Case Histories: The Impact of the Detoxification Program

Chemically Exposed Workers and Detoxification

At the conference, worker’s compensation specialist Kathy Trost-Prisk, R.N., presented the case of a worker in his twenties who developed Parkinson’s-like symptoms after accidentally ingesting chemicals. She referred the patient to the Sacramento Occupational Medical Group for detoxification, and the symptoms resolved. The clinic’s Medical Director, David Root, M.D., is pictured on the right.

Presenters
David Root, M.D., M.P.H.
Kathy Trost-Prisk, R.N.

Panel Discussion Participants
Robert B. Amidon, M.S., J.D.
Keith Miller
Marion Moses, M.D.

Moderator
R. Michael Wisner

Occupational exposures are costly, involving production losses as well as treatment and compensation. Detoxification offers employers a means to prevent the build up of toxins or suspected toxins in the bodies of their workers. A number of independent studies have found the Hubbard detoxification program effective in addressing occupational exposures. Court rulings, including a review by the Supreme Court of the State of California, have established it as a compensable form of treatment under Worker’s Compensation law.

A panel of medical and legal experts with extensive occupational medicine and worker’s compensation experience examined the issues surrounding workplace exposures. Case histories illustrated the use of detoxification to address a wide range of occupational exposures. In most cases, workers disabled by their exposures recovered sufficiently to return to work.

In addition to thousands of individual case histories, a number of studies have examined the use of the Hubbard protocol in the treatment of workers exposed in occupational settings. R. Michael Wisner opened the panel with an overview of some of this work.

One hundred workers from a 12,000-member Southern California painter’s union were randomly selected to undergo toxicological and medical screening.

It was determined in advance that those with the highest chemical body burdens would undergo detoxification.

It was discovered that 92 of the 100 workers were affected in some way by toxic exposure. Findings included high levels of heavy metals in scalp hair, elevated liver enzyme levels, central nervous system dysfunction, pulmonary dysfunction, and higher than normal levels of mercury, lead and solvents in their tissue.

In addition, workers complained of a variety of symptoms, including impaired vision, memory loss, head-aches, joint pain, impotence and weakness. Thirteen were not working due to disability.

Twenty-two workers with pronounced symptoms underwent detoxification. In every case lead, mercury and solvent levels were reduced and symptoms dissipated or were greatly reduced. Twelve of thirteen workers previously on disability were able to return to work.

Mr. Wisner next related an incident in which police and firefighters in a Southern California town responded to an alarm from a chemical fire at an illegal toxic storage facility. A combination of 270 hazardous materials, improperly stored, were at the facility when it caught fire.

The firefighters, properly equipped with respirators and protective clothing, suffered little exposure and had no symptoms. However, the police officers had no safety equipment and were exposed to smoke and airborne chemicals.

Twenty-two police officers were referred for treatment by their worker’s compensation provider. Of these, 13 had body burden levels high enough to warrant detoxification. The screenings revealed a wide range of chemical contamination in the tissues: halogenated hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides, etc.

Interestingly, the compounds found in the officers’ tissues seemed to vary according to their location at the scene of the fire.

The 13 officers successfully completed detoxification, averaging 18 days on the program. All 13 were able to return to work.

Workers with a long-term history of exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were selected for treatment. They were screened for body levels of PCBs and organochlorine pesticides before and after detoxification, as well as a follow-up screening. Body levels of PCBs and pesticides decreased significantly as the result of detoxification, and continued to decrease in the weeks following completion of treatment.

Firefighters

Firefighters in a southeastern state responded to a fire near a local hospital.

The fire, said Mr. Wisner, produced much smoke but little flame, and many of the firefighters removed their masks. They were exposed to smoke for a period of three to four hours.

It was later discovered that the building housed electrical transformers. One had exploded during the fire, exposing the firefighters to PCBs and their combustion byproducts, including dioxins and dibenzofurans. Swipe samples taken in the building interior after the fire showed some of the highest levels of dioxins and dibenzofurans ever recorded in America.

