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Posts tagged ‘Heavy metal (chemistry)’

Love and Other Drugs

Anne Hathaway at the 81st Academy Awards

Image via Wikipedia

Just saw the movie called “Love and other drugs”. I wasn’t expecting a good story line but it turned out to be a great one. Lots of interesting points in the movie. Among these includes a lesson in what happens to people with Parkinson’s disease or Parkinsonism. Basic info on Parkinson’s disease. It is a progressive neuro-degenerative disorder that affects motor skills, cognition and the autonomic nervous system as well. It is characterized by depletion of a neurotransmitter called dopamine in the substancia nigra part of the brain. Initial symptoms include bradykinesia, rigidity and tremors. The simplistic approach to treatment is to prevent further depletion of dopamine (and diminish motor symptoms) using medications such as Sinemet or MAO inhibitors. What are the possible causes of PD? An obvious cause involves repeated head trauma such as seen in boxers (Muhammad Ali and Manny Pacquiao’s boxing coach). In the medical literature, there’s idiopathic PD, meaning the causes are unknown. Of course, other possible causes are not explored and these include the presence of heavy metal toxicity (mercury, arsenic, lead, aluminum), excitotoxins (chemicals such as pesticides or MSG which excite neurons to death) and oxidative stress. Anyway, I’m surprised that the movie even mentioned chelation therapy, which is the accepted form of treatment for heavy metal toxicity. Chelation therapy involves the administration of chelating agents such as EDTA, which attach to heavy metals and are then excreted through the kidneys primarily.

One other interesting point is when Anne Hathaway went to accompany seniors across the border to Canada to purchase their prescription medications. Sad but true. We’re spending more on the same medications that are sold elsewhere for less. And then another one is when Hank Azaria, who plays the doctor, confides to Jake Gyllenhaal, the erstwhile drug rep, that his job isn’t as fulfilling anymore because of HMO’s, paperwork and worry about medical malpractice lawyers just waiting to prey on him.

Anyway, the most important lesson in the movie I believe is unconditional love. We should love one another just because……

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Waste in Your Waist

On overweight man's waistline.

Image via Wikipedia

You got that right! There’s a lot of waste in your waist. And I don’t mean the waste products in your colon, however.  What I’m referring to are the toxic products that are in the fatty areas of the body, primarily the core or abdominal area. Toxins have a propensity to accumulate in fatty tissues because they are lipophilic or “fat-loving”. Other fatty areas in the body include the breast area in women and the neurological system in both sexes. The toxins found in these areas are primarily environmental toxins such herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals, VOC’s, and other dangerous chemicals. During the process of weight loss (fat loss, specifically), the body begins burning fat, in the process releasing all these toxic chemicals into the circulation. With poor detoxification mechanisms, these chemicals are just recirculated and deposited into other parts of the body where they interfere with function. That’s the reason why some people feel worse when they lose weight. It’s really important to enhance the detoxification pathways before embarking on such a program. Speaking of detoxification, one of the major organs responsible for this process is our liver. There are 2 phases of detoxification that goes on here. To simplify things, phase 1 primarily involves making toxic products less toxic and phase 2 involves preparing the toxin for excretion by conjugating it with certain nutrients. Deficiency of nutrients could interfere with either phase and lead to waste build up in the body. In summary, if one intends to lose weight, wait and do some research and then run to your nearest holistic health provider.

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Environment, Tips

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