 A Thumbs Up Book Review
Ten Days to Optimal Health: A Guide to Nutritional Therapy and Colon Cleansing
By Kristina Amelong, CNC, CT
Prosperity Publishing House
Review by Sally Fallon
In the past, we have steered clear of the subject of detoxification through fasting and colon cleansing in these pages, in part because the medical literature provides little research on the subject, but largely because the many books promoting detoxification through enemas and colonics include abysmal fasting diets based on vegetable juices and mostly vegan, lowfat maintenance regimens.
Kristina Amelong's attractive book is different; her dietary principles are right in line with the discoveries of Dr. Weston Price and include healthy pasture-raised animal foods, animal fats such as raw cream, butter and egg yolks, bone broths, fermented foods, kombucha, raw milk and raw meat. "Raw meat rebuilds and repairs the body better than any other food," writes Amelong, "I, personally, was not able to heal, even after working diligently on my health for over six years, until I ate large quantities of raw meat."
For vegetarians, she recommends raw dairy and eggs--as much as one-half pound of butter daily and 10-20 eggs per week. (We don't agree with her that the whites should be eaten raw, however.)
Amelong places much emphasis on the importance of vitamin B6, found plentifully in raw meat and milk, noting the link of B6 deficiency with yeast overgrowth, a condition for which many sufferers turn to bowel cleansing, often with miraculous results. With the addition of raw milk and other raw meat, rich in vitamin B6, the patient has an even better chance of overcoming this debilitating digestive disorder
Amelong warns against consumption of all grains and legumes, which is good advice for those suffering from the kinds of digestive disorders she encounters in her practice.
She explains how caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar and artificial sweeteners contribute to chronic disease, citing a study in the Journal of Natural Medicine which found that one teaspoon of refined sugar paralyzes fifty percent of the body's white blood cells for five hours.
Her fasting program includes nourishing raw milk and bone broths along with vegetable juice blends.
In addition to all this good dietary advice, Amelong provides a comprehensive and well-explained program of colon cleansing involving either at-home enemas or in-office hydrotherapy, or both, noting the historical use of these methods and providing a good explanation on how they work. She describes in detail the range of various equipment available, with information on the pros and cons, and the costs.
In the absence of double blind studies, we can turn to case histories, and Ameling provides several inspiring stories relating how this therapy has helped patients resolve intractable conditions ranging from skin rashes to fibromyalgia. For those considering this approach, start by reading the success stories in Chapter Ten, "Supportive Case Studies."
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This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Fall 2006.
About the Reviewer
 Sally Fallon Morell is the author of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats (with Mary G. Enig, PhD), a well-researched, thought-provoking guide to traditional foods with a startling message: Animal fats and cholesterol are not villains but vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels.
She joined forces with Enig again to write Eat Fat, Lose Fat, and has authored numerous articles on the subject of diet and health. Through her New Trends Publishing label, she publishes books on nutrition and health, such as The Fourfold Path to Healing (by Dr. Tom Cowan), Honoring Our Cycles (by Katie Singer), The Untold Story of Milk (by Ron Schmid) and The Whole Soy Story (by Kaayla Daniel). The President of the Weston A. Price Foundation and founder of A Campaign for Real Milk, Sally is also a journalist, chef, nutrition researcher, homemaker, and community activist. Her four healthy children were raised on whole foods including butter, cream, eggs and meat.
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