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Detoxification
by
Ron Lagerquist
“There’s a little
McDonalds in everyone”
McDonalds
Speaking at lectures on fasting and nutrition, I have had numerous
people come up afterward and passionately state, oh no, you see I
tried fasting years ago and it was awful. I will never do that again!
They go on to describe headaches, shakes, and weakness, experienced
after only a few hours of missing a meal. It was clear by looking at
their well-rounded bodies they had made it a solemn duty to never go
long between meals. Hunger meant pain. No amount of words could
persuade them that their negative experience had nothing to do with
starvation and everything to do with detoxifying years of unhealthy
eating. Horror filled their faces when I accounted joyously going weeks
without solid food. Weeks without food?
Our body has a brief opportunity to cleanse while we
sleep, a
mini-fast. With great patience, it waits until we start dozing off then
finally in the sleep-state it can begin the miraculous work of
cleansing. Breakfast is appropriately named, breaking the
nightly fast with a morning meal. Upon awakening, the tongue is coated,
breath foul, skin puffy and mind foggy. These are early symptoms of
detoxification, short little holidays taken every night from a life of
feasting. A breakfast of bacon, eggs, side order of pancakes and a cup
of coffee is a sure way of halting detoxification—of course, you feel
instantly better, attributing it to a greasy breakfast.
The
negative experience in the first few days of a fast is
detoxification a
lifetime of toxins stored up in fatty tissue, crammed into the body,
meal after meal. During a fast, countless toxins dramatically enter
into the bloodstream at a rapid rate. This may be the body’s first
chance to detoxify. Our unhealthy lifestyle does not lend itself to a
friendly introduction of fasting’s true character.
Most
people make the mistake of trying their very first fast on water, not
preparing with a transition of eating fresh fruit and vegetables two
weeks before the fast, easing detoxification. So they bail out after a
day, left with an entrenched wrong impression that fasting is about bad
breath, weakness and headaches, mistaking detoxification with fasting.
The
truth of the matter is the North American diet never allows the body to
cleanse itself. We eat all the time. The math is simple. When intake
of calories is greater than burned, the results will be stored body
fat. It is the same with toxins. When intake of toxins is greater than
removed, the results will be toxic overload. If you are overweight this
is a pretty good sign you are carrying around a storehouse of toxins,
affecting normal cell functions. What happens if the toxic-load is
greater than the internal-caretaker can remove? Sickness, weakened
immune system and premature death, the plagues of our modern lifestyle.
If
you could study your body cell, it would tell a story, a history of
every substance you have eaten, breathed and come in contact with. Two
thousand years ago people did not inhale air pollution, clean their
homes with formaldehyde and ammonia or wear clothes saturated with
chemical fabric softeners against their skin. They did not drink water
laced with chlorine or eat foods containing a list of unpronounceable
names like, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (I found this little gem in a
loaf of “all natural bread” I bought). Not to mention the multitude of
chemicals in shampoo, deodorant, mouthwash and toothpaste, all of which
can be found in every cell of our 20th century bodies. Our
environment has been dramatically altered and so has the human machine.
I
have heard people proclaim Jesus’ 40 day fast must have been a miracle,
an exercise in pain and self-martyrdom. This could not be further from
the truth. They judge Jesus’ forty-day fast according to their few
days’ experience of detoxifying. Due to a natural diet, Jesus body was
clean and would not have undergone detoxification. I can say from
personal experience, fasting with a clean body is nothing like the state
of detoxification. The body enters into an extraordinary condition of
peace and calm, a rare, quiet space where the inner life takes on vivid
reality. Mind clears, yes, there is weakness, a pleasing relaxed island
in a sea of tempestuous bustle.
I
believe Jesus’ fast was the highlight of His stay on earth. Away from
demanding crowds, alone with His Father whom He fiercely loved. Body
stilled, spirit acutely strong. Many times Jesus slipped away to pray
with His Father, avoiding the crowds, finding lonely places to pray
(Luke 5:16).
