Dr. Sidney Baker has written a remarkable book. This thin volume packs in so much useful information, it's hard to believe it is only 200 pages. Perhaps this has something to do with his integrative approach to chronic health problems. According to most mainstream doctors, each specific health condition has its own specific cause, and its own specific treatment, which would make for a tome of a book covering so many individual symptoms, causes, and treatments. However, as Baker shows, this approach is flawed, and those with chronic health problems like adrenal fatigue, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, severe allergies, or IBS know it. The systems of our body work together, and a successful treatment means treating the body as a system. This means different symptoms can have the same cause, and a single problem can cause very different symptoms. Baker repeats two important ideas throughout the book: the body's systems work together, and each individual is unique in their make-up.
Detoxification and Healing describes body chemistry and detoxification in simple, engaging language, using case studies from his vast experience in treating patients with cancer, diabetes, autism, among countless other epidemic disorders plaguing large numbers of people today. He identifies several well known and some little known toxins and deficiencies that contribute to these diseases: from hidden gluten sensitivities and mercury and aluminum poisoning to dairy allergies and fatty acid deficiencies. In fact, many people are allergic to gluten (found in grains like wheat, barley, and hidden in a host of processed foods) and do not even know it. The possible symptoms range from headaches, fatigue and depression to IBS, epilepsy, osteoporosis, diabetes, schizophrenia and autism.
When you start looking at disease in terms of the individual, you see that recovery often does happen as a result change in diet, determining which substances are lacking (nutrients, vitamins, minerals, etc.) and which are present but harmful (toxins). Many substances, like mercury, are more toxic to some than others, and scientific tests aren't always developed to the point where this can be determined. Often the only thing that works is to first test (by eliminating certain foods from your diet, for example) and then see if a change for the better has occurred. Dr. Baker has found that many of his autistic patients experience recoveries after eliminating wheat and other gluten-containing foods from their diet for a period of weeks, as well as controlling yeast overgrowth like Candida in the gut by implementing a the use of an antifungal like Nystatin as well as taking a good probiotic.
Following Baker's approach, it makes sense for each person to make sure their body is efficiently detoxifying unwanted substances, and Dr. Baker provides several detox protocols to get started. Mercury build up is perhaps one of the worst problems we face today, as it is a highly toxic substance which is found not only in large fish like tuna and salmon, but in Mercury amalgam fillings in our teeth. Replacing our fillings and following the Mercury detox protocol developed by Baker can go a long way in ridding our bodies of this harmful material. A healthy diet, proper supplementation, and a good detoxification schedule all go far in optimizing health and effectively treating and managing disease.
Dr. Baker also recommends learning diaphragmatic breathing to help with good health. By stimulating the vagus nerve, breathing techniques like those taught in the Eiriu Eolas breathing and meditation program are scientifically proven to provide immediate and effective relief of stress, a large contributor to autoimmune diseases. Over all Detoxification and Healing is highly recommended.
