Heavy Metals Testing - How To Do It Right?

[Seeking2012]

I have CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome), brain fog, very very bad memory, difficulty concentrating, etc, and I read that CFS is often associated with heavy metal poisoning. My sister has Celiac and my mom has diabetes. I think that they are all related, based on researching I've been doing for over a year. What I'm finding that seems common to them all is a heavy metal toxicity. I read that mercury causes hashimoto's thyroiditis, and that it's common for people with one autoimmune disease to have or develop others as well. I think that people with Celiac probably have a heavy metal in their body.

 

So, I'd like to get myself tested for heavy metal poisoning, but it looks like that's really tricky. Because the blood tests, urine tests and hair tests are all for recent exposures to heavy metals. It turns out that heavy metals will quickly bury themselves deep into the body's organs and tisuses and 9 times out of 10 not show up in those tests.

 

So, how can I find out then if I have buried heavy metals in my body, especially my brain? Is there an MRI I can do? Anyone know?

[IrishHeart]

Before thinking you have a "heavy metals" poisoning --and believe me, this is very rare!! -- you should get tested for celiac.

 

An MRI will not reveal "buried heavy  metals In your brain"

 

Not sure where you are getting this information from, but it simply is not true:

 

I think that people with Celiac probably have a heavy metal in their body.

[kareng]

I think the idea that "that heavy metals will quickly bury themselves deep into the body's organs and tisuses" is a bit odd. A metal isn't a living organism, it isn't trying to hide from you.

If you really think you have been exposed to lead or mercury, you need to see a " real" doctor. There are legitimate tests for this and there are a lot of quack ones, too. Read info on reliable medical sites like Mayo Clinic. Skip the fringe " doctors" that just want to sell you things.

[cahill]

I can only speak to excess copper deposition in the brain  Doc Askari is my doc at the U of M .

This is from the Wisons disease Associations  web page :

 

 

How/where is the brain affected by copper accumulation?
Generally, the brain is affected symmetrically with excess copper deposition, although symptoms can be worse on one side of the body than another. This may have to do with factors of asymmetric neurologic development, such as being right or left-handed. The copper is often seen most prominently in the basal ganglia, the area deep within the brain that coordinates movements. The face of the giant panda sign refers to a characteristic appearance of the basal ganglia in advanced Wilson's disease. This is a description of the appearance of the basal ganglia wherein one can get an impressionists image of the face of a giant panda. Fred Askari, M.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor Director, Wilson's Disease Center of Excellence Clinic at the University of Michigan

 

An MRI can show excess copper deposition in the brain  the trick is finding a doc that can read those results

First and for most find a doc that has a clue how to test for heavy metal poisoning  Most docs can look up what test to run but have not idea how to read them

[Seeking2012]

Before thinking you have a "heavy metals" poisoning --and believe me, this is very rare!! -- you should get tested for celiac.

 

An MRI will not reveal "buried heavy  metals In your brain"

 

Not sure where you are getting this information from, but it simply is not true:

 

I think that people with Celiac probably have a heavy metal in their body.

 

It's not as rare as you think. People now adays are carying around a very heavy toxicity load from pesticides, fertilizers, metals, fluoride, engine exhaust and many others. And what makes it worse is that these toxins impede the body's natural toxin-clearing mechanisms such as the natural antioxidant glutathione from working properly.

 

I think the idea that "that heavy metals will quickly bury themselves deep into the body's organs and tisuses" is a bit odd. A metal isn't a living organism, it isn't trying to hide from you.

If you really think you have been exposed to lead or mercury, you need to see a " real" doctor. There are legitimate tests for this and there are a lot of quack ones, too. Read info on reliable medical sites like Mayo Clinic. Skip the fringe " doctors" that just want to sell you things.

