When working for Dr.Huggins I would often smile when he seemed to recommend one of his products called Transmix for almost every health problem raised by our clients.

I think I’m getting to be just like him in some ways, a component of Transmix was/is Magnesium, the research I’ve been doing lately seems to be highlighting the incredible benefits of magnesium. I’ve long been an advocate of this essential mineral, but never truly appreciating it’s true value until now.

The book I’m reading now is called “The Magnesium Miracle” and it’s truly amazing me. Please read on…

We thirst for magnesium rich water.

Magnesium deficiency is often misdiagnosed because it does not show up in blood tests – only 1% of the body’s magnesium is stored in the blood.

Most doctors and laboratories don’t even include magnesium status in routine blood tests. Thus, most doctors don’t know when their patients are deficient in magnesium, even though studies show that the majority of Americans are deficient in magnesium.

Consider Dr. Norman Shealy’s statements, “Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency” and that, “magnesium is the most critical mineral required for electrical stability of every cell in the body. A magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient.” The truth he states exposes a gapping hole in modern medicine that explains a good deal about iatrogenic death and disease. Because magnesium deficiency is largely overlooked, millions of Americans suffer needlessly or are having their symptoms treated with expensive drugs when they could be cured with magnesium supplementation.

One has to recognize the signs of magnesium thirst or hunger on their own since allopathic medicine is lost in this regard. It is really something much more subtle then hunger or thirst but it is comparable. In a world though where doctors and patients alike do not even pay attention to thirst and important issues of hydration, it is not hopeful that we will find many recognizing and paying attention to magnesium thirst and hunger, which is a dramatic way of expressing the concept of magnesium deficiency.

Few people are aware of the enormous role magnesium plays in our bodies. Magnesium is by far the most important mineral in the body. After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies; vitally important, yet hardly known. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Millions suffer daily from magnesium deficiency without even knowing it

In fact, there happens to be a relationship between what we perceive as thirst and deficiencies in electrolytes. I remember a person asking, “Why am I dehydrated and thirsty when I drink so much water?” Thirst can mean not only lack of water but it can also mean that one is not getting enough nutrients and electrolytes. Magnesium, Potassium, Bicarbonate, Chloride and Sodium are some principle examples and that is one of the reasons magnesium chloride is so useful.

Magnesium Torment (Deficiency)

You know all those years, when doctors used to tell their patients ‘its all in your heads,’ were years the medical profession was showing its ignorance. It is a torment to be magnesium deficient on one level or another. Even if it’s for the enthusiastic sport person whose athletic performance is down, magnesium deficiency will disturb sleep and background stress levels and a host of other things that reflect on the quality of life. Doctors have not been using the appropriate test for magnesium – their serum blood tests just distort their perceptions. Magnesium has been off their radar screens through the decades that magnesium deficiencies have snowballed.

Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

The first symptoms of deficiency can be subtle – as most magnesium is stored in the tissues, leg cramps, foot pain, or muscle ‘twitches’ can be the first sign. Other early signs of deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. As magnesium deficiency worsens, numbness, tingling, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasms can occur.

A full outline of magnesium deficiency was beautifully presented in a recent article by Dr. Sidney Baker. “Magnesium deficiency can affect virtually every organ system of the body. With regard to skeletal muscle, one may experience twitches, cramps, muscle tension, muscle soreness, including back aches, neck pain, tension headaches and jaw joint (or TMJ) dysfunction. Also, one may experience chest tightness or a peculiar sensation that he can’t take a deep breath. Sometimes a person may sigh a lot.”

“Symptoms involving impaired contraction of smooth muscles include constipation; urinary spasms; menstrual cramps; difficulty swallowing or a lump in the throat-especially provoked by eating sugar; photophobia, especially difficulty adjusting to oncoming bright headlights in the absence of eye disease; and loud noise sensitivity from stapedius muscle tension in the ear.”

“Other symptoms and signs of magnesium deficiency and discuss laboratory testing for this common condition. Continuing with the symptoms of magnesium deficiency, the central nervous system is markedly affected. Symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, hyperactivity and restlessness with constant movement, panic attacks, agoraphobia, and premenstrual irritability. Magnesium deficiency symptoms involving the peripheral nervous system include numbness, tingling, and other abnormal sensations, such as zips, zaps and vibratory sensations.”

