Detox 5: Detox Responses of My Mother-in-Law

My mother-in-law had bloating and gas problems even before we changed to health food. The problem started in 1981 when she was 44 years old. Sometimes, she tolerated the problem. However, when the problem disturbed a good night sleep, she went for treatment at the local clinics. Since then, she had to take medicine for her gastric problem from time to time. Between 1990 and 1996, the problem worsened, she could not sleep well and had to be sent to the hospital for treatment. After switching to health food in 1996, the detox responses of bloating and gas emerged in a new form.

Initially, when feeling discomfort, she took some Chinese herbal medicine. We did not have much knowledge of detox responses then, and thought that it was a result of food poisoning. Hence, she visited the local physician and was prescribed modern medicine. This provided temporary relief. It was not too long that the same problem recurred. In mid-1996, we had to send her to a private hospital at mid-night when the bloating and gas caused severe and unbearable pain. She was discharged on the second day and it cost RM1,500 for the medical check-up and treatment.

Between 1997 and 2002, due to bloating and gas problems, my mother-in-law was admitted a few times to the government hospitals. The problem was cured temporarily after medical treatment.

She decided to have a medical check-up in the later part of 2002 only to confirm that she had gall stones. She attempted to break down the stones via natural means of taking fresh apple juice for six days, to be followed by Epsom salt and olive oil mixed with lemon juice in the evening of the sixth day. Some stones were discharged naturally. My mother-in-law used this method at the age of 65 and it was probably too late to discharge all stones. The X-ray examination showed that the dark stones remained.

The medical specialist at the private hospital was of the opinion that these gall stones were causing the bloating and gas problem. Since there was no other effective method to remove the gall stones, she was advised by the doctor to remove the gall by operation so that the problem would be solved permanently. She was admitted to the hospital for three days, had the gall removed and paid RM6,000 for the medical bill.

A week after the operation, she had severe stomach-ache. Again, she was admitted to the same hospital for further treatment. The medical specialist felt that the stomach-ache might be related to the earlier operation and hence, admission was necessary. Even at the hospital, the stomach-ache did not stop totally. She just could not even have a good night sleep. The doctor prescribed vomiting medicine. In the evening of the second day, when she wanted to vomit, a 15-cm long (diameter 1 mm) worm crawled out of her mouth. She was shocked. So were we. Her stomach-ache stopped immediately and she was later discharged.

Even though her gall was removed and the worm came out of her body, her bloating and gas problem remained. Between 2002 and 2004, when the problem worsened, she was sent to the hospital four times at mid-nights. Again, modern medication only provided temporary relief. She later decided to seek herbal treatment from traditional Chinese physician. The herbal medicine did bring some temporary relief but the problem remained.

During this period, I reminded her that from the literature it was clearly stated that bloating is a detox response. It is a natural phenomenon and should be allowed to take its natural course. The modern medicine could only relieve the discomfort temporarily. I advised her to accept this reality and to look at the positive side of detoxification. She did not have to suppress it with medicine as the bloating and wind will gradually disappear after some time. The family’s encouragement slowly enhanced her confidence. She intended to give herself a chance of bearing with the bloating and instead, have a total rest the next time it happens.

In March 2004, the challenge came when bloating and gas started to give her trouble again. As she was mentally prepared to accept this as a natural response of detoxification, she decided not to take any medicine. She just rested at home and tolerated with the discomfort for another four days. To her surprise, it worked. With a strong mental state and confidence, the old problem of bloating and gas gradually disappeared.

In the treatment process, she began to realize the importance of taking health food. As she gets older, she has to take care of every meal taken as indigestion may occur. Taking unhealthy food and eating too much is likely to bring about bloating and gas problems. Eating mushroom and drinking cold drinks also causes indigestion, bloating and gas problems. She finds that limiting the amount of food taken each time, eating more fresh fruits and occasional fasting help to reduce and prevent the bloating and gas problems.

She also finds the proper way of cooking and eating. She prepares the food as fresh as possible each day. Consumption of oily and greasy food is avoided. She now eats slowly and chews each mouthful of food for about 50 times or more for easier digestion. This is because when we chew, ptyalin, an enzyme in saliva, alkalinizes the food and thus contributes to better digestion and absorption and strengthening the blood (Kushi & Jack 2003). She is the last to leave the dining table. She discards the habit of eating stale food and leftovers, a common practice in many families. She also avoids eating after dinner as this can cause stagnation in the intestines.

The consumption of unhealthy food in the past had caused her other problems. Since 1994, she had knee arthritis and had to rely on modern medication for temporary relief. In 1997, one year after switching to health food, the knee arthritis appeared to get worse. It was so painful that she just could not squat down. She was suffering mentally and physically. The same year, she sought treatment from a medical specialist at a private hospital. It was confirmed that the pain was associated with rheumatism. To the doctor, rheumatism could not be cured and the patient has to continue taking medicines to control the pain. So, she took modern medicine daily but the impact was rather uncertain. Sometimes, the pain stopped and at other times it remained. In 1999, another problem emerged–her heel started to experience pain and she could hardly walk. She went to the clinic and had an injection which subsequently relieved her pain. In the late 2008, her heel pain relapsed and she received another injection as treatment.

In 2001, my family members and I encouraged her to gradually let go of the dependence on modern drugs for her knee pain. We told her that the health food we are taking is the best medicine for all types of diseases. We encouraged each other to have confidence in the food path taken to maintain and to reclaim health. She agreed and gradually stopped taking modern drugs to relieve the knee pain. By 2003, her knee pain finally disappeared. She has no problem squatting. Smiles reappeared on her face.