The new way of healing - without a scalpel Like many others, I had reached an age where the effects of my lifestyle had finally caught up with me. Not only was I out of shape and unable to sustain high levels of energy, but when I compared pictures of myself from just a few years earlier to the present, I was shocked at how much I had changed. It seemed as if it had happened all so suddenly. If I were going to make a change, I would need more than just a New Year's resolution. I was beginning to think that time was running out, that maybe it was too late, until a friend told me about a "health holiday" in Ko Samui. I had no idea what a health holiday meant. I decided to investigate. What I found not only surprised me, but also gave me an education into just how much pollution the human body absorbs. Ko Samui has quietly emerged as a world leader in alternative healing centres. Options range from five-star resorts to more simple operations that focus solely on the treatment programme more than the accommodations. "You could say that Ko Samui is considered around the world as being the best place to go for detox programmes and self healing," reports Nino Lambert, founder of New Body and Mind Retreat Centre in Ar-An Beach. "Certainly, the location - a tropical island, helps a lot too. Business has been steadily growing each year. In fact, we are near our maximum capacity for the next two months." A claim that is repeated by guest relations manager of The Spa at Lamai Beach, Nadia Adi, "We have seen an increase in attendance every year that we have been opened. The Spa is almost fully booked year round." Many of the experts I talked with believe that our bodies are quite capable of healing themselves. According to Anne Dimon, travel journalist and founder/editor of the online magazine www.wellness.com, "We are empowering ourselves to be in control of our health as opposed to giving our power to someone else to take care of our illnesses with drugs," Dimon stresses. "In the very near future we will book an annual wellness vacation as a tonic for body, mind and soul." Randy Miller of Kwan-Jai Centre at Chaweng Beach, explained to me: "The most important thing about healing is the power of the mind and heart," Miller begins. "If a person is not sure about what to do, we suggest different alternatives and let them make a choice. You can not begin the process of healing unless the person is ready to do so. Disease does not take a holiday once it has invaded your body." "What do your clients look for or hope to achieve when participating in a detox," I asked. "Many of our clients come to us to see if there is an alternative to Western medicine that will alleviate their individual problems," Miller admits. "Many are sick and tired of being sick and tired. So they are looking for a way to bring their spirit, mind and body back to a better state of living. Many also are looking to lose weight in a more natural way." Losing weight seemed to be a common denominator for many of people who are first-time detox participants. "It is possible to lose upwards of a kilo per day," claims New Body and Mind Resort's, Lambert. "However, that can vary person to person." However, all those that I talked with agreed that weight loss should not be the main objective. "Many people are looking to lose weight," Adi of The Spa explains. "But weight loss shouldn't be the goal of doing a cleansing programme, although it is a side effect for many people. Others are hoping to achieve a state of better well being, more energy and relief from long standing problems such as digestive complaints and candida overgrowth." The most popular element of these "holidays" is the fasting and cleansing programme. Other activities include; ozone therapy, therapeutic massage, bio-kinesiology, hydro-therapy, live and dried blood analysis, polarity zapping, lymphasising, liver cleansing, yoga and pilates. All of these I had never given the slightest idea of trying. "You are not alone," Lambert reassures. "Many of our first-time clients have no idea of what to expect when they join a cleanse."
Adi continues, "Most of us have grown up eating foods that are less than the best things for our bodies. And many people are not efficient at dealing with stress which also adds to a toxic buildup inside our bodies. During a cleanse the body's digestive system gets a complete rest and the body, therefore, has time and energy to concentrate on detoxification." Still, I had questions. Questions like; could I make it five days without eating? But more importantly, would I feel any better after the cleansing process? Finally, I made my decision to take a health holiday and chose Health Oasis Resort in Mae Nam Beach. Welcoming me to Oasis was owner Mantha Darnswat. Other guests had gathered and Hemant Desai, managing director, began the orientation. "For many, even if you don't smoke or take drugs, it could be argued that modern man has contaminated his body." Hemant begins. "Air pollution, second hand smoke and high levels of stress have all taken a toll on the body and detoxification is a great way of not only cleansing the body, but the mind as well. "There is a misperception of the term, 'detox'," Hemant continues. "The immediate reaction is that someone who enters a detox centre has a substance abuse problem. While that is sometimes the case, that is only one of many reasons for detoxifying the body." Looking around, I realised that joining me were a variety of guests. I quickly found out that the client profile is wide. The reasons for coming are as different as their backgrounds. They range from people like Graham Sanger from south London. Graham, an executive for a multinational company, wanted to improve his general health and hoped to lose some weight that he had put on over the last few years. He had tried several retreats back in England, but while they offered short-term success, Graham failed to achieve an overall satisfaction. Then there is Ken, a repeat client, who works as a chief financial officer in New York City. Thanks to information technology, Ken is able to spend a month away from his desk in New York and come to Ko Samui for a detox. He