Understanding Healing Crisis

You may feel worse before you feel better.

In the process of bringing your body back to good health you may experience some temporary pain or discomfort. Symptoms of cold, flu, dizziness, nausea and fatigue may occur.
Do not be alarmed. These symptoms do not mean your treatments are not working, but quite the contrary. The discomfort is often a very positive sign that the healing process is taking place.

A healing crisis is any of a wide range of symptoms which may occur during the course of healing. Typically, the onset of these symptoms is very rapid. You may experience some symptoms immediately after a treatment, or up to 2 to 3 days later. The worst of the symptoms may last as little as a few hours or as long as several days. The longer the symptoms last, the stronger the healing crisis. But it is also characterized that when the symptoms have passed, you will feel better than prior to the crisis.

Most patients do not understand the healing crisis because of their experience with conventional medicine. As where the focus of conventional medicine is on eliminating discomfort and curing disease, holistic medicine seeks to address the underlying cause of pain and illness. It aims to balance the body's energy flow so that the body can restore itself to a healthy state.

Disease is a long, gradual process that occurs over time with stages of progressively ill health preceding it. It moves from less serious physical complaints to more serious ones, and then moves inward to deeper levels. Sometimes minor ailments are driven deeper into the body and become more serious with drug therapy, which suppresses the symptoms, but weakens the immune system. For example, you may first experience a skin problem, which seems to clear up. Later, the disease may progress inwardly to become asthma. Some time after that, you may even develop depression.

Increasing a person's health reverses the disease process, almost like putting a video of your disease on rewind. You must move through previous states of health and that is when old symptoms crop up, occurring in reverse order of their original appearance. The person with the skin problem may re-experience some depression, followed by some asthmatic episodes, and later on, the skin problem may re-occur.

The aching body, headaches, nausea and fatigue often felt during a healing crisis are primarily the effects of detoxification. In the healing process, the body is working to eliminate its storage of toxins; materials that have been collected in the colon, the tissues and in individual cells. In a sense, the body becomes more toxic temporarily until the toxins are excreted.

Once you understand that some discomfort is normal, and that symptoms can be a positive sign that healing is taking place, there are a number of things you can do to help your body during a healing crisis. First, try to follow your prescribed program correctly. Taking medications, such as antihistamines, aspirin or other painkillers, delay the healing process and may actually prolong the discomfort.

Sufficient rest is very important since your body is under a great deal of stress during the healing process. Similarly, your diet should consist of light, easy-to-digest meals and heavy, hard-to-digest foods should be avoided. Plenty of hot water should be taken throughout the day.

Exercise is often helpful especially if the crisis presents itself on an emotional level. Because many toxins leave the body through the skin, light brushing of the skin with a natural bristle brush can help stimulate blood and lymph flow. Soaking in a warm bath with Epsom salts or Sea Complex Bath TM salts may also be helpful.

Reducing environmental stresses can help a healing crisis pass more quickly. Take a good look at your daily stress level. Your diet, smoking habits, alcohol intake and other lifestyle elements may need to be changed.

Attitude can be one of the most beneficial factors in coping with healing crisis. A positive attitude will allow you to relax and to recognize that the symptoms are temporary and your treatment is on target.

Keep the lines of communication open with your doctor. Report your symptoms and allow the Health Care Practitioner to help you if your symptoms become intolerable. Adjustments in the degree or frequency of treatments may be possible to lessen your discomfort.

The road to good health is an exciting and rewarding journey, but like any worthwhile endeavor, it has some challenges. The healing crisis is an opportunity for you to understand the process your body is going through to reach a state of health. Despite symptoms, you should experience more areas of improvement than discomfort. These brief episodes of symptoms should be considered signs of progress and an indication that you're on the road to good health.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are NutriClearTM and NutriClear-STM?

At: NutriClearTM and NutriClear-STM are chemically defined foods, designed to support the nutritional needs of a wide spectrum of patients - even those who are sensitive to certain foods or chemicals. NutriClearTM and NutriClear-STM have been formulated with the highest quality ingredients and are compatible with vegetarian foods, some of which you are likely to be allergic or sensitive to.

