4.64

4

Sep 26, 2017

This book was an easy read, fast and engaging and relevant to all of us living on Earth. I liked this book because we ARE being poisoned and we don't know the deep extent of it. I wish everyone could read this book for enlightenment since I believe we are all bathing in a sea of toxic chemicals in our food, clothing, cars, houses, air, soil, water – our complete environment. Attorney Bell was eventually, after many years, diagnosed with MCS - multiple chemical sensitivity.

He began his journey This book was an easy read, fast and engaging and relevant to all of us living on Earth. I liked this book because we ARE being poisoned and we don't know the deep extent of it. I wish everyone could read this book for enlightenment since I believe we are all bathing in a sea of toxic chemicals in our food, clothing, cars, houses, air, soil, water – our complete environment. Attorney Bell was eventually, after many years, diagnosed with MCS - multiple chemical sensitivity.

He began his journey as a rich, lucky, happily married, young father and a successful prosecuting attorney in Miami who moved into a brand new, fancy state-of-the-arts office building. He was getting ready to run for Congress. He had a perfect life, as good as it gets.

However, his sealed new building was off-gassing multiple construction materials. He happily breathed in all these pleasant new chemical smells, and drove around in his new car off-gassing its chemicals and became sicker and sicker. He became so sick that he was unable to practice law. He forgot about Congress. He began many treks to many doctors in many different states without results. His health distress was a mystery to him, and he kept looking for a specific diagnosis and he rejected ideas of a "sick building" and suggestions of environmental toxins.

When he failed to get any standard medical answers, out of desperation, he started eliminating poisons in his food and adopted an organic diet. He eliminated plastics in his clothing, dishes and furniture. He drove only an old car. He became so sick that he had to withdraw from normal life. He got some relief when he finally moved into an isolated desert shack to get away from all the chemicals. Although his beautiful wife was completely supportive for many years, she eventually divorced him.

The more he eliminated chemicals, the more relief he got. After ten years and many tests and scientific hard proofs of physical damage to his brain and gut, he finally accepted that all these accumulated environmental poisons had damaged him and he added the drug gabapentin and cautiously began to slowly and warily participate in society again. He started a charitable foundation to help others. On page 127 he tells about his Environmental Health Foundation.

Eventually his wife remarried and sent their teenaged daughter to live with him. He started working with other attorneys who specialized in environmental torts and he practiced law again using his experience and connections made through his foundation to aid environmental attorneys. (He said that he is permanently damaged and he still has to be cautious around chemicals.)

What I did not like about the book was the lack of personal discussion regarding the marriage. To me, the background of the chemical poisoning intertwined with the marriage relationship was a major factor blatantly omitted. I would have liked to read a psychological perspective of how his sickness not also poisoned his body but also poisoned his marital relationship. Maybe he'll write a follow-up companion book?

There are four valuable appendices at the end which are for current further information. Appendix A is "How to Modify Your Lifestyle to Minimize Chemical Injury", Appendix B is "Recommended Reading", Appendix C is "An Online Resource Guide for Nontoxic Living" and Appendix D is "My Foundation's Founding Scientific Advisory Board". This book is dated 2017 and these ending references seem to be right on the cusp of our future knowledge of environmental poisons. I hope to research them to protect my own health. ...more

0

Feb 15, 2017

~review copy

POISONED is an autobiography of Alan Bell, a successful Miami attorney. Bell basically grew up with Miami. When he was young, it was still a safe and cozy sort of town. As his career began to take off in his 30's it was a growing metropolis with high rises reaching for the sun.

His charmed life took a huge turn though when his company moved into the wrong skyscraper. The new carpet, paint and continued construction set off a firestorm in his immune system that sent his body into a ~review copy

POISONED is an autobiography of Alan Bell, a successful Miami attorney. Bell basically grew up with Miami. When he was young, it was still a safe and cozy sort of town. As his career began to take off in his 30's it was a growing metropolis with high rises reaching for the sun.

His charmed life took a huge turn though when his company moved into the wrong skyscraper. The new carpet, paint and continued construction set off a firestorm in his immune system that sent his body into a such a steep decline that for a long while it looked as if he would not survive.

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This book is not about a search for what the problem was. POISONED is about the search for a cure to the lesions and damage done to his body.

I found this book to be a quick read, and the people that Bell met were interesting and frequently familiar. Dr. Weir was one of them. The personal side of the story demonstrated that medicine is not all that is necessary for survival. A person needs a support system, a personal cheerleader, and they need to be willing to try one-more-possible cure. ...more

4

Feb 05, 2017

This is a fast-moving account of what happened to a hard-working attorney, who seemed to have a charmed life, when the environmental conditions of the brand new building he worked in made him sick. Very sick. Chronically sick. Irreversibly sick. Living in a bubble home in the desert in Arizona sick. Alan Bell went to over 100 doctors trying to find out what was wrong with him. He also tried all sorts of alternative medical treatments, and even went to downright quacks, desperate for a cure. Both This is a fast-moving account of what happened to a hard-working attorney, who seemed to have a charmed life, when the environmental conditions of the brand new building he worked in made him sick. Very sick. Chronically sick. Irreversibly sick. Living in a bubble home in the desert in Arizona sick. Alan Bell went to over 100 doctors trying to find out what was wrong with him. He also tried all sorts of alternative medical treatments, and even went to downright quacks, desperate for a cure. Both his funds and his determination to get well had no limits.

No cure came, however, but he did get back part of his old life by taking a drug called Neurontin. At that time, he started to assist other attorneys in cases involving environmental poisoning, and started a foundation for environmental health. His marriage crumbled to bits, but he ended up with sole custody of his daughter, and it was her existence that kept him alive and determined to get out of the nightmare he woke up to one day.

P.S. The appendices at the end of the book include the top 10 chemicals to avoid, as well as 21 lifestyle tips that will hopefully keep others from being "irreversibly injured by toxins" in their environments.

(Note: I received a free ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.) ...more

3

Aug 15, 2017

Eh.
He had good information for anyone who has environmental illness. But so much of the book is about how super awesome master of the world lawyer he was until the illness laid him low. It felt very braggy and self-promoting.

5

Jul 21, 2017

Environmental contaminants

This book introduces the reader to the danger of environmental contaminants. While it may be hard to believe, and I have a real problem with alternative medicine, the fact is I discovered 64 years ago that I react to a chemical that is in cleaning products and dry cleaning fluid .

5

Jun 17, 2019

Alan Bell's memoir covers his legal background and his debilitating illness caused by an unknown chemical exposure he experienced while working in a new office building. It also offers a wake-up call for all of us about the threat caused by chemicals in our everyday environment.

Alan poses the theory that many of today's chronic illnesses are a direct result of chemical exposure. He uses his own experience with his illness and his work as a lawyer representing others harmed by chemical exposure Alan Bell's memoir covers his legal background and his debilitating illness caused by an unknown chemical exposure he experienced while working in a new office building. It also offers a wake-up call for all of us about the threat caused by chemicals in our everyday environment.

Alan poses the theory that many of today's chronic illnesses are a direct result of chemical exposure. He uses his own experience with his illness and his work as a lawyer representing others harmed by chemical exposure to make his case. Alan references a quote from another source that states that chemical exposure is "the primary cause of chronic diseases like asthma, autism, birth defects, cancers, developmental disabilities, diabetes, endometriosis, infertility, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and others." Proving this connection is a whole other story.

The fact is that our immune systems are under attack from a constant barrage of chemicals. The food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, all have the potential to be harmful to our health. Poisonous chemicals are all around us. Whether or not you become ill depends on many factors such as the length of exposure, the degree of exposure, and your genes. Your workplace, your home, your back yard, your bed, can all be sources of harmful chemical exposure.

Read the full review here https://everythingnonfiction.com/revi...
...more

5

Jul 24, 2018

This is an excellent, informative read. I recommend it to anyone wanting to protect themselves and loved ones from injury due to chemicals which we are commonly exposed to and those who use them carelessly around anyone regardless of instructions. What happened to Alan Bell could happen to anyone, but it is less likely if you know what to look for and how to protect yourself. This book provides helpful and invaluable information at the end of the book.

5

Apr 13, 2019

I found this non-fiction book fascinating. It's all about toxic black mold and what it can do to you. How it can make you sensitive to chemicals. The first person account of what happened to him and to the others he met is both scary and also very interesting. I read through the book very quickly. The thing that makes it the most frightening is that it's true. If you have had encounters with black mold or knows someone who has you should read this book. It's a real eye opener!

4

Apr 01, 2018

Thought it was a fictional thriller. Wrong! It was a factual thriller. I loved it, bc it woke me up, big time. God Bless Alan Bell. Read this book as fast as you can!!!

5

May 07, 2019

A very interesting book on a very scary subject. Fascinating to read all his symptoms and the journey he went on. A very relevant topic, especially in the world we live in today !

4

Nov 10, 2019

There are many who get sick from Toxic new buildings! Or old buildings! Very informative!

5

Sep 06, 2017

Fascinating account of Mr. Bell's quest for his health and then the legal quest to help the chemically injured.

3

Mar 27, 2018

Three stars... two for the writing, one for the subject and truth to it. Tough read at the end, but still.. the message is important.

5

Jan 20, 2019

Alan has done a fantastic job of catching the readers attention by tapping into ones one psyche. He has also identified and brought to light a very real issue in the environment today. This issue will not easily go away without the awareness and assistance of all of us for a greater future.

0

Nov 15, 2016

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.