A friend and fellow holistic medical practitioner recently told me that if I am concerned about chemicals in our food, I might want to educate myself on excitotoxins. He was right. Dr. Blaylock’s book opened my eyes. Excitotoxins are chemicals that are ad(Nutrasweet), cysteine, hydrolyzed protein, and aspartic acid. With the advent of processed foods and diet foods that have been stripped of fats and sugars, foods are not tasting as good as they should. That’s where excitotoxins enter the picture. What most consumers do not know is that these food additives are potentially damaging to brain cells.

The first part of the book may require slower reading for someone without a science background in anatomy and biochemistry. It does require concentration and rereading. I believe it is well worth it, for once Dr. Blaylock presents his case, it makes sense and is very convincing. Dr. Blaylock convincingly argues that excitotoxins can affect a human through all states of life. Later in life, these chemicals may contribute to the neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s dementia, Huntington’s diseases, and ALS, diseases that modern day medicine does not have a cure or prevention program for. Could this be why we are hearing more about these ailments than in previous decades where processed foods were limited?

This is a book that I wish I had read sooner. I have become more vigilant in looking at what I eat that is processed. I advise family, friends, and patients that minor changes in their diet may have major positive effects in their health as they enter the “golden years”.