All of
these products can be replaced with safer, simpler items available in health food
stores; they will be equally effective without harming your health. The laundry room is another toxic site. Detergents, bleach, spot removers and
fabric softeners all contain chemicals that are toxic to you and to the environment. Manufacturers have lulled us into complacency with the term “biodegradabledetergents.” This fact has little to do with the eventual health and environmental
impact of these synthetic chemicals. Biodegradable means only that at some point
the detergent will lose its foaming properties. Purchase unscented products. Detergents can be replaced with soap-based products, while bleach can be replaced
with safer sodium percarbonate or hydrogen peroxide. Furniture anywhere in the house, but especially in bedrooms, can present
significant risks. Today, furniture often is made with toxic synthetic materials
(polyester, polyurethane, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride), which off-gas toxic
vapors; likewise, some types of furniture are made of particle-board (which, as
already mentioned, will off-gas formaldehyde) and then covered with a wood or
plastic veneer. Alarmingly, most children’s furniture is made with toxic par-
ticleboard! One study showed that introducing particleboard furniture into an empty
house tripled the formaldehyde levels in the air. This problem can be particularly
acute in mobile homes, where 
everything 
may be made from particleboard. Buy
furniture made from natural materials, such as solid wood or metal furniture; if this
option is too expensive, consider used furniture made of these materials. Even the clothes you wear can be toxic. Have you ever gone into a clothing store
and noticed the chemical-laden atmosphere? Most clothes today contain or are made
of toxic synthetic fibers (such as nylon, polyester, acrylics and spandex), which will
affect you adversely as you wear them and also contribute to toxic indoor air. Clothes are often treated with dyes, formaldehyde finishes (permanent press), and
mothproofing pesticides. Dry cleaning clothing brings toxins into your household
and close to your body; clothes that have been dry-cleaned should always be aired
out before they are put into a closet or worn. Laundry detergents and fabric softeners
can also be problematic; in fact, many people are quite sensitive to detergent
residues. Have you ever walked down the detergent aisle at the grocery store and had
your eyes, nose or throat feel irritated? Toxins in those boxes are off-gassing. When
washing your clothes, use environmentally friendly and unscented laundry products
available in health food stores. Do not use scented fabric softeners. These products
might make your clothes smell “fresh and clean,” but that smell is toxic. Buy clothes
made of natural materials, such as wool and cotton, and use natural cleaning
products. After you have taken steps to reduce or eliminate products that are toxic, 
make
sure to also 
keep your home or office well ventilated. Modern homes and office
buildings are built a lot “tighter” than older construction to save on energy costs. While reducing energy waste is a good thing, reducing air circulation allows
pollutants to accumulate to higher concentrations. For this reason, high-quality air
filters (that will filter out both particulate matter and gaseous hydrocarbons) can be
helpful. Use them in rooms where you spend a great deal of time, such as your office
or bedroom.Obvious as it sounds, the most important thing you can do to keep your indoor air
clean is to stop introducing pollutants in the first place. Before you purchase
something new, consider if that product might contribute to your indoor pollution. As mentioned earlier, after you buy something, give it a chance to off-gas before you
put it in your living environment. When I purchase a new television or computer
monitor, I put it in the garage, turn it on and leave it there until I can no longer
detect an odor. Hang your dry-cleaning outdoors or in a well-ventilated area until
you can no longer detect an odor. Do not use products that have powerful chemical
odors, such as mothballs or air fresheners. Use heat or sunshine to help expedite the
off-gassing process, whenever possible. Health and Beauty Products That Fail
Your skin provides enormous protection from microorganisms, such as germs, but
skin also is designed to be permeable, allowing certain molecules in and out, which
is good news when the skin allows antioxidants in to protect against the sun and
allows toxins out through the sweat and oil glands. However, easy access also allows
environmental toxins to penetrate. Personal care products are the largest source of toxic absorption through the skin
and mucus membranes. One study found that 13 percent of the commonly used
cosmetic preservative BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) is absorbed by your skin. Chemicals found in everyday personal products such as perfume, cologne, shaving
cream, skin lotions, aftershave, toothpaste, soaps, shampoos, deodorants, nail polish,
all types of household cleansers and so forth, can be absorbed quickly and produce
effects that are toxic or even carcinogenic, especially when these toxic substances
are combined. When I was suffering from severe chemical sensitivities, I found, much to my
surprise, that the brands of toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant and skin lotion that I was
using were all quite toxic. Products such as lotions, conditioners and makeup,
especially when left on the skin for long periods of time, expose you to significant
amounts of toxins, which can bioaccumulate, poison your cells and cause disease. Most common products sold to preserve and protect the skin in fact actually contain
chemicals capable of damaging the skin. Virtually all commonly available cosmetic and personal care products contain
ingredients (such as preservatives and colors) that are known to present problems. Many preservatives contain or release formaldehyde, a known toxin and carcinogen. Various parabens (a specific class of preservatives) have been shown to damage
deep layers of the skin worse than severe sunburn, which causes the skin to age
prematurely and even can cause cancer. Artificial colors have been shown to be
carcinogenic, not only when ingested but also when applied to the skin. Yet peoplevoluntarily put these personal care products on their skin daily, unaware that these
products contain toxic and potentially carcinogenic ingredients. By using products
such as sunscreen and lotion, people are putting cancer-causing chemicals on their
skin, then wondering why they developed skin cancer or why their skin is aging so
fast. Choosing safe personal care and cosmetic products means reading labels carefully
and learning about the health consequences of ingredients. Effective products are on
the market that are high in quality and safety. The overwhelming majority, however,
contain a variety of toxins that should be avoided. Some of the common toxins to
look for and avoid include artificial fragrances, colors and flavors, formaldehyde,
phenol, trichlorethylene, BHT/BHA, EDTA, cresol, detergents, glycols, parabens,
sodium lauryl sulfate and nitrates/ nitrosamines. Perfumes and other fragrances also cause problems. Traditionally, these products
were made from flowers and herbs. But since World War II, most fragrances and
perfumes have been made from synthetic petrochemicals, many of which are
officially designated as hazardous materials. In fact, about 95 percent are synthetic,
and more than 80 percent of the ingredients used in fragrances have never been
tested for human safety. When they have been tested, many are found to be neuro-
toxic and even carcinogenic. (Meanwhile, because of “trade secrets,” manufacturers
are not required to list any of these toxic ingredients on their product labels.) Worse,
these fragrances are not just in perfumes, but in everything from kitty litter to
shampoos, soaps, lotions, shaving creams, household cleaners, laundry detergents
and numerous other products. Fragrances now pollute our homes, schools,
workplaces, stores, churches and other public places. People who regularly use
synthetic perfumes are putting a heavy toxic burden on their bodies. The solution is
to use essential oils made from natural ingredients such as flowers and herbs, if
tolerable, and to avoid household and personal products made with synthetic
fragrances. I have spent years researching the toxic effects of chemicals used to make
products that people consume on a daily basis. I discovered that regular toothpaste,
for example, contains numerous toxins, such as fluoride, artificial colors, flavors,
sweeteners and synthetic detergents, all of which can bioaccumulate in the body and
lead to toxic overload. Toothpaste is especially important because the mucous
membranes in your mouth are very permeable, so if you expose yourself to toxic
toothpaste several times a day, you subject yourself to a lot of toxins. I eventually
selected a toothpaste for my personal use that was both safe and effective (see
appendix C), but it took eighteen months of research to find it. Toxic chemicals, used for detergent and foam-generating properties, are present in
most toothpastes, as well as in many other personal care and household products. When these toxins— sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium cetyl sulfate and sodium laurethsulfate—are placed on the surface of the body, they can cause eye irritations, skin
rashes, hair loss, scalp flaking similar to dandruff and allergic reactions. These
chemicals are known to be irritating to the skin and are used to irritate the skin in
laboratory experiments! Think about what happens when your highly sensitive gum
tissue comes into contact with a known irritant, like sodium lauryl sulfate, in your
toothpaste. Could this factor be contributing to our epidemic of gum disease? These man-made detergents pass through the skin and mucous membranes and
bioaccumulate in fatty tissue—eye tissue, for example. Is there a possible
connection between the sodium lauryl sulfate found in toothpaste and our epidemic
of macular degeneration—a disease in which cells in the central part of the retina
degenerate, and the leading cause of blindness in people over age fifty-five? The focus of manufacturers is always on marketability, so they often try to
disguise these synthetic and toxic ingredients by making them seem “natural.”
Labels will often state something like, “sodium lauryl sulfate—derived from
coconut.” Regardless of derivation they are toxic and can accumulate easily in your
tissues to levels that cause cellular malfunction and disease. People choose antibacterial soaps thinking they will protect them from germs, but
the germicide in the soap goes right through the skin and bioaccumulates in tissue. In fact, these toxic chemicals, designed to kill cells, are now showing up in alarming
amounts in human breast milk, and infants are much more susceptible to toxins. As
always, the solution is to choose safe, natural products, usually available at health
food and specialty stores. There are high-quality, certified organic, hair and skin
care products available and I recommend you use them. (See appendix C for my
personal choices.) Toxic Cleaning Products
The home can be a toxic place already—do not make it more so with toxic
cleaning products, solvents and workplace chemicals. Household cleaning products
rank among the most toxic everyday substances to which people are exposed. Unfortunately, the manufacturer of household products is seldom the best source of
accurate information about safety. As a practical matter, do not let any chemical
come in contact with your skin unless you know it is safe. Most commercial brands
are not safe, although safe household products are available at health food and
specialty stores. (See appendix C for my choices.) Some especially toxic household cleaners include ammonia, chlorine bleach,
aerosol propellants, detergents, petroleum distillates and toluene. Many of these
substances not only harm the skin; they also give off toxic fumes that affect the
person using the product and everyone else in the household. If you cannot avoid
toxic household products, at least use them sparingly and in well-ventilated areas.Symptoms from “the flu” to headaches have been associated with products we use
to clean our furniture, bathrooms and clothes, as well as air fresheners to keep our
bathrooms smelling pleasant. Debra Lynn Dadd, in 
Nontoxic and Natural, 
wrote
about a fifteen-year study of housewives in Oregon. Women who stayed home all day
had a 54 percent higher death rate from cancer than women who worked away from
home. The study concluded that the higher rate likely was a consequence of exposure
to the chemicals in household products. Dadd’s book, along with many others,
contains formulas for making your own environmentally safe household products. A Prescription for Toxic Overload
Often, toxic exposure comes from medical and dental offices, from the very
professions that you expect would keep you healthy. Whether it is antibiotics in your
food, the drug in your inhaler, steroids on your skin, mercury in your mouth,
medicines in your stomach or fluoride in your water, the medical and dental
industries are significant sources of toxins. In fact, 
medical journals acknowledge
that prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death in America (after heart
disease and cancer). As you recall, prescription and over-the-counter drugs “work” by interfering with
normal chemical processes in cells. They are designed to suppress symptoms, but do
not cure disease. In fact, by interfering with normal cell function, prescription drugs
can cause cellular malfunction, which is the same as causing disease. Decisions
about which procedures and medicines to choose should be based on knowledge of
the toxicity involved. Every molecule you put into your body is going to have an
effect, for better or worse. Almost always, prescription and over-the-counter drugs
are for the worse. Furthermore, physicians label many of today’s chronic diseases as being of
“unknown etiology,” a fancy way of saying “we are clueless about the cause.”
