Book Review - The Hundred-Year Lie

The Hundred-Year Lie, How to Protect Yourself From the Chemicals That are Destroying Your Health, by Randall Fitzgerald.

Investigative journalist, Randall Fitzgerald, chronicles the development of man-made chemicals found in our food, water, medicine and environment that are making humans the most polluted species on the earth. Fitzgerald explores and challenges "myths we cherish" that lead to toxic body burden but not without offering antidotes for a more healthful and less toxic society.

From documented research, Fitzgerald takes a fearless position that the general public has been duped by the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries. And, under the guise of protecting society, even our own government has failed us. The author shows us the direction of his book by opening Part One with "Our Vicious Cycle" which I believe is so profound, I share it here:

• We are surrounded every day by an invisible sea of synthetic chemicals, and our bodies absorb them like sponges until we are toxic.

• We consume foods that have been depleted of essential natural healing nutrients. These nutrients have been replaced by synthetic chemical additives.

• These additives in or processed foods interact synergistically in our bodies with synthetic chemicals absorbed from our water, our air, and our consumer products, weakening our immune systems.
• Once weakened, we become susceptible to illnesses and diseases that medical practitioners treat with synthetic chemical drug compounds that often prove even more toxic to us.

• And this cycle in our culture and in our lives repeats itself over and over ...

Based on his research of scientific and medical literature, in Chapter Two, Fitzgerald shares what he calls "Our Five Toxic Phases of Life." Fitzgerald's aim is to help the reader understand how our bodies become so burdened with chemicals throughout a lifetime of exposure, beginning in the womb. Appropriately, he follows this with a factual chronology of our synthetic history from 1900 through 2004 and the patterns of accumulating health problems. The chronology takes us from a time when diseases such as cancer and diabetes were rare to today when we see diseases in epidemic proportions and, more startling, related to synthetics absorbed by our bodies. As Texas A&M University toxicologist states "...The diseases we're beginning to see as the major causes of death in the latter part of this century and into the 21st century are diseases of chemical origin."

In Part Two of The Hundred-Year Lie, Fitzgerald unveils some astounding myths of the food and drug industries. The author reduces his research to reality in Chapter Four by taking us through the process of preparing a normal meal and showing us we accumulate toxins in some of the simplest food preparation tasks. And, as if that were not enough, Fitzgerald exposes the contradictory messages we receive about the proper levels of vitamins and nutrients we get from our foods. The messages, brought to us by the food, drug, medical and regulatory agencies, are that on the one hand, we get all the vitamins and minerals we need from our food but, in reaction to nutrient research, on the other hand we need to add vitamins and minerals to our diet, thus leading to the admission of synthetic vitamins to our foods. It seems to be a never-ending cycle with downside being that we ignore the reality of synthetics in our bodies.

Fitzgerald shares compelling research about the correlation of the use of toxic synthetics and heavy metals, such as mercury, in our health care system and the increase of diseases such as autism, alzheimer's, cancer, and even diabetes to epidemic proportions. He does acknowledge that people are living longer today than ever before. However, he challenges medical science with records maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Public Health Service, which reveal that increased life-span is due more to the success of economic, social and lifestyle changes and medical technology as opposed to drugs. The author continues in the medical arena focusing on the over-medication of our children, who are less able to process toxins than adults, and the trend of "marketing a disease" by pharmaceutical companies.

In Part Three, Fitzgerald focuses on the hope we have in naturally occurring synergies "harnessed" to energize and stimulate then entire body while facilitating the immune system to do its job more efficiently. As I read the author's third section of his book, he makes a great case for negative synergy of toxic synthetics and heavy metals and its threat to the positive, naturally occurring positive synergy of nature. One of his more poignant comments has to do with our pharmaceutical approach to researching healing chemicals in plants. Rather than utilizing the entire healing plant, we try to find a single active ingredient and thereby reduce the naturally occurring synergy in nature.

