A Short History of the Oxidation Types
Dr. George Watson, PhD.
The term ‘oxidation types’ was coined by George Watson, PhD, a researcher at UCLA. He wrote about his work in two fascinating small books entitled Nutrition and Your Mind (1972), and Personality Strength and Psychochemical Energy(1979).
These are out of print but available through used book outlets including Amazon.com. They are extremely readable and must reading for anyone interested in the oxidation types.
Dr. Watson discovered two major metabolic types, first by using odor tests and later by using blood tests. He found that the blood pH of fast oxidizers was slightly more acidic than that of slow oxidizers. He also found other differences in standard blood tests, such as the CO2 levels.
He also found that certain foods and nutrients benefited each metabolic type. He was able to correct the oxidation rate using diet and supplementary nutrients.
This simple treatment often caused dramatic improvements in both his client’s physical and emotional symptoms. This is as far as Dr. Watson went in his research, to the best of my knowledge. At least, he did not write other books.
Terminology
I use the term oxidation types and oxidation rate to honor Dr. Watson, even though the terms are not ideal. Some physicians call them fast and slow metabolizers, for example, but this is not much better, in my view. The oxidation types are extremely complex, so there is no simple term that can describe them adequately. The ancient Chinese terms yang and yin are probably best, but these terms are not used much in the West and are confusing as well.
These are out of print but available through used book outlets including Amazon.com. They are extremely readable and must reading for anyone interested in the oxidation types.
Dr. Watson discovered two major metabolic types, first by using odor tests and later by using blood tests. He found that the blood pH of fast oxidizers was slightly more acidic than that of slow oxidizers. He also found other differences in standard blood tests, such as the CO2 levels.
He also found that certain foods and nutrients benefited each metabolic type. He was able to correct the oxidation rate using diet and supplementary nutrients.
This simple treatment often caused dramatic improvements in both his client’s physical and emotional symptoms. This is as far as Dr. Watson went in his research, to the best of my knowledge. At least, he did not write other books.
Terminology
I use the term oxidation types and oxidation rate to honor Dr. Watson, even though the terms are not ideal. Some physicians call them fast and slow metabolizers, for example, but this is not much better, in my view. The oxidation types are extremely complex, so there is no simple term that can describe them adequately. The ancient Chinese terms yang and yin are probably best, but these terms are not used much in the West and are confusing as well.
Dr. Paul C. Eck
Dr. Paul Eck
Dr. Eck was a physician and brilliant researcher and clinician who lived in Phoenix, Arizona most of his life. He was also my teacher and good friend. Dr. Eck did not write books, and was primarily a clinician and founder of Analytical Research Laboratories in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. I wrote about his work in Nutritional Balancing And Hair Mineral Analysis (1991, 1992, 1998, 2005, 2010). In addition, several sections of the articles on this website pertain to his work very directly, as he is the inspiration for this website.
Dr. Eck could always be found reading quite esoteric medical book, almost endlessly. He also decided to research the then new technique of hair mineral analysis as his major clinical research tool. The reasons for this are described in many other articles such as Introduction To Hair Mineral Analysis. Dr. Eck developed the science of hair mineral analysis interpretation far beyond anyone else I am aware of. This website is dedicated to his work, and to its expansion since his death in 1996.
Dr. Eck was thrilled to discover Dr. Watson’s oxidation concepts. It helped him make sense of hair mineral tests and opened the way for a scientific method of interpretation of this test and much more. Dr. Eck extended Dr. Watson’s work by making a startling correlation between the oxidation types and the stages of stress, as elucidated by Dr. Hans Selye, MD.
Dr. Eck could always be found reading quite esoteric medical book, almost endlessly. He also decided to research the then new technique of hair mineral analysis as his major clinical research tool. The reasons for this are described in many other articles such as Introduction To Hair Mineral Analysis. Dr. Eck developed the science of hair mineral analysis interpretation far beyond anyone else I am aware of. This website is dedicated to his work, and to its expansion since his death in 1996.
Dr. Eck was thrilled to discover Dr. Watson’s oxidation concepts. It helped him make sense of hair mineral tests and opened the way for a scientific method of interpretation of this test and much more. Dr. Eck extended Dr. Watson’s work by making a startling correlation between the oxidation types and the stages of stress, as elucidated by Dr. Hans Selye, MD.
Dr. Hans Selye, MD
Dr. Hans Selye, MD
A Canadian physician, Dr. Hans Selye is credited with the stress theory of disease, an amazing understanding of health and disease. Dr. Selye wrote The Stress of Life and about 1200 medical articles, as well as technical books such as Calciphylaxis.
His work on stress is monumental, but largely ignored. In part this is because it was very hard to apply clinically. Dr. Eck, however, found that the stage of stress, or at least an aspect of body chemistry related to it, could be assessed easily and rapidly with a hair tissue mineral analysis.
Dr. Selye also coined words we use commonly today such as homeostasis and elaborated what he called the General Adaptation Syndrome. This is ground-breaking work about how organisms always respond to stress. It involves the sympathetic nervous system, the role of the adrenal and thyroid glands in the stress response, and much more.
He theorized that all living organisms pass through three stages of stress before they die. He called these the alarm, resistance and exhaustion stages of stress. Dr. Selye further elaborated some of the biochemistry of each stage of stress.
Dr. Eck was able to see the intricate connections between Dr. Selye’s stages of stress and Dr. Watson’s oxidation types. He was able to figure out why Dr. Watson was able to help people with simple dietary suggestions and supplementary nutrients because he was addressing deep stress patterns in the organism. Dr. Watson was addressing the individual needs of his patients in terms of their stage of stress and the condition specifically of the adrenal and thyroid glands and the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, also called the HPA axis.
Sources: By Larry Wilson, MD
His work on stress is monumental, but largely ignored. In part this is because it was very hard to apply clinically. Dr. Eck, however, found that the stage of stress, or at least an aspect of body chemistry related to it, could be assessed easily and rapidly with a hair tissue mineral analysis.
Dr. Selye also coined words we use commonly today such as homeostasis and elaborated what he called the General Adaptation Syndrome. This is ground-breaking work about how organisms always respond to stress. It involves the sympathetic nervous system, the role of the adrenal and thyroid glands in the stress response, and much more.
He theorized that all living organisms pass through three stages of stress before they die. He called these the alarm, resistance and exhaustion stages of stress. Dr. Selye further elaborated some of the biochemistry of each stage of stress.
Dr. Eck was able to see the intricate connections between Dr. Selye’s stages of stress and Dr. Watson’s oxidation types. He was able to figure out why Dr. Watson was able to help people with simple dietary suggestions and supplementary nutrients because he was addressing deep stress patterns in the organism. Dr. Watson was addressing the individual needs of his patients in terms of their stage of stress and the condition specifically of the adrenal and thyroid glands and the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, also called the HPA axis.
Sources: By Larry Wilson, MD
Dr. Lawrence Wilson