Chapter 6

Our Toxic Planet

And we have made of ourselves living cesspools, and driven doctors to invent names for our diseases.

Plato

Hippocrates was stating a universal truth when he declared that ‘All diseases are crises of purification, of toxic elimination,’ 2,500 years ago. However, our bodies are now being challenged by toxins on a daily basis in a way that Hippocrates probably could not have imagined in his worst nightmares. This toxic overload is combined with a precipitous decline in the nutritional value of foods whereby the minerals and vitamins required to detoxify these substances are almost completely lacking in our diet. Many regard having two or three colds a year and regular headaches or indigestion as ‘normal’ and radiant good health accompanied by the ability to effectively combat infections as rare. In this chapter we examine the larger sources of toxicity, problems of deficiency and also some of the unseen environmental factors that contribute to FRS.

Toxins

Toxins are substances that have a detrimental effect on everyone and we are exposed to a perplexing array of them every minute of our lives. In the last 70 years, at least 75,000 new chemicals have been released into the environment, 93 per cent of which have never been tested. Three hundred of these are commonly found in our homes and 3,500 have been added to our food with the average child being exposed to 100mg (3.5oz) of chemicals every day. The blood of most adults and even babies tests positive to at least 300 toxins, many of which are highly synergistic. We also encounter toxic metals in general – and heavy metals in particular – routinely in a variety of seemingly innocent forms. As a result, the average adult now carries 700 times the levels of toxins of their forefathers! That is up to 3.5 kg (7.7lb) of toxins mostly stored in their body fat, joints and ‘non-essential’ body compartments such as the sinuses and uterus. These toxins harm us by interfering with our metabolic pathways, preventing our cells detoxifying and by disrupting our endocrine system.

In the history of mankind, we have never encountered such a massive toxic challenge and we are ill-equipped to deal with it. Many feel that by our actions we are currently conducting an uncontrolled mass experiment on the whole of humanity. The problem is that as our environment becomes ever more toxic, we necessarily become more toxic too. Whilst you cannot avoid exposure to many of these toxins, since they are found even in places as remote as the polar icecaps, you can substantially reduce your personal exposure to those that you consume, apply and inhale and this is addressed in chapter 16. A few of the modern-day toxins about which there is most concern are examined in more detail below.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

DDT, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), dieldrin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and some brominated flame retardants are all classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These substances do not degrade and also bio-accumulate up the food chain, adversely affecting the environment and ultimately human health. Most of these chemicals have been, or are currently used as pesticides – although some are produced in industrial processes. The average adult is estimated to consume a gallon of pesticides and herbicides alone every year and these chemicals are highly synergistic. For example, a cocktail of three pesticides may produce 100 times the toxic effect of any one in isolation. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are POPs which are widely used as flame-retardants and now contaminate salmon, dairy products and beef and are routinely identified in human breast milk. Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in women have also been found to disrupt the menstrual cycle, affect fertility and impair the growth of the foetus.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is widely used in the manufacture of plastics, foams, textiles, disinfectants, petroleum and pharmaceuticals, construction materials such as plywood, and in agriculture as a fumigant. The formaldehyde vapours are irritant, causing eye, skin, airway and lung irritation and are readily absorbed into the circulation via the lungs where they may cause headaches, depression and kidney damage.

Fluorine

Fluorine is rated as more poisonous than lead and only slightly less toxic than arsenic. It occurs naturally in tobacco and tea and is added to toothpaste, mouth rinses, used by dentists in dental gel and is added to some municipal water supplies. These supplies are fluoridated using small amounts (1 part per million) of fluoride waste product from either the aluminium or fertilizer processing industries in order to aid tooth-decay prevention. Whether it effectively prevents against decay or not, fluoride acquired from these and various additional sources results in fluorosis (an unsightly mottling of the teeth) and this may act as a ‘window on the bones’ where fluoride causes osteoporosis. Fluoride in toothpaste is routinely absorbed through the mucosa and gums and the amount of fluoride in a tube of toothpaste is enough to kill a small child. Symptoms of early skeletal fluorosis include many of the symptoms of FRS including muscle weakness and pains in the bones and joints, burning and tingling sensation in the limbs, tremors and cramps, premature ageing, digestive problems and chronic fatigue. Fluoride also adversely affects the immune system, inhibits testosterone and causes genetic damage and miscarriage. It particularly affects the parathyroid, thyroid and pineal glands by displacing essential elements such as iodine, binding other elements and interfering with enzyme systems. Accumulation of fluoride in the pineal gland diminishes the synthesis of melatonin, which is the most potent antioxidant to act within the brain, and may cause insomnia and precocious puberty. Fluoride also has a massive synergy with mercury and pesticides and enhances the absorption of lead.

Chlorine

The main source of chlorine is the tap water that we drink, use for cooking and washing food, and shower and bathe in. Our skin has a very large surface area and has been shown to readily absorb chlorine from bath and shower water, swimming pools, hot tubs and jacuzzis. When heated, chlorinated water gives off both a vapour and spray containing chloramine gas which can be inhaled and is also toxic. Chlorine is also used to bleach a lot of products including all paper, tampons, sanitary towels, toilet paper, cotton wool and even white foodstuffs such as sugar and flour. Other sources include antiseptics, household disinfectants and cleaners, bleach and Milton’s solution. Most fruit and vegetables and all prepared salads are washed in chlorine solutions.