Fourteen firefighters were placed on the detoxification program. Fourteen firefighters who had not been at the scene were used as a control group. All participants were put through a series of 16 neuropsychometric tests (measuring factors such as reaction-time, memory, body balance, dexterity, etc.). While the results for both groups of workers showed deficits, they were more marked in the exposed group.

After treatment, results of neuropsychometric tests in the exposed group improved significantly while results in the control group remained unchanged.

Neurometric testing found significant improvements in nerve function among the firefighters who completed the detoxification program. Symptoms in the exposed group were also greatly reduced and 13 of the 14 firefighters were able to return to work. (The 14th was unable to return due to hearing loss caused by the transformer explosion.)

Michigan Farmers

In concluding, Mr. Wisner recalled a large-scale environmental accident in which polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), persistent toxic chemicals used in fire retardants, were mistakenly sold as feed for cattle, swine and chickens. The chemicals eventually contaminated meat, butter, eggs, milk and humans throughout the state of Michigan, as well as 12 adjoining states.

Pre- and post-detoxification biopsies were taken from a group of Michigan farmers. Significant body burden reductions of PBBs, PCBs and chlorinated pesticides were noted post-treatment, accompanied by symptom reduction.

Following these presentations regarding exposed populations, the panel discussed individual exposure cases. In 15 years as medical director of an occupational medicine facility utilizing detoxification, David Root, M.D., has treated thousands of individuals disabled by chemical exposures. He presented the following case histories.

Exposure to Contaminated Washwater A 23-year-old woman was employed at a California manufacturing facility that had an oil-burning electrical generator.

The generator exhaust stacks were cleaned by a water scrubbing system, which filtered and recycled the water.

Her job was to clean the system’s filters each day, using a hose. She wore no protective clothing and she was doused daily with contaminated washwater.

After six months, she had multiple complaints:  sore throat, hoarseness, eye irritation, malaise, extreme lethargy, interrupted sleeping patterns, and chloracne. She developed a lymph adneopathy, was tested and found to have infectious mononucleosis.

The mononucleosis was eventually resolved, but she still had the other complaints, especially malaise, tiredness and chloracne.

She referred herself to Dr. Root for detoxification. On the fourth day of treatment a blackish greasy material began to ooze out of the pores of her skin. This continued for several days and eventually ceased. Chemical analysis of the exudate was inconclusive.

She completed the detoxification program with almost complete resolution of her symptoms. The California Worker’s Compensation Appeals Board ordered her employer’s compensation carrier to pay for treatment.

Dr. Root next recalled a case involving a 45-year-old police officer who was referred for treatment by a psychiatrist.

As evidence officer for a rural county sheriff ’s department, he was responsible for storage of materials from illicit drug labs seized during drug raids. Materials seized from the labs included chemicals used in the manufacture of the methamphetamine "crank"—ether, zinc, toluene, isopropyl alcohol, formaldehyde, benzene, chromic acid and others. His "office" was a particle board enclosure within a large, poorly ventilated shed which had neither heating nor air conditioning. Summer temperatures in the shed could reach 120 degrees.

A large raid resulted in four methamphetamine labs being brought into the storage facility at one time. The officer began to experience dizziness, nausea, dry heaves, watering of the eyes, light headedness, throat irritation, blurred vision and severe headaches, followed by the onset of shaking and tremors. The tremors were particularly bad in the right hand and continued to worsen.

When he was referred for treatment, testing revealed liver damage and peripheral neuropathy due to solvents, possibly mercury. He was given a full battery of neuropsychological tests.

At the end of his 16-day detoxification program he reported that most of his symptoms were gone, with his nausea and tremors almost completely resolved. His test results, including IQ and verbal processing, improved. He no longer felt the need to see a psychiatrist. He has maintained these gains over the past eight years.

Panelist Cathy Trost-Prisk, a worker’s compensation referral specialist, joined Dr. Root in presenting the case of an individual she had referred for detoxification after a workplace accident.

A 20-year-old laborer working for a drilling company in Concord, California ingested a combination of diesel oil, fuel, and anti-freeze in attempting to siphon a drainage tank. He immediately complained of burning, pain and wooziness.

One and one-half hours passed before he was admitted to a hospital, where his stomach was pumped.

