On a daily basis our bodies come in contact with harmful compounds that can cause numerous health challenges and a decreased quality of life. Harmful toxins are found in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. In today's environment, these toxins come in many types. However, one type often overlooked by the traditional health care system is toxic heavy metals.

Common metals such as lead, mercury, aluminum, cadmium and arsenic are widespread toxic elements that are exceptionally harmful to human physiology. Awareness of the dangers of these toxic heavy metals has increased over the last decade, but real understanding of their systemic cytotoxic danger is still emerging.

A "heavy metal" is a metal with high atomic weight and specific gravity. With both slow and prolonged (chronic) exposure, as well as acute gross exposure, inorganic heavy metal contact generates systemic intra-cellular and extra-cellular cytotoxins to the brain, nervous system and body. Nearly any exposure to inorganic heavy metals is likely cytotoxic. Therefore, it's important to educate ourselves so we can take sensible protective and preventative measures against exposure.

There is also a fundamental difference between organic and inorganic metals and minerals. Organic metals and minerals occur naturally with carbon attached, generally in whole food sources. For example, the common banana should contain organically complexed calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. In trace amounts these are not harmful; in fact, they are required and essential to maintain health. The body can process and utilize these organically complexed elements when consumed in their organic (containing living carbon) form. Inorganic sources, those without active carbon, come from synthetic (inert) chemicals and toxic environmental substances, where they are inhaled, absorbed through skin, or otherwise ingested to the detriment of the patient. Please be aware that those non-toxic elements we considered nutritional in the banana, can be highly toxic when presented to the body in inorganic form.

Constant exposure at work and/or home to heavy metals is of concern. The metals most dangerous are the heavy metals, such as: antimony, arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gallium, gold, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, platinum, silver, tellurium, thallium, tin, uranium, vanadium, and zinc.

As mentioned before, many of these organically complexed elements (metals), and minerals are actually good for the body and are required to maintain a proper level of energy, health and wellness. However, a single exposure, large or small, of any one inorganic metal may cause acute and/or chronic toxicity.

Heavy metal toxicity could lead to a number of health problems, including, but not limited to: damaged or reduced mental and central nervous function, lower energy levels, and damage to the brain, blood composition, lungs, kidneys, liver, and other vital organs. Long-term exposure may result in slowly progressing physical, muscular, and neurological degenerative processes that mimic Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis.

Acute toxicity is relatively easy to diagnose due to immediate and severe symptom onset, usually with known exposure or ingestion. Symptoms of acute heavy metal toxicity may include:

• nausea
• vomiting
• headaches
• sweating
• difficulty breathing
• neuro-cognitive difficulties (speech, reasoning)
• convulsions

Symptoms of chronic exposure are similar to those of acute exposure, but are much harder to associate to a specific cause because the symptoms generally develop slowly over years of sustained exposure. Patients may fail to seek treatment or diagnosis due to the chronic nature of symptoms. Diagnosing a person with chronic heavy metal exposure can be difficult because chronic exposure symptoms may present themselves as various other ailments and can include:

• nausea
• imparied congitive, motor, and language
• nervousness and emotional instability
• insomnia
• muscle and joint pain
• allergies
• general and chronic malaise
• weakend and auto-immunity
• allergies, irritable bowels, etc.
• pain and inflammation

There are several valid testing methods that are effective in determining the level of heavy metals in the body. A few examples include: fecal and urinalysis, hair analysis, and blood analysis. Each type of test will yield a different picture of what is going on in the body at a specific time. None of these tests are meant as stand-alone, but to be used in conjunction with one another to present a comprehensive view of the role heavy metals are playing in a person's body.

The human body has no ability to remove toxic heavy metals from extra-cellular spaces, interstitial fluids or fatty tissue. Because of this, chelation therapy has become the treatment of choice for this process. Chelation therapy helps reduce the levels of heavy metals in the body, thereby reducing the production of free radicals and preventing peroxidation or breakdown of cell membranes, DNA, enzymes, lipoproteins and many other key metabolic and neurological functions. Additionally, reducing "free-radical" threats and damage may free up the body's natural healing mechanisms so it can focus on halting and possibly even reversing the progression of disease.

