A Magazine of People and
Possibilities
Heal Your Body...
by Dr. Raj Rakhra
Welcome to the New Year. A year of hope that will bring some renewed optimism, stabillty and tranquility to the economy and our lives. We all need to step up and encourage our communities and the politicians to use common sense and begin doing some constructive work for the people and our country. In the past decade corporate greed has been out of control. All citizens need to be accountable so that we can deal with the difficult human problems such as disease, poverty and war that result in overwhelming hunger, indignity, fear and anger. Our dreams need to be refreshed, as well as our bodies, minds and of course our mother earth. This can be realized if we work to heal ourselves, our community and then our planet. Our physical body is very resilient and has the power to eradicate unwanted waste acquired from the environment, spoiled food, and water, industrial pollution and smog. The body eliminates toxic waste with the help of our eliminating organs ie liver, kidneys, bowels, skin (perspiration) and lungs (exhalation). Unfortunately the rate of toxic waste is more than the body can effectively deal with. That is when we have no choice but to give an extra push to rid the body of extra waste to help heal the body. There are many ways to clean the body and increase the ability of eliminating organs. In modern medicine a method called dialysis is used to clean the blood of accumulated waste, as the kidneys are unable to perform that function. EDTA chelation is used to reduce the load of heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium etc which can cause extreme negative effects on the body. Heavy metals can lower the immune system and cause neurological and many degenerative disorders that seriously compromise our physiological and psychological health. Many alternative medical practitioners also promote various types of cleansing processes such as colon hydrotherapy, dietary changes, fasting, exercise, breathing exercises, tai-chi or meditation to calm the nerves.
Diet, Juices and Fasting
Fruit and vegetable juices have great health promoting properties. They have been used in Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine and by Naturopath doctors for centuries. Freshly squeezed raw vegetable juice is a highly digestible food and you can have all the juice you want. A popular Gerson clinic in Mexico uses vegetable juice diets and coffee enemas as a modality to treat all kinds of degenerative disorders and many types of cancers. A doctor supervised diet of vegetable juice (alkaline based diet) for three to four weeks will help to clear the body tissues of protein and acid wastes. The excessive and continuous use of acid based foods can cause inflammation and the body tissues are prone to degenerative changes. The alkaline diet is a gentle and safe way to cleanse the body and lose weight, increase vitality and promote healing. Eliminating acidic foods is the key factor for success. Similarly steamed, raw vegetables, vegetable soups or broth will have similar benefits. You can follow this kind of diet for many weeks unless you are diabetic or have some other conditions that restrict your diet or if you have other serious problems. All necessary vitamins and minerals to sustain and promote good health are provided in this diet. It is important to consult your health care practitioner before making these changes. Frequent use of sugar, starchy foods, pop, candies, cakes, cookies, fatty foods and over eating adds up as extra calories. If you have a sedentary life style and are not doing any exercise, you may be adding a lot more calories than you want to, and those calories will keep accumulating and will increase your weight. On top of that, if your metabolism is low, you will accumulate more calories than a person whose metabolism is efficient. For the same reason one person in the family on the same diet can gain weight and others do not. You need to eat three meals a day with good protein and a minimum of sugar, starch and fat. If you experience cold hands and feet and you feel colder than other members of your family, low thyroid function may be suspected. Thyroid glands control our heat mechanism and metabolism. You may need to check your thyroid function by a simple blood test. Exercise produces more heat in your body and that body heat burns calories and eventually helps you lose weight. Gaining or losing weight depends on your life style, eating habits, exercise and metabolism. Going on a particular diet may help you for the short term, but when you go back to your original high calorie diet, you will regain the weight in no time. You have to pay attention to your eating habits and life style, add exercise to your daily routine, walk every day or perform some other kind of exercise, depending on your age and health. Lower your calorie intake, it will take time and persistent effort to lose weight, but you will start feeling better in a few weeks time.
When exercising, it is important to have a good diet, in order to help the body with the recovery process following strenuous exercise. It is important to allow adequate rest, nutrition and fluid intake. Muscle aches can occur after any kind of exercise, particularly if the body is not conditioned to that exercise. Exercise regulates body weight, circulation, strengthens heart muscles, lowers cholesterol, reduces depression, increases oxygen to the brain and increases nerve cell function.