Actually, many new disease conditions can be traced back (either directly or
indirectly) to environmental toxins that bioaccumulate in tissues, contribute to toxic
overload, disrupt cell chemistry and cause disease. The Toxic Truths Inside Your Body
Although we are accustomed to thinking about toxins in the outside world, often
we forget about the powerful toxins produced within our bodies. The body must
eliminate internal toxins to stay healthy. Under normal, healthy conditions, the body is designed to control those toxins and
protect us against harm. Under other circumstances, however, the toxins producedinternally can be a serious problem, worse than anything from the outside world. When these internal toxins are produced excessively or cannot be properly
detoxified, they build up in the body and cause disease. In almost any chronically ill
person, internally generated toxins play a major role. When toxins are generated in the digestive system (intestinal toxemia), they enter
our bloodstream, and if these toxins are present in excess of the liver’s ability to
detoxify them, they damage cells all over the body. Intestinal toxemia has been
associated with AIDS, allergies, asthma, cancer, cardiac arrhythmias, arthritis, eye
problems, high blood pressure, mental problems, headaches, various gastrointestinal
conditions, senility, skin problems and other diseases. In my own disease process,
the internal toxins I was producing were, indeed, a major contributor to my own
physical and mental debilitation. Intestinal toxemia was the “mysterious” ailment plaguing Michael, who had just
completed his junior year at Harvard and had gone off to Europe for the summer
with friends. As he was traveling around, he began to feel ill, dizzy and fatigued. He
went to see a physician in London who prescribed a drug that did not help. Michael
saw other physicians in Germany and Switzerland, but he finally returned home—
too sick to remain abroad. A strapping twenty-one-year-old college student should be at the peak of health. Instead, Michael was suffering from debilitating fatigue, he was lightheaded and
dizzy, and he had visual disturbances, not to mention various aches and pains. After
many thousands of dollars worth of testing (including a brain scan to check for a
brain tumor), Michael’s physicians were at a loss to explain his condition and
referred him to a psychiatrist. Desperately concerned for her son’s future and furious
with a medical system that was obviously not working, Michael’s mother looked for
other options; at that point, she called me. As with any sick person, I knew exactly what was wrong with Michael: his cells
were malfunctioning because of a combination of deficiency and toxicity. The
question, as always: How to restore his cells to healthy function? I used the six
pathways as a guide and eventually discovered that digestive toxins—a critical
aspect of the toxin pathway—were the source of Michael’s problems. Digestive toxins are produced in a couple of ways, notably by an abnormal growth
of bacteria or yeast in the intestines and by improperly digested food, which
putrefies in the digestive system. Intestinal toxemia creates highly poisonous toxins
as well as nutritional deficiency. When bad bacteria and yeasts overgrow, they
displace the friendly bacteria necessary for producing nutrients such as the B-
complex vitamins, vitamin B
12 
and vitamin K. Friendly bacteria also help to obtain
the nutrients we need from the food we eat. Intestinal toxemia causes deficiency and
toxicity in most of us, to some degree, because of damage from antibiotics. Michael had acne as a teenager. His dermatologist had prescribed an antibiotic(tetracycline), and Michael had taken this drug every day for years. Antibiotics were
developed to kill bacteria. The problem is that helpful bacteria in your intestines
(normal intestinal flora) are needed for good health. Years of taking antibiotics
destroyed these helpful bacteria in Michael’s digestive system. (Even one course of
antibiotics can have this effect.) This situation allowed the overgrowth of abnormal
intestinal flora and a yeast called 
Candida albicans. A yeast infection can produce toxic chemicals that absorb into the bloodstream;
also, yeast can physically invade and damage the intestinal tissue in a way that
allows other inappropriate materials (undigested food particles, toxic wastes and
yeast byproducts) to pass directly into the bloodstream. This condition floods the
body with dangerous toxins and allergens, causing food allergies and disrupting the
immune system. Some of these toxins are neurotoxic (causing damage to the brain
and the nervous system) and may produce symptoms such as fatigue, headaches,
apathy, depression, anxiety, mood swings and memory lapses. Intestinal yeast
infections also impair the absorption of nutrients, which is a separate but equally
serious problem. Disrupting the normal ecology of the gut also invites infection by
parasites, which further disrupt gut tissue. In Michael’s case, I suspected problems with internally generated digestive
toxins, but to know for certain one must measure. I suggested to Michael that he ask
his physician to be tested for candida. (Convincing the physician to do the candida
test was not easy. Physicians do not generally look for such infections, and his
mother had to put considerable pressure on the doctor.) The test did show that
Michael had a candida infection, which he was able to get rid of through natural
methods such as taking high-quality probiotics and grapefruit seed extract and by
reducing dietary sugar (which was “feeding” the yeast problem). Michael, who had
been completely disabled by his disease throughout the summer, was able to go back
to Harvard in the fall, complete his senior year and graduate. Problems such as Michael’s are common in America because of the excessive
antibiotics that our physicians prescribe. While the use of antibiotics is prudent and
necessary in very select cases, for the most part antibiotics unnecessarily damage the
digestive system and contribute to intestinal toxemia. This toxemia often subjects us
to far more toxicity than the original “germ” that the antibiotic was supposed to kill. Unfortunately, almost everybody in America has taken antibiotics at some point;
these drugs are a major cause of health problems, including fatigue and allergies. Intestinal toxemia can be provoked in other ways, by medical drugs such as non-
steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, including aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen,
ketoprofin, etc.) and oral steroids (cortisone pills, birth control pills, etc.). Maldigestion of food (exacerbated by medical drugs or not) produces toxins
inside your body. A mostly cooked and processed food diet lacking critical enzymes
is a common contributor, as is poor chewing of food. Low-fiber diets are alsoproblematic. Whatever the cause, undigested food can rot and poison you while still
inside you. Carbohydrates ferment, fats turn rancid and proteins putrefy. The most
common symptoms are bloating, constipation, gas, halitosis, heartburn, eye
problems, neurological problems and headaches. Keep protein consumption moderate; diets high in protein, especially cooked meat
and pasteurized dairy, overload our digestive systems. We need only 35 to 40 grams
of protein per day (more for athletes or those with large body frames), but
Americans eat an average of 90 grams of gut-putrefying protein per day. A one-
pound slab of roast beef contains more than 100 grams of protein. Large quantities
of cooked and denatured proteins, which are harder to digest, can cause an
overgrowth of a type of putrefactive bacteria that thrive when food is rotting in the
gut. These bacteria produce toxic chemicals such as indole, skatole, phenol and
hydrogen sulfide. In addition, these putrefactive bacteria displace friendly bacteria,
which are essential to good digestion and health, and the result is intestinal toxemia. To prevent or eliminate the problems associated with intestinal toxemia:
• Avoid the use of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and steroids (including birth
control pills). • Avoid excessive amounts of protein. • Minimize or eliminate processed foods. Eat the right kinds of fats. • Avoid sugar, white flour, coffee, excessive alcohol and fried foods. These
substances are hard on the digestive system. • Adhere to proper food combining and chewing; the digestion process must
begin in the mouth and in the stomach for the intestines to function properly. Do you suffer from indigestion, bloating, gas, cramping, loose stools, constipation
or gastrointestinal reflux? Any of these can indicate intestinal toxemia and should be
addressed before they lead to serious disease. You can also consider other strategies if you are suffering from symptoms of poor
digestion: fasting, exercising, drinking large amounts of water, and taking high-
quality supplements, including probiotics, digestive enzymes, and vitamins and
minerals. All of these help to detoxify, repair and rebuild healthy tissue—in
particular by helping to create an environment in the digestive system conducive to
the growth and maintenance of friendly bacteria. Allergies Should Signal Alarm
Allergies are a common source of internally generated toxins. Every allergic
reaction produces metabolic debris that has a toxic effect. We tend to think of
allergies as “normal,” a benign inconvenience, because so many people have them. Not so. Healthy people do not have allergies. Allergies are an abnormal immuneresponse to foods and substances in your environment. Most food allergies are the
result of an abnormally functioning digestive system, as already mentioned, whereby
undigested food molecules are allowed to enter the bloodstream though damaged gut
tissue. The immune system recognizes these food particles as foreign, and you have
an immune response called an allergy. The body remembers this response; every
time you eat the offending food, an allergic reaction—and the toxins created by that
reaction— is produced. When an offending substance, called an allergen, reacts with an antibody
produced by the immune system, large amounts of allergen/antibody (immune)
complexes can be formed. If immune complexes are formed in greater quantities
than the body can handle, they can be deposited in tissues (such as brain arteries,
brain membranes, small blood vessels, the liver, the uterus, the lungs and the
kidneys), where they are capable of clogging blood vessels and joints and are known
to release chemicals that cause a cascade of health-damaging reactions. Through this
mechanism, immune complexes may be responsible for up to 90 percent of all
kidney disease. Allergies are an indication of systemic illness and should be considered a serious
immune dysfunction disease. If you are allergic (and most Americans have allergies
and intolerances, although they may be unaware of it), determine the substances you
react to and avoid them. More importantly, strengthen your immune system, through
diet and supplements, so these reactions will not occur in the first place; optimize
your body’s ability to detoxify so that you can minimize damage caused by the
allergic reactions you do suffer. Stress Poisons in Many Ways
Stress can be loosely defined as any demand we place upon the body; the body’s
reaction to these demands causes us to “feel stressed.” Everybody knows that stress
is hard on us, but few people understand why, on a physical level. Chronic stress
literally poisons you. The body’s response to stress—often called the “fight-or-flight response”—refers
to feelings of anger or fear that generate the release of chemicals in your body,
designed to give you more strength in an emergency. In an emergency situation that passes quickly—for example, you rush to catch
someone who is falling—the body is able to detoxify the stress chemicals that are
produced. However, when stress is chronic, and we constantly live our lives in
stressful ways, these chemicals build up and inflict damage to our cells. Common
stress symptoms include muscle wasting, fatigue, osteoporosis, high blood pressure,
fragile blood vessels, suppressed immunity, impaired mental function and a host of
other problems. What stress is, how it affects you (physically and psychologically)and what you can do about it will be explored more in chapter 7, which explores the
psychological pathway. As we have discussed, the cells in your body naturally produce toxic byproducts
that a healthy body is designed to handle. If the body becomes overloaded with
toxins, for whatever reason, even normal metabolic toxins can add to the total toxic
load and damage cells. Chronic, internally generated stress chemicals can often
move us into toxic overload. Illnesses also stress us with massive amounts of internally generated toxins,
which is why we must choose health in the first place. When symptoms of illness do
manifest, cells are malfunctioning and the body is struggling desperately to make
itself well again. Under these extra stress loads, to minimize the damage done,
taking steps to optimize cellular function becomes even more important. Your Primary Toxic Defense: The Liver
Various organs in the body—kidneys, bowels, lungs, lymph system and the skin—
are designed to eliminate metabolic waste. Fiber helps “carry out the garbage” in the
digestive system, and exercise helps us detoxify via sweating and movement of the
lymphatic system. Water promotes detoxification through the kidneys and sweat
glands, and saunas assist in removal of both water and oil-soluble toxins. At any given time, about 25 percent of all the blood in your body is in your liver,
awaiting detoxification. This process begins with a sophisticated filtering system
that captures and digests foreign debris. Next, enzymes, produced by the liver,
deactivate and eliminate toxins. If these enzymes are interfered with—either
deactivated by environmental toxins such as lead and mercury or never
manufactured in the first place because of nutrient deficiency—toxic overload is
certain to result. Liver enzyme detoxification has two phases: In phase one, the liver
produces enzymes that take harmful toxins such as alcohol, pesticides, herbicides
and prescription drugs, and oxidizes them (burns them) in preparation for removal
from the body. This process creates potentially harmful free radicals that must be
neutralized with dietary antioxidant nutrients. In phase two, more enzymes are used
to combine the oxidized chemicals from phase one with other molecules, which then
can be excreted harmlessly in the bile or urine. In both phases, the food we eat
supplies the raw materials needed to produce all of these enzymes and other
chemicals that are required. These elegant detoxification systems depend on a
constant supply of nutrients, which we must obtain from our diet, but we frequently
do not. Help your liver’s phase-one detoxification process with antioxidant nutrients:
vitamins C, E and A, along with coenzyme Q10, carotenoids, bioflavonoids,
selenium, manganese, copper and zinc. Some of these nutrients neutralize freeradicals directly; others activate enzymes that neutralize them. Red, yellow and
green vegetables are loaded with these antioxidant nutrients. Assist your liver’s
phase-two detoxification with cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli,
cauliflower, green onions, kale and brussels sprouts. These vegetables enable the
liver to eliminate powerful carcinogens, helping to protect us against cancer. These
dietary suggestions, combined with high-quality supplements, can keep your liver’s
toxic defenses at peak function. Much of our body is made of water; the kidneys need it to excrete water-soluble
toxins. Water constantly moves throughout your body and must be changed
frequently to keep it pure. A minimum of eight glasses of pure water should be
consumed every day, and more is better. Your water supply must be pure so as not to
add to your toxic load. Water should be consumed as water, not as beverages such as
coffee, tea or alcohol (these substances may cause the body to lose water). Water is a
simple choice, often overlooked. Dehydration is a common problem, especially
among our elderly population. A toxic lifestyle is often created unwittingly. We fail to appreciate that many
small toxic exposures over time, to a wide variety of toxins, lead to an accumulation,
causing our cells to malfunction. Even small amounts of toxins can perform amazing
feats of chemistry by inhibiting hormones, deactivating enzymes, compromising our
detoxification systems and using up precious nutrients. Toxicity is seldom
recognized as a primary cause of our health problems. The toxic invaders in our
lives—whether they are brought into our homes or they are created in our own
bodies—are also not easily detected by typical “radar.” The toxins that harm us
seldom are labeled hazardous, and they are difficult to identify. Once we understand the role toxins play in cellular malfunction, we can
understand the importance of minimizing toxic exposure and maximizing the body’s
ability to detoxify. In order to protect yourself and your family, you must learn how
to spot these silent and hidden dangers, and how to keep your defenses strong in
order to avoid toxic overload. Never before has the human body been faced with
such challenges of personal and global pollution. To respond to these challenges and
to move yourself in the right direction on the toxin pathway, learn to make the daily
choices that will reduce your toxic exposure and support your detoxification
systems.7
T 
HE
 P
SYCHOLOGIAC 
P
ATHWAY
“The simple truth is, happy people generally don’t get sick. One’s attitude toward oneself is the single most important factor
in healing or staying well. Those who are at peace with
themselves and their immediate surroundings have far fewer
serious illnesses than those who are not.”