 

The reason I said "quickly bury themselves" is because the heavy metals have a very strong affinity for creating bonds with other compounds, and they are in competition against vitamins, weaker minerals, and iodine for bonding sites. The heavy metal ion will beat the other ions every time, thereby quickly "burying" themselves in organ tissue, while creating vitamin/mineral/iodine defficiencies. This is what I read from several scientific studies on pubmed. Of course, it's all about electricty. Chemical bonds form due to electron activity. I know that they are not alive and moving around like organisms.

 

I can only speak to excess copper deposition in the brain  Doc Askari is my doc at the U of M .

This is from the Wisons disease Associations  web page :

 

 

How/where is the brain affected by copper accumulation?

Generally, the brain is affected symmetrically with excess copper deposition, although symptoms can be worse on one side of the body than another. This may have to do with factors of asymmetric neurologic development, such as being right or left-handed. The copper is often seen most prominently in the basal ganglia, the area deep within the brain that coordinates movements. The face of the giant panda sign refers to a characteristic appearance of the basal ganglia in advanced Wilson's disease. This is a description of the appearance of the basal ganglia wherein one can get an impressionists image of the face of a giant panda. Fred Askari, M.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor Director, Wilson's Disease Center of Excellence Clinic at the University of Michigan

 

An MRI can show excess copper deposition in the brain  the trick is finding a doc that can read those results

First and for most find a doc that has a clue how to test for heavy metal poisoning  Most docs can look up what test to run but have not idea how to read them

 

You bring up an excellent example with Wilson's Disease. I have to admit though that I am not very familiar with Wilson's Disease. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I remember correctly, Wilson's Disease occurs because the body cannot clear copper from the body and therefore copper builds up in the body's organs.

 

By the way, if an MRI can detect copper build up in organs of the body, is there an MRI that can detect murcery and other toxic heavy metals?

[IrishHeart]

It's not as rare as you think. 

 

yes, I am pretty sure is it.

 

I am married to an environmental chemist. And I know that many "alternative med" people suggest this is the reason why people do not feel well, but it is unproven alarmist rhetoric.

 

No PUB MED articles suggest heavy metal toxicity is a real health threat. 

 

You should be tested for celiac first hon.... you have a sibling with it and it may very well explain your symptoms. Celiac is a great mimic.The symptoms look the same. 

 

Trust me, I learned the hard way. I heard the "heavy metals thing" too and was told to have expensive and dangerous chelation therapy to "rid my body of it". Total malarkey.

[cahill]

 

 

 

You bring up an excellent example with Wilson's Disease. I have to admit though that I am not very familiar with Wilson's Disease. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I remember correctly, Wilson's Disease occurs because the body cannot clear copper from the body and therefore copper builds up in the body's organs.

 

By the way, if an MRI can detect copper build up in organs of the body, is there an MRI that can detect murcery and other toxic heavy metals?

  Wilson's disease is an inherited disorder in which there is too much copper in the body's tissues. The excess copper damages the liver and nervous system.The condition is due to mutations in the ATP7B gene.

 

You also can have high levels of copper ( as I do ) and the symptoms of wilsons disease with out having  the genetic   mutation

 

The body can not eliminate the excess copper and therefor builds up in the bodys organs

 

Since I have no first hand experience  other heavy metals   I can not speak to them or their testing

[Seeking2012]

yes, I am pretty sure is it.

 

I am married to an environmental chemist. And I know that many "alternative med" people suggest this is the reason why people do not feel well, but it is unproven alarmist rhetoric.

 

No PUB MED articles suggest heavy metal toxicity is a real health threat. 

 

You should be tested for celiac first hon.... you have a sibling with it and it may very well explain your symptoms. Celiac is a great mimic.The symptoms look the same. 

 

Trust me, I learned the hard way. I heard the "heavy metals thing" too and was told to have expensive and dangerous chelation therapy to "rid my body if it". Total malarkey.

 

You should avoid patronizing me and trying to lure me into an internet battle of egos. Firstly, you are married to a chemist; you are not yourself a chemist. Second, I do have some background in science; I have an Associate of Science degree in engineering and some courses beyond that as well.

