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How long has natural detoxification been around?
The idea of natural detoxification has been present in traditional and holistic forms of medicine throughout the world. For example, in Chinese medicine, which has a history of at least five thousand years, we have the accumulations of what are called dampness or phlegm. This is mentioned in the literature as far back as the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine) which dates to at least the second century BCE. These types of accumulations are considered to be toxic. Even after thousands of years of changing medical thought, the author of the Pi-Wei Lun (Spleen-Stomach Classic), which dates to the mid-13th century, ascribed most disease to undigested materials that are ingested into the body, primarily through diet but also through other means. These become the underlying basis for all the other various disorders that one may have to contend with and that can be cleared through natural detoxification.

Natural Detoxification in other parts of the world.
Natural detoxification is also present in the healing modalities from the Indian subcontinent. From this region, we have Ayurveda as well as Siddha medicine, both of which contend that ama, or undigested food material, is one of the primary underlying bases of most medical difficulties and challenges. It is the removal of this ama through various means such as panchakarma, which are five methods of natural detoxification, as well as the enkindling of the transformative quality of the digestion that allows one to form a foundation for overcoming various health obstacles.

Natural Detoxification in the west.
In the west, in the schools of Naturopathy and Natural Hygiene, the concept of natural detoxification is also held in high regard. These schools of thought have the idea that the accumulated debris from less than optimal lifestyle choices, primarily but not limited to diet, as well as from ingestion of other toxic substances such as tobacco smoke, alcohol or other non-life-enhancing substances, generates a kind of deposit in the body of various toxic debris. This debris impedes all of the different organ systems of the body including the kidneys, the liver, the colon and more. In a process called autointoxication, the body is unable to excrete the build-up of improper food choices, these migrate into the blood stream and thence into the lymph, the intracellular flood where it can impede the various cellular functions as well as reduce the efficacy of the various organ systems to maintain and support optimal levels of health and well-being. From this view we can see that natural detoxification is seen as a primary pathway to optimal health.

In short, natural detoxification has been known in various forms of medicine throughout the world as a primary modality for restoring health and well-being. The reason natural detoxification has always been seen that way is because it is understood that human beings will oftentimes make poor choices as to what they put in their body and occasionally the environment they live in are circumstances of exposure to various undesirable substances. When this sort of activity is too much for the body to handle, encouraging natural detoxification is a great way to help the body return to balance.

Homeostasis is the body’s natural detoxification route par excellence. It is the normal maintenance of bodily functions via various negative feedback mechanisms as well as utilizing various pressure gradients of the fluids that move through the body. Homeostasis literally means to keep things the same or in a state of equilibrium. This is a dynamic state of equilibrium because in life things are in a constant state of motion. Things are changing all the time. Because the body is constantly being exposed to various toxins, natural detoxification is how we avoid being overwhelmed by these toxins.

Another example of the body’s drive towards balance is the maintenance of stable body temperature. Perhaps we move from a warm environment to a cool environment, i.e. on a bright sunny day entering an air-conditioned room or going from a heated environment to a cold wintry day. It’s not just our clothes that we use to maintain homeostasis and a stable body temperature. As warm-blooded animals we have mechanisms for keeping a relatively stable temperature. When our body senses the changes happening, there are all sorts of mechanisms that we engage to maintain as even as internal temperature as possible. A drop in temperature is sensed by our hypothalamus which can set in motion a series of biochemical changes that cause the muscles to shiver and shake a little, which then raises our body temperature. Our metabolism can also be adjusted to regulate our temperature and of course if we are too warm, we all have the experience of sweating where the body tries to vent as much heat as possible through perspiration. Sweating, besides being used to vent heat is also a primary example of how the body engages in natural detoxification.

Homeostasis is also happening via the many hormone loops throughout the body. This is typically why it is a very bad idea to take either synthetic hormones or hormone mimetics, which are chemicals that mimic the effects of hormones, as many petrochemicals will do with estrogen. To be specific, one of the reasons ingesting anabolic steroids over a period of time can be problematic, is because the increased presence of exogenous testosterone in the body engages the body’s negative feedback mechanism which maintains homeostasis by simply not producing its own testosterone. This is true with not only testosterone but also with numerous other substances such as opiates which create addiction due to decreased endogenous endorphin production because of the exogenous painkillers. In the cases of prolonged exposure to exogenous hormones, the body’s natural detoxification routes may be compromised to various degrees.