“Symptoms or signs of the cardiovascular system include palpitations, heart arrhythmias, and angina due to spasms of the coronary arteries, high blood pressure and mitral valve prolapse. Be aware that not all of the symptoms need to be present to presume magnesium deficiency; but, many of them often occur together. For example, people with mitral valve prolapse frequently have palpitations, anxiety, panic attacks and premenstrual symptoms. People with magnesium deficiency often seem to be “uptight.” Other general symptoms include a salt craving, both carbohydrate craving and carbohydrate intolerance, especially of chocolate, and breast tenderness.”

Magnesium is needed by every cell in the body including those of the brain. It is one of the most important minerals when considering supplementation because of its vital role in hundreds of enzyme systems and functions related to reactions in cell metabolism, as well as being essential for the synthesis of proteins, for the utilization of fats and carbohydrates. Magnesium is needed not only for the production of specific detoxification enzymes but is also important for energy production related to cell detoxification. A magnesium deficiency can affect virtually every system of the body.

Like water we need magnesium everyday. There is an
eternal need for magnesium as well as water and when
magnesium is present in water life and health are enhanced.

One of the principle reason doctors write millions of prescriptions for tranquilizers each year is the nervousness, irritability, and jitters largely brought on by inadequate diets lacking magnesium. Persons only slightly deficient in magnesium become irritable, highly-strung, and sensitive to noise, hyper-excitable, apprehensive and belligerent. If the deficiency is more severe or prolonged, they may develop twitching, tremors, irregular pulse, insomnia, muscle weakness, jerkiness and leg and foot cramps.

If magnesium is severely deficient, the brain is particularly affected. Clouded thinking, confusion, disorientation, marked depression and even the terrifying hallucinations of delirium tremens are largely brought on by a lack of this nutrient and remedied when magnesium is given. Because large amounts of calcium are lost in the urine when magnesium is under supplied, the lack of this nutrient indirectly becomes responsible for much rampant tooth decay, poor bone development,osteoporosis and slow healing of broken bones and fractures. With vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), magnesium helps to reduce and dissolve calcium phosphate kidney stones.

Magnesium deficiency may be a common factor associated with insulin resistance. Symptoms of MS that are also symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle spasms, weakness, twitching, muscle atrophy,  an inability to control the bladder, nystagmus (rapid eye movements), hearing loss, and osteoporosis.  People with MS have higher rates of epilepsy than controls.  Epilepsy has also been linked to magnesium deficiencies.

Down but not out…

So over the last 10 years my life has taken some twists and turns, my wife went off with a hispanic guy she worked with which I’m sure you can imagine played havoc with my mind and and my health, but as the title of this piece say’s I was down but not out.

At this time we’d moved to Castle Rock, my work with Dr. Huggins was in Colorado Springs about 35 miles south so I moved down there to be closer to my work as client service director which occupied most of my time.

Studying with doc opened my eyes to what was happening to millions of people in the US, studying his work and nutrition became my priority as helping others was, and still is so rewarding. Each day I’d talk with a lot of doc’s patients and new clients. Looking back I must have talked with more than 17,000 people over the three and a half years I was with him.

All this time I studied my blood tests to see what changes showed up as I tried following his protocol and recommendations, over the years working so closely with this great man I felt like a sponge soaking up every comment and snippet of information uttered from his mouth. I’d gone through body chemistry re-balancing and extensive dentistry so I was optimistic for the future.

Moving forward several years to where I am now, I’m not in as good a position as I’d hoped and my optimistic self believed but there are justifiable reasons for this. Because of my health and potential risks of physical accidents at work I lost my job. At the time I was very upset and hated my employer Dr. Huggins for this but now I can understand his reasoning. Yes it probably was selfish on his part but at the end of the day he was the boss.

So I’m attempting to “fix” myself using the knowledge I gained while working for doc and as much research that I can do now, which is limited to reading and re-reading books and literature written by informed knowledgeable people.

Tomorrow I’ll explain what my passion and a 5,000 piece jigsaw have in common.

