Beat addiction by sweating it out: Expert

mumbai: the ill-effects of years ofnarcotics, alcohol or pharmaceutical drugs abuse cannot be wiped away byadministering so-called wonder drugs to addicts. these wonder drugs, or magicbullets as they are popularly known as, only make the body a pharmaceuticaldump, says clark carr, president of non-governmental organisation narcononinternational, which has worked in the field of rehabilitation for three decadesand has recently launched a pilot project offering rehabilitation and preventionservices in mumbai. he believes that the human body should be allowed to flushout toxins naturally — with the help of a few physical and psychologicalexercises and a balanced diet. in an interview with tnn, he gives tips on how tosurvive in an increasingly toxic world. how do toxins assault the body''s immunesystem? we have worked with 10,000 drug addicts in eight centres across theworld. our work has shown us that the human body can recover its natural healthby eliminating toxins built up through abuse of recreational and pharmaceuticaldrugs, alcohol, or environmental/industrial pollutants. our studies have shownthat residues of drugs, pesticides and heavy metals get stored in the body''stissues or fatty layers. when a ''recovered'' person undergoes stress, or issubject to vigorous exercise, his body draws upon the energy stored in theselayers. the drug residue also gets released and restimulates the craving fordrugs. toxic residues can also lead to depression, hopelessness and fear. druginterventions commonly used to suppress these symptoms only compound theproblem. the ill-effects of drugs cannot be treated with more drugs. how doesyour detoxification programme work? our detoxification programme flushes outdrugs or other toxic residues from the body through sweating. it focusses onmoderate exercise that stimulates blood circulation, followed by dry saunas. thelong-term effect is extraordinary. drug addicts who undergo this programme say,"the drugs are not talking to me any more." the same procedure works forenvironmental and occupational toxins. this approach needs to be supplementedwith fluids and natural food. drug addicts also need capsule supplements ofvitamins and minerals as they suffer from an imbalance of micro-nutrients. wouldsuch a detoxification programme work for india? our detoxification approach isworkable in every situation. in poor countries, even in the absence of saunas, aprogramme of exercise, sweat and vitamins enables rehabilitation withouthospitals. this detoxification experience works even in the most catastrophicenvironmental disasters as has been scientifically validated. the usenvironmental protection agency in a paper in 1998 testified to theeffectiveness of this method in treating individuals exposed to high doses ofradiation from the chernobyl nuclear plant disaster and the gulf war syndrome(the name given to the toxic effects of a vaccine administered to us militarypersonnel to protect them from chemical warfare). why is there such a highincidence of pharmaceutical drug abuse? in the us, six million children havebeen diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity - that is, theycannot sit still or pay attention in class. the fact is that every kid hasexperienced this boredom. instead of improving the system so that kids want tostay in school, or investing in skilled teachers and getting parentalinvolvement, we are drugging children and putting them in a chemicalstraitjacket that forces them to sit still. the main problem is not thesubstance but the belief that you need to sedate yourself to feel better. ourprogramme has developed tools that help solve the problems. people should learnlife skills: just as adults learn to deal with difficult bosses or spouses, fameand big money, children can learn to deal with boredom, rejection, handlesituations without drugs, and know who their true friends are. what has yourexperience in the field of pharmaceutical drugs abuse shown? our bodies aretreated as pharmaceutical waste dumps. the role of the pharmaceutical industryneeds to be exposed. there was a time when morphine was considered to be thesolution to alcohol addiction. when people became addicted to morphine, theindustry advocated heroin as the answer. in the 1920s, a well-known company soldheroin to deal with menstrual irregularities among women, leading to addiction.then methadone was pushed to counter heroin addiction, and this turned out to befour times more addictive than heroin. the us is inundated with messagesadvocating anti-depressants for commonly felt emotions like nervousness. thesedrugs feed billions of dollars to corporations. we are saying that illegal drugsare dangerous, but we are also saying that one should be wise and careful aboutother drugs as well. pain killers, sleep inducers and other drugs in the opiaterange are addictive. stimulants and appetite suppressors are equally suspect.drugs are poisons and they store in the body. it is unwise to suppress symptoms,and not identify the source of the problem. there is no ''magic bullet'' tosubstitute hard work.