ABOUT THE HEROES HEALTH FUND
Click here to watch a feature interview with John on Extra.com
Over the last 50 years, man‐made chemicals and drugs of abuse have spread through the world at almost inconceivable rates. The final destination of many of these substances is the internal environment of the human body.
The men and women who serve their communities as firefighters, police officers, paramedics and other “first responders” can be exposed to them at dangerously high levels.
A growing body of research is raising concerns about the human effects of even low levels of chemical residues. A detoxification regimen developed by L. Ron Hubbard has proved to be an effective tool for reducing body levels of fat-stored chemicals and resolving the adverse effects associated with toxic body burden.
The program regimen has several elements. Aerobic exercise increases circulation and “mobilizes” chemical residues from body tissue. Low-heat sauna sweats them out. Oil supplements prevent the re‐absorption of toxins. Vitamins and minerals are taken to replace those that are lost in the sauna.
Over nearly 30 years a continuously evolving body of research projects has examined the application of the program in the aftermath of exposure incidents, from chemical accidents and industrial exposures to the Chernobyl disaster and the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. Scientists in the U.S., Europe and Russia have collaborated on this work.
Their findings, published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the World Health Organizationʹs International Agency for Research on Cancer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, among many others, have established the program’s safety and efficacy.
This detoxification program is being implemented in Baltimore and Ocala through the generous support of Mr. Travolta. The program will be made available free of charge to firefighters and other rescue workers in the area who put themselves in harm’s way to help their community on a daily basis.
For more information on this program and some of the key locations it is being implemented, please visit the following websites:
News:
September 7, 2010
(OCALA, FLORIDA)
On Tuesday, September 7, at Station 1 in Ocala, actor John Travolta took time out of his busy schedule to acknowledge a group of firefighters and paramedics who have recently completed a Detox program.
Developed by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, the Detox program utilizes a dry sauna, exercise and vitamins to assist firefighters rid their bodies of dangerous chemicals that can accumulate after years of fighting fires.
Mr. Travolta who raised the funds to get the program done here in Ocala, stated how proud he is of those who had made it through the program and that it is his wish that every firefighter in Ocala and Marion County is able to avail themselves of the program.
After the short ceremony, Mr. Travolta spent time talking to those in attendance, firefighters from both Ocala Fire Rescue and Marion County Fire Rescue. Both agencies presented gifts to thank Mr. Travolta for his generosity.
Click here to read more on Ocala.com
Excerpts from Ocala.com-
By Dave Schlenker, Entertainment editor
Published: Monday, July 26, 2010 at 6:30 a.m. –
Helen Hunter recently jumped into the local roller-derby circuit.
This is an appropriate footnote about the always-on-the-go Ocala firefighter. Hunter is pushing 40, and she smiles at the mere thought of derby competition. She embraces athletics, working out, fighting fires, health and the relationship between all of them.
She will tell you with complete conviction the healthier she is, the better she can fight fires for the taxpayers who pay her salary. She is passionate about performing at her best, physically and mentally.
And that’s how John Travolta came into her life.
Hunter and 14 other local firefighters recently completed – or are completing – an extensive detoxification program funded by $26,000 that Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston raised at their Ocala “From Paris With Love” gala in April.
The detoxification requires daily saunas, niacin pills, showers, aerobic exercise, more saunas and then more showers. The idea is to cleanse the body of toxins and other harmful substances.
Hunter was in good health before she opted for detoxification. But, being a firefighter for 16 years, she has been exposed to toxins and suffers from achy joints from hauling equipment and climbing out of fire trucks.
“A week into it, my joint pain was gone,” she said last week of the detoxification program. She also touts another notable result: “Overall mental clarity; stress just effuses away.
“Something positive happened every day.”
So what, exactly, is detoxification?
“This is not a health program, it is a wellness program,” said Brett Miller with the Heroes Health Fund, a nonprofit group that helps fund detoxification programs. “We work with medical professionals.”
