Why You May Be Suffering a Toxic Onslaught

A few years ago, a woman came into my office in great discomfort. She had been diagnosed five years before with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. She had severe muscle aches in her shoulders, back, legs and arms. She was unable to sleep at night without sleep medications. Even though she had been to numerous physicians, she was no better off. She was taking many different medications and experiencing numerous side effects from them.

During her physical exam, I discovered that she had 12 large silver fillings. Realize that silver or amalgam fillings are actually about 50 percent mercury. When I performed a six-hour urine test for toxic metals, I found extremely high levels of mercury in her urine. It was also interesting to note that her symptoms began three years after she had five silver fillings replaced with five new silver fillings.

I began to slowly remove the mercury from her body with natural supplements as she saw a biological dentist, who replaced her silver fillings with porcelain crowns. After all the silver fillings were removed, I was then able to chelate (remove) the remainder of the mercury with both natural supplements and a medicine that chelates mercury. Within a few months, her chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia totally resolved.

Toxic Onslaught

Most people are toxic to some degree—and I don’t mean their personalities, but their physical bodies. Everyone has toxins stored in his or her body. It’s similar to forgetting to take the trash cans to the curb on trash day, and the garbage piles up in your garage. Your cans eventually overflow, and the stench worsens. You feel sick just walking near them. After a few weeks, the smell of the garbage is so bad you can even smell it inside the house.

Can Toxicity Be Avoided?

I’m convinced that toxicity cannot be avoided entirely. We live in a toxic world. There are about 80,000 chemicals registered for use in the United States, and we add about 2,000 more every year.

These chemicals are used in food, prescription drugs, supplements, household products, personal products and lawn care products, according to Quantum Repatterning Technique—II by Dr. Paul Yanick.

From the moment of conception, a child is exposed to a plethora of toxins in his environment, first from his mother, then from the world into which he’s born. In a report by the Environmental Working Group, the American Red Cross took umbilical-cord blood samples of 10 babies and tested them for contaminants. The tests showed that they had an average of 287 contaminants, including methyl mercury, fire retardants and pesticides, including DDT and chlorine. Of these chemicals, 180 of them are carcinogenic in humans.

Some of the air we breathe is toxic—more than 80,000 metric tons of carcinogens are released in the air annually in North America, according to Dr. Lynn Goldman. But we can clean our air inside our homes and workplaces. A significant amount of our water is polluted, with more than 2,100 chemicals in most municipal water supplies, reports Duff Conacher and Associates. However, we can choose clean, pure water. Much of the food supply also contains toxins. However, we can learn to choose living, organic foods instead of pesticide-laden foods.

Because of the way Americans eat and drink, and because of the toxicity of our environment—everything from manufacturing to agriculture—many people’s bodies are backed up with microscopic garbage. It’s as if their bodies’ waste management departments have gone on strike.

Thankfully, there is an answer: detoxification. There are simple things that you can start doing today to rid your body of toxins and to help your waste management systems keep them out. Decrease your exposure to toxins by:

• Choosing more living, organic foods, free-range lean meats and low-fat organic dairy.
• Choose clean, pure spring or filtered water instead of tap water.
• Breathe clean air, and do not stroll, walk or jog along busy roads or highways. Don’t wait outside airport terminals, inhaling diesel exhaust. Avoid secondhand smoke in restaurants and public buildings.
• Wear rubber gloves if you are using chemicals for cleaning. Better yet, check for natural cleaning alternatives and natural personal care products.
• Work with your doctor to try and get yourself off of as much medication as possible. This will give your liver a break and will allow it to rid your body of built-up toxins. {eoa}

This article is an excerpt from The Seven Pillars of Health by Don Colbert, M.D. Copyright 2007, Don Colbert.

Don Colbert, M.D., is board certified in family practice and anti-aging medicine. He has also received extensive training in nutritional and preventative medicine, and he has helped millions of people to discover the joy of living in divine health. In addition to speaking at conferences, he is the author of the best-sellers Toxic Relief, Stress Less, the Bible Cure series, Living in Divine Health, Deadly Emotions and What Would Jesus Eat? He has sold more than 4 million books and treated over 30,000 patients.