**DETOXIFICATION**

Because we are living in an increasingly polluted environment, assisting the body with detoxification is an essential piece of the healing puzzle. With many options to choose from, including juicing, fasts, herbal cleanses, colonics, saunas, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, IV therapy, and chelation to name just a few, choices may need to be dictated by budget, convenience, and an inner sense of what may be right for you. Only some of what I consider to be the essentials are outlined here.

HEAVY METAL DETOX

A critical component of healing, ridding the body of heavy metals must be first and foremost on the priority list. Healing simply cannot take place while heavy metals remain stored in the bodily tissues and the brain. Getting tested is essential to knowing what you're up against and to chart the progress of elimination. Some effective ways to rid the body of a heavy metal load include chelation IV therapy, a chlorella-cilantro protocol, magnetic clay baths, infrared saunas, and the Ion Cleanse foot bath. These can be used individually or in any combination depending on finances and convenience.

CHLORELLA - A single celled organism that is often used as a nutritional supplement or an oral chelating agent. Used in conjunction with other chelating agents, chlorella helps to mobilize heavy metals within the body, sucking them up like a sponge into it's cell wall. While other algae are noted for their nutritional benefits, Chlorella Pyreneidosa and Chlorella Vulgaris are known for their affinity to bind to mercury and other toxic metals. Presuming there are no sensitivities to chlorella which can be determined by starting off with a 500mg per day dosage, work up to a 2500mg dose with each meal. Burping up chlorella or experiencing feelings of nausea after taking it are signs of sensitivity and intake should be cut back or discontinued. Alternatively, a very specific protocol of taking 6 grams or more at midday twenty minutes prior to a meal can be more effective if the chlorella is well tolerated in high dosages. Cilantro should be taken in conjunction with the chlorella to maximize effectiveness.

CILANTRO - Used in conjunction with chlorella and other chelating agents, cilantro has been found to mobilize toxic metals from the brain and central nervous system when used fresh, daily, in appropriate amounts or more conveniently in an organic tincture form. Cilantro itself does not remove the metals from the body however, and must be used in conjunction with other chelating agents to discharge the metals from the body once they have been mobilized from the brain and central nervous system. If using the tincture, begin with 15 drops in warm water before bedtime. This dosage can be increased to three times per day, with the mid day dosage taken 20 minutes after the chlorella.

INFRARED SAUNA - This type of deep heat penetrates the body to a greater depth than conventional saunas without the exposure to the higher temperatures. As blood vessels dilate, the increased circulation relieves tension in muscles and brings more oxygen to the tissues while carrying off metabolic waste. The penetrating heat of the infrared sauna also helps to accelerate the removal of toxic metals from the body. Learn more about a quality compact tent version by Aesta. Aesta Fir Dome

Maintaining adequate nutrition is key during any detoxification process, but special care must be taken with some treatments such as infrared saunas and chelation therapy. These can pull out some of the good stuff with the bad stuff so take extra care not to deplete the body by replacing lost electrolytes and minerals.

SUPPLEMENTATION

The body can undergo a tremendous amount of strain during the detoxification phase and it is wise to offer extra support to keep the detoxification pathways open. Mobilizing toxins gradually can help to ensure the body is removing them rather than just recirculating them, but as a safety measure, it is beneficial to add herbal remedies to increase lymph drainage, support the liver and kidneys to flush toxins out, and assist in immune system functions.

GOOD NUTRITION & ORGANIC FOOD - This can fall under both detox and repair because food provides us with both the energy and nutrients to process and filter out toxins from the body and the building blocks for regenerating our cells. Commercially grown food is for the most part laden with harmful chemicals, including fungicides and pesticides containing heavy metals, not to mention the hormones, antibiotics, and other dangerous compounds that burden the kidneys, liver, and glandular system. Keeping the diet simple while nourishing the body with whole grains, lots of fruits and vegetables, and quality sources of protein is essential to health.

GLUTATHIONE - This can also fall under both detox and repair because glutathione supports the body to cleanse and heal. This protein is a potent antioxidant, is made in virtually every cell of the body, and performs four very important tasks including neutralizing free radicals, detoxifying heavy metals and other toxins, helping the immune system to maintain balance, and helping to regulate cell functions. Glutathione levels naturally decline with age and can be depleted by normal cell metabolism, exercise, and especially during illness. This is why supplementation becomes necessary during any serious health challenge. According to studies, oral glutathione supplements are not easily absorbed by the body and are essentially rendered useless by the liver. Injectable glutathione can break down before it reaches the cell, and may never get past the cell membrane. Glutathione is therefore best when it is manufactured within the cells, but the body requires support in order to make this happen. While Cystine and N Acetyl L-Cysteine (NAC) have often been recommended as precursors to help the body build its own glutathione, Cystine is not well absorbed when taken orally and NAC may not be effective at replenishing long term glutathione deficiencies. The best bets may be supplementation with adequate doses of milk thistle and whey protein, which seem to be effective precursors to glutathione.

MINERALS - Today's farming practices have caused serious mineral depletion in the food supply. Both macro mineral and trace mineral supplementation has become more necessary than ever before to help protect our cells from the ever increasing toxic environment we live in. The basic components of the structure of all living organisms are minerals and without minerals life quite simply cannot be maintained properly. Trace minerals, known as a micronutients, are required in very small amounts, but even so, they do big things in the body. Trace minerals affect chemical reactions that allow movement, they serve as messengers to facilitate the exchange of information amongst our cells, and they stimulate the enzyme systems and biological functions that are essential to life. Minerals are best when supplied first and foremost from whole food sources such as vegetables and green foods including spirulina, blue green algae, and chlorella, or if necessary in ionic liquid form. Some excellent products to feed the body on a cellular level include SUPER Z-LITE - Zeolite - Liquid and GreensFirst.

