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Survival Plan for the Allergic
Published in Let’s Live, February 1978. Author: Carl A. Hyland, Assistant Editor.
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Granville Knight, M.D.
With Allergies to Chemical Pollution Approaching Epidemic Proportions, Granville Knight, M.D. Explains the Dangers–And the Nutritional Protection He Has Devised for His Patients.
By day and by night, there is a gathering storm.
Pesticides drift upon our crops, smog filters through our skies, fluoride rushes through our pipes. Chemical pollution of all sorts seems as prevalent as debates about its safety. What will be its legacy?
“As ye sow, so shall ye reap” is a New Testament warning that we should probably heed. We may not face tomorrow what we did today. But we will face it.
Granville Knight, M.D. did not use that analogy. but he does believe there are terrifying tragedies ahead. As an allergist, he has followed the early reactions to the chemical bombardment: a farmer’s daughter aches with hives; a child’s head is throbbing; a cabby’s nose is blocked. And there is asthma, hypoglycemia, and arthritis. These, too, can be symptoms of allergy.
Much as a detective, Dr. Knight has studied these chemicals and allergies. He believes that nutritional therapy can be used to protect his patients, so he has developed a special program for them to follow. To further the cause of nutrition and health, he founded the prestigious Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, in San Diego, the West Coast Allergy Society, and was a founding member of both ICAN (International College of Applied Nutrition), and the International Academy of Metabology. Dr. Knight has been President since 1960 of the Pure Water Association of America. At 73, he still flies across the country to testify for the plaintiffs in pesticide cases.
But Dr. Knight believes that these chemicals are and will be causing worse problems than allergy. He believes that genetic damage will be the inheritance of future generations. And within our lifetimes, he anticipates the full force of a tragedy which has already begun, “I don’t want to be an alarmist,” he says, “but we are now on the verge of a cancer epidemic.”
Search For the Cause
When Granville Knight began his practice in 1932, neither allergies nor the things that cause them were as prevalent as today.
But they were more prevalent than most doctors realized. As a specialist in ENT (ear, nose, and throat), he saw much misdiagnosis. Patients with sinuses throbbing from hayfever were placed in surgery. Allergy was the cause of their problem; throbbing sinuses were but a symptom.
That lesson has taught Dr. Knight to search always for a cause and a cure. He now believes that 80 percent of those who suffer from arthritis do so because of an allergy. Chronic obesity and eating can be triggered by an allergy. Diabetes and hypoglycemia can also be allergies in disguise.
As any medical text will explain, much about allergies is still a mystery. But it is known that the symptoms can appear almost anywhere. According to Dr. Knight, the “shock organ” for arthritis is the joints, and for hives it is the skin. Among the other shock organs are the lungs (asthma), pancreas (diabetes, hypoglycemia), kidneys (blood in urine or renal colic), and the brain, with symptoms ranging from headache to schizophrenia.
And when the shock organ is the brain, the suffering can be severe. In my recent interview, Dr. Knight stated that the toxic chemicals within smog are frequent cerebral culprits. He has observed this toxic mixture cause hypersensitivity, depression, overstimulation, fatigue, panic, vertigo, and fainting, as well as the tragic schizophrenia.
For an allergic reaction to occur, an offending substance, or antigen, must enter the body. After the antigen is attacked by an antibody, the two link, producing a new substance called histamine. The histamine causes the inflammation of blood vessels, inflammation which can occur at various shock organs.
Dr. Knight is not surprised by the frequency of allergies in this generation. Our ancestors were not subjected to pesticides, or preservatives, or to the DES (diethylstilbestrol) which fattens our cattle. We are not prepared genetically for such substances, and our body must sound an alarm.
In our nation’s metropolises, smog is a constant irritation and feat. Thanks to Benjamin Feingold, M.D, artificial colors and flavors have been isolated as triggers for hyperactivity. Saccharin also has been grabbing its share of headlines.
The Poison of Pesticides
But according to Granville Knight, pesticides are our greatest danger. They settle in livestock fodder, in chicken’s livers, in the lanolin of cosmetics, in the fruit of our fields, in the fat of our bodies. Here, Dr. Knight shares a lifetime of study.
“Pesticides interfere with enzyme function in the body cells, the main shock organ being the central nervous system. Recent animal studies have shown that pesticides and the petroleum carriers or emulsifiers in which they are usually suspended, can markedly lower resistance to viral infection–changing a subclinical state to one of fulminating infection. Their use may account for the marked increase in Reye’s syndrome throughout the country. Most of the potent herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides seem to have mutagenic properties similar to ionizing radiation.
