PROTECTING YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
by
Thomas L. Stone, MD

In the last three or four years, "the immune system" has become virtually a household term, one displayed daily on our TV sets and in our newspapers. Many people are concerned that their immune systems have been or might be attacked by the AIDS virus. Yet we are continually subjected to subtle immunosuppressive and toxic influences that may, in the long run, be more dangerous for the majority of people.

Our WATER SUPPLIES are so contaminated with known immunotoxins that even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has admitted the problem and has recently issued another warning.

We consume PROCESSED FOODS that contain thousands of food additives, many of which are toxic enough to be listed as known or suspected carcinogens. Others interfere with digestion or tie up essential nutrients.

Penicillin, tetracycline, and other ANTIBIOTICS are commonly used in animal agriculture here, while the United Kingdom has restricted their use for more than ten years. We are assured by our "experts" that these residues in our food are negligible.

Less well know is that some of the so-called inert ingredients in these pesticides are even more toxic than the active chemicals!

It is now recognized that the thousands of PESTICIDES used for years in growing our foods are unbelievably toxic. Less well know is that some of the so-called inert ingredients in these pesticides are even more toxic than the active chemicals!

More insidious, but perhaps even more frightening, is the danger from the constant bombardment by LOW-LEVEL RADIATION emitted by most of the technological "comforts" that have recently entered our lives – microwave ovens, digital watches, calculators, computers, airport and weather radar stations, microwave alarms and communications, fluorescent lights, unshielded electric wires, electric motors, and so on.

In my experience, the effect of the electromagnetic field from the heaters in a WATER BED or ELECTRIC BLANKET on the energy system of a relatively healthy individual might not be obvious, but in someone whose immune system is already compromised, with such conditions as Candida albicans overgrowth, chronic Epstein-Barr syndrome, AIDS, or cancer, the result (like that from malnutrition, low-level pesticide poisoning, or chronic asbestos exposure) can be quietly and insidiously devastating.

For proper functioning of our immune systems, our eyes need to receive the FULL SPECTRUM OF LIGHT, which stimulates the function of glands in our brain. Yet many of us rarely "see" natural, full-spectrum light. Instead, much of our time is spent indoors under artificial light or outdoors looking through contact lenses or glasses that block important wavelengths of light. Dr. John Ott has termed this condition "malillumination . . . a lack of the necessary amount of sunlight, just as malnutrition is a lack of the proper nutrients in our diets." A deficiency of certain wavelengths of light in the winter months can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a condition in which susceptible individuals become depressed.

Worse yet are TINTED LENSES. Many optometrists and ophthalmologists prescribe them to protect us from excessive ultraviolet radiation. This reminds me that 15 to 20 years ago, obstetricians were starving fetuses because they were trying to protect mothers from the dangers of excessive weight gain! Eventually obstetricians recognized the problem they created; I hope that the eye doctors will also.

Many people, including children, with these metals in their mouths gradually get impaired immune functions. The cause of the insidious onset and vague nature of their symptoms, which include learning and behavior problems, usually goes unrecognized. Because they do not fit any textbook disease, they are often diagnosed as neurotic, psychosomatic, or depressed.

The metals nickel and beryllium, frequently present in DENTAL BRACES and FILLINGS, are highly allergenic. Numerous studies have shown that over 10 percent of the population is allergic to nickel. Dentists rarely, if ever, seem to be aware of this. I frequently see the disastrous results of the stainless-steel and other non-precious-metal restorations. Many people, including children, with these metals in their mouths gradually get impaired immune functions. The cause of the insidious onset and vague nature of their symptoms, which include learning and behavior problems, usually goes unrecognized. Because they do not fit any textbook disease, they are often diagnosed as neurotic, psychosomatic, or depressed. If the patient’s restorations have only been in place for a short time, removal often results in a dramatic disappearance of symptoms. If they have been in for months or years, recovery can be prolonged.

