Are You Toxic On The Inside?

I see many patients who complain of the symptoms of internal toxicity.  What does this mean? Internal toxicity relates to a buildup of toxic products within your liver and intestines and these cause inflammation. I have found that it is vital to work on the liver and intestinal health in such cases, and it usually takes 6 weeks to achieve a thorough cleansing.

What are the symptoms of internal toxicity?

•    Abdominal bloating
•    Flatulence
•    Blotchy skin or rashes
•    Allergies and multiple chemical sensitivities
•    Irritable bowel syndrome
•    Headaches
•    Fatigue
•    Frequent infections such as acne or sinus
•    Heart burn, indigestion and reflux
•    Bad breath and/or coated tongue

These symptoms occur because toxins are not being cleared from the liver and bowel. These toxins overload the immune system and we get immune dysfunction. We also get a leaky gut and this enables excess toxins to circulate back from the gut to the liver. The liver needs to be supported in such cases or toxicity levels become dangerous.

What causes internal toxicity?

• Poor diet will encourage the overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria and parasites in the stomach and small and large bowel. The excessive intake of sugar and processed foods is commonly the culprit.
• The use of over the counter pain killers such as anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen will overload the liver detox pathways. Many people are taking excess prescription medications which increase the workload of the liver.
• Heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic and lead will cause severe toxicity if the liver and bowel function are not supported. These heavy metals have increasingly contaminated our soils, food and water supply.
• Plastics and petrochemicals from solvents, insecticides, plastic bottles and cosmetics find their way into our bodies and these days it is normal for hundreds of these chemicals to be found in our blood and urine.
• Constipation causes stagnation of food in the colon increasing toxicity.

Parasites in your intestines include worms, unhealthy types of bacteria, amoeba and fungi and they are found in soils, feces (animal and human), water, vegetables, meat and fish. Parasites can hide in the mucosal folds of your intestines for years without being found in conventional stool (fecal) samples and tests. Those who carry excess numbers of unfriendly “bugs” in their gut are said to have dysbiosis. Parasites can inflame the lining of the intestines making them porous and leaky so that bowel toxins and incompletely digested proteins and allergens can travel back to the liver.  This increases the workload of the liver and then you start to feel toxic and tired.

How can we test for intestinal parasites?

You can have a sample of your bowel actions (feces) sent to a lab by your own doctor. This sample will be tested with microscopy and culture to see what abnormal bacteria or parasites can be grown from your feces. You can also have a breath sample tested for a bacterial infection in the stomach known as Helicobacter pylori. These tests are not always reliable to detect small infections or deeply buried infections and these sneaky parasites can hide in nooks and crannies in the mucosal folds of your gut. I have learnt over the years not to rely on these tests exclusively, as there have been many false negative tests.

Some people can harbor intestinal parasites with no symptoms at all and that’s why I recommend an intestinal and liver cleanse at least twice a year.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.