An important book that explains the toxins that we are subjected to, the adverse health effects and how to detoxify and restore our natural health.
Review by Irene Alleger
A
very important point is emphasized by Dr. Rogers in her Introduction:
"You have been brainwashed into believing that the diagnosis given to
your condition, a mere label, is the end of the line. But nothing could
be further (and more dangerously) from the truth. In fact, the name or
label that has been given to your collection of symptoms is totally
inconsequential. The only thing that matters is what has caused the
symptoms…"
Chapter
I presents the incontrovertible evidence that environmental chemicals
are everywhere and we cannot avoid them. Studies have shown, for
example, that breast milk of Inuit mothers reveal some of the highest
levels of modern chemical poisons. How do these chemicals get to
pristine areas in the Northern hemisphere? Chemicals from industrial
smokestacks are disseminated into the air and from there, clouds carry
these carcinogenic leftovers from plastic manufacturing such as dioxins
and PCBs, into every crack and crevice of the earth.
A
chemical called phthalates outgases from all plastic products such as
plastic wrap, babies' bottles, and styrene cups. The chemistry of
phthalates, unfortunately resembles that of many hormones, making them
potent environmental endocrine disruptors, capable of interfering in
human development and increasing hormone-related cancers.
The
chemical and food industries vehemently assert that small amounts of
these chemicals are harmless. That is true, says Dr. Rogers, but they
neglect to mention that since we cannot detoxify all of the many
chemicals we inhale and digest every day, they bioaccumulate in our
tissues.
Heavy metals
are another dangerous substance in our environment now. Cadmium,
aluminum, mercury, antimony, lead, and arsenic are some of the heavy
metals added to the food chain "by industrial discharges, pesticide
runoff, incinerator emissions, manufacturing smokestacks, as well as
from aviation, auto and commercial vehicle exhaust." Aluminum
contamination, for example, is contributing to the rise in Alzheimer's
disease. Many readers will be surprised to find that aluminum can be
found "in baking powders, aluminum-lined juice boxes and other
packaging, plus coffeemakers, thermoses and even as an anti-caking
agent added to salt and sugar so that 'when it rains, it pours.'"
Chapter
II describes how these chemicals are stored in body fat; our bodies
were not designed to metabolize chemicals that were invented yesterday.
An EPA biopsy study showed that 100% of people studied had dioxins,
PCBs, dichlorobenzene, and xylene stored in their bodies — some of the
most potent causes of cancer known to us. These inescapable everyday
chemicals permeate every aspect of our lives.
Dr.
Rogers explains the body's own "built-in" detoxification system: Phase
I enzymes and minerals work to remove toxic material from the body and
in Phase II a powerful detoxifier called glutathione sends chemicals
through the liver and out with the garbage. But this wonderful system
was not created to deal with literally thousands of chemical assaults
on our bodies. The system also needs important nutrients from our diet
in order to function, and for many Americans, that means they are
probably not getting rid of any of the environmental burden. So how can
we protect ourselves?
Sherry
Rogers is a qualified nutritionist and rounds out chapter II with a
detailed protocol of diet and supplements designed to help clear the
body of toxic chemicals and keep it that way. Some of her
recommendations: Whole Foods, Vitamin C, Lipoic Acid, Glycine, Detox
(coffee) enema, and Macrobiotics.
In
Chapter III the author makes the case for environmental toxins causing
all disease. She describes the major health-destroying chemicals and
heavy metals, their sources, EPA studies, and how ubiquitous these
substances are in our everyday environment. Studies are cited showing
that 95% of cancer, for instance, is caused by diet and environment.
Chapter
IV discusses how getting rid of environmental toxins reverses disease,
emphasizing sauna for serious detox and leading to Chapter V — "How to
Detoxify." This chapter lays out all the proven ways to detox, and a
thorough discussion of the many new tests available that can help
assess your chemical body burden.
The
author has used cartoons placed strategically throughout the book, to
emphasize important points and more than 700 scientific references are
cited, along with Resources for products mentioned.
Sherry
Rogers writes at the beginning of Detoxify or Die "If you are serious
about healing, then brace yourself for a crash course in curing
whatever ails you. I'll take you step-by-step through the most
important paradigm shift of your life…the secret is in getting your
body so chemically unloaded and nutrient primed, that it heals itself."
Jeffrey Bland, PhD has called Sherry Rogers' new book a "tour de force"
and I could not agree more.
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