Afterward he suffered from uncontrollable, uncontrollable, convulsive shaking and stiffening.

He lost all of his motor skills and developed Parkinson’s-like symptoms: slurred speech, memory loss and facial stiffness. A PET scan revealed his dopamine levels were extremely low.

At the time he was referred for detoxification, he was taking medication, his condition had worsened and his prognosis was poor. Although the compensation carrier had been billed for several thousand dollars, the physicians on the case had not yet agreed on a treatment program.

At the end of detoxification, 31 days later, his mood was happy, without mood swings, his gait was nearly normal, he was off of medication and he only had very fine tremors of his hands. A second PET scan revealed dopamine levels had returned to normal. He returned to work.

One year later, he had once again developed some fine tremors of his hands, muscle spasms of his neck, throat and flank pain and fatigue. Treatment was reinitiated and the pain and tremors reduced substantially.

He now functions at an almost pre-exposure level.

In addition to the fact that detoxification resolved this worker’s problems in a relatively short period of time, the cost compared favorably that for previous attempts at treatment. These had included medication, bi-weekly physician visits, neuropsychiatric evaluation and physical therapy sessions three times a week.

Following these presentations, panelists led a discussion with the audience regarding the value of screening workers for body burdens of chemicals, and the use of detoxification as a preventive measure.

Robert Amidon, who has served as prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice and prosecuted numerous cases related to workplace exposures, expressed the view that screening is in the best interest of employers as well as workers. The cost of detoxification is negligible, he added, as compared to punitive and other damages that could be assessed by a court.

There was a consensus among the panelists that due to the increasing prevalence of illness resulting from chemical exposures, physicians and worker’s compensation providers cannot afford to ignore effective treatment methods.

Implementation of the Detoxification Program: Training Programs

Presenters

Sheila Gaiman, M.R.Ph.S.
Gary Smith

Panel Discussion Participants
Kathleen Kerr, M.D.
David Root, M.D., M.P.H.
Megan Shields, M.D.
James Woodworth

Moderator

R. Michael Wisner

It has been found that the detoxification regimen developed by Mr. Hubbard must be administered exactly to achieve uniformly successful results. As interest in detoxification has grown among medical professionals, a pressing need for training in supervising the program has developed.

A panel of physicians and detoxification specialists provided an overview of the basic elements necessary to train doctors, drug rehabilitation specialists or other professionals to deliver detoxification according to the Hubbard protocol.

Detoxification in Russia

Ms. Sheila Gaiman opened the panel with an account of an effective training and apprenticeship program which Human Detoxification Services International (HDSI) has established in Russia.

At the time of the conference, 47 Russian medical professionals had completed training on how to administer the program. In cooperation with the Russian government, HDSI has trained physicians from the Ministry of Health at the Kremlin, the Brain Institute at Saint Petersburg, the Research Institute for Medical Radiology at Obninsk, and other government organizations.

The first training program took place in Siberia, at the invitation of a local town mayor and the chief medical officer.

The physical prerequisites for training, Ms. Gaiman said, include a sauna, space for aerobic exercise (generally, running), a courseroom and a setting with sufficiently clean air, water and food supplies that significant environmental chemical exposures do not occur during detoxification. A minimum of four doctors are trained together.

Courses are conducted using training methods developed by Mr. Hubbard, Ms. Gaiman said. As the trainers from HDSI are often working within limited time, these were found to be vital to increase both speed of study and comprehension of materials.

Ms. Gaiman explained that the course of study, and the apprenticeship, are presented in the format of a checksheet—a list of study and practical assignments to be completed in order. Each student works at his own pace, with assistance from a supervisor.

In Russian medicine, she said, it was observed that the patient is sometimes treated as a "number." When this occurs, the physician and his patient are not in proper communication. Ms. Gaiman stressed that close communication is essential during detoxification, as each day the client must describe, either verbally or in writing, what he has experienced while on the program.

As a result, she said, a course in communication skills is the first step in the training regimen. This ensures that the physicians can communicate freely with their clients and obtain the information necessary to continuously provide correct instructions.

Once this course was complete, the doctors began their own detoxification.

