The Red Cross participated in a study of umbilical cords with some pretty disturbing results. I believe there was a lot of toxic materials discovered in those umbilical cords. What implications would that have for newborns and how would our product relate to that?

I think it’s really a shame. The study was conducted by the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) in cooperation with the American Red Cross. This study evaluated the blood from the umbilical cords of newborns. They did find over 200 toxic compounds, more than 70 of which were potentially carcinogenic. So it seems that we’re born with high toxicity, so it’s not like it builds up over time – we’re acquiring it from our parents, which is a very scary thought. It is important to know that the Natural Cellular Defense does help detoxify the body and is perfectly safe in any age and pretty much any condition, so it’s perfectly safe in pregnant or nursing mothers and perfectly safe in infants as well. Because of this study I would say that not only is it safe for a pregnant woman, but it probably is advisable in a pregnant woman to help prevent, in some way, passing on some of these toxic compounds to her newborn.

We hear a lot of people say they have pain reduction as a result of using the product. Would you explain why that would be?

There are a few theories – they haven’t been evaluated in the research yet, but some of the theories are the fact that you have more activity of zinc finger proteins which leads to better cellular production. This, in turn, leads to better healing and also better blood flow and circulation because of its classic chelation effect. There are a lot of reasons. Also in rheumatoid arthritis, the zeolite may act as an immuno-modulatory agent. Since rheumatoid arthritis is an automimmune disorder, modulating immune system reactivity would provide some benefit in that disease.

Not everything is helped by the NCD, what would be examples of things that would not be directly affected?

Again we talk about direct effect versus downstream effects. For example, people ask about the effect of detoxifying against hormone mimetics or certain pesticides which act as hormones in the body–xenoestrogens from plastics, for example. These compounds are either too large to be absorbed by the zeolite or they are uncharged or negatively charged compounds, which would not be attracted to the zeolite, so the NCD would not have a direct effect in removing those from the body.

But most of those are removed through a process called phase II human glucuronidation, which is a detoxification pathway in the liver. We do know that the NCD provides liver support. Because of this, NCD indirectly upregulates glucuronidation. This is why we believe that the downstream implication of taking Natural Cellular Defense will allow us to detoxify from these other compounds.

What about aflatoxins?

Aflatoxins are created by certain fungi found in nuts and beans. Because it has been such a scourge in farm animals, there have been several published studies on this zeolite’s effect in reducing aflatoxin poisoning.

What about mercury fillings, stents, joint replacements–things that people are concerned that might be affected by the NCD?

The zeolite in the Natural Cellular Defense attracts and traps small, highly-charged particles that fit into the pores and channels of the zeolite cage. Understand that this is a passive process – when the zeolite is in close proximity to these compounds, they will be drawn to the zeolite and either absorbed into the cage or adsorbed onto the surface of the zeolite. There is no chemical activity in this process. The zeolite will not be drawn to compounds in an effort to 'rip' metals away from them. In other words, the zeolite will not leach mercury from dental amalgams. If, on the other hand, the amalgams have already released free mercury into the system, the zeolite will have the ability to trap and remove it.

Again, the activity of the zeolite is entirely passive. It will not attack dental fillings, hip replacements, breast implants, etc. In an entirely passive process, the zeolite will act like a magnet - drawing high affinity atoms and compounds to itself.

What about toxemia?

Toxemia or septicemia is a blood-borne infection and, as I said before, the direct effect of the zeolite is its ability to regulate pH. As the pH becomes more alkaline the body reaches a healthier state. The immune system is stronger and more stable, so can better handle infection. Also, bacteria don’t grow well in an alkaline environment. So bacteria, yeast and parasites are not going to grow well and they’ll really be knocked out of the body because of this effect.

Can it be used safely with eyes, ears, nose, rectal implants, douches–those sorts of things?

Well, this is an oral supplement, so our recommendation is to use it orally. There have been several studies where it was dosed both topically for a variety of different issues, and also placed in the nose, eyes and ears. Now, in the eyes, it will cause a burning sensation in the eyes because it does draw water into itself.

One of the effects of the zeolite is to adsorb or absorb water, and I think there will be burning and an irritation of the eye. It’s not dangerous in any way, but if someone decided they wanted to try it and drop it in their eyes, it will cause a burning sensation.

What about side effects or contraindications?

There are very few side effects and contraindications. The main side effect is that as the body rids itself of these toxins, it will also rid itself of some water and so there’s a slight diuretic effect and 99% of the complaints that anybody might have on the product are directly the result of dehydration. So when you’re taking the product, simply drink more water. Drink eight to ten glasses of water a day, and there are very few (if any) side effects from the product.

Sometimes people report that they begin to feel a little sicker or hurt a little more when they first start using this. Is there any explanation for that?

Yes. Certainly, classic detox syndromes are caused when metal or other toxins are freed up from sequestration and now are available to the body. And as I said before, the body tries to take these toxins and wall them up with tissue or with fat. When those molecules become free to exchange with the environment, they can cause all kinds of havoc, and many detoxification products are laxative-based or diuretic-based and pull these toxins out and they do a lot of damage on their way out, so you have these classic detox symptoms.

The NCD works differently. By sequestering the toxins inside the cage, it has very little exposure to the outside, so causing very little damage–but if you’re a highly toxic system, then some of these elements, some of these molecules will be freed from sequestration and might exchange into and out of the cage. For example, the zeolite has greater affinity for cadmium than for lead–so say, you pulled out a bunch of lead and then it came into contact with cadmium, it would dislodge the lead in favor of the cadmium, so you might have some excess lead that now is free to react.

Now this is in a very small percent of the population–probably only about 1% of the people taking the product have some sort of detox syndrome because of it, and in essence all it is, is the effects of the toxins being shaken up in the body–kind of like stirring the pot, when everything is available and everything is out there, which makes it more available to the zeolite, so you can detoxify faster, but you will have some of these detox syndromes. The recommendation is simply to drink plenty of water, keep taking the product and you’ll feel much, much better, much quicker.