SPECIFIC PATHOGEN DETOX

Tests may be required to determine which pathogens you are dealing with specifically, but in general, it is safe to say that with most, if not all cases of ALS, the immune system is struggling to fight against co-infections that are gradually undermining and wearing down the body's defence system. While it may be true that once heavy metals and other toxins are removed from the body the immune system may be able to function better, depending on the amount of time lapsed and the pathogens we are dealing with, you may not have the luxury of testing out the resiliance your immune system without specific intervention. Some useful interventions may include anti bacterials, anti virals, anti fungals, ultra violet blood irradiation, and a variety of oxygen therapies. Royal Defense - Syclovir is a great product to begin the process of clearing your body of pathogens and restoring your inner balance.

HYPERBARIC OXYGEN CHAMBERS - Most pathogens cannot survive in an oxygen rich environment, so the idea of saturating the body with oxygen under increased atmospheric pressure makes sense to help stop the proliferation of anerobic nasties. Flooding the tissues and cells with oxygen drastically alters the playing field for these opportunistic microbes and relieves the load on the immune system over time. Saturation is critical though, and an aggressive approach is required to have any long term effect. Forty one hour treatments are prescribed over the course of one month, best taken two times daily for five days, and repeated for four consecutive weeks. Even at this however, some particularily virulent bacterial or viral infections may be weakened, though not completely eradicated. Combining the HBO treatments with another method, such as energy medicine, can amplify positive results. While HBO is good for addressing pathogens, it is best done only after mercury and other heavy metals have been chelated out of the body.

 

**REPAIR**

Once the obstacles have been removed from the healing process, repair can effectively begin. Depending on how much damage has been done, this process can take months or even years. Our cells are in a constant process of renewal however, and when given the right support and nutrients, the body can lend itself to healing.

HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE -  This hormone is made by the pituitary gland to stimulate growth and cell reproduction, normally released at regular intervals throughout the course of a day. Peak production of this hormone in both frequency and amount is during puberty, slowly declining thereafter as we age. HGH supplementation is said to influence certain metabolic functions, such as increasing calcium retention and the mineralization of bone, increasing protein synthesis and muscle mass, reducing body fat and liver uptake of glucose, and stimulating the immune system. HGH should be taken with caution however, as too much of a good thing can have side effects, and finding the right dosage is important for it to have any beneficial results. As an oral supplement human growth hormone is not effective and must be injected. There are however, products which claim to contain a combination of growth hormone releasers that may be effective orally. Caution is advised here though, as there are many false claims out there, not to mention poor controls over the quality of products in the marketplace. 

CREATINE - In terms of regenerating muscle tissue, creatine monohydrate may be the easiest to obtain, and safest natural substance besides eating good quality protein. Creatine is required for all muscular contractions, can help to reduce muscle fatigue, and can improve cellular hydration, which is necessary for developing muscle. A tasteless, odorless powder, creatine can be diluted in juice or water and is best taken on an empty stomach. Five grams once or twice daily is recommended.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS - All cells are protected by a membrane that is, essentially, fat. While there are many different kinds of fats, the ones essential to healing and life are the essential fatty acids. Ideally we can supply our body with what it needs from eating a balanced diet, but much of our modern diet has tipped the ratios for fats into a dangerously unhealthy state. This leaves our cells, especially the nerve cells, vulnerable to malfunction. An accurate assessment of deficiencies can only be determined through a nutritional profile done by blood analysis, but it may be safe to say that all people can benefit from a good quality fish oil or flax seed oil supplement. While supplementing with EFAs is especially important for repairing the body, it is generally wise to add it to the diet as soon as possible.

STEM CELL THERAPY - While there is so much controversy surrounding this form of treatment, I believe it is the medicine of the future and is worthy of serious consideration, now. With so much potential, it is important that we move beyond our judgments and reservations about stem cell therapy and embrace the inevitable. Stem cell therapy is already happening in some parts of the world and I think it is only a matter of time before it becomes an accepted part of our own medical system. Even though we have yet to be able to specifically program stem cells and make them do exactly what we want them to do in most cases, research is being done, experiments and trials are in the early stages, and we are discovering some of the amazing potential that lies with these little wonders. The exciting reality that cannot be overlooked is that stem cells can be harvested from several different sources and implanted virtually anywhere in the body to assist in healing and regeneration. It only makes sense that we would bring this to the top of our priority list.

FAITH - There is much evidence out there that suggests that our body will respond to our mind's expectation. The placebo effect is a well documented phenomenon where a patient believes they are taking a curative pill or receiving a healing treatment when in fact it is nothing more than a sugar pill or a staged surgery or healing. More times than just by chance patients have essentially healed themselves with the placebo effect, causing medical science to recognize the power of the mind in the healing process. However, just as often as positive expectations can produce health benefits from a treatment that should not have had any effect, negative expectations can result in the nocebo effect. That is, the patient can doubt treatment will work, expect the worst, and this will then be exactly what they get. It is wise to not underestimate the power of the mind and work diligently to replace fear and worry with faith.

MEDITATION -  A state of concentrated attention, meditation often involves focusing inward on a word or thought, or bringing the awareness to the mind itself. Having originated in Vedic Hinduism, meditation is practiced as a component of Eastern religions to achieve peace, connect with God, or maintain health. Meditation can be active or still, with the mind empty or engaged. The breath is often the focal point for centering the body and mind with an intention towards relaxed but full breaths.

QI GONG - As a form of meditation used by the Chinese for thousands of years, qi gong styles include both active and still, and are excellent ways to discipline the mind and body. Basic forms can easily be learned from books and videos.