HDSI has made this a requirement of training, to ensure the greatest possible insight into the phenomena that patients encounter. This portion of the training began at 8:15 in the morning and continued until the Russian lunchtime of 2:45.

After this, students continued their theoretical studies.

A course on study techniques was next, Ms. Gaiman said, to ensure the 100 percent comprehension necessary to successful administration of the detoxification program.

Next, the actual protocol was learned in a course based on Mr. Hubbard’s book Clear Body Clear Mind.

Training takes approximately three weeks of full-time study. After passing a written examination, the physicians apprenticed by supervising patients through completion of the detoxification program. Misapplications of the protocol were corrected.

When the student demonstrated competence by successfully getting patients through the program, he graduated.

At present, about 80 percent of addicted Polish inmates revert to drug use and return to prison. Malgorzata Pyrzygonska, Deputy Director of the Polish Penitentiary System, and Malgorzata Bielawska, Manager of the System’s Chemical Dependency Unit, discussed plans to train personnel to administer detoxification with Bosse Persson, the President of Narconon Europe.

Drug Rehabilitation

In addition to physicians desiring to incorporate detoxification in their practices, a growing number of professionals in the drug rehabilitation field have expressed interest in detoxification. Gary Smith, the executive director of Narconon Chilocco, examined the circumstances that have contributed to this interest.

At present, Mr. Smith said, the national success rate for recovering addicts through rehabilitation is about 15 percent.

This is reflected in the fact that, on average, addicts who come to Narconon for treatment have previously failed in at least three treatment programs.

Mr. Smith observed that even though addicts may manage to cease their drug use, they often fail to complete other necessary steps of rehabilitation, such as repairing their relationships with others in their lives, due to the fact that their attention becomes largely focused on fighting continued cravings.

The Narconon program enjoys a success rate three to four times the national average, which Mr. Smith attributed in large part to the elimination of drug residues through detoxification and the accompanying reduction of drug cravings.

He stressed that the detoxification program is compatible with a variety of approaches to addiction treatment, and that Narconon encourages its implementation in other settings. To further this, Narconon Chilocco offers training in the use of the Hubbard program in the field of drug rehabilitation.

Discussion Period

To begin the discussion period, James Woodworth, the director of the Association of Human Detoxification Specialists, described the climate of interest in detoxification among members of the community—whether politicians, firefighters or schools. Among its other activities, the Association intends to establish a Clinical Associates program to provide detoxification training.

Among other issues, the panelists and session participants discussed the applicability of detoxification for persons diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, or those taking psychoactive drugs. The panelists described situations where such persons, under proper supervision, were able to complete the program, often with significant relief of their symptoms.

It was emphasized that psychoactive drugs may not be taken during detoxification. This led to a discussion of other medications that are contraindicated during the program.

Detoxification Case Histories and Future Perspectives

G. Megan Shields, M.D.
David Steinman

Keith Miller
William Marcus, Ph.D., D.A.B.T.

R. Michael Wisner

The Hubbard detoxification regimen was not conceived as a "medical" procedure.

However, as the only technique widely shown to be effective for reducing body accumulations of fat-soluble toxins, physicians have adopted it as a tool for alleviating the symptoms of chemical exposure.

Previous panels and keynote presentations presented case histories and studies in which detoxification was employed to treat workers suffering from job-related exposures. This panel examined several of the thousands of case histories of individuals who have been referred for detoxification to resolve problems resulting from chemicals in their homes or immediate environment.

As a counterpoint to the clinical perspective presented, a journalist described his initially skeptical investigation of a case history, and his subsequent decision to undergo detoxification himself.

Mr. Wisner opened by recalling a case that dramatically illustrated the fact that toxins may persist in body tissues for years before their effects become visible.

A woman, working as director of health services for a telephone company, had manifested "multiple chemical sensitivity" for several years.

A thorough history revealed that as a child in Louisiana she had chased trucks spraying pesticides to eradicate mosquitoes, playing in the pesticide "fog." The spraying took place as often as twice a week, over a period of several years.

Biopsies found high levels of pesticides in her tissue. After detoxification, her symptoms resolved and the levels of pesticides in her tissue were greatly reduced.

