North Central alum discusses ‘The Healthy Home’

By Susan Dibble

sdibble@dailyherald.com

Dr. Myron Wentz, a 1963 alumnus of North Central College in Naperville, returned Friday evening with his son, David, to give a presentation and sign copies of their new book, “The Healthy Home: Simple Truths to Protect Your Family From Hidden Household Dangers.”Myron Wentz graduated from North Central with a bachelor#146;s degree in biology and went on to earn a doctorate in microbiology with a specialty in immunology and to become an award-winning researcher. He founded Gull Laboratories in 1974 and developed the first commercially available diagnostic test for the Epstein-Barr virus. Later he founded USANA Health Sciences and the Sanoviv Medical Institute. He is a life trustee of North Central College and donated $10 million that helped make possible the construction of the Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center that bears his name.His son, David, now serves as chief executive office of USANA Health Sciences, a state-of-the-art manufacturer of nutritional supplements and health products. He holds a bachelor#146;s degree in bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego.This slightly edited e-mail interview with them was conducted a few days before their visit.

Q. Your new book, #147;The Healthy Home: Simple Truths to Protect Your Family from Hidden Household Dangers,#148; describes the harmful effects of common chemicals and contaminants. How did you come to write it?

Myron: My years of experience in cell culture taught me about the deleterious effects of common toxins on human cells and, thus, the human body. Knowing what I do, I#146;ve looked around at our world today and observed a growing threat #8212; contaminants in our food, water, air and everyday products. I#146;ve worked methodically over the years to remove as many of those contaminants as possible from my own home, as it#146;s the place we can have the most immediate and lasting impact.

When my son, Dave, and his wife decided to start a family, they also grew more interested in making their home the healthiest place possible.

Dave did a lot of research before the birth of his son, Andrew #8212; my first grandchild #8212; and that research turned into a real passion for the subject. He discovered so many simple, inexpensive solutions and he wanted to tell others about them.

He proposed that we write a book together #8212; with him providing the #147;everyman#146;s#148; perspective and me providing a more in-depth look at the cellular science. It was fun to take on a project like this with Dave #8212; we both learned a lot about this subject and each other. And I can only hope it helps more people improve their lives.

Q. What are a few of the hidden dangers that are most surprising to people?

Dave: One of the dangers that personally surprised me was dry cleaning. As a businessman and frequent traveler, I was probably my dry cleaner#146;s best customer. I knew there was likely some sort of chemical involved, but I didn#146;t know how toxic it was and how much it affects the air quality of your home. I now know most dry cleaners today use a chemical known as perchloroethylene, or Perc, which is a neurotoxin and a probable carcinogen.

Your clothes are essentially bathed in Perc at the cleaners, but the chemical doesn#146;t wash out. It then off-gases from the clothing and contaminates the air that is breathed in and out by you, your kids, and your pets.

I read a few studies in which they were able to measure Perc on the breath of people up to 48 hours after they#146;d brought home their dry cleaning. Even more shocking to me was that Perc is banned in a few states, starting with California #8212; but not until 2023.

Myron: People are also surprised to learn about the contaminants in their drinking water #8212; whether bottled or tap. On our book tour, we#146;ve shown audiences in each city just what contaminants have been found in their water recently. They are shocked to see things like arsenic, lead, alpha particles, and Perc #8212; yes, the dry cleaning fluid #8212; listed under their city#146;s name.

Some of those contaminants are above legal or health guidelines; most of them aren#146;t. However, you have to ask yourself: Is #147;just a little arsenic#148; OK for your children or grandchildren?

Q. We#146;re so used to convenience. How difficult is it to live a healthier lifestyle? What are a couple of examples of easy solutions to the hidden dangers?

Dave: Dr. Wentz and I wanted readers of #147;The Healthy Home#148; to come away with the realization that reducing your toxic burden really doesn#146;t have to be inconvenient or costly. You don#146;t need to move to a cave or live in a bubble. And living healthier certainly isn#146;t an all-or-nothing proposition.

There is a range of solutions to every danger we list in the book. Dry cleaning is a great example. You could cut back on some of the clothing you drop off at the cleaners #8212; instead of dry cleaning everything, you could just dry clean the absolute necessities. You could also hang your dry cleaning in your garage or out on your patio for a day or two to allow the chemicals to off-gas. Or, you could find a #147;green#148; dry cleaner that doesn#146;t use Perc.

Some of these solutions will actually save you money! All of them will lower your family#146;s exposure to Perc to some degree. And when you add up that reduction over a lifetime, it could have a huge impact.

