Thousands of U.S. veterans became sick and started dying after being exposed to toxins from open-air burn pits used to incinerate refuse on military bases overseas.
The problem arose from groundwater and drinking wells contaminated by years of seepage from the military’s firefighting foams containing perfluorooctans.
That’s just over a dozen years of chemical seepage at a little over a hundred sites.
Now imagine the 100 years of chemical seepage we’ve experienced here in the U.S. and you begin to see the scope of the toxic soup we are living in that modern medicine doesn’t want to acknowledge.
Your liver is fine, they say! No need for detoxification! Your tissues are fine! Just take our drugs when you get cancer!
The culprits
According to the Government Accountability Office, the unregulated waste disposal practice at U.S. bases allowed for the burning of Styrofoam, plastics, tires, pesticide containers, batteries and medical waste, among other things.
With many of the troops exposed to the waste burning back at home, Veteran’s Administration hospitals started to have to deal with thousands of cases of mysterious bronchial diseases and cancers. Those same federal guidelines that dictate the DoD’s safety standards have allowed government regulators to tell all of us that Styrofoam, chemical plastics, pesticides and all kinds of other harmful substances are safe for daily contact.
To provide just one example of what I’m talking about, consider federal regulators’ position on agri-giant Bayer/Monsanto’s Roundup weed and grass killer.
Nineteen countries in the European Union banned genetically modified crops bred specifically to withstand heavy spraying with Roundup. Why? Besides health concerns related to the genetic makeup of the crops themselves, filling the air near massive farming operations with Roundup particles is extremely dangerous to human health.
The herbicide has been linked to myriad health problems, including: ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, liver disease, thyroid issues, respiratory illnesses, autoimmune disorders like MS and various forms of cancer.
Despite the documented health concerns and the millions awarded in court to those suing Monsanto/Bayer for damages, the U.S. still embraces Roundup as safe. And if you live near a large farming operation, there’s a good chance you’re breathing the harmful chemical as you read this. Worse, we’re all dealing with the Roundup runoff that makes it into the water supply throughout the nation.
The enablers
Because of the same regulatory/government/industry scheming that takes place on a smaller scale with various products, your body is constantly being bombarded by harmful chemical intrusions from food packaging, personal hygiene products, artificial additives and an endless list of other seemingly innocuous health threats.
If you think I’m exaggerating, consider this eye-opening fact. According to Consumer Reports, just 11 percent of ingredients in personal care products are tested for safety in the United States.
Worse, companies selling personal care products can hide controversial or dangerous ingredients in their formulas under the guise of an FDA-approved “trade secret” status. Still, past congressional investigations into the matter have identified more than 125 cosmetic ingredients suspected of causing cancer.
And that’s just from things deemed safe to slather on your skin and hair. Think about the chemical horror under your kitchen sink and in your garage.
Worse, we have bait-and-switches. The government banned BPA (bisphenol-A) from plastic bottles for babies and so forth… but guess what? They still put its cousin, BPS in products instead, and it may be just as problematic. It is likely that it is carcinogenic and causes heart problems.
According to research published in Environmental Science & Technology, 87 percent of paper money and 52 percent of recycled paper (the type used in store receipts) contain BPS. They estimate that people are absorbing 19 times more BPS than BPA. And the long-term risks are unknown. People who handle thermal paper in their jobs may be absorbing much, much more.
BPS was also found in business cards, food cartons, magazines, napkins, toilet paper and envelopes.
Other potentially toxic chemicals include perfluorinated chemicals, stain repellants in clothing that may impair immunity. And the fire retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a family of chemicals linked to hyperactivity and learning disorders in youngsters.
There are also xenoestrogens, obesogens, phthalates… a study published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology in 2009 found that phthalates disrupt a hormone receptor that influences lipid and carbohydrate metabolism (i.e., disrupt cholesterol function). And we wonder why doctors want so many people to go on statin drugs?
Though the ill-effects of the constant chemical exposure we all face don’t present as rapidly as they have for the soldiers exposed to chemical burning, the gradual buildup over time is ruinous for your health.
Between the products we use and the environmental toxins surrounding us, researchers say they are 99 percent certain we’re all slowly developing chemical-related health conditions.
The solution
Of course you should, as much as possible, drink filtered water — and determine whether the filtration system contains any BPA. You should chuck your nonstick cookware (PFOA’s) and plastic utensils and cook with cast iron and/or stainless cookware.
Some people throw away the outer layer of all vegetables and take their shoes off before entering the house just to make sure there is no pesticide residue in the home. But it might also be a good idea to ignore the advice of the medical-industrial complex, which has certainly failed our veterans, and begin to detoxify your body as thoroughly as you can.
However, the No. 1 mistake people make when attempting to begin a thorough detox is to do it too quickly.
My colleague Dr. Isaac Eliaz writes: “This is the most common problem with many extreme or short-term detox programs. Toxins are quickly released into the circulation, and the body’s elimination systems become overburdened, causing reactions like headaches, fatigue and digestive discomfort. Certain extreme cleanse supplements and some treatments, as well as rapid weight loss, can encourage the release of too many toxins from organs and tissues all at once. The resulting discomfort can lead many people to discontinue the detox process without thoroughly addressing their toxic body burden.”
To avoid this pitfall, start your cleanse gradually. Begin with a gentle, yet effective detoxification and chelation formula, like Peak Chelation+ Resveratrol™. A combination of EDTA, malic acid, betaine and resveratrol for healthy cells and toxin elimination, this clinically researched formula promotes the safe removal of heavy metals and environmental toxins from the digestive tract and circulation, without affecting essential minerals or causing uncomfortable side effects.
Once you’ve reduced your levels of circulating toxins, you can incorporate gentle cleanses like a saltwater flush into your regimen.
Bob Livingston
