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The concept is pure common sense: the human body works very hard detoxifying and eliminating harmful substances. It seems therefore a good idea to help it by being careful about what we eat, breathe, and come into contact with, and by aiding the neutralization and elimination of those toxins that inadvertently do enter. I feel that detoxification is particularly important for people with lymphoma because the lymphatic system is primarily a network of channels and organs that filter and carry away waste from blood and inter-cellular spaces. A detoxification program can greatly assist the lymphatic system in its work.
We are exposed to toxins voluntarily, from recreational and medical drugs; involuntarily, from industrial and agricultural pollutants, and internally, from toxins produced in energy metabolism and in bacterial fermentation in the gut. The liver is the most important detoxification organ, able to bind, split, and neutralize toxins via various enzyme pathways. These pathways can be augmented by supplements.
I will describe in detail several detox methods. Each focuses on aiding some organ of the body in its detoxing work. These organs are: the skin, the gut, the liver and gall bladder, the lungs, and the lymph system. There is no need to do all of the following. Usually people experiment with a few and then integrate a couple of them into their health program. For those who want to do only the bare minimum, I would recommend milk thistle, and sweating.
Enemas, either plain or with additional substances in them, have a very long history in health care. When Dr Gerson was devising his cancer treatment in the 20s, coffee enemas were part of the accepted medical practice. Only later they became a target of ridicule for non-medical reasons. Today, many cancer and AIDS patients use herbal enemas in an effort to support colonic elimination and removal of toxins. Enemas can have garlic added, or lemon, or slippery elm, as well as other herbs. (Many sources advise against adding oxygenation products such as hydrogen peroxide into enema water as this can cause inflammation of the intestine.) I have personally only experimented with the plain and coffee flavors.
Coffee enemas are said to be so important in degenerative disease care because they aid the liver in elimination of toxins. This claim has not been corroborated by science, but I have heard some studies are being carried out. In the meantime, we have anecdotal evidence, where many patients have reported considerable increase in well being and energy, as well as decreased pain, and some have stated that these enemas have eliminated signs of jaundice in their complexion. I know of an Austrian study that adopted a modified Gerson program for very advanced cancer patients, and reported increased quality of life and much better pain control. They did two enemas per day. Some sources have cautioned against doing more than 2 per day, because the person could be depleting electrolytes from their blood and creating other imbalances.
Enemas can be administered with the use of a simple and cheap enema kit available in all drug stores, often with the addition of an enema bucket that can hold more and can be controlled better. Or a colema board can be purchased, which consists of a flat piece of wood or fiberglass (folding or in one piece) that is positioned over the toilet, and the bucket and tubing. The advantage of the colema board, I have been told, is that the person need not hold the stuff in and can eliminate at any time, then allow more solution in. The recipe for the solution is as follows: brew freshly ground organic coffee for about 15 min. Let cool, administer at a temperature of about 103° F.
The various books describing the procedure usually do not feel like going into
details. We are fortunate to have an account from a NHL patient who learned
to do enemas at the Gerson clinic. Her is her account of how it all works:
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Dear Vera,
Here's the scoop on the poop. :-)
First the coffee - I put 12 TBSP on organic coffee in a large cooking pot with lid and add 4 qts of water Bring to a boil with the lid on, uncover, and boil vigorously for 5 minutes to drive off the oils. Then turn down the heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Then pour through a fine sieve into another big pot. I just keep this on my stove, covered. When it's time for my "coffee break" I take out 1 quart into a smaller pot and warm it up . I do 2 coffees a day now so this lasts me 2 days. I pour the warmed coffee into my enema bucket, open the clamp to fill the tubing with coffee, close the clamp, and I'm off to the bathroom!
I use a sturdy plastic enema bucket with its hose, but cut off the lubricated hard plastic end and use a connector to attach it to a soft red rubber catheter. In my bathroom I have put a big hook about 2 1/2 ft off the ground. On the floor I place a big pillow for my hips, a kid's "nap mat" for the rest of my body, a big towel over all that, then a large blue underpad or "chux" like hospitals use for incontinent people, over where my bottom will be. I lay down on my right side. I usually use aloe gelly for lubricant, but if I'm sore or out of aloe, I'll use vaseline, though try to avoid petroleum products. You cannot use too much lubricant, especially at first. To insert the end into your rectum, relax, even bear down like you're having a BM - that opens the sphincter a little, and thread the tube in. If you've used a lot of lube, especially vaseline, it can get very slippery. With practice, it gets easier. You need to put it in at least 6 inches. If you can't get it very far, start the flow of coffee, in a few moments, you'll be able to get it in far enough.
