Dr. Eliaz Newsletter - October 2007

October is here and autumn has arrived. Soon many of us will be out doing yard work, raking leaves and generally cleaning house preparing for the winter. As a transitional season, autumn is an excellent time to cleanse. Just as we clean up our home environment, so, too, is it important to cleanse our internal environment - our bodies. Before I go over the health principles and the details of the Fall Cleanse with you, I want to visit some aspects of this process that relate to our emotional, mental and spiritual aspects.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the autumn season relates to the metal element and to the lungs and large intestines. Detoxification during the autumn is aimed at lightening the body and lessening the burden we carry with us into the approaching winter. The goal is to become lighter for winter - to shed unnecessary pounds and toxins just as nature sheds the leaves from the trees. This not only encompasses our physical body but also our emotional and mental facets. As we want to rid ourselves of heavy burdens, autumn is the best season for a planned voluntary heavy metal detoxification and cleanse. At my clinic, I encourage my patients to do an annual Fall Cleanse as part of their integrated health protocol.

Okay, now let's review some of the principles of the Fall Cleanse that I've written about in the past. Letting go of the past is accomplished primarily through the lungs and the colon. Why? This is because the natural movement of the lungs is exhalation. When we exhale, we let go of air that includes information from our past. This is manifested as toxins and waste materials that have been released from our cells. They travel though our capillaries to our veins, then the right ventricle of the heart, and finally into the lungs where carbon dioxide (our waste material) is exchanged with oxygen. A more basic discharge takes place in the colon. If the colon isn't functioning optimally, it can lead to constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. Constipation can be the result of both physical and emotional issues such as compulsive impulses and emotional imbalance.

As part of the letting go process, you can decide in advance what you want to let go of. At the same time, open your mind for other things to happen. At this level of the mind (the inner level) letting go is about realizing the impermanence of things--change. All things that we know that we like or dislike, that we are attached to or have aversion to are impermanent in their nature. They didn't always exist and they won't exist forever. This realization allows for a profound process of letting go, of becoming freer, lighter, and healthier.

As you're reading here about letting go, you likely think it sounds great, but is not so simple to do. You know, easier said than done. So before we discuss the practical details of the Fall Cleanse, let's take a look at this issue in a little more depth. If we examine our mind and our emotions, we will notice that we are slaves to our minds. Thoughts relentlessly proliferate in our minds, producing various emotions without the ability to control them. So, what can we do about it?

1. We can try to suppress our thoughts and feelings, to push them aside. This is called denial. It doesn't work well on a long term basis and can actually damage your health and well-being; or

2. We can develop our own antidotes our emotions and thoughts. For example, if we have a lot of anger, we can cultivate patience. If we are feeling overwhelmed by grief, we can cultivate joy. If we have a lot of attachments to material things, we can cultivate generosity; or

3. We can release our emotions. This is done by letting go and not holding onto these feelings when they arise. This is different from denial. This specific process can become the centerpiece of your Fall Cleanse. By understanding and experiencing the impermanent quality of all phenomena, including our thoughts and emotions, we can enhance this process.

4. Transformation by cultivating a genuine, open heart; we can transcend our destructive emotions. To have the space to do it, cleansing our negative feelings and thoughts through the process of letting go is a necessary first step.

Remember, your heart has no limits. An open heart is as vast as space itself. It's our afflictive emotions and concepts that bind us and restrict your heart from opening. If your Fall Cleanse is done properly, when it has been completed you will feel that not only your body is lighter, but that your heart is more open. That things and issues don't stick to you as much. This is the spiritual peeling process. It is aided by a physiological Fall Cleanse.

Engaging in such processes can bring about a real shift in your health, well-being and happiness.

And now, to the cleanse itself.

Seven Tips for a Fall Cleanse

The goal of the cleanse is to support discharge through the lungs and large intestines while supporting the liver, and eliminating toxins and heavy metals while providing enough vitality for the body to successfully complete the process. On a practical, physiological level, a simple Fall Cleanse is based on these principles:

* First, a Fall Cleanse can be as short as 3 days or as long as 21 days. I find that 10-14 days is optimal for most people. To have a successful cleanse, it is best to take some time off, or at least clear a few hours every day, and make time and space for the peeling process.

