Headaches? Fatigue? Detoxification Might Be The Solution
“For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death. In the less than two decades of their use, the synthetic pesticides have been so thoroughly distributed throughout the animate and inanimate world that they occur virtually everywhere.”
While this quote sounds like a line from a recent news report, it is actually an excerpt from Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring published in 1962.
Detoxification seems to be a buzz word these days. Just google detoxification. You will find everything from water detoxification to colon cleanses.
So what is detoxification? The official definition of detoxification is this: the chemical changes of a xenobiotic, a phytochemical, or an endogenous (one your own body makes) compound that renders it less toxic and ready to be excreted. In layman’s terms, detoxification is the way our body protects us from things that we take in that could damage our body.
The ideal situation is toxins in and toxins out, right? If the body is working as designed, then it should be toxins in and toxins out. And how does the body get toxins out? There are many organs that detoxify: the skin (through sweating), kidneys (through urination), and the liver – the most important detox organ. The liver detoxification mechanism involves 2 main processes: Phase I and Phase II detoxification.
Phase I detoxification involves the cytochrome P-450 system in the liver. This is the first line of defense against all toxins. Toxins are tagged and altered for further detoxification, which then occurs in Phase II. Any break down in this process will result in increased toxin load on the body.
We are what we eat, drink, breath, and touch. But did you ever think that we are what we don’t eliminate? Without elimination of the toxic chemicals we take in and produce every day, our bodies swim in a sludge pool of toxins.
This increased toxic load on the body leads to inflammation, the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory substances. The balance between Omega 6, a pro-inflammatory subtance, and Omega 3, an anti-inflammatory substance, is the perfect example.
It is the chronic imbalance of pro-inflammatory substances that then leads to disease.
Shouldn’t the aim of all health care be to prevent inflammation and, therefore, disease? It is in fact, one of the main focuses of the Seasons approach to health and wellness.
Ever wonder if you need to detoxify? My first recommendation is look at and listen to your body. The body will tell you if it is in trouble or imbalanced. How? Physical signs or symptoms are our body’s message that all is not right. Here’s how to know if you body’s signs and symptoms are saying that you might be suffering from toxic build up.
- Headaches
- Muscle aches and pains
- Fatigue
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Skin disorders
- Chronic infections
- Altered mood
- Altered cognition
- Weight gain
- Altered stress tolerance
- Altered libido
- Infertility
Where do toxins in our bodies come from? Toxins are everywhere. The sources can range from toxins like Dioxins to prescription medication. Adverse reactions to prescription drugs have been ranked as the 4th to 6th leading cause of death in the US according to the Journal of American Medical Association. This amounts to over 100,000 deaths per year. The cause of adverse drug reactions is an overloaded pathway in Phase I of detoxification (CYP3A4), the pathway that detoxifies over 50% of all drugs in your system. The costs associated with adverse drug reactions has been estimated at up to $4 billion. With the rising costs of health care, treating the cause of these adverse drug reactions in addition to decreasing prescription drugs are two excellent ways to prevent complications and lower costs.
The most dangerous sources of toxins are environmental. Organochlorine pesticides, industrial chemicals, and unintended chemical byproducts surround us everyday and expose us to unwanted toxins. Widespread production of pesticides began less than 80 years ago. Recently, the EPA estimated that more than 4 billion pounds of chemicals were released into the grounds natural water sources in the year 2000.
In addition to pesticides and chemicals, the average American eats, unknowingly I might add, 124 pounds of additives per year. Frightening to think of it, isn’t it? And over 2.5 billion pounds of pesticides are used on crop lands, forests, lawns, and fields. The unfortunate fact is this: we live in a toxic world.
How can you decrease your daily exposure to toxins? Here are some great ways.
- Avoid processed foods
- Avoid fats
- Avoid tap water — use filtered water
- Avoid excess caffeine
- Avoid excess alcohol
- NO tobacco
- Limit chronic medicine, if possible
- Daily exercise
- Avoid exposure in your workplace
- Avoid living near industrial plants
- Avoid liver dysfunction
- Avoid kidney problems
- Avoid intestinal dysfunction
The first ten suggestions are steps you and I can take every day to decrease our toxin exposure. But the last three require a bigger step: detoxification. By detoxifying your body, the liver, kidney, and intestines can operate more efficiently and effectively.
