How a Controversial Detoxification Protocol Saved Hundreds of 9/11 Rescue Workers

You are probably aware of the devastating events that took place on September 11th, 2001. But you may not know what happened to thousands of firefighters, sanitation workers, and emergency personnel in the weeks, months, and years after 9/11.

This article discusses the controversial detoxification protocol that helped hundreds of Ground Zero workers recover their health when everything else failed.

Workers Exposed to Hazardous Dust at Ground Zero

The collapse of the World Trade Center towers on September 11th, 2001, produced a massive dust storm that filled lower Manhattan with a potent mix of toxic substances and cancer-causing agents.

During the eight-and-a-half-month rescue and clean-up effort, over 40,000 emergency workers were exposed to extraordinary levels of benzene, asbestos, lead, dioxins, and dozens of other toxic substances.

Ground Zero Workers Develop Long Term Illnesses

It should come as no surprise that many Ground Zero workers developed serious and lasting health problems in the weeks, months, and years after 9/11.

Respiratory ailments. Roughly 70% of ground zero workers reported new or worsened respiratory ailments while working at Ground Zero, according to a 2006 Mount Sinai Medical Center Study. Among the most commonly reported symptoms were persistent hacking cough (“World Trade Center cough”), shortness of breath, asthma, and chronic sinusitis. These symptoms persisted for years after 9/11 in a majority of workers.

Other common afflictions were skin rashes, joint pain, confusion, fatigue, dizziness, memory loss, decreased libido, insomnia, and irritability.

Many workers also developed cancer. A 2010 Mount Sinai study showed a 20% increase in cancer among Ground Zero workers. Especially troubling was the development of rare cancers in very young individuals, such as multiple myeloma.

Hundreds Try Controversial Detox Treatment

The US Government set up programs that provided medical monitoring and treatment for Ground Zero workers. But for most Ground Zero workers, nothing was helping.

As a last resort, hundreds of Ground Zero workers turned to the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project—a Manhattan clinic co-founded by actor Tom Cruise. The clinic, which opened in 2003, followed a detoxification protocol pioneered by L. Ron Hubbard—the late founder of the Church of Scientology.

The protocol was originally devised as a drug and alcohol detoxification program and has been offered for decades under various names such as Purif, the Purification Rundown, Narconon, and the Hubbard Method. 

What the program involved. The protocol involves several hours of sauna therapy each day, combined with daily exercise, select nutritional supplements, and a blend of cold-pressed oils to help usher toxins out of the body. This regimen is done seven days a week for an average of 33 days.

Push back from public figures. Although the Hubbard protocol is nonreligious, the clinic received heavy push back because of its links to Scientology. Then-mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke out against the clinic, saying Scientology is “not science, and we should only fund those programs that reputable scientists believe will stand the light of day.” The clinic also received scrutiny from medical professionals because the Hubbard protocol is not a medically approved treatment.

But the clinic’s results speak for themselves.

Study of 484 Ground Zero Workers

One study monitored 484 participants and reported the results. Many of the participants were concerned that their health problems might cause them to lose their jobs and were worried about the side effects of the medications they were taking.

For example, about half of the participants were taking one or more medications, and some were taking as many as 16! After completing the program, 84% of those who were taking medications no longer required medication.

In terms of quality of life, the participants averaged 4.4 days of limited activity and 2.1 days of missed work per month before the program. After completing the program, the workers averaged only 0.2 days of limited activity and 0.2 days of missed work per month—a 95% and 90% decrease, respectively.

The researchers also observed a marked increase in cognitive function among the participants. After the detoxification program, the participants scored, on average, almost four points higher on IQ tests.

Other significant improvements were measured in thyroid function, cholesterol levels, reaction time, pulmonary (lung) function, and balance—a crucial function for firefighters.

Medical Professionals Not Interested in the Clinic’s Success

Despite these results, the medical establishment refused to investigate the clinic’s success. The National Institutes of Health denied multiple funding requests by researchers who were interested in evaluating the protocol.

You would think that medical professionals would be eager to learn about the Hubbard protocol—the ONLY therapy that was helping Ground Zero workers. But the medical establishment’s refusal to acknowledge effective natural therapies is nothing new. In fact, the medical establishment has been demonizing non-drug therapies since the beginning of the American Medical Association, and the Hubbard detox protocol is no exception.

For example, in a scathing 1988 report, Dr. Ronald Gots, a toxicologist from Bethesda, Md., called the protocol ”quackery,” and noted that ”no recognized body of toxicologists, no department of occupational medicine, nor any governmental agencies endorse or recommend such treatment.” Other reviews of the protocol used similarly biased language and smear tactics. One medical critic even called the program “pure unadulterated cow pies.”

Over the years, success stories from clinics that offer the Hubbard protocol have been dismissed as anecdotal and results are often attributed to the placebo effect and the power of suggestion. This is just another example of the medical industry actively suppressing effective therapies that compete with medical drugs and services.

Sauna Therapy: The Secret to the Hubbard Protocol

The protocol designed by Hubbard involves several basic and time-tested therapies. For example, saunas have been a central part of many cultures for thousands of years. They are an inexpensive and effective way to sweat out hundreds of toxic substances from your body.

In addition, 9/11 workers aren’t the only ones who can benefit from using a sauna. Everyone today has excessive levels of toxic metals and toxic chemicals in their bodies due to contamination of the food, air, and water. Those who work in professions with heavier exposure to toxic substances, such as mechanics, welders, and others, are particularly vulnerable to their devastating health effects.

Build Your Own Infrared Sauna

Although I do not agree with aspects of the Hubbard protocol, using a sauna in combination with nutritional therapy is a winning strategy for health and longevity in the 21st century.

I believe every home should have a sauna. And that’s why I created the Low-Cost DIY Sauna Course. In the course, you’ll build an infrared heat lamp sauna for your home with just $171 and a screwdriver. To get the course, click here.