Ayurvedic detoxification effective in purifying blood (USA research/PTI)

09-11-2002, 07:38 AM

AYURVEDIC DETOXIFICATION EFFECTIVE IN PURIFYING BLOOD
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The Press Trust of India
Sunday , September 8, 2002

(Washington, DC) Researchers have found that toxic occupational and agricultural
chemicals that are stored in the body and are known to cause diseases can be
significantly reduced by an Ayurvedic detoxification procedure, according to a
study released Sunday.

The study -- conducted by researchers from The Institute of Science, Technology
and Public Policy, Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa -- found
that a centuries-old purification procedure derived from the Ayurvedic medical
system of India reduced several fat-soluble toxicants by about 50 per cent.

The study has been published in the Sept/Oct 2002 issue of Alternative Therapies
in Health and Medicine.

"This is the first published study on humans to demonstrate that a specific
detoxification regimen can significantly reduce levels of lipophilic toxicants
in the blood that are known to be associated with disease," says Robert Herron,
Ph D, lead author of the study and Director of Research at the Institute of
Science, Technology and Public Policy at Maharishi University of Management in
Fairfield.

The study consisted of two parts: a cross-sectional comparison and a
longitudinal pre- and post-treatment. Eighty-eight subjects, age 45 years and
older, participated in the cross-sectional study: 48 had previously undergone
the detoxification procedure an average of 18 times and 40 had not.

Blood samples from both groups were sent to the Analytical Laboratory in the
Department of Environmental Health at Colorado State University that was blind
to the treatment status of the subjects. PCBs and Pesticides Found in Blood
Samples from both cross-sectional groups were assayed for 17 lipophilic
toxicants, including 9 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and 8 pesticides
and metabolites, such as DDE, a by-product of DDT.

The specific PCBs and pesticides that were studied either had been previously
linked to major health problems or have been of high concern for their potential
toxicity.

The results showed blood levels of PCBs and several pesticides were
significantly lower in the detoxification group than in the controls.

Herron says lipophilic toxicants are generally considered to be among the most
problematic environmental contaminants and many of them have been banned in the
US for decades.

Because of their fat-soluble nature and their long half-lives, they tend to
accumulate in plants and animals and bio-magnify up the food chain, increasing
in humans with age.

Previous studies show these toxicants to be associated with hormone disruption,
immune system suppression, reproductive disorders, several types of cancer, and
other diseases.

Copyright 2002 The Press Trust of India

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Dr. Robert Herron's newly published research on the purifying effects of
"panchakarma" therapy was carried on a nationally syndicated health radio
program this morning. You can listen to a replay of this morning's interview
with Dr. Herron on the "Deborah Ray Show" by going to the program's website
http://www.healthytalkradio.com
and then click on the LISTEN button in the left column. Then click on "TUESDAY"
to listen online to the archived show containing Dr. Herron's interview. Fast
forward to 1:12 (one hour and twelve minutes) in order to start at the beginning
of Dr. Herron's interview. His interview lasts for 39 minutes. Newsreports of
Dr. Herron's research are beginning to be published in newspapers throughout the
US.

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