Sunday, February 13, 2005
Hydration: Why it is so important!
Drinking plenty of water while dtoxing is a necessity. The suggested amount is 1/2 ounce of water for every pound of body weight. Water is water, not tea, not soda, not coffee. YOu eed to drink water. Many people have increased their health just by rehydrating the digestive system.
I would strongly recommend that you consider a reverse osmosis water filtration system.
Consider the fact that today that over 4 billion people on the planet still rely on herbs as their primary medicine.
Other great resources for information on detoxification:
http://www.abcdetox.com
http://www.abcdetox.com/bodydetoxfruit/
http://www.abcdetox.com/cleansingdetoxification/
http://www.abcdetox.com/colondetoxification/
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Plastics, Styrofoam and Detoxification
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7277828&dopt=Abstract
[Studies on the industrial styrene poisoning (Part X). Determination of styrene in biological materials by gas chromatography (author's transl)][Article in Japanese]Teramoto K, Horiguchi S.For monitoring solvents exposure, it is useful to determine not only metabolites of the solvents in urine but also the solvents themselves in blood and tissues. In a series of studies on the industrial styrene poisoning, we have been determining styrene in blood and other tissues as occasion calls. Our examination of the method is presented in this report. The outline on the method is as follows: Aliquots of 0.5g of tissues being added 5 ml of n-hexane are homogenized by a high-speed homogenizer (Polytoron) for 10 to 30 seconds and the filtrates containing extracts are analyzed for styrene by gas chromatography. The linearity was ascertained from the calibration curve obtained by adding the known quantities of styrene (4, 10, 20, 40, 100 ppm) to the blood, liver and adipose tissues of rats. Rates of recoveries of styrene from the above tissues were 92 to 101 per cent. Reproducibility of this method was examined by repeating determinations of styrene in the blood, liver and adipose tissues of rats exposed to 500 ppm styrene for 4 hours, the coefficients of variation being 2.8 to 14.0 per cent. There was an approximately linear relationship between the styrene concentration (0 to 1,000 ppm) of the exposed air and those in the blood of exposed rats. We conclude that our simple and rapid method is applicable to determination of solvents other than styrene in organs and tissues by combining suitable solvents for extraction and packings of gas chromatography
For more great resources on detoxification:
http://www.abcdetox.com
http://www.abcdetox.com/alcoholdetoxification/
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxbook/
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxprogram/
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Testing Your Home, Office, Car and Water for Toxins
Scared me to death.
Here are two resources for testing your home, office, car and water.
American Environmental
Health Foundation
8345 Walnut Hill Lane
Dallas, TX 75231
www.ehcd.com
Also,
High Tech Health
2695 Linden Drive
Boulder, CO 80304
1-800-794-5355
www.hightechhealth.com
Other great resources for information on Detoxification:
http://www.abcdetox.com
http://www.abcdetox.com/centerdetoxificationdrug/
http://www.abcdetox.com/cleansingthebodydetox/
http://www.abcdetox.com/cleansingdetoxification/
Monday, January 31, 2005
The Debate over Mercury in Vaccinations
I am not a doctor...but can't understand how something that is recognized as being so toxic could ever be permitted to be in vaccines to begin with. Horrifies me!
The sory can be found here:
http://www.newstarget.com/003906.html
Study examines whether vaccine ingredient is safe for human beingsRecent research has examined whether thimerosal, an ingredient in some vaccines, can cause toxic damage to cells. A research team found that the higher the concentration of thimerosal, the greater the number of cells that were killed. The study also showed that nerve cells are more sensitive to thimerosal toxicity. If you enjoy this article, you may also be interested in an article entitled
Until the removal of Thimerosal, which contains 49.9% ethyl mercury by weight, from most pediatric vaccines in 2001, the source of the largest human exposure to mercury in the US was in children under 18 months of age undergoing routine childhood immunization schedules.
Before 2001, a child may have received a cumulative dose of over 200 ¼g/kg (micrograms per kilogram) in the first 18 months of life.
In the 2005 issue of NeuroToxicology, the authors of a study examine the toxicity of Thimerosal within the body including neurons.
They examine the neurotoxic mechanisms, how the body detoxifies mercury, and the use of N-Acetylcysteine, or NAC for short, in facilitating the detoxification pathway within the body.
Glutathione, a tripeptide composed of cysteine, glutamate, and glycine, is manufactured in the liver and also in the brain.
Normally, the concentrations of glutathione in the cells are quite high providing for detoxification of a variety of heavy metals including mercury.
However, when this essential antioxidant is depleted the excess mercury can bind to internal cellular proteins leading to toxic damage.
They found that the higher the concentration of Thimerosal the greater the number of cells that were killed although the nerve cell response occurred with only a 3 hour exposure, whereas the other cell line required a 48 hour exposure demonstrating that nerve cells are more sensitive to Thimerosal toxicity.
"In both cell lines, a progressive increase in cytotoxicity (decrease in viability) was observed when Thimerosal dose was progressively doubled from 2.5 ¼mol/L [micromoles per liter] to 5, 10, and 20 ¼mol/L.
They found that, "Thimerosal alone induced more than a 6-fold decrease in viability", and that NAC, "provided significant protection against cell death".
The authors note, "Thimerosal induces oxidative stress and apoptosis by activating mitochondrial cell death pathways.
