I’m blessed to be able to share the work of Dr Marilyn Golden, an amazing healer, raw foodist and friend who is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. Dr Golden, who wrote the following article about how to detoxify safely, has helped many of her patients achieve incredible results. Visit her website at www.marilyngolden.com.au to find out more.
Why detox?
Pollutants pervade our world. Toxins are increasingly common in our modern environment. These include heavy metals such as mercury in amalgam fillings and as an adjuvant in some vaccines, aluminium in antiperspirants and baking powder, arsenic in preserved woods used in playgrounds and even as a border in vegetable patches, cadmium in cigarette smoke, lead in paints and car batteries, food additives such as colourants and preservatives, drugs, medication, pollutants in our water supply and the air we breathe.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 2.4 million people die each year from air pollution. Indoor pollution stems from photocopiers, carpets, cleaning materials, glues, paints and furnishings. Australia tops the per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the developed world (SMH 2004).
Physical phenomena such as electromagnetic radiation and ionising radiation are invisible toxins. Electronic products dumped in landfills contain dangerous chemicals and heavy metals that can leach into the groundwater. According to Choice magazine, many unsafe pesticides passed by the Australian food authorities for use in our foods are banned in Europe. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald on 21st September 2009, written by Kelly Burke, stated that Endosulfan, one of the world’s most toxic crop sprays, is permitted for horticultural control of mites and insects in Australia, whereas Endosulfan is banned in more than 50 countries, including 27 countries of the European Union and in New Zealand since January 2009. Endosulfan has been linked to breast cancer and birth defects. It has long-term effects as it persists in the body and disrupts the endocrine system. It is but one of the many chemicals used in the agricultural industry.
According to the Environmental Working Group, people who consume the 12 most pesticide-contaminated foods, ingest 10 pesticides each day.
Research on the use of multiple pesticides and chemicals acting cumulatively and synergistically in the body is difficult to perform and long-term effects may only become apparent after many years. Multiple long-term exposure to low doses of toxins makes detection in humans difficult and may be a contributing cause to chronic illness in many forms. A frightening scenario was the discovery of two and three-headed fish in the Noosa River in 2009 which was thought to be as a result of the use of Endosulfan in the area. Some toxins such as DDT and Lindane have such a long half-life, that their presence in the soil may persist up to 30 years.
In 2009 in China, the chemical Melamine was found as a contaminant in infant milk powders, causing renal failure and many deaths. There have been concerns that it may have infiltrated vegetables and other crops through pesticides and fertilizers containing the chemical. Sciencebase is a website listing the types of processed food contaminated by melamine found in many other countries outside of China.
Mining and industry wastes pollute agricultural areas, pervading the food we eat at the end of the production chain. Our homes and workplaces generate toxic by-products from paints, glues, building materials, moulds, solvents and adhesives. A study performed by the CSIRO in 2000 showed that new homes generated high amounts of volatile toxins, including formaldehyde for more than a year after construction.
Bisphenol A is a component of plastics including plastic bottles and it is a known endocrine disruptor. Concern has been expressed by the FDA on the effect of Bisphenol A on infant brain development and on early puberty. It may also be implicated in the development of obesity.
Endogenous toxicity arises within our own bodies, generated by hostile bacteria, parasites, yeasts and their by-products in our digestive tracts as well as residues of drugs, food chemicals and free radicals from infection, inflammation, alcohol and medication. In those who are nutrient deficient or who have genetic enzyme deficiencies, toxins accumulate and these individuals are more susceptible to certain illnesses. Toxins can bind to enzymes to inhibit their capacity to detoxify.
Chronic stress may impair digestion and detoxification. Hormonal imbalance or impaired function of liver detoxification enzymes contribute to endogenous toxicity.
HOW DO TOXINS AFFECT OUR HEALTH?
Toxins may cause free radical damage, disrupt the endocrine system, paralyse detoxification enzymes in the body, accumulate in tissues and organs to compromise function, damage the nervous system, mitochondria and DNA and suppress immunity.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF TOXICITY?
• Symptoms may be nonspecific and persistent.
• Low energy
• Low mood, anxiety and depression
• Poor concentration, memory problems, headaches
• Frequent infections
• Joint pain, muscle aches
• Allergies
• Weight gain
• Digestive symptoms – diarrhoea, constipation, bloating
• Autoimmune disease
• Chemical and environmental sensitivity
• Infertility and reproductive disorders
WHAT CAN WE DO?
