Detoxification (which is really about balancing the internal ecosystem): healthy living for body/mind/spirit

We are, in large part, and among many other things, an expression of the ecosystem of our bodies which include bacteria, virus, fungi and other parasites. Successful “detoxification” is really largely about bringing these microorganisms and the rest of our being into balance since most of them cannot be gotten rid of entirely in any case. In many instances we don’t want to get rid of them as in the right amount they serve a good function. We are all made up of these things in different ratios by design, really.

Getting healthy is getting them into manageable healthy ratios…or also about cutting off supply to those we’d rather not have. The first step is simply a healthy diet that cuts out processed foods and concentrates on whole naturally grown foods. Just cutting out the junk has a cleansing and healing effect over time. Most people never have to become terribly conscious about this stuff but when we’ve been gravely ill for many years becoming conscious of these internal workings becomes critically important to healing for a lot of folks. Still, we’re all different and healing comes about in many different ways for different people. My story is only my own. Shared only for the purposes of comparing and contrasting since no one else on the planet will have the same constellation of needs and outcomes that I’ve had.

The concept of detoxifying the body is a highly controversial one and that’s just the way it is in the west. We will meet the incredulity of some when we go this route and have to get used to it. I think it’s more accurate to understand the process as balancing the internal ecosystem because that is more literally what we are doing. In any case once we start healing this way and paying attention to what is happening with the body it becomes clear we’re doing something that profoundly impacts the health and well-being of our body/minds and spirit. It’s also pretty clear to me that we don’t generally really know what is going on in our bodies and that’s what western medicine and those beholden to that system have a hard time with when we start to go down this path of profoundly holistic healing.

Our bodies and how they function will always be a mystery on some level. I don’t have to know exactly what is going on intellectually to know that my body is communicating with me and when I respond appropriately my healing continues to progress. I also know that the systems of Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine understand much that we do not and that learning about those systems help me better understand how my body is talking to me and what it is saying. Again, much of ancient knowledge, too, is based on paying attention to the body, being deeply mindful of our place in the world, etc … something westerners largely no longer know how to do and so again, they simply largely dismiss the experience of those of us who are once again learning how to do that.

I’m learning all of this first hand now by healing my own body in profound ways. The most important thing for me has been realizing that because of the iatrogenic brain injury and the hypersensitivity is that standard protocols and diets don’t work for me (even those prescribed by Chinese and/or Ayurvedic practitioners). I have of course learned a lot about what does and doesn’t work for me by studying and then trying lots of them and “failing.” And that is exactly how I’ve learned what I need. I’ve discovered I’ve had to follow the beat of my own drum and find my own way. I think that’s the way it is for a lot of us with this sort of drug damage.

The further I move down this path the more I realize that no one can tell me how to heal or what to do…and so finding the perfect practitioner seems simply to be a dream of the seeking ego and therefore, something I’ve had to let go of. I’ve played with this idea a lot and while it’s never been and still is not a black and white thing — I do learn from everyone and everything — I mostly simply don’t expect answers from anyone “out there” anymore. Nor do I seek professionals who just might have the right expertise. I’ve not yet found one and so I simply learn from the people who populate my life with ease and sometimes professionals are helpful for a while but I don’t expect them to understand or really deeply engage my process anymore because so far it’s simply not happened. See also: To see a professional or not

Now, instead, I find that when I surrender to this process (and pay attention through profound mindfulness practiced 24/7) that my highly sensitive body tells me what I need and the people, foods, and things that I need start to appear in various ways…including the information I need. I no longer utilize any medical system the way they were intended as systems…but I get information and data from everywhere…including from those systems. Chinese and Ayurvedic are my favorite right now…western medicine continues to diminish in importance. It’s there for catastrophic accidents if we need it, otherwise, good riddance.

It’s a wild ride this…the more I surrender the easier it gets and that doesn’t mean it’s all fun and games. Life will always be a challenge and whether we perceive it as good or bad, it’s always an adventure.

*important note: for several years following the psychiatric drug withdrawal I could not tolerate many of the foods and herbs that have ultimately become a very important part of my healing. Please always be very cautious when adding foods and herbs you’re not used to eating if you are in any way affected by the hypersensitivity that is often characteristic of psychiatric drug withdrawal syndromes. I continue to listen attentively to my body and only eat and/or take supplements and herbs that my body needs right NOW. This is why protocols don’t work. I am in the moment, responding to my body, right now. It knows far better than I or anyone else does.

UPDATE 2017: The below info got me started, I’ve had to get far more sophisticated this year. I’ve also gotten much more well-being as a result of my efforts.

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This is the book that’s been most helpful in fine-tuning all I had been learning about healing with food — I’ve also done endless amounts of research via google and other books as well.

Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition

I’m currently doing a variation of the parasite purge in the above book and while I truly don’t really know what is going on in my body it’s clear my body is needing and wanting these herbs that help heal in profound ways. My body does let me know when it needs to do these sorts of things. I’m agnostic about what is actually happening in my body for a lot of this stuff. My body simply knows what it needs and I follow it’s direction…sometimes in fits and starts and also often with what appears to be mistakes…but I always learn by paying close attention and get healthier all the time. I have found, again and again, I cannot follow protocols, but I learn from the protocols of others and then find my own way. I generally compare and contrast the uses of any herb or protocol of others and then listen to my body and find some method that works for me. I find parameters to keep me safe — for example, what is a maximum dose and/or length of time that is safe for any given herb. I find data to help me understand the experience my body is having but I do not expect to fit into anyone else’s expectations of what it should do anymore because it never does.

As far as I can tell, the above mentioned program isn’t in the PDF file of Healing with Whole Foods available online. I know some of you have that PDF. I tried to take a page from that to share and I couldn’t find it. It is in my new edition of his book that I purchased here. I took a photo of the page so it’s not the best copy.

Here is his introduction to the parasite section from Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition: