Table Of ContentTable of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART I - Beating Toxic Overload
CHAPTER 1 - The Perils of a Polluted World
CHAPTER 2 - Step 1. Supplementation
CHAPTER 3 - Step 2. Seven-Day Desludge Diet
CHAPTER 4 - Step 3. Chemical-Free Home and Beauty Products
PART II - The Chemical Connection to Chronic Illness
CHAPTER 5 - Immune System Diseases
CHAPTER 6 - Neurological Disorders
CHAPTER 7 - Digestive Disorders
CHAPTER 8 - Hormonal Imbalances
CHAPTER 9 - Cardiovascular Diseases
CHAPTER 10 - Cancer
CHAPTER 11 - Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
CHAPTER 12 - Obesity and Musculoskeletal Disorders
CHAPTER 13 - Childhood Disorders
Resources
Glossary
References
Index
About the Author
Published by the Penguin Group
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Copyright © 2005 by Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton
Previously published in the U. K. by Vermillion as Stop the 21st Century Killing You
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or
electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted
materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. Published
simultaneously in Canada
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baillie-Hamilton, Paula.
Toxic overload : a doctor’s plan for combating the illnesses caused by chemicals in our foods, our
homes,
and our medicine cabinets / Paula Baillie-Hamilton.
p. cm.
Previously published in Great Britain as: Stop the 21st century killing you.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
eISBN : 978-1-440-68488-3
Neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the
individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions in this book are not intended as a substitute
for consulting a physician. All matters regarding health require medical supervision. Neither the author
nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss, injury, or damage allegedly arising from
any information or suggestion in this book. The opinions expressed in this book represent the personal
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This book is dedicated to
my dearly beloved husband, Mike,
and children, Angus, Bruce, Lucy, and Rory,
and to you and your children
Acknowledgments
It is a universally acknowledged fact that it is impossible to write a book
without the support of others. So I would like to take this opportunity to
thank all those who have played a pivotal role in the creation and production
of this book.
The biggest thanks goes to Kristen Jennings, who with her excellent
editorial advice transformed this book into what you have in your hands
today. I am also very much indebted to Eric Levine for giving this book the
full benefit of his remarkable PR creative skills.
Others I would like to thank are my sister Julia for her extremely
constructive editorial advice and for all her excellent help and support every
step of the way. My literary agent, Neeti Madan, my father, John Hickman,
and mother, Pat Hickman, Professor Kim Jobst, my friend Elizabeth Kahn-
Inglby, her daughter, Ella McHugh, Candida Rafferty, as well as all the oher
people I have not mentioned who have played a role in supporting me
personally or professionally in achieving my goals. Thank you all!
Introduction
Diseases once thought of as rare are now widespread. In 1900, less than 4
percent of the UK population died of heart disease and cancer combined. In
2002, this figure has increased to an unprecedented 65 percent.
TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR CLOTHES. We are now so used to buying
fabrics in virtually any color under the sun that we take having this choice
completely for granted. Yet our desire to wear beautifully colored clothes
appears to have come at a terrible price, since it was the very creation of these
bright, vibrant synthetic dyes which sparked the dawn of the modern-day
chemical revolution.
Around 140 years ago, most dyes had to be created from naturally
available products, so the range of colors was fairly limited. High prices
excluded all but the richest people from buying cloth dyed with natural dyes.
It was only when a chemist stumbled across a vibrant purple dye by using
new and previously unknown methods of creating chemicals that scientists
realized that a new era was within their control. This new “synthetic” dye not
only possessed a new bright and attractive color, it was also cheaper, easier to
produce, and more permanent than existing dyes, which tended to fade over
time. In a nutshell, it possessed a range of more desirable, and therefore
potentially profitable, characteristics than the existing natural dyes. Not
surprisingly, not only did the chemist who discovered it soon make his
fortune, but it prompted a modern-day gold rush driving large numbers of
chemists to throw their efforts into using these revolutionary new methods in
the hope that they, too, would discover new synthetic chemicals that could
replace existing natural substances and earn them a fortune. Indeed man’s
endeavors in this field have been so vigorous that the chemical industry has
snowballed into what is now the biggest industry in the world.
Indeed, not only are we now surrounded with hundreds of thousands of
new synthetic chemicals, many of which are known to be highly toxic, but
increased industrial use of toxic metals has also resulted in the unprecedented
level of poisonous chemicals currently being released into our environment.
With billions of kilograms of synthetic chemicals being produced annually in
America alone, and with production doubling approximately every ten years,
the situation appears to be escalating out of control.
We end up ingesting many of these chemicals, such as pesticides,
preservatives, additives, pollutants, and contaminants, through our foods and
food containers. We drink them in tap water, which contains chemicals
leached from contaminated soils, environmental pollutants, and even
chemicals added deliberately such as fluoride. We absorb them through our
skin from cosmetics, toiletries, treated wood, sprayed plants, treated areas of
public parks, golf courses, bath water, and swimming pools. We even inhale
them in air contaminated with solvents, car fumes, industrial waste, and
environmental pollutants.
The problem is that our bodies were never designed to protect themselves
against this form of chemical onslaught. As a result, our systems usually fail
to process and remove most of these chemicals once they have entered our
bodies, so their levels start building up inside us. Consequently, every single
human on the face of this earth is now permanently contaminated with these
modern synthetic chemicals.
Unfortunately for our health, the greater the buildup of chemicals, the more
pronounced their ability to disrupt the smooth running of our existing body
systems. The consequences of this constant poisoning has, not surprisingly,
been linked to the development and triggering of an ever-increasing number
of diseases, such as asthma, autoimmune diseases, cancer, cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, and thyroid diseases. Many leading scientists have
hypothesized that these chemicals are now playing a significant role in
perpetuating an epidemic of these and many other chronic illnesses.
Even over the last fifty years, the number of those with degenerative
diseases has increased dramatically. People are developing diseases at
younger ages, and the number of infants and children contracting chronic
illnesses has never been higher. Furthermore, totally new illnesses, such as
chronic fatigue syndrome, autism, and chemical sensitivities, have not only
emerged but are already affecting a large percentage of the population. The
