Debi's Detox Plan In Action

Today is day seven of my own concocted Detox regime.

I questioned my radiologist and oncologist about performing a detoxification right after my treatments ended, but neither felt it was necessary. There is a lot of information on the Internet and in health food stores that say otherwise. I figure, what can it hurt?

The basic fact is my organs and skin have been exposed to some pretty traumatizing elements. Between the chemo, radiation and who knows what I was exposed to when passed out on the surgical table...twice, (there wasn't a list attached to my toe when I woke up) I can only assume there are lingering issues that should get flushed out somehow.

Between the CT scans and sixteen radiation treatments alone, I am amazed I don't glow at night. When I called to make an appointment for the breast thermal imaging at the Findlandia Pharmacy in Vancouver, the clinician suggested I soak for an hour in 2 kilos of aluminum free baking soda and 2 kilos of sea salt mixed in a warm bath to help neutralize the effects of all that radiation. My husband worried about our septic field (which I checked on-line and it seems both are great for your septic!). I worried my skin would turn even whiter. I already look like a marshmallow and am determined not to use the sun tanning booths before our upcoming holiday to Costa Rica. I soaked without incident and it felt good enough to do it the once a week for a month that was called for. As I said, what harm?

The second thing I did to detox was omit dairy, processed foods and wheat from my diet and limit sugar to absolute necessity (OK, there were four drinks in there which I am ashamed of because on a scale of one to ten, they were only a six in needi-ness). But you get the picture.

For two weeks I'm taking First Cleanse capsules first thing in the morning and then right before I go to bed. This system says it cleanses "the entire body" and after my morning ablutions this first seven days, I believe it!

I am flushing the pills down with a quart a day of organic apple juice. Apple juice and apple cider vinegar have long been used as a natural liver detox program. You can google this and get your own three day regime to follow. Nothing but juice and vinegar for three days. A bit too intense for me, not wanting to inflict any more pain than is necessary on myself for a good long while. Enough is enough already.

The final part of my Detox plan is three one-hour infra-red sauna sessions. My friends have one so they turn up the heat to 100 for me to start in and it rises gradually to max 120 while I sit in there and sweat and sweat and sweat. I brought my Gregarian Chillout CD and listened to a Divine Light Invocation as well to help enlighten my mind as well as my body. (Can't hurt...)

They say a healthy mental state is as important as a healthy body. I plan on absorbing as many yoga classes in Costa Rica as I can stand the week we are at our all-inclusive (no de-toxing that week!)

I will be finished this regime by Wednesday of next week. So far my skin feels silky smooth and I have more energy than the past month. That might be from the detox or the new vitamin plan I have been on since the radiation ended. Either way, I plan on keeping up this list of essentials for at least the five years I am on Tamoxifin, if not for the rest of my life.

This includes:

Natural Factors women's multi-vitamin

NF Hi-potency B complex NF wild fish oil (anchovy and sardine)

Jarrow Formula Bone-Up (calcium/magnesium supplement)

Vitamin D 300 IU

NF Mixed Vitamin E 400IU to be taken with the following:

NF Green tea extract 300 mg (each capsule is like drinking 30 cups of tea)

And one teaspoon of Trophic's Green Essential with Anti-oxidants (contains spirulina, kamut juice, goji berry, acai berry and beet juices) mixed into water.

Practical or not, , its the mere thought that I am helping myself that puts me way ahead of the game.