Please note: A number of other websites refer to using bentonite clay. Please DO NOT substitute their guidelines or product for ours. Our clay is stronger in its action than a lot of other clays, different in its texture and the way it behaves. Our guidelines are designed to work with our products.

This guideline has been written by our practitioner Sarah Beesley (MHD Hons) to provide a comprehensive approach. The best result is gained when the whole guideline is followed. Please be aware that results may vary and that if you have any other  pre-exisiting conditions, we advise working with a trained practitioner. The following information is not intended to diagnose any condition or to replace the advice of your doctor. 

Heavy metal detoxification is something which needs to be approached with caution and the best protective measures in place. For anyone who suspects they have a metal toxicity, our first piece of advice to them would be to get the right testing done and to find a practitioner who can help them chelate the metals out of their body WITHOUT using standard chelation methods. With the right knowledge and the right test information it is possible to remove metals by providing the body with the correct balance of minerals and supporting nutrients. This is an area that our practitioner Sarah specialises in. It  is a safer and kinder way of working and can also achieve results surprisingly fast.

The following guideline is a step-by-step process to get you started. We recommend that you do not get hooked into Dr. Google, but that you work with a knowledgeable practitioner like Sarah when undergoing a detoxification of this type.

Get the Right Information
  • We recommend that you get a Metal and Mineral Test done. Most Metal and Mineral tests come with a generic lab report which is fairly basic and not personalised. Our Metal and Mineral Test comes with a complete treatment outline written by our practitioner Sarah and includes 20 pages of detailed, personalised information focused on removing metals through nutritional balancing.
  • Make sure your detoxification system is able to do the job you need it do. This can be assessed through the right functional testing.
  • If getting a test done elsewhere, ask whether the practitioner knows how to chelate by using nutrition and mineral balancing techniques. If they primarily use EDTA or DMSA or any of the standard methods of chelation, we advise you look elsewhere.
Detoxification Using Clay
  • The skin is one of the body’s largest eliminative organs. For gentle and effective detoxification, Purely Earth Clay baths work well because they expose the majority of the skin surface to the clay. Baths can be used safely at 20 – 30 minutes for children who are 3 months and older. For adults we recommend a 30-60 minute bath, starting with 15-30 minutes for the first 2-3. For how to make and use a Clay Bath: Click here
  • We recommend starting with a bath every 2-3 days to start. These can be increased after the first 2 weeks to alternate days or daily if desired.
  • Follow with Purely Earth Vitamin E Cream on any skin surfaces that are prone to dryness or damage. This is a non-chemical natural cream that nourishes and feeds the skin and will help to soothe and heal any stressed areas of the skin surface.
  • We recommend drinking Endura Electrolytes while in the bath to replace any electrolyte minerals that are removed during the bath process. If dizziness is experienced during or after the bath, lower the bath temperature to a comfortable level and make sure you use the electrolytes.
  • For adults, using clay internally can be tremendously helpful too, as it helps to remove some of the toxin load internally.
For Cracked, Stressed or Yellowed Skin
  • For any areas where the skin is cracked, very yellowed or stressed, localised clay packing can be helpful as well. This can occur on the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands where a high toxin load has accumulated in the extremities.  Start with packing the affected area for 1-2 hours every day for 10-14 days. If you feel you want to try leaving it on for longer, do so and see how it goes. After 10-14 days assess the progress. After this, continue daily if required. Otherwise reduce to a frequency that maintains the improvement. For how to make and use a Clay Pack: Click here
Open Up and Support Your Internal Detox Channels

Any good detox program should ensure your body has the tools to carry out the work you are going to ask it to do. Moving metals and toxins is not child’s play and if you try this on an under-nourished system with a digestive system and eliminative function that is not working well, you will get tired and sick. Detoxification takes nutrients and energy. The following two sections provide information on the most basic support. The rest of the information should come from a skilled practitioner and through getting the correct form of testing done.

