Detox - Is It As Good As They Claim?

[hhfarang]

Mr. P said:

As long as the underlying anxiety is left unaddressed we remain vulnerable to addiction. This applies to food, alcohol, smoking, sex, gambling and so on.

Oh man! I must be really anxious... I'm addicted to all those things!!!
...and a few that weren't mentioned!

[hhfarang]

Ok, getting back to the serious business of detox:

MrPlum, please don't take this the wrong way but I was wondering what qualifies you to do such a program? Where did you learn the dos and don'ts? I know you said you ran a program in the Algarve but how did you get the know-how to do that? Do you have a medical background, were you trained specifically in detoxification at some institution, or are you self taught?

It sounds like you know what you are talking about so I was just curious where that knowledge came from.

Also, could you give us an example of a fasting program? I've really never gone without food for more than one day and even then felt weak and almost dizzy. I assume you drink water but you must have some caloric intake as well. What would be a good one-week fasting regime?

Thanks!

[MrPlum]

Ok, getting back to the serious business of detox:

MrPlum, please don't take this the wrong way but I was wondering what qualifies you to do such a program? Where did you learn the dos and don'ts? I know you said you ran a program in the Algarve but how did you get the know-how to do that? Do you have a medical background, were you trained specifically in detoxification at some institution, or are you self taught?

It sounds like you know what you are talking about so I was just curious where that knowledge came from.

Also, could you give us an example of a fasting program? I've really never gone without food for more than one day and even then felt weak and almost dizzy. I assume you drink water but you must have some caloric intake as well. What would be a good one-week fasting regime?

Thanks!

I have been asked these same questions privately and they are understandable and welcome.

How did I learn about these matters?

Through illness. It's a common pattern. You get sick. You learn how to cure yourself. You use that knowledge for the betterment of others.

Go and see any psychiatrist and you'll probably find he learned about the mind as a consequence of losing his own. Trouble is you can go to 20 different practitioners and they will give you 20 different reasons for being the way you are and none of them will cure you.

Too many health 'experts' are little more than drug peddlers... intermediaries for big pharma. Enter the condition on the computer and you are presented with whatever (expensive) drug Big Pharma says you have to take. If they can get you to take them for life and add a few to combat the side effects of the first lot, that's a cracking business model. Cynical I know but I find it hard to draw any other conclusion.

My sister works in the health industry and she recognizes its tendency to treat or manage symptoms rather than cure the underlying condition. I don't see how taking a toxic chemical, for a body already weakened through sickness, is healing. I think most illnesses clear up despite drugs and not because of them. Go into any pharmacy and tell me how many lotions and potions say CURE on the label? None.

For some conditions orthodox medicine is great. For emergencies, a possible life saver. Advances in treatments are impressive, but for many chronic or degenerative disorders I have found little to encourage. It has been estimated that 1 in 2 of us is going to get Cancer by 2050. That's staggering. So much for advanced medicine.

Part of the problem is YOU. Do you really believe you can walk into a doctor's surgery, pop a couple of pills and simply carry on with your toxifying lifestyle? I hear the good old boys say 'YES!' I know you can but I don't see a cure in this approach and it's not the Doctor's fault here. Easier for him just to give you the pill than tell you you are killing yourself through your stomach.

If you are serious about seeking cures then you need to be open to other possibilities. The difficulty is there are no end of snake-oil salesmen and charlatans. I spent a goodly sum over the years trying different therapies. Some okay but many a waste of money.

It's very hit and miss out there. I do believe, though, that those who scream 'quack' the loudest are themselves guilty of quackery. Thankfully, there are lots of inspirational doctors, mavericks, who are doing good things.

What qualifies me to conduct a program? Do you need to be qualified? I can go into any chemist and buy a detox kit, take it home, follow the instructions and that's it. So can you. What I do know is there are ways to accelerate detoxing and some people need hand-holding, even if only for the first one. There are different juicing regimes to address different conditions, so some research is required.

If you have a serious health condition or you wish to try a water fast, then the recommended advice is to see a doctor. Don't stop or adjust any medications until you have checked with him. You also need to ensure he really knows the answer and isn't just trying to put you off.

My experience? I can't outline everything here, nor do I wish to divulge too much personal information. My mother was very sick with arthritis and drug complications and spent her last two years in hospital being turned into a pin cushion. Her death motivated me to learn more about health and wellness.

I have travelled to India and studied Ayurveda and 'Nature Cure'. I completed the Reiki Level II training and am currently working on certification for a technique called EFT. This is body-mind energetic medicine... Acupuncture without the needles. I have practised Yoga for 12 years (off and on) and have my own routine to suit me. This is normal as you make progress and get in touch with your body. Even took a massage course in the UK.

