It has now been scientifically shown that a natural purification treatment can successfully eliminate environmentally toxic substances such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB's) and pesticides from the body, without damaging side effects.

A study at the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa in collaboration with a special laboratory at Colorado University demonstrated that classical Panchakarma treatment eliminated up to 50% of the detectable toxins in the blood.

Chemicals injure health

The world's largest facility for substance identification, the Chemical Abstracts Service in Columbus, Ohio, USA, currently has more than 13 million artificial substances registered. At least 100,000 of these industrial commodities combine into a chemical “soup” which we constantly absorb through food, air and our skin. Experts calculate that in Germany 30% of the population suffer from environmentally induced diseases.

Most of the toady's environmental toxins are lipophils that accumulate in the fatty tissues of the body. These fat-soluble toxins are associated with a range of diseases such as hormone disruption, immune system suppression, allergies, diseases of the liver and skin, various types of cancer, neurological illness, reproductive disorders and deformities.

The study
The study consisted of two parts: a cross-sectional comparison and a longitudinal pre- and post- treatment. It was designed to examine the level of contamination by toxins in the population and the effectiveness of Panchakarma treatment in eliminating these poisons.

Panchakarma Treatment
Several modalities in the Ayurveda detoxification procedure use non-toxic, lipophilic materials, such as clarified butter in the oleation phase and herbalized sesame oil in the massage and enema treatments. These traditional methods are believed to sequentially loosen and remove lipid soluble toxicants from their deposited sites and stimulate their elimination.

The cross-sectional study
88 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

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 had either been previously linked to major health problems or had been of high concern for their potential toxicity.

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

The longitudinal study

In the longitudinal study, blood samples from 15 subjects who participated in the Vedic Approach to Health (MVAH) Ayurvedic detoxification procedure were assayed, pre- and post-treatment, by Colombia State University Analytical Laboratory.

The results of the two-month longitudinal study showed that PCBs and Beta-HCH levels were reduced by 46 percent and 58 percent respectively in the MVAH detoxification group. Without this intervention, the expected drop in PCBs and Beta-HCH over two months would be only a fraction of one percent. Previously, no method had been scientifically verified to reduce levels of these lipid-soluble toxicants in the human body without causing negative side effects.

Assessment
The study came to two conclusions:

1) An alarming finding of the study was that PCB and DDE levels appear to be unexpectedly high in the general population, and may actually be increasing. This is surprising since these toxicants were banned decades ago in many countries. However they have not disappeared from the environment since they have half-lives several years in duration. Also they are still entering the food chain through imports.

2) Within days Panchakarma treatment eliminated a large proportion of these fat-soluble toxins from the body. Without this intervention, the expected drop would be only a fraction of one percent.

Study Shows Banned PCBs and Agrochemicals in Blood Reduced 50 Percent

By Centuries-Old Detoxification Procedure.

Reference: Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, (Sept./Oct. 2002),

Vol. 8, No. 5: pp. 93-103.