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The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition
giving the body a complete rest. But fasting should only be considered if you have a lot of experience with cleansing programs. Detoxification through cleansing involves more than water and can, in many ways, be more effective. It is certainly a more appropriate choice for the majority of people. Those who are pregnant or breast-feeding should choose only a modified, lighter, and shorter cleansing program using juices, raw foods, and herbs that are acceptable and complementary to pregnancy, along with gentle hydrotherapy. All should be professionally supervised and should not, under any circumstances, include enemas or colonics. Other people who should avoid fasting programs include those with a sluggish metabolism and congested organs, those already weak and depleted (as fasting can lower the body’s resistance even further), those who are malnourished, those with low blood sugar levels, diabetics, and those contemplating strenuous tasks for their bodies in the near future. Excessive use of laxatives, colonics, enemas, fasting, and cleansing programs can cause nutritional losses resulting in protein, vitamin, mineral, fat, fiber, and trace-element deficiencies. Remember, you are aiming to achieve equilibrium in your body, not trauma.
Healing Crisis The phenomenon called healing crisis almost always accompanies these cleansing methods, causing your body to feel as if it is in both a physical and an emotional crisis. However, if you do not experience a healing crisis, it does not mean that the cleanse has failed. Your body is simply eliminating toxins in a different way. The whole process is a natural one whereby the body is healing itself by expelling excess toxins. Nevertheless, you may initially feel as though your illness is becoming worse because of the unpleasant symptoms you are experiencing; in some cases it may remind you of the worst periods of any chronic illness or acute disorder you have experienced. Many things can happen during a healing crisis, from headaches to aching limbs or rashes. Whatever form the reaction takes, it is a sign that toxins and stagnant materials that were previously poisoning the body are leaving it. The liver and colon are important areas to clean out and can release huge amounts of toxins accumulated over many years. The bowel can easily congest under the new regime being introduced unless careful advice and herbal help are given, so gentle laxatives are usually needed to accompany cleansing. Constipation at this stage works directly against what you are trying to achieve, and making sure the bowel is moving freely will speed up the general detoxification process. The crisis stage may last three to four days but should never exceed seven days. This is an