What is also to be noted about the body maintaining homeostasis and natural detoxification, is that it does so to the best of its ability. For the most part it does an extremely good job. But our environment is so overloaded with toxic chemicals, in fact there are another 500 industrial chemicals that come into use every year, that the body simply does not have the resources break down via the liver and to excrete through the kidney all these various chemicals. The build-up of these foreign chemicals, including dioxin, DDT and various other petrochemicals and even heavy metals have been concentrated in people in the same way that larger, older fish have more heavy metals as a result of long-term bio-concentration. The increase of these heavy metals and petrochemicals in a person’s system can really overwhelm the body’s ability to excrete them. These toxic substances, when present in the body in increasing concentrations, compensate natural detoxification and the ability to restore homeostasis and to adjust and regulate the various subtle mechanisms that keep us healthy.

These are just a few examples of how lifestyle and the environment can impact our ability to maintain structural integrity and a stable environment, which essentially is what homeostasis is all about. In the context of natural detoxification it should be understood that this is simply the body releasing the accumulated chemicals and debris on a regular basis via the normal modes: sweat, excretion and filtration of the blood via the kidneys and the various enzymatic systems in the liver that break down different obstructions.

It may seem a little counter-intuitive to discuss sleep when the topic is natural detoxification but sleep and getting a good night’s rest is where most of the work happens. When the body tries to alleviate its toxic burden, it goes to sleep. The environment, both externally in your room and internally in your body and mind, is critical to experiencing the natural detoxification and rejuvenation that happen during sleep.

Natural detoxification is just that: natural, unforced, according to an uncontrived state. In order to allow this process to unfold, the most important thing for us to “do” is get out of our own way. For example, there is sometimes misunderstanding about exercise or exercise physiology. Some think going to the gym and stressing the body is what generates muscle growth. This is actually only a small part of what is happening. In the time after mechanical stress is impressed upon the musculature, connective tissue, bones and other structural components are the next two equally, if not more important phases. During the resting part, your body first repairs and restores the tissues and then rejuvenates, rebuilds and adapts them to handle the next stimulus, which it assumes is going to be somewhat fierce if you have been working out very hard. All work and no rest is a recipe for over-training, exhaustion, and burn-out.

This process doesn’t just happen with exercise. It happens with all of our other life processes as well. This balancing of alternating states of activity/rest, stimulus/recovery, engagement/passivity are manifestations of the need to balance and harmonize the opposites of yin and yang. It is my personal belief that sleep is one our greatest allies. For the amount of time we spend asleep, which for most of us should be around eight hours per night, we cannot do any further damage. We are necessarily “out of our own way.” It is in this place that natural detoxification can thrive.

Most of us are exposed to all sorts of all chemicals in our food. We are breathing air that is fairly heavily laden with particulates and deprived of oxygen. We must contend with toxins in our cars and heavy metals from the exhaust of our car and all other vehicles on the road. While we are constantly being bathed in all of these detrimental influences, the interesting thing is that most of us are fairly functional. We are walking around and we are doing our best to get through the day.

At the time of writing this I googled “why do we need sleep?” MSNBC replied with, “Though researches have many theories about the function of sleep, why we do it is still a mystery.” It is my belief that if we didn’t have those hours of sleep to take the choice out of our hands, our lives would be much shorter. We would not have an opportunity to let our body engage in natural detoxification, rest, restore and regenerate from the myriad of difficult choices we are asked to make everyday.

Sleep and the environment in which we sleep is an incredibly important part of natural detoxification. Try to acquire bedding which is as natural as possible. Don’t wash your sheets and pillows with toxic chemicals. Make sure you aren’t bathed in formaldehyde fumes while you sleep (this is a very common chemical found in carpets and rugs.) If possible, acquire a few green plants growing in your bedroom to produce more oxygen and do a little scrubbing of the air so you really have a chance to restore yourself. It is during the quiet moments when our body can relax, when we don’t have the stress and tension of dealing with the wild business of our modern lives, when all of this stress and tension is not binding up our tissues, that we actually have an opportunity to release on a much deeper level. Then these things flow out of the body as a course of natural detoxification.