Looking back I think 2004 was one of the worst years of my life, I’d been living in the beautiful state of Colorado for a couple of years, I had a great job earning more than $75,000 p.a. and had a beautiful house and a Dodge Ram with a Hemi. It seemed great to me although I’d started to have problems with my health. Actually I’d started to have problems several years earlier but the doctors all told me there was nothing wrong or at least they couldn’t see anything in my blood tests.

One morning I’d gotten up at 5.30 as usual and started getting ready for work, I collapsed in the bathroom after experiencing the strangest symptoms, my vision became fuzzy and I felt like my head was shaking violently from left to right. My head was stationary but I felt terrible and then collapsed.

It couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes but feeling so dizzy and nauseous while my head was pressed firmly against the carpet wasn’t a nice feeling, one of my wife’s cats, was meowing like crazy till my wife appeared asking why I was attempting to eat the carpet.

She helped me up and guided me back to bed, she was adamant I wasn’t going to work and said she’d call them in a couple of hours to let them know I wouldn’t be in.

Later that day I saw my doctor, actually he was a physicians assistant, like a doctor but better in my opinion as he wasn’t brainwashed by the pharmaceutical industry.

He recommended I go to the emergency room at the local hospital and let them do as many tests as possible, which is what I did. The advice he gave me was to not let them officially diagnose me with MS. I’d seen him several times before with symptoms, he’s initially thould ir was my thyroid and prescribed synthroid which had no positive effects on me.  That’s when he thought it could be MS but said it would be a mistake to let them officially diagnose it.

The problem in the States is unlike here in England the NHS will look after anyone with a health problem, the only way of getting decent health care is by having insurance.

My insurance at that time was around $120 per month, if i was diagnosed with MS it would likely go up to $800 per month and MS meds would take that up over $1500 per month. So the was no way I could let that happen.

After three days in hospital, an MRI, Cat scan, EEG and Lumbar puncture, the neurologist came to my ward and said “there’s no way of breaking this to you gently, you’ve got MS”. He then said he wanted me to come back in two weeks so he could officially diagnose me and get me on to some medication. The advice from the physicians assistant came flooding back. I told the neurologist I wouldn’t come back and I wouldn’t take the medication. He then said that if I didn’t take the meds the I would be in a wheelchair in six months.

More tomorrow….

What happens when science realizes the health potential of cannabis
and discovers coconut oil is the other half of the equation…

The Cutting-Edge
Coconut Oil & Cannabis Cancer Miracle!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 04, 2014Fact: There are oils that will give you that crispy crunch fried delight that too many Americans have come to crave—along with a side of heart attack and cancer-causing acrylamides. These fall into the “refined, over-processed and unhealthy” category.

An Even Better Fact: Then there are oils that that are much better for your health… heart-friendly oils from lighter, natural, unrefined and pure sources. Olive oil comes quickly to mind. The right balance of olive oil even helps us absorb nutrients from other food sources more effectively.

And then there is one, particular oil that defies classification. That oil—that superfood—is coconut oil. And it possesses such unparalleled health benefits that…

• Entire island nations escaped Western disease for generations by consuming only coconut oil—until it was falsely vilified (I’ll tell you why shortly)!
• It beautifies and protects the skin—even against skin cancer!
• It contains a unique combination of fatty-acids with powerful medicinal properties—plus a specific healing compound that fights bacterial and viral infections!

If these three things alone were all the benefits coconut possessed, it would still be tremendously impressive—for an oil… a substance that most people don’t give a second thought to as it sits in their kitchen cupboard.

Well, let me pose a question that will have you thinking about oil in a whole new light…

The next time you’re getting ready to cook dinner, would you rather reach for any old oil… or would you rather serve your family an oil that is not only heart-friendly, but is on the cutting-edge of current medical research because its healing potential is just that amazing?

It’s true. The fact is this: coconut oil and another all natural botanical that has been even more vilified and misunderstood for years – cannabis – are both at the forefront of research into the cure for one of Western civilization’s health nightmares … cancer.

Cannabis and Coconut Oil—The Great HealersCoconut oil—a saturated fat—is chock-full of health-promoting properties and is in no way responsible for high cholesterol, obesity, heart disease and the bad effects generations of Americans have been falsely led to believe.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We’re only beginning to uncover the amazing health benefits that earned this superfood the title, “The Cure for All Illness.”