Myron: Even our more expensive solutions in the book are reasonable investments in the long term. I recommend everyone install a reverse osmosis filtration system under their kitchen sink. The cost ranges from $200 to $600, depending on whether you install it yourself, but it will provide a great return in pure, life-giving water. You won#146;t have to worry about contaminants in your tap water, and you#146;ll save money and help the environment by eliminating your use of plastic bottled water.

Q. How safe is food in the grocery store #8212; not just overly processed food, but items such as fresh fruit, vegetables and meat?

Dave: It depends on what kind of meat, dairy and produce you purchase, but these items could expose us to a range of contaminants #8212; from antibiotics to pesticides to plasticizers. In fact, at least 70 percent of all antibiotics produced in the United States in 2008 went to the cows, chickens, and pigs we eat every day.

Many of those antibiotics were used in healthy animals to ward off illness and help improve growth rates. Keep in mind that these antibiotics are the same drugs that your doctor prescribes to you when you have an infection.

Although organic isn#146;t the perfect solution, it#146;s the best solution we have to reduce the number of contaminants we consume through fresh foods.

Q. Your book has made The New York Times best-seller list. Do you think this is because people are already concerned about the effects of chemicals in common household products? What kinds of response and questions are you getting on your book tour?

Myron: The response to our book has been incredible. Not only have we received a great deal of positive feedback from our readers, but also quite a bit of interest from the media. I believe this is because we#146;re addressing issues that are valuable to the public.

People are growing more aware of and concerned about modern toxins. Many of them just don#146;t know what they can do about it. #147;The Healthy Home#148; presents scientific information in a way that#146;s easy to digest. It#146;s empowering to our readers to know there are practical solutions they can implement today to protect their families and ensure their health.

Q. Your presentation at North Central included scientific demonstrations. What did that involve?

Dave: The book tour is a reflection of the book. It#146;s fun, visual and interactive.

We had a special hood and filtration system built in order to safely show audience members just how much mercury is in some common products. We also take volunteers from the audience to show just how dirty their shoes really are. And Dr. Wentz gets to use one of his favorite gadgets, the Gauss meter, to show the electromagnetic fields that surround some of our electronics.

Q. North Central is Myron#146;s alma mater and Wentz Concert Hall and the Fine Arts Center is named after you because your donation helped to build it. Is it everything you hoped it you be? Have you had any occasion to attend a concert there?

Myron: The concert hall is a beautiful building and I am very proud to have played a part in making it happen. North Central had a huge influence on my life. I fondly remember many talented and generous people there who helped me pursue my two biggest passions #8212; music and science.

North Central was also where I came to the difficult conclusion that I couldn#146;t be truly successful at both pursuits and eventually chose to focus on biology. It#146;s funny how life comes full circle. By choosing science, I was able to build a legacy many decades later for the support of the performing arts.

Q. What is the retail price of #147;The Healthy Home#148;? All proceeds from the book#146;s sales are going to the Children#146;s Hunger Fund. Briefly describe that organization and why you support it.

Dave: The Healthy Home retails for $21.99. Our goal in donating all of our proceeds from the book is the same goal we had in writing the book #8212; helping children achieve healthier lives.

Children#146;s Hunger Fund provides real solutions to the expanding problems of hunger and poverty here in the United States and around the world. We selected CHF as our charitable partner because the organization is one of the United States#146; most cost-effective charities, with 99 cents of every dollar going directly to provide food, medical care, education, and hope to children.

Our company, USANA Health Sciences, has a long, successful partnership with CHF, with more than $11 million donated to date. We#146;ve also both traveled with CHF and seen the incredible impact it has. We can#146;t think of a better way to use the proceeds from the success of the book than to help what is, in our opinion, one of the best charities around.

Q. David is now CEO of USANA Health Sciences that his father founded. Myron, what do you devote most of your time and energy to now?

Myron: In addition to spending time with my children and grandchildren, I also spend a lot of my time overseeing the Sanoviv Medical Institute, which I founded in 1999.

Sanoviv is the first medical facility to be certified in Functional Medicine by the Institute of Functional Medicine. The purpose of this wellness center is to address medical conditions in a holistic way by treating the individual patient and not just the disease.

Much of my time is spent working with our medical and research teams to provide the best possible care for our clients and to continue discovering new and effective holistic treatments.

I also spend a great deal of time on humanitarian work. I have traveled extensively with Children#146;s Hunger Fund to assist with their work in orphanages and refugee camps. I funded two medical centers, in Uganda and Cambodia, in partnership with CHF that provide preventive care and training to underserved regions.

It has been incredibly gratifying to help design those centers, and then see them open and begin to provide much-needed medical care.