NutriClearTM and NutriClear-STM are often used as meal replacements in cleansing or "metabolic clearing" programs. Metabolic clearing refers to the processes responsible for eliminating toxic substances that have built up in the body. Most people encounter toxic agents in their work or home environment, due to pollutants in air, water and beverages, and, of course, foods. Drugs and alcohol also contribute to the toxic burden, as do potentially harmful materials generated by intestinal bacteria. Removing accumulated toxic materials enables the body to recover ITom imbalances, and therefore, enables it to work more efficiently. NutriClear-S"" is designed for those patients needing extra calories in their program, and for whom soy is beneficial.

How Can NutriClearTh1 and NutriClear-STM Help Balance The Body's Chemistry?

Specific nutrients can help improve your nutritional status in a variety of ways:
Help to convert fat and carbohydrate to energy, while maintaining muscle tissue.
Some nutrients, such as amino acids, function as building blocks; others are enzyme helpers (COfactOTS that function as metabolic "spark plugs"), still others function as fuels to run the body's machinery. When these are limited by inadequate diet or problems with digestion or absorption, nutritional imbalances and reduced ability to repair wear-and-tear can occur.

Key nutrients:
8 vitamins - niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid Trace elements - zinc, copper, manganese Amino acids - rice protein (NutriClear; or soy protein (NutriClear-S;, together with lysine and threonine Fuels and essential fatty acids - canola oil, rice carbohydrate

Help eliminate potentially harmful substances.
NutriClearTM provides a full range of nutrients that support the processing and disposal of waste materials and other potentially harmful materials. The liver functions as the body's major waste disposal unit and specific nutrients can help in this role.

Key nutrients:
Niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, zinc, cysteine, glutathione

Help protect the body against free radicals and oxidation.
Pollutants such as ozone and nitrogen oxides, cigarette smoke and other substances, lead to the formation of free radicals - "pyromaniac molecules" - that randomly attack cells and increase the body's need for substances called antioxidants. Antioxidants serve to block or inactivate free radicals.

Key antioxidants:
Natural mixed carotenoids, Vitamins C & E, N-acetylcysteine, selenium, glutathione

Help improve intestinal health.
The intestinal lining is the primary barrier against foreign materials. When the intestine is compromised, digestion and nutrient absorption decrease, and the intestine may become "leaky," allowing unwanted substances to enter the bloodstream.

Keys to the intestinal health:
Trace minerals, B-complex vitamins, L-glutamine (an amino acid) and quercetin (bioflavonoid)

How Much Weight Can I Expect To Lose On The Bio-Detoxification Program?

NutriClear drink and other supplements in the bio-detoxification program are not formulated for weight loss. However, fluid retention or bloating is a symptom of toxicity.
As people begin to detoxify, they will lose retained fluids, which may result in the loss of 2 to 10 pounds.

What happens if "My Symptoms Get Worse During the Detoxification Program?"

If your symptoms get worse, it's due to the healing crisis. Please read Dr. Abbas Qutab's article on "healing crisis", carefully. Remember to drink 3-5 pints of water, not to overexert physically, and to allow yourself to be "sluggish" while your body is detoxifying. After you detoxify, you will regain your vitality.

What Side Effects Can I Expect?

Individual response to cleansing programs is highly variable due to personal differences in biochemical makeup, stress levels, toxin build-up, and medical histories. Individuals sometimes experience headaches, joint pain, mood swings, constipation or other side effects. These side effects are commonly associated with cleansing programs and usually dissipate within a week to 10 days. Notify your health care provider if you develop any adverse symptoms, or encounter discomfort while using this product with your individualized program.

When Should I Begin to Feel Better?

Your medical history, including the use of medications, exposure to toxic materials in the workplace, and your age can affect the rate of improvement. A slower response time might be expected for older patients. Most people begin to feel better within one to two weeks on the cleansing program; others may take a longer time to see an improvement in their symptoms.