It is an extensive, month long (more or less) regime designed to rid the body of harmful substances and amp up energy. This detoxification program is based on a book by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. It is not, advocates stress, a Scientology program.
Travolta, a faithful Scientologist who lives in Anthony, has helped start similar programs elsewhere in the United States and vowed to do the same with seed money from the “Paris” party.
Toxins are stored in the body’s fatty tissue, where they are excreted by sweating, explained Dr. George Yu, a surgeon and professor at George Washington University who champions detoxification.
Starting in early June, the sessions were held at Compass Health & Fitness, which provided space and equipment for free, Miller said. The money the Travoltas helped raise was used to cover supplies, vitamins and staff salaries, he added.
“I will admit it was tough,” said Ocala Fire Operations Chief Jim Ganter, who also went through the program. He had no reservations going into it, thinking – at the very least – he would be exercising often.
Like Hunter, his aches and pains subsided; plus, he said, “mentally, I seem even more crisp.” He said he even noticed his dry skin – a problem since childhood – cleared up early into treatment.
City firefighters were allowed to use their sick leave for the program, and Hunter took off all 33 days of treatment. Others did the same, but some whose work is less physical and office-bound – such as Ganter – went to work after the morning detoxification sessions. He said he also worked some weekends to make up the time.
After the treatment, Hunter discussed her experiences in a video. In it, she was asked if she wanted to say anything to the Travoltas for bringing the program to Ocala. Upon recalling her words, the rumble-and-tumble firefighter paused before speaking.
“I thanked them hugely for the opportunity to do this,” she said, fighting back tears. “For these people to do something like that off the cuff was amazing. It was a totally selfless act. That’s why there was no quitting.”
More success:
“The first benefit that I experienced during the detox program was an increase in my energy levels. I felt less fatigue in the morning and evening hours than I did before beginning the program. By the completion of the program, I felt my levels of awareness and attention had increased. I felt that the benefits of the program had made me a more productive and healthy person. My thanks to John for making this program available to us.”
– FS, Retired, Baltimore Fire Department
“My family is getting me back with more energy, a clearer mind – and physically we’ll be able to do the things I haven’t been able to do for years. I became self employed because I couldn’t work. Now I plan to stay self employed, and now I know I have enough energy and confidence and the drive to make my business large enough so that my husband can retire and just relax. Thank you for my life back.”
– JK, Sgt., National Guard
“I have been in over 550 illicit methamphetamine labs. When I first arrived to do the Hubbard Detox Program I had joint pain, occasional short term memory loss, I was very irritable, and I was surviving on two hours of restless sleep a night. After completing the program I sleep much better. I wake up completely energized. My joint pain is gone. My mental state is better and I have a greater peace of mind. I don’t dwell on problems anymore or agonize over decisions, my mind is definitely clearer.”
– BW, Narcotics Detective
“I no longer suffer from headaches, joint swelling, kidney pain, cough, fatigue or lethargy. Emotionally I am unshakeable. I am more confident, more aware and more self assured. My energy is through the roof and I feel younger than my 26 years of age. The little things that I took for granted like playing with my son I now cherish. My fiance and all of my loved ones have noticed a drastic change and are happy that I am back.”
– RM, FDNY
“Quickly into the program, I noticed that my sweat smelled like ammonia, a chemical used during the manufacture of methamphetamine. An unidentified black substance started coming out of my pores on my chest. Some strange matter came out of my tear ducts. More than once I tasted a metallic taste in my mouth and numerous times I felt “foggy.” After the program I no longer have headaches. I am sleeping well again, in fact better than I have in years. The breathing problems and acid reflux are gone, and best of all I have my mental clarity and energy back.”
– BM, Undercover Police Officer
For more information about the Heroes Health Fund,
or to make a donation, contact:
Severna Park Health & Wellness Center
645 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd, Suite 113
Severna Park, MD 21146