Other great resources for information on Detox:
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxformula/
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxificationtherapy/
http://www.abcdetox.com/liverdetox/
http://www.abcdetox.com/heavymetaldetoxification/
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Tibetan tips to keep your health in check
Marika Sboros January 28 2005 at 06:04PM
I found this article at http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=14&click_id=117&art_id=vn20050128155403362C449806 and it presents ancient wisdom to the arena of health. Very thought provoking.
What did you do when you were young to look and feel good? You were active, physically, mentally and emotionally, says Cape Town GP and anti-ageing specialist Dr Dirk Kotze.You weren't obsessive about exercise, but you were far from a couch potato. You naturally tended towards forms of physical activities that enhanced vitality and energy levels, rather than deplete them.You ate well, but more important than what you ate was how you ate, says Kotze. You chewed your food slowly. You didn't bolt it down, eat on the run while driving your car or watching TV. You never ate when upset, only when you felt hungry. You also drank lots of water.If you always make a New Year's resolution to improve your health, and break it before January ends, don't berate yourself for your lack of will power. Restart your New Year's resolve with one step at a time and check out the latest information on what constitutes healthy eating and living.A good first step is to take a look to the East to the wisdom of Tibet for a basic exercise regimen that promises to recharge your zest for living and a whole lot more.It involves the Five Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation, described as the closest thing to a fountain of youth. You don't need lots of room to do them, expensive clothes or any equipment - apart from your body and an open mind.The Five Rites are becoming popular in the West for their benefits. They are said to work by aligning the body's chakras, or energy centres, which leads to improved memory and concentration, weight loss and control, pain relief, better digestion, and looking and feeling younger. They were developed over centuries in Tibetan monasteries and kept secret by generations of monks, who practised them religiously in the Himalayan mountains. According to the legend, a mysterious retired British army officer learned them while travelling and introduced them to the West in the 1930s.Author Peter Kelder documented them in his book Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth. Since then, pirated copies of the book have been circulating all over the world.Kotze includes the Five Rites and other important steps towards rejuvenation in his new book, How To Get Young. It isn't particularly well written, and he does make sweeping generalisations. It is also pricey at R150 for a soft cover with just 103 pages of information culled from a variety of specialist sources.But it is a quick and easy read, and is a distillation of useful information, based on his own research, on how to grow stronger and healthier as you grow older.He points out that health is not just the absence of disease or recovering from illness. It is about preventing illness and feeling full of the joys of spring. And despite conventional perceptions about ageing, you are never too old to be able to change and to grow in health, in body, mind and spirit.Kotze puts heavy emphasis on physical activity, because to live means "to be active, to move, to do and to exercise". You can do practically anything you like and get the most out of life, only if you have energy and muscular strength to move your body, he says.Muscular strength is a case of use it or lose it, because it requires regular exercise to develop and sustain. His section devoted to exercise begins with tips on building muscle and he emphasises the need for starting each day with stretching exercises. It is essential to warm up muscles with loosening and stretching exercises before you start an exercise programme, Kotze says, because this improves circulation. It gets the heart beating faster and fresh blood pumping, helping to prevent injury.He also gives advice on upper and lower body exercises. And, of course, he places special emphasis on nutrition, saying we can all contribute significantly to quality of life by choosing food and lifestyle correctly. Each cell in the body develops its own electricity stored in "batteries" from the food we eat. If these batteries don't have enough strength, the body can't perform vital functions and this sets the scene for weaknesses and illness to develop.The best way to eat is according to the principles of "Fletcherism" developed in the last century. It is based on the teachings of Horace Fletcher, a lay person who felt that the problem with nutrition begins in the mouth and not necessarily in the rest of the digestive tract, and that simply chewing your food more thoroughly can make a major contribution to overall health.Kotze has developed the Enerplus Eating Programme to help his patients develop improved eating habits, and emphasises the role of detoxification programmes, including freshly-squeezed "raw" juice therapies, and correct breathing to get back on track for 2005 and beyond.
How To Get Young by Dr DJF Kotze (R150, IDS Imaging Data Solutions, Cape Town), is available by calling 021 939 1534.How to eatFollow the rules of "Fletcherism", says Cape Town anti-ageing specialist Dr Dirk Kotze.
Don't eat unless you are hungry. Wait for a genuine appetite before you eat.
Eat food that is easily available, and which your appetite tells you to eat first.
Chew your food thoroughly and remove all flavour before you swallow.
Enjoy the flavour of food and don't let any negative thoughts spoil your meal.
Eat until your appetite tells you you've had enough, then stop.What to eatFollow the teachings of Dr Max Gerson and eat foods with the right "K factor" (four or more) - the essential factor in proper nutrition to maintain the body's "powerhouse". Your body needs four times as much potassium as sodium to keep the right chemical balance and allow each cell to generate its own electricity. Avoid canned, processed, fast, junk, heavily salted foods.Choose
Food directly derived from the hoof (for example fresh beef and lamb) and the plant;
Fish and eggs;
Fresh fruits and vegetables;
Organic, free range meat, fish, chicken, eggs, fruits and vegetables have the highest K factor.
Other great resources for information on detoxification:
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxification/
http://www.abcdetox.com/aspartamedetoxification/
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxfood/
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxdietmenu/
Friday, January 28, 2005
Detoxification Breakthroughs for Addictions
I found this article today from Knight Ridder on Research done by the Townsend Newsletter on the topic of DETOX. Although this research is scholarly it demonstrates how emotional duress and toxic disorders often coincide with one another.
