Detoxification Therapies

by Gary Null & Barbara Seaman

Continued from Part I & Part II

STRESS RELEASE

"In my personal opinion, the single most important factor influencing aging and disease is stress," says DL Morris. "We need to control emotional anxieties and tensions, and learn how to not let life get to us. It is important to learn to let go and enjoy life." Methods DL Morris suggests to overcome stress include deep breathing exercises, tai chi, yoga, meditation, qi gong, mantras, massage, Reiki, and biofeedback. "These are things I recommend that all of us do in the pursuit of health, longevity and wellness." Although exercise strengthens muscle and increases suppleness, sometimes bad patterns of movement or chronic tensions create problems in the joints or muscles. One practice that helps eliminate the problem of poor movement habits is the Feldenkrais method.

Since exercise increases oxygenation, it also has the potential to foster free radical damage. To prevent undesirable effects, women may want to combine exercise with sufficient amounts of antioxidants in the diet and/or as dietary supplements. (See "Antioxidants" above.)

BREATHING EXERCISES

Breathing exercises combined with physical activity increase the action of lymphatic cleansing. Detoxification expert Susan Lombardi explains: "For lymphatic cleansing, you want to synchronize your breathing with the movement of your legs and arms. When you are walking or jumping on the trampoline, inhale four times and exhale four times. Move your arms and legs each time you take a little breath. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your nose or mouth.

"This breathing technique was learned from the Taromaro Indians, who live in the northern part of Mexico. They are famous for their fantastic health, They have no need of hospitals or homes for the elderly. They have no disease, no police force, no jails, and no mental institutions."

SKIN BRUSHING

Using a natural brush on dry skin removes dead cells and leaves pores open, so that more toxins can be expelled. Lombardi explains why this is so important: "We are supposed to eliminate two pounds of toxins through the pores of the skin. Due to pollution, smog, the creams we use, the clothes we wear, and so forth, our pores are more closed than open. Always brush toward the heart.'"

SAUNAS

The sauna is a good follow-up to dry skin brushing because it pushes toxins out through the skin. The main thing to remember with saunas is to be prudent. You want to perspire but not remain there for too long. Nor do you want too much heat. "Follow the directions," says Lombardi. "And wear a cooling drape on your head. You don't want to heat up the brain area."

There are multiple benefits from sauna detoxification, explains Lombardi: "You will look and feel better. Your skin will be clear and you will not have constipation. Your nails will improve as well as your heart and digestive system. It will clear your mind and improve concentration. Nothing will de-stress your body like a sauna."

MAGNETIC HEALING

Susan Bucci is a holistically trained nurse who has spearheaded the development of magnetic healing products. "Magnets oxygenate tissues and allow cell walls to absorb more oxygen," she explains. "They promote mental acuity and normalize pH balance by increasing alkalinity. Restorative sleep is enhanced. Therapeutically, they stop pain, fight infection, and reduce inflammation and fluid retention. Over time, fatty and calcium deposits dissolve and the circulatory system opens up. Put that all together and you've got healing from A to Z. Take that a step further: If you achieve optimal well-being, you can actually live a long, productive life."

In addition to promoting overall well-being, magnets can eliminate many specific signs and symptoms of old age. Bucci reports these antiaging benefits from her own use of magnetic healing techniques: "My energy level has increased. I used to have chronic fatigue in the worst way, but now that's gone. My immune system is functioning much better, so my susceptibility to viruses and colds has decreased dramatically. Allergies are basically gone, and there are no more killer sinus headaches. My circulation has improved so that I withstand weather a whole lot easier. Wounds heal quickly, and my spider veins have disappeared. Also, I was headed for an early menopause, but now my menstrual cycle is very much on track, very regular.

