Water, air, food and your environment … are they helping or harming you? In this next part of our series we talk about how toxins sabotage health. This is the video you have been waiting for. Christian Gonzalez, ND and Joe Pizzorno ND dig down deep into metabolic diseases that are influenced by toxin exposure. And better yet, they tell you how to fix it. If you are looking for answers about toxins and disease, Dr. Pizzorno is THE expert you need to know about.

Dr. Pizzorno, author of The Toxin Solution: How Hidden Poisons in the Air, Water, Food and Products We Use are Destroying Our Heath, AND WHAT WE CAN DO FIX IT, shares his vast knowledge of common toxins, such as lead, arsenic and other toxins is a leading cause of obesity, heart disease, cancer, stroke and other diseases.
Click in the image to learn more on common toxins, how they cause illness and what you can do, from Drs. Pizzorno and Gonzalez

Highlights of the Interview with Drs. Pizzorno and Gonzales
What should people do to find out about toxin exposure? Dr. Pizzorno offers suggestions on diagnostic tests that patients should request from their health practitioners to find out how much of a toxic load they are experiencing. One common example is blood sugar regulation, prediabetes and diabetes. He makes the case that overall sugar consumption does not add up to the numbers of people who have diabetes and are obese. Why is it happening? Toxins. Dr. Pizzorno provides suggested tests that your doctor can order to get to the underlying causes of diabetes and other metabolic health issue.

What about plastics? So perhaps you’ve made a conscious effort to lower your exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) in plastics. Labels that say BPA-free are common these days. But as Dr. Pizzorno explains, many other plastics are far more dangerous than BPA. What can you do? He explains why getting rid of all plastic products, not using canned goods and changing your personal care products is an important step.
What about air quality? Do you live near a freeway? Do you have an air filter in your home? Or even portable HEPA filters in rooms? Do you take your shows off when entering your home? Dr. Pizzorno explains how all of these factors can play a significant role in reduced toxin exposure. He suggests what you can do in your home to improve air quality.
What are you drinking? Water quality is an important issue for reduced toxin exposure. As an example,Dr. Pizzorno suggests carbonwater filters because most municipal water systems do not test for arsenic and other toxins. Even showers may pose a risk as the steam can cause increased exposure, he says.

Joe Pizzorno, ND/ The first president of Bastyr University, serving 22 years in that position, Dr. Pizzorno was appointed to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy by President Clinton in December 2000. He also served on the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee under President Bush’s administration in November 2002. A prolific writer, he is co-author of the best-selling Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, originally published in 1990. His most recent of seven consumer books, The Toxin Solution highlights current research connecting chronic disease with environmental toxin exposure. Pizzorno has served since its inception 20 years ago on the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine, also based in the Pacific Northwest. His Textbook of Natural Medicine (5th edition 2020) documented, for the first time, the scientific foundation of natural medicine.
Christian Gonzalez, ND/ With a personal history that touched his life in the area of cancer, Dr. Gonzalez realized how important preventative, holistic solutions are to our wellbeing instead of trying to heal an illness after it has occurred. This led him to pursue a medical career that would focus on how to use nutrition, supplementation, movement, sleep, community, and mental and emotional healing modalities to maintain one’s overall health reset, as well as heal imbalances and illnesses.
A graduate of the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine, Bridgeport, CT, Dr. Gonzalez initially focused on cancer care and research. After seeing there was an opportunity to do so much more to help both prevent cancer, as well as treat it holistically, he went on to practice as a general healthcare practitioner. In a desire to empower people to take control of their health, he chose to take everything he had learned over his studies, with his patients, and in his clinical research experience and become an educator. You can now listen to the Heal Thy Self podcast with Dr. Gonzalez every Friday where he shares wellness solutions reviews the brands that work… and the ones that don’t.
This article is sponsored by the Institute for Natural Medicine, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, partnered with the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. INM’s mission is to transform healthcare in America by increasing both public awareness of naturopathic medicine and access to naturopathic doctors for patients. INM believes that naturopathic medicine, with its unique principles and practices, has the potential to reverse the tide of chronic illness that overwhelms existing health care systems and to empower people to achieve and maintain their optimal lifelong health. INM strives to achieve this mission through the following initiatives:
- Education – Reveal the unique benefits and outcomes of naturopathic medicine
- Access – Connect patients to licensed naturopathic doctors
- Research – Expand quality research of this complex and comprehensive system of medicine
INM's team is made up of naturopathic doctors and health journalists.