Detoxification Breakthroughs for Addictions & Chronic Toxicity.by the Townsend Newsletter
Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients; 7/1/2001; Yanick, Paul
The increase in worldwide air, water, and food pollution has contributed to
the rise in many notoriously complex syndromes involving toxicity which
necessitates the clinical use of effective detoxification protocols in clinical
practice. However, the process of detoxification in complex illness is not
completely satisfactory, and many patients suffering from drug addictions or
toxic multi-system syndromes deal with pain, skin disorders, and wide spectrum
of physical and emotional symptoms when they attempt to initiate a
detoxification program. These symptoms are often related to neurohormonal
dysregulation as xenoestrogens disrupt hormone functions and wreak havoc by
scrambling hormonal messages and inducing oxidative stress.
The body's internal regulation and communication system -- involving
hormones, neurotransmitters, hormone-like molecules, and biophotons -- actually
determines how efficiently the body rebalances and repairs itself following
addictions, trauma, stress, or oxidative (toxic) insults. Bruce Lipton, PhD,
cellular biologist at Stanford University reported that cell-to-cell
biocommunication is regulated by the principle of resonance specificity. Cell
membranes scan and convert signals into electromagnetic events. This happens as
proteins within the cell's bi-layer change shape to vibrations or specific
resonant frequencies. [1]
Novel, multi-faceted detoxification approaches that address functional organ
weaknesses and stabilize the neurohormonal system allow for proper and efficient
detoxification of the human body. All detoxification pathways must be supported
with easy-to-assimilate co-factor/precursor nutrients and phytochemicals so that
toxins are safely exited through the biliary tract rather than towards the
kidneys where skin disorders and segmental pain result. Hidden organ blocks must
be identified and opened to properly discharge toxins. Initiating an aggressive
detoxification or cutting out an addictive substance with an aggressive
nutritional or homeopathic detoxification protocol must be preceded by
strengthening of weak physiology and the opening of all excretion channels of
the body.
According to the 1999 Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Gunter Blobel "each protein
carries in its structure the information needed to specify its proper location
in the cell." [2] Since the lipid bilayer structure of cells is like liquid
crystals -- neither solid nor liquid -- it is capable of reacting to changes in
resonance in the crystalline structures of the extracellular matrix.
Formulations that contain transmembrane proteins or protein carrier complexes
carry bioresonances necessary to boost nutrient uptake at the cellular level.
Like enzymes, the energetic resonances of these transporters, solutes and their
substrates into the cell can vibrate the crystalline structures of cell to gate
nutrients in and wastes out of the cell. [3-6]
In terms of detoxification protocols, there is a tremendous advantage in
using multidirectional organ/meridian targeted nourishment instead of
unidirectional supplements that force the body too hard in one direction and
generate crisis symptoms when detoxification measures are employed. Even though
practitioners refer to these reactions as cleansing reactions or a healing
crisis, the stress generated from this process may damage organs and regulation
systems of the body. The use of quantum nutrition [TM] -- matched to
meridian-organ frequencies -- has the advantage of synchronizing and improving
the functional status and biocommunication of the body's energetic-physiological
networks. [3-4] By boosting organ reserve, detoxification is more comprehensive,
as healthier organs will discharge years of accumulated toxins. This methodology
helps to enhance the performance of physiological systems so they function
closer to levels of optimal performance. Moreover, by fine-tuning meridian
energies the body seems to have an extra margin of physiological capacity.
Allowing nourishment to influence the quantic world of cellular atomic and
sub-atomic processes also has advantages as this is where deep repair mechanisms
can be augmented.
There are three ways that food/nutrient complexes and their related
phytochemicals and resonances can interact with synergism and potentiation in
the human organism:
1. Functional Synergism: some ingredients can affect the same organ or
physiologic function.
2. Biochemical Synergism: The interaction between two or more compounds
potentiates the energetic and physiologic effects of a single compound.
3. Receptor Mediated Transport/Uptake Synergism: The interaction between two
or more compounds increases the absorption, metabolism, and assimilation of
nutrients compared to a single herb, food, or compound.
The Detoxification Secrets of Water
Physicist, Dr. Wolfgang Ludwig documented that water has a memory and can
store frequencies and transfer that information to living organisms. [7] Most
drinking water today is of poor energetic value and contains foreign
electromagnetic oscillations that damage the body's delicate detoxification
mechanisms and even block the release of toxins via the kidneys. Distillation
causes the delicate hydrogen bonds to tear apart and many other purification
methods disrupt the uniformity as evidenced by relaxed time spectrum analysis
measurement techniques. The hydration envelope of water with hydrogen atoms
attached to oxygen atoms via hydrogen bonds determines the ability of water to
dilute itself into the molecular and sub-molecular structures of cells.