swears that the fasting and cleansing program has not only kept him from having a second stroke but also improved his overall productivity. "I know that this sounds a bit of a cliche," he admits, "but I feel like a new man when I leave here." "Same for me," echoes Harry Cocowitch from the United States. "Fasting, yoga and a daily massage can be a powerful combination. I truly feel ten years younger." However, what surprised me the most was the amount of educated, younger generation in attendance. Some were fresh out of college who wanted to "clean up" before joining the work force, while others wanted to maintain their sense of vitality and well-being. The orientation was now over and it was time for the specifics. Wellness consultant, Sentha Wouterlood, took over and explained what our daily routines would be. Then Sentha sets us at ease, "For centuries, fasting has been used as a healing strategy. By the way, there will be no hunger pains. It is the modern way to fast." The programme got started with a bang, or should I say a flush. In addition to spraying drops of colloidal silver, ocean minerals, oxygen, chlorophyll and tonic under our tongues, and drinking water sprinkled with spirulina and guarana, we were given a spoonful of powdered, oxygen-magnesium to mix with our juice. "Think of it as a booster drink," Hemant said. "A turbo for your bowels." It was not long before I understood why they call it a cleansing programme. There was much more to come, and it is called - colonic irrigation. I was not particularly comfortable with this subject; however, I was surprised to find out that the other guests were. It was a demonstration like none I had ever witnessed. Mantha placed one end of a green panel on the toilet and the other end on a stool. Then, with a towel wrapped around her waist, she laid down on the "table" placing the soles of her feet on the wall behind the toilet. A bucket of warm water was hovering from above and a clear hose coiled down from the bucket. It was not until she opened a sealed plastic bag, removing a nozzle like enema that I realised what was to follow. "You do not need to insert more than four to six inches," she explained. Instantly, I felt my heart skip a beat. "You know that there are some things easier said than done," Hemant interrupted. "Well, colonic irrigation is easier done than said." While wellness experts strongly believe that colonic irrigation is an essential part of the cleansing process, it is not mandatory and you are welcome to skip it. Just as I did. Before arriving I was not sure if I could go a week without eating. Now, sitting around the commons area drinking diluted watermelon juice and listening to other guests share their experiences, I had little doubt that I could make it. The conversations were casual, candid and discussed as easily as if it were the weather. However, it was not the weather that was the topic, it was - what had been passed from body to toilet. Then I realised why I was not hungry. I had completely lost my appetite. Actually, my lack of hunger was a result of drinking psyllium-bentonite (volcanic ash) shakes every four hours. One purpose of the shakes is to fill the vacuum in the stomach and therefore reduce hunger pains. When I saw pretty, Ilvina Petrova of Latvia holding two copper tubes that were shocking her, I thought she had gone mad. I later learned that it is called - polarity zapping. In laymen's terms, low voltage electric jolts are used to dislodge many bacteria and viruses, roundworms and flatworms from the bloodstream. Once dislodged the white blood cells single them out as foreign objects. This enables the immune system to remove them from the body. After a round of zapping, I decided to take a break. Joining me for a pot of ginger tea was Fiona Lackinger of Melbourne. Fiona is another repeat detox guest at Ko Samui. Fiona looked very healthy to me. Therefore, I asked her why she was taking a health holiday. "I think that general wellness and alternative healing are one and the same," Fiona started. "The mind and body are inherently linked so you can't treat one without treating the other first." Fiona went on to admit that she did not have much faith in Western medicine. A similar report that I had heard from Kwan-Jai International. "The younger generation have seen their parents and grandparents go through the system and realise that their are alternatives to Western medicine," Miller explains. Our break over, it was time for the next phase of our wellness plan, lymphasizing. I had to wonder about this one, but since everything I had been exposed to so far was new, I remained open-minded. "Lymphasising increases the flow of lymphatic fluid throughout the body," Sentha explained as she began bouncing barefoot on a min-trampoline. "Why do I want to do that?" I thought. "By rebounding barefoot the cells produces energy to balance the kinetic energy in the muscles, to make you feel re-vitalised," Sentha continued. "This deep seated static, interferes with the absorption of vitamins and minerals by surrounding the molecules with a negative charge." What was most shocking to me, even more than the polarity zapping, was the fact that not once in five days did I get hungry. As it was my next to last day, I admitted to Mantha that over the years I had regularly consumed alcohol. She suggested I try the liver cleansing. Mantha prepared a mix of herbs, oil and I do not know what else, and it tasted as bad as it sounds. She explained that the liver is the chief detoxifying organ in the body and it might be a good idea to give it a cleanse. Finally, the last night of my health holiday came. I had made it. I was confident that I would be fasting again. Even if it was just a couple of days at home. I thought back to the jokes made by friends when I announced that I was going to a detox programme. I no longer cared what other people thought. And I have to admit, that I felt more alert, as if my all my senses had been sharpened. Not to mention a noticeable increase in my energy level. I had finally gotten the true message of a health holiday; all you need is a desire to feel better tomorrow than you do today. |