Sleep is a time when we have the opportunity to let the liver do its job, to let the kidneys do their job, the lymph and all the other organ systems that are involved in natural detoxification, rejuvenation and the maintenance of our normal state of health and well being. It is a chance for us to follow that old holistic adage that “power that made the body, heals the body.” This is not meant to be something particularly mysterious. It is more that the body has millions and millions of years worth of survival built into our genetic code. Our bodies know how to survive and for the blessed eight hours or so when we sleep and close our eyes, we can actually let the body do that. Do you best to generate a peaceful sleeping environment and try not to burden the body right before going to bed by eating a lot of food just prior to laying down. Finally take a few minutes to try to relax and release the stress and tension of the day. Stress Relief is great for that. If you have a lot of difficulty falling asleep, Siddha’s Sleep can actually help release more of the anxiety, stress and tension of the day so that you can really get into that much deeper place and allow your body to undergo the process of natural detoxification.

When it comes to natural detoxification people have many questions as to how best to engage that process. Some people wonder about juicing, others wonder about fasting, while other folks wonder about cleansing. These are all different way of allowing the body to fulfill its own natural process of natural detoxification and its own movement towards deeper levels of balance and homeostasis.

Typically, cleansing refers to an herbal or other regimen where various natural supplements attempt to stimulate the body’s natural detoxification pathways such as: increasing peristalsis of the intestines, engaging the enzymatic detoxification avenues of the liver and relaxing the bile ducts of the gallbladder. These are ways of encouraging the body without compromising its normal activities, in the same way that an infrared sauna can induce perspiration. These natural means help to withdraw toxins of all sorts – chemicals, heavy metals, etc. – from the various deposits throughout the body and to bring them out of the tissues where they are stored and thence into the blood stream where the liver breaks them down and the kidney filters them and excretes them. In the case of those that are attempting colon cleanses, the idea is to engage the intestines in such a way that any built-up debris in the small or large intestine is removed from the walls or deep pockets where it is currently interfering with the body’s attempts to return itself to deep levels of health.

Natural detoxification can also be aided by juicing which is an attempt to dramatically reduce the burden on the digestion. By reducing the burden on the gastrointestinal tract the body is given more energy to restore itself to homeostasis. When less energy is diverted into digesting food, (the juicer has already done this by breaking the cell walls of the fruit and vegetable material,) all it has to do is absorb and assimilate the vitamins, nutrients, enzymes, phytonutrients and antioxidants, etc. which are available in fresh squeezed juice. This does not include pasteurized juice or juice from concentrate. Only fresh squeezed juice by that consumed while it is still fresh.Perhaps the most natural (though some would think extreme) method of natural detoxification is fasting. Fasting has many different connotations but simply put, fasting means to refrain from doing something. One can fast from food, or refrain from eating solids as in the case in a juice fast. One can fast on water and refrain from ingesting anything other than purified and filtered water. One can also fast from television or spoken communication. For others a mild fast might include refraining from meat, cigarettes, alcohol or other intoxicants.

The idea behind all of these methods of natural detoxification is to reduce the ingestion of additional stimuli, whether this stimulation is coming in through the gateways of the ears, eyes, nose or the mouth. As the stimuli are reduced the body is given more and more opportunity to digest the material, material that has in the past overwhelmed the body’s capacity to process. This engages a process called autolysis which is the process by which the body breaks down its own tissues. The clarity and wisdom of the body breaks down unhealthy, diseased and toxic tissues not the healthy ones. The more the body can be induced to rest and repair the greater the results. These are forms of natural detoxification. These are the pathways by which the body itself utilizes. Hippocrates said, “First do no harm.” Instead of detoxing via unnatural or forceful means which can be harmful, look instead for ways to encouraged and assist the body in in its own process of natural detoxification.

A final point about fasting is that fasting is not starvation. Most people have ample caloric supplies to last them far longer than they actually think. There is significant confusion that people experience regarding this principle. Starvation begins when fasting ends. The hunger cramps and agitation people feel from not having food is actually part of the body’s process of natural detoxification and repair – for more information go to “healing reactions.”

When trying to gain a deep and holistic understanding of the body and mind, the topic of purification versus natural detoxification is a critically important one. Most people don’t understand that these are actually two different though related phenomena and this gives rise to a host of misperceptions and confusions. Natural detoxification refers to the removal of biological, chemical, metabolic and other structural toxins from the body. Purification, on the other hand, refers to the smoothing out and bringing to clarity of the electromagnetic fields that make up the mind-body interface. The reason that it is so important to understand the distinction is because we have a biochemical portion of our being and we have an electromagnetic part of our being. While these two are in constant relationship to each other and each one is constantly responding to the dynamism and changes of the other, it’s important to understand that they are of a fundamentally different order.