Bernie Siegel, M.D. Love, Medicine & Miracles
E
ven when nutrients are scarce and toxins abundant, one’s potential for health is
nearly limitless, and it relies almost entirely on ourselves and the power of the mind. Thoughts and emotions have a tremendous effect on our cells and therefore our
health. What we put into our minds may be more important than what we put into
our bodies. The power of the mind is your best ally in choosing to get well and stay
well. You are what you think. “How can it be,” you might ask, “that the mind has so much control over the
body?” This question assumes that one is separate from the other; in fact, they are
inseparable. All the cells in our body contribute to what we call the mind, and what
goes on in our mind affects what happens in all our cells. Chemical reactions are produced throughout the body by our thoughts, emotions
and interactions with others. Fear makes us turn pale; embarrassment makes us
blush. Modern science has proven that these “thought chemicals” either can be
beneficial or detrimental to health. We can choose what we put into our minds, and
in doing so, we can choose between health and disease. This concept is sometimes difficult for people to embrace because thought
chemicals are abstract. Their effect, though, is reflected in Dr. Bernie Siegel’s 1986
book, 
Love, Medicine & Miracles
: “If I told patients to raise their blood levels of
immune globulins or killer T-cells, no one would know how. But if I can teach them
to love themselves and others fully, the same change happens automatically.”
Consider how thought chemicals can improve or damage health:
• A 1991 study in the 
New England Journal of Medicine 
found that stressful life
situations (such as losing a job, breaking off an engagement or simply feeling
overwhelmed by life’s problems) nearly doubles the risk of catching a cold. • A thirty-five-year study (1946–1981) of Harvard graduates showed that people
who had a pessimistic outlook on life suffered significantly more disease after
age forty-five than people with a positive outlook. • A 2001 study in 
Psychosomatic Medicine 
found that optimism protects against
heart disease. People who are pessimistic and blame themselves for everything
were much more likely to die of a heart attack than their optimistic
counterparts.• Dr. O. Carl Simonton, in his 1978 book, 
Getting Well Again, 
talks about how
visual imagery with positive mental images had a beneficial effect on patients
with advanced cancer. Simonton found that people who used their minds to heal
had double the survival rate of those who did not. • A study in a 2000 issue of 
Lancet 
concluded that women who experience
severe emotional stress during the first trimester of pregnancy are 80 percent
more likely to have a child with birth defects. Body, Heal Thyself
You must believe in your health if you are to maintain or regain health. You must
actively care for your health when you are well, and actively pursue wellness when
you are ill. When my own body was in progressive deterioration during the depths of my
illness, I began to realize that, for survival, I needed to employ my mind as well as
my body. I began to repeat a version of an old affirmation to myself, again and
again, a mantra of sorts: 
Every day, in every way, I get stronger and stronger and
better and better. At first, when I would say this to myself, my mind would fight back, saying
something like, 
Wow, are you a liar! You feel worse today than you did yesterday. I
realized that my positive mental affirmations were being negated by my own
thinking about my situation. I began to reply to my mind’s objections by saying, 
I
know I am worse today, but I am giving you an instruction. Once I became comfortable giving my body instructions, my own objections
began to disappear and my body began to respond. I would say my affirmation,
sometimes out loud, with passion and expectancy, many times daily, repeatedly,
until I could feel strength coming into my body as I said the words. After a few
weeks, my subconscious mind began to implement the instructions and intent of my
conscious mind. One day, after saying these affirmations, I felt the best that I had
felt since the onset of my illness. The feeling lasted only five or ten minutes, but the
fact that it happened proved that I was on the right path. Soon, the feelings of
strength came more often and lasted longer. Later in my studies, I learned of the
close connection between the mind and the immune system. My badly damaged
immune system was responding! These affirmations had a profound effect on me. I began to understand that health
and disease can be the reactions of the subconscious mind to the thoughts of the
conscious mind; the subconscious takes orders from the conscious mind and
implements them. Minds do what they are programmed to do, even though much of
that programming is unintended. I began to realize my power to influence my health
simply by choosing the daily thoughts I was putting into my mind. By focusing onmy illness, I had been putting thoughts of disease into my mind, thereby creating
more disease. The mind is always working, so why not make it work for rather than
against you? Keep your images and suggestions as positive, simple, clear and
concise as possible. Then repeat them as often as possible. Allow the subconscious
to accept them as a command and implement them. Over the past sixteen years, of all of the people I have known with “incurable” and
“fatal” diseases, the thrivers and survivors have been those individuals who used the
power of their minds to heal their bodies consciously. Take the case of Karl, a
concert violinist who became paralyzed by a stroke. His physicians told him the
paralysis was permanent. Confined to a wheelchair, Karl was unwilling to accept
such a fate. He decided to use the power of his mind to establish new connections in
his brain. He started by focusing intensely on just one finger. He commanded it to
move, and eventually it did! Now a medical curiosity, in 2001 Karl was invited to
give a concert at an international medical conference where his doctor presented his
story. Brain scans show that Karl’s miraculous recovery resulted from using entirely
new areas of his brain and bypassing the damaged areas. Music critics claim he is
playing better than ever! How’s that for the power of the mind? Choosing to Stay Sick
In contrast to Karl, other people in my experience have failed to strengthen their
psychological pathway and lost the health benefits of positive efforts. Lisa was one. She had suffered from extreme chemical sensitivity for twelve years before coming
to me for help. I was confident I could help her, based on my own experiences. I
taught Lisa how to improve her health, mostly through dietary and vitamin
supplement suggestions, and she made some striking initial improvements. After a
few months, Lisa was living her life in ways that she had not been able to for many
years; she had started dating, going out dancing and even going on sailing trips. Lisa’s friends commented about how well she looked and her good progress. After
twelve years of sickness, Lisa seemed to be on a path to a more meaningful life. She
learned what was necessary to choose health and seemed to have developed the
psychological willingness to stick with it. One day, I received a frantic call from Lisa. Her disability caseworker had
contacted her and informed Lisa that it was time for an annual review. Lisa had been
receiving disability funds from social security and state welfare, and she was living
in subsidized housing. For many years, Lisa had been too sick to work and needed
this financial support. Now, her health having taken a dramatic turn for the better,
Lisa feared that her caseworker would notice the improvement and revoke financial
assistance. Lisa panicked. She had been unable to work for so many years that she had not a clue about howshe could support herself without those benefits. Perhaps her desire to get well
simply could not compete with her fear of losing support. Perhaps twelve years of
“sickness programming” deprived Lisa of the self-confidence she needed to thrive. Sadly, the last time I heard about her, Lisa had stopped applying what she had
learned about deficiency and toxicity, and her health had regressed. The potential to
get well (that is, her new diet, supplements and workout program) was lost because
she could not unlearn her programming to be dependent and disabled. Will You Care for Me If I Am Well? Unhealthy psychological programming derailed the health efforts of another client
named Ruth, who suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome. Although she followed
my recommendations regarding diet and nutritional supplements, she made only
modest improvement, and I realized that Ruth was going to be a tough case. I
suspected that she needed a great deal of assistance along her psychological
pathway. I learned that when Ruth was a small child, the only time her father paid attention
to her was when she was sick. Then, he would buy her toys, sit by her bed and read
her stories. Most other times, he either ignored her or related to her superficially. Subconsciously, Ruth learned, “If I want attention, I need to be sick.” No doubt she
did not intend this, but her behavior was programmed nevertheless. Years later,
when her marriage was falling apart and her husband was giving his attention to
someone else, Ruth’s programmed response was to get sick—this time in order to
regain the attention and affection of her husband. In the long run, of course, this kind
of behavioral pattern inevitably fails; Ruth’s husband eventually divorced her,
leaving her alone and sick. For Lisa and Ruth, certain “rewards” for being sick superseded their desires to get
well or stay well. This way of life is not uncommon; people often have
psychological reasons to get sick or stay sick—usually not on a conscious level. People often learn hopelessness instead of hopefulness. If you are sick, be sure to ask yourself, 
What is my reward for being sick? Am I
willing to give up my reward? Do I truly want to be well? These questions can be
followed with affirmations or mantras, such as 
I am well. I am getting better,
healthier and stronger every day. Reprogramming your mind-set or approach is the
key, whether you are talking about the thoughts you think or the foods you eat. Health is a choice, and the best chance to realize it comes from making your top
priority to get well and stay well. The Placebo EffectOne of the most familiar descriptions of the power of the mind over the body’s
responses is the placebo effect. This concept is based on research by Henry K.