In his last chapter, Fitzgerald does "bring it all home" for the reader. He does a nice job of reducing the facts and details of his book into nice, concise, summary points. In his appendix, the author shares reference books on detoxifying the body so he doesn't leave us with awareness without a remedy.

All in all, this is a book I think anyone and everyone should read at least once. I must say that much of the information I have heard or read in other forms, but Fitzgerald does an outstanding job of compiling the research into a logical, compelling format. If you don't read anything else, read the chronology in Chapter Three and Appendix One on how to detoxify yourself.

Review by Jeanette Sanderson, May 25, 2009, http://JeanetteSanderson.com

Natural Cellular Defense (NCD), an activated liquid zeolite, has been shown to safely remove heavy metals and toxic chemicals. For information on how you can remove toxins from your body, safely, visit these websites: http://www.NCDSupport.com and http://www.EDNpro.com.

What are Zeolites?

Natural zeolites form in nature as a result of a chemical reaction between volcanic lava and saline water. Zeolites have large open spaces or cages in their structures that form channels. These channels allow the easy movement of ions and molecules into and out of the structure. This ability puts zeolites in the class of materials known as "molecular sieves."

There are about 40 naturally occurring zeolites and over 100 synthetic zeolites. There are three different classes of zeolites with varying molecular chemical structures:

• Chain-like structures whose minerals form acicular, or needle-like, prismatic crystals - as found in asbestos.
• Framework structures where the crystals are more equal in dimensions - as found in chabazite.
• Sheet-like structures where the crystals are flattened - as found in clinoptilolite.

Another unique and important fact about zeolites is that they are one of the few negatively charged minerals found in nature. The natural properties of zeolites act as molecular sieves, or filtering agents, that attract and trap into them positively charged atoms, ions, and compounds, and can remove them from a system.

How do zeolites work?

For centuries, the powdered forms of specific zeolites have been used as traditional remedies throughout Asia to promote overall health and well being. The story of the "volcanic rocks" has been passed down from generation-to-generation as more and more people have experienced its life-changing benefits.

Zeolites are natural volcanic minerals with an unique, complex crystalline structure. It's honeycomb framework of cavities and channels (like cages) works at the cellular level trapping, heavy metals and toxins. In fact, because it is one of the few negatively charged minerals in nature, zeolites act as magnets drawing toxins to it, capturing them in its cage and removing them from the body.

How does someone obtain natural zeolites for removing toxins from the body?

There are several brands on the market today. A great source for comparison of the brands can be found at http://www.liquidzeolite.org/. When considering which brand to purchase for consumption, LiquidZeolite.Org has three criteria:

1. Ask for a full 3rd party (must be done by independent lab — not in-house) specification sheet giving full elemental analysis (including any impurities), particle size analysis, micro analysis (bacterial and fungal content), and VOC (volatile organic compound) content. If any of this information is missing for a particular brand, don't buy it.
2. Ask for powder diffraction analysis to prove that the product actually contains zeolite. As there are liquid zeolite products with no detectable zeolite in them this is very important. If you can't get hold of this analysis for a particular brand, don't buy it.
3. Ask for blood serum zeolite level tests to show that the product is actually being absorbed by the body. (It will only be absorbed if the particle size is small enough.) If you can't get this information for a particular brand, don't buy it.

The writers of LiquidZeolite.Org go on to say “The only brand we have come across so far that delivers on all three requirements listed above is [Natural Cellular Defense] NCD by Waiora. Most meet none of these three requirements! This we hope changes as more companies decide to conduct the proper tests, but until it does, we advise anyone to stick with the tested products. We will keep you posted if and when we come across other brands that have completed all three tests.”

Which zeolite does Waiora use for the Natural Cellular Defense?