In another case described in detail, a landscaper in Texas was helping a friend lay a foundation for his home. At the time, it was common practice to pour pesticides on foundations to prevent termite infestations. As he was dragging a 100-pound barrel of chlordane, it fell over and the chemical poured over his clothes and body.

He was immediately hospitalized and treated, but continued to have tremors and numbness in his extremities. These symptoms went into remission after detoxification and he was able to return to his landscaping job. Biopsies showed significant reduction in adipose levels of chlordane, DDT, and the DDT metabolite DDE.

Dr. Shields discussed the problem of chemicals in the home, and the use of detoxification to treat children who suffer from the effects of exposure. She remarked that, although cancer has been the primary measure of chemical hazard, the nervous and immune systems are earlier sentinels of harm. Despite this, she said, less than 10 percent of the 70,000 chemicals in domestic or commercial use have been tested for immunotoxic or neurotoxic effects.

The safety of the American home, Dr. Shields stated, is in question. Between five and ten million household poisonings occur each year.

Household chemicals, she said, can include solvents in paints and cleaning products, herbicides, pesticides, germicides, chlorine compounds, dry cleaning chemicals, carpet off-gassing, isocyanates in glues, lead in old paints and plumbing, dioxin in bleached paper products, asbestos, formaldehyde, radon and other chemicals. Many of these compounds have oil-soluble metabolites that are known or suspected to accumulate in human tissue.

Domestic exposure to pesticides has been associated with a five-fold increase in cancer, she said. Parental exposure to solvents at work is strongly associated with childhood leukemia at home. Fulltime homemakers have been found to have significantly higher rates of cancer than women who work outside the home.

The effects of chemicals, Dr. Shields said, are often more severe on young children than on older people in the same family. The effective concentration of a toxin is higher in the child. Due to their smaller body mass, less-developed immune system, higher rate of metabolism and other factors, children may be affected by chemicals at lower levels than adults.

Nearly two million American children, ages one to five, suffer from lead poisoning, Dr. Shields revealed. Fifteen percent of American children under the age of six have blood levels of lead that exceed standards and can cause permanent neurological effects. Domestic exposure to pesticides is linked to increased rates of childhood cancer.

Children also face exposures at school.

Many older school buildings are permeated with lead. Solvents, glues, old paint, waxes, pesticides, polishes and other chemicals are also present.

Dr. Shields then described a cohort study which reviewed the case histories of 18 children from 10 different families, each with some domestic or environmental exposure. Age at the time of treatment ranged from 4 to 21 years old; age at the time of exposure ranged from in utero to 15 years old. Their chief complaints included headaches, allergies, respiratory problems, recurrent infections, multiple chemical sensitivity and fatigue.

As necessary, vitamin dosages, time in the sauna, and other factors were modified to allow for the decreased body size (and age) of the participants. The children rated the severity of 87 symptoms before and after treatment. In addition to significant post-treatment improvements, 89 percent showed continued improvements in symptom profiles in follow upinterviews conducted two months after detoxification.

In Utero Exposure

The large audience next heard the case of a six-year-old girl who had been exposed in utero to fumes from new carpet. Her entire family, including five children, had become ill after the carpeting was installed. They abandoned their home three weeks later. When laboratory mice were exposed to samples of the carpet, all died within several hours—an unprecedented finding. The manufacturer admitted that the latex carpet backing had been improperly cured, and phenylcyclohexene (a by-product of the production of the rubber latex used for the backing) was the suspect agent. The mother of the family eventually testified before Congress, which then enacted new labeling criteria for carpeting.

Prior to detoxification, the child was quite ill, unable to leave her home or perform the rudimentary tasks expected of a six-year-old. She completed the program in 29 days. Detoxification effected long-term improvement in her environmental sensitivities. Her task performance improved and she was able to take classes outside her home for the first time in her life.

Pesticide Exposure in the Home

Summarizing these cases, Dr. Shields stated that where children have become ill following chemical contamination, detoxification treatment provides a viable approach. The treatment is safe and results in long-term improvements in the health profiles of exposed children, increasing their ability to become productive members of society.