Beecher, published in a 1955 paper, “The Powerful Placebo,” which concluded that
roughly one-third of people who receive medical treatment will show improvement
simply because they believe the treatment will work, regardless of how
pharmacologically effective the treatment is. People’s thoughts affect their health—
not exactly a news flash, but a scientific fact nevertheless. When the research was
published, Beecher’s paper made a huge impact on the scientific community, and
since then, thousands of published studies on the same topic demonstrate clearly that
what you think affects how your body functions. The term placebo refers to a substance, procedure or treatment that, when given to
a patient, produces a beneficial effect on the body that is not a direct result of the
placebo’s chemistry. Now, medical scientists use placebos to measure the
effectiveness of a certain treatment—often a medication— versus “no treatment” at
all. In a typical study, for instance, one group of patients is given a drug and another
group of patients, unknown to them, receive pills that contain essentially nothing—a
placebo. This approach and the results based on this approach, however, are misguided
because the placebo—by virtue of positive thinking—does have effects. Doctors and
scientists portray their disrespect for the patient’s power by thinking of the placebo
as something to be “factored out of the equation,” as an unwanted, or at best,
uninteresting effect. More medical support for this power could go a long way
toward helping all become and stay well. Scientific work with the placebo proves what we already know instinctively:
Beliefs, attitudes and patterns of behavior play a major role in health and disease. Our state of mind is as much a part of our lifestyle as our diet, amount of sleep or
exercise. Let us harness the principles of the placebo effect and use that power. In a
sincere, direct and informed manner, we can use it more profoundly. The Best Health Coverage
The support, encouragement and good bedside manner of a health practitioner (be
it a modern practitioner or an ancient witch doctor) can help a patient recover, even
if this “help” exists only through the “effect of the mind.”
Down through history, many or perhaps most of the successes of health-care
treatments have been and are due to behavioral and psychological factors. A 1993
study in 
Cardiology 
raised the possibility that a large share of the presumed benefits
of prescription drugs actually results from people believing they are being helped. New York Times 
columnist Margaret Talbot summed up this idea, noting that “the
truth is that the placebo effect is huge.” In studies of new drugs, she says, between35 and 75 percent of patients benefit from taking a dummy pill. This “placebo
effect,” she writes, “should probably be put to conscious use in clinical practice,
even if we do not entirely understand how it works.”
Talbot continues:
For centuries, Western medicine consisted of almost nothing but the placebo
effect. The patient who got better after a bleeding—or a dose of fox lung, wood
lice, tartar emetic or any of the other charming staples of the 19th-century
pharmacopoeia—got better either in spite of them or because of their symbolic
value. Such patients believed in the cure and in the authority of the bewigged
gentlemen administering it, and the belief gave them hope and the hope helped
make them well. There were exceptions—remedies, like quinine for malaria,
the vaccine for smallpox and morphine for pain relief, which actually worked. But generally speaking, if all the drugs of the day “could be sunk to the bottom
of the sea,” as Oliver Wendell Holmes observed in 1860, “it would be all the
better for mankind—and all the worse for the fishes.”
We need to use the principles of the placebo effect deliberately— without trying
to deceive the patient—to benefit health and performance. Imagine the potential
gains if modern health care included an educational and “coaching” dimension as
part of a more comprehensive approach to healing. This rarely happens. Modern
health care focuses almost exclusively on diagnosing and treating the physical body,
usually with drugs or surgery, and typically fails to consider the behavioral,
emotional, perceptual, learning, cognitive and spiritual factors that may be playing a
significant role in becoming sick or well. Believing that you “have” a disease and playing the role of a “sick person” is the
way to stay sick. By contrast, being healthy means believing that you are getting
well and staying well; it means “playing the role” of health. Every thought has a
physical effect on your cells. Negative thoughts, particularly about disease and
death, can literally kill you. An Infection of Negative Thoughts
Although we used to think of mind and body as entirely separate, the last twenty-
five years of scientific research have taught us a great deal about the dimensions of
mind and body and how, together, they establish body-wide communication
networks. Our bodies create chemical messengers (neuropep-tides, neurotransmitters
and hormones) that allow the body to communicate with itself, to self-regulate, to
adapt. Through these chemical messengers the cells know when and what to do. Cells throughout the body (not just in the brain) both create and are affected by these
chemical messengers. All cells are in constant contact with one another, whetherthey are brain cells, muscle cells, nerve cells or any other kind. Every thought and emotion triggers the release of chemical messengers
throughout the body; in other words, there is no such thing as “just a thought.” Every
thought has a physical consequence, for better or worse. Feelings of anger, apathy,
gloom and resentment weaken the immune system and damage health. Positive
thoughts of love, compassion, joy, humor and the like support good physical health. It takes some effort and discipline, especially on the bad days, to keep an open and
positive mindset, but the health benefits definitely make it worthwhile. The goal of
this chapter is to explain how psychology affects health at the cellular level and to
identify some of the most important psychological concepts, as well as some of the
most common (and self-destructive) mistakes. The goal is to help you improve your
psychological pathway—one of the major avenues between health and disease. Minds Need Reprogramming
Our minds are rather like computers: Whether intended or unintended, they do
what they have been programmed to do. A big part of using the psychological
pathway to stay healthy is the ability to recognize your current programming and to
learn new programs—new thoughts, attitudes and behavior patterns. As demonstrated by my clients Lisa and Ruth, some people find it hard to develop
the will to change old patterns. For these two women, habitual thinking and imagery
created their destiny. They were in reach of health, but let it go. Why? Not because
they lacked the necessary information, the problem most people face, but because
their strategies for achieving short-term security had been tried and proven, and
were too difficult to unlearn. Negative health programming can come from a visit to the doctor. Even the sight
of a physician can cause blood pressure to rise; the effect is called “white-coat
hypertension.” The stress resulting from the diagnosis of a grave disease can do
serious damage, precisely like voodoo or a witch’s hex. A 1991 study in the 
Medical
Journal of Australia 
concluded that negative suggestions from physicians and
caregivers were significant negative factors in cancer recovery. Deepak Chopra,
M.D., made a similar observation in his book, 
Creating Health: 
“I have frequently
observed that a rapid progression of symptoms and then death from cancer occurred
after 
the diagnosis of cancer was made. It is almost as if the patient was dying from
the diagnosis and not from the disease.”
Physicians must exercise great care not to create negative expectations. We need
support and reassurance from our physicians and caregivers. We need them to
believe in us and to help us through our processes of healing and recovery. Certainly,
we expect honesty from them, but we do not need discouraging remarks and
ominous statistics about our slim chances for survival (as I was told that nothingmore could be done for me, before I saved my own life). Regardless of what your health practitioner says or does, getting well and staying
well is your responsibility. Taking that responsibility actually helps make you
healthier. Unfortunately, most patients relinquish this responsibility to their doctor. They play a passive role of bystander or victim; they think of the health-care
provider as their problem solver. Patients’ positive attitudes toward their health or disease help to make them not
only informed but also empowered. Approaching health care with the belief that you,
as the patient, are in charge can vitalize your efforts. You ask more questions. You
feel more control over the outcome. As Bernie Siegel, M.D., reminds us in 
Love,
Medicine & Miracles, 
the patient must be the primary source of healing. “Exceptional patients,” he wrote, “refuse to be victims. They educate themselves and
become specialists in their own care. They question the doctor because they want to
understand their treatment and participate in it. They demand dignity, personhood,
and control, no matter what the course of disease.”
There is nothing wrong with going to the doctor—so long as you realize that your
health is your responsibility, not your doctor’s or anyone else’s. Because belief in
your own health makes a critical difference, you need to work with professionals
who acknowledge how essential this outlook is. You need caregivers to support you
in your efforts to participate, and who can assist you in educating yourself
productively, rather than hinder you, which is often the case. Often, psychological healing is thought to be unimportant to treatment in modern
health care, but the miracle is precisely the opposite. Unfortunately, modern
medicine overlooks the whole person. “Fixing” only the physical body, as if it were
a separate entity, is to overlook the complex weave of physiological, psychological
and spiritual dimensions that define human beings—including you, your tissues and
all of your cells. The standard approach is not good enough. Healthy Mind, Healthy Immune System
Negative behaviors, thoughts, emotions and stress can adversely affect the
functioning of your immune system; they can lower your resistance to infections and
make you more susceptible to bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms. Yet, you can exercise control. You can begin immediately, actively and consciously
to improve your ability to fight disease and maintain optimal health. Speaking about the psychological dimension of the immune system, David Felton,
M.D., professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the University School of Rochester,
said, “Now there’s overwhelming evidence that hormones and neurotransmitters can
influence the activities of the immune system and that products of the immune
system influence the brain.”In order to protect you from infections, your brain and your immune system must
be in constant dialogue. The brain sends information to the immune system by
producing certain types of chemical messengers (neuropeptides). That information is
delivered to immune cells through receptor sites on cell membranes. Rather like
plugging an electrical appliance into a wall outlet, chemical messengers from your
brain “plug in” to the receptor sites on the immune cells. This messaging process
happens on a very large scale, allowing the brain to deliver information to immune
cells throughout the body. Likewise, the body’s immune cells respond by creating
new chemical messengers, sending information back to the brain. This process
creates a constant link or feedback loop between the brain and the immune system. The role of the psychological pathway in immune system function is illustrated by
a study of twenty-six bereaved spouses. The study demonstrated that the pain and
stress of bereavement significantly depressed the effectiveness of the immune
system. In other studies, depressed immunity in students, determined by the number
and activity of T-cells, has been shown to result from the psychological stress of
taking exams. Psychologically depressed immunity can even lead to cancer. As far
back as the second-century A.D., the physician and philosopher Galen observed that
melancholy dispositions disposed women toward developing breast cancer. A 1998
study in the 
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 
came to the same conclusion. In that study, women who experienced long-term depression were almost 90 percent
more likely to develop cancer than their upbeat counterparts. The Jekyll and Hyde of Stress
Stress has an upside and a downside. Stress can induce positive emotions—
excitement, passion and positive arousal. Alternatively, stress can bring on negative
emotions such as fear, anxiety and anger. In both cases, the same body systems are
involved; both “good” excitement and “bad” fear can increase heart rate and blood
pressure. With different mental outlooks, however, different results occur. In a
positive mental outlook, health improves; with a negative mindset, cells are
damaged and health is impaired. Meeting the stressful challenges that appear in our
lives—the chance for a promotion at work, for instance—can help us to grow and
develop. When chronic and negative, however, stress damages our cells and impairs
our health. Any perceived threat, such as an attacking predator, a crazy driver or an urgent
deadline, causes your nervous system to stimulate both the pituitary and the adrenal
glands, releasing stress hormones such as adrenaline. These hormones provide a
“rush” necessary to prepare the body for sudden action—by increasing heart rate,
breathing rate, blood flow to the muscles, blood pressure and other vital functions. This stress reaction was historically important for survival—part of the “fight orflight” response, which enables us to enhance performance through an increase in
our physical and mental capacities for an immediate shift into “emergency mode.”
