is not a problem, when in fact it may be a very SERIOUS problem. It takes some experience. A hair test and a count of your mercury amalgam dental fillings is a way to begin to understand the importance of heavy metals in your system.

Hair Element Test results for 57 year old female. Patient clearly has arsenic toxicity, and probable mercury toxicity, even though measured mercury level in the hair is low. (Probable mercury toxicity is determined from statistical tests applied to the "Essential and Other" Elements bars in lower half of the report page.)
(click this image to see larger)

HOW IS DETOXING DONE?

At Helping to Heal, we currently use three methods to help our clients detox:

1. A sauna will help in clearing heavy metals from the body. The newer FIR (far infrared) saunas are thought to be even better. One source reports that of the material “sweated” from the skin in a far infrared sauna, about 20% may be toxins! Saunas are inexpensive to operate and comfortable for most people to use. Our clients often use our FIR sauna for muscle and joint pains. Saunas are also thought to be helpful for hypertension, bronchial congestion, erectile dysfunction, even for cancer. Following 30 minutes in the sauna, our clients usually go just down the hall in our privacy area to take a warm shower, cleansing the skin of the toxins.


The "Far Infrared Sauna" uses electrical heaters to provide long wave infrared radiation to warm the body. Long wave radiation is believed to penetrate the body more deeply, for safe, more effective heating without discomfort to the user.

2. We also use an ionic cleansing “foot bath” for removal of heavy metals and other toxins from the body. This is easy to do-- you simply place your bare feet into a plastic tub, add some warm, distilled water and a little salt, then a weak electrical current is run through the water. Some twenty minutes later, the clean, clear water you started with now looks pretty putrid! Toxins come out through the soles of the feet, perhaps in association with the acupuncture meridians thought to terminate at the feet. A therapist works with you to ensure safety.


The ionic cleansing foot bath, at the start of a treatment. The little box allows a weak electrical current to be fed into the distilled water solution. The ionic cleansing foot bath, at the start of a treatment. The little box allows a weak electrical current to be fed into the distilled water solution.



The "same set of feet", but 30 minutes later. An experienced therapist can sometimes identify the toxins from their color and other characteristics. DDI testing indicates that heavy metals such as Antimony, Arsenic, Copper, Lead, Uranium, Barium, Cadmium, Nickel & Aluminum are removed from the body into the water. The odor of Chlorine is often noted when detoxing the feet of urban residents.

3. The third method we use is DetoxMax Plus, an advanced form of oral chelation, developed by Sir Arnold Takemoto and his team, of BioImmune, Inc. of Scottsdale. Manufacturer's literature indicates that DetoxMax Plus is not only effective in reducing heavy metals, but also in reducing cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, LP (a), Soluble Fibrin, and thickness of blood. Research supports its ability to increase HDL, brain circulation, heart circulation, and peripheral circulation, and to help repair damaged liver, damaged coronary arteries, damaged blood vessels generally, damaged brain circulation, and injured tendons, ligaments and cartilage. Research by Dr. James Roberts MD (DVD available upon request) indicates that DetoxMax Plus also provides REVERSE CHOLESTEROL TRANSPORT-- a process of clearing cholesterol deposits from the blood vessels, thus lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of cardiovascular problems. Our experience at Helping To Heal suggests that this process is gentle, safe and effective. Cost for administration of this product is in the vicinity of $2 per day, averaged over time.


DeToxMax Plus is a "nanotechnology" product whose ingredients are microencapsulated by a special process, achieving particle sizes sufficiently small to "grab hold" of toxins present inside cells, AND to cross the blood/brain barrier to assist in the removal of toxins from the brain itself.

WHAT WILL DETOXING COST ME?

This will depend upon the need. Often, a client will notice a difference in her overall energy level after a few sessions of ionic cleansing or sauna, or after a few vials of oral chelation. If there is a need to clear serious circulatory blockages or the client has a high body burden of major toxins, it will take longer. Typically, clients choose to invest a few hundred dollars in detox when problems are found. Detox is not cheap, but is usually well worth the investment when improved health is the outcome.