According to Engler, the greater degree of dilution relates to clearer
structural information carried by the water. [8]
Rainwater falling through the air is mixed with harmful gases and
environmental pollutants. This falling water collects in brooks and rivers and
in drinking wells. Homeopathic dilutions of many environmental toxins have
permeated many wells and remain present in the molecular structure of our
drinking water. Most water purification methods fail to erase the memory or
imprint of these toxins in water. The detrimental bioresonances of illness can
be amplified when patients drink water containing these unfavorable
oscillations. New technologies now allow these electromagnetic frequencies
imprinted in the structure of water to be erased and replaced with favorable
bioresonances. This quality of water can be tested in other ways. For example,
Dr. Ludwig's experiments have shown that bad water with unhealthy oscillations
absorbs a lot of ultraviolet radiation and good water absorbs less. [7]
Bioresonant frequencies associated with a given illness can be countered with
homeopathic medicines. Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, called
illness an alteration of bioinformation that occurs at the energetic level where
the human energy system comes in contact with the physical body. The clinical
success of homeopathy is based primarily on the introduction of bioinformation
that helps the body to counter or erase toxic or unfavorable oscillations. With
the counter-oscillation of homeopathic remedies or bioresonance therapies, it is
possible to stimulate the body to release information from harmful substances
even though their accumulations in the human body are diluted in hundreds of
gallons of body fluid. But, to release them in the detoxification process
presents a challenging dilemma to the practitioner as without the proper water
source toxins merely circulate around the body and are deposited elsewhere.
Release of toxins from the extra- and intracellular molecular and sub-molecular
world requires techniques that go beyond current water clustering, ionization,
or other methods of integrating the frequency component into drinking water.
[9-10]
Glacier water sources have resulted in the Hunza culture where health and
longevity is attributed to vitalized water that contains a unique spectrum of
light and electromagnetic frequencies. These frequencies result from right
amount of natural water movement, minerals in the ground as water travels over
rocks and different terrains and is exposed to a .5 gauss magnetic wave of the
earth, is permeated simultaneously with sunlight and clean air. The critical
difference in this water is found at the quantum level. Subatomic, atomic, and
molecular organization of an infinite array of frequencies supports life
energies and meridian dynamics so that water can hydrate into cells, detoxify
xenobiotics more effectively, increase systemic oxygenation, and promote and
impart power to the organs and systems of the body. Our experiments with
quantum-treated water versus other forms of treated and energized water
demonstrates superior detoxification that is supported by a dramatic increase in
urinary excreted toxins. In a preliminary clinical trial with a placebo, we
noted that patients who drank the quantum-treated water had darker urine (brown,
orange, green) after detoxification methods whereas patients who drank tap water
or other forms of treated water had normal color urine. Clearly, the correct
spectrum of frequencies changes the ability of water to hydrate the quantic
domain of the body for more efficient detoxification.[11]
Skeptics typically argue that the body will accept the good information and
reject the bad information from water. Yet when you consider how a virus with no
metabolism or capability of producing anything can infect the human body, it
will become clear why the homeopathic imprints of toxins must be removed from
drinking water for superior detoxification to take place. The virus, through a
mechanical process, simply injects genetic information into the living cell.
This information can influence the cell to forget its own genetic work and cause
it to start producing viral DNA or RNA. Viral replication of this nature causes
a number of high profile viral disorders that we are faced with in clinical
practice. Likewise, it can be demonstrated that microbes thrive in poor quality
water and are obliterated when energized water is used.
The Energetic/Physical Body Interface in Detoxification
The crystalline structures of the extracellular matrix and cell membranes
make up the body's ground regulation system (GRS). The GRS is a living matrix --
a place where many systems, primarily the human energy system, intersects and
becomes interwoven with the physical body as it coordinates many facets of human
physiology. Active substances -- going in and out of cells or the capillaries --
interact with nerve endings. Subtle electrical currents and molecular and ionic
shifts in the GRS create an intricate biocommunication network that operates
along side of, and in an interactive matrix with the neurohormonal and meridian
acupuncture systems.
Poor quality drinking water, toxic supplements coupled with a deteriorating
environment can overburden the GRS causing a multitude of biocommunication
channels to become blocked or inefficient. When energy channels are obstructed,
one's resilience to stress diminishes and energy levels drop. Rather than
correct the cause of these energy drops, people spike their energy levels with
addictive drugs, foods and beverages. While these addictive patterns may elevate
energy levels, they cause tumors and hardness of the lymph nodes, sluggish
lymphatic circulation, and faulty liver detoxification functions. The
GRS-lymphatic interface becomes stagnant as pools of waste buildup and promote
the rapid spread of infection throughout the body. Foci develop in these "dump
sites" and organs and structures in the vicinity of these foci become strained
and weakened. In turn, functional deficits in organ performance result as the
reservoir of undesirable microbial growth disrupts one's organizational
integrity and ability to coordinate, cleanse, and repair damaged physiology.
Typically dental foci start after an extraction or root canal, which, in
turn, block these organs even further. When such foci remain untreated, they
become a major drain on the immune system as it struggles unsuccessfully to
overcome infection that penetrates deep within the jawbone. Silent and chronic
infections of old wisdom teeth extraction sites or root canals can slowly seep
endotoxins into the lymphatic system, stomach and duodenum putting the immune
system under greater stress. It's important to note that these addictive cycles
must be broken so that the immune system can be activated to its full
operational complexity to expose focal toxicosis. In many patients who fail to
respond to treatment or find it difficult to break addictions, the following
sequence of events is important for clinical success:
1. Stabilization and maintenance of the neurohormonal system.
2. Stabilization and maintenance of acid base metabolism along with
maintenance of the full operational complexity of liver detoxification
functions.
3. Activation of the immune system and the lymphatic system to cleanse away
stagnant pools of waste and reestablish immune repair mechanisms.
4. Stabilization of tooth-organ and organ-tooth energetic connections with
bioresonance and frequency filtering techniques.
5. Elimination or appropriate treatment of dental foci with soft or surgical
laser and LED.