* Second, your diet must support the purification/cleanse process. That means a diet high in greens such as a Diet for Seasonal Cleansing to help support discharge. The importance of plenty of fiber is well-established. (An abstract on its importance in cardiovascular diseases is included in this month's issue.)

* Third, drink a lot of liquid. High liquid intake is also essential. This can be in the form of ample water consumption as well as vegetable soups or broths.

* Fourth, you need intestinal support - healthy bowel movements are essential for detoxification. That's why colonics and enemas are used in many regimens. One of the important principles is to discharge and clear the liver, an organ that can adversely affect colon elimination. In Tibetan medicine, some doctors will begin with clearing the "heat" (translates to inflammation, and toxin accumulation) in the liver and intestines, before evaluating the patient. To accomplish this, I have had great success using a Tibetan based herbal preparation with my patients as part of their Fall Cleanse. It enhances and restores normal bowel function, is well tolerated and not habit-forming.

* Fifth, when you're going through a cleansing program, it is crucial to provide vitality, and "warmth" to the digestion. In my practice I use an integrative digestive formula that enhances the digestive process and helps improve digestion. It can help with symptoms such as bloating, flatulence, tiredness after eating and fluid retention due to sluggish digestion.

* Sixth, dietary supplements that enhance discharge from the colon and liver are medicinal mushrooms, MSM, vitamin C, and others. One of my favorite preparations for a cleanse is medicinal mushrooms Organic Ten Mushrooms. They have the tendency to travel to the stagnant and toxic areas of the body. As part of additional support for the gut, probiotics and pre-biotics can be used.

* Finally, a more elaborate cleanse can include a lemon/oil drink, infra-red saunas, enemas, colonics, and an Herbal Detoxification system. In my medical practice I find the lemon and olive oil drink to be an important part of a Fall Cleanse. It is well tolerated and can have a profound benefit on our health. For many individuals with insomnia, it also improves their sleep. It is best taken before bed time, on an empty stomach. It is important to consult with a health professional if you want to engage in a more elaborate cleanse.

Next, I'd like to explain what I recommend to detoxify the body of heavy metals and toxins.

Detoxification with specialty supplements

My approach to heavy metal detoxification is in two stages. Stage I is a gradual systemic and intestinal chelation of toxic metals. During this stage it is preferable to avoid introducing other agents that can penetrate into the tissues and bind heavy metals to them. Primary detoxification is best accomplished using natural dietary fibers designed for this purpose, such as MCP with Alginate complex PectaSol Chelation Complex. This combination can gradually reduce the overall heavy metal burden on your tissues in 1-3 months without the dangerous side effects of harsh chelation treatments. During the initial active chelation stage, higher dosages of such a combination are necessary. An MCP/Alginate chelation complex provides on-going, gentle chelation systemically in the bloodstream as well as in the digestive tract, which serves two purposes: Chelating heavy metals digested in food on an ongoing basis and preventing the re-absorption of heavy metals secreted via the bile to the gut.

In Stage II we support basic chelation by expanding the detoxification effort with an additional Chelating Formula. I recommend using a product that contains a number of compounds with an affinity for different parts of the body to support a more complete removal of heavy metals and environmental toxins.

Another important part of detoxification is to maintain a healthy bacterial flora and mineral support. This can be accomplished with multivitamin supplements addressing the needs of both men and women, as well as broad-spectrum probiotics to maintain healthy digestive function. Digestion and elimination require energy or "heat". Detoxification is usually a cooling process. We want to make sure that the vitality of the body, especially the digestive and urinary systems, is supported.

In conclusion, while diet and supplements are external tools to help us in the process, to get the greatest benefit from your Fall Cleanse, it is important that it includes a deep and internal aspect. As I pointed out at the beginning of this newsletter, a Fall Cleanse is about letting go of issues from the past, letting go of things that you don't want to carry forward. It is a purification process by which layers are peeled away so that we have a more efficient system for the winter. Having a "deeper internal" cleanse will also help us with the holidays. Letting go of the past and the understanding of the impermanence of things can be used in meditation and contemplation practices. In the fall season, this internal practice becomes a part of the Fall Cleanse as a catalyst for more profound, lasting change and healing.

I and my family will begin our Fall Cleanse the first week of October. Please join us and email your experience as you go through your own Fall Cleanse at info@dreliaz.com.

Best of Health,

Isaac Gabriel Eliaz