Chelation Update-Cadmium

[Guest]

Hi Everyone,

 

My other chelation update thread is getting really long so I decided to start another thread. I've been doing chelation for about 1 year and 2 months now.

 

I looked at my fecal metals results, and all I've got to say is wow! My Cadmium is off the chart! The reference range is .50 and below. I'm at 1.29! This is the first time we've seen a metal off the chart!

 

Also quite a bit of Tungsten, Nickel, Copper, Bismuth, Arsenic, Beryllium, Antimony, Lead, Thallium, and Uranium. A litle bit of mercury, but more than last time is coming out.

 

Nothing really too amazing in the urine toxic metals. DMPS doesn't really seem to dump in the urine, but instead the fecal. I'm going to see if we can just check fecal next time.

 

 

I'm currently applying transdermal DMPS every four hours except at night. My doctor has me do every eight hours at night because he didn't want me missing sleep because of chelation at night. I'm applying seven drops each time for a daily dose on the weekends of 35 drops. At the beginning, I was only able to tolerate a daily dose of 10 drops (2 drops at each application). I see my doctor next week.

 

Carolyn

[Guest]

I saw my chelation doctor today. It all went well. CBC's & CMP's were both fine. I already shared my fecal metals, urine toxics, and food panel results in the post above this one and on another thread so I won't repost that one. I was informed that food stays in the system for six months and that's one reason why it's so important not to cheat. The lab that I got the food panel from, Alletess Medical Laboratory, gives back very nice results which includes a rotation diet, shopping list, and substitutions for your special diet needs.

 

I'm just continuing to slowly add in the supplements he suggested at the appt. before this one. He said expect about 2 years for chelation (so about 1 more year for me), and then he said maintenance chelation after that. He said we'll never so no metals coming out, but they will be very low before we're done.

 

For my face skin issues, my doctor wants me to start oral vitamin a & d by NOW. He also wants me to increase my zinc to 120 mg based on my test results. (Beware-Do not use this amount of zinc without doctor guidance! I work carefully with a doctor for my amount.)

 

As far as dry skin, he said Omega 3's may be the issue here as I'm low on them. However, I don't tolerate fish oil and am not a fan of fish so we're kind of stuck on this one.

 

I asked him about Betaine being dangerous/risky, and he said without food in the stomach and at large amounts that it could be. However, my labs showed that I needed it, and I'll be taking it with food in my stomach and at small doses.

 

He gave me a hormone test kit because I really pushed for getting them checked. We're also just going to check Urine Toxics, Fecal Metals, CMP, CBC, Serum Zinc, Mangesium, and Selenium levels in about three months.

 

My ears were 50% blocked, my nose was 35% blocked, my lymph nodes were swollen, and my throat was fine.

 

I've been having a lot of bags/dark circles under my eyes, and he thought that was allergy related rather than chelation related. I've also recently been having white specks in my stools. He said he's had patients complain about them from time to time, but they really don't know what they are. He said it could be yeast, but doesn't think so because yeast doesn't clamp up like that usually. However, he said that its probably not anything to worry about.

 

I also asked him about safe dental braces options. He said both metal and plastic have their negatives so he really wasn't for sure. I didn't get to ask my dentist today as they closed because of an ice storm.

 

That's it for the update this time.

 

Carolyn

[kim]

Carolyn,

 

First, I want to say thank you for sharing all of this information. I follow (and try to learn) from every word you post.

 

I know that cadmium is found to be high in children that are exposed to a lot of cigarette smoke. After reading through your post, I decided to look at it again. It seems from the autism bds. this element tests high quite frequently.

 

Here are a couple of things that I found. I'm sure you have researched this, but it may be helpful for someone else.

 

The info. on excess saliva, sensory disturbances (eating issues?) and how cadmium interferes with zinc absorption, really caught my eye. I had read an article not posted here, that gave the impression that the cells/organs would "uptake" the cadmium mistakenly, however, it seemed to me, in that scenario, zinc would be high in serum, which is not usually what's seen. So a zinc deficiency, makes more sense to this lay person.

 

 

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts5.html

 

Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health?

The EPA has set a limit of 5 parts of cadmium per billion parts of drinking water (5 ppb). EPA doesn't allow cadmium in pesticides.

 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the amount of cadmium in food colors to 15 parts per million (15 ppm).

 

* I think the above article is the one that says that the ppb is not enforced in drinking water requirements!

 

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/...fs/cadmium.html

 

What is Cadmium and how is it used?

Cadmium is a metal found in natural deposits as ores containing other elements. The greatest use of cadmium is primarily for metal plating and coating operations, including transportation equipment, machinery and baking enamels, photography, television phosphors. It is also used in nickel-cadmium and solar batteries and in pigments.

 

 

What are the health effects?

Short-term: EPA has found cadmium to potentially cause the following health effects when people are exposed to it at levels above the MCL for relatively short periods of time: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramps, salivation, sensory disturbances, liver injury, convulsions, shock and renal failure.

 

 

http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=2049

 

Cadmium

© Elson M. Haas M.D.

