The International Academy of Detoxification Specialists was created by a group of environmentalists, writers, physicians and other health specialists who shared an interest in the use of the detoxification procedure developed by L. Ron Hubbard to address the effects of occupational and environmental chemical exposures.

The first major initiative of this Academy was the sponsorship of an International Conference on Human Detoxification, held in Los Angeles in December 1995. A second conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden in the fall of 1997. A 2005 conference at Hunter College in New York City focused on results from delivery of detoxification services to men and women affected by exposures during the rescue and recovery operations following the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

As time passed, it became apparent that the greatest service the Academy could provide would be to provide support to medical professionals who wished to deliver detoxification services in the aftermath of significant exposure events. These circumstances required urgent action, and Academy members hoped to establish a new paradigm for responding to such emergencies: one in which a natural, non-invasive program could be provided to improve quality of life and work fitness on an immediate basis. To a large extent, this work has focused on uniformed services personnel and other first responders.

In pursuit of this goal, the Academy established the Heroes Health Fund. The fund has benefited from the support of a wide range of individual donors, foundations and corporations that share Examples of projects that the fund has supported can be found here.