Narconon Drug Detox - Contaminant
Drug rehab Detoxification method-scientific literature
Appendix: A Review of Scientific Literature Supporting the Detoxification Method
Developed by L. Ron Hubbard
1. Contamination With Synthetic Chemicals
Human exposure to toxic chemicals has dramatically increased in the last
century. Millions of compounds have been formulated and some 70,000 are now in
commercial use. The environmental persistence of many of these compounds is
cause for concern. In addition, many of these synthetic compounds accumulate in
biological organisms ("bioaccumulation"), storing in bone, fat, or another
compartment of the body.
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| Hundreds of these compounds are found in U.S. citizens, with many
present in each of us (1). In addition to commercial compounds, many drugs-both
pharmaceutical and so-called recreational-can remain in the body for an
extended time. Drugs such as LSD (2,3), PCP (4), cocaine (5), marijuana (6) and
diazepam (7) are found in fat. These drugs can be retained for extended
periods, especially under conditions of chronic use (5,8-11). |
| Adverse health effects have been shown for some of these compounds.
Health effects from most compounds have not, however, been studied in detail.
Further, the health effects from combinations of chemicals are unknown. It is
clearly preferable to have low levels of foreign compounds rather than high.
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2. Reduction of Bioaccumulated Compounds
While we still do not fully understand the bio-active mechanisms or the
kinetics of many toxic substances, physicians have known for centuries that
health problems can ensue as a result of accumulations of xenobiotics (foreign
chemicals) and have looked for ways to safely and effectively reduce body
burdens.
Ramazzini, in his 1713 work, Diseases of Workers, notes that writers of works
on poisons at that time "advise, in general, remedies that have the power of
setting the spirits and blood mass in motion and of provoking sweat" (12), a
recommendation which aligns well with current knowledge of the kinetics and
metabolism of foreign compounds.
Approaches to handling bioaccumulation of harmful chemicals depend on
increasing the rate of removal of these compounds. This is accomplished by
either altering the compound to a non-toxic form or by enhancing the rate of
elimination.
This philosophy has been applied in many ways. In acute poisoning, purging is a
key means of removing the toxic compound before adverse effects arise. For this
reason, a strong purgative is included in the highly toxic pesticide, paraquat.
Ingestion of compounds known to bind to the contaminating compound has been
used in some cases. This increases the rate of removal of the toxic compound
because it cannot be reabsorbed as it passes through the intestine. In this
manner, cholestyramine was successfully used to reduce levels of Kepone (13),
and Prussian blue was used to reduce levels of radio-active cesium (14).
A fasting technique has been used to enhance the mobilization of fat-stored
compounds. This approach resulted in improved symptoms in 16 PCB-exposed
Taiwanese patients (15), although the levels of PCBs in the blood of these
patients increased. Ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) has been used for many
years in the treatment of lead toxicity. EDTA binds to lead and other compounds
in the blood, the resultant complex then being eliminated. (16,17)
Reduction of fat-stored chemicals must be aimed at mobilizing chemicals from
fat stores, distributing the mobilized chemical to routes of elimination, and
increasing the rate at which these routes are utilized. This is the design
behind the detoxification procedure developed by Hubbard.
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