So, the question is not who needs detoxification, but who does NOT need detoxification? The answer? EVERYONE will benefit from a periodic detoxification program. For more information on how to detoxify, contact our office at 865-675-WELL(9355).
An Apple a Day? Healthy Choices vs. Inflammation
My pre-60th birthday journey to improve my previous test results from Seasons of Farragut continues! This month I decided to focus on the first tenet in our Seasons wellness regimen – nutrition!
About two years ago I took the ALCAT test and was astonished at my lengthy list of reactive foods! The ALCAT is a fascinating food sensitivity test in which white blood cells are introduced to a variety of foods, chemicals, and herbs. The severity of the reaction determines if a substance is mild, moderate, severe, or normal within my body. Since knowledge is power, I decided to receive the news that gluten and dairy were on my “severe list” as a positive indicator rather than “buyers’ remorse” for having performed the test!
Lyn-Genet Recitas has written a book, The Plan, which explains how inflammation from food intolerance can cause symptoms such as joint pain, skin disorders, fatigue, weight issues, headaches, and digestive disorders. Whereas a food allergy can have almost an immediate effect, a food sensitivity may not show up for several hours to 3 days later. For weight gain, it’s not as much about the calories as the chemistry of the body. One person may benefit from last night’s salmon and broccoli but someone else may actually gain 2 pounds. Inflammation from food intolerance causes damage to the lining of the gut. As the lining becomes “leaky” with gaps present, foods begin to slip through not completely digested. This causes the body to attack undigested foods.
As we age, inflammation can increase which causes our systems to slow down. Many of us have much less stomach acid and digestive enzymes to break down food. This can ultimately alter our weight and our health. Reactive foods cause our bodies to produce more histamine which causes water retention via dilated capillaries. The brain responds by increasing the production of Cortisol. As more Cortisol is produced, fewer sex hormones are produced since both sets of hormones depend on the same building blocks. Increased Cortisol causes an increase in glucose which causes an increase in blood sugar! This domino effect alters the good bacteria in the gut and can increase yeast production. The altered gut flora leads to a weakened immune response since about 70% of our immune system is in the gut.
The thyroid gland can also be affected by food intolerances. White blood cells that attack undigested foods may migrate to the thyroid gland and begin to attack it. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disorder of the thyroid gland. This is determined by a blood test that measures the number of specific antibodies against the thyroid gland. As I began to avoid gluten, my own antibody level began to decrease. I was able to decrease my thyroid replacement dosage. This month, I repeated my ALCAT test and found that many of my food intolerances had improved. Not only had I attempted to avoid specific foods, but I also worked intentionally on healing my GI tract. I take a powerful probiotic daily as well as a digestive enzyme with my dinner. For one month of each season, I take a protein shake that is loaded with L-Glutamine. This amazing amino acid helps to heal the leaky gut. It is packed with anti-inflammatories and herbs to help my liver and GI tract detox.
Two years ago, I had about a dozen foods on my severe list. This year, I only have one – apples! So, I’m going to give them up for the next 6 months. My moderate reactive list contains 18 foods which I will have to have great discipline to avoid. These are healthy foods but for me, can cause hidden inflammation. Gluten now causes moderate reactions in my body. I have noticed that when I indulge in gluten, the next morning, my joints ache and my stomach hurts. I doubt if I will ever reintroduce gluten. Dairy is moderate also. Fortunately there are lots of great choices for me and I look forward to continual healing of my GI tract. Our Nutritional Consultant, Carolyn will keep me focused on this life-long journey of wellness. Be sure to check out her amazing recipes on our website!
Long term benefits with this specialized nutritional therapy will keep inflammation down and hopefully help me avoid chronic disease as well as weight gain. If you would like more information regarding the ALCAT test, call Seasons today. Let’s age intentionally with nutrition being our number one “medicine!”
New Perspectives On Hormone Balance Ahead
Perspective. It affects everything. Take, for example, the beauty of the earth. Some might look at the magnificence of the earth and think of Darwinian theory. But as I stand in my back yard, I am amazed by God’s creation. When I look out of the window on my many plane flights, I am amazed by God’s creation. And when I see the perspective from space as seen by astronauts, I am still amazed at God’s creation.
Perspective colors the way we see everything around us. For those, like myself, who believe in the God of creation, I view the world a certain way. And for those who choose to believe otherwise, they view the world a certain way.