 

Checking myself for Celiac is on my to-do list, right after thyroid panel including T4, T3, Reverse T3, both antibody tests Vitamin D3, and Vitamin B12. I already tested feritin and I had a healthy amount.

 

How did you learn "the hard way" that heavy metals testing is "total malarkey?" I am interested in your story and what tests you had done. I am extremely skeptical of all doctors, whether they be allopathic, naturopathic, functional, holistic, or purple with pink polka dots. I am also skeptical of all tests because I know that a test only applies to a very specific set of conditions and has limited ability to tell you something about your body, and that if you misuse and misinterpret tests, you could be wasting a lot of money and doing harm to your body.

 

Now, you stated that "no pub med article" suggest heavy metal toxicity is a real health threat. I would encourage you to check out pubmed for yourself. I'd recommend that you start with "Open Original Shared LinkThis study showed that patients with chronic fatigue syndrome experienced a dramatic decrease in symptoms when they had their mercury dental amalgams removed. The study showed that the symptoms were caused by chronic immune lympocyte activity against the heavy metals.

 

There are more studies like this.

[cahill]

You should avoid patronizing me and trying to lure me into an internet battle of egos. Firstly, you are married to a chemist; you are not yourself a chemist. Second, I do have some background in science; I have an Associate of Science degree in engineering and some courses beyond that as well.

 

Checking myself for Celiac is on my to-do list, right after thyroid panel including T4, T3, Reverse T3, both antibody tests Vitamin D3, and Vitamin B12. I already tested feritin and I had a healthy amount.

 

How did you learn "the hard way" that heavy metals testing is "total malarkey?" I am interested in your story and what tests you had done. I am extremely skeptical of all doctors, whether they be allopathic, naturopathic, functional, holistic, or purple with pink polka dots. I am also skeptical of all tests because I know that a test only applies to a very specific set of conditions and has limited ability to tell you something about your body, and that if you misuse and misinterpret tests, you could be wasting a lot of money and doing harm to your body.

 

Now, you stated that "no pub med article" suggest heavy metal toxicity is a real health threat. I would encourage you to check out pubmed for yourself. I'd recommend that you start with "Open Original Shared LinkThis study showed that patients with chronic fatigue syndrome experienced a dramatic decrease in symptoms when they had their mercury dental amalgams removed. The study showed that the symptoms were caused by chronic immune lympocyte activity against the heavy metals.

 

There are more studies like this.

 

 

 

I'm confused because you stated above that heavy metals were not a public health concern and that it's all total malarkey but then you agreed that copper's accumulation in the body causes Wilson's Disease. These two positions seem to be contradictory.

I believe you are confusing Irishheart post with mine

 

Irishheart said that heavy metals were not a public health concern and that it's all total malarkey,, not I

[cahill]

sorry double post

 

[Seeking2012]

I believe you are confusing Irishheart post with mine

Yes you are correct. I have edited the post.

[Gemini]

All of your symptoms you listed are symptoms of Celiac Disease and the fact that you have a sibling diagnosed with it makes the odds that you have it quite high, especially with the symptoms you describe. Celiac is autoimmune, has a genetic predisposition and you have to be eating gluten to develop the disease. Seeing as most people eat gluten today and not heavy metals, your theory doesn't fly. I am sure it can happen but Irishheart is correct......it is definitely not as common as you seem to think.

I have Hashi's thyroid disease myself and it was most likely caused by the fact that I went years before the Celiac diagnosis happened and my over active immune system, caused by the ingestion of gluten, turned my autoimmune system on my thyroid gland. I also had the few mercury amalgams I had removed long ago and it did nothing to make my health better........absolutely nothing. You can of course spend thousands of dollars, at will, to have these kooky tests done but it will not improve your health if you Celiac Disease.

