Prescription Medications and Herbal Detoxifying

A question from the file...

I am on various prescription medications right now, unfortunately, and I wanted to make sure that doing a cleanse would not interfere with the processing in my body of the medication. I'm thinking that the meds are needed to stay in my system but the cleanse will take them out before they can work. What are your thoughts?

Hi. Well I'm not a doctor to address specific medications, but the key with these herbal detox cleanses are that they enhance the body’s ability to do what it's supposed to do. They are cleansing your seven channels of elimination (not necessarily your body):

  ·  liver
  ·  lungs
  ·  lymphatic system
  ·  blood
  ·  bowels
  ·  kidneys and 
  ·  skin

So, as far as “taking them out before they can work”, these cleanses don't “take out” medicine. They cleanse the elimination channels themselves, especially the liver, to enhance the ability to filter, and ease the burden of the elimination process (among improving other organ related functions). Now, depending on the specific herbs and specific drugs being used, there could be a slowing of the absorption rate of that drug or another reaction. So you do want to check with your doctor concerning the detox system and herbal ingredients that you are choosing.

Yet, the bottom line is that every prescription drug is liver toxic (check the Physician's Desk Reference). When the medication goes through your system it not only slows the filtering function of that organ but the residue of the drug still needs to be dealt with as well. This being the case, with anyone taking prescription medications daily, I believe that periodic detoxification of some type is essential.