And you know what else… these health benefits are evidence-based. In addition to the three I listed earlier, there is research to support thatcoconut makes you less hungry… contains ketones that reduce seizures… improves blood cholesterol… burns fat… and boosts brain function in Alzheimer’s patients. But these aren’t the only reasons that coconut oil is on the forefront of cutting-edge research once again.

 

Scientists have uncovered the potential for
coconut oil to aid cannabis in the fight against cancer!

Like the coconut, humans have cultivated and used the flowering tops of the female cannabis plant — known as marijuana — as a healing herb since the beginning of history.

But in modern times the plant has been criminalized, and its organic compounds (cannabinoids) classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.

It’s absurd that based on this classification, marijuana is seen as more of a threat than heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, anabolic steroids, and prescription pain killers — the rampant abuse of which has become commonplace!

You can’t help but wonder if the vilification of marijuana is another plot to deceive the American public, just as generations of Americans were deceived about the oil we should have been consuming—and the oils we were consuming that were killing us!

But thankfully there is a strong and growing trend of acceptance of marijuana — related to the mounting scientific evidence that it may indeed contain powerful medicinal properties that we would be foolish to overlook.

Joycelyn Elders, MD, former US Surgeon General, wrote the following in a Mar. 26, 2004 article titled “Myths About Medical Marijuana,” published in the Providence Journal:

“The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS — or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day.”

But relieving pain and symptoms is just the tip of the iceberg!

Medical marijuana has been shown to slow the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and moderate autoimmune disorders including multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

And now researchers are looking at amplifying the healing potential of marijuana by pairing it with coconut oil!

 

Cannabis and Coconut Oil

Medical marijuana capsules infused in coconut oil are an alternative way to therapeutically use cannabis without having to inhale it through smoking. Infusing cannabis into coconut oil also allows for easy entry into the liver where it can be rapidly processed.

Coconut oil is used because of its high amount of essential fatty acids which makes it a good binding agent for the cannabinoids. Couple this with its amazing health properties and you superpower the combination. Half of the fat in coconut oil is comprised of a fat that is not frequently found in nature, lauric acid.

Lauric acid has been called a “miracle” ingredient due to its health promoting capabilities, which is evidenced by its presence in a mother’s milk. In fact, it can be found in only three dietary sources—small amounts in butterfat and larger amounts in palm kernel and coconut oil.

In the body, lauric acid is converted to monolaurin, which is a potent antiviral, antibacterial and antiprotozoal substance. Because monolaurin is a monoglyceride, it can destroy lipid-coated viruses including measles, influenza, HIV, herpes and a number of pathogenic bacteria.

Testimony – A Success Story

 

While many remain suspicious of the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, Stan and Barb Rutner are convinced of its efficacy. This couple has stood in the face of cancer a number of times and survived to learn from their experiences.Barb had two bouts of breast cancer and Stan was diagnosed 20 years ago with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma which, after treatment, disappeared. However, in 2011, it returned. Cancerous nodes in his lungs were diagnosed and later he was told that the cancer was in his brain. The outlook was grim indeed.

As he went through the harsh treatment of chemotherapy and radiation, Stan and his family wanted to find a natural solution that would help improve his quality of life and even prolong it. Hearing that cannabis was effective in helping with the pain and other effects of chemotherapy for cancer patients they were more than open to give it a try. According to Stan and Barb, medical cannabis was the golden ticket.

The Rutner’s daughter, Corinne and her husband did some research and it was decided that a daytime cannabis capsule infused in coconut oil would be a good choice. After two weeks of taking the capsule, Stan was able to give up his oxygen tank that he was tied to around the clock. He began to gain weight, sleep better and get stronger overall. After several months, a brain scan revealed that Stan was completely cancer free.

The Rutners are convinced that cannabis works as an anti-cancer medicine. According to John, the Rutner’s son-in-law, “There is no doubt in my mind that cannabis pulled my father-in-law out of the wasting stages of cancer and enabled him to gain strength and in turn fight this horrible cell malfunction with success. While many would say that the chemo and radiation could have played a part, he would never have lived long enough to find out without cannabis oil.”