Production of these chemicals, however, was meant to be episodic; an emergency
would come, and it would pass. Unfortunately for many people, stress is now
chronic. People are working more and sleeping less, and the pace of daily living is
accelerating. When chronically mobilized, stress chemicals build up in our system
and damage our cells and tissues. Stress chemicals can lead to damaged immunity,
increased susceptibility to infectious disease, damaged blood vessels, maldigestion,
sleep disturbance, water retention, fat deposits, hypoglycemia, ulcers, anxiety, high
blood pressure, cardiac irregularities, lower pain threshold, lower sperm count,
reduced sexual performance, anxiety and depression. • According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),
stress is among the top-ten reasons Americans miss work. • The American Medical Association (AMA) has estimated that up to 70
percent of all patients seen by general-practice physicians show symptoms
directly related to stress. • Job stress can chronically raise blood pressure, and stress from lack of control
on the job can even increase the risk of heart disease (such as, for example, by
changing the parameters of blood clotting factors). • On a positive note, a 1997 study at Duke University showed that heart attack
victims who learned to manage their stress levels could reduce the risk of a
repeated heart attack by 74 percent. Unfortunately, many of us now spend much time during the day in emergency
mode as a result of all kinds of what should be nonemergency activities, such as
catching buses, driving cars, attending meetings and doing daily work. As a result,
we flood our systems with stress chemicals unnecessarily, and we do so on a chronic
basis. To minimize damage from chronic stress, we must find healthful ways to adapt. Adaptation is what stress management is all about. Our ability to adapt is part of
what has allowed humankind to survive so well in diverse environments. We must
learn how to choose and interpret today’s challenges in ways that convert potentially
dis-stressful situations to exciting, challenging ones, as well as learn productive
coping strategies when dis-stress is unavoidable. If you know of a certain person, situation or location that stresses you, choose to
avoid putting that stress on yourself by avoiding that person, situation or location. Do not put pressure (stress) on yourself when doing so will likely have no effect on
the outcome of a situation. You have the power to choose. If you are stuck in a
traffic jam, you can either stress out, or you can seize the opportunity to breathe
deeply and relax. Neither action makes the traffic move faster, but one approach
makes you healthier and the other makes you sicker. If you become visibly irritatedwhen standing in lines or following slow drivers, at those times you may want to
evaluate the degree to which you allow life’s little irritations to impact negatively on
your health and well-being. Many dis-stressful situations are impossible to avoid. In fact, we would not want
to avoid all of them. As Robert Ornstein, M.D., and David Sobel, Ph.D., explain in
their book 
The Healing Brain, 
“If we . . . tried to avoid [all] stressors no one would
ever marry, have children, take a job, get divorced, or invent anything at all.” “The
way we react to stress,” they say, “appears to be more important than the stress
itself. . . . [T]he onset and course of disease are strongly linked to a person’s ability
and willingness to cope with stress. . . . Helplessness is worse than stress itself.”
Many effective techniques exist for reducing the stress in our lives, including
counseling, prayer, meditation, therapy, exercise, yoga, self-hypnosis, keeping a
journal, social support and other alternatives. Find what works for you and
understand that your health is constantly affected by the way you respond to and
interpret the stressful situations in your life; your levels of dis-stress are determined
by your choices, not simply by the random happenings in your busy life. Love Leads the Way
The “good” emotions—love, compassion, spiritual awareness— have extremely
powerful implications for health, but they are often difficult to define, explain or
measure. These complex and nontangible concepts remain perhaps the most “real”
considerations in our lives. Understanding their power over health and disease is
critical to understanding and practicing effective health care. Strong social support—including family relationships, friendships, relationships
with health practitioners, romantic relationships, and relationships with spiritual
leaders and figures— is a critical component of health care. People are typically
healthier and recover from diseases more effectively when they have strong social
ties. Why? Perhaps people simply feel cared for and hopeful about their future. Or
perhaps the bonds that people form transcend our traditional scientific understanding
of health—even into realms of spirit and energy. However it works, people who
relate with others do help each other through adversities, allowing for greater health
and wellness than people who are isolated and alone. Although relationships cannot be put onto a slide and examined under a
microscope, many studies have cited the effects of relationships—or the lack of
relationships—on health and disease:
• People who are single, separated, divorced or widowed are more than twice as
likely to die than their married peers, and five to ten times more likely to be
hospitalized for mental disorders. • Social isolation is as big a risk factor for disease as smoking.• People with minimal social connections, such as those with few friends or
family and people who tend not to participate in their communities, are two to
five times more likely to die prematurely than those with more extensive social
ties. These differences are independent of age, sex, and ethnic or cultural
background. • Studies of medical students during stressful exam periods found that the
biggest drop in immunity occurred in students who reported being lonely. • When experimental subjects were injected with cold viruses, individuals with
fewer social ties were four to six times more likely to develop colds as those
who had more social ties. • The death rate among Russian men increased by nearly 40 percent following
the fall of communism, attributed to social instability. Love is a deep and vital part of ourselves and a critical aspect of the psychological
pathway. There is love for oneself, for other people, for pets, love in spiritual
practice and much more. True love, of course, is unconditional, existing for its own
sake because you choose it and want it in your life. Finding and feeling love, however, can be a challenge. Anger, frustration, fear,
jealousy, apathy—all can interfere with our ability to love ourselves and those dear
to us. Part of being able to love is being able to have compassion both for yourself
and for the people around you. Understanding the obstacles that you face in your life
makes it possible and easier to understand the obstacles others face. Within this
perspective, you can have compassion for anyone, even someone who mistreats you. Likewise, having compassion for yourself is not only possible but essential! Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail; facing life’s obstacles is challenging,
as we all know, but without compassion and love, obstacles may seem
insurmountable. If we do not fill our lives with love and compassion, then we make room for their
opposites, such as anger and hostility, which are incredibly harmful to our health and
happiness. As Redford Williams, M.D., author of the book 
Anger Kills, 
wrote:
“Getting angry is like taking a small dose of some slow-acting poison every day of
your life.” At the Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Duke University,
Williams has researched the effects of anger, particularly how stress chemicals
cause heart disease. He found that chemicals released by the body during periods of
anger and hostility damage the lining of arteries.
Never_Be_Sick_Again_by_Raymond_Francis.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        All of
these products can be replaced with safer, simpler items available in health food
stores; they will be equally effective without harming your health. The laundry room is another toxic site. Detergents, bleach, spot removers and
fabric softeners all contain chemicals that are toxic to you and to the environment. Manufacturers have lulled us into complacency with the term “biodegradabledetergents. ” This fact has little to do with the eventual health and environmental
impact of these synthetic chemicals. Biodegradable means only that at some point
the detergent will lose its foaming properties. Purchase unscented products. Detergents can be replaced with soap-based products, while bleach can be replaced
with safer sodium percarbonate or hydrogen peroxide. Furniture anywhere in the house, but especially in bedrooms, can present
significant risks. Today, furniture often is made with toxic synthetic materials
(polyester, polyurethane, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride), which off-gas toxic
vapors; likewise, some types of furniture are made of particle-board (which, as
already mentioned, will off-gas formaldehyde) and then covered with a wood or
plastic veneer. Alarmingly, most children’s furniture is made with toxic par-
ticleboard. One study showed that introducing particleboard furniture into an empty
house tripled the formaldehyde levels in the air. This problem can be particularly
acute in mobile homes, where 
everything 
may be made from particleboard. Buy
furniture made from natural materials, such as solid wood or metal furniture; if this
option is too expensive, consider used furniture made of these materials. Even the clothes you wear can be toxic. Have you ever gone into a clothing store
and noticed the chemical-laden atmosphere. Most clothes today contain or are made
of toxic synthetic fibers (such as nylon, polyester, acrylics and spandex), which will
affect you adversely as you wear them and also contribute to toxic indoor air. Clothes are often treated with dyes, formaldehyde finishes (permanent press), and
mothproofing pesticides. Dry cleaning clothing brings toxins into your household
and close to your body; clothes that have been dry-cleaned should always be aired
out before they are put into a closet or worn. Laundry detergents and fabric softeners
can also be problematic; in fact, many people are quite sensitive to detergent
residues. Have you ever walked down the detergent aisle at the grocery store and had
your eyes, nose or throat feel irritated. Toxins in those boxes are off-gassing. When
washing your clothes, use environmentally friendly and unscented laundry products
available in health food stores. Do not use scented fabric softeners. These products
might make your clothes smell “fresh and clean,” but that smell is toxic. Buy clothes
made of natural materials, such as wool and cotton, and use natural cleaning
products. After you have taken steps to reduce or eliminate products that are toxic, 
make
sure to also 
keep your home or office well ventilated. Modern homes and office
buildings are built a lot “tighter” than older construction to save on energy costs. While reducing energy waste is a good thing, reducing air circulation allows
pollutants to accumulate to higher concentrations. For this reason, high-quality air
filters (that will filter out both particulate matter and gaseous hydrocarbons) can be
helpful. Use them in rooms where you spend a great deal of time, such as your office
or bedroom. Obvious as it sounds, the most important thing you can do to keep your indoor air
clean is to stop introducing pollutants in the first place. Before you purchase
something new, consider if that product might contribute to your indoor pollution. As mentioned earlier, after you buy something, give it a chance to off-gas before you
put it in your living environment. When I purchase a new television or computer
monitor, I put it in the garage, turn it on and leave it there until I can no longer
detect an odor. Hang your dry-cleaning outdoors or in a well-ventilated area until
you can no longer detect an odor. Do not use products that have powerful chemical
odors, such as mothballs or air fresheners. Use heat or sunshine to help expedite the
off-gassing process, whenever possible. Health and Beauty Products That Fail
Your skin provides enormous protection from microorganisms, such as germs, but
skin also is designed to be permeable, allowing certain molecules in and out, which
is good news when the skin allows antioxidants in to protect against the sun and
allows toxins out through the sweat and oil glands. However, easy access also allows
environmental toxins to penetrate. Personal care products are the largest source of toxic absorption through the skin
and mucus membranes. One study found that 13 percent of the commonly used
cosmetic preservative BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) is absorbed by your skin. Chemicals found in everyday personal products such as perfume, cologne, shaving
cream, skin lotions, aftershave, toothpaste, soaps, shampoos, deodorants, nail polish,
all types of household cleansers and so forth, can be absorbed quickly and produce
effects that are toxic or even carcinogenic, especially when these toxic substances
are combined. When I was suffering from severe chemical sensitivities, I found, much to my
surprise, that the brands of toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant and skin lotion that I was
using were all quite toxic. Products such as lotions, conditioners and makeup,
especially when left on the skin for long periods of time, expose you to significant
amounts of toxins, which can bioaccumulate, poison your cells and cause disease. Most common products sold to preserve and protect the skin in fact actually contain
chemicals capable of damaging the skin. Virtually all commonly available cosmetic and personal care products contain
ingredients (such as preservatives and colors) that are known to present problems. Many preservatives contain or release formaldehyde, a known toxin and carcinogen. Various parabens (a specific class of preservatives) have been shown to damage
deep layers of the skin worse than severe sunburn, which causes the skin to age
prematurely and even can cause cancer. Artificial colors have been shown to be
carcinogenic, not only when ingested but also when applied to the skin. Yet peoplevoluntarily put these personal care products on their skin daily, unaware that these
products contain toxic and potentially carcinogenic ingredients. By using products
such as sunscreen and lotion, people are putting cancer-causing chemicals on their
skin, then wondering why they developed skin cancer or why their skin is aging so
