The Affect of Accumulated Toxins in the Body
and why a Liver Gallbladder Cleanse may be Beneficial

Culturally because of strong external stimulus like television our focus has become external to ourselves. As a culture many no longer pay close attention to themselves both physically or spiritually because we are being conditioned to surrender that responsibility to others. Whereas in the past people could and would listen to their conscience as well as their bodies more closely because they were not as distracted through a constant and perpetual stream of external stimulus. Today many no longer believe that it is possible to understand one's own inner workings and therefore surrender this responsibility to others whom they have come to believe are more capable than themselves of knowing themselves.

By surrendering this very personal ground that is rightfully our own we then make ourselves subject to others. Others, in general, it can be safely said, have their own interest in mind and not ours. Our only protection we all have is exercising our ability to think for ourselves as much as possible.

Thinking for yourself and taking responsibility for your own problems saves us from the would be tyranny of others.

In the man-made world, who is better suited to fix a man-made product than the person or company that made it. As a product of Nature (God), who then is better suited than Nature to maintain, sustain, and relieve us of our maladies. The cut on a finger is not healed by the medicine we apply onto it; it is the nature of our body to heal it. No one else can honestly or legitimately take credit for this. If nature will heal a cut finger, it will heal much more as long as we do not get in its way. This includes getting sick in the first place.

According to Traditional Herbal Medicine many ailments (not all) start with an invading toxin - a pathogen. The organs in their attempts to try to eliminate the toxin produce symptoms. In Traditional Healing every symptom has a signature that is organ specific. Also, the pattern of ailments and the organs they affect is quite predictable. Theoretically, the undoing and elimination of the symptoms is achieved through the expulsion of the accumulated toxin. In order for a natural remedy to work, the remedy itself must be able to circulate in the body. According to Traditional healing practices the Liver is the door to the body. It must be "opened" in order for a natural remedy to enter and circulate freely throughout the entire organism to do its work.

This is why the very first step in healing can often only be achieved by first unclogging or detoxifying the liver.

Often, as countess people have already attested; by merely unclogging the liver and gallbladder and doing very little else, the body will, on its own, restore its own health.

A Note of Caution:

A liver cleanse should not be done indiscriminately.

Depending on the circumstances it could hurt some more than it helps them. Some people are so badly clogged that the accumulated substance that is in the tissue of the liver deforms the cell structure or is holding the structure of the liver in it's functioning shape. To remove the waste material too quickly could be devastating. This is rare but it does happen.

Even though the goal of achieving a clean liver is always beneficial. With some people it will take longer because of the severity of the clogging and how it may have affected not only the liver and gallbladder but also other organs. The heart, stomach, spleen, pancreas, intestinal tract, kidneys, bladder, nervous system, circulatory system are all affected by what we eat and the all important liver functions. Improving the diet always comes first and is the easiest way of starting on the path towards better health.

A liver cleanse also entails the cleansing of the gallbladder. These two organs work very closely together, like the kidneys and bladder, stomach and spleen/pancreas and so on.

Ineffective Remedies Due to A Clogged Liver

For reasons mentioned previously; often many remedies are given for a variety of different ailments producing little or no effect. Assuming that the remedy was the proper remedy there is a very common reason why they may not work. Often times the organs that digest the remedy are for various reasons not capable of using, converting the remedy into something useful for the body that will alleviate its malady, aside from distributing the remedy after the body has prepared it. In this case the proper remedy will have little or no effect. If basic life-sustaining substances such as foods are not digested by an organ how then can a remedy be expected to properly be introduced into the organism and be effective.

Organs sometimes function poorly or not at all for various reasons. The most obvious and most overlooked reason is that the organs may be clogged with various kinds of toxins & impurities (sludge) from various obvious and not-so-obvious sources. This sludge can incapacitate our organs by cutting off or restricting blood and/or air supply, effectively immobilizing the organ. An organ weakened and in this diminished capacity will often start to accumulate what is being fed to it because it becomes to weak to eliminate its own wastes. Anyone who suffers from common constipation can easily see this. If the whole body can be constipated, so can an individual cell, or organ.

This is why in the practice of Western Herbalism there is an awareness that the cleaning of the body is often the first and most essential step towards it's healing. Without a clean body there is little hope of permanent and sustained relief from an ailment. Once the body and its organs have been properly cleansed all natural remedies as well as foods will work more effectively and efficiently because the various organs will actually receive them, digest them and eliminate the resulting wastes.

After being cleansed, even common artificial toxic substances that produced no reaction before may produce a reaction more quickly and more strongly than before. Be they in our food, in the air or water, this is part of the body's early warning system that toxins are near and we should be aware of them. Some might consider this a nuisance but, for those who would rather be awake than asleep this is seen as a blessing. At the same time; the cleaner you are the less prone you will be to severe ailments. Also, the recuperation time from such things as colds is much less.

It should also be mentioned that due to the increased ability of the body to digest after a proper liver cleanse the ability to digest what may have been an allergen usually diminishes or eliminates certain food allergies.