So you have an Associates in engineering? That does not make you an expert on heavy metals but being a chemist would. I work at MIT in Communications but that does not make me an expert either. As has been suggested, you need a celiac panel done because with those symptoms, you won't get better until this is addressed. And if you have insurance, the tests should be covered.

[kareng]

I agree with Gemini. Why not spend the money on some legit Celiac tests first? I think that is $300-400. Much cheaper than all the tests/ treatments for the heavy metals.

A 1-2 yr degree in CAD or wiring isn't really the same as a chemist or medical doctor. I have 2 boys leaving high school with that and they have no clue how the human body works. However, it does mean you are smart and can learn some complex things. Use your smarts to learn about Celiac and associated conditions, testing & treatment first. Look for the simple and more likely problem first. Just as, in your engineering studies, you don't assume the biggest problem with the malfunctioning machine before you check the more obvious ones - turned on? Lose wires? Bad battery? Dirty filter? - don't jump to a more severe and rarer problem before you check the simpler ones ( like celiac). That's the basic advice for the Robotics/ Engineering students I work with and its good for many aspects of life.

[dilettantesteph]

To the OP, clearly you are someone who wants to think for yourself rather than listen to someone else say that something is nonsense without backing it up.  The problelm with internet research is that the information is not vetted and you don't necessarily easily come across both sides.  Let me suggest some reading of the other side so that you will have some more balanced information on which to base your opinion.

 

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[IrishHeart]

You should avoid patronizing me and trying to lure me into an internet battle of egos.

 

 

 

I was not patronizing you. 

 

I was telling you that heavy metals poisoning is rare. I am not just "saying that" to argue with you.

I am trying to help you.

 

Chronic fatigue syndrome--is a set of symptoms, not a diagnosis. Like IBS and fibromyalgia is a collection of symptoms that doctors treat with drugs and no one ever seems to feel better. Not a single person I know ever felt better just doing that.

 

Celiac causes all the symptoms of those PLUS other various syndromes that resolve if celiac is diagnosed and a gluten free diet is initiated.

 

It's entirely up to you to decide if you want to spend money on testing and put your body through chelation therapy and whatever else, but be sure to read the articles Steph posted first.

 

The NIH considers it "rare".

Open Original Shared Link

 

And I know you do not care, but in 33 years as an environmental scientist, my hubs saw one case of "heavy metal poisoning" --the woman had been working with enamel and various paints and a kiln in an enclosed environment for years. He said she had a green cast to her skin and she was very ill.  The other was a case of mercury poisoning --an impoverished woman whose diet was nearly 100%  fish that she caught from the river and ate several times a day. 

 

And the dental amalgam controversy has been debunked many times. 

 

And, I did not say there weren't any Pub med articles at all about the topic. I know they are there. I've read many of them.

 

I said there were no Pub Med articles that  suggest heavy metal toxicity is a real health threat to the population.

 

If you want to read something that discusses this topic--- and he provides science-based articles as sources-- look here:

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

or not, it's up to you. I was only trying to help, but clearly you have your mind set on this course. Best wishes!

[Seeking2012]

Over the past 2 years it has saddened and discouraged me to see how deeply divided the medical field is. Isn't there anything in this world that isn't deeply divided anymore? I guess not. I have discovered that even the medical field is a racket now. I have come to suspect anything and everything I read, no matter who wrote it (and I really mean that). I know there are quacks on both sides of the isle and that most people who take strong, very public stands for or against something usually have a strong financial stake in doing so. It is my suspicion that there are agents working for both sides who come to chat rooms, message boards, forums, websites, YouTube, Twitter, and other sites and post things to manipulate public opinion. This suspicion has been confirmed by leaked NSA documents from Edward Snowden. The medical field has become so political that it, too, has been caught up in this mechanism. It would appear to me that financial stakes and simple human ego have become a huge blur that makes it difficult to see the plain truth and pure science, which is difficult enough in and of itself for most people to understand.

