FOCUS
TOXIC EXPOSURE QUIZ
Detoxify
YourHealth
your liver
to stay
healthy
Alternative
medicine
By Rajen M.
I
F you liver fails, it won’t be
long before you are lying in
your coffin with a lily in your
hands.
Yet, despite the enormous role
the liver plays in keeping us alive
and well, most of us give scant
regard to it.
In fact, most people worry
about and spend more on their hair
(which is actually dead!) than for
the liver. To a lot of people, if they
are not a chronic alcoholic or they
do not have hepatitis, the liver is
supposed to be fine.
New research, especially in the
holistic area, shows this
perception to be dangerously
flawed. The liver is the seat of
metabolism and detoxification. It
powerfully affects the way you
feel physically.
Take a simple test (top right)
to see if your liver has been
neglected and could actually be
begging for some caring.
How to Detoxify
The liver is the major organ
that can help you detoxify. If the
liver is not functioning optimally,
you are coping with an
unnecessary toxin load.
NEW SUNDAY TIMES
• Do you have respiratory allergies
or sinus problems?
• Do you have frequent colds, flu
and minor infections?
• Do you have skin problems - aller-
gies, rashes and frequent infection?
• Do you have joint or muscle pain?
• Are you often over-tired from a
normal days activity?
• Do you consume alcoholic drinks
more than three times a week? (at
least once to the point of
intoxification)
• Do you smoke or chew tobacco?
• Are you exposed to second-hand
smoke daily?
• Are you frequently exposed to
Key points
1. The liver is the major organ on
detoxification
2. It is sometimes overwhelmed
by modern living which is toxic
3. You assist the liver by taking
neem (a blood purifying herb)
4. Take neem extracts standardised
to total bitters
5. Take 300 milligrams daily for a
month
6. The effects are better if you go
on a juice diet in the early phase
7. Carrot and lime juices are very
cleansing
8. Coconut water is a powerful
nutrient that helps heal the liver as
well
Reference
1. Uwe Fuhr, Kristina Klittich &
A. Horst Staib 1993). Inhibitory
effect of grapefruit juice and its bitter
principle, naringenin, on CYP1A2
dependant metabolism of caffeine
2. F. Peter Guengerich 1995).
Influence of nutrients and other
dietary materials on cytochrome P-
450 enzymes, AM J Clin Nutr, 61
(suppl), 651S-8S.
3. Atholl Johnston 1995). Effect
of grapefruit juice on cyclosporin
concentration, The Lancet, 346, 122-
123.
4. Encyclopedia of Alternative
Medicine resident Judith Turner
JANUARY 14, 2007
exhaust fumes of cars?
• Do you work with paint, solvent
•
and other volatile materials?
Do you use herbicides and
insecticides at home or work?
•
•
Do you work in a sealed building
with windows that cannot be
opened?
Do you eat red meat more than
•
•
three times a week?
Do you eat lots of grilled meat?
Have you taken prescription
drugs more than three times in the
past six months?
• Did you take a non-prescription
drug more than twice in the last
two months?
Avoid eating while on a
detoxification diet. Digestion is an
very energy-consuming process.
Energy should be conserved and
directed towards healing and
detoxification.
Take it easy. Do light walking
exercises while on a detoxification
programme. Heavy exercise
consumes much energy and
diverts energy away from healing.
Blood Purification
Herbs called “blood purifiers”
strengthen the liver. This aids
cleansing of the blood by making
toxins harmless.
These herbs contain natural
soaps called saponins. They break
down damaged red blood cells so
that the iron and nutrients that they
contain may be recycled.
These also help the liver in
clearing away impacted toxins.
You might think of saponins
as the ‘laundry detergents” for
your blood.
We sometimes call blood
purifiers “alternatives”. This is
because they “alter” blood
chemistry.
Dr Henry Bieler in his book,
Food Is Your Best Medicine,

YourHealth
explains that the liver is an alkaline
organ. If you have tried eating
oxen or other liver, you will know
that it is a bitter organ.
If you have vomited bile which
is produced by the liver, you will
certainly remember the bitter taste.
The liver neutralises poisons by
alkalinising them and eliminating
them via the bile. Bile is the
substance which emulsifies
(makes an oily substance become
water soluble) the fats that we eat.
Dish soap is also a bitter
alkaline substance which
emulsifies fats on our dishes so
that they may be washed away.
The bitter components of blood
purifiers are believed to aid the
liver in washing away irritants in
the blood.
Thus, in traditional medicine,
eating bitter foods is considered
good for liver health. That is why
the bitter gourd and bitter melon
are held in high esteem in
Ayurvedic diets.
Today, we avoid all things
bitter. Our lives are filled with
sweet drinks, food and desserts.
Sometimes, you may notice an
aggravation in the very symptoms
that you are attempting to
eliminate.
The old rash comes back. You
see some pimples. You should
consider these as positive signs
that the purification is in progress.
As your body releases the
toxins, you will find an increased
energy level and feeling of well
being.
Simple Detox
Try going on a weekend
detoxification. Go light on Friday
evening. Skip your meals.
Just take fruits and drink lots
of water. This prepares your
metabolism to slow down and start
the cleansing process.
Start your detoxification on
Saturday morning with a glass of
pure and raw carrot juice.
Carrot is one of the most
efficient cleansing juices. It is
packed with vitamins and
minerals.
It is also one of nature’s richest
beta carotene source - an
important liver nutrient and an
important free radical neutralising
agent. It seems to help boost the
enzyme systems in the liver.
Follow this through with some
lime juice - one part lime to nine
parts pure water.
Lime and grapefruit juice are
very cleansing. It also helps
dissolve impacted material and
stones in the gall and urinary
bladders.
During the day, continue to
take lots of pure water (distilled
or reverse osmosis).
The other juice that
complements carrot juice very
well is apple. There are 68
varieties of apples and they are all
cleansing and nutritious.
Young coconut water is another
nourishing juice. You may add a
dash of lime to this. It also has a
cleansing especially on the liver.
Try to do only water and juices
during the weekend.
Follow Through Cleansing
Now you are ready for some
solid food. Here are some foods
that can bevery helpful at this
stage: Melon, cucumber,
cauliflower, melons, papaya,
celery and flax- seed oil.
All vegetables should be lightly
steamed without salt, sugar, spice
and condiments.
You can also take fish oil. If
NEW SUNDAY TIMES JANUARY 14, 2007
you are supplementing, make sure
your fish has undergone molecular
distillation and is toxin free.
At this stage, you should keep
yourself well hydrated by drinking
lots of juices and pure water.
A metabolic cleansing
programme is not a weight loss
diet - you should not feel hungry.
Choose at least six servings a day
from the foods suggested.
A serving is one piece or a full
cup (eight ounces). Just doing this
even until lunchtime Saturday will
already yield results.
If you can stretch this further
to Sunday night, it will be even
better.
What to expect?
As the liver removes
accumulated toxins over the
course of the metabolic cleansing
programme, you may experience
some minor discomfort during the
first few days.
Common symptoms include
fatigue, poor stamina, light
headedness, headaches, insomnia,
muscle pains, joint pains, gas and
bloating, skin irritation and an
irritable mood. Prepare those
around you for this.
An important word of caution:
if you are ill, on prescription
medication or under medical care,
seek your doctor’s advise and
permission before you embark on
a programme like this.
Extra caution is also advised if
you are diabetic or prone to yeast
and fungal infections.
Rajen M. is a pharmacist with
a doctorate in Holistic Medicine.
He is a director of the Malaysian
Herbal Corporation and a CEO
of a group of companies in
alternative healthcare.