fast. Choosing safe personal care and cosmetic products means reading labels carefully
and learning about the health consequences of ingredients. Effective products are on
the market that are high in quality and safety. The overwhelming majority, however,
contain a variety of toxins that should be avoided. Some of the common toxins to
look for and avoid include artificial fragrances, colors and flavors, formaldehyde,
phenol, trichlorethylene, BHT/BHA, EDTA, cresol, detergents, glycols, parabens,
sodium lauryl sulfate and nitrates/ nitrosamines. Perfumes and other fragrances also cause problems. Traditionally, these products
were made from flowers and herbs. But since World War II, most fragrances and
perfumes have been made from synthetic petrochemicals, many of which are
officially designated as hazardous materials. In fact, about 95 percent are synthetic,
and more than 80 percent of the ingredients used in fragrances have never been
tested for human safety. When they have been tested, many are found to be neuro-
toxic and even carcinogenic. (Meanwhile, because of “trade secrets,” manufacturers
are not required to list any of these toxic ingredients on their product labels. ) Worse,
these fragrances are not just in perfumes, but in everything from kitty litter to
shampoos, soaps, lotions, shaving creams, household cleaners, laundry detergents
and numerous other products. Fragrances now pollute our homes, schools,
workplaces, stores, churches and other public places. People who regularly use
synthetic perfumes are putting a heavy toxic burden on their bodies. The solution is
to use essential oils made from natural ingredients such as flowers and herbs, if
tolerable, and to avoid household and personal products made with synthetic
fragrances. I have spent years researching the toxic effects of chemicals used to make
products that people consume on a daily basis. I discovered that regular toothpaste,
for example, contains numerous toxins, such as fluoride, artificial colors, flavors,
sweeteners and synthetic detergents, all of which can bioaccumulate in the body and
lead to toxic overload. Toothpaste is especially important because the mucous
membranes in your mouth are very permeable, so if you expose yourself to toxic
toothpaste several times a day, you subject yourself to a lot of toxins. I eventually
selected a toothpaste for my personal use that was both safe and effective (see
appendix C), but it took eighteen months of research to find it. Toxic chemicals, used for detergent and foam-generating properties, are present in
most toothpastes, as well as in many other personal care and household products. When these toxins— sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium cetyl sulfate and sodium laurethsulfate—are placed on the surface of the body, they can cause eye irritations, skin
rashes, hair loss, scalp flaking similar to dandruff and allergic reactions. These
chemicals are known to be irritating to the skin and are used to irritate the skin in
laboratory experiments. Think about what happens when your highly sensitive gum
tissue comes into contact with a known irritant, like sodium lauryl sulfate, in your
toothpaste. Could this factor be contributing to our epidemic of gum disease. These man-made detergents pass through the skin and mucous membranes and
bioaccumulate in fatty tissue—eye tissue, for example. Is there a possible
connection between the sodium lauryl sulfate found in toothpaste and our epidemic
of macular degeneration—a disease in which cells in the central part of the retina
degenerate, and the leading cause of blindness in people over age fifty-five. The focus of manufacturers is always on marketability, so they often try to
disguise these synthetic and toxic ingredients by making them seem “natural. ”
Labels will often state something like, “sodium lauryl sulfate—derived from
coconut. ” Regardless of derivation they are toxic and can accumulate easily in your
tissues to levels that cause cellular malfunction and disease. People choose antibacterial soaps thinking they will protect them from germs, but
the germicide in the soap goes right through the skin and bioaccumulates in tissue. In fact, these toxic chemicals, designed to kill cells, are now showing up in alarming
amounts in human breast milk, and infants are much more susceptible to toxins. As
always, the solution is to choose safe, natural products, usually available at health
food and specialty stores. There are high-quality, certified organic, hair and skin
care products available and I recommend you use them. (See appendix C for my
personal choices. ) Toxic Cleaning Products
The home can be a toxic place already—do not make it more so with toxic
cleaning products, solvents and workplace chemicals. Household cleaning products
rank among the most toxic everyday substances to which people are exposed. Unfortunately, the manufacturer of household products is seldom the best source of
accurate information about safety. As a practical matter, do not let any chemical
come in contact with your skin unless you know it is safe. Most commercial brands
are not safe, although safe household products are available at health food and
specialty stores. (See appendix C for my choices. ) Some especially toxic household cleaners include ammonia, chlorine bleach,
aerosol propellants, detergents, petroleum distillates and toluene. Many of these
substances not only harm the skin; they also give off toxic fumes that affect the
person using the product and everyone else in the household. If you cannot avoid
toxic household products, at least use them sparingly and in well-ventilated areas. Symptoms from “the flu” to headaches have been associated with products we use
to clean our furniture, bathrooms and clothes, as well as air fresheners to keep our
bathrooms smelling pleasant. Debra Lynn Dadd, in 
Nontoxic and Natural, 
wrote
about a fifteen-year study of housewives in Oregon. Women who stayed home all day
had a 54 percent higher death rate from cancer than women who worked away from
home. The study concluded that the higher rate likely was a consequence of exposure
to the chemicals in household products. Dadd’s book, along with many others,
contains formulas for making your own environmentally safe household products. A Prescription for Toxic Overload
Often, toxic exposure comes from medical and dental offices, from the very
professions that you expect would keep you healthy. Whether it is antibiotics in your
food, the drug in your inhaler, steroids on your skin, mercury in your mouth,
medicines in your stomach or fluoride in your water, the medical and dental
industries are significant sources of toxins. In fact, 
medical journals acknowledge
that prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death in America (after heart
disease and cancer). As you recall, prescription and over-the-counter drugs “work” by interfering with
normal chemical processes in cells. They are designed to suppress symptoms, but do
not cure disease. In fact, by interfering with normal cell function, prescription drugs
can cause cellular malfunction, which is the same as causing disease. Decisions
about which procedures and medicines to choose should be based on knowledge of
the toxicity involved. Every molecule you put into your body is going to have an
effect, for better or worse. Almost always, prescription and over-the-counter drugs
are for the worse. Furthermore, physicians label many of today’s chronic diseases as being of
“unknown etiology,” a fancy way of saying “we are clueless about the cause. ”
Actually, many new disease conditions can be traced back (either directly or
indirectly) to environmental toxins that bioaccumulate in tissues, contribute to toxic
overload, disrupt cell chemistry and cause disease. The Toxic Truths Inside Your Body
Although we are accustomed to thinking about toxins in the outside world, often
we forget about the powerful toxins produced within our bodies. The body must
eliminate internal toxins to stay healthy. Under normal, healthy conditions, the body is designed to control those toxins and
protect us against harm. Under other circumstances, however, the toxins producedinternally can be a serious problem, worse than anything from the outside world. When these internal toxins are produced excessively or cannot be properly
detoxified, they build up in the body and cause disease. In almost any chronically ill
person, internally generated toxins play a major role. When toxins are generated in the digestive system (intestinal toxemia), they enter
our bloodstream, and if these toxins are present in excess of the liver’s ability to
detoxify them, they damage cells all over the body. Intestinal toxemia has been
associated with AIDS, allergies, asthma, cancer, cardiac arrhythmias, arthritis, eye
problems, high blood pressure, mental problems, headaches, various gastrointestinal
conditions, senility, skin problems and other diseases. In my own disease process,
the internal toxins I was producing were, indeed, a major contributor to my own
physical and mental debilitation. Intestinal toxemia was the “mysterious” ailment plaguing Michael, who had just
completed his junior year at Harvard and had gone off to Europe for the summer
with friends. As he was traveling around, he began to feel ill, dizzy and fatigued. He
went to see a physician in London who prescribed a drug that did not help. Michael
saw other physicians in Germany and Switzerland, but he finally returned home—
too sick to remain abroad. A strapping twenty-one-year-old college student should be at the peak of health. Instead, Michael was suffering from debilitating fatigue, he was lightheaded and
dizzy, and he had visual disturbances, not to mention various aches and pains. After
many thousands of dollars worth of testing (including a brain scan to check for a
brain tumor), Michael’s physicians were at a loss to explain his condition and
referred him to a psychiatrist. Desperately concerned for her son’s future and furious
with a medical system that was obviously not working, Michael’s mother looked for
other options; at that point, she called me. As with any sick person, I knew exactly what was wrong with Michael: his cells
were malfunctioning because of a combination of deficiency and toxicity. The
question, as always: How to restore his cells to healthy function. I used the six
pathways as a guide and eventually discovered that digestive toxins—a critical
aspect of the toxin pathway—were the source of Michael’s problems. Digestive toxins are produced in a couple of ways, notably by an abnormal growth
of bacteria or yeast in the intestines and by improperly digested food, which
putrefies in the digestive system. Intestinal toxemia creates highly poisonous toxins
as well as nutritional deficiency. When bad bacteria and yeasts overgrow, they
displace the friendly bacteria necessary for producing nutrients such as the B-
complex vitamins, vitamin B
12 
and vitamin K. Friendly bacteria also help to obtain
the nutrients we need from the food we eat. Intestinal toxemia causes deficiency and
toxicity in most of us, to some degree, because of damage from antibiotics. Michael had acne as a teenager. His dermatologist had prescribed an antibiotic(tetracycline), and Michael had taken this drug every day for years. Antibiotics were
developed to kill bacteria. The problem is that helpful bacteria in your intestines
(normal intestinal flora) are needed for good health. Years of taking antibiotics
destroyed these helpful bacteria in Michael’s digestive system. (Even one course of
antibiotics can have this effect. ) This situation allowed the overgrowth of abnormal
intestinal flora and a yeast called 
Candida albicans. A yeast infection can produce toxic chemicals that absorb into the bloodstream;
also, yeast can physically invade and damage the intestinal tissue in a way that
allows other inappropriate materials (undigested food particles, toxic wastes and
yeast byproducts) to pass directly into the bloodstream. This condition floods the
body with dangerous toxins and allergens, causing food allergies and disrupting the
immune system. Some of these toxins are neurotoxic (causing damage to the brain
and the nervous system) and may produce symptoms such as fatigue, headaches,
apathy, depression, anxiety, mood swings and memory lapses. Intestinal yeast
infections also impair the absorption of nutrients, which is a separate but equally
serious problem. Disrupting the normal ecology of the gut also invites infection by
parasites, which further disrupt gut tissue. In Michael’s case, I suspected problems with internally generated digestive
toxins, but to know for certain one must measure. I suggested to Michael that he ask
his physician to be tested for candida. (Convincing the physician to do the candida
test was not easy. Physicians do not generally look for such infections, and his
mother had to put considerable pressure on the doctor. ) The test did show that
Michael had a candida infection, which he was able to get rid of through natural
methods such as taking high-quality probiotics and grapefruit seed extract and by
reducing dietary sugar (which was “feeding” the yeast problem). Michael, who had
been completely disabled by his disease throughout the summer, was able to go back
to Harvard in the fall, complete his senior year and graduate. Problems such as Michael’s are common in America because of the excessive
antibiotics that our physicians prescribe. While the use of antibiotics is prudent and
necessary in very select cases, for the most part antibiotics unnecessarily damage the
digestive system and contribute to intestinal toxemia. This toxemia often subjects us
to far more toxicity than the original “germ” that the antibiotic was supposed to kill. Unfortunately, almost everybody in America has taken antibiotics at some point;
these drugs are a major cause of health problems, including fatigue and allergies. Intestinal toxemia can be provoked in other ways, by medical drugs such as non-
steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, including aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen,
ketoprofin, etc. ) and oral steroids (cortisone pills, birth control pills, etc. ). Maldigestion of food (exacerbated by medical drugs or not) produces toxins
inside your body. A mostly cooked and processed food diet lacking critical enzymes
is a common contributor, as is poor chewing of food. Low-fiber diets are alsoproblematic. Whatever the cause, undigested food can rot and poison you while still
inside you. Carbohydrates ferment, fats turn rancid and proteins putrefy. The most
common symptoms are bloating, constipation, gas, halitosis, heartburn, eye
problems, neurological problems and headaches. Keep protein consumption moderate; diets high in protein, especially cooked meat