Of the three different classes of zeolites mentioned above Waiora uses naturally-occurring clinoptilolite in the Natural Cellular Defense. This particular zeolite has been used for over 800 years in traditional medicine to improve general health. It has been widely used in its raw form in places like India, China and Russia. In the United States, zeolites have been used in water filtration, air purification, animal feed and even in fertilizers to keep the crops healthy. Now Waiora is using it in an enhanced form using a proprietary activation technology as a dietary supplement.

Key Benefits of Waiora’s Natural Cellular Defense

* Supports a healthy immune system.*

* Helps remove heavy metals, toxins and other substances from the body.*

* Helps balance pH levels in the body.*

* 100 percent natural and non-toxic.*

* Safe for long-term use.*

Where do I purchase Waiora’s Natural Cellular Defense?

For more information about Waiora's NCD and to purchase it at wholesale, visit http://EDNPro.com.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Pesticides: Toxic To Your Health

What you don’t know or believe about pesticides could kill you .... or worse kill the future of your children, of the children of the world. Why would I make such a dramatic statement?

We all pretty much understand and accept the adage “you are what you eat.” Well, consider this: we are a product of our environment ... we are more than what we eat ... we are what we breathe and drink. And even more than eating, drinking and breathing, our skin, the largest organ of our body, absorbs more than we can ever possibly eat, drink and breathe. Now, that’s real food for thought that can change your health and wellness.

Every day we are exposed to more toxins than we can imagine. Some even call them invisible killers and the accumulation over time, one drop at a time, absorbed into our body tissue makes up what is known as Body Burden, a toxic burden to your health and wellness.

One known group of environmental toxins is pesticides. (I’ll reflect on other sources in a future post.) There is still much we don’t know about health problems that can result from pesticide exposure. One thing we do know, though, is that most pesticides have not been tested for safety on humans and U.S. EPA's testing guidelines do not require observation of several key endpoints such as developmental neurotoxicity or endocrine disruption. Exposures to multiple pesticides are not evaluated by EPA, even though exposure to multiple pesticides occurs frequently.

Long-term (chronic) health problems can result from both a single high-dose exposure to pesticides and from exposures over a long period of time even when exposure levels are low. Even though people may not know they have been exposed, health problems may emerge years after a serious poisoning incident or from low-level, long-term exposure. For a list short-term and long-term effects of pesticide exposure, you may want to visit PANNA’s http://www.panna.org/drift/health.

And guess who the greatest victims are? Those small, precious lives we call our children, for whom we do so much to shelter and protect in many other ways. They are the most vulnerable to the negative health and wellness impacts of pesticides and the Body Burden begins there and sometimes do not appear for decades, though some are seen immediately upon birth with developmental disorders such as autism and aspergers.

Resent studies by the American Red Cross showed that the umbilical cord a newborn contained an average of 200 chemicals and pollutants. Children are still growing and developing, and they are less able to detoxify harmful chemicals. Children tend to play on the floor and put their hands and objects into their mouths, both of which may be coated with pesticide-contaminated dust and dirt (or other toxins such as toxic wood preservative, arsenic). Because children breathe more air, eat more food and drink more water per pound of body weight than adults, they are exposed to relatively greater quantities of pesticides. Children are less able to detoxify toxic chemicals.

What do we do about all this? As PANNA reports in its reports on “drifting” of pesticides and the second-hand affect of such, http://www.panna.org/drift/health, everyone is exposed. Use PANNA’s Drift Catcher to determine what pesticides you might be exposed to in your closest environment: http://www.panna.org/drift/catcher. Join a Pesticide Drift Campaign: http://www.panna.org/drift/fight.

We can never completely avoid exposure to pesticides, but we are able to get rid of toxins that are absorbed into our bodies and prevent some of their harmful effects. Chelators and safer chelator-like products, such as zeolites, have been used for many years. There are herbal teas known to detoxifiy our liver and kidneys. Keeping your colon cleansed of build-up helps your body detoxify itself. In this documentary video, http://www.TheTruthAboutToxins.com find out more about what we can do to rid our bodies of these toxic pesticides and be proactive about your own health and wellness and that of our children.