Over the years, many people have asked how it is possible that we could be "allergic to good foods" when it would seem logical that nature would protect us from such problems. Unfortunately, the foods that we are eating today have little resemblance to the foods of 50 or 100 years ago. In addition to the problem of the antibiotics, hormones, and other modern chemicals in our farm animals, our crops have been hybridized to produce plants that are disease- and insect-resistant. Plants protect themselves against disease and insects by excreting toxic substances, most of which are known as PHENOLICS. Those of you who are chemically sensitive recognize that phenolics are highly sensitizing. Thus, in increasing the yield and disease resistance of our crops, we have also markedly increased their toxicity and "allergenicity." There are people who recommend a so-called Cave Man Diet. I am sorry to say that I think it would be impossible to obtain a true Cave Man Diet today. I believe that the modernization of our food supply has increased our "allergies" manyfold. These "allergies," in my opinion, interfere with the proper digestion, absorption, and utilization of our foods. I have seen people who have been on an excellent diet but who are malnourished because of this.

Ours is the first generation that must fight infectious organisms plus adapt to many thousands of new toxic chemicals in our air, water, and food. We must [also] survive background radiation exposures that exceed those of our ancestors by more than a thousandfold!

Our ancestors struggled with numerous, terrible infectious diseases (e.g. plague and syphillis). Ours is the first generation that must fight infectious organisms plus adapt to many thousands of new toxic chemicals in our air, water, and food. We must survive background radiation exposures that exceed those of our ancestors by more than a thousandfold! Our "modern" living has many benefits, but there is a price. Our huge national debt means that we have borrowed from the future for today’s pleasures. So too with the environment: our greed and selfishness have caused enormous deficits in nature. Both debts will have to be paid, one way or another.

Nevertheless, despite all these difficulties, we are not completely helpless. Here are a few of the recommendations that I give my patients:
 
  • Drink six to ten glasses a day of the least-contaminated water available. Glass-bottled water or an effective reverse-osmosis water treatment can decrease contamination.
  • Eat as close to nature as possible. Fresh produce is far superior to processed foods. True organic food is still scarce and expensive. [Since this article was written in 1987, organic food has become more abundant, but still is more expensive than toxic pesticided food]. Each person’s diet is individualized, but generally I emphasize fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, fowl, and possible lamb on occasion, in that order.
  • Avoid fried, deep-fat-fried, heavily processed or refined foods such as sugar, corn sweeteners, and white flour. Eating in fast-food restaurants on a regular basis is playing Russian roulette with your health.
  • Eat a varied diet; for allergic and immune-compromised people, a 4-day rotation is critical. The 4-day rotation diet, with its wide variety of foods, increases the probability that all of your nutritional needs, including the micronutrients, will be met. Also, you are less likely to become addicted/allergic to any given food, and it is also less likely that you will be overexposed to a particular pesticide. Since different pesticides are used on different crops, your body will be given some time to detoxify before another exposure. In addition, the rotation diet minimizes exposure to particular or naturally occurring phenolics and other toxins in your food.
 
 
 

 

This is not what Dr. Rinkel meant by a "Rotary Diversified Diet"

 
  • Avoid tinted lenses in your glasses (unless you have true full-spectrum lenses). You can be in the shade; it is not necessary to be in the direct sunlight. If you have had surgery for cataracts, you should not use full-spectrum lenses or contacts. As you know, overexposure to sunlight can be just as dangerous as other overdoses.
  • Do not live or work within three quarters of a mile of high-voltage, high-power electric transmission lines or a high-power antenna. Avoid living in the path of a microwave relay transmitter. (If you want to know how to determine this, NOHA will have to invite me back to speak.)
  • Avoid sleeping on water beds and using electric blankets.
  • Use caution when placing any substance in, on, or around your body.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Keep your soul, mind, and body healthy through your personal relationships, lifestyle, and diet so you need not risk the dangers of some "modern" medical and dental treatments.
 
 
 
 
 

Avoiding AIDS is easier for most people than escaping the many chronic illnesses (lupus, multiple sclerosis, parkinsonism, Candida albicans overgrowth, chemical sensitivities, Alzheimer’s, chronic Epstein-Barr syndrome, cancer, and many more) that are caused in whole or in part by our environment.

I am hopeful that we will soon learn to live in harmony with ourselves, nature, and each other – but the lessons of the coming years will be very painful.

Article from NOHA NEWS, Vol. XII, No. 4, Fall 1987, pages 2-3.