(Excerpted from Staying Healthy with Nutrition:

The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine

Published by Celestial Arts)

 

As cadmium and zinc are found together in natural deposits, so are they similar in structure and function in the human body. Cadmium may actually displace zinc in some of its important enzymatic and organ functions; thus, it interferes with these functions or prevents them from being completed. The zinc-cadmium ratio is very important, as cadmium toxicity and storage are greatly increased with zinc deficiency, and good levels of zinc protect against tissue damage by cadmium. The refinement of grains reduces the zinc-cadmium ratio, so zinc deficiency and cadmium toxicity are more likely when the diet is high in refined grains and flours.

[Guest]

Thanks Kim,

 

Thanks for the info. I hadn't seen the excess saliva & sensory disturbances being linked to high Cadmium before. It's good to know that's what it could be from.

 

I haven't had that much exposure to cigarette smoke, but have had some. Probably the largest exposure to the cigarette smoke was when my dad was dating someone five years ago for about two years. His girlfriend at that time smoked one after another, and we commonly stayed with her and her children. Some of my friends also smoke. However, I'm only around them when I go back home which doesn't occur that often anymore.

 

Carolyn

[Guest]

I just thought I'd post a small update. I've hit another rough spot with chelation. I have had fatigue set in again really bad. I have huge bags under my eyes even when I wake up in the morning. My chelation doctor thinks the bags are related to allergy, but I really don't think so. I think they're related to chelation as I never had this trouble before started chelation. I may have to cut back on the dosage of the chelation agent.

 

Carolyn

[kim]

Carolyn,

 

Just a thought. Do you think it might be a good idea, to cut back, and start dosing at night. Since you are pulling quite a bit now, do you think there is a possibility that going for 8 hours at night, might not be adequate for excretion?

 

Having no experience, but reading many chelation stories, that is something, that I would consider taking up with the Dr., if it were one of the boys.

 

Setting an alarm for the middle of the night, wouldn't be a lot of fun, but if there is any possibility of redistribution, might be worth it?

[Guest]

Kim,

 

Yes, it might be a good idea to start dosing at night. I'll try that. I had been doing it for a while. However, my chelation doctor suggested that I dose 8 hours during the night so I don't have to wake up. I think I'll switch to dosing during the night. I'm a light sleeper so it's not that hard to wake up to an alarm during the middle of the night anyways.

 

Carolyn

[Guest]

Hi Everyone,

 

I just wanted to add some good news. I recently tried fried shrimp and loved it. I also tried a couple bites of zucchini today without any gagging. That's all the news for today as the new foods come very slowly.

 

Carolyn

[patty]

Carolyn,

 

That's so great, being able to enjoy other food!

 

Patty

[kim]

Carolyn,

 

I rejoice in your new foods, right along with you! Yes! to the zucchinie.....but I have to say, shrimp (I believe) is high in copper, and can carry some contaminant...I don't think, it's mercury, but I can't remember what it is. My oldest son adores sea food, and I'm always trying to weigh, what I should let him, have and what I shouldn't. I was reading an article today, where one State included lobster in their mercury warnings. Uggggh. This article does not mention shrimp specifically, but, anymore, if it lives in the water, I get nervous.

 

Excerpts from;

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/hea...,1,831137.story

 

Although regulators have issued numerous warnings for fish caught recreationally, they have rarely done so for seafood sold in supermarkets, where most people buy their fish. The U.S. government's only guide for consumers--a mercury warning posted on federal Web sites but not required in stores--is so flawed and misleading that people following the advice still could expose themselves to too much of the toxic metal. The Food and Drug Administration, the agency responsible for the safety of commercial seafood, does not dispute recent studies showing that consumers might be harmed by relatively low levels of mercury. But the government's permissible mercury limit in fish has remained the same for 25 years. That limit remains one of the weakest in the Western world. For example, fish sold in America is allowed to have twice as much mercury as seafood sold in Canada. The American standard "reflects the science of the 1970s," said Kathryn Mahaffey, a top scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and co-author of an agency report to Congress on mercury. "The science has changed, but the standard hasn't changed with the science."

 

Academy of Sciences weighed in again on the mercury issue by endorsing the EPA findings, the FDA responded in 2001 with a consumer warning, cautioning high-risk groups not to eat certain fish and to limit their consumption of all seafood. But the FDA warning did not reflect the EPA's science on what constitutes acceptable exposure to mercury. Based on the FDA's own testing, many consumers following the agency's advisory still could absorb too much of the toxic metal. For example, if a 161-pound woman--the average weight of U.S. females of childbearing age--ate 12 ounces of lobster in a week, she would expose herself, on average, to twice as much mercury as what the EPA considered acceptable. If she ate 12 ounces of orange roughy, or about two meals, she would be three times over the limit. Under pressure from environmental groups and public health advocates, the FDA decided in 2002 to work with the EPA to issue a new warning that the FDA said would be based on the best available science. After two years of meetings, the agencies released, with great fanfare, a rare joint public health warning, cautioning Americans about the risks of mercury in both commercial and recreationally caught fish. But again, the warning was deeply flawed. While it advised people to limit consumption of canned albacore tuna, it did not warn about other fish that, according to the government's own data, contained even more mercury, such as grouper, orange roughy and marlin. More important, the warning still did not reflect the EPA's exposure limit.