• Limit your toxic load through reducing household and personal use of toxic chemicals.
• Enjoy indoor plants that absorb pollutants – The Areca palm, Bostern ferns, Chrysanthemums, Dwarf Date palms, Striped Dracena
• Filter your water
• Greatly reduce or abstain from alcohol, cigarettes and recreational drugs.
• Practice some form of stress relief and happiness time
• Detoxify under supervision from an experienced health practitioner
• Select your food carefully.
According to the Environmental Working Group, people who consume the 12 most pesticide-contaminated foods, ingest 10 pesticides each day. The list of foods containing higher concentrations of chemicals and pesticides from ewg.org:
• Peaches
• Apples
• Capsicum
• Celery
• Nectarine
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Grapes
• Carrots
• Pears
As many pesticides do not wash off with rinses, these fruits and vegetables should be organic wherever possible or peeled. It is uncertain whether vegetable rinses remove all pesticide residues.
GROW YOUR OWN
Sprouts and greens are very simple and easy to grow at home, in pots or in sprouters. Examples are kale, parsley, silverbeet, rocket, lettuce and wheatgrass. Sprouts with high detoxification capacity include broccoli sprouts, mustard seed and cress. Sprouts and greens may be used in smoothies or salads. They are powerful packages of antioxidants, proteins and protective phytochemicals such as sulphoraphane which upregulates the genes which code for glutathione detoxification in the cells and in the liver.
DETOXIFICATION BEGINS AT THE CELL
Protect your cells at all times. Support cell nutrition.
Antioxidant support is essential throughout life. We are bombarded with an estimated10,000 hits of free radical assault to our cells and DNA on a daily basis. Free radicals damage our cell membranes and our DNA leading to disease.
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I like Jack Canfield — his books, his insights and his calm, clear approach to self growth. His book, The Success Principles
While you’re likely wondering what Jack Canfield has to do with veganism, the answer is probably not much. Yet his message is one that, I believe, speaks to the heart of those who want to do something grand with their lives, to help others, give back in a big way. I know many vegans who fall under that category. I also know many people, vegan and otherwise, who want to do much, but in their desire to help on a big scale end up doing nothing because they often don’t know where to start—or feel their impact as just one person could never be significant. Jack Canfield is a man who can set you on the path or at least give you some well-thought-out guidance to steer you in the direction of your dreams.
I caught up with the best-selling author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul
Shannon: What is your definition of emotional health and well-being?
Jack Canfield: Having a positive outlook on life despite challenges and being able to cope successfully with whatever life throws you is a good indication of emotional health and well-being. It’s being able to feel in control of your life no matter what—able to dream big and set goals, able to sense a deep connection within yourself and to the world at large, able to focus the mind on present problems and future possibilities, and able to have stable moods (mostly positive and joyful) and handle whatever stressors come into your life . Now that may seem like a tall order in today’s unstable world, but observe how many people do maintain their cool under duress and always manage to see the proverbial silver lining and light at the end of the tunnel. Where others see dead-ends and doomsday, emotionally healthy people see opportunity, and lessons to be learned that will propel their future successes.
I have an equation I teach people that’s one of my core success principles in life, and which has everything to do with emotional health and well-being:
E + R = O
(Events + Responses = Outcome)
The basic idea is that every outcome you experience in life (whether it’s success or failure, wealth or poverty, wellness or illness, intimacy or estrangement, joy or frustration) is the result of how you have responded to an earlier event (or events) in your life. Emotionally healthy people don’t just know this instinctively; they make it a habit to respond in ways that generate the outcomes they want, even during extremely tough experiences or events seemingly beyond their control. Rather than spending their time blaming and complaining about a certain event, they focus on changing their responses to create the future outcomes that match their goals and dreams.
There are only three kinds of responses you have any control over—the thoughts you think, the visual images you create in your mind (dreaming and worrying), and the actions you take (which includes the words you speak). To keep your thoughts positive, you must read uplifting books, monitor your self talk, repeat positive affirmations, listen to uplifting music, stop watching negative news, listen to more comedy, and avoid conversations with negative people. Give up blaming and complaining and only talk about what you want and how you are going to get it.
