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Posts tagged ‘nutritional deficiencies’

Mad as a Hatter: Does It Matter?

Alice in Wonderland iPhone wallpaper

If you think I’m talking about the character in Alice in Wonderland, think again. In today’s blog, I’m going to discuss how toxins, particularly heavy metals (like mercury) could affect everything, including our mental health. The phrase “mad as a hatter” was coined in the early 19th century when “hatters” or people who were making hats started experiencing uncontrollable trembling and appeared insane. Apparently, the hatters were using glue that contained mercury at the time. Mercury toxicity can manifest as loss of appetite, fatigue, depression, emotional instability, peripheral numbness, tremors, poor memory and cognitive function, decreased senses of touch, taste, hearing and vision, and neuromuscular disorders. High levels have also been implicated in acute myocardial infarction. All the symptoms just mentioned  are quite common. Therefore, it’s always a great idea to rule out the presence of (heavy metal) toxins in anyone experiencing the said symptoms or anyone who has a possible exposure to mercury (and that means all of us). Mercury is now found all over the place, including our air (esp. surrounding coal-powered plants), food and water supply. In fact, common sources include fish (all fish now, compared to just large fish during previous years), dental amalgams, skin lightening agents (very common in Asia), some hemorrhoidal creams, some vaccines, medical instruments such as thermometers and sphygmomanometers, batteries, electrodes, some fertilizers, the paper industry and finally, the gold industry. In fact, there were recent reports in the news of mercury/lead toxicity in parts of Nigeria where people are involved in gold mining.

To test if someone has elevated levels of metals, particularly mercury, one can have a blood, hair or (provocative) urine testing done with chelating agents like DMSA or DMPS ( although others may use EDTA or other natural chelating agents). A blood specimen is usually used to determine acute exposure while hair and urinary testing informs us more of chronic exposure. Labs that perform the latter tests include Doctor’s Data and Genova Diagnostics. In Asia, I would imagine that Vitech Pro, a company based in Bangkok, is the one that performs these tests. Regular blood tests for mercury could be performed at any reputable lab like Quest or LabCorp. What do you do if your levels are elevated? Besides avoidance of possible sources (kinda difficult nowadays), the accepted form of treatment is a process called chelation therapy.  This has to be done properly however. Otherwise, further damage can be done. Natural oral chelating agents include vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid, garlic, cilantro, onions, chlorella and some therapeutic-grade essential oils. EDTA is available in oral (least effective), suppository and injectable forms. Other chelating agents include penicillamine (for copper toxocity), deferoxamine (for iron poisoning), dimercaprol (for arsenic, mercury and lead), DMSA and DMPS. It is important to individualize treatment in any case. Factors such as kidney and liver function, nutritional deficiencies, allergies, and general patient constitution should all be taken into account when one embarks on a cleansing or detoxification program. For more information, please check out the American College for Advancement in Medicine web site, http://www.acam.org. and the American Academy of Environmental Medicine web site, http://www.aaemonline.org.

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Balance Bars……

Fire and Ice

Image by ecstaticist via Flickr

That’s one of my favorite Olympic sports. I remember as a kid trying to balance myself on our “pader”, which is the Tagalog word for wall or a tall fence made of cement basically. It is a delicate balancing act. One wrong step and you’re off to the ground (just like Humpty Dumpy). Anyway, it’s the same balancing act that goes on with our hormones. Factors such as nutritional deficiencies (lack of selenium prevents conversion of T4 to T3), heavy metal toxicity (mercury attacks some hormones), or oxidative stress (excessive free radical formation could affect every cell in the body including our endocrine glands) could influence hormonal balance. Hormones by the way, are chemical messengers (secreted by endocrine glands in our body) that act on different target organs. Our hormonal/endocrine system is intimately connected to the nervous and immune systems (which secrete neurotransmitters and cytokines, respectively). These three systems work together bringing optimal communication among every cell in the body. There is such a strong connection among these systems that it’s difficult to treat one system without messing with the others. That’s the reason why we need to be careful about what we take in (whether it’s food, drugs, supplements, water, and yes, even our thoughts) because it affects everything. We cannot isolate one part of the body from the rest of it. In fact, I’m reminded of one Biblical verse which says that, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” Just thought I’d mention that. Hope everybody’s having a great week!