and pasteurized dairy, overload our digestive systems. We need only 35 to 40 grams
of protein per day (more for athletes or those with large body frames), but
Americans eat an average of 90 grams of gut-putrefying protein per day. A one-
pound slab of roast beef contains more than 100 grams of protein. Large quantities
of cooked and denatured proteins, which are harder to digest, can cause an
overgrowth of a type of putrefactive bacteria that thrive when food is rotting in the
gut. These bacteria produce toxic chemicals such as indole, skatole, phenol and
hydrogen sulfide. In addition, these putrefactive bacteria displace friendly bacteria,
which are essential to good digestion and health, and the result is intestinal toxemia. To prevent or eliminate the problems associated with intestinal toxemia:
• Avoid the use of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and steroids (including birth
control pills). • Avoid excessive amounts of protein. • Minimize or eliminate processed foods. Eat the right kinds of fats. • Avoid sugar, white flour, coffee, excessive alcohol and fried foods. These
substances are hard on the digestive system. • Adhere to proper food combining and chewing; the digestion process must
begin in the mouth and in the stomach for the intestines to function properly. Do you suffer from indigestion, bloating, gas, cramping, loose stools, constipation
or gastrointestinal reflux. Any of these can indicate intestinal toxemia and should be
addressed before they lead to serious disease. You can also consider other strategies if you are suffering from symptoms of poor
digestion: fasting, exercising, drinking large amounts of water, and taking high-
quality supplements, including probiotics, digestive enzymes, and vitamins and
minerals. All of these help to detoxify, repair and rebuild healthy tissue—in
particular by helping to create an environment in the digestive system conducive to
the growth and maintenance of friendly bacteria. Allergies Should Signal Alarm
Allergies are a common source of internally generated toxins. Every allergic
reaction produces metabolic debris that has a toxic effect. We tend to think of
allergies as “normal,” a benign inconvenience, because so many people have them. Not so. Healthy people do not have allergies. Allergies are an abnormal immuneresponse to foods and substances in your environment. Most food allergies are the
result of an abnormally functioning digestive system, as already mentioned, whereby
undigested food molecules are allowed to enter the bloodstream though damaged gut
tissue. The immune system recognizes these food particles as foreign, and you have
an immune response called an allergy. The body remembers this response; every
time you eat the offending food, an allergic reaction—and the toxins created by that
reaction— is produced. When an offending substance, called an allergen, reacts with an antibody
produced by the immune system, large amounts of allergen/antibody (immune)
complexes can be formed. If immune complexes are formed in greater quantities
than the body can handle, they can be deposited in tissues (such as brain arteries,
brain membranes, small blood vessels, the liver, the uterus, the lungs and the
kidneys), where they are capable of clogging blood vessels and joints and are known
to release chemicals that cause a cascade of health-damaging reactions. Through this
mechanism, immune complexes may be responsible for up to 90 percent of all
kidney disease. Allergies are an indication of systemic illness and should be considered a serious
immune dysfunction disease. If you are allergic (and most Americans have allergies
and intolerances, although they may be unaware of it), determine the substances you
react to and avoid them. More importantly, strengthen your immune system, through
diet and supplements, so these reactions will not occur in the first place; optimize
your body’s ability to detoxify so that you can minimize damage caused by the
allergic reactions you do suffer. Stress Poisons in Many Ways
Stress can be loosely defined as any demand we place upon the body; the body’s
reaction to these demands causes us to “feel stressed. ” Everybody knows that stress
is hard on us, but few people understand why, on a physical level. Chronic stress
literally poisons you. The body’s response to stress—often called the “fight-or-flight response”—refers
to feelings of anger or fear that generate the release of chemicals in your body,
designed to give you more strength in an emergency. In an emergency situation that passes quickly—for example, you rush to catch
someone who is falling—the body is able to detoxify the stress chemicals that are
produced. However, when stress is chronic, and we constantly live our lives in
stressful ways, these chemicals build up and inflict damage to our cells. Common
stress symptoms include muscle wasting, fatigue, osteoporosis, high blood pressure,
fragile blood vessels, suppressed immunity, impaired mental function and a host of
other problems. What stress is, how it affects you (physically and psychologically)and what you can do about it will be explored more in chapter 7, which explores the
psychological pathway. As we have discussed, the cells in your body naturally produce toxic byproducts
that a healthy body is designed to handle. If the body becomes overloaded with
toxins, for whatever reason, even normal metabolic toxins can add to the total toxic
load and damage cells. Chronic, internally generated stress chemicals can often
move us into toxic overload. Illnesses also stress us with massive amounts of internally generated toxins,
which is why we must choose health in the first place. When symptoms of illness do
manifest, cells are malfunctioning and the body is struggling desperately to make
itself well again. Under these extra stress loads, to minimize the damage done,
taking steps to optimize cellular function becomes even more important. Your Primary Toxic Defense: The Liver
Various organs in the body—kidneys, bowels, lungs, lymph system and the skin—
are designed to eliminate metabolic waste. Fiber helps “carry out the garbage” in the
digestive system, and exercise helps us detoxify via sweating and movement of the
lymphatic system. Water promotes detoxification through the kidneys and sweat
glands, and saunas assist in removal of both water and oil-soluble toxins. At any given time, about 25 percent of all the blood in your body is in your liver,
awaiting detoxification. This process begins with a sophisticated filtering system
that captures and digests foreign debris. Next, enzymes, produced by the liver,
deactivate and eliminate toxins. If these enzymes are interfered with—either
deactivated by environmental toxins such as lead and mercury or never
manufactured in the first place because of nutrient deficiency—toxic overload is
certain to result. Liver enzyme detoxification has two phases: In phase one, the liver
produces enzymes that take harmful toxins such as alcohol, pesticides, herbicides
and prescription drugs, and oxidizes them (burns them) in preparation for removal
from the body. This process creates potentially harmful free radicals that must be
neutralized with dietary antioxidant nutrients. In phase two, more enzymes are used
to combine the oxidized chemicals from phase one with other molecules, which then
can be excreted harmlessly in the bile or urine. In both phases, the food we eat
supplies the raw materials needed to produce all of these enzymes and other
chemicals that are required. These elegant detoxification systems depend on a
constant supply of nutrients, which we must obtain from our diet, but we frequently
do not. Help your liver’s phase-one detoxification process with antioxidant nutrients:
vitamins C, E and A, along with coenzyme Q10, carotenoids, bioflavonoids,
selenium, manganese, copper and zinc. Some of these nutrients neutralize freeradicals directly; others activate enzymes that neutralize them. Red, yellow and
green vegetables are loaded with these antioxidant nutrients. Assist your liver’s
phase-two detoxification with cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli,
cauliflower, green onions, kale and brussels sprouts. These vegetables enable the
liver to eliminate powerful carcinogens, helping to protect us against cancer. These
dietary suggestions, combined with high-quality supplements, can keep your liver’s
toxic defenses at peak function. Much of our body is made of water; the kidneys need it to excrete water-soluble
toxins. Water constantly moves throughout your body and must be changed
frequently to keep it pure. A minimum of eight glasses of pure water should be
consumed every day, and more is better. Your water supply must be pure so as not to
add to your toxic load. Water should be consumed as water, not as beverages such as
coffee, tea or alcohol (these substances may cause the body to lose water). Water is a
simple choice, often overlooked. Dehydration is a common problem, especially
among our elderly population. A toxic lifestyle is often created unwittingly. We fail to appreciate that many
small toxic exposures over time, to a wide variety of toxins, lead to an accumulation,
causing our cells to malfunction. Even small amounts of toxins can perform amazing
feats of chemistry by inhibiting hormones, deactivating enzymes, compromising our
detoxification systems and using up precious nutrients. Toxicity is seldom
recognized as a primary cause of our health problems. The toxic invaders in our
lives—whether they are brought into our homes or they are created in our own
bodies—are also not easily detected by typical “radar. ” The toxins that harm us
seldom are labeled hazardous, and they are difficult to identify. Once we understand the role toxins play in cellular malfunction, we can
understand the importance of minimizing toxic exposure and maximizing the body’s
ability to detoxify. In order to protect yourself and your family, you must learn how
to spot these silent and hidden dangers, and how to keep your defenses strong in
order to avoid toxic overload. Never before has the human body been faced with
such challenges of personal and global pollution. To respond to these challenges and
to move yourself in the right direction on the toxin pathway, learn to make the daily
choices that will reduce your toxic exposure and support your detoxification
systems. 7
T 
HE
 P
SYCHOLOGIAC 
P
ATHWAY
“The simple truth is, happy people generally don’t get sick. One’s attitude toward oneself is the single most important factor
in healing or staying well. Those who are at peace with
themselves and their immediate surroundings have far fewer
serious illnesses than those who are not. ”
Bernie Siegel, M. D. Love, Medicine & Miracles
E
ven when nutrients are scarce and toxins abundant, one’s potential for health is
nearly limitless, and it relies almost entirely on ourselves and the power of the mind. Thoughts and emotions have a tremendous effect on our cells and therefore our
health. What we put into our minds may be more important than what we put into
our bodies. The power of the mind is your best ally in choosing to get well and stay
well. You are what you think. “How can it be,” you might ask, “that the mind has so much control over the
body. ” This question assumes that one is separate from the other; in fact, they are
inseparable. All the cells in our body contribute to what we call the mind, and what
goes on in our mind affects what happens in all our cells. Chemical reactions are produced throughout the body by our thoughts, emotions
and interactions with others. Fear makes us turn pale; embarrassment makes us
blush. Modern science has proven that these “thought chemicals” either can be
beneficial or detrimental to health. We can choose what we put into our minds, and
in doing so, we can choose between health and disease. This concept is sometimes difficult for people to embrace because thought
chemicals are abstract. Their effect, though, is reflected in Dr. Bernie Siegel’s 1986
book, 
Love, Medicine & Miracles
: “If I told patients to raise their blood levels of
immune globulins or killer T-cells, no one would know how. But if I can teach them
to love themselves and others fully, the same change happens automatically. ”
Consider how thought chemicals can improve or damage health:
• A 1991 study in the 
New England Journal of Medicine 
found that stressful life
situations (such as losing a job, breaking off an engagement or simply feeling
overwhelmed by life’s problems) nearly doubles the risk of catching a cold. • A thirty-five-year study (1946–1981) of Harvard graduates showed that people
who had a pessimistic outlook on life suffered significantly more disease after
age forty-five than people with a positive outlook. • A 2001 study in 
Psychosomatic Medicine 
found that optimism protects against
heart disease. People who are pessimistic and blame themselves for everything
were much more likely to die of a heart attack than their optimistic
counterparts. • Dr. O. Carl Simonton, in his 1978 book, 
Getting Well Again, 
talks about how
visual imagery with positive mental images had a beneficial effect on patients
with advanced cancer. Simonton found that people who used their minds to heal
had double the survival rate of those who did not. • A study in a 2000 issue of 
Lancet 
concluded that women who experience
severe emotional stress during the first trimester of pregnancy are 80 percent
more likely to have a child with birth defects. Body, Heal Thyself
You must believe in your health if you are to maintain or regain health. You must
actively care for your health when you are well, and actively pursue wellness when
you are ill. When my own body was in progressive deterioration during the depths of my
illness, I began to realize that, for survival, I needed to employ my mind as well as
my body. I began to repeat a version of an old affirmation to myself, again and
again, a mantra of sorts: 
Every day, in every way, I get stronger and stronger and
better and better. At first, when I would say this to myself, my mind would fight back, saying
something like, 
Wow, are you a liar. You feel worse today than you did yesterday. I
realized that my positive mental affirmations were being negated by my own
thinking about my situation. I began to reply to my mind’s objections by saying, 
I
know I am worse today, but I am giving you an instruction. Once I became comfortable giving my body instructions, my own objections
began to disappear and my body began to respond. I would say my affirmation,
sometimes out loud, with passion and expectancy, many times daily, repeatedly,
until I could feel strength coming into my body as I said the words. After a few
weeks, my subconscious mind began to implement the instructions and intent of my
conscious mind. One day, after saying these affirmations, I felt the best that I had
