A DIRT CHEAP SOLUTION

Until we can clean up the planet and our act, we fortunately do have a “dirt cheap," stop-gap way of coping with metal toxicity. That solution is diatomaceous earth. Dr. Knight has extensively tested a product produced by Perma-Guard [which is the DE supplied by Gaia-Tree I.S. and Pinnacle Farms in Roslin, Nova Scotia].

Diatomaceous earth comes from fossilized shells of freshwater diatoms and is found in vast deposits all over the earth. Made up of silicon and trace minerals, diatomaceous earth can, according to the scientific literature, absorb methyl mercury, E. coli, endotoxins, viruses (including poliovirus), organophosphate pesticide residues, drug residue, and protein, perhaps even the proteinaceous toxins produced by some intestinal infections.

The only caveat is that diatomaceous earth used for human or animal detoxification must be food grade. People and other mammals should never use the coarse, crystalline form of diatomaceous earth sold for use in swimming pool filters or as insecticides, or sources of diatomaceous earth contaminated with toxins like arsenic and the metal toxins. If inhaled, the crystalline form can cause a disabling lung disease called silicosis and upon ingestion might puncture the lining of the alimentary tract. Food grade diatomaceous earth binds metals and other toxins, gently siphoning or leaching them out of storage areas and passing them innocuously out of the body.

Microscopic live cell analyses of blood taken from individuals who have detoxed using food-grade diatomaceous earth for many months display little evidence that the particles make their way intact into the blood. Hair analyses of these individuals display normal or even slightly low amounts of silica. This evidence, combined with a very low trace and toxic mineral content (usually in parts per million), supports the concept that diatomaceous earth works by removing toxins that poison the immune and regulatory functions, rather than by adding trace minerals that support these processes.

To detoxify with diatomaceous earth, dissolve less than one teaspoon to one tablespoon for every 100 pounds of body weight in a glass of pure water and drink before bed over a period of months or years. Taken this way, its metal-binding capacity is unlikely to hinder the absorption of needed minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and zinc, which we take in from our food at mealtimes or from supplements during the day.

Moderation and patience is advised, as taking more than one tablespoon can create some very uncomfortable side effects. An overeager dentist, for example, took an estimated 12 tablespoons overnight in a foolish attempt to quickly rid his body of years of accumulated mercury. He may have let go of some quicksilver all right, but he also developed a bad case of bowel inflammation that mimicked constipation so completely that he feared his gut was turning into concrete!

Even at low levels of under one teaspoon per day, detoxification may trigger the discomfort known as a "healing crisis." This discomfort may be nothing more than inflammation caused by a reawakening immune system as it detoxifies and begins to attack previously unaddressed chronic infections and/or stores of toxic metals. Increasing the amount slowly from less than one teaspoon to a rounded tablespoon over a few days or weeks may help to avoid this situation. One does want to remove the toxins as fast as the body wants to release them, however, and as much as two percent dry weight in the diet or about a tablespoon per 100 pounds is appropriate if the body weight is not outrageous. Even so, individuals suffering from perforations of the alimentary tract (such as bleeding ulcers, colitis, leaky gut syndrome, and advanced lupus) always should exercise caution and use diatomaceous earth only under the care of a doctor or other health practitioner.