Bentonite Clay and my first detox

The Ayurvedic doctor at Breath and Health handed me a paper bag filled with a concoction of powders and medicinces, and with a smile told me to take the bentonite clay with water three times a day.  She said it was the most important part of my 7-day detox.  I thought "nothing to it," and happily went home.

Then I mixed it with a spoon of pysillium husk and tried to drink it.

Although there was no taste or smell, it was like drinking cement, and I quickly spit it back out for fear it would get stuck in my throat and choke me to death.

Drinking the bentonite clay

On day three of my detox, and after much patient and gentle encouragement by the doctor, I finally worked up the nerve to sprinkle a little of the clay on orange juice and gulped.  It went down! I wan't choking!  I added a bit more to another glass and gulped again.  There was no taste or smell.  It is the consistency you have to overcome. And, I drank another glass of orange juice right after just to wash the remains away.

I waited a couple of hours to see if it was going to glue my intestines together, but nothing happened.  No heartburn or stomach aches or pains.

Why is bentonite clay so great? 

My doctor wasn't kidding when she said it was the most important part of my detox that I had chosen to do to flush out a host of unnecessary antibiotics and their candida legacy.

When mixed with water, bentonite clay becomes negatively charged.  When this happens it will attract positively charged toxins.  It bulks up as it engulfs the toxins and then moves out of the body, taking all the toxins with it.  Bentonite clay also has important minerals in it such as magnesium and calcium.

Bentonite clay can:

Cleanse the liver, colon and skin
Balance bacteria in the digestive tract
Improve nutrient assimilation
Strengthen the immune system

Here is what Natural News has to say:
"In addition, bentonite clay can also eliminate food allergies, food poisoning, colitis, viral infections, and parasites. It is an effective treatment for arthritis, cataracts, diabetic neuropathy, pain, wounds, diarrhea, stomach ulcers, animal and insect bites, acne, anemia and alcoholism; it is effective in treating all digestive conditions and aids in weight loss. Bentonite clay also re-mineralizes cells and tissues, alkalizes the body and is very effective in protecting our bodies against radiation."

How to use bentonite clay

If you have never taken bentonite clay before, the best thing you can do is see a medical (complementary or allopathic) who can assess your case and tell you exactly how best to use the clay for your benefit.  If you have never taken the clay before, this is almost a must. If you have any intestinal issues, you should see a practicioner first. 

Take the clay two hours away from a meal or other medications or supplements so that it doesn't absorb them.

Take bentonite clay with pysllium husk which is a great fiber for cleansing the intestines.  It will push out the clay and toxins.

In my own experience using bentonite as part of a detox and in conjunction with a colonic works really well.  That way you can be sure the clay does get washed out, taking those nasty toxins with it.

The Wellness Mama has a list of ways to use bentonite clay, both internally and externally.  But, again, if it is your first time to drink it, please please see a practictioner who has experience with it and knows your case.

Side Effects of bentonite clay

Generally speaking there are no side effects.  But, since bentonite clay does bulk up in the intestines it can lead to some mild constipation.  That is why you should take extra fiber like psyllium husk with it to push it out.  I also read that people with hypertension should not take it.  Cautions are also for women pregnant or breastfeeding.


More details about Bentonite Clay

To have your salmon and eat it too?



about.com food

 I think if I read one more article about how to get more omega-3s into my diet by "eating oily fish such as salmon," my head will explode. Salmon may not be so great of a diet option as you may think.  Here's why:
Salmon Problem One:  If omega-3 is so essential, then the powers that be must have put it in more than just oily fish.  Afterall, what do landlocked countries eat?  Do they just not get any omega-3? Of course not.  Omega-3 can be found in other sources, like flax seed, walnuts, free-range eggs and grass-fed livestock, to name a few.

Salmon Problem Two:
With the demand for salmon climbing, there is simply not enough wild salmon to supply all the hungry mouths. Enter:  Salmon Farming.  There is a hefty debate over whether salmon farming produces salmon fit to eat or not, and whether the contamination of the farms into the surrounding waters bring more harm than good. And, whether it is worth an increase in cancer risk to get more omega-3.

A study in Science magazine that tested 2 metric tons of farmed salmon found that the farmed salmon contains ten times the level of contaminants than wild salmon.  And, those contaminants include PCBs and dioxins, which have been proven to have a negative impact on the fetus with issues ranging from lower IQ to endocrine problems.


Salmon farm



So, should I eat salmon or not?

The recommendation is to eat farmed salmon no more than once a month in the US, and no more than once every FOUR months from European farms.  And, Europe is where we in the UAE get our farmed salmon.

If I don't eat fish, where else can I get omega-3?

Those who recommend avoiding fish altogether due to mercury levels in the waters, let alone contaminants from farm fed fish, eat the following foods:

meat and dairy from grass-fed livestock (preferably raised without hormones or antibiotics)

free-range chickens and their eggs

flax seed



The incredibly important Omega 3 and Omega 6 balance

The issue with the omegas is the balance.  The ideal balance for omega 6 to omega 3 has been said to be 3:1 or even 2:1.  But, with today's diet and lifestyle the average person's omega 6 to 3 ratio is estimated at 20 or 25 to 1. 

The book Anti Cancer, A New Way of Life by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber does a marvelous job of explaining why omega 3 and 6 are important in balance, and why we are getting too much omega 6. (It is a great book with a lot of insight into how the medical and pharmaceutical industries work, as well as why cancer has become so rampant, and how to avoid it).   

Read a more comprehensive article about non-fish sources of omega-3 and why the omega 6 to 3 balance is so imporant.

Further Reading:

For more information on the debate for and against eating farmed salmon you can read the transcript of the debate on the Salmon Scare on the PBS site. 

You can access the full article on the salmon farming study in Science Magazine for free, but will have to register.

Read a quick overview of the health benefits of omega-3 on WebMD

As mentioned above, an easy to read article that can sum up the omega 3 to 6 balance and how to get non-fish sources of omega 3 is here.

"There is sufficiency in this world for man's need but not for man's greed." Gandhi