I found Dr Chris Shade’s info and videos about heavy metal detoxification very interesting. He’s very confident and has some good stories which gave me enough confidence to experiment without doing enough of my own homework. One fascinating product he was explaining was Diindolylmethane or ‘DIM’. DIM is a phytonutrient found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and Brussel sprouts. It’s usually marketed as helping with estrogen hormone metabolism; basically smoothing out associated symptoms including poor sleep and hot flushes etc.

You might be thinking what’s this got to do with detoxification but DIM is also capable of turning on the master switch for cellular detoxification – the NRF2 system. This system can be ‘down regulated’ or ‘turned off’ if we get chronically ill, have mold toxin issues or general heavy metal toxin problems. Mold and Mercury are great companions. It can make us stuck and then it becomes difficult to get well unless you really know what you are doing.

I was a typical ‘sensitive patient’ whereby anything I took that mobilised toxins really knocked me around. Cilantro, Chlorella, Alpha Lipoic Acid – wow what a headache. ALA is brilliant but it has to be used very carefully and with supporting products. A small dose of ALA 3mg every 3 hours (per Andrew Cutler Chelation protocol) for a day or two would give a 2 or 3 day headache to remember. Taking DMPS with ALA for the 3 day round solved this which I was most relieved.

Apparently this sensitivity could mean that somehow, perhaps something like mold being an issue, or metals severely disrupting our systems, they have epigenetically (environment has disrupted our system) turned off our NRF2 system and now the cell has great difficulty pushing out toxins. Enter DIM.

DIM turns this back on but it’s not that simple. If you’re sensitive, depending on dosage, DIM can also knock you around because if it is very effective for getting the cell to push toxins out then your body might not be able to deal with these. When I used DIM for a week I got completely different reaction to when I used ALA for example. It was like these were a different type of toxin because they produced a different set of side effects.

I couldn’t import the Liposomal DIM to New Zealand due to Custom’s regulation but I did track down a product called Nature’s Way DIM Plus. Because it was in capsule form I assumed it wouldn’t be that effective so I took the standard dose of 1 pill a day which is 100mg. A few days went by with no noticeable side effects but the fireworks began about Day 6. Nothing too much to worry about so I went ahead and took another on day 7 which was a mistake. Obviously it was having a cumulative effect on my system because that afternoon I neurologically went downhill. All sorts of old emotions and thoughts from years ago came whooshing through me and there was very difficult to stop. I was mentally really getting pushed around and if I hadn’t being tested years before then this would have been very frightening. It was frightening enough and I got a real shock. I had extreme muscle tension, itchy eyes, agitation and other generally awful systems.

It felt like I had released a different batch of toxins into my bloodstream and they couldn’t get out. All sorts of new and old symptoms turned up and I was really pissed off with myself. What a stuff up! With no professional advice and no research on dosing, I felt well enough just to plough into this supplement and I paid the price.

I pulled out all the stops in terms of damage limitation – coffee enemas, saunas, rest etc. but my reliable methods didn’t help much. It took 5 weeks to recover. After that I felt quite good and I began to think that the DIM had perhaps helped me. It’s too early to tell but I’ll be keeping an eye on this product and may use it again in the future but be much more careful with dosing. I spoke to someone who used the Liposomal DIM Spray and their practitioner started by rubbing a couple of drops a day on the wrist only. Okay, so the 3 sprays a day recommended on the bottle is way too much for some.

I hope this has given you some insight into DIM which I think has great potential in detox programs but please be very careful and do your homework on this one. The Chris Shade videos on YouTube and his website are worth a watch if you have a few spare hours up your sleeve.

It’s great to see so many changes taking place in this world of toxic bodies and all of the associated problems. We are all so different and require individual programs that take time to work out. This comes down to doing it ourselves so much of the time and there will be setbacks.

Toxicity is so commonly the foundation of chronic illness but properly detoxing is a science which dynamically changes as we get better.

NB: To end the story on a good note I gave the DIM to Mum explaining the hormonal benefits and after 3 weeks she has had no detox reactions and is sleeping better. It’s certainly not doing her any harm which at least could mean that her cellular detox system is working well which is good. It’s certainly working a lot better than mine.