Dr. Pizzorno is a naturopathic physician, educator, researcher, and expert spokesman, and he’s currently chair of the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine. He founded Bastyr University — a leading university for naturopathic medicine –in 1978. He’s the author of the excellent and important book, The Toxin Solution. In this interview we discuss how toxins are driving the autoimmune epidemic; the root cause of diabetes (hint: it’s not just sugar!); the best markers to track your body burden; the top 5 toxins today; and how to detox for a healthy life.
“You can choose to focus on the disease or on health. When you focus on health, it’s amazing; even if it doesn’t appear to be exactly relevant, now the body can do its job, and in a surprising number of times, whatever the disease was, can go away.”
01:34 Dr. Pizzorno’s view and research on type 2 diabetes
04:22 How toxins are a major driver of insulin resistance
05:59 Dr. Pizzorno offers a big picture view of health and toxins
07:35 The two types of toxins and the difference between persistent and non-persistent toxins and why farmed fish is so bad for you (note: Atlantic, Scottish, and Irish salmon is farmed)
13:33 How gut bacteria types are connected to either healthy or unhealthy detoxification
17:30 Dr. Pizzorno’s perspective on testing and how a liver enzyme called GGT (or GGPT) is a good measure of what toxins may be doing to the body; and a urinary 8-OHdG test measures oxidative damage
23:25 How Dr. Pizzorno was able to lower his 8-OHdG level from 27 to 18 by cleaning up toxins in his food and home (note that 20 or lower is good).
25:23 Dr. Pizzorno’s top 5 toxins driving autoimmunity and other diseases
30:00 What happens when you bind a toxin like PCBs or BPA (and the other sneaky BP…s) to human tissue? Hint: when our immune system attacks our own body’s tissues, it’s a self-attack.
40:00 How to reduce your toxic load by toxicant
If you live in the continental U.S. and are ready, willing, and able to invest in your best health, I offer Functional Medicine Total Health Transformation Programs over Zoom in collaboration with a skilled naturopathic doctor (ND). Get on my calendar for a free 30-minute discovery call.
This comprehensive book is the first to explore all six of the critical lifestyle factors that are the root causes of autoimmune conditions – and the sources of regaining health. Foreword by Mark Hyman, MD
Palmer is a certified Functional Medicine Health Coach who has helped thousands of people reverse autoimmune conditions based on her own two-decade battle to successfully beat multiple sclerosis (MS). She’s the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book, Beat Autoimmune, which has a powerful foreword by Functional Medicine pioneer, Mark Hyman, MD.