When I first started, they had me use 24 oz instead of 32oz, though even that seemed a lot at first. Within 2 days I could do the full quart. They say the bucket should be about 20 inches above you. I keep the clamp fully open - it doesn't come out that fast. If I feel cramping I close the clamp, and do rapid abdominal panting, sorta like Lamaze breathing. It seems to redistribute the coffee in my gut. Usually within a minute the cramping goes away. If you don't close the clamp, everything backs up, and although you can release a lot of pressure that way, then you have poopy coffee . Yuck. I can run the coffee in about 5 minutes. When you feel it's safe, you can take the tube out of your butt. I take the bucket down, and put the dirty end into the bucket. I retain the coffee for 15 minutes. I just lie there and read. It's actually the only time I get to get off my feet, and read. Yes, at first I would leak a lot of the enema. You should put down a lot of Chux at first. And messes will be made getting to the toilet. I don't remember when I started being able to hold the enema with little discomfort or leaking, but now I will use the same Chux for weeks.
After 15 minutes I get to the toilet. A big gush usually comes out at first, then a little later, the rest of it comes out. Really stinks. Usually about 10 minutes on the pot. Don't go anywhere for a while afterwards, because sometimes after you're up, gravity brings more down from the farthest reaches of your gut. Then I wash my bucket in the sink with dishsoap, quickly clean the sink and toilet with comet, and I'm done. I can do everything from heating the coffee to cleaning up in about 30 minutes or so.
I too was terribly disgusted at first, but like everything, it
takes practice. I do not feel particularly better after the enemas,
except like you do after a really good, big BM. ( I had heard that
releasing the toxins really made you feel better). I now do them when I
wake up (my only morning coffee anymore :-) ) and at night before bed.
It is truly simply a routine now, not dirty or anything, and like I said,
my only reading time.
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Other links to information on coffee enemas:
www.ralphmoss.com/coff.html
aorta.library.mun.ca/bc/uct/coffee.htm
www.gj.net/~mhays/tc.htm
The Bristol Cancer Help Centre in England has used herbal liver detox instead of enemas with reportedly equally good results. I have been unable to get their exact recipe, but will contact them soon.
This is how it works: Drink a lot of apple juice for several days. Then, on the day of the flush, eat a normal lunch. Then 3 hours later, take a tablespoon of epsom salts dissolved in a glass of warmish water. Juice can be added for better taste. Two hours later, do it again. Then, eat a half grapefruit for the evening meal. At bedtime, mix one half cup of unrefined extra virgin olive oil with one half cup of freshly squeezed citrus juice. (Lemon juice works too for those who can stand the sourness.) Drink the mixture, and flush your mouth with water with a pinch of baking soda in it -- it will neutralize the acidity and spare your tooth enamel. Go to bed immediately. Lie on the right side with the knees up to the chest for thirty minutes. Sleep, then in the morning take another 1 T of epsom salts, about an hour before breakfast. If you get a sieve and some latex gloves, you can take a look at what gets flushed. I did it and was duly amazed! Many people have reported flushing many green stones of varying sizes. And sure enough...
This is my story. I did the flush four times. For many months prior to the procedure, I was troubled by the strange pale color and peculiar consistency of my stools (in addition to serious irritable bowel problems), and occasional pinching pain in the area of my liver. It is likely that my sluggish gall bladder was further aggravated by my very low fat diet of that time (such a diet provides little impetus for the gall bladder to empty and so can worsen a problematic situation). The first time I did the flush, many medium size, irregular green stones came out. And my stools regained color. The second time, about three weeks later, I did it again. But this time, my gall bladder clogged up again, and so two weeks later I repeated the process and washed out the mother of all stones, about half inch in length and nearly that across. My gall bladder began to function normally after that. I did another flush several month later, when there were still many green bits but they looked more like oil globules; no firm stones were in evidence.