Again, when we are talking about purification we are actually referring to the smoothing out, clearing and aligning of the electromagnetic fields within the body-mind matrix. This means that the various obstructions, obscurations, bends, twists, snarls, snags, and places of blockage within the flow of those electromagnetic fields. These are the stresses, difficulties, confusions and tensions of the mind and the emotions. Natural detoxification can bring the presence of these obscurations into awareness, but it cannot of itself remove them. Again, natural detoxification simply refers to the removal of toxins such as petrochemicals, heavy metals, metabolic waste products, accumulations in the digestive tract, liver, kidneys, skin and more.

In the context of Siddha Flower Essences generally and natural detoxification specifically, the reason it is so important to understand this distinction is because Siddha Flower Essences bring about purification. They align, smooth and balance the electromagnetic basis of the body not the body’s biochemical matrix. From the above, it should be easier to understand why our Emotional Detox remedy is a broad spectrum agent for the removal of impurities of the mind and emotions that lead to gaps and restrictions within the physical body where toxins can be stored.

The interesting thing with natural detoxification and purification is that you can go in either direction. The removal of physical impurities can reveal underlying electromagnetic imbalances. However, the revelation of a specific electromagnetic obstruction doesn’t necessitate its removal. The revealing of its presence to the conscious mind is simply an opportunity. On the other hand, when the electrical aspect is addressed in such a way that an obscuration of the mind is removed and an aspect of being is reintegrated into consciousness this then removes the underlying basis that toxins have for existing within the body. By chemical means one can approach the electrical but by electrical means one necessitates a change in the chemical. The idea behind Emotional Detox is to systemically remove as many deep-seated mental, emotional, stress and tension related obstructions of the electromagnetic fields as possible. These obstructions of electromagnetic provide a safe haven for the physical toxins and debris that then can show themselves as distorted health conditions of all kinds. This is natural detoxification at its best because this systematic removal allows the individual to get out of their own way and let the body to function as it will.

As a young man in my lates teens and 20’s, I studied kung fu, tai chi, qigong, and meditation. These various fields of study all imparted a lot on the subject of natural detoxification. Some of these teachers I had the opportunity to study with were two, three and even four times my age. Granted, I would never describe myself as a talented martial artist or even a good martial student, but still, these men and women could throw around a relatively strong, healthy, young man like a ragdoll. Given what I have witnessed and experienced from these teachers and others, I believed there is a grave misconception in American culture that says to grow old means to get fat, slow, forgetful, weak and lethargic. (I speak of this simply because I’m an American. But I bet it’s a common phenomenon in many parts of the world that people have a terror of growing old given the weakness and sickness of body and mind that the aging process seems to engender.) I feel very fortunate but I’ve just met too many people who laugh in the face of this stereotype to buy into it. There are men and women who take them time to take care of themselves, engage in natural detoxification and who grow stronger, more insightful, more aware and more energetic with the passing years.

I would like to suggest instead of simply aging with the turning of the earth around the sun, that it is the accumulation of countless obstructions of the electromagnetic fields that make up the electrical basis of the body that is the true agent and harbinger of what we commonly call old age. It is not so much that the body simply breaks down as one grows older. It is more so that the body is under an increasing burden of unresolved experience and undigested material that can only be resolved through purification and natural detoxification. If you think in this way you begin to realize that your body is your best friend and it’s doing everything it can to keep up with the demands that are being placed on it… and those demands are quite considerable.

The demands that are being placed on the body in modern culture are something that our bodies have never seen before. The amount of information that we are expected to contend with on a moment by moment basis is staggering. A tremendous amount of this emotionally-bound material is not resolved and dealt with but it does remain within that electromagnetic matrix that is the underlying fabric for body. This matrix can be thought of as the loom upon which the clothes of the body lie. This accumulating electromagnetic debris winds up as what we call stress and tension. That stress and tension is then translated into the tissues of the body via neuropeptides, cortisol increases, hypertension, reduced circulation, impeded digestion and natural detoxification and more. This constant wear and tear is really what we describe as the aging process, becoming elderly and witnessing the breakdown of the various functions of the body.