So doesn’t it just make sense that if coconut oil is at the forefront of cancer research—and capable of protecting you from a multitude of viral and bacterial infections, thyroid, brain and heart problems—that it should be the ‘go to’ oil from your kitchen cupboard? You bet it does!

But there’s a reason why generations of Americans were oblivious to just how good coconut oil was for us—and why we were dissuaded from making it a regular part of our diets all along. You should know the truth…

The Saturated-Fat Myth
Robbed You of Good Health!

The Four Unhealthy
“Healthy Oils” You Should Never Consume!

Canola – Animals and insects avoid it in nature, here’s why you should too…There is no such thing as a canola in nature. Canola oil is actually a modified version of rapeseed oil. Asian and Indian cultures used rapeseed oil for centuries, but it was never consumed in the large quantities that Americans do.

The rape plant (in the mustard family) contains cyanide-containing compounds and wild animals and even insects avoid it in nature.

The refining process of deodorizing and bleaching to become canola oil involves exposing rapeseed oil to high heat, which greatly reduces the omega 3 content (perhaps it’s only original redeeming factor).

Consumption of this “GMO Oil” has been linked to muscular disorders and fatty degeneration of the heart, kidneys, adrenals and thyroid gland. To avoid it, check labels closely – even in so-called healthy products – because it’s practically everywhere.

Coconut Oil Will Set You Free —
and Improve Your Health!

The indestructible invader…

So often I would hear someone tell me that they have been using a product that supposedly removes mercury from their blood, they were extremely excited when they read the instructions on the bottle, the manufacturer had promised that this product would change their life.

In the manufacturers research they had seen drops in mercury levels so high it was truly amazing, almost unbelievable!! well actually it was unbelievable, because it never happened.

You see mercury doesn’t actually show up in the blood per se, what happens is this.. When your immune system sees something that isn’t supposed to be there, it will go into attack it, that’s it’s job to protect you from invaders. As mercury enters your bloodstream from your amalgam fillings or wherever. it attaches to a blood cell, which changes the way it looks, all of your own blood cells have a unique identifier. Every person on the planet has a unique identifier called a Major Histocompatibility Complex or an MHC.  Your immune system now sees a strange looking cell, a non self cell, a Hapten. It starts the process of elimination.

The problem is that mercury is indestructible to anything in the body, it’s the most toxic non-radioactive substance on earth so what then takes place is this. The Globulin, part of the red blood cells which went in to attack is overpowered by mercury and  is rendered totally ineffective. The mercury attaches to the globulin so now has a hiding place, unseen.

You have another blood test and not only does the mercury not show up but a very misleading result show’s for globulin.  You are happy initially until you notice that your condition hasn’t improved.

To my knowledge there is only one way of actually seeing how much mercury is in your blood, and that is done through a methyl mercury test. Methylmercury is a vapor at times, clever little thing, morphing between a vapor and solid. The methyl mercury test is done only by Quicksilver Scientific of Boulder, Colorado.

Reach Dr Chris Shade at 303 263 6903 or [email protected]

If you are concerned by the symptoms you or a loved one are experiencing, I suggest you contact Dr.Huggins office in Colorado Springs.

Huggins Applied Healing

5082 List Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80919

Toll Free: (866) 948-4638

E-mail: [email protected]

By Dr. Mercola

Three decades ago, when I was still in medical school, autism affected one in 10,000 children.1, 2 What changed between then and now to cause one in 50 children3 to become autistic?

Mounting research—not to mention plain logic—indicates that brain disorders are the result of excessive exposure to toxins from multiple sources—including the mother, while in utero. One 2005 study4 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that blood samples from newborns contained an average of 287 toxins.

Of these, 180 are known to cause cancer in humans or animals; 217 are toxic to your brain and nervous system; and 208 have been found to cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests. Clearly, nothing good can come from exposure to so many toxic compounds.

Genital Malformations and Autism—The Result of Overexposure to Toxins

A more recent study, published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology,5, 6, 7, 8last month, found that every one percent increase in genital malformations in newborn males within a particular county was associated with a 283 percent increased rate in autism.

According to the researchers, genital malformations such as micropenis, undescended testicles, and hypospadias (when the urethra forms on the underside of the penis) are signs of exposure to harmful toxins. And the correlation between genital malformation and autism in turn offer strong support for the notion that autism is the result of parental overexposure to environmental toxins.