“In other words, they are capable of attacking and damaging the genetic code present in all body cells, consisting of DNA and RNA. Because of this property and also because small amounts of many chemicals have been shown to exert a synergistic toxic effect rather than simply additive, from the scientific standpoint, there can be no tolerance level set for these pesticides. It is my considered opinion that, with their continued use, we are not only witnessing a marked and steady increase in viral infections, accompanied by a degeneration of general health, but are facing a cancer epidemic of staggering proportions.”
And there is a further danger, which has prompted Dr. Knight to urge the practice of organic gardening and the restoration of nutrients to the soil:
“In addition to our chemical contacts, the destruction of our soil by the use of high nitrate fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, herbicides, and monoculture, plus the destruction of hedgerows without the return of organic material and trace elements to the soil, is greatly reducing the quality of our food and thereby contributing to decreased resistance to toxins and chemicals in animals and man.”
If you like big numbers, you should know that American farmers used one billion pounds of pesticides in 1970. And though eight may not seem like a big number, there are eight parts per million of DDT in the fatty tissue of human beings. And the problem grows. Herbicides continue to be sprayed on our national forests. With each successive crop spraying, races of “super pests” survive, many seemingly immune to natural controls.
Blowin’ in the Wind
In addition to a variety of foods, and the additives within them, smog and fluoride are frequent antigens for the patients under Dr. Knight’s supervision.
Smog contains such toxins as carbon monoxide, nitrates, sulfates and fluoride. Sunlight can oxidize those chemicals into new, more toxic, unsaturated forms, which are particularly damaging to the lining of the bronchial tube.
A recent patient was suffering extreme fatigue and depression, with improper functioning of the thyroid, the liver, and the adrenal glands. To test for allergies in situations such as this, Dr. Knight often uses “provocative testing” in which a series of concentrated substances are shot beneath the patient’s tongue. If the substance is an antigen, the reaction will often be severe. Pulse and blood sugar counts will also be tested. To make certain that the patient is reacting only to that substance, Dr. Knight often insists that the patient fast for the four previous days. It takes approximately four days for a single food to be eliminated from the body.
Phenol is a common preservative in chemical solutions, and it was to phenol that the recent patient was reacting. After phenol was shot beneath his tongue, he glared, could not speak, and his pulse rose to 104. When asked afterwards what he had been thinking, he replied that he had considered throwing Dr. Knight out the window. As phenol is a common component of smog, the man has decided to move from the Los Angeles area. He is now in stable condition, on a nutrition program designed by Dr. Knight.
Don’t Drink the Water!
Nobody likes smog, but many doctors and public officials think they like fluoride, so that issue is particularly worrisome to Dr. Knight. He finds that between 10 and 20 percent of the patients who enter his office are allergic to fluoride. It scratches the throats of those who have it in their toothpaste. It fills the air near steel plants, cracking plants, and power plants that use coal. According to Dr. Knight, one steel plant in southern California produces one ton of gaseous fluorides per day.
And fluoride is also in some of our water. In 1956, he spoke against its introduction into public water systems. For his efforts, authorities tried to have him dismissed from his county medical association. “Contrary to what they said at the time,” says Dr. Knight, “I am not against children having healthy teeth.”
On the contrary, Dr. Knight believes that fluoride delays the eruption of children’s teeth, and compounds the problems of impacted wisdom teeth. He says that excessive fluoride can also cause teeth to crumble. In addition to that, he believes it to be carcinogenic. Like pesticides, preservatives, and smog, fluoride worries him.
Nutritional Defense
But Granville Knight did not build his reputation or his thriving practice merely by worrying.
To promote the good health of his patients, he has dedicated himself also to the study of nutrition. He believes that a healthful diet should contain at least fifty percent raw foods, with abundant supplies of organically grown fruits and vegetables. Root vegetables are generally safer than those which are exposed directly to spraying. Fruits and vegetables which have not been grown organically must first be washed and peeled.
The best meat comes from animals which have not been fed and fattened with hormones, especially the synthetic estrogen, DES. Raw beef livers and chicken livers frequently contain excessive quantities of both pesticides and hormones, and Dr. Knight believes they should be avoided.
Desiccated liver is, however, recommended as a supplement, especially if it is made from animals raised without hormones. In the making of desiccated liver, the fatty part of the liver is usually removed, and it is in the fat that the majority of pesticides and hormones reside. And though some trace minerals are destroyed in the heating process many remain.
And Granville Knight is a champion of many supplements, in addition to desiccated liver. They are needed to replace the minerals that our devitalized soil no longer provides. They are needed to counteract the effects of chemical pollution. He believes also that those supplements from natural sources are superior to those which are synthetic.