 

I came here to ask how to detect heavy metals in the brain, and I immediately received a wave of criticism against me discouraging me from continuing down that path, instead telling me to accept the status quo medical explanation for Celiac Disease, and encouraging me to get tested for Celiac. Now don't get me wrong, I do fully intend to get tested for Celiac. But this shunning experience, in and of itself, tells me a lot about this website. Whatever happened to asking questions and seeking knowlege for the sake of seeking it? Am I to squash my curiosity and muzzle the question before it even escapes from my mouth or my keyboard?

 

I knew the QuackWatch website would come up. QuackWatch is a website owned and operated by a "retired" psychiatrist--the entire field of psychiatry is a quackery. Not only is he a psychiatrist, but he is a failed one who couldn't pass his board certification exams. He makes his career out of suing people, rather than spending his time helping patients. Sure, he probably has stopped some real quackery in his time, but he appears to have done more harm than help, overall. His website, furthermore, is just his opinion; he does not get to decide who is, and is not, a quack. In fact, the site owner himself is a quack and a failed "doctor." So lets go ahead and waste our time with this sidetracking issue for a moment:

 

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"An authoritative book by James Carter, MD, "Racketeering in Medicine" explains in detail the Quackwatch conspiracy. Barrett...has testified that he has no knowledge or experience in alternative medicine, and that he receives donations from, and has close ties to the AMA, as well as to the FDA. Despite this history, Barrett has testified in court as an “expert” witness with no credentials to support his “expert” status." Open Original Shared Link.

 

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"At trial, under a heated cross-examination by Negrete, Barrett conceded that he was not a Medical Board Certified psychiatrist because he had failed the certification exam.

This was a major revelation since Barrett had provided supposed expert testimony as a psychiatrist and had testified in numerous court cases. Barrett also had said that he was a legal expert even though he had no formal legal training.

The most damming testimony before the jury, under the intense cross-examination by Negrete, was that Barrett had filed similar defamation lawsuits against almost 40 people across the country within the past few years and had not won one single one at trial." Source

During the course of his examination, Barrett also had to concede his ties to the AMA, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

 

There are many things to laugh about when it comes to the failed "Doctor" Barrett, but one of the funniest ones is how he likes to call chiropractors quacks when the field of psychiatry is the biggest quackery there ever was in medicine." Open Original Shared Link

 

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So as you can see, bringing up QuackWatch is a quackery of itself. I am fully aware that there is much quackery going on in "alternative" health "clinics" across the country and I don't need a quack failed psychiatrist to point this out to me. But I believe that the theory that heavy metals lead to autoimmune disorders has merit and deserves to be investigated further, and I am still searching for answers as to my own health problems.
 

Oh, and speaking of Celiac and autoimmunity, I have read the papers written by Dr. Fasano about Celiac Disease. In one of his studies, he showed that, over the course of life, some people lose their tolerance to gluten/gliadin and become Celiac. He inquires as to why this is, but he does not know. I look forward to reading more research coming from Dr. Fasano; he is the foremost expert on the matter. Why do you think it is that people lose their immunity to glutin/gliadin? Of course it has nothing to do with chronic heavy metal accumulation in the body's organs and the chronic immune response that this would trigger over time--that could not be it. That would just not make any sense!

[GottaSki]

 

I came here to ask how to detect heavy metals in the brain, and I immediately received a wave of criticism against me discouraging me from continuing down that path, instead telling me to accept the status quo medical explanation for Celiac Disease, and encouraging me to get tested for Celiac. Now don't get me wrong, I do fully intend to get tested for Celiac. But this shunning experience, in and of itself, tells me a lot about this website. Whatever happened to asking questions and seeking knowlege for the sake of seeking it? Am I to squash my curiosity and muzzle the question before it even escapes from my mouth or my keyboard?

 

Welcome Seeking!

 

I don't think you were met with a wave of criticism -- you came to a Celiac Disease Forum and talked about other testing before completing celiac antibody testing.

