Cara-Leta Lindsey has a long history with natural medicine.

Since the mid-1980s, the Bowling Green woman has watched various family members either survive or die of cancer. Her mother, who was diagnosed in 1997, went through some chemotherapy but also used herbal medicines and survived 41/2 years.

“I wanted to be healthy, and I wanted to avoid a cancer death,” Lindsey said. “I wanted to rid myself of toxins and wanted to know from a nutritional standpoint of how I could be better to my body.”

In June, she began using ion body detox, a method believed to provide a full body purge of all vital organs by flushing out harmful chemicals that can lead to different types of disease and illness. During the process, clients place their feet and an ionizer generator called an array into a tub of warm water. A high-tech water ionizer feeds the body both negative and positive ions through the feet. There is no discomfort during the 30-minute detox. The process is not recommended for pregnant women or anyone with a pacemaker or organ transplant.

“My stamina is better. My skin is better. My crow’s feet are basically gone,” she said. “It’s like I have a clearer level of thinking. What used to upset me before doesn’t upset me now.”

Lindsey was so pleased with the results that she began bringing her husband, Terry. He has suffered from a skin condition called psoriasis for years.

“I’ve been in and out different dermatologists all my life,” he said. “They give you something that helps it go, but it never stays gone.”

The couple go for a detox once or twice a week, depending on their schedule. Terry Lindsey said the psoriasis on his feet is almost gone and the amount on his hand has significantly lessened. He also has seen other results.

“It helps alleviate stress in your body. I’ve lost weight,” he said. “I changed my diet a little bit. I seem to have more energy.”

Juan Gonzalez, pMBA, iridologist, herbalist and detox technician at Pure Energy and Nature’s Way, said holistic health approaches such as body detox are widely practiced and very well-accepted in most European countries and large cities in the United States. He has been training and practicing with his friend and mentor, Ruben Schwartz, an Amish man practicing iridology in Tompkinsville. Gonzalez is studying to become a doctor of naturopathy at Trinity School of Natural Health.

“People are becoming more familiar with detox. It is one method of healing,” he said. “They learn there’s more to this than the detox, and they become interested in learning more and ask for a health evaluation.”

While most people are attracted to the detox first, iridology – in which the eyes are studied as “windows” into the body’s state of health – should come first in the evaluation, Gonzalez said.

“As a naturopathic, I teach clients about nutrition, the importance of fresh air, sun and water, exercise, lifestyle changes, elimination of unhealthy habits and natural therapies to enhance health and combat diseases,” he said. “Together, the client and me focus on a holistic approach of body, mind and spirit in order to prevent illness. Our goal is to be proactive, because being proactive saves money, pain, misery and lives.”

The number of times a person does detox depends on the health condition and/or the health objectives of the individual. Gonzalez, a diabetic, said his initial objective was to rid his body of chemical toxins.

“Detox provides a means by which the body can get rid of toxins that have accumulated in the blood while eliminating parasites in the human body,” he said. “Therefore, I detoxed 15 times, three times per week, stopped for three weeks, then, two times per week for seven weeks, now, only once every week. I am still doing it as maintenance combined with Pure Herbs as natural supplements to assist my body to heal itself.”

There are a variety of reasons why people choose to detox. David Ghafoori of Bowling Green was having problems sleeping because of sinus issues. He had been reading about detox for a long time but didn’t know of anyone who did it locally. He found out about Gonzalez from a friend. He now goes three times a week and has had 21 treatments so far. He said his sinus and breathing issues have cleared and he sleeps better now.

“That probably equals to a lot of energy. My energy is so high it’s unbelievable. I drink 16 to 18 8-ounce glasses of water (daily),” he said. “That goes with your eating habits. I eat lots of fish and chicken. I’ve increased the number of vegetables. I lost about 14 pounds. It has helped my metabolism as well.”

Body detox has helped him get to know his body better, Ghafoori said.

“It makes you aware of basically what you’re getting rid of. You can do all that treatment, but you still have to change your eating habits,” he said. “It’s like giving a car a tune-up. We put a lot of miles on our bodies and don’t take care of ourselves.”

Curiosity brought Bob Kieswetter of Bowling Green to Gonzalez. He had been having digestive issues and researched body detox online. Wednesday was his seventh visit in three weeks. When he told people about body detox, he said, they were skeptical at first. Now some of the skeptics see Gonzalez.

“Ever since, I have not had any problems. I lost weight,” he said. “Since then, some of the people have stopped making fun of me.”

Bob Raby of Bowling Green wasn’t sure what to expect when he began body detox two months ago.

“I’d gone through a number of different ailments. I had been doing research on this medical service,” he said. “A friend recommended I go in and talk to Juan. I told him up front I was quite skeptical, but was willing to go through it and give him the benefit of the doubt.”

At first, Raby didn’t give many details about his ailments to Gonzalez.

“I was close-mouthed and would not share with him,” he said. “I told him I was there to check him out.”

As time went on, Gonzalez began to gain Raby’s trust. Gonzalez told him things about his health that Raby had not shared with him.

“I think there’s a tremendous amount of confidence I have in Juan and the things he told me,” he said.

Raby, who goes for detox once a week, said he is pleased with the results.

“I’ve lost weight because of my discipline in my eating. I no longer have inflammation in my shoulder and lower back,” he said. “I feel more alert, have a lot more energy and am sleeping more through the night.”

Raby encourages people to do their own research before trying something new.

“I think every person has to try their own method of dealing with various ailments,” he said. “What works for one may not work for another, but it has worked up to this point for me.”

— For more information, call 904-6000 or email juan.gonzalez@topper.wku.edu.