If you have ever attempted a SAFE detoxification regimen, you know that it includes DECREASING the amount of toxins coming INTO your body while INCREASING the amount of toxins going OUT of your body. But unless you are aware of the concepts of Phase I and Phase II detoxification, you could not only NOT be detoxifying, but you could actually be INCREASING toxic damage to your body.

The concepts of Phase I and Phase II detoxification are absolutely CRITICAL in detoxification, yet they are almost COMPLETELY unknown to the average person who is interested in eliminating toxins. Most toxins start out as FAT-SOLUBLE substances, but the body is only able to excrete WATER-SOLUBLE substances, so these toxins must be transformed before being able to be eliminated. The first part of this process, known as Phase I detoxification, transforms these toxins into ‘Intermediary Metabolites’ that need to be changed even further before elimination. Phase I detoxification is relatively ‘easy’ and doesn’t require any intense energy expenditures or nutrients, however, the intermediary metabolites that it produces can be very dangerous. In fact, the free radicals and carcinogens produced in this phase can be even MORE harmful than the ORIGINAL toxins!

Under ideal conditions, Phase II begins immediately after Phase I and these harmful metabolites are neutralized and excreted fairly rapidly. But in some cases, Phase II does not begin right away or it can’t keep up with the incoming metabolites produced so efficiently in Phase I. Because Phase II IS energy and nutrient intensive, in someone who has fewer nutrients and enzymes than is required for Phase II needs, detoxification CAN become an overall DAMAGING experience! Situations that can cause high Phase I activity and slowed Phase II activity occur when someone is either sick or malnourished and simply does not have the nutritional stores in order to support Phase II nutrient demands. Other situations are when fat is lost so quickly that the sheer amount of toxins released into the bloodstream overwhelms Phase II systems. Those who water fast, too, should be cautious. Water fasting is so efficient and there are so few nutrients being ingested, that the amount of toxins produced can overwhelm Phase II nutrient requirements and allow free radical damage to occur.

 

These phases or detoxification are not to be taken lightly, either. The intermediate substances can be SO harmful that Phase II detoxification problems have been linked to cancer, liver failure and the permanent neurologic damage that occurs in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Fortunately, increasing Phase II activity can be assisted with the right nutrients: the amino acids glycine, taurine, glutamine, cysteine and methionine are critical in this reaction.

 

 

Antioxidants that specifically aid Phase II pathways, like those from green tea, turmeric and red raspberries, can provide specific substances that not only help to neutralize free radicals and INCREASE Phase II activity, but slow down Phase I activity at the same time. This can allow the body adequate time to transform these free radicals into their harmless counterparts. Dietary fiber, too, not only binds to the water soluble compounds created, but specific types of fiber have been shown to actually improve Phase II activity.

Because we live in such a contaminated environment, detoxification is a nearly Essential pursuit in order to stay healthy, but it is vital to understand the concepts of Phase I and Phase II detoxification before embarking on any cleansing regimen. Providing the body with substances that specifically improve Phase II reactions can not only help you to have a safer cleansing experience, but a more EFFECTIVE one as well.

 

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Health Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Easy Immune Health.com

 

 

 

A new study on Parkinson’s Disease from UCLA shows a definite link between the disease and toxic pesticide exposure. Thousands of alternative practitioners have been saying this for years, yet it’s unlikely that this is going to change anything in the medical community.

 

This news comes at a time when Michael J. Fox is making headlines with his diagnosis and has a new television show devoted to Parkinson’s Disease awareness.

Michael J. Fox, on a commercial for his show states, “We’re just waiting for a cure.” But by “cure”, I’m sure that he means a drug, surgery or procedure. The fact that there are already treatments that can significantly improve Parkinson’s Disease seems to be beyond Michael J. Fox as well as most of the medical community.

The problem is that alternative treatments don’t have a ‘magic bullet’ that will make everything go away with one fell swoop. And that’s what the medical community as well as most sufferers are looking for. Like most disease sufferers, they want a pill, surgery or procedure to get them better quickly.

 

 

But that will not address the CAUSE of their symptoms. If your symptoms are CAUSED FROM TOXINS, then the solution is to get rid of the toxins- right? How is a pill, surgery or stem cell transplant going to fix the problem if you don’t get rid of the problem that caused Parkinson’s Disease in the first place?

Alternative practitioners, health groups, the organic food movement, the raw food people and many others have been saying this for years and this study confirms it. But the solution is not simple, and those with the disease will have to take some serious responsibility for their health if they want to get better without “waiting for a cure”.

If they choose to do so, then they could seriously alleviate some of their symptoms, delay progression of the disease and possibly even reverse symptoms. It won’t happen overnight and it won’t necessarily be easy, but it absolutely can be done for those who are motivated and willing to take some action.

 

Some ‘action steps’ that you can do to start the process are:

Eat  only organic foods
Switch  ALL home products to non-toxic alternatives
Eliminate the most common food allergies
Exercise vigorously every day within your limitations
Use sauna therapy to help eliminate toxins
Actively detoxify  using herbs and supplements
Use bowel cleansing routines to maximize elimination

 

While conventional medicine is unlikely to embrace or even condone these techniques, they have been practiced for centuries in many cultures around the world in order to gain better health.

 

So, if you want to take your Sinemet and antidepressants and wait for a ‘cure’, you can do that. You will probably have to wait a long time.

 

OR, you can take the initiative and try some VERY old and VERY safe techniques to get rid of the toxins that have been proven to be causing your problems.

Now that you know that you have a choice, which are you going to choose?

 

Resources:

Parkinson’s Study Places the Blame on Toxins

Article: Detoxification in Chronic Neurotoxic Syndromes

 

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Easy Immune Health.com