In all, 100 million American medical records were analyzed, and rates of genital malformations and autism were assessed by county. Deviations from the nationwide baseline were interpreted as being the result of local environmental factors. According to one of the authors, Andrey Rzhetsky, Ph.D., professor of genetic medicine and human genetics at the University of Chicago:

“Autism appears to be strongly correlated with rate of congenital malformations of the genitals in males across the country. This gives an indicator of environmental load and the effect is surprisingly strong… We interpret the results of this study as a strong environmental signal.”

Interestingly, every additional $1,000 in income above the county average was also associated with a three percent increased rate in autism. Could this mean that those with higher incomes buy more household, personal care, and beauty products that turn out to be toxic?

11 Brain-Harming Culprits Identified

Last month, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published a report identifying one dozen common chemicals (listed below) known to disrupt brain development and cause brain damage, neurological abnormalities, reduced IQ, and aggressiveness in children.9, 10 The authors call for the implementation of urgent preventive strategies to quell the trend of brain damage, stating:

“We postulate that even more neurotoxicants remain undiscovered. To control the pandemic of developmental neurotoxicity, we propose a global prevention strategy.

Untested chemicals should not be presumed to be safe to brain development, and chemicals in existing use and all new chemicals must therefore be tested for developmental neurotoxicity.

To coordinate these efforts and to accelerate translation of science into prevention, we propose the urgent formation of a new international clearinghouse.”

What many don’t realize is that there are literally tens of thousands of chemicals in use that have never been tested for safety. When the US National Toxicology Program was enacted in 1978, some 62,000 chemicals that were already in use were simply grandfathered in, even though they’d never been tested for toxicity.

The ramifications of this action is now becoming increasingly evident, and with regular intervals we realize that yet another prevalent chemical is causing harm that no one ever suspected. Bisphenol-A (BPA), used in plastic products, is just one of the most recent examples.

Lead (processed chocolate, gasoline, paint, toys, batteries, pipes, pottery, roofing materials, and cosmetics)	Methylmercury(organic mercury found primarily in fish)	Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)(fish, especially farmed fish)
Arsenic(a common contaminant in fluoride added to water supplies. Also found in wood preservatives and pesticides)	Toluene (paint thinner, fingernail polish, and leather tanning)	Manganese (drinking water and soy infant formula)
Fluoride (fluoridated tap water, dental products, some antibiotics and medicines, tea, processed foods, and drinks)	Chlorpyrifos (an organophosphate insecticide used in pest bait containers)	Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) (a pesticide banned in 1972 that still persists in the environment, including in the food chain)
Tetrachloroethylene (PERC)11 (dry-cleaning fabrics and metal degreasing operations)	Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (flame-retardant chemicals found in upholstery, mattresses, clothing, television, and computer housings)	Ethanol

Organic Diet Is Part and Parcel of a Less Toxic Life

A recent article in The Atlantic,12 which is well worth reading in its entirety, discusses this Harvard report and offers a number of excellent quotes from the researchers with regards to how we can protect ourselves while regulatory wheels keep turning at a snail’s pace. James Hamblin writes:

“‘So you recommend that pregnant women eat organic produce?’ I asked Grandjean, a Danish-born researcher who travels around the world studying delayed effects of chemical exposure on children. ‘That’s what I advise people who ask me, yes.

It’s the best way of preventing exposure to pesticides.’ Grandjean estimates that there are about 45 organophosphate pesticides on the market, and ‘most have the potential to damage a developing nervous system.’

Landrigan had issued that same warning, unprompted, when I spoke to him the week before. ‘I advise pregnant women to try to eat organic because it reduces their exposure by 80 or 90 percent,’ he told me. “These are the chemicals I really worry about in terms of American kids, the organophosphate pesticides like chlorpyrifos.”