6. Restabilization of tooth-organ and organ-tooth energetic connections.
When the lymphatic system is congested, misdirected meridian energy - energy
spun off in tangential, incoherent ways - may be dissipated and lost. While an
acupuncturist's needle can redirect the flow of energy in a specific channel or
meridian, the overall pattern of energy flow may not improve or become
stabilized until the GRS-lymphatic interface is cleansed, hydrated, and
energized or a respective correlative dental foci is corrected or removed.
Light is the source of life and the quantum of light energy is the biophoton.
Low Energy-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is documented by 100 positive double blind
studies and over 2000 clinical studies (see textbook Lasers in Medicine and
Dentistry for more information). LLLT and LED therapies are
biostimulative-regenerative, anti-inflammatory and analgesic. [12] The clinical
use of these therapies helps to unblock organ-meridian connections and is
currently being used in almost every field of medicine and is necessary in
helping patients get through drug detoxification or addictions.
Electromagnetic photon generator therapies have become available to
effectively detoxify lymph congested electrophiles and protein clusters that
trigger pain, inflammatory disorders, and many complex, multi-system illnesses.
[13] These lymphatic therapies involve the use of photons and specific resonant
frequencies that can help the body integrate, master, and move past a particular
energetic pattern of disorganization. From this point of view, lymphatic therapy
that breaks up polarized or segmented energy patterns, when combined with
appropriate organ/meridian specific remedies can provide the keys to:
1. reprogram the disordered energy pattern in need of correction, and
2. reprogram physiological functions to higher levels of functional activity.
Since conventional medications and toxins can clutter the delicate ecology of
the GRS-lymphatic interface, they should be cleared out of the body for optimal
healing to occur. Focal infections must be uncoupled before many addictive
cycles can be broken. All this requires time, patience, and aggressive lymphatic
detoxification therapies that are followed by the consumption of at least 6
glasses of energized water daily. Otherwise these congested toxins will continue
to pile layer upon layer as they continue to block and derange meridian-organ
biocommunication.
In summary, with the quantum medicine assessment protocol, bioresonance, LLLT
and LED therapies, and proper lympathic therapies, the body is able to quickly
reprogram a troubled or blocked area, leaving the patient feeling better and
having a greater range of self-healing and self-regulation capabilities. Thus,
it is important to remember that bioregulation of the GRS-lymphatic system
interface is part of every inflammation and immune defense process and all basic
vital functions of the body. Since the lymphatic system is intermeshed
throughout the entire organism, superior regulatory centers can be influenced by
lymph-related therapeutics, immune-modulating supplements, and proper energized
and sequenced drinking water.
References
(1.) Lipton, B. The Science of Innate Intelligence, 2000.
(2.) Blobel, G et al. Metal ion chaperone function of the soluble Cu(I)
receptor axis. Science. 1997, 278:853-56.
(3.) Yanick, P. New Breakthroughs in Treating IBS. June 2001. Townsend Letter
for Doctors & Patients.
(4.) Yanick, P. Boosting Nutrient Uptake in Chronic Illness, December 2000
Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients.
(5.) Maclcod RL et al. Inhibition of Intestional secretion by rice. Lancet.
1995; 346-90: 90-92.
(6.) Ashsmead, HD et al. Factors affecting mineral absorption from the
intestine. Intestional Absorption of Metal lons. Charles C. Thomas Pub,
Springfield, IL, 13-29.
(7.) Wolfgang, 1. in Umweltmedizin. Edited by Trevin/Taalkenhammer. 1991;
Mowe-Verlag, Idstein.
(8.) Engler, I. Water. Sommer-Verlag, 1991, Termington.
(9.) Grander, J and Schauberger, V. On the Track of Water's Secrets. 1995,
Uranus, Austrian.
(10.) Will, R. Geheimnis Wasser. Knaur-Verlag, 1993, Munich.
(11.) Yanick, P. Experiments with water during various detoxification
protocols Unpublished data, 2001.
(12.) Simunovic, Z. Lasers in Medicine and Dentistry 2000: European Medical
Laser Association.
(13.) Yanick, P. A Professional's Guidebook to Quantum Medicine. 2001,
American Academy of Quantum Medicine.
COPYRIGHT 2001 The Townsend Letter Group
Other great resources for detoxification:
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxbook/
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxandniacin/
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxfromalcohol/
http://www.abcdetox.com/rapiddetox/
Thursday, January 27, 2005
The Sad Life of Drug Addicts and Detox!
http://www.boiseweekly.com/more.php?id=5353_0_1_0_M
Popping the balloon
by Bingo Barnes
With the pushers in jail and the community aware that children are doing heroin, what comes next for local addicts?
By the time most Boiseans were sitting down to carve their Thanksgiving turkeys with all the trimmings, Jack Barsness’ body was getting cold in a house at the intersection of 18th and Bannock. When police arrived around 3 o’clock that afternoon, he was DOA from overdosing on an injection of a speedball—a combination of heroin and cocaine. Arriving in Boise around 4 a.m. after an all night road trip, he had returned from Seattle to help his mother Charlotte move and to visit old friends. Jack had moved to Seattle for a geographic detox, physically removing himself from the source of the drug and influence from acquaintances in the scene. According to friends Jack had been clean from heroin for three months. His mother speculates that his inhibitions may have been lowered on the long trip home, perhaps with a little booze.