Jesus knew how demanding life was about to become. Knew Satan’s
temptations lay ahead, a controversial three-year ministry that would
end beaten and alone on a Roman cross. These precious few days were
deep times of prayer, intercession, communion, an intimacy with God we
cannot understand. This was not Gethsemany, the Garden of Sorrows, but
a solitary place of fellowship, casting aside the demands of flesh and
bone and clamoring crowds, they would come soon enough. Jesus was an
Eternal Spirit, unused to the limitations of being cloaked in mortal,
hungry flesh. The forty day fast must have been a liberating taste of
His heavenly state, body weakened, spirit strengthened. The temptations
of Satan did not stand a chance. Jesus was fully prepared.
Historically, man lived on a sparse diet, free from pesticides, food
additives, drugs and toxins. Today, we consume more toxic substances
than all generations before us. Levels of built-up lead in our bones
can be 200 times greater compared to those excavated from the period of
Christ. Through air, water, food and even mother's milk, there is
absorption of thousands of toxins and chemicals that saturate the
environment. During fasting, these toxins are released into the
bloodstream making water fasting almost impossible for the first time
faster.
The
three ways our bodies handle toxins are neutralizing, transforming or
eliminating them. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals. The liver
transforms toxic substances into harmless agents. And blood carries
waste to the kidneys or liver, eliminating through the bladder or
intestines. Elimination can also occur through sweating during exercise
or heat. These are only a few examples of the built-in cleaning
mechanisms, working hard to maintain the thousands of miles of tubes and
membranes. If all these systems are working well, and we are taking in
fewer toxins than the body can detoxify; the result will be vibrant
health and long life.
Eliminated during the detoxification process
Ø
Dead, dying
or diseased cells
Ø
Unwanted
fatty tissue
Ø
Trans-fatty
acids
Ø
Hardened
coating of mucus on the intestinal wall
Ø
Toxic waste
matter in the lymphatic system and bloodstream
Ø
Toxins in
the spleen, liver, and kidneys
Ø
Mucus from
the lungs and sinuses
Ø
Imbedded
toxins in the cellular fibers and deeper organ tissues
Ø
Deposits in
the microscopic tubes responsible for nourishing
brain cells
Ø
Excess
cholesterol
The Result
Ø
Mental
clarity is improved
Ø
Rapid, safe
weight loss is achieved without flabbiness
Ø
The nervous
system is balanced
Ø
Energy
level is increased
Ø
Organs are
revitalized
Ø
Cellular
biochemistry is harmonized
Ø
The skin
becomes silky, soft, and sensitive
Ø
There is
greater ease of movement
Ø
Breathing
becomes fuller, freer and deeper
Ø
The
digestive system is given a well-deserved rest
People testify that after making changes toward better eating, fasting
becomes easier. You could say fasting is a measure of lifestyle.
METHODS OF DETOXIFICATION
Juice Fasting
This is the best choice
for detoxification because it supplies an abundance of nutrients,
including enzymes and calories to reduce the cleansing intensity to a
more comfortable level. Using an enema during a juice fast will flush
the lymphatic system attached to the lower colon with water and help
remove hardened fecal matter from the intestinal wall, while giving the
digestive tract a chance to rest and heal.
Water Fasting
Water fasting demands
more calories therefore cleansing will be intensified.
Raw Food Diet
The same cleansing
reaction that is experienced on a juice fast will also be experienced on
a raw food diet of fruit and vegetables but the process is slower.
Eating Less
This is a good way to
start the detoxification process but can require the greatest
discipline. Chew food 30 times and eat smaller amounts.
Vegetarian Eating
A light vegetarian diet
will also aid detoxification. For example, fruit for breakfast, a salad
for lunch and a meal of cooked vegetables with some raw nuts or beans
and brown rice for dinner.
Exercise
During exercise the
lymphatic system is being flushed and the cells are being flooded with
health-giving oxygen. Walking, stretching and light exercise can
benefit the body during a juice fast or cleansing diet.
Other Detoxification
Procedures
Homeopathic remedies,
ozone therapy and acupuncture, massage, thermal chambers (sauna), herbal
liver and kidney cleansing formulas, antioxidants and mega
vitamin/mineral supplements.
Detoxification Aids
To assist the cleansing
process, we recommend fresh juice made with a juice extractor once per
day. Take a high-quality multi-vitamin supplement and antioxidants such
as E and Q10, and one to two tablespoons of mixed essential oils daily
such as Udo's Choice (found in health food stores). | 
detoxification, healing, colon