Yes indeedy, it IS a "to each his own" thing...and all of our bodies are different.
For me, it's about a 'comparison shopping' kind of thing most times - find out what I need to do and then find the substance/product/food that will do it...with the LEAST potential for harm.
Malic Acid (from natural foods) vs othosphosphoric acid & all it's known side-effects for softening stones prior to liver flushing...to me, that's not even a choice to consider.
As far as orthosphosphoric acid providing a relaxation and opening of the bile ducts? Until someone shows me some very valid documented evidence of that, I find it to be a typical-sad "rumour so often repeated everybody believes it to be a truth". Dr. Kelley is the one that started using it in his flushes (in the latter half of the century) to soften stones & debris. And he got the basis of his 'recipe' from the prestigious Lahey Clinic in Boston that used liver flushing for liver/gallbladder cleansing in the 1920's-1930's. If othosphosphoric acid relaxed/opened the biliary network, there'd be absolutely no need for the Epsom Salts in his (and other) protocols.
Epsom Salts is a substantially known/accepted 'relaxer' of all ductwork in the body (including tense/strained muscles & ligaments). Magnesium Sulphate IV's are used to dilate/relax arteries in cases of extreme high blood pressure (especially with pre-eclampsia in pregnancies) in ER's and hospital settings. ES also has another VERY important function in a liver flush, and that it is causes the gallbladder to squeeze & contract, hence emptying it contents easier through the magnesium induced relaxation of the gallbladder sphincter...
>>It contracts the gallbladder, relaxes the sphincter of Oddi, and increases gastric, intestinal and pancreatic secretion and, very importantly, production of cholecystokinin.<<
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=985355
(that's a "HUGE" link for researched truths & understanding the 'whys & wherefores' of using ES in a liver flush).
My husbands cousin who was recommended to have her gallbladder removed because of 'sludge', took one tablespoon of ES to get some relief until she could get everything together to start flushing the next day. Within 2 hours, she'd released and seen somewhere between 50-100 gallstones in the toilet...no oil, no orthophos, no citrus...just the ES.
Personally, I hate the stuff. I'm effected by the dehydration and it throws my electrolyte balance whacky. Since I discovered Telman's lil' 'electrolyte cocktail' (a bit of water/juice, pinch of natural salt, pinch of baking soda, pinch of potassium chloride/salt substitute...and I throw in about 1/2 a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses), I've had great relief from the 'woozy, weak, dizziness' I normally experience with the ES.
Then there's Dr. Schulze, who never used Orthophos OR epsom salts...straight olive oil & lemon juice (up to a cup of each, mixed together, and ingested in 1/4 cup increments every 15 - 30 minutes before bed). His technique for anything that might get stuck was a bit more oil/citrus and heavy work to the gallbladder reflex point on the bottom of the feet. He also used herbal adjuncts to increase the flow of bile, ginger & garlic to increase the flow of bile (ginger for nausea), hot/cold contrast therapy and castor oil packs.
As many know, I believe in truly natural 'natural healing' whenever possible because bodies are natural and I feel they responds to that best and most effectively (give that the 'natural products' are wimpy, woosy, non-organic bs). So it's time I put my body where my mouth is, and do my next flush with just the olive oil/citrus (which I plan to do in a couple of weeks). I'll prep that with several days worth of overnite castor oil packs and see what happens. But that won't prove or validate anything. Each flush is an "individual process" unto itself, and they're almost always completely different and dependent upon a MYRIAD of factors.
>>>Doc has said this is a crisis situation, and I believe it is when the life is at stake from a liver that is in bad shape. I know it was in my case.<<<
When the liver is congested it is a crisis, no doubt about that...and our health & life IS at stake. But that doesn't mean we can't 'take inventory' and 'do comparison shopping' and find all the various truths & risks while we're starting/continuing to cleanse. Because to me, that ends up with the perfect scenario...that we can become even safer and more effective with our cleansing & healing AND have valid 'safe as possible' information to pass along to others.
Between Dr. Christopher and Dr. Schulze, thousand of people were healed and 'liver cleansed' without using OrthoPhos and Epsom Salts (and if one takes note of Edgar Cayce, his readings cured thousands of liver congestion with just olive oil and castor oil packs)
>>>The body can right itself if it is cleaned out, properly fed, and has all the other things that promote a healthy body like exercise and fresh air (wherever that can be found!) Good distilled water on a regular basis.<<<
You're preachin' to the choir, sistah!
Healthiest of blessings -
Unyquity