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The more toxic we are, the faster we age. "Everyone needs detoxification," says Susan Lombardi, founder and president of the We Care Health Center in Palm Springs, California, and author of Ten Easy Steps for Complete Wellness. "I am vegetarian, and I take care of myself. Do I still need detoxification? Yes, because the air that we breathe is polluted, the water that we drink is full of chlorine, the clothing we wear is made of artificial fabrics and chemicals, the lotions and shampoos that we use all contain chemicals. Once these chemicals are inside us, we never fully eliminate them unless we go through a detoxification procedure." Lombardi recommends rejuvenating the system from the inside out by limiting food intake to fresh raw vegetable juices once a week, along with the following simple, yet effective, detoxification therapies:

JUICE FASTING PROMOTES HEALING

Juice fasting gives the digestive system a rest and speeds up the growth of new cells, which promotes healing. (If you have any medical problems, do not fast without medical approval and supervision.) On a juice fast, a person abstains from solid foods and drinks juice, water, and herbal teas throughout the day. "We should be drinking every half hour to an hour," advises Lombardi. "If we go for long periods of time without drinking anything, then a little glass of juice will not be able to sustain us. But if we are constantly drinking, the day will go by very smoothly."

Lombardi recommends a combination of the following:

CARROT JUICE. High in the antioxidant beta carotene and full of wonder enzymes.

CELERY JUICE. HIGH IN SODIUM -- not the artificial type poured from the salt shaker, which is bad for you, but the good, natural kind that promotes tissue flexibility.

BEET JUICE. Beets nourish the liver, one of the most important organs in the body, with hundreds of different functions. If your liver is functioning well, most likely everything else in your body will be too.

CABBAGE JUICE. Cabbage juice is high in vitamin C.

Mix the juice from each vegetable in equal proportion and drink this combination throughout the day. A little cayenne, which increases circulation, sending blood to every corner of the body to promote healing, can be added for flavor. Lemon juice in water and different herbal teas -- some good ones are parsley and dandelion tea for the liver and kidneys and pau d'arco for blood purification -- can be added for variety. "Any herbal tea free of caffeine will be good," Lombardi says. "Since you need to drink on an hourly basis, you don't want to drink the same thing over and over."

CHELATION THERAPY INCREASES LIFE SPAN

Martin Dayton, M.D., of Florida, who is board-certified in family medicine, chelation therapy, and clinical nutrition, says that chelation therapy has multiple benefits, and long life is one of them: "Dramatic increases in life span are found with chelation. While there are no longevity studies per se, this conclusion is implied indirectly by studies which show a lessening of killer degenerative diseases. In fact, chelation favorably impacts all four major causes of death in the United States [heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease, and lung disease]."

During the chelation process many beneficial changes occur at the cellular level. A synthetic amino acid called EDTA is administered to the patient via intravenous drip. Once in the bloodstream, EDTA attaches itself to heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury and holds onto those toxic substances until they exit the body through the urine. Dr. Dayton explains why removal of these substances is vital to good health: "The toxic material prevents normal function and repair. For example, lead prevents normal enzymatic processes so that the body cannot function properly and repair itself.-? This leads to premature aging and the premature development of disease. Removal of toxic material through chelation keeps the body functioning optimally."

IRON EXCESS ACCELERATES FREE RADICAL PRODUCTION

Dr. Dayton notes that an excess even of iron, which is necessary for life, accelerates free radical production and causes harm: "Periodic purging of iron from the body via menstrual bleeding is thought to protect women from hardening of the arteries. However, this protection is lost at menopause with the cessation of menstruation. At this time, arterial clogging accelerates. Chelation removes this excess iron."

Since modern people are overwhelmed by pollutants, Dr. Dayton recommends chelation therapy for anyone over thirty. "Lead is found everywhere, in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food supply. It is even found at the North Pole. Lead and other toxic pollutants are hard to avoid in today's world. As a matter of fact, the concentration of lead found in the human skeleton now is several hundred times greater than that found in our pre-industrial revolution ancestors. In one study, where lead was thought to be involved, 18 years following chelation therapy a 10-fold decrease in cancer death rate was found for those who had the treatment versus those who had nothing."

CHEALTION THERAPY IMPROVES BRAIN FUNCTION

Aside from its overall benefits, chelation therapy specifically helps aging individuals by improving brain function. Dr. Dayton cites the following evidence: "Research shows that circulation improves greatly in the brain and to the brain. One study of 15 patients who had 20 infusions of chelation therapy found that 14 out of 15 demonstrated significant cerebral blood flow. Some showed dramatic improvement in cognitive abilities.

"In another study, 30 patients with carotid blockages were given 30 chelation treatments over a 10-month period. The carotid artery extends from the chest through the neck to the brain. It is the brain's main source of blood flow. Blockage decreased between 20 and 40 percent.

"Unclogging carotid blockage is vitally important because the American College of Physicians states that patients with an obstruction of 70 percent of greater are at a high risk for stroke. They even recommend chelation therapy as a preferred treatment. I take that to heart and use chelation therapy on these individuals. People who have carotid artery disease improve as their arteries open up. I see this happen over and over again."

 This article was excerpted from the book:

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

Info/Order this book

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.

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