Dr. Pizzorno and Dr. Berkson have been colleagues since the 1970's, so this discussion unfolds as rich in facts but sincerely warm-hearted between two long time natural healers. Dr. Joseph Pizzorno is a thought leader in functional medicine and is now a paradigm shifter in environmental medicine. Dr. Pizzorno was founding president of Bastyr University, one of the prestigious naturopathic colleagues in the US.
Dr. Pizzorno has been practicing, teaching and guiding this naturopathic field since the 1970’s. Dr. P is also president of SaluGenecists, a company that develops tools for clinicians to discover root causes of disease and then be able to pick the best individualized effective treatments based on the patient’s personal physiology.
Dr. P is also Editor-in-Chief of the well respected Integrative Medicine, A Clinician's Journal. In this podcast Pizzorno and Berkson are discussing his new book The Toxin Solution. Too often, people can go through the trouble of performing detoxification protocols, but find themselves worse off afterwards by not doing the detox protocol right. What does this mean? There needs to be adequate "organ' preparation, effective identification of specific toxins and exact modalities to liberate them from hidden reserves, and most importantly, and effective clearing of these toxins out of the body. Too many detox programs liberate toxins but don't address these other components. People can go through all that effort and come out less well. Dr. Pizzorno shares, from a clinician's point of view, that many diseases can be completely eliminated, from rheumatoid arthritis to Alzheimer's, by practitioner monitored in-depth detoxification protocols. And then of course, living more cleanly afterwards. Dr. P tells the mesmerizing story of the oil field workers that first got his attention and led to his research. He explains that the human body requires enzymes to perform cellular activities. Nutrients or nutritional supplements “feed” enzymes, while in contrast, most pharmaceuticals “kill” them. Natural answers such as detoxification methods make so much more sense in the long run to eliminate disease, rather than the use of medications that mostly address symptoms but don’t help or intend for the person to get over that disease. These doctors discussed side effects of some over the counter meds like acetaminophen. This rinses glutathione out of the body. Glutathione is a major supporter of detox enzymes. When this is rinsed out of the body, the body is at greater risk of disease, infections, and many worse things than the headaches you grabbed this medicine for in the first place. People who take acetaminophen regularly and live on a golf course, for example, have a harder time processing the chemicals used on the greens and are much more prone to serious health issues. We now live in a toxic soup. No one is immune. You cannot shop yourself out of this mess and regulatory actions can't happen fast enough. So as clinicians, we need, as Dr. Pizzorno emphasizes, to offer answers to help people get over serious illnesses once and for all. Often expensive meds have adverse serious side effects that, on top of the illness in the first place, make the person feel worse in the second place. And do not eradicate the illness.
And more shocking is that many of these meds, at the physiology level, can actually make people worse, by rinsing out nutrients, damaging enzymes, blocking critical pathways, and more. Dr. Pizzorno loves to motorcycle with his wife Laura through the countrysides of the many places he is sought after to speak around the world. At Dr. Pizzorno's website, www.thetoxinsolution.com, he has provided a plethora of information to help you understand the critical role of how the toxin issue must be addressed by all of us. We can't keep putting our heads in the sand. For example, lactating mom's download 40 to 80% of their lifetime chemical load to their infants. This is contributing to increases in serious childhood illnesses. What’s one answer? Get tested and detoxed ideally prior to conception. Berkson has been calling for Green Pregnancy for years. This warm, insightful and factoid filled discussion between colleagues and old friends, highlights that detoxification must move mainstream. Dr. Pizzorno’s book is a guide to show you how, but he recommends that you work with physicians who also know how. This shrinks the playing field. If you ask your regular doctor they will most likely not know about the role of toxicity in your health issues. As Roger Williams PhD used to say, “It’s human to be down on what you aren’t up on.” Get up on this amazing information on detox to stretch your understanding of its critical role in total healing. This podcast gives you a window into “this new medicine.”