First of all, I would like to make it clear that I am only just beginning to experiment with Dr Clark's research, but I would like to share my initial findings on it, and then perhaps review it in practise a little later. Now, keep an open mind as you read the following! In a nutshell, Dr Clark claims that all disease is caused by parasites, viruses, and toxicity from pollutants. The theory that parasites are much more common than is perceived in the west is supported by many holistic practitioners who use methods to test for them which are outside those commonly used in western medicine. This is a taboo subject in our culture. It is interesting to learn that there is little training for GP's around the issue of parasites, and the training that they get is usually carried out by the tropical diseases department - it does not usually focus on parasites being part of our culture. So we think of scabies, nits and worms as being the only forms that inhabit us in the west, and if we are very unlucky at that! However, according to alternative thinking this is a very limited view of parasites - there are over 100 forms of human parasite and they are far more prevalent in disease than we would care to think. Now, if this idea gets your heart rate up and makes you feel uncomfortable, this is understanding, but it is not my intention to shock or alarm anyone - just to share possibilities with you and explore means of overcoming them. Indeed, if I think back to the time I was told that dust mites were everywhere, as a child I was afraid to get into my bed - it didn't help being shown those huge, blown up images of what looked like ferocious creatures! However, over the years as I have assimilated this information and just accepted that this is a part of life, and comfort myself with regular housework and changing of bedding! It is similar with parasites. It is not necessarily true that you personally have parasites, but there are cleanses that can be carried out as a matter of precaution, if you want to make sure you are covering all possibilities as part of the healing process.
Hulda Clark is by no means the only practitioner who claims parasites to have a role in illness. There are a whole host of practitioners who claim that parasites are far more common than we would like to think in the west. In Stop the 21st Century Killing You Paula Baillie-Hamilton claims that 1 in 4 CFS patients had the parasite giardia present in their intestines. I am not sure how extensive this study was, but it is worth thinking about. In Hulda Clark's book A Cure For All Diseases (see below) she states about 10 cases of CFS and indicates that all these cases had liver flukes and pancreatic flukes (most also had environmental toxicity and poisoning from mercury fillings). This is not a unique line of thinking - if you google search CFS and parasites you will find a number of sites that also make these claims. It is my view that for ME/CFS sufferers parasites might be more common because our immune systems are not able to defend against them as effectively as those who are in good health. We have a number of different white blood cells and in a healthy individual eosinophils(a type of white blood cell) specialise in the elimination of parasites, such as worms which are too big to be phagacytosed (engulfed) by other white blood cells. However, immunity is compromised on all levels for those with CFS/ME.
The other aspects of Hulda Clark's research are slightly more in line with western thinking, but again very extreme. I personally do not recommend that you follow every aspect of her protocol - it is severely limiting and if you are the type that likes to get everything perfectly right, then you could become very depressed and obsessed. In the past I have often obsessed about following regimes set down for me by others. This was particularly true when I was attempting to follow the raw food diet. Over a period of 5 years I obsessed about getting things perfect. Far from making me healthier I think that this attitude contributed to my ill health! Recently I decided that I would far rather live a shorter, quality life than waste my precious energy getting everything right. Ironically I think the stress of trying to get everything right on the health front probably leads to a demise in health in the long run! So my advice is to take some basics from Dr Clark's Research but also to decide not to live by extremes or rigid regimens which have no place in happiness. Do your best to remove chemicals and toxicity from your life, but don't burn your house down and go and live in a cave! Relax a little if you can.
So we've briefly explored the claims made by Hulda Clark and now we want to know what we can do to safeguard against these claims. There are lots of parasite cleanses on the market, but Hulda Clark's is actual quite cheap, well tested, and supposedly quite effective. See for Dr Clark's shop. You can just buy the parasite cleanse as a whole package. However, the black walnut tincture contains grain alcohol. If you buy the items separately you can buy the black walnut capsules, which may be more gentle for an ME/CFS patient as they do not contain alcohol. Also, if you buy the cleansing kit, you get ornithine (to help you sleep) and arganine (to give you energy). CFS and ME patients may want to proceed with caution on these products or avoid them altogether - I certainly wouldn't risk them as I have no knowledge of these products. So a cheaper plan would be to just buy the black walnut, wormwood and clove separately as these are the main herbs for parasite cleansing.
Dr Clark has also created what she calls a zapper. She claims that sending an electrical pulse through the body can kill parasites, viruses and pathogens. The jury's out on this one! I have ordered a zapper myself as over the years I have turned myself into a human experiment, and I feel it is fitting to now electrocute myself in the name of health!! No, seriously, I have ordered one because I have an open mind and I will try anything - if you are more sceptical you might want to wait for the outcome of my experiments before you go down this route, and check that I live to tell the tale! However, as Dr Clark gives specific instructions on how to build the zapper in her book, I have gone for the much cheaper option of ordering a non-brand name from e-bay. To further save money I ordered mine from America (go to e-bay.co.uk, put hulda clark zapper in the search, and a number of products from American sellers will come up). I paid somewhere in the region of £25 (+ postage and import tax) for a zapper with 3 frequencies, where as on Dr Clark's website this piece of equipment would have set me back £150! Of course, hers is far more fancy but if she insists that you can build the item yourself, then there is no need for the extra flounce, in my opinion!
So, just to clarify, I am not making any claims about the validity of Dr Clark's research. I am not even saying that I believe it all, wholeheartedly. I am simply saying that it is another avenue to explore. Obviously taking this route is a matter of personal choice. You might look at her research and think that she is barking!! You might think it is gospel! Or you might, like me, think that it is an interesting line of thought that is worth pursuing as you don't want to leave any stone unturned on your journey to health. If you do decide to read her book, a word of advice. The most commonly available copy (with the blue cover) is printed in India. The copy that I got was printed on what can only be described as tissue paper with the print showing through from the other side of each page. Not great for an ME/CFS sufferer who has trouble concentrating. However, there is a large print edition of the book shown below.
I have not looked at this copy but can only assume that our American cousins have printed a copy that is of a higher quality than the one printed in India. I wish you all the best on this bizarre journey to health, and would be interested to hear from any CFS/ME patients who have taken Dr Clark's research on board. For those who are brave enough to embark on it - happy researching, cleansing and zapping!
resources:
http://www.zapperbasics.com/ZapperBasics2006.pdf
http://www.huldaclark.com/getting-started.htm
Other books by Hulda Clark
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