By the time he reached Boise, he just wanted to party, like old times. Jack was 22 years old when he died. His friend Joe said Jack was the second person he’d known in the past year to overdose. Friends and family think his death could have been avoided if adequate treatment had been available in Boise. • On the morning of January 19, 2005, Boise Police, the Ada County Metro Drug Task Force, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the ATF, DEA, Idaho State Police, Nampa Police, Canyon County Narcotics Unit and the Blaine County Sheriff’s Department’s Narcotics Enforcement Team arrested nine suspects, searched nine homes and confiscated seven ounces of heroin and cocaine. After a four-month investigation into what police claim were three separate drug rings, officers arrested who they believe were the dealers providing much of the heroin to high school-aged kids in Boise and the surrounding area. Police estimate that this group was bringing approximately 73 pounds of heroin into Idaho every year. Using the police-estimated average consumption rate of two-tenths of a gram per heroin user per day, one can estimate that approximately 450 local heroin users were supplied by this group of dealers. Annually, users may have spent as much as $3.3 million on heroin with this group of dealers alone. Current and recovering heroin users interviewed by Boise Weekly for “Chasing the Dragons” (BW, December 19, 2004) confirmed that those arrested were the dealers providing heroin to them and other teenagers in Boise, but they were not the only sources of heroin in the Treasure Valley. Sources close to Jack Barsness say that those arrested weren’t providing heroin to their circle of users. Heroin has always been a problem in larger cities and metropolitan areas, and some Boiseans are shocked that it is here in Idaho. At some level it has been here for quite some time. But before the community attempts to deal with growing concerns that heroin is here and may be here to stay, it is important to understand what heroin is and how it affects those who use it.
What is heroin? Heroin was first synthesized in 1874 from morphine, which is derived from a naturally occurring substance in the seed pod of poppy plants. By 1898 heroin was being used by doctors to treat pain but by 1914 abuse of the drug forced the federal government to ban its use with the Harrison Narcotic Act. Natural opiates from poppies and synthetically produced opiates are used today to produce a wide variety of controlled and legal pharmaceutical medications. The medical class of opiates is wide ranging and has beneficial effects in pain management by blocking pain receptors in the brain.
Who does heroin and how do they do it? The stereotype that heroin users are all junkies who have track-marks from needles is part of the non-drug user mythology. Heroin users in our communities are kids from middle-class and wealthy families, truck drivers, state workers, lawyers and maybe your next door neighbor. There are many cases where lifelong addicts have been able to maintain productive careers. The pioneering surgeon William Halstead was addicted to morphine during most of his professional career, unbeknownst to his colleagues. Heroin comes in two forms-—powder and black-tar, a sticky black substance usually sold wrapped in a small rubber balloon. This is the type typically sold in the Treasure Valley. Heroin can be ingested in many ways. Black tar heroin can be smoked, cooked (liquefied using heat) and dripped down the back of the throat or cooked and injected into the bloodstream. Powdered heroin can also be snorted like cocaine. Some users justify their use of heroin by believing that as long as they aren’t shooting it up with a needle, the social line that determines a junky in some users’ minds, they are not junkies.
Short-term effects However heroin enters the body, it rapidly enters the bloodstream and begins to cross the blood-brain barrier. In the brain, it is converted to morphine and binds with receptors normally reserved for naturally produced endorphins. Users report a “rush,” and its intensity is primarily determined by how rapidly the drug enters the brain and attaches itself to open receptors. The side effects of the drug can include a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth and a heavy feeling in the extremities. It may also be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and severe itching. Users may seem drowsy for several hours after using and mental function is clouded. Users are often seen nodding out as drowsiness leads to sleep. Cardiac function and breathing may slow or even stop in the case of overdoses. The unpredictable purity of the drug due to dealers diluting their product may result in undetermined strengths and occasional overdoses. Users typically overdose by consuming too much for their tolerance level which leads to the stopping of the heart or loss of consciousness and subsequent choking on their own vomit.
long-term effects Heroin is perhaps one of the most addictive opiates, legal or illegal, in the drug world, due to how it interacts with the brain. Tolerance levels quickly increase with continued use, and users may find that to get the “rush” from using heroin they must ingest greater quantities each time they use. Long-term heroin use creates physical dependence through neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain. Tricked into short-circuiting, the brain stops producing natural endorphins and instead relies upon provided opiates. The brain ceases to operate normally, suffering withdrawal symptoms and driving users to seek out heroin to feed the brain the chemicals it once provided for itself. Other long-term effects may include rheumatoidal problems, arthritis and the potential transfer of blood-born diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C when needles are shared. Heroin that is cut (diluted to increase the amount available for dealers to sell) may contain substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, strychnine or other poisons and may have unintended short- and long-term side effects. If the drug is taken away, the body reacts violently.