A Journalist’s View

Panelist David Steinman: "Exposures are very subtle sometimes, and very powerful. It’s often difficult to tell where you are being exposed, how you’re being exposed and what you can do about it."

In researching a book project, journalist David Steinman followed the case of a 39-year-old female athlete who had no known history of chemical exposure, yet manifested symptoms consistent with such exposure.

Although she was in excellent physical condition, her complaints included fatigue, flu-like symptoms, non-productive cough, muscle tiredness and joint pain.

She ate an excellent diet and drank only bottled water. However, a blood sample revealed high levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) and TCE metabolites.

Unknown to her, Mr. Steinman said, the water supply in her community was contaminated with significant quantities of TCE, a carcinogen and nervous system toxin. A significant aspect of her profile was that she took three-four showers daily. Inhaling the steam from the showers, he said, was the equivalent of drinking many, many, glasses of water daily, as the toxins are more readily absorbed in vapor form.

Upon completion of the program, the woman’s symptoms were resolved and post-treatment levels of TCE metabolites were undetectable.

As a child, Mr. Steinman had been exposed to both DDT and PCBs from fish in the Santa Monica bay, and following the successful conclusion of the athlete’s case, he decided to undergo detoxification himself. As a journalist, he was interested in verifying the claims and had independent blood testing done before the program, mid-program, and upon completion.

As expected, the mid-program levels were somewhat elevated, and the end result was a 40% reduction in DDT levels and a 90% reduction in PCB levels. His scores on IQ tests improved as well.

Mr. Steinman called for more attention to be paid to what is called "low-level" exposure, as even these low levels are causing health problems, and the cumulative effects of toxic exposures are still unknown.

Discussion

In the discussion period for this session, a number of conference attendees presented additional anecdotal histories.

The first was a Russian woman who had been injected with drugs by a thief in a Moscow subway. She lost her memory for several days afterward. She immediately went to a detoxification center in Moscow. Her memory recovered, and she experienced additional gains in terms of increased happiness and vigor.

A Vietnam war veteran had been exposed to dioxin from the defoliant Agent Orange. He underwent the program, and experienced significant improvements. However, he then went to work as the head of an asbestos abatement company. He developed great difficulty breathing and sleeping and went onto permanent disability. He undertook detoxification again, and by the fifteenth day in the sauna his symptoms had resolved.

Another attendee had been exposed to chlordane, used in treating termites in her home. Her entire family developed nervous system, immune, reproductive, skin, hormonal and other problems. For two years, they were told the levels of the chemical in their home were too low to cause these problems. Eventually they moved out of the home, and continued to have bowel and bladder problems, lung constriction, coughing and migraine headaches. The entire family undertook detoxification together, and these symptoms resolved.

Following these accounts, the panelists engaged in a dialogue with session participants regarding the nature of the relationship between reduced body burdens of chemicals and observed symptoms. As a related phenomenon, it has been noted that symptoms which did not respond to medical treatment before detoxification have resolved when treatment is resumed after detoxification.

Case Histories: The Impact of the Detoxification Program

During planning for the conference, frequent requests were made for the presentation of first-hand accounts of the use of detoxification to treat drug abuse.

Following presentations which outlined the rationale for integrating detoxification in the drug rehabilitation process, this panel reviewed a number of specific case histories. Two former hard core drug users joined the panel to discuss the impact of detoxification on their addiction problems.

Clark Carr, representing the Narconon program, explained that in drug rehabilitation, the nature of the materials being mobilized into the bloodstream is such that an individual may re-experience the physical and emotional sensations associated with drug use. Addicts not only experience "highs" (as well as "flashbacks") during detoxification, but also manifest what has been termed a "drug personality."

Such phenomena, Mr. Carr stated, are often directly associated with increases in niacin. When physical or mental reactions occur, the correct action is to continue the person on the program following the standard protocol, knowing that the symptoms will diminish as the program is continued. He explained that these seeming "reactions" are in fact reactivation, or "restimulation," of thoughts and physical phenomena experienced while under the influence of drugs.

Mr. Carr described examples of restimulation which he had encountered in a decade of work with addicts, from rashes and the re-appearance of old needle marks to paranoia and delusions. To further illustrate the variety and transitory nature of these manifestations, he presented examples drawn from representative case histories.

