Day 223 - Toxins

"We live in a world where we are surrounded by chemicals and toxins that affect our health and environment. Toxins can come in many forms such as smoke, biological agents, chemicals and radiation. Toxins are also produced by all the cells in the body.

Our bodies must be able to detoxify, or neutralize, toxins from the external environment as well as those produced within our own bodies. This process takes place mostly in the liver, and consists of two phases.

In Phase I toxins are activated, which means that they are altered in such a way that carrier molecules (Phase II) are able to transport them out of the body. A handy analogy is the bagging of our trash (Phase I), so that the garbage man can pick it up and cart it away (Phase II).

Phase I is accomplished by a family of enzymes called "cytochrome P450", and Phase II takes place via a number of important mechanisms. Both Phase I and Phase II of detoxification must function adequately so that toxins are able to be neutralized, and the two phases must be in balance with each other so that the activated compounds from Phase I cannot accumulate in the body and cause damage.”*

*Liver Test Result Factsheet

Since my reiki attunement on Wednesday I have been feeling a lot better. During the two weeks prior to the attunement, my headache was causing me much pain again, but since my session it seems to have decreased in intensity.

I finally managed to get detailed results of my liver test. It appears that Phase I is normal, and none of the Phase II pathways are underfunctioning. However, the test showed that some imbalance exists between the two phase pathways, therefore implying imbalanced detoxification in the body. The activated compounds coming out of Phase I are potentially toxic and may accumulate, leading to illness.

The nutritionist said that with nutritional support these kinds of imbalances are usually correctable. She advised continuing with the supplements the kinesiologist gave me, and also recommended looking at Porphyra-Zyme-1, which I will test with the kinesiologist at my next appointment on Monday. Having read up on this, I am not too clear as to why she suggested it given that it seems to be a homeopathic formula for metal detox...

The liver imbalance most definitely needs to be corrected, whether it is directly causing my headache or not.