Today I was driving over the Spokane River and noticed how low the water level was. Then I noticed all the debris! Tree branches, trash, logs, leaves – all kinds of garbage. My husband made a comment that now would be the best time to clean it up.
I contemplated that. Not that easy. To walk on that mud, or worse, to drive a vehicle into that muck would be disastrous. Not only that, but what hidden things under that soil may surface – such as remnants from our mining industry? “Heavy metal” residuals which were toxic enough to have warranted soil clean-ups in cities around the mines, once flowed down these rivers and settled in known and unknown areas.
Then I thought about our bodies. What lies beneath our “soil”, lurking just deep enough to be hidden, but still a potential threat? A threat that could undermine our health. I have often found in patients with complex illnesses, toxic levels of mercury, aluminum, lead, iron or manganese, and others.
Then there are more insidious toxins. The ones found in our foods and used as preservatives, colorants, dough conditioners, flavor enhancers, flowing agents, glazes and others too enumerable to list. We use toxic cleansers, countless odor removers (air, carpet, animals, feet, body, house), environmental toxins such as plastics, automotive fuel and exhaust, and the list goes on.
A lot of work goes into cleanup projects, such as soil. What about our body’s soil – our tissues? What do we do to clean up our own toxic wasteland? We are fortunate to be blessed with a liver, kidneys, colon, gallbladder and lymph to dispose of the metabolic wastes that our body accumulates. This waste is the result of many metabolic functions performed continually, every minute of every day. When bombarded by additional toxic elements, these systems can get overwhelmed, and need some help.
That’s where detoxification programs become helpful. History records detoxification methods employed as early as the 16th Century. Purgatives, emetics and cathartics were used to purge the bowels or stomach of toxic substances, saunas, baths, massage and fasting were (and still are) popular.
Today’s methods of detoxification are wonderful. If done right, there is no uncomfortable purging, you don’t feel like you’re starving, and you actually feel better! We use programs that result in comments like “I feel so much lighter”, “I have lost those stubborn pounds”, “I feel much more energetic”, “My head is much clearer”, “I sleep better”, “Can I do this again?” My answer to the last question is “If you’re going to put toxins into your body, you better do the cleanup work.” Just as now would be the ideal time to clean up the debris in the Spokane River, now is the ideal time to clean up the debris in our bodies!
©2011 Holly A. Carling, O.M.D., L.Ac., Ph.D.