I was so amazed by this experience that I did a bunch of research, and found one source, the folks at Bastyr University (a naturopath college), who dissent from the other alternative practitioners and claim that the procedure does not expel any stones, that all the material is simple coagulated olive oil that takes color from the bile. (They have not provided evidence for their counterclaim.) The mainstream community has nothing whatever to say about a simple procedure that could potentially save millions of dollars in gall bladder surgery. What is the truth at the bottom of this? I have thought about this a lot, and my final take is as follows: I think that bile and stones do come out in the process. Also, the oil does create green agglomerations. But the two formations can be told apart. I think that there is truth on the side of its effectiveness because I have experienced the kind of symptoms commonly associated with gall stones (coupled with the fact that I am a person at risk for gallstones -- age, sex, and lots of fat in my past diet), and because my symptoms have resolved with the treatment. It seems to me that it would be quite easy to test the procedure for effectiveness by mainstream researchers if they chose to. Perhaps some day.
One contra-indication: if you know you have gall stones, you may choose to be monitored by your physician while you undertake the treatment. Theoretically, it is possible that a stone could get stuck in the duct and cause problems. I have not experienced any pain, nor have I heard of others complaining of pain apart from some slight pinching after the mixture is drunk. I have not heard or read of anyone developing problems, but care is always advisable. In retrospect, I can recommend the gall bladder detox wholeheartedly.
Strenuous exercise also raises the sweat, and can be promoted by an herbal tea before starting. I do my best sweating in hilly bicycling, but there are many other ways. The herbs that have been said to be diaphoretic by various sources include yarrow, sarsaparilla, elderflowers, cayenne, lemon balm, wild yam, blue cohosh, elecampane, lobelia, sweet flag, horseradish, pleurisy root, garlic, and peppermint. Experiment with dosages, usually 2-3 cups are recommended, but in combination with exercise, even one cup will enhance the process. The extra liquid helps too.
Here is an interesting recipe for a sweat which I have not tried:
1. Drink plenty of water the day of the sweat. Drink hot elderflower or yarrow tea just before bath
2. Use 3 lbs of epsom salts, add to the very hot bath water, get in and rub the body with a bath brush. Stay in the bath 10-25 minutes.
3. On emerging, do not dry yourself. Wrap immediately in a clean sheet and go to bed, covering with several blankets. The osmotic pressure of the epsom salt solution absorbed by the sheet will draw off heavy perspiration. Protect the mattress with a plastic sheet. The sheet will be stained in the morning, often the color of egg yolk.
4. Do every two weeks until the stain is clear.
I recently undertook some heavy sauna-induced sweating, and would like to add some caveats. Heavy sweating depletes potassium from the body, which can cause serious constipation and heart arrhythmias, among other things. Athletes who sweat heavily during their daily training are advised to supplement with up to 4 g of potassium a day. Amounts higher than the 99 mg found in health food store supplements can only be obtained by prescription. I strongly recommend that you get a prescription for at least 1.5 g of potassium, and add some smaller amounts to your daily supplement routine as well on the days of heavy sweating. I ignored the warning and caused myself unnecessary problems further aggravated by my increased fiber intake. Potassium salts can cause side effects, so ask the pharmacy for an educational sheet and monitor your reaction.
I feel that it is probably a bad idea to put a highly toxic metal into our mouth by choice, and that eventually this practice will be superseded by the improved and durable ceramic fillings. On the other hand, I am uncertain whether it is a wise thing to remove old fillings and risk mercury contamination of the whole mouth, as well as possible dental problems precipitated by such a large scale dental procedure.
And it seems to me, in today’s polluted world, that detoxing the various heavy metals and other industrial residues is a sound idea. Urine testing can be performed to identify the problematic substances, and steps taken to eliminate them. The steps usually involve some chelating agent, and cool saunas are also recommended. A site which addresses these detoxes follows: www.ephca.com/biodetox.htm
PHOSPHATIDYL CHOLINE is a component of cell membranes. It is required for the proper metabolism of fats, and has been designated as an essential nutrient. In Germany, it is approved for liver disorders, decreased bile solubility, toxic liver damage, and elevated cholesterol levels. It may also help with sluggish memory. It is available in lecithin products. Look for newer products that contain up to 98% of phosphatidyl choline, bound to linoleic acid. Dosage recommended is 350-900 mg three times daily with meals. At higher dosages, it may impair appetite and cause intestinal disturbances.