I have practiced different meditative techniques... TM (using mantras) for 2 years. Some meditative practices study a point of light, others a candle, others your breathing. A pot-bellied Hindu, forever standing on one leg, taught me a technique called Japa. There are really too many to go into.

Raja Yoga is powerful and unlike Hatha Yoga, works from the inside out, rather than the outside in.

I spent 7 years in the the Algarve working with different practitioners then experimenting on like-minded volunteers. One girlfriend was trained in Bodywork and used to fly to California to teach. Another friend went into Spanish prisons to teach Vipassana. One group of ladies tried urine therapy. We had time on our hands and an interest in complementary medicine. I have had an amazing experience flooding my body with oxygen.

I am not qualified in anything orthodox and frankly that's fine by me. For all their qualifications they couldn't cure my mother, they made me worse and they polished off poor old granny in a fortnight in hospital. What value their bits of paper? I'll put a spoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking Soda and Hydrogen peroxide ahead of any of their toxic brews.

Detoxes and fasting have been conducted for thousands of years. Yogis used to observe how animals healed themselves. After reading one example of how sick cows or birds would go and find clay to cure intestinal problems, I sourced some Bentonite clay and now take it with me everywhere I travel. If I pick up a bug, it's gone in 24 hours, while others suffer for days.

It would be wrong of me to recommend a detox program for you without knowing your state of health, your weight and your goals. Some detoxes provide 0 calories, some 400, some 1200. It depends.

About 10% of detoxers get headaches or feel a little nauseous. You can alleviate this. Also ensure that when the body sheds its toxic load you are cleaning the bowel. Re-absorption defeats the object. So does breaking a fast too early or incorrectly.

There is nothing to stop anyone contacting me privately and coming around for a chinwag. I'll happily share my knowledge. Just check with me first so I can sweep the dust mites under the carpet.

Also understand that while you are vetting me, you can be sure, I will be vetting you.

[hhfarang]

MrPlum,

Thank you for that very detailed answer. You do indeed seem to know what you are talking about. You must have incredible discipline to do all the things you mentioned.

I have always been a "live hard, die young, and leave a good lookin' corpse" kind of person. It's too late for that last bit now and I am feeling the results of my lifestyle. I just don't know if I could change even if I made it through the detox. I would probably eventually revert to my old ways.

Please keep us informed of the progress and results of the classes or programs you get going. Maybe I'll get up the nerve and fortitude to try it one of these days.

[MrPlum]

MrPlum,

Thank you for that very detailed answer. You do indeed seem to know what you are talking about. You must have incredible discipline to do all the things you mentioned.

I have always been a "live hard, die young, and leave a good lookin' corpse" kind of person. It's too late for that last bit now and I am feeling the results of my lifestyle. I just don't know if I could change even if I made it through the detox. I would probably eventually revert to my old ways.

Please keep us informed of the progress and results of the classes or programs you get going. Maybe I'll get up the nerve and fortitude to try it one of these days.

My apologies if I am talking too much but I think this is an important subject.

You are only partly right about my being disciplined. Human nature being the way it is, we are not all capable of staying on the pure spiritual path.

The beauty of fasting detoxes is you cleanse the consequences of all that hard partying, rather than mask it with medical drugs. Having a clean out every few years can add years to your life. If you can't change your lifestyle then at least mitigate some of its effects.

A little more of my experience... Much of this started for me with the near death of my daughter. A series of events kept knocking the wind out of my sails. Three wipeouts on a high-powered motor bike. A car crash during the same period, a divorce, my parents dying, pressure at work. I experienced Panic attacks, constant anxiety. 3 and a half years being doped by the doctors, left me suicidal. I was getting barely an hour's sleep a night for months. It was a complete nervous breakdown. No-one who hasn't been through it can possibly understand the fear. It took me years to recover and a decade exploring alternative medicine. Naturally, I learned a great deal.

It is very difficult to eat purely vegan for instance, at least for me. I went from being a meat-eater to a vegetarian to a vegan and kept on this diet for about 4 years. I got skinnier and skinnier and people thought I had AIDS. I was cold most of the time and lacked energy. I read in books and was told by others that a vegan diet would cure me of all ills. It was not true for me. One day I gave up and basically said I will eat whatever was put in front of me. Returned to meat and felt better. The reality was, a vegan diet was not a good diet for my body type. Purists may defend their stance but that was my experience.