"Hair skin, and nails have definitely improved. My hair grows faster and has a much better quality to it. Within two weeks of using magnets on a daily basis, I was able to see new, thick, dark hair growing. My grays started falling out and disappearing. I was going to color my hair about four years ago, and I still haven't touched it with an ounce of anything. My skin definitely looks and feels younger. And my nails grow so well that if I break one, it doesn't upset me. I know that it will grow right back."

How can magnets do so much? Simply stated, magnets confer a wide range of benefits because we are magnetic beings who derive energy from the earth's magnetic field. Bucci explains: "One reason we get sick is that the earth has lost a good deal of its magnetism, which leaves the body in an unbalanced state. Additionally, we are bombarded by unhealthy energies." Magnets create overall benefit by restoring internal harmony.

It is important to realize that not just any old magnet will do. The negative pole restores health and good energy to the system, while exposure to the positive pole is detrimental. This has been proved repeatedly in studies where a variety of creatures, from earthworms, mice, and chickens to larger animals, live twice as long as untested control groups when exposed to negative field magnets, and half as long when exposed to positive fields. Bucci recommends unipolar magnets, marked by the Davis and Rawls system with an "N" or the word "negative" and a green label. "That's the healthy side, and that's the one we face toward the body." Negative field ions support biological systems, which help the body to heal itself "The body is an amazing machine with a remarkable capacity to cure itself," Bucci says. "Give it a boost in the right direction and it does the rest on its own. The negative field is completely safe and risk-free."

Bucci finds that magnets work best when worn on a daily basis. During the day she wears a magnet over her heart to improve circulation and oxygenation. "It keeps the heart open and flowing and sends all that wonderful oxygen throughout my body," she says. At night, she takes the magnet off and sleeps with her head on a magnetic mattress pad. She does this because the most important benefit while sleeping is increased melatonin production from the brain's pineal gland: "People are running out to buy melatonin, but guess what? We can encourage our own melatonin production.

"People ask me how long magnets should be worn. Generally speaking, the longer you wear them, the more healing takes place. You can wear them all night and during the day. Generally, the body will tell you when it has had enough. It also will tell you when a condition has healed, although you should check with a physician just to make sure."

LIVE CELL THERAPY

Live cell therapy involves using living embryonic cells to regenerate tissues. Dr. Lance Morris notes, "Research is being performed on Alzheimer's patients to regenerate brain cell tissue. This is very exciting work. There is also work being done using thymus gland tissue to reverse the aging process. Thymus glands that you get in the health food store are useful in supporting immune function and in helping with the aging process. That's a simple thing that you can do on your own, and it's very safe to do." Live cell therapy enhances immune response by increasing stem cells, cells that can differentiate into a wide variety of immune and blood cells throughout the body.

This article was excerpted from For Women Only! Your Guide to Health Empowerment, © 2000  by Gary Null & Barbara Seaman. Reprinted with permission of the publisher: Seven Stories Press. http://sevenstories.com

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This article was excerpted from:

For Women Only!
by Gary Null & Barbara Seaman
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Gary Null, Ph.D. is one of America's leading health and fitness writers and alternative practitioners. Trained as a nutritionist, he is the author of dozens of books and hundreds of medical articles. His one-hour health radio program airs daily on WBAI in New York City, and is carried weekly to 32 stations nationwide over the Virtual Radio Network. Null is a former faculty member of the New School for Social Research and a National TAC Master Champion Racewalker. Among his many best-selling books are Get Healthy Now!, Healing Your Body Naturally, and The Ultimate Anti-Aging Program. He lives in New York City.

Barbara Seaman has been cited by the Library of Congress as the author who raised sexism and health care as a worldwide issue. Her The Doctors' Case against the Pill is credited with influencing the FDA to require informational inserts in packages of oral contraceptives and other medicines. She also wrote Free and Female and Women and the Crisis in Sex Hormones. The New York Times wrote that these three books "triggered a revolution, fostering a willingness among women to take issues of health into their own hands." A founder of the National Women's Health Network and a contributing editor to Ms., Seaman lives in New York City.