Colon Hydro Therapy
In our clinic we have been using colon hydrotherapy for more than fifteen years with great success. Our patients who have experienced the benefits of this modality return every year for follow up treatments. The colon is the last five feet of the large intestine. It is a hollow tube like structure made up of muscles that move digested food and waste by peristaltic movements. Its primary function is to absorb water, electrolytes, some vitamins and storing of fecal waste prior to elimination. It is one of the major organs of elimination of waste. Good health is as much a function of elimination as the quality of food we eat. When partially digested food lacking in fiber is dumped in the colon, it ferments and decays, causing constipation and inflammation and toxins are then re-absorbed into the bloodstream to re-circulate in the body. Stress, eating junk food, over eating, improper food combining all have negative effects on our colon. A large part of the population suffers from colitis, ileitis, diverticulitis, and many more digestive tract and colon disorders. Periodic cleaning of the colon could prevent stagnation and minimize exposure to potential irritation causing agents. This involves the circulation of pure water throughout the length of the colon in such a way that old fecal matter is removed from the walls of the bowel. You need a colon cleanse if you experience fatigue, constipation, gas, bloating, diarrhea, frequent infections (colds, flues) irritable bowel, colitis, premenstrual syndrome, parasites-tape worms, allergies and the list goes on.
Chelation Therapy
As we mentioned above, chelation therapy is another modality used by Naturopathic physicians as well as Allopathic doctors to get rid of heavy metal toxicity and to help cardiovascular disorders. In our office we have been using chelation therapy for more than fifteen years with very satisfying results. EDTA, an amino acid is administered to a patient intravenously. The EDTA infusion bonds excess metals in the body and carries them away in the urine. Nutritional metals such as iron and other toxic metals such as lead, mercury, aluminum are easily removed by the EDTA. The trace minerals that are essential to the body are tightly bound and are also eliminated to some extent. This can be corrected with nutritional supplements. Chelation therapy helps to remove free radicals and for the same reason it helps to remove some of the debilitating symptoms of chronic disorders like arthritis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, high blood pressure and angina. Most patients experience improved health, more energy and on the whole feel better over all. Cancer patients who use chelation therapy usually feel an improved quality of life, better health and in some cases it may prolong life. We use this therapy along with vitamins and minerals as a complementary treatment to medical treatment. There are many products available for chelating purposes. DMPS for mercury, DMSA for mercury and other metals, EDTA is used for multiple metal toxicity and to help circulation and heart problems. All these treatments have been effectively used by the medical community as well as Naturopathic practitioners with very satisfying results. Vitamin C as an antioxidant is also very effective and can boost the immune system, eliminate flues and colds. Some dentists prescribe vitamin C after the removal of old amalgam (mercury fillings.) Oral use of vitamin C is helpful to the immune system; its tolerance can be up to three to five grams of ascorbic acid. A dose of more than five grams is required for serious degenerative disorders and can only be delivered through intravenous routes to maintain the required concentration in the plasma. Vitamin C is toxic to some cancer cells but not to normal healthy cells. (CMA March 28, 2006). It has been noted that, once it is in the blood stream at high doses, vitamin C increases hydrogen peroxide. This natural body biochemical then destroys cancer cells and leaves the healthy cells and other tissues unharmed. H2O2 is also one of the body’s best defenses against bacteria, viruses and fungi and other microbes. To get the results it must be used in the dose of twenty five to seventy five grams intravenously.
This year ensure a return to good health. Pay attention to your diet, lifestyle, exercise routine and find the natural complementary treatments with a qualified Naturopath or Holistic Practitioner.
Dr. Rakhra is a Naturopathic Physician, serving Calgary
for more than twenty years and practicing Complementary Medicine since 1964. He is a
Member of Alberta Association of Naturopathic Doctors. Dr. Rakhra's clinic is located at 121 - 14 Street North West in Calgary, Alberta. You
can reach his office at 403-270-7033. Visit his website at: www.aynh.com.
Read more articles by Dr. Rakhra Here.