 

Fluoride and Glyphosate—Two Toxins That Need to Be Urgently Addressed

When you consider how pervasive those 12 toxins are (not to mention the thousands of others, which we still know little about), it’s no wonder so many children are born with severe health problems and disabilities. Fluoride alone, which is still being added to many public water supplies around the US, can contribute to a seven-point drop in a child’s IQ score, on average!13, 14

Why in the world are we still adding fluoride to water supplies? Even if ingesting fluoride had a benefit on teeth (which it clearlydoesn’t), is it really worth sacrificing intelligence for fewer cavities? Fluoride isn’t the sole culprit, of course. According to a 2012 paper15 published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Americans have collectively “forfeited” a whopping 41 million IQ points as a result of lead, mercury, and pesticide exposure.

All of these brain-harming toxins also take a massive toll on aging Americans. According to recent research,16 the annual death toll from Alzheimer’s disease (a severe form of dementia) is now estimated to be 503,000, making it the third most lethal disease in the US. Approximately 200,000 of these deaths occur in those under the age of 65, who develop early onset of Alzheimer’s.

Recent research17 has also linked exposure to the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. The use of DDT began during the second half of World War II, when it was liberally sprayed to control diseases such as malaria and typhus. Once the war was over, it began being used as an agricultural pesticide. (Monsanto was one of more than a dozen companies that manufactured the chemical.) It was eventually banned in 1972, when the health risks revealed in the bookSilent Spring led to public outcry.

The suggestion that DDT exposure may contribute to Alzheimer’s, decades after exposure, hint at what the ramifications ofglyphosate are likely to be in the years to come. According to Dr. Don Huber, an expert in an area of science that relates to the toxicity of genetically engineered (GE) foods, the harmful effects of glyphosate actually surpass those of DDT! It’s quite clear that the toxicity of this weed killer has been grossly underestimated.

Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) was approved in 1974 in the US,18 and has been aggressively used since then. An estimated ONE BILLION pounds of it is used on crop fields each and every year. As with DDT, we’re now seeing research linking glyphosate exposure to dramatic jumps in disease rates, including autism. The primary difference is that the effects are showingfar sooner, and appear more evidently linked than in the case of DDT.

Soy Formula Associated with Seizures in Autistic Children

In related news, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has found a possible link between infant soy formula and increased rates of seizures in autistic children. According to Medical News Today:19

“The study found excess seizures among girls and in the total sample of 1,949 children. The soy-seizure link reached borderline significance among boys, who comprised 87 percent of the children described in the database under study. Seizures – caused by uncontrolled electrical currents in the brain – occur in many neurological disorders including epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Down syndrome, and autism…

[C]hildren with autism who were fed soy formula had 2.6 times as many febrile seizures as the children fed non-soy formula in the database… [T]hat increase is worrying, [Cara] Westmark says. ‘The prevalence of autism is increasing and currently affects one American child in 88. Soy is a widespread ingredient in many food products and 25 percent of infant formulas are soy based, so this is something that needs to be studied. If the child is lactose intolerant, there are alternatives that a pediatrician can recommend.'”

Parents Beware: Infant Soy Formula Can Cause Severe Harm

This certainly isn’t the first time infant soy formula has been linked to health risks. It’s often touted as an ideal alternative for colicky babies or those who are unable to tolerate milk based formulas, but evidence actually suggests that soy formula may be one of the absolute most dangerous foods you can give your child, whether he or she is autistic or not. For starters, it’s been estimated that infants who are fed soy formula take in three to five birth control pills’ worth of estrogen every day, depending upon the particular batch of formula and whether your baby is a big eater. As a result of such astronomical amounts of this female sex hormone, infants who are fed soy formula have an increased risk of:

Food allergies	Thyroid disorders
Behavioral problems	Early puberty and fertility problems
Asthma	Cancer

 

Infants who are fed soy formula are also at increased risk for developing behavioral problems due to the phytates found in soy, which block the absorption of essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, all which are crucial to the proper brain and emotional development. Phytates also cause poor bone development. Besides that, soy infant formula also contains another dangerous element: manganese. While manganese is an essential nutrient found in soil and ground water, it becomes highly toxic when consumed in excess, and can adversely affect your child’s intelligence if consumed during the stage of early brain development. Last but certainly not least, the vast majority of soy grown in the US is genetically engineered soy, which has its own health risks over and above those associated with Roundup.

