DETOXING MODALITIES

Infrared Sauna - Coffee Enemas - Colonics - Cold Plunge - RED Light Therapy

INFRARED SAUNA

I invested in an infrared sauna early on in my diagnosis as over the long term, it was much more cost efficient than paying someone per use plus , having one at home of course means you are likely to use it more often. I aim to use mine every day where I can but at least 3 times per week. You can also buy portable ones which are less space consuming and less expensive. My sauna is a FIR infrared meaning it utilises infrared light on the far end of the spectrum, it is the FIR that is most useful for detoxing.

Heres some science on the detoxing benefits of infrared saunas:

Infrared saunas promote sweating, a natural detoxification process that helps the body eliminate toxins stored in fat cells, like heavy metals (e.g., mercury, lead) and certain chemicals (e.g., BPA, phthalates). FIR (far infrared) wavelengths specifically increase sweating and fat mobilisation, helping to reduce toxic burden and alleviating stress on detoxifying organs like the liver and kidneys.

It is extremely important to ensure you are detoxing if you are on conventional treatments such as chemo or radiation because these treatments, while often necessary, leave behind a significant toxic burden in the body. They leave behind metabolic waste, drug residues, and dead cellular debris, which the body must clear out. 

 Important to note is that you should wait 3 days post treatment before you start your detox protocol so that the drug/radiation can do what it is there to do.
And some added bonuses include :

Immune System Support: Exposure to infrared heat can mimic the effects of a mild fever, which is part of the body’s natural immune response to infection. This controlled “hyperthermia” can stimulate immune cells, including white blood cells and natural killer cells, enhancing the immune response.

When you use heat therapy such as infared saunas, your body produces special protective proteins called heat shock proteins (HSPs). HSP's are responsible for cellular clean up and repairs.
Cancer cells are often full of damaged, twisted, or misshapen proteins, which can build up and make things worse. HSPs either fix these faulty proteins or break them down and clear them out, so they don’t pile up and cause more harm.

HSP's also have the ability to switch on your body’s repair systems, boost natural antioxidants that protect your cells, reduce harmful inflammation & can help your immune system spot cancer cells, making your body more effective at attacking tumours. This has also been shown to make immunotherapy treatments work better.'
This can be achieved with regular use of an infrared sauna.

COFFEE ENEMAS

Coffee enemas are a great, relatively inexpensive yet effective way to enhance our detoxification process that can be done at home.

Stimulation of the Liver and Bile Flow: The caffeine in the coffee, when absorbed through the walls of the rectum, goes directly to the liver through the portal vein. This stimulates the liver and increases bile production. Bile is a substance that helps carry toxins out of the body, so increased bile flow helps the liver get rid of more toxins.

Quick Waste Removal: A coffee enema can help stimulate the colon, encouraging quicker removal of waste. By emptying the bowels faster, there’s less time for toxins to be reabsorbed back into the bloodstream.
Antioxidant Effects: Coffee contains substances called palmitic acids, which are believed to boost the production of a powerful antioxidant called glutathione in the liver. Glutathione is important for neutralising harmful substances in the body, so raising its levels can help support the body’s detox defenses. **

** Glutathione in this context is great but it should never be supplemented for cancer patients. Supplementing it can allow it to get into the cancer cells which we do not want as it could aid in their survival. In the context of coffee enemas, you are increasing glutathione in the liver where it is needed.

I have always aimed to do 2-3 coffee enemas per week.

COLONICS

Colonics have been in my detox line up ever since I started out on this healing journey. They are a great way to support detoxification.

Sometimes, when eating and taking highly detoxifying substances, the detoxing happens within but if happening too fast, it doesn't always have an outlet so the toxins may remain in your body, available to be reabsorbed, hence the need to support our body's natural detoxing process with colonics which will help remove accumulated waste, gas, and other toxins that might be affecting overall health.

A clean colon can enhance the effectiveness of digestion and support the absorption of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients which is crucial if we are using food as medicine. It is pointless if we are not able to absorb all the goodness from them.
It is now widely acknowledged that our gut microbiome is strongly linked to the development of cancer, here are some ways colonics are beneficial to support cancer healing:

- The gut microbiome plays a critical role in modulating immune responses. By reducing microbial imbalances and inflammation, colonics help support a healthy immune system.

- Healthy gut bacteria help train the immune system to distinguish between harmful pathogens and harmless substances. Colonics, when used appropriately, might help support this delicate immune balance by clearing out harmful bacteria or pathogens that might compromise immune function.

- Colonics play a role in restoring a healthy gut microbiome for those who have experienced a significant microbial imbalance due to poor diet, antibiotic use, or chronic digestive issues. In these cases, a colonic can potentially help expel harmful microbes and create space for the repopulation of beneficial species.

COLD PLUNGE

A cold plunge is a great way to get our lymphatic system moving and therefore draining which is essential for supporting the body's detoxification process. This is done through the cold water causing the blood vessels to constrict, followed by when you warm up they dilate. Unlike our blood flow, our lymphatic systems do not have a pump so relies on activity to get moving to where it needs to, to carry out its waste removal role.

I also like to think of a cold plunge as a mental detox. It is a great way to challenge yourself mentally, it offers 3 minutes (or however long you plunge for ) of mindfulness where you become very conscious of your breath only. It activates our parasympathetic nervous system - our rest and digest function which is overall a great way to balance our nervous systems. If practicing diaphragmatic breathing whilst submerged , this is also going to aid in the movement of the lymph.

An added bonus I like to visualise whilst cold plunging is the fact that it activates our brown fat. Brown fat burns stored fat and sugar (glucose) to produce heat. This process uses up the energy that cancer cells would typically rely on to grow. Since cancer cells thrive on high energy, depleting their available fuel may slow their growth.

RED & NIR LIGHT THERAPY

I invested in my red & NIR (near infrared) light therapy machine for the main purpose to help with my lung inflammation which is a side effect from the immunotherapy I am on. however the other health benefits one of these can offer make them a multi faceted integrative approach in your daily protocol.

HOW IT AIDS DETOX

Red and NIR light stimulate the mitochondria (your cells’ energy centres)
● More ATP (cellular energy) means more energy for your body to repair, regenerate, and eliminate waste.
● This boost helps organs like your liver, kidneys, and lymph system work better. All of which are essential for detox.

Red/NIR light stimulates lymph flow, helping to remove
● Cellular waste
● Damaged proteins
● Environmental toxins

Our lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump, it needs movement or stimulation to work so anything that can help to move the lymph will be hugely beneficial.

Red/NIR light can activate genes related to cell survival and cleanup. Damaged cells and proteins get tagged for removal, which can
● Reduces toxic buildup
● Helps prevent further mutation of cancer cells

My research suggests that to get maximum therapeutic effects from this the wavelength criteria is red (610–660 nm) and near-infrared (820–850 nm).