Toxemia Explained

What if everything we were taught about disease is wrong?

Nearly 100 years ago, Dr. John H. Tilden wrote Toxemia Explained, based on his own research and that of clinician Sir James Mackenzie.

In this book he explains that all diseases originate from a single root cause – toxemia, the accumulation of toxins in the body due to enervation or a lack of nerve energy.

Let’s unpack this.

The Central Thesis: Toxemia Is the Cause of All Disease

Dr. Tilden asserts that all so-called diseases are simply crises of toxemia – that is, temporary bodily efforts to eliminate a buildup of toxins in the blood.

These toxins are the natural byproduct of metabolism [cellular activity, and in a healthy body, they are eliminated efficiently.

However, when the body becomes enervated or weakened by poor habits, it can no longer eliminate toxins fast enough.

This toxin retention leads to what we call disease.

What Is Enervation and How Does It Happen?

Tilden explains that enervation is a state of diminished nerve energy, a weakened condition caused by lifestyle and emotional stressors.

This weakened state hampers the body’s ability to clean itself out, thus allowing toxins to accumulate in the tissues and organs.

Common Causes of Enervation:

What Is Disease?

Tilden explains that disease is not an outside entity to be destroyed or fought, and there are no outside invaders [as in germ theory].

The entire disease process is a spectrum, rooted in the same error: enervation leading to toxemia. Disease is therefore both:

Symptoms, Cures, and Nature

Nature returns to normal when enervating habits are given up. There are no cures in the sense generally understood. ~ Dr. John H. Tilden

Tilden firmly declares that there is no such thing as a cure in the conventional sense. What most people call cures are merely the body recovering on its own, once the toxin burden drops below a critical level.

Tilden insists that the only real solution is to address the cause and stop the habits that create toxemia in the first place.

The modern medical model focuses on suppressing symptoms through drugs, antibiotics, and surgery. He calls this a form of intellectual and scientific failure that:

Remove Cause to Remove Disease

Tilden’s approach to treatment is straightforward: remove the causes of enervation to restore nerve energy and allow the body to eliminate toxins naturally. He advocates for:

One Disease – One Cause – One Cure

To summarize Dr. Tilden’s work: There is only one disease – Toxemia. There is only one cause – Enervation. And there is only one cure – elimination of enervating habits and restoration of nerve energy.

His philosophy offers a simple, unifying explanation of disease, one that restores power to the individual and undermines fear-driven approaches.

Whether you agree or not, Toxemia Explained presents a bold, thought-provoking model of health based on natural law, personal responsibility, and common sense.

Knowledge is power. Knowledge of how to have health gives greatest power. Few people know anything about the cause of disease.
~Dr. John H. Tilden