 

I have to agree with the other posters...take the first step to complete celiac antibody along with nutrient testing and if those do not provide answers -- by all means look for the root cause of your symptoms.

 

Hang in there

[Seeking2012]

Welcome Seeking!

 

I don't think you were met with a wave of criticism -- you came to a Celiac Disease Forum and talked about other testing before completing celiac antibody testing.

 

I have to agree with the other posters...take the first step to complete celiac antibody along with nutrient testing and if those do not provide answers -- by all means look for the root cause of your symptoms.

 

Hang in there

 

Thanks for the greeting. I am planning on getting my testing done in this order: 1. Thyroid. 2. Celiac. 3. Other.

[GottaSki]

Thanks for the greeting. I am planning on getting my testing done in this order: 1. Thyroid. 2. Celiac. 3. Other.

 

Great!

 

Good luck with it all

[Seeking2012]

The NIH considers it "rare".

Open Original Shared Link

 

And I know you do not care, but in 33 years as an environmental scientist, my hubs saw one case of "heavy metal poisoning" --the woman had been working with enamel and various paints and a kiln in an enclosed environment for years. He said she had a green cast to her skin and she was very ill.  The other was a case of mercury poisoning --an impoverished woman whose diet was nearly 100%  fish that she caught from the river and ate several times a day. 

 

And the dental amalgam controversy has been debunked many times. 

 

And, I did not say there weren't any Pub med articles at all about the topic. I know they are there. I've read many of them.

 

I said there were no Pub Med articles that  suggest heavy metal toxicity is a real health threat to the population.

 

If you want to read something that discusses this topic--- and he provides science-based articles as sources-- look here:

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

or not, it's up to you. I was only trying to help, but clearly you have your mind set on this course. Best wishes!

 

I'm such a skeptical person that I do not put my complete faith or trust in any single person or organization, and always keep my mind open to new information. I do not completely trust the NIH. There is not a single person or institution that has a clean record when it comes to caring for public health. One cannot outsource this important function to anyone else; one must take it into their own hands.

 

Regarding your husband only seeing one case of heavy metal poisoning in 33 years, I have a few comments. First, doctors, chemists, biologists, etc., are trained to look for certain very specific things, while overlooking many other things. I think there are many people alive today walking around undiagnosed because their disease has not yet been classified, documented and tested, and that it's up to cutting-edge science to discover, classify and document the more subtle and difficult and complex cases of low-level chronic heavy metal poisoning that we are very likely dealing with today on a wide scale. Give it about 10-20 years and maybe scientists will have caught up.

 

Regarding your statement that "there are no Pub Med articles that suggest heavy metal toxicity is a real health threat to the population," I would say that the article I linked you to does in fact suggest that heavy metal toxicity is a real threat to the population, especially due to the fact that autism rates are increasing and the fact that a good amount of the population suffers from "sub-clinical" hypothyroid symptoms.

 

I took some time to read your link on quackwatch.com, and I actually agree with him on that particular case; he did find a quack test. That test was a quack test because the doctor issued a provoking agent on a test that specified not to do that, rendering the results invalid. Remember in a prior post I said that tests are to be done under very specific circumstances and that the results yield very specific and limited answers as to what is going on in the body? Yep, I said that because I already am aware of widespread quackery being done in the medical field on both sides.

 

I am only just beginning to learn about heavy metal toxicity, but the amount of literature I have read in a very short period of time (I have been obsessed with this topic and have spent many hours reading) seems to reveal that it is a public health concern and that it can, and in many cases does seem to cause the diseases that we are dealing with today, including autoimmune diseases. I am very interested in scientifically accurate testing. I know that blood, urine, and hair testing will only catch "acute" heavy metal poisoning. I wonder if there is a heavy metal test that exists which is meant to be done in conjuction with a provoking agent. It does seem intuitive to me, however, that if any heavy metals show up on a test in which a provoking agent was used, that one has suffered from heavy metal poisoning, as heavy metals in any amount have no place in the human body and are known to cause damage in the body's organs. So even though the test that you linked me to was an incorrected-administered test (therefore making it a quackery), it still has some merit in that a provoking agent caused heavy metals to be chelated out from the body and into the blood, proving that there was heavy metal accumulation in the body.

