Symptoms of ill health and disease can often be traced to their beginnings in the colon, a repository of the dietary and emotional stress that modern living habits create. Processed, denatured foods left in the colon may become the source of fungus growth, bacteria and viruses; even parasites may thrive in unclean environments. In a balanced state of heath, the body should eliminate the waste from a meal approximately 24 hours after the meal has entered the colon. If not eliminated, this material may become reabsorbed back into the bloodstream and cellular tissue, causing toxemia, which is the result of auto-intoxification, a condition that poisons the cell or body by the inability to properly eliminate waste matter generated by normal functions.

Our bodies have five detox organs: skin, lungs, kidneys, liver and intestines, which pull out toxins from food, air and electronics. If our body is healthy and our detox pathways are open and working properly, our body does the work for us and the toxic chemicals are transported to these five organs through our lymph system and our blood. However, when these detox organs cannot eliminate the overload of toxins, the body will try to work to eliminate these toxins through the mucous membranes of our bodies. Symptoms of toxic accumulation include rashes, memory loss, fatigue, arthritis, gout, depression, eczema, acne and gas/bloating/constipation.

Most conventional doctors treat these symptoms with drugs and steroids and chemical creams that clog up the detox pathways even more and make the body more toxic and acidic, which leads to further illness. When these secondary mucous membranes cannot rid the toxins from the body, we may store the toxins in our tissues because the body can no longer excrete them. The symptoms depend on where the toxins accumulate.

To initiate healing, removing anti-inflammatory foods from the diet and eating more organic, locally grown produce and using a high-quality probiotic is a start. Therapies such as coffee enemas/colonics, Epsom salt baths, lymphatic drainage, releasing emotional trauma, supplementation, sauna therapy and acupuncture may also improve health.

An important thing to learn is to get organized for healing and plan what to do in a cohesive order, instead of piling everything on at once, which many people do. Sometimes, less is more.

Brandy Boehmer is a board-certified colon therapist at InnerSpace Holistic, located at 2350 Washtenaw Ave, Ste. 14 , Ann Arbor. For more information, call 734-709-8313 or visit InnerSpaceHolistic.com.