I am still careful though. I don't drink alcohol, won't eat red meat, grains (except organic rice), processed foods or oils, biscuits and so. My diet is a pleasure and I don't suffer just because I don't eat a Big Mac. It would make me sick.

Purifying your body is one thing, purifying your mind is another. I have spent 9 months in a Brahma Kumaris center. This is based on Raja Yoga (The Royal Path). Pure thoughs, pure actions, pure food, absolute chastity. Everyone wore white. You would be up at 0330 to shower, then meditation. After going to the loo, you would shower. Most of the time was silence. You could not go in the kitchen. Only positive vibes allowed in there and the meditation room. Great learning, great philosophy and dedicated teachers. I felt terrific. Clean and light on my feet and in my spirits. But I found that western teachers in particular, while giving the impression of perfection and harmony were actually experiencing the same emotional challenges as the rest of society. Jealousy, anger, sexual frustration. It was time to move on and while it is possible to keep to this path while you are in retreat centers, it's a different story once you are out in the wider world. It is a hard road isolating yourself from the rest of society. I have done it before and who knows, I may do it again.

There is the perception and then there is reality. You may think that you want to be like a particular guru but there are very few perfect beings. The Church, for example, is not full of saints but sinners. I found this even with priests. One in particular stands out. He was a great bear of a man with a fantastic delivery. The congregation was putty in his hands. He had them falling on the floor, crying with joy 'for the Lord'. Anyone listening to him would find it difficult to not be inspired. Then, one day he invited my wife and I to his home for dinner. I was stunned. He ate and ate and ate. If you didn't finish what was on your plate, he would. Food dribbled into his beard. His shirt was stained. 'Eat', 'Eat', he said as I sat in shock. I'd heard of gluttony but never met one. I could see that there was price for him maintaining his fervour. Then there are others, who talk the talk but you can see in their eyes they don't believe it themselves.

The greatest transformation... and I had been a hard drinker and womanizer, came with becoming born again. I won't bore you with how it came about but for around a year I was so holy I should have been canonized. It was an overnight change. I rode that emotional high without underpinning it with knowledge and eventually paid the price. It faded away.

So yes. I have had a great deal of learning and experience of alternative lifestyles and methods. Some produce small advances, others giant strides. Falling in love can be transformational, if only we could keep it up.

The journey is what matters. Even if you fall or step off the path for a while, you can always return. Finding guides or fellow seekers along the way helps us get back on track.

Before my mother died, I asked her what the most important thing in life. 'Love.' In our pettiness and ignorance, in our climb to acquire, we forget that we are all connected. We forget our own power. Amongst the opportunists and the snake-oil salesmen there are some truly good people. You can call them healers, guides, angels. They have one quality that sets them apart. Love. It is the greatest healer. If you can learn to love yourself there is great peace and power. I carry the scars of the previous years of sadness and disappointment. I let myself be appalled by the horrors of the world. The Drama. At times, I wish I could reach for a drink. But I know that I am more than the next bottle of booze or self-destructive habit.

When you do a detox keep in mind that you are cleansing yourself spiritually and not just physically. Your heart needs to be open to all possibilities.

This is the difference between a short period of a few enemas which are beneficial and a longer cleansing fast which does deeper work. The longer the fast the greater time the body has to direct its healing and cleansing power and not just physically. If you see this as mumbo-jumbo no matter. Just enjoy the physical benefits. The practices I have found that work for me do not depend on a belief in others. You just need to do the practice.

There are many ways to health and wellness. This is just one. And yes, you will need a little discipline. That's what a good friend or partner is for. To apply the cattle prod when you start to weaken.

Best

MrP

[migrant]

Good, and interesting discourse, thank you.

I like the fact that you have tried many paths, some working, some not, some partial.

I, also, believe that certain paths, whether spiritual, edible, or otherwise do not serve all people the same, such as your vegan experience.

There's an old saying here 'different strokes for different folks' and it seems conducive with your experience.

Thanks for sharing this

[robby hh]

The sense of peace after 12 days of fasting is called death

[MrPlum]

The sense of peace after 12 days of fasting is called death

It must seem like it to some, HH. Although, you know deep down, a toxifying lifestyle is the real killer.

If it's any comfort, the beautiful people have their challenges too. You only have to read the celeb pages to see that the prettier the face, the worse the problems. Bulimia, drugs, alcohol and so on.

One of the benefits of conducting a fast or detox is that you are given a taste of discipline. You realize that you CAN do it. That you DO have it in you to succeed. It's the kick start that gets you in the groove so to speak.

For some people, it really is a matter of life and death. Don't give in to defeatism. All is possible!

MrP