To keep your imagery positive, watch uplifting movies and television shows, and spend at least ten minutes a day visualizing all of your goals as complete. Close your eyes and visualize your ideal life, your perfect relationship, your dream home with all the details, your ideal job, dynamic health, your dream vacation, and so on.
To keep your actions aligned with creating the success you want, study what successful people do. Success leaves lots of clues in the form of books, CDs, live seminars, on-line courses, coaches, mentors and teachers. Get involved in life-long learning. A successful life is created from a combination of the right mindset and the right skill sets. Unfortunately, most of what we need to know to live a fulfilling life was not taught in school. Keep educating yourself and applying what you learn.
SD: What are the essential steps for someone who wants to maintain—and even elevate—their emotional health during down times?
JC: In these troubled economic times, when everywhere you look there’s more and more evidence of how bad it is “out there,” we have to remember that how successful you are and how peaceful or distressed you are is a result of what you focus your attention on.
Remember that fear is self-created by focusing on something in the future that hasn’t happened yet. A student in a recent seminar had been living in fear for the last year that they would lose their house. They are still in that house. Every single minute of fear that they were experiencing was self-created by imagining being thrown out of their home.
The truth of the moment is they were safely in their home. Stop imagining the worst and focus on your own personal present reality. Even if you are unemployed, you are still alive, still living somewhere. Focus on what you do have, and be grateful for it, rather than on some future negative scenario that has not happened yet. A wonderful acronym for fear is Fantasized (future) Experiences Appearing Real. Turn off CNN (Constantly Negative News) and turn on your own inner movie of that which you want to create in your life. Live from your vision, not some externally created “reality” piped into your brain by the media. Look for the positive in your life and celebrate it.
Remember E + R = O. Even in tough economic times, you get to decide how to respond to certain conditions, opportunities, and outcomes—both good and bad. Life will always be a series of choices and you are the decision maker on what will move you closer to your goals or farther away from them. External forces will always be part of the equation, but you ultimately select how to navigate through them.
Here are five more things to keep in mind that will help you keep your emotional well-being in check no matter what’s going on:
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As a journalist, you get to meet people from all walks of life. Over the years I’ve met some wonderful souls, been welcomed into people’s lives in the name of a story, learned many things and questioned much.
In the 15 years I’ve been doing this, there have been a few incredible people who have, just by their very nature, etched their message into my heart—some, albeit few, have even influenced me to change my life.
Once such interview was about five years ago: “Come along and meet this guy, he’s amazing,” the publicist promised. She was talking about Don Tolman, a guy from Utah known fondly by many as the Indiana Jones of Wholefoods. I’d never heard of him, or his message.
His message, I soon learned, is simple: live with nature, by nature and from nature. Understand what foods benefit particular body functions and eat them. Stop putting chemical pills and potions into your mouth. Drink fresh spring water. Stop brushing your teeth with fluoride. Listen to your great grandmother and use her natural remedies. Know that your body’s symptoms are your body’s cures. Eating meat causes putrification and dis-ease. Question everything.
A 30-minute meeting with the Stetson-wearing cowboy felt like five minutes. His message spoke directly to me, as if what he was saying I already knew on some deep level. I’d already been following some of his recommendations, purely on instinct, such as never taking a pill to relieve a headache or antibiotics to fix an ill, and no longer eating red meat.
If you haven’t had a chance to hear Don Tolman speak, below is an interview he did with Samantha Backman. I hope you enjoy hearing his message, as much as I always do.
Why it’s great: Packed with a gold mine of information that will change the way you look at your body and the food you put in it, forever. Tolman also talks about how every wholefood has a signature that corresponds to parts of the body, such as an avocado, which looks like a pregnant woman and takes nine months from blossom to ripened fruit. If a woman eats just one avocado per week, she is helping prevent cervical cancer.
Who’s watching it: Health care professionals, university lecturers and doctors who are realising the Western way of healing with pharmaceuticals doesn’t work. Also anyone who is interested in honest-to-goodness nutrition and how it greatly improves life through diet and exercise.
What you’ll learn: How your body actually works, why disease is not a mystery and how wholefoods, water, sunshine and clean air can prevent just about any disease.