Not only are we being exposed to more and more electrical information, not only are we being exposed to more and more sensory input of a wild and varied nature that is very difficult to digest because so much of it is emotionally bound in very intense ways, we are also contending with the onslaught of a food supply that is far removed from how our bodies ever consumed food in the past. We can all be thankful for modern hygiene and many of the modern food storage practices that we’ve developed. However, the idea that food should be irradiated, microwaved, or that our crops should be sprayed with countless different kinds of chemicals is about as absurd an idea as any we’ve come up with yet. We are overwhelming our body’s natural detoxification ability to deal with this onslaught.

To sum up, we have the radical input of hard to digest information through the various senses including the eyes and the ears. Also, our natural detoxification mechanisms are overwhelmed by the difficult to digest chemicals that we are being asked to process. The combination of the two of these radically contributes to what we call the aging process, creaking of the joints, forgetfulness, lower energy, slower metabolism, unclear thinking, slower decision making processes, and lack of inspiration and enthusiasm to live life. These are not necessary as one spins around the sun every 365 days. Purification of the electromagnetic fields of nervous system and natural detoxification of the body is why I have had the pleasure of meeting plenty of people that were in incredibly good health, had clear eyes, were stronger than a man a quarter of their age…I’m talking about men in their 80’s that could throw around fit strong 25 year olds. This doesn’t have to be an isolated incident. Everyone can enjoy greater degrees of health and clarity, energy and enthusiasm up until they are ready to make that final leap.

One of the questions that can arise when it comes to natural detoxification and cleansing is: “Why should I do it? Why should I bother, I mean hey I can get through the day and feel ok.” The first reason is you are already doing it. Natural detoxification is just that, natural. Your body is engaging in the process of removing toxins, metabolic & digestive waste all the time. If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t last very long.

The real question is: why should I make changes to assist and encourage natural detoxification? And the reasons are that being ok and feeling ok is just that…ok.
But if it does not take too much to improve your mental and physical health, then why not? Some people may even want to be as flexible as children and be able to run around all day, others just want to smile, laugh and have clear, strong and grounded energy throughout the day. No matter what combination of the former you want natural detoxification and purification are essential gateways to this kind of healthy existence.

This process becomes more vital as we encounter additional stress in the form of the electrical stress of the nervous system and the chemical stress that’s put on our body through various toxins in the environment. When we remove these from the body through purification and natural detoxification we get clearer vision, sharper hearing, more energy, we wake up happy and energized. Who doesn’t want to wake up in the morning with a smile on their face ready to greet a new day?

We can gain regular digestion that causes us no trouble. We can gain free, easy and fluid movement by removing mineral deposits that are causing cracking and creaking of the joints that we just didn’t have when we were young. There is so much to be gained by the process of natural detoxification and purification and only a minimal amount of discomfort to be endured to obtain the fruit of our efforts.

The fruit to be gained is nothing big and special and at the same times its amazing to witness. It is simply being able to live life as it was meant to be lived: feeling strong, clear, healthy, happy and pain-free. This should be your normal state. This should not be an aberrant state where only a few radicals are willing to live their lives. Everyone should be able to have the kind of body that affords them freedom, health, energy and the clarity so that they can then go ahead and choose to make decisions that are going to lead them towards whatever kind of fulfillment and happiness that they are aspiring towards.

These are the reasons to choose natural detoxification. People often say, “Thank God I have my health.” Often what they means is, “Thank God I’m not in the hospital and that I have all of my limbs intact.” But real health is a lot more than that and we all deserve a lot more than that. Even though we all have the potential for health and happiness, clarity, energy, free and easy movement and insides that don’t disturb us, we are living in a world that is not particularly supportive of this. But our health is a starting place for everything else that we wish to accomplish and enjoy. So if we pay attention our external and internal environment, I believe we naturally start making decisions that move us in the right direction. All I can do is whole heartedly recommend Siddha products and especially Emotional Detox. It is going to help remove deep seated obstructions that we inevitably carry around, oftentimes unaware of their precise location and existence.

Purification, which is easily brought about by Emotional Detox, leads to natural detoxification. When purification really happens it is a beautiful process, a freeing process, an easy process and an unburdening process. The body feels more free, the mind is clearer, you step lightly and you smile more often… enjoying the benefits of natural detoxification.