detox and prescription medication?

[earthmama369]

I'm interested in doing a week-long detox. OK, I've been interested in doing this for five years now, but I've been pregnant and/or nursing the whole time and haven't had the chance. Now I'm neither pregnant nor nursing, but I'm on a handful of relatively heavy-hitting prescriptions and will be for the foreseeable future. Doing a detox now...bad idea?

[Naturopath Mom]

It really depends what you are on and what you would like to detox. I would say for the most part you could probably do a light detox, or move slowly. It's really hard to give a general answer. There are so many different ways to detox and meds can really vary (especially when you are taking more than one!). I would suggest seeing an alternative practitioner and work out a program with them. Good luck!

[earthmama369]

That makes sense. I want to do a general detox because I suspect it may improve my overall health. I don't have a specific substance that I'm concerned about. I have fibromyalgia and dh has been working up a theory that some of my symptoms may be due to a build-up of things that usually get expressed through sweat. My myofascia get stiff very easily and I develop the typical muscle bumps and knots that someone with fibro tends to get. Because I have a hard time exercising, I also don't sweat very much. We've been doing myofascial release therapy and he's had me going from a sauna to a cold pool to a warm pool to try to release toxins, but I haven't been able to get to the gym often enough to make that really work in the long term. (Yet. Working on it!)

I've been looking at some of the detox teas available through the local health food store, and most of them seem to work in conjunction with a juice or broth diet. I know I would need to do a specific check for interactions between the herbs and my medications, but I was wondering in general if doing a detox would drastically change how my body handles my meds. Most of them are time-release capsules (ranging from 8 to 24 hours), and one of them needs to be taken with 8 oz. of water to help prevent kidney damage. That one's taken 3 times a day.

[Panserbjorne]

what about looking at things that enhance the body's inherent ability to detox instead of creating a detox situation?  My impression is that you're more interested in excreting what's already circulating instead of mobilizing more junk.

[earthmama369]

That sounds exactly like what I'm interested in.

....How would I do that? *lol*

[Panserbjorne]

okee dokee.  first you start to try and evaluate which phase is slow (I'm guessing two for you as the worst combo in terms of pain is fast phase 1 slow phase 2.)  once you know that you can start to figure out how to target it, as different issues require different support.

There's a great article I can try and dig up for you, since I know you like to do your own research.  Until then, here's something:

http://tuberose.com/Liver_Detoxification.html

basically the gist is that genetically you could have a higher requirement for a certain nutrient so that environmental stresses, emotional stresses (hormones released), and the like could create an issue for you that no one else is really bothered by.  There are ways to patch things up so that both phases work well together.  It doesn't mean life long support, but in times of stress it may mean that you find yourself requiring additional help.

It's a starting point, if nothing else.