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My tummy hurts!

pH scale showing common substances

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Stomach pain. That’s just one of the symptoms of gastropause. Wow, sounds like menopause or andropause. Very similar in a way. Anyway, this term was coined by one of the doctors I really admire. He’s the well-respected author and physician Dr. Eric Bravermerman of PathMed. Gastropause is basically a period in one’s life when the functions of the intestinal tract begin to decline (similar to ovarian function decline in menopause and testicular function decline in andropause). Gastropause may manifest with symptoms such as gas, bloating and indigestion (or heartburn). This usually happens during our 30’s, making the class of drugs called PPI’s or acid-blockers some of the best-selling drugs for this age group. What triggers the onset of these symptoms? Possibly, factors such as eating cooked (dead, devitalized) food majority of the time, eating mindlessly (eating fast and not chewing food properly), and eating the wrong kinds of foods (highly refined or processed foods with artificial ingredients and preservatives). Ways to relieve these symptoms include taking plant (or animal-based) enzymes and betaine HCl. Eating more raw foods is definitely helpful as well. For acute situations, the drug alternative may be used but only for a short period. However, what ends up happening, is that most people stay on these drugs indefinitely, without making the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes to address the problem. In fact, there’s an article in the latest issue of Scientific American on the overuse of acid blockers and how it poses long-term health risks such as nutritional deficiencies, hip fracture (buy inhibiting calcium absorption) and an increased risk of bacterial infection (by increasing the pH of the stomach). One thing the article stresses is that there’s a need to re-evaluate the use of PPI’s as a prophylactic agent (for hospital patients with serious injuries to prevent gastrointestinal bleeding and stress ulcers) since only one intensive care patient is saved from serious bleeding for every 900 treated. Therefore, to prevent or relieve the symptoms of gastropause, try these things. Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, in small (frequent) portions.

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Rhythm is the Answer

Overview of biological circadian clock in huma...

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There is a rhythm in life. You see it everywhere in nature. Moon cycles, seasonal changes, circadian rhythms, migratory patterns, growth spurts, planting/harvesting times, etc. There is nothing static in nature. Everything is in a constant flux. The only thing that’s static is death. At least, that’s what we know for now. If there are rhythmic patterns in our bodies, doesn’t it make sense to give hormones (if a person’s symptomatic, deficient or has sub-optimal numbers) in a rhythmic pattern as well? This idea was actually brought forth by a person named TS Wiley. She’s trained as an anthropologist and unfortunately (or fortunately?) is not an MD. Otherwise, a lot of doctors, especially in the anti-aging community would have jumped onto the bandwagon of prescribing bioidentical hormones in a rhythmic manner. That is, changing the dose every so often, to mimic nature. Doctors, just like every one else, are creatures of habit. Nobody wants to mess with the status quo. A German philosopher named Arthur Schopenhauer put it succinctly, “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” Anyway, hormonal imbalance is just one of the causes of accelerated, symptomatic aging. Other factors such as nutritional deficiencies, chronic inflammatory processes, toxicities, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction need to be addressed as well if a person wants to age well.

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Is Aging a Disease?

This is the topic at a conference on aging held in London last week called “Turning Back The Clock.” The topic I think is more than a decade too late. The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine has been advocating anti-aging therapeutics for more than a decade now. I guess it’s better late than never, huh? Anyway, if you read the article further, the experts recommend taking a different approach to this biological process, one that recommends it as a condition that can be manipulated, treated and delayed. It further recommends the search for drugs that treat multiple illnesses at the same time. Sounds good, huh. Honestly though, this approach of just looking for drugs to “treat” aging won’t yield optimal results. We need to look at the basic issues that contribute to aging and address those. Factors such as nutritional deficiencies, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, toxicity and hormonal imbalances are among the basic things that need to be addressed. Treating the root causes of disease rather than just treating symptoms yield far better results. As far as what armaments to use in the “fight against aging”, we need to look at nutrition, nutraceuticals, natural hormones, gene therapy, homeopathy, detoxification treatments and other modalities along with pharmaceutical agents. A holistic approach to aging is the way to go.

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