Perspective is an important part of the medical world as well. As technology improves, the amount of information available to me as a physician changes the way I treat my patients because I now have more data than I’ve had in the past helping me make a better decision.
So, let’s talk about how perspective is an important part of evaluating hormones! (And you thought the only important perspective about hot flashes was “where’s the air conditioner”!)
If men were only about testosterone and women were only about estrogen, life would be easy and all would be symptom free. Unfortunately, that is, in a nutshell, the current perspective on treatment of hormone imbalance issues. It is not, however, an accurate perspective based on physiology. Just watch an hour of TV in the evening. The pharmaceutical companies are inundating us with ads about testosterone creams and the like. Regardless of clever marketing, looking at the reality of physiology based on the latest testing methods reveals that hormones are a lot more complicated than treating the level of just one hormone.
When it comes to hormones, there are four important components necessary for physiologic function and symptom-free living.
- Hormone levels need to be in the “normal” range. We don’t need the respective hormone levels too high or too low.
- Hormones need to be balanced. This is where many in the medical field get it wrong since all hormones work together to communicate to the body.
- Your body needs to effectively use the hormones present. Hormone metabolism is a key element in evaluating hormones in the body.
- Hormone receptors must appropriately respond to the signal sent by the hormone to your body.
The past (and current) perspective of the medical community is that the absolute levels of individual hormones are what is important and little attention is given to balance between hormones. Very little attention is given to the balance between hormones. For example, women, post-hysterectomy, are prescribed estrogen only. But we know that prior to the hysterectomy, all hormones are needed for a normal, functioning cycle, not just estrogen alone.
Some of the risks associated with estrogen therapy pertains to how the individual metabolizes or detoxifies the estrogen. Hormone metabolism can be affected by internal factors like genetic variations, or SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), located in the detoxification pathways. These are small genetic coding errors. Hormone metabolism can also be affected by external factors such as magnesium and zinc, co-factors in those same internal detoxification pathways of hormone production and metabolism. Just the presence of the detoxification pathways does not a functional detoxification pathway make.
Finally, and the purpose of this post, are the receptors. Hormone receptors determine how the hormone’s signal to the body is then interpreted. Here’s an analogy to help you understand hormone receptors. I have four beautiful children. As with any parent, getting them to clean their room is an ongoing battle. The signal I give them is a verbal instruction such as “Kids, it’s time to get your rooms cleaned.” How that signal is interpreted is quite different. That signal may be interpreted differently based on the environment or pre-existing conditions. If my children are in one of their “moods” (side note: all four of my kids are redheads), then they may just not clean their rooms out of defiance. There is a reason we call the youngest one “the spicy tomato.”
All this to illustrate one important fact — how the signal is interpreted is just as important as the signal that is to be interpreted.
Scientifically speaking, hormone receptors are defined as “a large family of ligand-activated nuclear transcription regulators, which are characterized by organization into different functional domains and are conserved, to differing degrees, between species and family members.”
Was that as clear as mud? In plain English, hormone receptors are how the external signal, hormones, provide to the internal genome a message to turn genes on or off. There is also non-genomic signaling, but a large portion of signaling is actually done with your DNA. This is what hormones do — interact and turn on and off the expression of your DNA. Pretty amazing, huh? And you just thought hormones floated through your blood causing hot flashes in women or ED in men. That is the way most, including physicians, see hormones. However, that just couldn’t be more further from the truth. There’s so much more to it than that.
Hormone receptors are being used in the medical vocabulary today. If you know someone with breast cancer, you might be familiar with the term ER/PR positive or negative. This is in reference to estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors. This evaluation occurs from an actual tissue sample from the tumor itself and allows the medical team to determine the best course of action for that particular individual. In ER/ PR positive tumors, hormone therapy is used in contrast with ER/PR negative tumors where no hormone therapy is used.
The medical community is addressing the realities of hormone receptors and the role they play in disease. But what about those individuals with hormone imbalance symptoms like hot flashes or erectile dysfunction? Stay tuned. This testing hasn’t made it to the clinical setting yet, but animal testing holds great promise in helping to complete the full picture and improve the perspective that we have on hormones and all their related issues and factors.
Hormone receptors are my current area of research, and I’m writing articles on estrogen, progesterone, and androgen (male hormones) receptors as part of that research. Visit the Seasons Wellness Clinic blog often in the upcoming months so that YOU can become more educated on the body’s communication system — hormone and their receptors.
