Linda Berry - Internal Cleansing: Rid Your Body of Toxins to Naturally and Effectively Fight: Heart Disease, Chron ic Pain, Fatigue, PMS and Menopause Symptoms, and More

Through my 28 years in medical practice and health care as well as my personal and professional experience in juice fasting and detoxification, I have come to believe that the cleansing/detoxification process is the missing link in Western nutrition and one of the keys to real healing. I have seen hundreds of patients over the years transform regular or persistent illness into health and greatly improved vitality.

When we embark upon a purification process, we instinctively take more time for ourselves and make our health a higher priority, whereby we are inspired to reevaluate our life, activities, habits, relationships, and more. We are then motivated to make new goals for our future. These goals usually involve making habit changes, such as letting go of daily abuses of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and junk foods. We also are inspired and guided to make decisions and take actions that we have sensed were important but about which we had procrastinated or made excuses. Now we feel clear and present enough to make these changes in our work and career, home, relationships, and health.

One of my favorite experiences in medical practice is when I see the many positive side effects of natural therapies, especially from the cleansing process. Some of these wonderful side effects include reducing symptoms, elevating energy and attitude, and looking and feeling younger. I also receive many letters from readers who follow the guidelines in my books and experience improved health and many other positive changes in their lives.

More specifically, some of the medical concerns that I believe are related to toxicity and which respond well to detoxification are allergies, arthritis, elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, fatigue and sluggishness, backaches, body pains, and gastrointestinal disorders. In reality, most of the medical problems that take many years to develop and which we often label as chronic degenerative diseases respond well to cleansing therapies, as well as other natural therapies and lifestyle modifications.

Dr. Linda Berry offers us a fresh, clear voice in her simple, practical purification guidebook, Internal Cleansing. Dr. Berry first helps us to understand the many areas of potential stress in our lives and the problems that may occur; then she helps to orient us to the many things we can do, with lifestyle and natural therapies to help alleviate stress and clean and clear our bodies from the inside out. Linda also provides many practical references for us to pursue further knowledge and support from her many helpful guidelines.

I recommend this book highly as a useful guide to improving health and not just treating symptoms or disease. Since I believe that cleansing the body and mind is a process crucial to long-term health with vitality, and a key way to attain and maintain health for the 21st century, we must be aware of sources of toxicity that surround us so we can protect ourselves from them. Internal Cleansing by Dr. Linda Berry provides us with the beginning steps and long-range guidance by helping us to be informed and gives us the how-tos to reach for that next level of health and our optimal potential.

E LSON M. H AAS , M.D.

Dr. Elson M. Haas is the founder and medical director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin, an integrated health-care facility in San Rafael, California. He is also the author of seven popular health books, including the new False Fat Diet (Ballantine Publishing Group), The Staying Healthy Shoppers Guide (Celestial Arts), and Vitamins for Dummies (IDG Books).

Many people have been instrumental in the formation of this book. First, I would like to thank the entire staff at Prima and Crown, both those known to me and those not known, for getting the good word out about achieving vibrant health through cleansing. And, not in order of importance, thank you also to Peter, Mark, Cheri, the Jeffs, Nick, Dr. Lukaczer, Chris, Gary, and Ritamarie for your assistance, encouragement, and/or resources. Thank you to all of my patients who have taught and inspired me with your quest for health. And finally, I would like to acknowledge the divine from which all of this emanates.

D O Y OU N EED I NTERNAL C LEANSING ?

INTRODUCTION

The power that made our body can heal our body. Each of us has within us the power to heal our pain and dysfunctions. In my years of practice as a doctor of chiropractic and fifteen years as a Health Coach (see What Is Health Coach? page xvi), I have come to understand life as a balance of forces. Your daily choices determine your stress load and your ability to heal. As you improve your lifestyle and minimize your negative reaction to stress, you increase your internal resilience and consequently improve your health and well-being.

Our bodies are the temples of our souls, and as such they deserve kind attention. Too often we neglect our health, placing our job, family, clients, and even our pets before ourselves. Instead of caring for ourselves and nourishing our body/mind/spirit, we often stuff ourselves full of harmful substances and influences that lead to blockage and congestion within our system. A safe, simple, and effective way to begin transforming negative, constipated energies is to cleanse your body so that it may serve rather than hinder your mind and soul, and cease interfering with your ability to perform your lifes work.

Some people are motivated by pain; others are motivated by pleasure. What motivates you? If you dont change unhealthy lifestyle practices, your health will not improve. To paraphrase one of our greatest thinkers, Einstein, it is insanity to continue with the same actions but expect different results. But if you do make healthy changes, you will certainly feel better and you may even start feeling great.

I believe that an overburdened elimination system is the most common cause of ill health today, and the most dangerous. Fortunately, it is also treatable. In the words of one patient who once relied on laxatives (which treat only symptoms), I have a chronic colon condition that causes a lazy colon. Ive spent fortunes on laxatives that really didnt work. With my doctors permission, I started a colon cleansing program. Ive been on it for seven weeks and I feel great. This patient benefited from a genuine cleansing program that addressed the causes of her ill health.

Looking at the big picture, I believe we are being cheated out of good health by ignorance. We live in a polluted environment, and our diet and lifestyle make us prone to chronic illness. Understanding that our quality of life is determined by our daily choices, we have the power to improve our health and well-being step by step. With the proper use of cleansing, we can keep our bodies healthy and vital, even as we age. Chronic ailments that are believed to be a natural part of aging can be halted in their tracks and often reversed by using health practices that take only a few moments each day. In this book, you will find simple, practical, and effective methods to help your body function as it was designed to.