The client had a drug history which included heroin, methadone in large doses daily and psychiatric drugs.

On the ninth day in the sauna, the client reported that he experienced a "buzz," as if under the influence of heroin. Reported that he felt "annoyed." Two days later, he reported stomach problems, puffy eyes, difficulty sleeping—all symptoms of heroin withdrawal. This is noteworthy, as the client had completed withdrawal from the drug prior to beginning detoxification.

On the 12th day on the program, the client was ill. Again, he reported that he "felt high like on heroin." The next day, these manifestations had abated, and he reported feeling better. Improvement continued on day 14, and the client reported his sleep was improved and he felt like his "normal self."

Again on day 17, there was an apparent mobilization of additional stored residues. The client reported that he had a "heroin buzz," accompanied by "murderous thoughts." This continued on the next day, with the client feeling "anxious and irritated," also noting that his "sweat smells like a hospital."

On day 19, the client reported the reappearance of hypodermic marks from past drug injections on his arm, "purplish" in color. Again, he experienced a heroin "buzz," this time for 15-20 minutes.

The regimen was continued, with the appearance and dimunition of similar manifestations. After 52 days, the client completed detoxification and has since remained drug free.

Next, Mr. Carr related the case of a client who had abused a large variety of drugs. Prior to rehabilitation, she was smoking marijuana daily and had begun using heroin.

On her first day on the program, the client developed a facial rash and experienced drug-induced hallucinations. On the third day, she reported feeling as if she was high on the designer drug, "Ecstasy." Similar drug reactions continued on the fourth day.

On the eighth day, the client reported that she was unable to sweat in the sauna. She reported that she was "very angry," and felt that "everything was fine when it wasn't," emotions which she associated with the drug Prozac. The next day, the client reported feeling paranoid.

For, example, when she left the sauna for cooldown periods, she had the impression that the other clients in the sauna were talking about her. While in the sauna, she said she "saw strange patterns in the floor."

This client remained on the program for 56 days, with a continual lessening of drug-related manifestations. She completed the program and remains off drugs.

Personal Accounts of Former Addicts

Kelly Piper

Ms. Piper stated that she began using drugs at age 14. By age 15, she was smoking marijuana every day. She then began to use cocaine, LSD and other drugs. To some extent, she "got away with it" because she continued to do well in school. After high school, she began college studies at UC Berkeley. Her parents died while she was at school and she was obligated to return to Los Angeles.

At this time, she became addicted to crack cocaine.

She did crack daily for four years, and was "unable to get out of bed" without it.

She became pregnant twice and had two drug-induced miscarriages, nearly dying from complications of a hemorrhage.

Eventually, she was arrested and given a choice of treatment or a jail sentence.

She was again pregnant at that time.

She chose the Narconon program because it was "the only one her friends hadn’t tried." She had observed that they still craved cocaine after rehabilitation and eventually resumed use of the drug.

Prior to detoxification she experienced "overwhelming" cravings for crack. She completed the program after 46 days (in 1993). She completed the other components of the Narconon program while pregnant, and underwent detoxification after giving birth. She is drug-free today and the mother of a bright, active child.

Bob Alexander

Now 53 years old, Mr. Alexander said that he began using alcohol at the age of four. It was given to him by an aunt and uncle who found it amusing to see him drunk. He began drinking on his own at age seven and became a life-long alcoholic.

As he grew older, he also abused codeine (which he purchased over-thecounter) and later used marijuana and speed and abused prescription drugs.

Eventually, Mr. Alexander was sent to prison for assault. In prison, he successfully completed the Alcoholics Anonymous program. After release he eventually went back to abusing alcohol. Some years later  e suffered a serious injury to his foot.

During treatment, he became addicted to synthetic heroin. This continued for seven years, until his physicians would no longer prescribe the drug.

He turned to the streets, and was a heroin addict for 17 years. During this time he went through 11 different rehab programs, each time relapsing after completion.

After completing detoxification, he was free of drug cravings. Today, for the first time in more than 40 years, he is drug free.