Although it is rarely mentioned in the context of good health; death is a fact of life. Dieting naturally is highly under rated. When death inevitably comes to a healthy person as a result of old age, it comes without torment - peacefully and painlessly. This too, is no longer the case in the general population. Most people die in a state of torment.

When the body is made to cope with a huge quantity of food and other chemicals of questionable nature and in the absence of meaningful physical activity naturally, it becomes overwhelmed. While the life spirit within the body is feverishly trying to manage these substances it must prioritize what needs to be done in sequence and what should be eliminated out of the organism first.

While the more essential substances are being processed during digestion, often, the most toxic of substances ingested with modern foods are not easy for the body to cope with. This results in the temporary placement of these substances into various "pockets" throughout the body often resulting in cysts or tumors. The encapsulation of these toxins protects the body from them until the body is given the opportunity to safely dissolve them. Often the opportunity never comes and they can turn into very deadly problems. This is how the body, overwhelmed by waste material is trying to save itself. A porous organ (example: the intestine, liver, kidney, etc.) being so overloaded to overflowing that it can only disperse its contents by allowing them to ooze through its outer membrane.  The recently coined term "leaky gut syndrome" is really a misnomer as the circumstances that produce it are not reserved exclusively for the intestines; this concept and term can therefore be used for any organ. It just isn't recognized as such. This is when a new term is coined and personal credit is taken for something that the body does as a matter of course.

The body's options at this point have become limited by the habits of its user. This results into all kinds of other complex problems. These many excess materials become the fat, plaque, cholesterol, uric acid, etc., cysts, tumors, all manner of nondescript lumps, cancers, yeast, fatigue and all manner of modern day syndromes that appear to have no "officially sanctioned" cause.

When these accumulated substances are being held in their would be temporary place in the body they often transform their original make-up through fermentation. This produces a series of increasingly more toxic substances and, as is the nature of heat through fermentation, a local inflammation and pain can develop. In severe situations these toxins assume a life of their own and can get extremely "ugly" to the point of being deadly. These cellular distortions and abnormalities in cell grow are erroneous attributed to genetics. Anyone who has tended to plants will attest that any plant can either thrive or become distorted by what it is being exposed to and its growing environment. In this example it is not the plant itself that is at fault. In principle our body and its organs and cells are no different.

Should one organ or another attempt to remove these toxicities, their handling of these substances may produce pain or dizziness, fatigue, depression, anxiety, candida yeast and so on in those organs as the toxins concentrate within them or pass through them. They can also, depending on their nature, cause cancers or tumors to grow.

In some people even the mildest attempt at a proper cleanse can produce strong or even violent results because of the condition of their organs and the toxins within them and their body in general. Often they will blame the remedy instead of their own toxic build up. The correct remedy will always produce an effect in proportion to the problem. A remedy that does not get to the cause will produce no meaningful effect at all.

The premise of this is predicated on a toxin being in the body; the ailment being in direct proportion to the toxicity. If the correct remedy is taken then the result will be in proportion to the pre-existing toxicity. Should the toxin is strong, so will the reaction be when it leaves the body.

In the process of elimination of these resident toxins the body and its organs are all trying to put these toxins into the stomach, which is the only organ that can handle them in an attempt to re-digest them and from there into the bowel and out of the body should the body deem this to be the most expedient way of disposing of the is volatile waste. If the wastes are too many or too toxic for the bowel to cope with because of their toxic nature the organ removing them has no option but to hold on to them. This will produce pain in those organs. This is when a herbal remedy is best used.

When the body tries to eliminate these poisons we naturally have discomfort depending on where the body is trying to eliminate them through. If they come out through the skin we get a rash. If they are in the muscles, they will ache. Should they be passing through the kidney area commonly, the back; in the area of the kidneys becomes painful. Simple natural remedies are can be very effective or an enema can also usually remove the pain or even the rash under these circumstances.

If the toxins contaminate the waters of the body contaminating sinovial fluids in the joints we might get a localized inflammation called arthritis, etc. they can cause tissue like cartilage to dehydrate causing joint, knee and back pain. This and other ailments like it are seen as the body attacking itself, i.e. autoimmune diseases. How misunderstood these very uncomfortable yet simple and completely removable and preventable ailments are.

The body as such will not attack itself. Nature, however, will attack whatever is outside of its order, with the intent of removing what is foreign to it without destroying itself. Similarly, when a sliver of wood is lodged in your finger. Removing it is temporarily painful but will produce complete relief. Metaphorically, in the rest of the body this "sliver" may have innumerable shapes and make-ups, but in principle the cause, effect and consequence are the same.

The natural laws that provoke these effects are blind and without prejudice. This order has always existed and is simple and obvious to the observer of Nature. It is up to the individual to learn to recognize them and abide by them for his own peace. As far as the body is concerned our health is our own concern; we have brought about our own ailments ourselves. Seldom, can it be otherwise be said and equally seldom is the cause a mysterious gene or virus.

Excluding accidents; when it comes to ailments there are only three possibilities.