Yes, Virginia, There Are Zombies About
It is a Thriller night. “Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand…”
It seems everywhere you turn, there are zombies on the move. There are zombie TV commercials, zombie games, zombie novels (the best I have read, by the way, is an unpublished zombie book written by my brother), and even dancing zombies. Michael Jackson showed us how well zombies can dance – better than myself, I might add.
But, of course, zombies are not a part of reality. Who really believes a soul-less human exists, a living body moving about but devoid of the qualities such as a conscience that make us human? Zombies just live in the world of fiction, right? Or do they?
I think, perhaps, the zombies we encounter today are different than those of Hollywood. Maybe zombies don’t roam earth terrorizing whole cities, but there are many who have become emotionless and mindless individuals, none the less. These zombies are just a product of the current medical paradigm, a point of view that works for the disease model of medicine but fails in a health-and-wellness model.
A recent analysis by Medco Health Solutions, Inc. revealed that 1 in 5 Americans take prescription medications commonly used to treat psychiatric and mood disorders. That statistic is even worse for women. One in 4 women take the same prescribed medications. The majority of those mood-altering medications are anti-depressants, with 20 percent of American women on some type of anti-depressant. According to the CDC, the use of anti-depressants has increased 400 percent over the last two decades, with the fastest-growing age group being middle-aged women. The question we need to ask is this: do 20 percent of American women need antidepressant therapy?
Even the bravest among us, our military, are not immune to this trend. The Army’s 5th Mental Health Advisory Team revealed that 12 percent of combat troops in Iraq and 17 percent of combat troops in Afghanistan are on prescription anti-depressants and sleeping pills.
As bad as the numbers appear for psychiatric medications, prescribed painkillers are the fastest growing addiction today. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the abuse of painkillers increased by 400 percent from 1998 to 2008. Prescription opiate abuse results in 13,000 deaths per year. In Toronto, oxycodone prescriptions increased by over 850 percent from 1991 to 2004. In the same time period, there was a 500 percent increase in deaths due to oxycodone. Prescription drugs account for an estimated 38,000 deaths annually. These numbers are staggering.
Don’t get me wrong. The purpose of this post is not to bash the use of these types of prescription medications. I am, however, strongly opposed to their misuse and abuse. For many people, these medications can and do change their lives. However, should that number be 20 to 25 percent of the population?
I advocate solution-based healthcare as opposed to band-aid based healthcare. I use the zombie analogy to make a point. Is our current status quo of healthcare in this country creating a legion of zombies? And what if there are alternatives, which I know there are, to treating the underlying issues which produce the symptoms these drugs are intended to minimize or alleviate? Don’t mask the problem. Solve the problem.
In my medical practice, which focuses on an integrative approach to medicine combining the latest advances in medicine with the most natural approach possible, I see patients daily who suffer from the list of symptoms these medications (particularly anti-depressants) are typically prescribed for. With proper testing and analysis of the results, we are able to treat these patients with pharmaceutical-grade vitamin supplements and reverse and/or eliminate their symptoms, returning them to a state of wellness. Wouldn’t it make sense to utilize that approach instead? According to the U.S. Poison Control Center annual analysis, no deaths have occurred from the use of vitamin supplements over a 27-year time period. Compare that to over 3 million deaths occurring from prescription drug use during the same time period (1983-2009).
While it’s the time of the year that zombies and scary things capture our attention, let’s not forget that zombies really do exist and that number is growing fast. With middle-aged adults being the fastest growing age group of users of anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, and sleeping pills, the age of zombies is just beginning. I can only hope that more people will seek alternatives and look for solutions to the symptoms beyond prescription medication. We can solve these problems without simply masking symptoms.
Yes, Virginia, there are zombies about.
10 Ways to Increase Your Water Intake
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Detoxing for YOUR Health!
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Get Your Body Back On Track With These 5 Points of Wellness
“What is Seasons? And what do you do?”
These are questions I am often asked. In short, Seasons breaks free from the disease model of medicine. Our focus is wellness by optimizing your health. What does this mean? Just because you are free of disease does not mean you have great health. A wellness model of medicine is the only way to prevent disease and promote healthy living.
At Seasons, we work to achieve health and wellness with balance using our 5 Points of Wellness: Nutrition, Exercise, Hormones, Inflammation, and Detoxification.
