b. Skin ---- Skin cleanses have been performed for centuries using herbs, saunas and sweat lodges. The theory behind skin cleanses is that toxic substances (e.g., pesticides, drugs, etc.) and bodily wastes (e.g., fats, excess inorganic minerals) are often deposited in the fatty tissues below the surface of the skin. This is especially the case if the other organs of elimination (e.g., colon, kidneys, lungs) are not capable of processing and eliminating these substances. If the skin is not efficiently eliminating wastes, there will accumulate a backlog of toxic substances and wastes in the body. This can put extra strain on the liver to process these substances. In addition, some of the substances that were deposited in the fatty tissue re-enter the bloodstream and cause additional health problems over time. In order to eliminate the backlog of wastes and toxic substances and improve the skin's efficiency in eliminating these wastes, a skin cleanse should be performed. I have seen and heard of many cases where the more powerful forms of skin cleanses have significantly improved the condition of persons with severe allergies and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. A sauna is used in some of the cleanses below. A sauna is contraindicated in cases where the patient is very weak, very obese, pregnant, or suffering from hepatitis, jaundice, or anemia. Since minerals can be lost during the use of a sauna, it is very important to replace those minerals and get extra supplimentation by: - Eating slightly more sea vegetables and kelp - Taking chelated and colloidal minerals capsules or liquid minerals. See "Food and Nutrition" chapter for more information on these suppliments. - Taking salt and potassium tablet is you are in the sauna for more than 1-hour per day. - Following your health practitioner's advice for any other supplimentation needed during the skin cleanse. i. Air Bath -------- Bathing the skin in fresh air can be very helpful to promote the skin's ability to eliminate toxins. I learned this technique years ago at Herbert Shelton's center in San Antonio where people used to practice nude sunbathing to help heal the skin. An air bath can be done outside in a bathing suit if it is warm outside or in a warm room with the windows open. Try to avoid taking an air bath in extreme heat to avoid getting overheated. Avoid mid-day sun in the Summer to prevent sunburn. Fifteen minutes to a half hour is plenty of time for an air bath. ii. Skin Brushing ------------- Skin brushing with a natural bristle brush is a very good way to promote elimination of wastes from the skin and to improve the overall health of the skin. I have seen it recommended by both holistic health practitioners and dermatologists. I *strongly* recommend performing skin brushing on a regular basis in order to help promote healing of the organs that are burdened by excess wastes. Purchase a natural bristle skin brush with a long handle from your local natural foods store. Use this brush to brush in little circles in every part of your body except your head and other sensitive areas (e.g., genitals). This should be done at least one time every other day. (I do skin brushing every morning before showering.) It should be done twice per day, morning and evening during a GI tract or skin cleanse or during an acute illness. Many natural food stores sell natural bristle complexion brushes which can be used on more sensative areas. You should also purchase a natural bristle hair brush. iii. Simple Cleansing Bath -------------------- A very simple cleansing bath can be performed as follows: 1. Fill the bathtub with hot, unchlorinated water. (If no unchlorinated water is available, add 2 Tablespoons of Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) to the bathwater.) 2. Add 2 cups of baking soda to neutralize the acids of the toxins. 3. Add 2 cups of Epsom Salts to the water. They will help draw toxins out of the body. If you have a rash or open cut, the Epsom Salts may sting, so do not use them. 4. Soak in the tub for 1/2 hour. 5. Drink a lot of hot tea while in the bath, such as the Arise & Shine Skin Cleanse tea (see below). iv. Sauna Cleansing --------------- The use of a sauna can be a powerful tool in performing a skin cleanse. In order to perform a simple sauna cleanse, do the following: a. Locate a sauna that does not have the wood treated with toxic disinfectants. b. Use a low temperature. The temperature should be high enough that you work up a moderate sweat after 10-15 minutes, but low enough that you can stay in there for 45 to 90 minutes. You may have to experiment with the temperature adjustments. c. It is very important to take the suppliments during this cleanse. One of the comprehensive food suppliments + the Arise & Shine Mineral Capsules would be a good combination. See "Food & Nutrition" chapter for more information. d. Take a shower using natural soap after the sauna. Use a water filter (preferably). e. Use activated charcoal (or bentonite clay) to slow down or stop any reactions caused by toxic chemicals re-released into the bloodstream. A colonic can be used to removed any toxic chemicals that have been dumped into the intestines. (You can order activated charcoal from NewLifestyle Health Products, Seale, AL 36875, 800/542-5695.) f. With your health care practitioner's permission, you can perform this cleanse for 3 days each of three weeks. For a more intense, supervised cleanse to remove environmental and other toxins from the body, see the last cleanse in this section. v. Ocean/Sauna Skin Cleanse ------------------------ This is a simple skin cleanse which can be done if you have access to a sauna near ocean (salt) water. You will need the approval of your healthcare practitioner to use the sauna and you need to be careful that the ocean water is not too cold. The steps are as follows: 1. Swim/stand in ocean water for 5-10 minutes. 2. Sit in the sauna until you have worked up a good sweat (approximately 10-15 minutes). 3. Swim/stand in ocean water for 5-10 minutes. 