I gave a terse answer in the original thread because I wanted to find a particular graphic. I haven't been able to find it so you'll jsut have to use your imagination. :)

Okay, first thing is, everything that circulates through your body depends on either transport/carriers like albumin or cholesterol, or electrons. (there are other considerations but I'm keeping this simple.)

And as you probably already know, any metabolic reaction, oxidation (energy, carb burning) depends on certain molecules being there, and if they are not, the process is stopped and fats are stored. If fats are not needed for fuel, they get stored, and where they get stored depends on their transports and how far they get. Fat as you know cannot mix well iwth water, it tends to stay as a glob. So wtihout something to make it a small glob, it doesnt' get too far and makes an unsightly fatty deposit.

Since all this happens in the liver, if the transporters, circulation or electrolyte balance is impaired, the foods we eat, the fats and hormones stay around the liver area.

Pregnancy increases the odds of this happening because of the weight of the fetus. So does eating right before sleep.

Our tissues have a tremendous capacity to swell. Do the "Calve test" for a week. Each morning and evening, wrap your hands around your calves in order to measure the circumferance. (sp?) There are days my fingers touch, there are days they are 3-5 inches apart!

Fluid can be retained inside cells and in between cells and in the bloodstream. The bloodstream must be managed carefully, it has to remain pretty perfect or we die. The lymphs and other tissues can retain water at no harm to our life, just our general well being. Thanks to electrolytes, salt, osmoses, sodium/potassium pump, kidneys, the blood is managed quite well.

If the fluids in between the cells are lacking electrolytes or oxygen, they cannot go anywhere. If they're acidic, they can't go anywhere until their balances, bases, come to neutralize them.

Hot oil treatments act upon blood, lymph and muscles, increasing their metabolism. That means they can burn things up. They can finally do the exchanges that allows things, such as toxins and acids, to exit. Castor oil in particular also has a profound effect on the nervous system, which really gets everything in gear. Ayurvedic medicine tends to prefer the use of sesame oil over castor oil.

Hope that makes sense! :)

Pinkcat,

No problem. I thought there were several great responses to my question. They certainly helped to explain why it happened. We both find the castor oil packs very soothing, and they are so easy to do.

I plan on using them this week as I am doing Dr. Schulze 's IF#2 cleanse. Hopefully they will help break up all the hardened gunk in my colon and make this a very successful cleanse!

Raymond