Withdrawal and detox Withdrawal symptoms may appear within a few hours from the last time the drug was ingested. Without opiates to take the place of endorphins, the brain becomes super-sensitive to pain and triggers a plethora of side effects in order to compensate. Often, the symptoms of withdrawal are exactly opposite to what the drug provides the user. Heroin withdrawal may include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes and seizures. Symptoms increase over 24 to 48 hours when major withdrawal symptoms develop. According to users who have gone through complete withdrawal from heroin, it feels like they are going to die. Fortunately, in healthy adults heroin withdrawal is usually not fatal, although it can cause death to the fetuses of pregnant addicts. Sometimes users decide to subject themselves to withdrawal and detoxification to lower their tolerance to the drug. In such cases, when they return to the drug, they are able to experience a bigger euphoric effect. Withdrawal symptoms not only vary between the amount of heroin a user may be using, but also between individuals. Drug researchers Norman Zinbreg and David C. Lewis described five categories of narcotic users including one group “who use narcotics regularly, but who develop little or no tolerance for them and do not suffer withdrawal symptoms.” All too often, however, the withdrawal and detox process is severe, sometimes taking two to three weeks before natural endorphins begin to be produced by the body. “I checked myself in to the Walker Center,” said George, an area high school student whom BW interviewed for “Chasing the Dragons.” “I had the worst withdrawal they had ever seen. Up for four days straight. I was completely naked sitting in the shower thinking to myself the only thing I want to take off now is this fucking body. I just wanted to get out of my body for a couple days. I wanted it to be like a movie. I wanted it to be one week later. Every minute, you’re counting every minute. Your body just feels dead. You get in a really deep depression. You doubt yourself, you doubt your friends, you doubt your entire being. It’s shitty. It’s just so shitty.”
Addiction Detox is the body ridding itself of the physical addiction to drugs. Dealing with the mental addiction and the underlying reasons for use is, to most, even more difficult. Some come to the conclusion naturally, perhaps having a “eureka moment.” Maybe they almost overdose or a friend close to them dies from using. Others need an intervention, friends and family who come together to confront the user to address his or her problem. “Everyone realizes his time has come,” said George. “Otherwise you will find the ultimate low. My brother walked in as I was about to take a shower. He looked at me in my eyes and asked me ‘What are you doing with your life? Your friends are coming over and telling mom they think you’re going to die. Not why, but that they’re scared.’ After my friend John went to rehab I wanted to seek that ultimate low. I shot up one time, and I woke up nine hours later, hadn’t moved an inch.” Getting off addictive drugs and staying off can also prove difficult for some addicts. “Every day is a struggle, man—every single day,” said George’s friend John, an area teenager who is staying away from heroin after attending the Walker Center, a drug rehabilitation facility in Gooding. “Think about it. You drive by a place and go ‘I used to do dope there. I did drug deals there.’ You see friends on the weekend and they’re at a huge party, five kegs, a bunch of alcohol. What do you do? So yeah, I got drunk a few times, I smoked some pot. You go to rehab and you realize you are an addict. You smoke some pot and you go ‘Fuck this, I want some heroin. I want some crack.’”
Contemplating his decision to go through detox and rehab, John recalled, “It’s not the life to live. Getting up every single day and not being able to get out of bed until you take that hit, get that chemical in your body. When you can’t make it to the toilet before shitting all over yourself or puking all over yourself … that’s fucked up. That’s when you know your life has really gone down the drain.”
Treatment options The 2002 study Treatment on Demand: The Need for Substance Abuse Detoxification in the City of Boise/Ada County by the Center for Health Policy at Boise State University reported the alcohol and drug detox need in Ada County is estimated to be 310 to 330 individuals per month (incorrectly reported as 300 per year in other news sources). The number of detox beds available is far below that number. In a 10-county area in Southwestern Idaho there is only one state-funded bed available for detox—Port of Hope in Nampa. Despite the need for detox and rehabilitation services in Boise, local governments have done little to move forward with plans. St. Alphonsus Hospital estimates it would cost $3 million to maintain a detox facility, but they would require help with the $5 million needed to build it. Former Mayor Brent Coles earmarked $700,000 for a detox facility, but after scandals forced him from office, the federal money was redirected to community housing. Melanie Curtis with Supporting Housing and Innovated Partnerships thinks it could be done at a much lower cost. She is trying to open a twelve-bed, clinically managed detoxification clinic in Boise and estimates it would cost only about $425,000 per year once a building is purchased. Also involved is Charlotte Lanier, Jack Barsness’ mother and some of his friends who recently raised $4,500 for the detox center at a recent benefit fund-raiser in Jack’s memory. Community detox center advocates are hoping that the city will come forward to purchase a building and equipment. “It would be more than a bed and a bucket type of place,” Curtis said. She said there are two types of detox models: the medical model and the social model. The medical model is typically directed by physicians and other health-care personnel and involves the use of pharmaceutical drugs to lessen the symptoms of withdrawal. Typical costs for a medical model detox are $700 to $800 per day, according to the Treatment on Demand study. The social model concentrates on providing psychosocial services for detoxification and only refers patients in need of medical services. It is a drug-free process, and the typical cost is around $140 a day. There are other options for those wishing to pursue alternative recovery. Cliff and Billi, both Boise addicts who have struggled with rehabilitation, contribute to and operate www.opiophile.com, a membership driven discussion board established in early 2004 for opiate addiction information. For years, Cliff has been on and off heroin, tried just about every alternative to detox and has even detoxed in jail. Accepting his addiction as part of his life, he has pursued drug options such as methadone, buprenorphine, alternative methods and other legal means to satisfy his brain’s craving for opioids. His self-education has led him to set up the site to help him determine “where his cravings are coming from.” He has even satisfied his brain’s cravings with poppy seeds bought in bulk from local grocery stores. He feels it is important to have a peer group to share information and support, part of his decision to start the Web site. Billi’s history with addictive drugs is similar. He has gone through rehab, tried medical and social models for detoxification, even geographic detox. He began drinking heavily to fight his opioid cravings and is currently under a doctor’s care following a buprenorphine program but feels it will be a lifelong struggle for him. Would it be easier to deal with addiction if there were more options available? “Absolutely,” both Billi and Cliff said. The impact would affect much more than local addicts. It would have a profound effect upon the community. Curtis sites figures (some from the Treatment on Demand study) that estimate $300,000 per year is spent on police officers’ time alone dealing with incapacitated persons detoxing. Hard-core addicts often result to petty theft and burglary to support their habits. The criminal justice system is filled with cases of crimes resulting from drug use. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 97 cents of every dollar spent on substance abuse is categorized as a burden to public programs including court costs, prison costs and public medical costs. Just three cents of that dollar is spent on prevention and treatment. The California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs reported in 1994 that every dollar invested in prevention and treatment saves seven dollars in impact on public programs. In 1998 alone, Idaho spent $237 million on substance abuse, of which only seven million on prevention and treatment. While the recent arrests made a big dent in local heroin availability, what will all those users do now? One cannot assume that all are willing and able to quit, either mentally, physically or financially. Making the decision to stop using heroin, by choice or not, depends upon a variety of factors. And many wonder how difficult it will be. Without adequate detox and rehabilitation services and support in the area, both socially and medically, the decision to quit is often delayed for users. Those who are unwilling to deal with the potentially painful withdrawal symptoms may find other medications to ease the pain. Some turn to alcohol, others pharmaceuticals such as Oxycontin or other opiates which may be acquired through legal or illegal means. Now that some of the heroin is gone from our community, what do we do to treat those affected by it?
