It's fine for music but not your body

Published April 7, 2001 in the North Island Weekender

There have several recent news items I would like to bring to your attention. First of all is the one out of Calgary stating that intravenous chelation doesn’t work for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, secondly a news item last week also out of Calgary that minute amounts of mercury kill brain cells and may be implicated in the cause of Alzheimer’s disease, and thirdly Bill Moyers’ program on PBS entitled "Trade Secrets: A Moyers Report".

All of these are related to environmental toxicity that most of us are affected by albeit unknowingly. Let’s start with Moyers report. The full transcript is available at their website if you missed the show, http://www.pbs.org/tradesecrets/program/program.html. I refer to it in this article.

Not a single child is born without some synthetic chemicals in their system. There are over 80,000 chemicals registered with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), 15,000 are actually produced in major quantities and only 43% of these have ever been tested for toxicity to humans.Only 8-10% had been studied for their effects on children; the developing brain, reproductive, endocrine and immune systems. There is a Toxic Substances Control Act but its execution has been a failure. Today there is an average of twenty new chemicals that enter the market place every week. In 1998 on the eve of Earth Day the Chemical Manufacturers Association promised that its member companies would begin to voluntary test one hundred chemicals per year at an estimated cost of 26 million dollars. Today there is not one result available of such tests. In the 25 years that this law has been enacted only five types of chemicals have been banned.

We don’t know a lot about the chemical industry and the tens of thousands of chemicals around us. What we do know is that the breast cancer has steadily risen over the last four decades, brain cancer among children is up by 25%, testicular cancer among teenage boys has doubled, infertility among young adults is up and so are learning disabilities and asthma in children. If anyone were to be tested for levels of chemicals in their bodies there would most likely be a positive result showing not a single chemical but a soup of chemical residues from several types of each of the following: PCB’s, pesticides and dioxins. These chemical residues in the body are the most dangerous in a pregnant young woman due to the effect on the fetus. We don’t know what effect these combinations of chemicals may have on human health.

There are many issues raised here. The main point I want to make is that you can assist your body in removing these toxic substances including heavy metals such as mercury and lead. Testing will become more available where you can find out how many chemical residues you may have in your body and retest after doing some detoxification programs. Detoxification programs include using chelation. Chelation is using agents that bind with heavy metals making them ready for excretion through the bowel and kidney and it also does work for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Chelating agents can be taken orally in the form of antioxidants or agents such as DMPS or DMSA. The latter two are only dispensed by licensed doctors (ND or MD). Intravenous administration of EDTA, DMPS or DMSA is also available by a licensed ND or MD. Measurements of heavy metals in the body are done using hair, stool or urine. Blood tests are not accurate as heavy metals are not stored there but in the fat cells of the body. Chemical residues can be removed by supporting the detoxification processes of the liver. This will of course include not putting more chemicals into your body by eating organic non processed foods, drinking 10 glasses of purified water dailly and using a product called Detox Factors by Tyler Encapsulations, available from a naturopathic physician.

A recent letter to the editor expressed concern about the increased incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and the connection with toxins in the environment. His concern was the lack of discussion on the topic. I encourage you all to do your own research but while waiting for results of the so called studies that are being done, get serious about controlling your internal environment, as that is about all you have control over these days.

Dr. Pincott has been practicing naturopathic medicine since 1985 and is currently practicing in Campbell River. She can be reached at (250) 286-3655 or www.DrPincott.com

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