Other Environmental Factors That Likely Contribute to Autism

Besides overexposure to the environmental toxins already mentioned, I believe there’s a variety of other important factors that also contribute to the rise in autism spectrum disorder, including but not limited to the following. The countless possible combinations of these and other factors could help explain why there’s such a wide spectrum of autistic behavior:

• Gut dysbiosis, especially in combination with vaccines and their additives like mercury (thimerosal), aluminum, and others, which are known to damage your mitochondria—the powerhouses in your body’s cells that produce energy. Your gastrointestinal system is often referred to as your “second brain,” containing some 100 million neurons—more than in either your spinal cord or your peripheral nervous system. Research by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride shows that children born with severely damaged gut flora are at a significantly increased risk of vaccine damage, which may help explain why some children develop symptoms of autism after receiving one or more childhood vaccinations while others do not.
• Vitamin D deficiency. The link between vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and the proportionate jump in autism has been highlighted by Dr. John Cannell. Vitamin D receptors appear in a wide variety of brain tissue early in the fetal development, and activated vitamin D receptors increase nerve growth in your brain. I believe vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is a MAJOR contributing factor to autism, especially when you consider that vitamin D also helps in thedetoxification of mercury. Without sufficient amounts of vitamin D, any subsequent toxic assaults—regardless of the source—will be further magnified
• Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from cell phones, cell towers, Wi-Fi devices, which can trap heavy metals inside of nerve cells, accelerate heavy metal toxicity, and hinder natural detoxification processes
• Microbial toxins, such as mold. Children with autism not only have overwhelmed detoxification pathways and often heavy metal toxicity, but, according to Dr. Klinghardt, their bodies are also frequently beset by toxic microbes

How to Limit Your Chemical Exposure

There’s no doubt that most people are being exposed to too many toxic chemicals. The results are plain for all to see, as brain disorders in both the very young and the elderly are skyrocketing; not to mention that people of all ages are increasingly ravaged by chronic diseases of all kinds as well. If you want to protect your own health, and the health of your family, I believe you simplymust become more vigilant about the chemicals you come into contact with on a daily basis, and this certainly includes the foods you eat.

Organically-grown, biodynamic whole foods are really the key to success here, and, as an added bonus, when you eat right, you’re also optimizing your body’s natural detoxification system, which can help eliminate toxins your body encounters from other sources. Here are a dozen recommendations that will help limit your family’s toxic exposure. Please remember that all of these become even more important if you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, since your toxic load will be transferred on to your child.

1. As much as possible, buy and eat organic produce and free-range, organic foods to reduce your exposure to agricultural chemicals. Eat mostly raw, fresh foods, steering clear of processed, prepackaged foods of all kinds. This way, you automatically avoid artificial food additives, including dangerous artificial sweeteners, food coloring, and MSG.
2. Rather than eating conventional or farm-raised fish, which are often heavily contaminated with PCBs and mercury, supplement with a high-quality purified krill oil, or eat fish that is wild-caught and lab tested for purity.
3. Store your food and beverages in glass rather than plastic, and avoid using plastic wrap and canned foods (which are often lined with BPA-containing liners).
4. Have your tap water tested and, if contaminants are found, install an appropriate water filter on all your faucets (even those in your shower or bath).
5. Only use natural cleaning products in your home.
6. Switch over to natural brands of toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants, and cosmetics. The Environmental Working Group has a great database20 to help you find personal care products that are free of phthalates and other potentially dangerous chemicals. I also offer one of the highest quality organic skin care lines, shampoo and conditioner, and body butter that are completely natural and safe.
7. Avoid using artificial air fresheners, dryer sheets, fabric softeners, or other synthetic fragrances.
8. Replace your non-stick pots and pans with ceramic or glass cookware.
9. When redoing your home, look for “green,” toxin-free alternatives in lieu of regular paint and vinyl floor coverings.
10. Replace your vinyl shower curtain with one made of fabric, or install a glass shower door. Most all flexible plastics, like shower curtains, contain dangerous plasticizers like phthalates.
11. Limit your use of drugs (prescription and over-the-counter) as much as possible. Drugs are chemicals too, and they will leave residues and accumulate in your body over time.
12. Avoid spraying pesticides around your home or insect repellants that contain DEET on your body. There are safe, effective, and natural alternatives out there.

My book “Dentistry and how it’s damaging your health” is available here for only $2.99