By John H. Biggs BSc, NCP - Owner Optimum Health Vitamins Share on Facebook
I could not even estimate the number of times I have been asked which cleanse I think is the best, and until now I have always been somewhat reluctant to give a clear cut answer. This is partly because I have not been thrilled with the approach that many cleanses take, causing detoxification reactions, etc. Also, the more effective cleanses are usually practitioner-only products that can be extremely expensive, and not always suitable for health maintenance situations.
Exercise, (particularly involving sweating), drinking adequate amounts of properly filtered water, and eating plenty of organic fruits and vegetables are ongoing daily measures that can help, but for a more thorough elimination of persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals, what do you do?
To address these issues, the cleanse I recommend is a Natural Factors product called the “RevitalX / Detoxitech -7 Day Total Nutritional Cleansing Program”. (And no, Natural Factors did not put me up to this, or elicit this in any way. It’s just that I want to give a clear response to all those people who ask me about this topic.)
What really sets this Natural Factors cleanse program apart from many less effective products is its ability to actually get stuff out of your body. It is easy to stir up things like heavy metals, but it is another case to make sure you are getting the nutritional elements you need to bind them , and escort them all the way out, without being re-absorbed.
Originally designed by Michael Lyon, M.D., this cleanse addresses what I see as two of the most important factors in detoxification: proper liver support factors addressing the different stages of detoxification to actually get the toxins out to the gut; and then supporting gut structure and function by reducing inflammation in the small and large intestines, and providing the nutrients for maintaining the gut lining- which if normal, is amazingly thin. This aids in the gut’s ability to finish the job and flush things out. Most cleanses on the consumer retail market simply do not adequately address this second crucial aspect.
Like I have said so many times: “The gut and liver are glued together. What affects one, affects the other”. Though such interconnected relationships exist between the rest of the body’s organs as well, this is especially true of the liver/gut tandem due to what is called “enterohepatic circulation” and other overlapping functions involved in detoxification.
Obviously, the kidney, lungs, and at times, the skin also play major roles in detoxifying, and if there is one addition I might make to the RevitalX/Detoxitech cleanse, it would be to add extra citrate mineral salts to further promote alkalinization through the kidneys, (i.e. Alcabase, or Opti Alkaline). But, though many things are partially or wholly eliminated in the urine, when it comes to getting the nasty persistent organic pollutants like BPA or PCBs, (or heavy metals) out, the liver and gut/bowels play a central role. Hence it is this cleanse that has become my recommendation as the best cleanse someone can do. (As a side note, in our experience, skin conditions in particular, even really nasty ones, have always been particularly responsive to it.)
With over 35,000 chemicals approved in Canada for use in industry, manufacturing, agriculture, medicine, and consumer products, (and over 80,000 in the United States), the fact is that we are all exposed to an wide array of chemicals on a daily basis…many that have not been properly tested for their safety or effects on humans, and many that may persist in our body for years. (see:1,2)
Overall these chemicals may increase inflammation in our bodies, and contribute to increased incidence of cancer, neurological dysfunction, allergies and/or sensitivities, fatigue, and a variety of hormonal disruptions, (of which plummeting male sperm count from xenoestrogens is only one example). From Bisphenol A and PCBs, to pesticides, herbicides and toxic metals, such chemicals are now commonplace in our bodies from birth. (see: 3,4)
Obviously, the more exposure you can avoid the better. But it has gotten to the point where understanding how to help your body deal with and eliminate as many of these toxic substances as possible is a necessity for optimal health in today’s world. The issue of cleansing has therefore become an all-year-round topic at Optimum Health, both for people who are dealing with health challenges, and for those who just want to feel better.
Remember, whatever will kill a bug will kill us…it just takes more of it. So let’s get the unnecessary man-made chemicals out of our body, and out of our daily lives.
Stay Well,
John
More Information
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Resources
- Mark Stevenson, The Globe and Mail, March 8, 2005. “Array Of Toxic Chemicals In Humans 'Alarming' …I Am Polluted” http://www.rense.com/general63/pol.htm
- Natural Resources Defense Council: More than 80,000 chemicals permitted in the United States have never been fully assessed for toxic impacts on human health and the environment.
http://www.nrdc.org/health/toxics.asp
- Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk. 2008-2009 President’s Cancer Panel; U.S. Department of health and human services; National Institutes of Health; National Cancer Institute.
See: http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/annualReports/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf
- "Study finds hundreds of toxic chemicals in umbilical cords of newborns"
See: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/dec2005/toxi-d07.shtml
- List of chemicals found in farmed fish. see:http://www.farmedanddangerous.org/salmon-farming-problems/health-concerns-chemical-use/dependence/