Introduction to Herbs and Herbal Remedies

The introduction to herbal formulations and their proper use requires some effort to help visitors understand where to find the pages that might interest them and what some terms mean.

The first explanation that will probably help people a great deal concerns the use of the terms detoxification and tonification.

Detoxification

In essence, detoxification refers to measures that remove unwanted materials from the body.  Some people narrow the term to apply to blood and colon cleansing, but the truth is that virtually all systems of the body can use a spring cleaning now and then.

In theory, one needs some margins in order to detoxify.  What this means is that very weak people usually need to tonify before they can detoxify.  My general opinion is that whenever possible, it makes more sense to detoxify first.

On this site, I have used some terms that I find more suitable for this particular web site.  I have put the pages that address removal of unwanted materials from the body in a subdirectory called purification.  The types of issues addressed in this section are poisoning from toxic metals, parasites, mold, impaction of the colon, blood toxicity, lymphatic stagnation, radiation poisoning, metabolic imbalance, and even pollution from xenohormones.

The reason for putting all these subjects into one directory is that ideally, every patient would be able to reduce the burden of excesses so as to allow the healing forces of the body to work more efficiently when addressing the cancer. For instance, it is my experience that the body identifies certain toxins as more dangerous than cancer.  It therefore allocates its limited resources to attacking mercury or mercury cations instead of tumors.  Likewise, some parasitic and fungal infections can be more life-threatening than cancer so the body fights the primary enemies before turning its attention to the tumor.  For reasons such as this, it is my overall opinion that eliminating as much stress as possible releases the healing energies in a manner that increases the probabilities of success.  Therefore, I have expanded on the concept of detoxification to include life style and environmental pollutants as well as psychospiritual factors that may be inhibiting the ability to heal.  In other words, this is a big web site with a big mission.  Likewise, anyone who thinks cancer treatment is only a matter of surrendering to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation is probably going to find the material here both overwhelming and encouraging because my goal is to address the factors that are largely within the control of every person.  In other words, it is one's own choice whether or not to eliminate bad habits such as substance abuse or sedentariness.  Each person can also decide for himself how important organic food, chelation, or avoidance of harmful electromagnetic fields is.  My job is to raise the issues and awareness and encourage readers to keep their minds open to matters not usually addressed by doctors.  In saying this, I am not telling anyone to avoid their doctors, merely to see their doctors as highly specialized individuals who either do not know about some of the issues I am raising or they are not taking the time to educate patients about auxiliary measures that can definitely affect the quality of life and possibility improve the outcome of whatever treatment is offered.

In saying this, I am reminding readers that I am not a doctor.  I am an author with a very wide view of the healing process.  I simply urge people who are suffering to seek as far and wide as possible for strategies that will make them well.

Tonification

Western medicine does not really have any concept at all of tonification; however, tonification is at the heart of nearly all Eastern systems of medicine:  Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and Tibetan medicine.  Just as detoxification means removal, tonification means enhancing.  On kitchendoctor.com, I introduce a concept of a Mid-Life Tune Up in which persons go through each system of the body periodically to remove congestion and toxicity and then regenerate and rejuvenate the system.  In some instances, it is possible to detoxify and tonify simultaneously, but usually this is a little difficult.

For instance, where the problem is pH balance, it may be possible to correct the pH and some of the issues arising from imbalance with a single strategy.  Let me try to explain this.  Let's say that someone is too acidic and needs to alkalize.  The acidity may be caused by poor dietary choices or infections that have acidic metabolites.  Some organisms that we are hosting are alive and have metabolic wastes that are acidic:  viruses and bacteria, parasites, and probably also various fungi, everything from Candida albicans to stachybotrys.  In its great wisdom and mercy, the body leeches minerals, usually from the bones, to neutralize the acidity.  Ergo, getting rid of the infection may not only correct the pH but arrest the bone loss; however, taking trace mineral supplements may not only neutralize the pH but replenish the minerals needed for healthy teeth and bones.  Similarly, if toxins, infection, or anxiety are causing overrapid excretion of urine, there will be mineral loss.  Therefore, correcting the infection or eliminating the nervous responses may be considered detoxifying whereas strengthening kidney and adrenal function would be tonifying. As mentioned, occasionally, one formula or strategy addresses both sides of the issue but sometimes entirely different methods are needed because detoxification is basically a catabolic function whereas tonification is an anabolic.

Because of the distinctions and sequence of implementation of the strategies, I have had a little difficulty categorizing each page.  For instance, there may be herbs such as milk thistle that both protect the liver from damage and aid regeneration.  Likewise, hawthorn berries may have a comparable effect on the heart.  However, I have put "immunity" into the section on regeneration because my experience is that severe infections and toxicity damage white blood cells in a manner than renders them inefficient or even ineffective.  Once the toxicity is managed, the immune system will start to function more normally.  It is possible that even allergies fall into such categories.  For instance, we all know that severe allergic reactions cause an increase in certain kinds of white blood cells, but the body only has the power to produce a certain quantity of white blood cells so if the challenge is bigger than the task force for dealing with the crisis, health tends to worsen.  This is common sense and perfectly logical.  So, we provide supplements that reduce the burden of toxicity, increase the activity of white blood cells, and perhaps also temporarily increase the production.  I have had the opportunity to observe many different herbs and herbal formulas with patients in Europe using darkfield microscopy.  I think I am in a position to say that some herbs are what are called immune potentiators and others seem to protect the white blood cells so they do not become quite as sick when they ingest morbid materials in the body.  It's all quite fascinating and certainly stretches the thinking of those who have never really seen or experienced this before.

In any event, the type of information that is in the section on regeneration is a little more subtle and aimed at recovering normalcy after insult.  For instance, if red blood cells are damaged because of chemotherapy, oxygen transport will be affected so proper oxygenation cannot be expected until the red blood cells are repaired or new cells that function normally can be produced.  The ability of these cells to do their job will depend on the reduction of toxins, free radicals, acidity, and so on and so forth.  It might also require less use of cell phones and other electromagnetic interferences that affect the quality and behavior of red blood cells.  Ergo, oxygenation comes after detoxification.  I hope this explains how to navigate these pages.  As usual, I appreciate your input and suggestions.

Best wishes,

Ingrid Naiman
9 April 2006

 

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Copyright by Ingrid Naiman 2001, 2006, and 2014