Purification rundown defines a detoxification program using a combination of exercise, vitamins, diet, and perspiration to rid the body of drug residues and environmental toxins. Also called purif, sweat program, and Hubbard method, the regimen employs a precise sequence of actions to flush contaminants from fatty tissues. Purification rundown was designed by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1970s, initially intended to treat people who used LSD and other illegal drugs.
Hubbard proposed that purification rundown permits the body to excrete harmful residue from legal and illegal drug use that collects in human tissue, including aspirin. He lectured about society’s dependence on drugs to treat every imaginable condition, including medication use in hyperactive children. Drug deposits left in the body block spiritual growth, cause fatigue, and limit a person’s ability to perceive the world in a healthy manner, Hubbard preached.
In addition to remnants of drugs, he also pointed to numerous toxins in the environment that might harm cell function. Air pollution caused by smog, and from chemical and industrial manufacturing plants, creates contaminants possibly held in human tissue. Another source might come from preservatives and additives in processed food and pesticides used in farming.
The first component of purification consists of exercise to increase circulation, which might loosen toxins bound inside tissue and prepare them for expulsion. A period of time in a sauna typically follows exercise to produce sweat to carry dislodged toxic substances out of the body through pores in the skin. Diet, vitamins, and rest make up the remaining steps to purification rundown.
Megadoses of certain vitamin and mineral supplements might repair damaged tissue after waste leaves the body, according to the theory. Increased intake of oil is typically recommended to speed this process. A diet high in steamed vegetables represents another part of purification rundown, along with adequate rest to heal damaged cells. Detoxification using this method generally requires strict adherence to all elements of the purification program.
Hubbard gained international attention after he wrote Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, in 1950 as a self-help book. The book sold more than 20 million copies worldwide as a guide to spiritual enlightenment. Hubbard later founded the Church of Scientology, a religion professing spiritual growth to solve life’s problems and increase happiness. He died in 1986 of a stroke at the age of 75.
When Hubbard first introduced purification rundown techniques, he focused on illegal drug users and the physical and mental effects of these substances. He proposed that hallucinogenic mental images remained in the mind, complete with smells and sounds associated with the experience. Toxins in tissue might become reactivated years later in a process called restimulation, leading Hubbard to develop his cleansing program.