Want to know more? See www.dontolmaninternational.com
Photo by Wheeloflife.tv
I’m a big fan or charting my own course, all while letting go, and questioning things. I believe truth is in the eye of the beholder and no one is really an absolute expert in anything. Life is ever changing and being a student of life is half the fun.
The truth, in my mind, is a subjective wee thing. It’s only true if a person deems it be so.
With that thought in mind, I want to share news on the release of a new book by author and renowned spiritual teacher don Miguel Ruiz. He has collaborated with his son, don Jose Ruiz, on the sequel to The Four Agreements.
The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self Mastery expands on his last book with fresh insights and a powerful new agreement: Be skeptical, but learn to listen (for the five agreements, see below).
The fifth agreement uses doubt as a tool to discern the truth. Doubt takes us behind the words we hear to the underlying real message or intent. By being skeptical, we don’t believe every message we hear, and when we don’t put our faith in lies, we quickly move beyond emotional drama and the feeling of victimization, the book says.
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Eating out of a can has never appealed to me. Besides the fact that the food inside is dead, it has always seemed just not quite right on some level. Perhaps great if you’re stranded in the desert (hopefully with a can opener in your pocket), but for every day living I just don’t do it.
I know there has been some talk over the years of aluminium leaching into the foods inside the cans. Whether that’s true, I can’t say. However, new research is suggesting it’s the plastic that lines cans these days that’s doing the harm.
Dr Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, who is an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri, specialises in studying the effects of bisphenol-A (BPA), the toxic chemical that comes from plastics that wrap just about everything we buy in supermarkets. He says the number one canned food to steer clear of is tomatoes. The following info may well make you re-think your mother’s famous spaghetti sauce.
Dr vom Saal says bisphenol-A is a synthetic estrogen that is linked to all sorts of dis-eases from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes and obesity. It’s the acidity in the tomatoes that reacts with the BPA that causes the chemical to leach into the food. Appetising huh?
What’s the solution? Learning to live like your great grandmother perhaps, and only eating organic food that looks how it’s supposed to. Freshly picked. Oh and speak to your local grocer about supplying more organic, non-packaged foods. The greater demand, the more supply.
While I’m on the subject of stuff to avoid, here are some other foods, as published in a story on Shine.com, that you may want to re-think.
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I love the idea and practice of being your own doctor … listening to your body to understand what works—or doesn’t—to bring you to your personal, ultimate state of well-being.
Looking to a general practitioner for health advice has never felt right. Why, I often wondered, did doctors generally look so unhealthy, yet were offering me pills and prescriptions that were apparently guaranteed to make me healthy? I do still think there are many great GPs out there, doing wonderful work to make a difference to many lives.
However, if I’m looking outside of myself for health and diet advice, I want to know straight away if the person is living by their own book. Ultimately, I believe there’s not a soul on God’s green earth that knows my body better than me. It’s just a matter of listening to what it’s saying.
“The first thing is to realise one’s limitations. It should be obvious that the moment one transgresses those limits, one falls ill. Thus a balanced diet, eaten in accordance with needs, gives one freedom from disease. How is one to know what is the proper diet for one? The purpose of all this is that everyone should be his own doctor and find out his limitations.” —Mahatma Gandhi
“If you are not your own doctor, you are a fool.”—Hippocrates
“Medicine is the most distinguished of all the arts, but through the ignorance of those who practice it, and of those who casually judge such practitioners, it is now of all the arts by far the least esteemed.”—Hippocrates
I want to share this profound excerpt from the preface of Old MacDonald’s Factory Farm by C. David Coates, kindly highlighted in a recent comment from JC (thanks JC!).
As humans, I believe our potential is limitless, as long as we focus our attention on actions that work with nature, not against. Clearly, as C. David Coates explains so well, we seem to have lost our way when we made it our mission to act as a god, rather than work with God.
Aren’t humans amazing animals? They kill wildlife – birds, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice and foxes by the million in order to protect their domestic animals and their feed.
Then they kill domestic animals by the billion and eat them. This in turn kills people by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative – and fatal – health conditions like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and cancer.
So then humans spend billions of dollars torturing and killing millions of more animals to look for cures for these diseases.
Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals.
Meanwhile, few people recognize the absurdity of humans, who kill so easily and violently, and once a year send out cards praying for “Peace on Earth.”
~Revised Preface to Old MacDonald’s Factory Farm by C. David Coates~