EDTA (Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid), has been known as a broad-based chelator of heavy metals since the 1920's when it was used industrially, and now is one of the most widely used chelating agents in medicine with the capacity to attach and remove (chelate) almost every heavy metal. Doctors like Norman Clark, M.D. observed peripheral benefits such as improvement in cardiovascular health (i.e., cholesterol and arterial plaque removal), and thus discovered EDTA's ability to chelate more than just inorganic lead.

EDTA, a man-made amino acid, works best when it is introduced to the body directly into the blood. While intravenous (I.V.) administration has been around since the late 1940's, the oral route of administration was introduced in the mid 1970s, and the use of EDTA in suppository form was developed in the late 1990s. Bruce Halstead, M.D., a pioneer in EDTA chelation therapy, suggested that placing EDTA in a rectal suppository could be an effective alternative to the I.V. route of administration. Research has shown that EDTA suppositories can remove toxic metals from the body very effectively. Studies have shown that treatment with EDTA suppositories significantly reduced blood lead levels in children exposed to high levels of lead as well as showing significant increases in the elimination of arsenic, lead and cadmium through the bowels and arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium and nickel through the urine.

In order for EDTA to be most effective it should be introduced directly into the blood. This is why it has traditionally only been offered intravenously. Although the I.V. administration is well known and has been used for many years, there are disadvantages such as: excessive stress on the liver and kidneys, time and cost.

With EDTA suppositories, the disadvantages of I.V. are avoided, while an effective treatment is maintained. The use of a suppository is non-invasive and can be done from the comfort of a patient's own home without the direct supervision of a doctor. EDTA can also be taken orally. However, there are several disadvantages with this method: EDTA has to pass through the gastro-intestinal (G.I.) tract, where digestive enzymes and acids break down the EDTA and diminish its effectiveness. Because of the low absorption, a patient would have to take approximately 7 to 20 times as much oral EDTA to get the same amount of EDTA in the blood as they would with the I.V. or rectal route of administration. Two main problems with taking such large quantities of oral EDTA to achieve similar results is that it exponentially increases the cost and could irritate the stomach and/or intestines.

As with most detoxification programs, mild side effects may occur such as: aches, fatigue or rashes. These are all temporary and will likely cease once the system is cleansed.

Very important: because of EDTA's affinity for positive ions, beneficial minerals will be removed from the body as well. Therefore, to restore homeostasis, the patient must receive a mineral supplement with all organic trace minerals formulated in proper balance. Use of an organic carbon-based mineral supplement such as intraMax and/or intraMin is the most appropriate choice.

Nature intended the body to receive complex nutrient compounds bound with organic carbon from whole food sources. Unfortunately, modern agricultural practices have depleted much of the naturally occurring, organic soil-based "microcomplexes" from our soils, and thus they are no longer in our food. What has been put into our depleted agricultural soils are herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, synthetic chemicals, heavy metal toxins and a host of other harmful additives the body takes in. A supplement containing these organic carbon microcomplexes works in concert with EDTA to attach to unwanted elements and compounds in the body and further detoxifies the system.

Carbon exhibits a remarkable affinity to bond with other small atoms, and its small size makes it capable of forming multiple bonds. Organic Carbon (as when formulated in solution using intraCELL V Technology), is attracted to most other elements which carry lower electronegativity. It bonds easily with toxic substances and is able to shuttle them out of the body by way of the lungs, feces, urine and skin.

So, I'm sure your next question is: where do I get this kind of Chelation EDTA? I'm glad you asked. In the next few weeks, I will be adding, what I consider, the best non-I.V. heavy metal chelation product on the market, to my website. I'll make sure you all receive the e mail notification when it is ready for you. Successful EDTA chelation requires a 90-day sustained application, with additional time required for nutritional preparation and recovery. I will be including a suggested chelation protocol which will combine chelation, intraMin, and intraMax. This combination provides a powerful and convenient at-home EDTA solution.

Finally, I cannot end without thanking the men who gathered and compiled most of the information about EDTA chelation presented in this newsletter. Special thanks to: Richard Drucker, B.S., M.S., N.D., Ph.D., Ronald E. Partain Sr., RPh, CCN, and Joe Fawcett, D.C., CCSP. Thank you gentlemen!

Until next month...

Yours in health,

Dr. Mike