“C” is Working
Vitamin C has proved to be of amazing value for patients of Dr. Knight. It strengthens cell walls, attacks viruses and toxins, neutralizes histamine reactions (Knight’s theory), and reduces or oxidizes dangerous chemicals in the body Dr. Knight believes 4 to 10 grams to be an optimum amount for most patients. The C should be taken at intervals throughout the day. For colds or flu, which can be caused by allergic reactions to chemicals, two grams every hour until cessation of symptoms, has proved an effective dosage. For colds or flu, the C should be the type that is absorbed quickly. To counteract the harmful effects of smog, Knight believes C’s oxidizing and reducing properties to be particularly valuable.
During the 1950’s, Dr. Knight treated successfully 14 cases of poliovirus with 6 to 10 grams per day of C. He got the idea from several conversations with Dr. Fred Klenner, an expert on vitamin C, practicing in North Carolina. Dr. Klenner claims also to have treated successfully such conditions as viral pneumonia, barbiturate overdose, and snakebite. According to Dr. Knight, Dr. Klenner also theorizes that infant crib death may be caused by an absence of C.
Vitamin E is also recommended as exceptional protection against the toxins in smog. E battles smog as an anti-oxidant, and Dr Knight often recommends 800 IU daily for patients in smoggy environments, and 200 to 400 IU for those whose air is clean.
As further protection from chemical pollution, Dr Knight will sometimes urge the supplementation of methionine (an amino acid), choline (a B vitamin), as well as C. He believes that these three act as chelates in removing harmful chemicals from the blood.
As a special defense against airborne pollution, vitamin A has had good success. A offers protection for the body’s epithelial coverings, the cellular tissue that covers surfaces, forms glands, and lines most cavities of the body.
As with vitamin A, other foods and supplements act as part of the body’s defense, encouraging resistance to disease. B complex vitamins, bioflavonoids, brewer’s yeast, lecithin, and numerous trace minerals are among Dr. Knight’s favorite defenders. Brewer’s yeast is an especially good source of the valuable B complex, but Dr. Knight cautions that many of his patients are allergic to it.
Not A Trace of…
The trace minerals are often the first to be lost when soil is devitalized. This is particularly unfortunate because they play so many important roles in our body. Unless your food is grown in rich, organic soil, Dr. Knight believes you probably need many of these minerals in supplement form.
Manganese, for example, sparks the enzyme systems which are so important to the body metabolism. Selenium works with E, chromium with insulin. Zinc aids healing, and must be in proper balance with copper. Excesses of lead, cadmium, and mercury can poison enzyme systems, but Dr. Knight reminds that vitamin C can act as a chelate for those excesses. The more common mineral calcium is essential for functioning of nerves, while vitamin D encourages calcium absorption. Dr. Knight believes cod liver oil to be a particularly valuable source of D.
And because it so often needs repeating, Dr. Knight warns his patients again and again of the evils of processed foods, especially the refined white sugar and flour. They lack fiber and nutrients, and contain additives and preservatives. They destroy, rather than promote health.
Deficiency Causes Allergy
Dr. Knight has a theory of his own that convinces him that supplements may be needed for allergic patients, in even greater amounts. He suspects that many allergies, or the susceptibility to those allergies, are caused by deficiency diseases of the vitamins and minerals. Perhaps B6 has been lacking in someone’s diet; perhaps a patient has difficulty assimilating C; perhaps a lack of manganese is interfering with the operation of enzyme systems. Some of these deficiencies may be inherited, while others may be caused by the chemical pollution that Dr. Knight so deplores. Whatever the reason, he frequently urges a hair analysis to determine the exact levels within a patient’s body chemistry.
To test for pesticide and herbicide levels within a patient’s blood, urine, and fat, Dr. Knight sends their samples to GHT Laboratories, 106 S. 8th St; Brawley, CA 92227, a special lab for that type of testing. Other physicians may inquire about sending samples from their own patients.
Price-Pottenger
For someone who knows so much about the pollution which is spreading throughout our land, Dr. Knight is remarkably optimistic. He continues to crusade for better diets, and for organic or eco-farming. He says, “We must grow food for quality, not for quantity.”
He urges people to pay close attention to any allergic or allergic-like symptoms they may have. Do not ignore any persistent pains, or aches, or itches; your body may be sending you a warning.
When he does allow himself to get pessimistic, it is the pesticides that worry him most. He believes it takes 20 or 30 years from first contact for the cancer to develop. It was about 30 years ago that our fields and farms were hit with the first major pesticide blasts.