4. Rinse off the ocean water with fresh water. You can perform this cleanse several times a week if you are finding it helpful. vi. Arise & Shine Skin Cleanse -------------------------- This simple skin cleanse is a sophisticated herbal bath intended to draw toxins out of the skin. An herbal enema is strongly recommended before the bath, but could be discarded if it cannot be done. Of course, non- chlorinated water is prefered for the bath. Add a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide to the bathwater if chlorinated water is used. The herbs cost about $6. For instructions on how to perform the skin cleanse see "Skin Cleanse Instruction Sheet" from Arise & Shine. The herbs for this skin cleanse are also available from Arise & Shine (602/293-0891). vi. Cold Sheet Treatment -------------------- Dr. John Christopher's Cold Sheet Treatment is a fairly powerful, but complicated skin cleanse that is usually given to people who are in a very weakened condition. It is too complicated and involved to be done without some planning and assistance. For a step-by-step list of instructions see the following publication: The Cold Sheet Treatment by John R. Christopher Available through Arise & Shine (602) 293-0891 A simplified version of the cold sheet treatment can be found in "The Herbs of Life" by Lesley Tierra. vii. Hubbard Purification Rundown and Other Powerful Skin Cleanses ------------------------------------------------------------- This is a very powerful skin cleanse based on L. Ron Hubbards' adaptations of early 20th-century skin cleansing techniques. The standard Purification Rundown includes a daily 2-4.5 hour sauna (with frequent breaks) as well as niacin (small but increasing dosages), exercise suitable to your condition, calcium/magnesium suppliments, and other miscellaneous suppliments. The cleanse usually lasts anywhere from 7 days to 28 days depending upon the person's condition. The approval of a medical doctor familiar with the cleanse is required. While this skin cleanse is very powerful and has helped many persons with immune system disorders (especially MCS), it has the following drawbacks: 1. Mostly available only through Scientology Centers. This means that you must have a thick enough skin to avoid sales pitches from the Scientology Registrar for other "services." With Scientology, I used the theory, "take what you want, and leave the rest" -- and I left pretty much everything but the Purification Rundown. There are, however, a growing number of holistic health centers that offer supervised skin cleanses based, to some extent, on the Purification Rundown. See "Clear Body, Clear Mind" by L. Ron Hubbard available from your local Scientology office. For 99.999999% of the population, I would strongly advise avoiding the Scientology Centers and locating another center that does similar cleanses, or perform a simplier skin cleanse yourself. 2. Usually given in a non-customized way, especially at Scientology centers. I believe that healing techniques should be customized to the completely standard way tends to limit the amount of healing that can take place. 3. The vitamins and minerals given during the cleanse are based upon somewhat outdated information. 4. L. Ron Hubbard was apparently unfamiliar with Herbalism and many other holistic healing modalities which could have become a part of his Purification Rundown. 5. The amount of experienced supervision can vary from location to location. If a powerful skin cleanse such as this is performed, I recommend considering the following ideas: 1. Try to perform the skin cleanse at a non-Scientology location so that it can be customized and supervised by an experienced healthcare practitioner. If that is not possible, perform the cleanse at one of the main Scientology headquarter locations (where they are much more careful) even though it costs slightly more. Tell them that you want to perform *only* the Purification Rundown and *nothing* else. 2. Make certain that you will be closely supervised during the cleanse. 3. Use activated charcoal (or bentonite clay) to slow down or stop any reactions caused by toxic chemicals re-released into the bloodstream. A colonic can be used to removed any toxic chemicals that have been dumped into the intestines. (You can order activated charcoal from NewLifestyle Health Products, Seale, AL 36875, 800/542-5695.) 4. Talk with the practitioner to decide on the length an the procedures to be followed during the cleanse. Cleanses performed at non-Scientology centers can be adjusted to be much shorter and simplier and adjusted to include special foods or herbs as the patient requires. 5. It is much easier if the cleanse is performed with one or two other people, otherwise it can get somewhat boring in the sauna. 6. The whole procedure must be okayed by an experienced healthcare practitioner. 7. If your total time in the sauna is more than 45 minutes, you should definately be taking some salt, potassium, and cell salts. It usually a good idea to take minerals (chelated and colloidal). It is crucial to drink alot of liquids while in the sauna. I like to drink either spring water or a mixture of spring water and organic fruit juice. 8. Do not worry about your weight during the skin cleanse as long as you are eating normal means and drinking plenty of liquids. It will vary quite a bit because of the large amount of liquids being consumed. Of course, a skin cleanse *should not* be used as a weight reduction technique. 9. Ideally, the sauna should have two or more holes cut in the walls to allow air circulation. This will make it much easier to stay in the sauna longer. 10. The temperature should be kept at a level where a moderate sweat can be kept up and that you can stay in it for 45 minutes at a time. It should not be so hot as to be extremely uncomfortable. I kept the temperature at 160F in the type of sauna that has air circulation. The design of the sauna will cause the ideal temperature to vary *considerably*. In most types of saunas, the ideal temperature will be lower than 160F. 11. Take a shower using natural soap after the sauna. Use a water filter (preferably). I talked the people supervising the cleanse into letting me attach my shower filter to the shower to avoid absorbing chlorine and other chemicals through the skin. List of Non-Scientology Centers Which Perform Skin Clenases ----------------------------------------------------------- 1. Zane R. Gard, M.D. P.O. Box 1791 Beaverton, Oregon 97075 Rebuilding & Strengthening -------------------------- 1. Air Baths (see above) 2. Skin Brushing (see above) 3. Regular exercise that builds a moderate sweat, but only if the condition allows. 3. Ocean (salt-water) dips performed in warm water. 4. Eat a small amount of sea vegetables in diet on a regular basis.