 

and

 

Minnesota also extends the warning to lobster.

 

The above article makes reference to Minamata.

 

Here is an excerpt from an article on that fiasco;

 

http://www.american.edu/TED/MINAMATA.HTM

 

Not until the mid-1950's did people begin to notice a "strange

disease". Victims were diagnosed as having a degeneration of their

nervous systems. Numbness occurred in their limbs and lips. Their

speech became slurred, and their vision constricted. Some people

had serious brain damage, while others lapsed into unconsciousness

or suffered from involuntary movements. Furthermore, some victims

were thought to be crazy when they began to uncontrollably shout.

People thought the cats were going insane when they witnessed

"suicides" by the cats. Finally, birds were strangely dropping

from the sky. Series of these unexplainable occurrences were

bringing panic to Minamata.

 

 

On a brighter note, I did find a site on the web, that had some kind of organic shrimp. It was supposed to be contaminant free. If you really like it, that might be worth checking into. I think it was only $1,000.00 for a bag of fifty.

[Guest]

Thanks for the articles, Kim. I won't be eating shrimp on a regular basis. Just something I was ready to try. I tried sunflower seeds recently also.

 

Carolyn

[Guest]

I just thought that I would include on here that I've been having some diaherra lately, and it may be caused by detox. About two weeks ago, I had 6 diaherra bm's in one hour. I thought that maybe I was coming down with the flu because the kids I work with have been in & out for several weeks with the flu which starts with the diaherra. However, that wasn't the case as nothing else occured after the diaherra that hour.

 

This morning about 5 AM, I woke up with the diaherra, and it has continued throughout the day. I have no fever and feel fine otherwise. So anyways I don't know what is up, but am thinking it may be related to heavy metals detox. Just an idea anyways, and I wanted to include it on here.

[Guest]

Hi Everyone,

 

Another 3 months has gone by since last testing so it's time for another update.

 

First the fecal metals results:

Everything turned out in the green which means it isn't elevated. Cadmium has lowered quite a bit. It's high green, but far from off the charts like last time. Antimony, Arsenic, Copper, Uranium are also in the high green. Everything else is in the low green. There's not a whole lot to say about my fecal metals test this time. I did have the diaherra when doing it so I'm hoping my test results are accurate, but there could be a chance that I didn't take the right stool sample. I questioned this when doing the fecal metals test because I wasn't for sure that I'd get the right stool sample since I was going so much, and I think I completed it before 8 hours was up after applying the TDDMPS(8 hours is supposed to be half life of DMPS).

 

Second my urine toxic metals results:

Everything was in the green(within reference range). My urine usually is this way. A tiny bit of arsenic, some mercury, some thallium, and quite a bit of nickel.

 

As for the test results and future plans that's all I can really say until I see my doctor. I don't know if we're getting close to the point of being able to add ALA in. However, if he mentions that we could add it in, I'd like to wait for my next fecal metals test results just to make sure that we got an accurate sample. I'll have more on what my doctor says in a couple of weeks.

 

As far as how I'm feeling: I'm feeling pretty good. I'm not low on energy. My elimination & rotation diet are going pretty good with a small amount of non-allowed food here and there. I do still have really dark circles around my eyes, and it's not sleep related. No achy muscles, headaches, etc. I'm chelating every 4 hours and this includes during the night. I'm using 8 drops each time I apply TDDMPS which makes for 48 drops per day at 3 days on and 4 days off. Things are pretty stable right now.

 

For now that's all I can think of. More to come after my doctor's appointment.

 

Carolyn

[Guest]

Hi Everyone,

 

I saw my doctor today. Everything looked good. He said my test results are exactly how he likes to see them(high greens low yellows). He explained that he doesn't like seeing things in the red like the Cadmium was at my last appt. because that means your getting toxic as it's too much for the body to handle.

 

Zinc was a little lower than he'd like to see so we're increasing it. We're dropping the MB12 back down from 5000 mcg to 3250 mcg because of the constant hunger. I was doing better with the 3250 mcg so he said we'll just drop it back down to that. We're changing from prefilled syringes to just a vial of MB12 & separate syringes so I can fill my own shots. It majory cuts the price down, and I can fill my own vials perfectly fine.

 

We're checking for strep(PANDAS) again because he was concerned about that even though I was tested 3 years ago.

 

Thats about all there is to update. We did go over the tetanus shot which I'm due for in May, but I'm going to start a separate thread on that because I have some questions.

 

Carolyn

[faith]

Hi Carolyn,

Just curious, have you gotten rid of much lead and mercury since beginning chelation? Has that been a slow process, and do you feel this has been a definite positive impact on reduction of tics.

 

Also, have you (or anyone else) heard of a product called Metal-Free? Its an oral spray that is supposed to chelate naturally and very slowly. This is what our naturo is recommending for us. She believes in slow and gentle for children. I've seen some other mention of this product from Spring, but don't know if she ever wound up using it.

 

P.S. , we also use the MB12 vials and I fill the syringe when its time for the shot. Pretty easy.

 

Thanks

faith