  • Ensure you are passing bowel motions every day.
  • Remove as many chemical products/exposures from your lifestyle as you can.
  • Address any signs of weak digestion such as reflux, bloating, gas and indigestion. Good stomach function is necessary for the pancreas and liver to get the right message. If stomach function is weak, it will hinder the production of bile which will slow the clearance of toxins through the liver. Improving the stomach function can be done by using Betaine HCL or 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar (ACV) in water before each meal and increases the uptake of minerals through the digestive system. For those with a history of ulcers or who are using antacid medications, we recommend an appointment with Sarah before you try Betaine.
  • Make sure you drink adequate filtered water. Your body needs this to make digestive juices and to clear acidic wastes.
  • Include a small amount of Celtic or Maldon salt as part of your diet. Your body needs the chloride it provides to make digestive juices. Do not use table salt – it is high in aluminium and is lacking in trace minerals.
  • You MUST ensure your glands are working well. Detoxification takes energy and resources. We advise you work with a knowledgeable practitioner to strengthen your glands if you have any thyroid or adrenal related issues before you undertake any serious detoxification work.
Provide Essential Nutrition
  • Use high antioxidant super foods. Have a look at our Medicine Chest Smoothie for a wonderful detoxification booster.
  • Eat lots of green and colourful vegetables and a good quality protein food at least 2 times a day. We do not recommend protein-deficient diets because protein is an essential nutrient required for repair, digestion and detoxification. If you choose to go vegetarian, get some good advice about how to get adequate protein. The World Health Organisation Standard is 1 gm of protein value per kilo of body weight. This means a 60 kg person requires around of 60 gm of protein value per day in their diet. A palm size piece of fish for example, contains around 25 gm of protein content.
  • Avoid food that comes in packets. Eat food that is as close to its natural form as possible. This means it contains more nutrients and less added toxins and is a better resource base for your body to use.

Special Note: Heavy metal toxicity and yeast infections often go hand-in-hand. By removing the yeasts the load on the detoxification system drops, allowing the metals to travel through the detoxification channels more easily and with less stress to the body. It is often best to clean up yeast before trying more serious detoxification work. For more information about treating yeast infections Click Here

Stress

Address and reduce stress. Do not underestimate the effects of stress on your body. This can be stress due to a chronic inflammatory condition (think pain, tenderness, redness, swelling or aching), being over-busy, not breathing properly, eating foods that cause you problems, a lack of sleep, dehydration, infection, loneliness, or feeling emotionally vulnerable or unsupported.

Take Steps to Nourish Yourself
  • Assess what must stay in your life and what can go.
  • Assess whether the things that you think must stay, nourish you or deplete you and reassess if necessary.
  • Provide a quiet space in every day that does not involve electrical devices. This allows your nervous system time to unwind.
  • Seek out things, animals or people that make you laugh.
  • Eat mainly food that does not come in a packet. Nature knows best how to provide balance; manufactured food does not.
  • Eat regularly through the day and make good food a priority, not an inconvenience to be squeezed in amongst other activities.
  • Avoid inflammatory foods – things you know you are intolerant to, or which make you feel sluggish, moody, affect your bowel or cause flare-ups of a health condition.
  • Move your body without the exercise stressing it further. Exercise in a way that makes you feel good, not tired. Increase the exercise level gradually as your energy level builds.
  • BREATHE DEEP. Breathing deep sends a signal to your body that you are safe. Shallow or fast breathing does the opposite. Your stress glands and nervous system will respond accordingly.
  • Go to sleep before 10 pm and get up before 7 am. Your body clock requires this of you even if your head says otherwise. 1 hour of sleep prior to 12 am is worth 2 hours after 12 am in terms of the rest it provides. Avoid interaction with electrical devices (phones, computers, TV, play station, X Box, iPad, iPod and the like) for 1 hour prior to sleep and remove as many electrical devices from your bedroom as you can. DO NOT sleep with a light on and cover all digital light displays in your room, or even better, remove them.
Toxicity and Why it is Often the Start of the Breakdown

For a lot of people, their digestive system is often the first place that shows signs of distress. This is usually because the nutrients required to support healthy digestion have become depleted or because stress is taking the focus of their body away from digestion and channeling their resources into crisis management. Over a period of months to years, metals and chemicals can also accumulate, adding to the problem.

Mercury, excess copper ,cadmium and some chemicals will cause disruption to stomach acid production because they block the correct use of zinc, B1 and B6, so even if you take these as supplements they may not work as well as they should. When zinc, B1 or B6 is low or blocked, stomach acid will be low which will then affect the release of digestive enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver. This results in poor digestion throughout the gastro-tract and less efficient clearance of toxins through the production and release of bile from the liver.

When insufficient stomach acid and enzymes are produced, the minerals required for healthy digestion are not absorbed as well, food is not digested properly and can start to ferment and putrefy in the stomach and digestive tract. The resulting fermentation and putrefaction can cause symptoms such as food intolerances, indigestion, reflux, irritable bowel, bloating and gas due to an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria and yeasts in the intestinal tract. These can then cause inflammatory responses, increased permeability of the intestinal walls and abnormal immune function which may then lead to a myriad of complaints including hay fever, aches and pains, oestrogen dominant hormonal conditions such as fibroids and endometriosis, an overloaded detoxification system, food and chemical sensitivities, skin conditions, erratic bowel function, auto-immune disease, lowered immunity and yeast infections, mood imbalances, headaches, brain fog, fatigue etc…

For more details about working with Sarah, go to www.selfhealclinic.co.nz.

© Purely Earth Ltd. This document may be copied and used as a patient handout in its entirety but is not to be replicated on any other websites or publishing media either in full or part without our permission.