NUTRITION
Are nutrition and health related? Absolutely. We are what we eat. Hippocrates said it best, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” Your diet must be individualized to meet your metabolic needs, limit inflammatory responses, and meet your lifestyle demands.
We offer personalized nutritional counseling to develop a plan for disease management, disease prevention, and overall good health. At Seasons, your nutritional plan is individualized to meet your needs in a way that fits your lifestyle.
EXERCISE
Exercise is an important part of any weight-loss or weight-maintenance program. Maintaining healthy weight is an excellent benefit of exercise, but it does so much more for your body. Exercise builds muscle, relieves stress, and helps to detoxify, just to name a few. However, too much exercise can severely harm the body.
At Seasons, we work to maximize your calorie expenditure, while reducing the damage to your body from excessive exercise. We do this in a way to match your lifestyle and your physical abilities.
HORMONES
Regardless of your age, your body needs hormones to function. Hormones are a means of communication with your body. And balance of those hormones is the key. Sure, it would be great if men were just a Testosterone sponge; or women just an Estrogen factory. But, that is not the case and the key is to create a balance. When your hormones are balanced, so are you. When your hormones are not balanced, your body will let you know.
Your hormone balance is unique and will change based on factors such as weight loss, weight gain, stress, and even nutrition. The only way to determine your imbalance is to share any symptoms you may be having with your healthcare team at Seasons. This gives us information on where to look for hormone imbalance issues. Only then can we identify your particular imbalance and formulate a plan to balance your hormones. Balanced hormones = better health.
INFLAMMATION
Inflammation is the greatest obstacle to good health and is a part of the body’s immune system signaling department. Pain, redness, swelling, heat, and loss of function are common manifestations of inflammation. Inflammation is not new. The first four classical signs were described by Celsus (30 BC – 38 AD).
The source of inflammation is unique to each person. It may be due to deficiencies, such as vitamin D, poor dietary intake of antioxidants, such as resveratrol and curcumin, or even a deficiency of fish (low Omega-3 intake leads to inflammation). Your gut could also be the source of inflammation! Did you know that up to 75% of your immune system lines your gut? In many ways, your health starts with your gut.
The source of inflammation is as different as the individual. The only way to identify your unique source of inflammation is through symptom evaluation and state-of-the-art testing. At Seasons we can identify the causes of inflammation and implement specific therapy to eliminate inflammation, which can be as diverse as parasite treatment to dietary changes.
DETOXIFICATION
We live in a toxic world today. There is no way around that! According to a recent study, detectable levels of toxins were found in up to 99% of pregnant women even though many of these chemicals have been banned since the early 1970’s. This number will only rise with the approximately 1,800 new chemicals approved annually. This tidal wave of toxins are overwhelming our detoxifications systems proven by the exponential rise in rates of autism spectrum disorder and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis.
The ability to detoxify is critical to health. Every cell must detoxify. At Seasons, we evaluate your individual ability to detoxify with state-of-the-art testing and treat those areas that are dysfunctional. We focus on your major detox organs — liver, skin, kidneys, lymphatics, and GI tract — through which every cell in the body must detoxify. We provide a detoxification plan to meet your specific toxic load and to support your identified needs.
WHAT NEXT?
At Seasons, we offer individualized therapy to aggressively eliminate the obstacles to good health and maximize your body’s performance. We are not your disease doctor, we are your partners in health. We work to restore your health and then maintain that good health.
As Aristotle said, “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” And at Seasons, our holistic approach encompasses all the body’s functions creating one plan giving you the tools you need to pursue wellness.
Questions? Spend some time on our website getting to know us and what we do. Then call 865.675.9355 and speak with one of our Patient Relations Specialists. Remember, good health is a choice. And at Seasons, we offer you that opportunity. Don’t miss your opportunity to choose a health and wellness lifestyle.
From the Doctor’s Desk: Toxic World
We live in a toxic world. There is no denying it. And concern over our exposure to toxins as a result of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf Coast are voiced to me on a daily basis.
Oil, however, is not the only toxin to which we can be exposed. Pesticides, insecticides, phthalates, and heavy metals are all toxins. Even prescription medicines are a source of toxins. Prescription drugs and their side effects are the third leading cause of death. They deplete us of vitamins and minerals and block metabolic pathways, the body’s internal communication highway. Vitamins, minerals, and even bioidentical hormones, if in excess, can be toxic to our bodies. The key is balance. When the body’s chemistry is balanced, then the body is able to work at its designed optimal level.
