Herbalism is the practice of using natural, non-toxic herbs to remedy different physical and mental ailments we suffer from. The herbs are prescribed in the form of capsules, fresh or dried herbs in teas, decoctions, or alcoholic preparations. Often, herbs go with other herbs to get a more complete healing. A single herb usually can’t do everything needed if the problem is more severe. A perfect example of this is a liver detox program, which I’ll discuss in more detail.
I’m a retired chiropractor with master’s degrees in nutrition and herbalism from Dr. Christopher’s School. My 30-year practice in herbs and nutrition has included detoxification programs that address every organ separately for maximum healing, customizing herbal solutions to each individual patient, and teaching classes in how to use herbs and detox.
Mary, one of my clients had attended some of my classes on how to use herbs but she never took the detoxification classes. These classes were given once every few weeks over a three-month timeframe, allowing time for them to integrate the new strategies into their lives. However, she had her own business and traveled a lot, which made it nearly impossible to take these classes. When she came to me, she had been traveling to another convention with only about an hour to talk.
“I’ve been having this pain right here for about a week,” she said, pointing to her liver area. “It’s kind of sharp, doesn’t last long, and goes away quickly but it concerns me because it’s getting more frequent, she said.” She rated the pain an 8 on a scale of 0-10.
Mary wasn’t overweight. She was 75 years old, always busy, chatty, not on any medications, and fun to be around. Her blood pressure was on the higher side. She said she felt slower, ate less, had itchy skin, and didn’t want to eat any fat.
All these are symptoms of a liver that is in need of cleansing. The pattern is quite clear. A liver detox contains herbs such as milk thistle, artichoke leaf, barberry, wild yam, cramp bark, fennel seed, ginger, catnip, and peppermint. Taking several of these herbs together will produce more positive results than using one or two of them. The treatment is simple – to consume capsules of herbs three times daily for an extended period of time.
But cleansing the liver without making sure the colon can cause new issues is never the correct protocol. One has to open up the colon to ensure that toxins can leave the body effectively before cleansing the liver. The liver has no direct route to the outside of the body, and if you cleanse the liver first, then you stir up symptoms in the skin and in the abdomen as a result. Mary felt itchy as her liver couldn’t cleanse, and her abdominal pain signaled liver distress. Her fatigue was also directly related to her liver status.
Mary’s solution was to take a colon formula first for a day since she was still having one bowel movement a day. Then, from Day 2, she’d combine the colon and liver detox formulas, increase water intake, and maintain a healthy diet despite traveling.
Within a week, she reported the liver detox capsules significantly relieved her pain and she felt better. Her pain totally subsided by the end of the week. Nevertheless, she continued the protocol because she “never wanted to feel that kind of pain again.” A few years later she was still thanking me for helping her with her liver issue.
Many believe herbalism is simply about using specific herbs for certain ailments. Although this strategy may work 30% of the time, you have to consider the bigger picture of what is happening and think in systems – what systems are not working and how can you support them. This takes your success up to 80+%.
In Mary’s case, her liver and digestive system needed a holistic approach to get quick results. Her urinary/kidney, brain, reproductive, lymphatic, immune system, and skin would not have been the right systems to address.
One of the best ways to learn about your body is to take a comprehensive detox class that addresses every organ separately. It allows you to understand how each organ is working in your body and gives you time to feel it working better. This wisdom cannot be argued with! It pinpoints the system that needs support to you directly. This wisdom lets you control most minor aches and pains in life.
Dr. Donna Schwontkowski
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.