felt since the onset of my illness. The feeling lasted only five or ten minutes, but the
fact that it happened proved that I was on the right path. Soon, the feelings of
strength came more often and lasted longer. Later in my studies, I learned of the
close connection between the mind and the immune system. My badly damaged
immune system was responding. These affirmations had a profound effect on me. I began to understand that health
and disease can be the reactions of the subconscious mind to the thoughts of the
conscious mind; the subconscious takes orders from the conscious mind and
implements them. Minds do what they are programmed to do, even though much of
that programming is unintended. I began to realize my power to influence my health
simply by choosing the daily thoughts I was putting into my mind. By focusing onmy illness, I had been putting thoughts of disease into my mind, thereby creating
more disease. The mind is always working, so why not make it work for rather than
against you. Keep your images and suggestions as positive, simple, clear and
concise as possible. Then repeat them as often as possible. Allow the subconscious
to accept them as a command and implement them. Over the past sixteen years, of all of the people I have known with “incurable” and
“fatal” diseases, the thrivers and survivors have been those individuals who used the
power of their minds to heal their bodies consciously. Take the case of Karl, a
concert violinist who became paralyzed by a stroke. His physicians told him the
paralysis was permanent. Confined to a wheelchair, Karl was unwilling to accept
such a fate. He decided to use the power of his mind to establish new connections in
his brain. He started by focusing intensely on just one finger. He commanded it to
move, and eventually it did. Now a medical curiosity, in 2001 Karl was invited to
give a concert at an international medical conference where his doctor presented his
story. Brain scans show that Karl’s miraculous recovery resulted from using entirely
new areas of his brain and bypassing the damaged areas. Music critics claim he is
playing better than ever. How’s that for the power of the mind. Choosing to Stay Sick
In contrast to Karl, other people in my experience have failed to strengthen their
psychological pathway and lost the health benefits of positive efforts. Lisa was one. She had suffered from extreme chemical sensitivity for twelve years before coming
to me for help. I was confident I could help her, based on my own experiences. I
taught Lisa how to improve her health, mostly through dietary and vitamin
supplement suggestions, and she made some striking initial improvements. After a
few months, Lisa was living her life in ways that she had not been able to for many
years; she had started dating, going out dancing and even going on sailing trips. Lisa’s friends commented about how well she looked and her good progress. After
twelve years of sickness, Lisa seemed to be on a path to a more meaningful life. She
learned what was necessary to choose health and seemed to have developed the
psychological willingness to stick with it. One day, I received a frantic call from Lisa. Her disability caseworker had
contacted her and informed Lisa that it was time for an annual review. Lisa had been
receiving disability funds from social security and state welfare, and she was living
in subsidized housing. For many years, Lisa had been too sick to work and needed
this financial support. Now, her health having taken a dramatic turn for the better,
Lisa feared that her caseworker would notice the improvement and revoke financial
assistance. Lisa panicked. She had been unable to work for so many years that she had not a clue about howshe could support herself without those benefits. Perhaps her desire to get well
simply could not compete with her fear of losing support. Perhaps twelve years of
“sickness programming” deprived Lisa of the self-confidence she needed to thrive. Sadly, the last time I heard about her, Lisa had stopped applying what she had
learned about deficiency and toxicity, and her health had regressed. The potential to
get well (that is, her new diet, supplements and workout program) was lost because
she could not unlearn her programming to be dependent and disabled. Will You Care for Me If I Am Well. Unhealthy psychological programming derailed the health efforts of another client
named Ruth, who suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome. Although she followed
my recommendations regarding diet and nutritional supplements, she made only
modest improvement, and I realized that Ruth was going to be a tough case. I
suspected that she needed a great deal of assistance along her psychological
pathway. I learned that when Ruth was a small child, the only time her father paid attention
to her was when she was sick. Then, he would buy her toys, sit by her bed and read
her stories. Most other times, he either ignored her or related to her superficially. Subconsciously, Ruth learned, “If I want attention, I need to be sick. ” No doubt she
did not intend this, but her behavior was programmed nevertheless. Years later,
when her marriage was falling apart and her husband was giving his attention to
someone else, Ruth’s programmed response was to get sick—this time in order to
regain the attention and affection of her husband. In the long run, of course, this kind
of behavioral pattern inevitably fails; Ruth’s husband eventually divorced her,
leaving her alone and sick. For Lisa and Ruth, certain “rewards” for being sick superseded their desires to get
well or stay well. This way of life is not uncommon; people often have
psychological reasons to get sick or stay sick—usually not on a conscious level. People often learn hopelessness instead of hopefulness. If you are sick, be sure to ask yourself, 
What is my reward for being sick. Am I
willing to give up my reward. Do I truly want to be well. These questions can be
followed with affirmations or mantras, such as 
I am well. I am getting better,
healthier and stronger every day. Reprogramming your mind-set or approach is the
key, whether you are talking about the thoughts you think or the foods you eat. Health is a choice, and the best chance to realize it comes from making your top
priority to get well and stay well. The Placebo EffectOne of the most familiar descriptions of the power of the mind over the body’s
responses is the placebo effect. This concept is based on research by Henry K. Beecher, published in a 1955 paper, “The Powerful Placebo,” which concluded that
roughly one-third of people who receive medical treatment will show improvement
simply because they believe the treatment will work, regardless of how
pharmacologically effective the treatment is. People’s thoughts affect their health—
not exactly a news flash, but a scientific fact nevertheless. When the research was
published, Beecher’s paper made a huge impact on the scientific community, and
since then, thousands of published studies on the same topic demonstrate clearly that
what you think affects how your body functions. The term placebo refers to a substance, procedure or treatment that, when given to
a patient, produces a beneficial effect on the body that is not a direct result of the
placebo’s chemistry. Now, medical scientists use placebos to measure the
effectiveness of a certain treatment—often a medication— versus “no treatment” at
all. In a typical study, for instance, one group of patients is given a drug and another
group of patients, unknown to them, receive pills that contain essentially nothing—a
placebo. This approach and the results based on this approach, however, are misguided
because the placebo—by virtue of positive thinking—does have effects. Doctors and
scientists portray their disrespect for the patient’s power by thinking of the placebo
as something to be “factored out of the equation,” as an unwanted, or at best,
uninteresting effect. More medical support for this power could go a long way
toward helping all become and stay well. Scientific work with the placebo proves what we already know instinctively:
Beliefs, attitudes and patterns of behavior play a major role in health and disease. Our state of mind is as much a part of our lifestyle as our diet, amount of sleep or
exercise. Let us harness the principles of the placebo effect and use that power. In a
sincere, direct and informed manner, we can use it more profoundly. The Best Health Coverage
The support, encouragement and good bedside manner of a health practitioner (be
it a modern practitioner or an ancient witch doctor) can help a patient recover, even
if this “help” exists only through the “effect of the mind. ”
Down through history, many or perhaps most of the successes of health-care
treatments have been and are due to behavioral and psychological factors. A 1993
study in 
Cardiology 
raised the possibility that a large share of the presumed benefits
of prescription drugs actually results from people believing they are being helped. New York Times 
columnist Margaret Talbot summed up this idea, noting that “the
truth is that the placebo effect is huge. ” In studies of new drugs, she says, between35 and 75 percent of patients benefit from taking a dummy pill. This “placebo
effect,” she writes, “should probably be put to conscious use in clinical practice,
even if we do not entirely understand how it works. ”
Talbot continues:
For centuries, Western medicine consisted of almost nothing but the placebo
effect. The patient who got better after a bleeding—or a dose of fox lung, wood
lice, tartar emetic or any of the other charming staples of the 19th-century
pharmacopoeia—got better either in spite of them or because of their symbolic
value. Such patients believed in the cure and in the authority of the bewigged
gentlemen administering it, and the belief gave them hope and the hope helped
make them well. There were exceptions—remedies, like quinine for malaria,
the vaccine for smallpox and morphine for pain relief, which actually worked. But generally speaking, if all the drugs of the day “could be sunk to the bottom
of the sea,” as Oliver Wendell Holmes observed in 1860, “it would be all the
better for mankind—and all the worse for the fishes. ”
We need to use the principles of the placebo effect deliberately— without trying
to deceive the patient—to benefit health and performance. Imagine the potential
gains if modern health care included an educational and “coaching” dimension as
part of a more comprehensive approach to healing. This rarely happens. Modern
health care focuses almost exclusively on diagnosing and treating the physical body,
usually with drugs or surgery, and typically fails to consider the behavioral,
emotional, perceptual, learning, cognitive and spiritual factors that may be playing a
significant role in becoming sick or well. Believing that you “have” a disease and playing the role of a “sick person” is the
way to stay sick. By contrast, being healthy means believing that you are getting
well and staying well; it means “playing the role” of health. Every thought has a
physical effect on your cells. Negative thoughts, particularly about disease and
death, can literally kill you. An Infection of Negative Thoughts
Although we used to think of mind and body as entirely separate, the last twenty-
five years of scientific research have taught us a great deal about the dimensions of
mind and body and how, together, they establish body-wide communication
networks. Our bodies create chemical messengers (neuropep-tides, neurotransmitters
and hormones) that allow the body to communicate with itself, to self-regulate, to
adapt. Through these chemical messengers the cells know when and what to do. Cells throughout the body (not just in the brain) both create and are affected by these
chemical messengers. All cells are in constant contact with one another, whetherthey are brain cells, muscle cells, nerve cells or any other kind. Every thought and emotion triggers the release of chemical messengers
throughout the body; in other words, there is no such thing as “just a thought. ” Every
thought has a physical consequence, for better or worse. Feelings of anger, apathy,
gloom and resentment weaken the immune system and damage health. Positive
thoughts of love, compassion, joy, humor and the like support good physical health. It takes some effort and discipline, especially on the bad days, to keep an open and
positive mindset, but the health benefits definitely make it worthwhile. The goal of
this chapter is to explain how psychology affects health at the cellular level and to
identify some of the most important psychological concepts, as well as some of the
most common (and self-destructive) mistakes. The goal is to help you improve your
psychological pathway—one of the major avenues between health and disease. Minds Need Reprogramming
Our minds are rather like computers: Whether intended or unintended, they do
what they have been programmed to do. A big part of using the psychological
pathway to stay healthy is the ability to recognize your current programming and to
learn new programs—new thoughts, attitudes and behavior patterns. As demonstrated by my clients Lisa and Ruth, some people find it hard to develop
the will to change old patterns. For these two women, habitual thinking and imagery
created their destiny. They were in reach of health, but let it go. Why. Not because
they lacked the necessary information, the problem most people face, but because
their strategies for achieving short-term security had been tried and proven, and
were too difficult to unlearn. Negative health programming can come from a visit to the doctor. Even the sight
of a physician can cause blood pressure to rise; the effect is called “white-coat
hypertension. ” The stress resulting from the diagnosis of a grave disease can do
serious damage, precisely like voodoo or a witch’s hex. A 1991 study in the 
Medical
Journal of Australia 
concluded that negative suggestions from physicians and
caregivers were significant negative factors in cancer recovery. Deepak Chopra,
M.
Unscented, soap-based products available in health food stores.
What can be used as an alternative to traditional laundry detergents?
Internal toxins produced by the body, such as those created by stress and negative thoughts.
What is a common source of toxins in the body?
Exposure to sodium lauryl sulfate in toothpaste.
What is a factor that can contribute to the development of macular degeneration?
Antioxidant nutrients such as vitamins C, E, and A, as well as coenzyme Q10, carotenoids, bioflavonoids, selenium, and manganese.
What can be used to help with detoxification and improve digestion?
Techniques such as counseling, prayer, meditation, exercise, yoga, self-hypnosis, journaling, and social support.
What can be used to reduce stress and promote relaxation?