The body will prepare a certain food for a certain organ, which intern will release a specific energy while producing a specific excrement. If this excrement is overabundant and not completely eliminated through the blood it is often stored or passed onto another organ. Or, if the next organ in the natural sequence cannot receive it, it is retained. Depending on the substance and the temperament the organ will either become 1) too warm, 2) too cool or 3) stagnant, i.e... an inflammation, a clogging or a functional disorder. A physical accident would be the fourth possible cause of malady. Logically, as there are various organs working with different substances so are there various kinds of toxins and therefore there are specific purges for the different organs.

Fasting as a Method of Detoxification.

Many believe that fasting to be an effective way of letting the body clean itself. Which it is! But, imagine all of the above mentioned toxins moving through the organs all at once, which a fast can definitely provoke. This could be very uncomfortable as well as dangerous to various organs, especially the heart.

Clearly, fasting alone may not be enough to eliminate some of the very hardened substances within the organs. Once the organs have been properly cleaned however, fasting is much more effective and safer as well as easier. Then the full benefits of fasting can be realized. There are fasts that are very beneficial to body, soul and spirit that should definitely be examined and practiced.

Logically, the first organs to be brought back into functioning order should be the digestive and eliminatory organs as they prepare the food for the rest of the body as well as eliminating the slag.

The Liver, Stomach, Spleen, Kidneys & Lungs should be looked at first with special emphasis on the Liver as a starting point. The Liver is the largest organ in the body whose function is to build and maintain the flesh and remove toxins out of the blood. If the Liver function is not restored proper health will not be achieved. Female functions are always improved in the restoration of the main organ functions.

Cleansing the Bowel Alone

Although a colonic irrigation may be very useful, those who believe that to cleanse the colon is the ultimate cleanse will be surprised to learn that a good liver cleanse and an ongoing proper diet will ultimately clean the entire bowel and keep it clean and healthy more thoroughly than any kind of colonic irrigation. Although in the process of cleaning the body some enemas may be necessary and often the only relief from the discomforts caused by the great volumes of toxins that will be expelled due to the liver cleanse.

Furthermore, how can a colonic clean organs that are not reached through the colon. The kidneys for instance, which receive the overflow of waters from the liver and with it, often due to improper diet, receive solid wastes not suited to their function, which can cause pain or inflammation, or will accumulate producing mucus, gravel and stones. A a colonic or purging of the bowel can not remove these accumulations.

The reason why cleaning the bowel is so relieving is that the bowels, just like all organs, are still digesting what is left of our foods and their toxins. In modern society the bowel literally becomes a garbage dump that due to their natural tendency, the intestines re-absorb the mucousy toxic sludge being desperately cast there by the body. This often produces aches, pains, headaches and much, much more. At this stage to clean the bowel is extremely beneficial and relief giving. Even though there are natural remedies that help purge the bowel, a remedy for purging the bowel will seldom work as well or as fast as an enema.

Many consider an occasional simple purge to be sufficient. Although the principle is correct this usually will only produce a larger than normal bowel evacuation. This occasional freeing of wastes from the bowels makes many people feel much better than before. Many will consider this an all encompassing cleanse. On the whole too much attention is paid to this very superficial approach.

Certainly a clean bowel is of great benefit. But consider that if proper food were being eaten 90% of the time the other major organs would be properly maintained and functioning and by default the bowels would likely never get into a serious state. Although there are various ways of cleaning the body and maintaining its cleanliness, eating properly on an ongoing basis is the very best and perhaps the only real way of maintaining good health.

When the Liver and Kidneys are cleaned and brought back to health the Lungs will usually balance themselves and because the body's digestion and elimination has been restored with proper food total health is achievable. Also, should one be in need of a homeopathic remedy they will also be much more complete in their effectiveness once the liver is functioning properly.

With these cleanses (Liver, Kidney, (Lungs balance themselves)) the bodies three main filtering systems have also been opened in order that the solid, liquid, and gaseous foods we require to live can be properly converted into energy, and healthy flesh and blood.

The Modern, More Orthodox Perspective

Although the concept of toxins in the system is being quietly accepted by modern medicine in order to placate what many are finding out for themselves, it is largely ignored. These toxins that have been talked about are often invisible to modern technologies. They see an ailment but not its cause. And, even if they are seen there is little that can intelligently be done about them by their methods. Also, it should be understood that many of these substances are accepted as normal by modern day thinkers.

There is a certain methodology of thought that is prevalent in our modern world that due to its high mindedness it refuses to see its own folly or that of others having the same mentality. Consequently, the products, by-products and methods of the related industries having the same mentality will not be called into question by those of the same mentality because it would produce a monetary and/or intellectual conflict of interest. The arrogance inherent in those who assume this position, even though it impacts them as well, makes it very difficult for them to conceive of their view as being flawed.

In other words; those who are supposed to be in a position to be helpful in an accepted professional capacity cannot admit to themselves and to those who would seek out their help that they really do not know how to help them. Therefore, many people in real pain are often told that, "everything is normal," or,  "it's all in your head," or "it's not your fault or we do not understand, or the cause is in your genes," or there is nothing that can be done. Or, they may say. "We have no cures, only endless and expensive treatments."

With this premise is it any wonder that so many are not healed?