Plans for other fundraisers for a Community Detox Center are in the works including Rock for Detox. Those interested in more information may e-mail mcurtis@shipinc.org.
These are just a few of the options available for those addicted to heroin and opiates. We neither support or endorse any of these options over another.
Cold-Turkey—Detoxing with this method requires a bed and a bucket because most likely you will be puking your guts out. It is helpful to have friends and/or family assist you through the time it takes for withdrawal symptoms to subside. Don’t plan on doing much of anything else.
Geographic detox—Moving away from the source of one’s addiction is always an option. This may mean severing ties between family and friends. One should still seek assistance in overcoming the physical symptoms of withdrawal.
jail—Not a good option in anyone’s opinion, but by being arrested one removes oneself from the source of the addiction. (see Cold-Turkey and Geographic Detox)
Emergency room—Most emergency rooms will not admit persons suffering from opiate withdrawal unless it is clear that it is life threatening. Many users try to obtain pain killers to stave off withdrawal symptoms by feigning other illnesses such as toothaches, backaches or other pains. Because there is a high correlation between withdrawal, depression and suicide, those posing a potential threat to themselves may be treated or referred and admitted to the psychiatric facility.
Detox facility—There are several detox facilities available locally, though most are not adequate to service the whole community. (see list above) You may also choose to visit an out-of-state facility. (see www.drug-rehabilitation.org/idaho/boise.htm for more options)
Instant detox—A January, 2005 article in Wired presented a modern option called “rapid detox” being offered at several locations across the country. Although it is an expensive option for treatment, patients are anesthetized, and within 20 minutes the brain’s nerve receptors are stripped of opiates and replaced with Naltrexone. Once awake, users do not feel the affects of opiates even if they ingest them right away and do not suffer any withdrawal symptoms. Patients must take Naltrexone for a year following the treatment. Clifford Bernstein, the medical director of the Waismann Institute that developed the procedure, claims that 65 percent of patients have remained clean after a year. Other rapid detox centers have opened up across the U.S. after the American Society of Addiction Medicine endorsed the treatment—despite some critics’ claims that success rates are overstated.
Acupuncture—This method of treating withdrawal symptoms is gaining popularity as a treatment for opiate addiction.
Clonidine—Originally marketed to treat hypertension, it has been used to treat the symptoms of opiate withdrawal since 1978. It has the advantage of not being a scheduled medication and not producing an opiate euphoria. It is not effective for muscle aches, insomnia or treatment of cravings. It is most useful in inpatient settings and is available in patch form.
Methadone—Administered only in a hospital or outpatient program licensed for methadone detoxification, methadone is a treatment usually used with those who have resisted other methods of detoxification. Federal regulations do not allow methadone to be used with adolescents, and there are no licensed methadone providers in Idaho. Some Boise users have told us they have driven to Salt Lake City for methadone treatments. However, methadone needs to be managed and properly administered, and due to some Idahoan’s inability to travel, this type of treatment is difficult. A planned Ontario, Oregon methadone clinic is in the works to serve Treasure Valley addicts, but it is still uncertain if it will be approved. Some claim that dangers of overdose and withdrawal from methadone are even greater.
Detox options Buprenorphine—One of the newest medications approved (2002) for treatment of opiate dependence, buprenorphine substantially minimizes symptoms of withdrawal but is quite expensive and requires medical supervision. One form of buprenorphine marketed under the name Subutex involves increasing dosages until withdrawal symptoms decrease and decreased administration of the drug over a two-to-three day period. Another medication, Suboxone, is a combination of two medications, buprenorphine and Naloxone. Treatment is similar to methadone maintenance. Patients who are active users are often started with Subutex and moved to Suboxone to decrease the potential for opiate withdrawal caused by the Naloxone.
Other Great Resources for Detox:
http://www.abcdetox.com/centerdetoxdrugrapid/
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxcleansingdiet/
http://www.abcdetox.com/detoxformulasuper/
http://www.abcdetox.com/kidneydetox/