It’s obvious from the oil spill that toxins are a big issue. But what about reversing the damage done by toxins? Can it be done? Detoxification is a hot topic these days. The word toxin comes from the Greek word toxikon meaning arrow poison. This term was first introduced to medicine by Dr. Ludwig Briegger in 1888. Dr. Briegger determined that toxins equal poison to our body.
The idea of detoxification, however, goes back even further than the introduction of toxins to the medical vocabulary. It goes back to the creation of man. Every cell in our body performs detoxification. The most prominent detoxification organs are the liver, kidneys, and skin.
The idea of body cleansing (detoxification) goes back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. They understood that the body cannot continue to receive loads of toxins without eliminating them from the body. Remember, this was an Ancient Civilization, not yet exposed to the toxic world in which we currently live.
With the rise of modern civilization and Western medicine, physicians disregarded the idea of detoxification early in the 20th century. However, the body of evidence supporting detoxification remains unchanged. Evidence supports the fact that we are exposed to many toxins and these toxins accumulate and overwhelm our God-given detoxification systems.
The oil spill impact. Let’s talk about the immediate and future affects of the oil spill. What can we expect as a result of this toxic exposure? We can expect a significant impact in three areas: water, food, and air.
Water. The impact on the waster is already evident in the large “dead zones” resulting from clouds of methane gas in the Gulf waters. Eventually, the impact will spread to the Gulf’s tributaries as well as our drinking water.
Food. The impact on our food is not yet determined. But we can already see the impact on the cost of Gulf seafood. Based on our current knowledge of mercury toxicity and the fish industry, it is also reasonable to extrapolate that their will be some kind of effects from the oil on seafood from the Gulf and its contributory waters.
Air. The impact on the air is not yet determined. But if we look at the increased risk of lung disease in the Exxon Valdez oil spill clean-up crews, we can assume there might be similar issues with clean-up crews of the BP Horizon oil spill. Suspicious evidence is already appearing in the crops of the lower Gulf Coast states.
The immediate impact on the Gulf region’s wildlife is evident to all. Look to the long-term impact on wildlife in Alaska for clues as to what the Gulf Coast region may face for years to come.
What if the cure is worse than the disease? Cleaning the oil spill with chemical dispersants may be worse than letting Mother Nature clean up the mess all on her own. Let’s look at the long-term results of cleanup for another oil spill.
The 1978 oil spill off the cost of Normandy was cleaned up two different ways due to the large size of the spill and the economic impact of the spill area. Some areas of the oil spill were treated with chemical dispersants, while others were left untreated. The untreated areas had recovered in five years. Yes, you read that correctly. The ecosystems of the untreated oil spill areas returned to normal in just five years. Now here’s the really interesting part. The areas treated with chemical dispersants are STILL recovering. What if that’s the case with the chemical dispersant-treated areas in the Gulf? Oil is a biological compound and will be consumed by bacteria — though the time frame may be long.
Now here’s the real kicker. The chemical dispersant used in the Gulf oil spill is the same used in the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 and was banned in England. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s been banned. But BP (which stands for British Petroleum) used it to clean up the oil spill. Ironic, isn’t it. It was banned in England, but is it okay for us?
Here’s a frightening fact: no person directly associated with the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez oil spill is still alive today. In fact, the average age of death was 51. From that, I think it’s safe to say that the toxic exposure that Gulf Coast residents are receiving is not safe for the body.
In 20 years, we will look back and know the long-term effects of this toxic exposure. We will know what diseases developed and what the secondary effects were on our drinking water and our crops. If we are already toxic from everyday exposure to chemicals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, etc., then what will be the result of the added toxins from the Gulf oil spill?
The bottom line? We should not wait. We need to detoxify our bodies. Toxins, whether man-made or man-induced, were not intended to be inside our bodies. It doesn’t take a Ph.D., M.D., D.O. (just fill in your letters) to understand that. It is just common sense.
We need to support the God-created detoxification systems already present in our bodies with proper cleansing, targeted nutrition, conscientious reduction of our exposure to toxins, and, when needed, medically-supervised detoxification programs.
Dr. Goodyear is a board certified and fellowship-trained Metabolic Specialist.







by Carolyn Burris


by Carolyn Burris







