When you think of a newborn baby, what comes to mind? The model of perfect health and potential?

In a new study, researchers found hundreds of toxins when they analyzed the umbilical cord bloods of newborn babies. They found traces of chemicals and pesticides banned over thirty years ago.

Today’s Health Alert will look at these disturbing results about the dangers our children face – before they are born. And, I’ll give you a list of the most reliable detoxifiers.

The Plague of the Industrialized World

The nonprofit Environmental Working Group published the results of this study. After studying the cord blood of newborns from around the country, they discovered 287 chemicals and other toxins.(1) One of the pesticides that turned up the most was a by-product of DDT – a pesticide banned in 1972.

They also found:

• 76 chemicals that cause cancer in humans and animals.
• 94 that are toxic to the brain and nervous system.
• 79 that cause birth defects or abnormal development.

While some studies show the levels needed to be toxic to adults, no one knows how much of any one toxin will affect an unborn child. What we do know is that exposure to toxins poses a much greater threat while in womb than later in life.

Two years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA) said that toxins are 10 times more dangerous to babies. Some chemicals being 65 times more powerful in children.(2)

Detox Protection

The dereliction of our social responsibility is very concerning here. You cannot act individually to protect yourself before birth. Yet being born with a body full of pollutants doesn’t mean you are helpless to act. You can act to find ways to detoxify your body.

You can improve your body’s natural ability to detoxify with a whole food diet and plenty of physical activity. See Health Alerts 58, 110, 222 and 270 for specifics.

In addition, you can use nutrient and herbal supplements to help detoxify. Here are three of my favorites, I often suggest to my patients:

• N-Acetyl-Cysteine: This amino acid protects you against a broad array of modern toxins. It detoxifies you liver, kidneys and lungs and boosts your immune system. As a potent antioxidant, it destroys free radicals and strengthens your ability to fight off disease. I recommend 300mg daily.

• Alpha Lipoic Acid: ALA plays a vital role in the production of cellular energy, dubbed the “Universal Antioxidant” because of its ability to fight free radicals in both the fatty and water areas of cells. It lowers your risk of atherosclerosis, lung disease, and neurological disorders by fighting the specific free radicals that contribute to these afflictions. I recommend taking 100 mg of ALA every day.

• Milk Thistle Extract: This powerful herb helps to protect and regenerate liver cells. As a detoxifier, milk thistle helps your liver to filter out toxins and drugs. I recommend 200 mg in capsule form twice a day. Look for dried extract with a minimum of 80% silymarin. This is the liver cleansing active ingredient.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

(1) Environmental Working Group. Body Burden – The Pollution in Newborns. July 14, 2005. www.ewg.org.

(2) Stapleton C. Toxic elements found in infant’s cord blood. The Palm Beach Post. P.A1. July 14, 2005.