Both chlorine and fluorine are positively charged electrolytes that can react with almost any other chemical and combine in water to form trihalomethanes which are carcinogens that tend to be stored in the fatty tissues of the body. Chlorine is known to directly irritate the skin, lungs and eyes, to destroy the intestinal flora and to create massive oxidative tissue damage.

Radiation

Recent decades have seen the deployment and testing of the nuclear arsenal. This includes dozens of detonations in the western deserts of the US in the 1950s, over 200 tests by the French at the atolls of Polynesia and the nuclear bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More recently the disaster at Chernobyl and the use of depleted uranium shells in warfare have contributed to the radioactive contamination of the entire planet. This occurs as the winds carry radioactive particles that subsequently contaminate the soil. The use of x-rays for diagnosis and even the increased exposure to cosmic radiation at high altitudes from more frequent flying also contribute to a larger personal dose of ionizing radiation. The thyroid gland, in particular, appears to be especially vulnerable to damage from radiation.

We are our own guinea pigs.

Dr Roy E Albert

Deficiency

The average diet in the developed world is now low in fibre and high in over-processed, refined foods, salt, animal fats, sugar, insecticides, herbicides, pesticides, colourings, preservatives and stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol. Not only do these foods fail to nourish our bodies, but they act as ‘anti-nutrients’ in that they consume many minerals and vitamins in digestion and offer no nutritional value in return. Even when we do eat fruits and vegetables, they now have 50 per cent of the nutrients (on average) that they had just 50 years ago. Refine, cook, store, preserve or process these foods and these figures drop even more dramatically. Whilst many people are now vitamin deficient, almost everyone is deficient in one or more minerals. This is because we now use chemical fertilizers rather than the time-honoured methods of crop rotation and composting waste. These fertilizers also kill the symbiotic fungi which live on the roots of plants, aiding absorption of nutrients and especially minerals. These mineral-deficient soils necessarily mean mineral-deficient foods and ultimately mineral-deficient people.

Environmental Stressors

Another causative factor is that many FRS sufferers may unwittingly be living or working somewhere that is having a detrimental effect on their health. If this is the case, then no amount of effort to follow the advice in this book will be rewarded if you do not address these factors first. Geopathic and underground water stress are two categories of environmental stressors that relate primarily to natural phenomena occurring beneath the thin crust of the Earth that we inhabit. The third category, electromagnetic stress, refers to largely man-made emanations.

Geopathic Stress

Our planet has a giant magnetic core at its heart which creates an electromagnetic field that, when disturbed, can produce perturbations that have a detrimental effect on most living things. Disturbances can be caused either by naturally occurring formations such as geological faults, underground ore masses or cavities, or by man through nearby earthworks or mining, for instance. In Germany this is recognized and taken seriously and they refer to some towns with known geopathic stress issues as ‘cancer towns’. No one is quite sure what the nature of the effect is, but differences in background gamma radiation have been detected in these areas. Geopathic stress may also be one of the factors behind ‘sick-building syndrome’, where office workers may take a lot of time off sick and never feel well in a particular office.

There are two grids of positive and negative electromagnetic energy lines covering the Earth’s surface that are about 2 metres (6.5ft) apart. This means that, inevitably, some parts of your office or home will be affected by negative energy lines. The question is whether the places in which you spend a lot of time like your bed, desk, sofa or chair are situated on these lines. If you sleep poorly at home, but sleep better elsewhere, negative lines running through the area in which your bed is situated are a possibility. If you tend to feel unusually drained or tired after being in any specific location, try relocating the relevant sofa, desk or chair if possible. If you have a cat and it likes to sleep on your bed or sofa, that might indicate the presence of a negative energy line which appears to be beneficial to cats but detrimental to humans. However, if you own a dog which particularly likes to settle on your bed or sofa, you can be confident that they are on a positive energy line. Pests and weeds such as cockroaches, wasps’ and ants’ nests, mice, moss and moulds also favour negative energy lines.

Underground Water Stress

Because water conducts electricity so readily, underground water stress has a big impact on the electromagnetic field. This is the most damaging of the environmental stress categories and includes man-made sewers and drains and natural sudden changes in underground water levels within the Earth’s crust.

Electromagnetic Stress

Although we consider it normal to live in brick houses with electricity cables and water pipes running through the walls, and nearby telephone masts and electricity pylons, there is nothing natural about it. Modern life all but demands the use of recently developed technologies such as digital and mobile phones, computers, televisions, microwave ovens and satellite navigation systems. All these devices generate both electrical and magnetic fields that are known to interfere with the proper functioning of the immune system and pineal gland and to cause oxidative damage. In fact, there is an almost certain link between EM radiation and leukemia, Alzheimer’s disease and degenerative illness, and the World Health Organization has recently admitted that EM radiation is a possible carcinogen.

‘Dirty’ Electricity

A separate but related issue is that of so-called ‘dirty’ electricity. This refers to the surges of electromagnetic radiation that contaminate the normal power supply, or to the high-frequency voltage radiation that is generated when certain electrical appliances are used. This is known to be biologically active and has been particularly implicated in the causation of diabetes.

Early signs of EM sensitivity include eye problems such as smarting of the eyes and an aversion to light and then progress to some of the symptoms FRS sufferers are all too familiar with including depression, memory problems and weakness in the joints.

Other Negative Influences

Sometimes some places just have an uneasy energy that cannot be attributed to any of the above. Examples include the room in the house that never gets warm or that you or your pets don’t like to dwell in for long or the occurrence of an occasional strange and unpleasant smell in certain locations. In these cases, you may want to consider calling in someone who specializes in dealing with such issues.