Alternative Cancer Therapies – Detoxification

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Strictly speaking, a toxin is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms. But among the substances known to cause cancer there are a number of poisons made by humans or released into the environment by human activity, and these are commonly included in discussions of detoxification treatments for cancer. Our bodies are designed to assimilate inputs from many sources. The sun on our skin, cigarette smoke left in an auto or a meeting room, cleaning fluids and agricultural sprays are all agents that have potential to affect our health. And then there is the food and drink we ingest several times a day. Any of these input sources may introduce “toxins” into our system. What is common to all toxins, whether naturally occurring or the result of human activity, is that they can cause devastating, often lethal, effects in the human body.

Prevention is always better than cure, so it is sensible to introduce your family as early as possible to a regime that minimizes exposure to toxins and allows the body’s defense mechanisms to get rid of toxins faster than they build up in the body. To do this, opt for a healthy diet. Among food and drink known to cause toxic build up are coffee, meat, non-organic foods, soda pops, and aspartame (food number E951, marketed as “NutraSweet” and “Equal” among other names). Highly refined, devitalized foods white sugar, white flour and canned foods are more or less without nutritional value. Instead, eat raw fruit and vegetables, and yogurt containing acidophilus to promote the number of beneficial intestinal flora in your system.

You would not want to know – except you need to know – what is in most commercial cleaners, including the shampoo you massage into your scalp each day, the detergents you use in your laundry and around your home, and the cosmetics and deodorants you apply to your face and body. Most of these are chemical time bombs, containing known carcinogens (sodium lauryl sulphate in shampoo; petroleum distillates in detergents; titanium dioxide in cosmetics). If you are serious about avoiding toxins you will replace any aluminium pots and pans in your kitchen, and those coated with “non-stick” Teflon, with stainless steel ones; and your mercury amalgam dental fillings with non-toxic alternatives. Get reasonable amounts of natural sunlight (statistics show most Americans spend 90 per cent of their lives indoors) to help stimulate Vitamin D production.

The main organs for detoxifying the body are the kidneys, the liver, the intestines (including the colon) and the skin. Various practitioners offer different detoxifying therapies, some of which use known and freely available ingredients, while others are a proprietary blend. It is for you to judge which practitioner best meets your needs. Among the treatment regimes you will find on offer are colonic and heavy metal cleansing, dental overhauls and calcium bentonite clay purges through the skin. Other treatments that target the skin as a cleansing organ involve exercise, saunas, massages and reflexology. Other exercise/massage regimes target the stimulation of the lymphatic system.

In addition to these physical regimes, some practitioners emphasize the importance of psychological/mental/emotional/spiritual elements in achieving good health and curing cancers. While exact recommendations will vary from one program to another, what all these approaches have in common is the conviction that the human organism is best treated holistically, and that the psyche has important influences on the somatic condition of the individual. You should explore this aspect of any treatment offered, to make sure you are comfortable with it.