Q: Until recently, I was a perfectly healthy 29-year-old. Then I
moved intoa new apartment that's over a dry cleaner. The smell makes me
nauseous, and I've started to suffer from an assortment of health
problems. I feel sluggish, tired, and anxious, and I get frequent
headaches. Even my muscles ache. How can the mere smell of the dry
cleaners affect me so much?
A: The chemical used in dry cleaning, perchlorethylene, is
extremely toxic, and I've had more than one patient whose health problems
cleared up after they moved out of a home that was on top of, or next to,
a dry-cleaner. It's not the smell that is harming you, it is the actual
chemical, which your body is having trouble detoxifying. A school in New
York City was recently closed down because it had formerly been used for
dry-cleaning and was still contaminated. Traces of dry cleaning fluid
have been found as far as 10 floors above a cleaner.
If you can't move immediately, I suggest buying a high-quality HEPA
(high efficiency particulate air) filter, such as those made by Austin
Air. You might also benefit from beginning a nutrient program to support
your liver, the single most important organ for detoxification, clearing
99 percent of the toxins from your blood. A wide range of chronic
illnesses improve markedly when my patients adopt a liver-friendly
diet.
If too many toxic substances storm your liver's castle keep, the
organ telegraphs its stress in rashes, itching, headaches, fatigue,
pains, and even changes in mood. It's important to listen to these cries
for help before you suffer significant liver damage.
Perhaps the best herb for the liver is milk thistle, a member of
the daisy family that contains silymarin marianum, a substance that
protects and even helps regenerate the liver. According to Joseph
Pizzorno, N.D., founding president of Bastyr University, "Milk thistle is
possibly the most potent liver protective agent known." This potent herb
has a long history: folklorists know its lore and it has also been used
medicinally for thousands of years.
I also recommend a morning drink of hot water with lemon to help
jump-start the liver, and increase its ability to detoxify And I
prescribe the amino acid supplement N-acetylcysteine, which aids the
liver as well. In addition, try to eat a diet rich in liver-friendly
foods like dark leafy greens, fresh vegetables and fruits, beans, and
grains. Stay away from junk foods full of fat and sugar. Because we live
in a world so saturated with toxins, I recommend a liver-cleansing
program to many of my patients.
PHOTO (COLOR): Milk thistle is of the most powerful liver cleansing
and protective herbs in nature, and has actually been shown to help
reverse hepatitis.
Tags:
assortment,
chemical,
chronic illnesses,
detoxification,
dry cleaners,
dry cleaning,
frequent headaches,
health problems,
joseph pizzorno,
liver,
liver damage,
new apartment,
toxic,
toxins