NAC (N-acetyl-cysteine) is said to raise glutathione levels in tissues. Dr Murray does not recommend its use because some studies have shown it to be a pro-oxidant (actually increasing oxidative damage) at fairly low levels of supplementation.
ALOE, CASCARA, GARLIC, MILK THISTLE, GINSENG, DANDELION, ROSEMARY and GREEN TEA are described in the "Herbs" file.
FOS and intestinal FLORA products, ENZYMES, BIOFLAVONOIDS, and VITAMINS C and E are described in the "Supplements" file.
GLYCINE is a one of the precursors to glutathione. It is available as DMG (dimethylglycine) which has been shown in studies to increase antibody titers after vaccinations. It may also improve energy metabolism, detoxify the liver, inhibit allergic responses, reduce blood pressure, and stimulate the nervous and endocrine systems. Since it boosts the immune system, it may best be avoided by people with lymphoma, with the exception perhaps after vaccinations (some oncologists think that we should get the flu shot in the fall but that it will be largely ineffective because our bodies do not mount an adequate response.)
GLUCARIC ACID (cal D glucarate) is said to improve detoxification of the liver and intestines (by improving detoxification enzyme pathways), eliminate excess estrogen, and have some antiproliferative activity. It was found sufficiently interesting by the NCI to initiate trials. More research on this substance will follow. Dosage recommended by Dr Murray is 500 mg daily. It is found in oranges, broccoli and potatoes,
SOD (superoxide dismutase) is a copper and zinc-containing enzyme that breaks down the superoxide free radicals, functioning as an antioxidant. It is produced in the body.
GLUTATHIONE deficiency has been found in cancer patients. IV glutathione increases cellular levels somewhat but oral supplements may not. Taking vitamin C significantly increases glutathione levels whereas dietary intake may have little relationship on circulating glutathione. Glutathione is found in dark green leafy veggies, fresh fruit, and lightly cooked fish, poultry and beef. Processing reduces the levels available.
CARNITINE is a vitamin-like substance involved with transporting fatty acids to the mitochondria. It is involved in the conversion of fats to energy. It can be synthesized from lysine, but research has found deficient individuals that seem unable to produce enough to meet their needs. Supplementation may improve the conversion of fats to energy (and enhance physical performance), and help with cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias, elevated cholesterol levels, kidney and liver disease (particularly in alcohol, pesticide and herbicide toxicity), diabetes and muscle fatigue and pain. Carnitine is important in immune function, said to improve lymphocyte function. It may lower circulating levels of tumor necrosis factor. Some studies have indicated that carnitine can protect against adriamycin toxicity.
Carnitine can be found in red meat and dairy. Use only L-carnitine; dosages recommended are typically between 1500 and 4000 mg in divided doses. Not recommended for patients on kidney dialysis. Patients with impaired kidney function should be closely monitored if taking carnitine.
BENTONITE CLAY is an absorbent clay that is sold as suspension in water, or as an additive to fiber mixtures. It passes through the intestinal canal, absorbing toxins and excess bile on its way. It is best not to overdo it as it could deplete a person's nutritional absorption as well. For short term use 1Tbsp three times a day, as part of an intensive detox program. I have used it safely for 2 years at 1tsp once a day, taken with fiber 1/2 hr before breakfast.
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And finally, it is a good idea to pay attention to reducing the exposure to various toxins in cleaning formulas, building and home-improvement materials, in lawn and garden chemicals, etc. For cleaning, very few messes cannot be tackled by either baking soda or vinegar. And home-improvement materials that are non or less toxic are becoming available. The county extension service is now promoting saner gardening practices and integrated pest management where organic methods are not enough.
Many people nowadays wash produce in a weak vinegar or hydrogen peroxide solution or in one of those sprays available in health food stores. And avoiding any new mercury fillings may also be a good strategy.
Researched and written by Vera Bradova © 1998
Updated 12-20-1998
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