There is an alternative to this dubious thinking and that is what toxicologists have followed for centuries, the so-called Paracelsian Principle. A Swiss physician, botanist, and alchemist from the 16th Century, Paracelsus is known as the father of modern toxicology. He famously wrote, “Dosis facit venenum.” That means the dose makes the poison. In other words, dose determines toxicity. So, all substances we ingest are toxic at some dose level but that does not justify the conclusion that they are inherently toxic. Rather, the very same substances are ordinarily safe at customarily consumed levels and, quite often, at much higher levels. In fact, the nutrition science literature of the past seventy years has confirmed repeatedly that nutrients we consume often carry with them therapeutic properties greatly beneficial to prevention of chronic disease and optimization of healthy cell, organ, and organ system function at levels higher than those necessary to avoid nutrient deficiency diseases. Acutely aware of the reality of these facts from the science and the practice of naturopathic medicine, Wallach is quick to cut through the false paradigms and illogic that often become the subject of passionate debate among critics who lack wisdom or who are driven by an anticompetitive economic motive.