[Seeking2012]

I would like to respond in greater detail to the Quackwatch link by first quoting from the page, and then responding. The quotes from the Quackwatch website are on bold and my replies are normal.
 

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Open Original Shared Link
 

Mercury is found in the earth's crust and is ubiquitous in the environment. Because of this, it is common to find small amounts in people's urine. The body reaches a steady state in which tiny amounts are absorbed and excreted. Large-scale population studies have shown that the general population has urine-mercury levels below 10 micrograms/liter, with most people between zero and 5 [1]. Similarly, many people circulate trivial amounts of lead.

 

This statement seems to be implying that a certain amount of mercury is safe because it's to be found in clean, unpolluted air that we breathe and clean water that we drink because the earth naturally supplies mercury in small amounts.

 

Urine lead and mercury levels can be artificially raised by administering a scavenger (chelating agent) such as DMPS or DMSA, which attaches to lead and mercury molecules in the blood and forces them to be excreted. In other words, some molecules that would normally recirculate within the body are bound and exit through the kidneys. As a result, their urine levels are artificially and temporarily raised.

 

With this statement he seems to be saying that a chelating agent only scavenges metals from the blood, not from organs. But this is simply not true based on what I've read.

 

How much the levels are raised depends on how the test is administered. The standard way to measure urinary mercury and lead levels is by collecting a non-provoked urine sample over a 24-hour period.

 

This type of test--an unprovoked urine test--is only useful in measuring recent exposures to heavy metals. Over time, heavy metals will bind with tissues in the body and will therefore not be circulating in the blood or excreted through urine in any meaningful amount. From what I have read, a urine test is only a measure of how well your body is able to rid itself of the toxins, and how recent the exposure was.

 

Because most of the extra excretion takes place within a few hours after the chelating agent is administered, using a shorter collection period will yield a higher concentration.

 

He is forgetting that there are different types and doses of chelating agents. The different types and doses will scavenge at different strengths and depths into the body's tissues.

 

Neither Mayo Clinic, nor any other legitimate national laboratory, has reference ranges for “provoked” specimens. Further, the references ranges for normal urine heavy metal levels used by Mayo Clinic and the largest national reference lab, Quest Diagnostics, are the same.

 

I'd like to know what he considers "legitimate." But I do agree that scientists do not currently know (unless I missed something or havent' read about it yet) what reference ranges to use for "provoked" speciments, or what test values would indicate hidden body stores of heavy metals, or which chelation agents and in what doses would reveal which heavy metals. I think it would take more than a blood, hair or urine sample to really know which heavy metals were stored where in the body. And then the next question is, if you find a hidden store of it in an organ in the body, how do you scientifically determine if it is causing you health problems? I have my own thoughts/theories on this question...

 

Both Quig and attorney Algis Augustine (one of Doctor's Data's lawyer) caution chelationists not to rely solely on provoked urine testing to diagnose heavy metal toxicity.

 

I agree with that because, as mentioned earlier, there are no established reference ranges for provoked specimens. If I were a doctor, I would never rely on "non-standard" tests for which no legitimate medical organization had established reference ranges. It doesn't make sense medically, ethically or legally to do so.

 

Chelation therapy is a series of intravenous infusions containing a chelating agent and various other substances. One form of chelation therapy is occasionally used to treat lead poisoning. However, lead poisoning is rare and has well-established diagnostic criteria. Slight elevations of lead levels are not poisoning and need no treatment because the body will lower them when exposure is stopped.

 

This is an outdated and inaccurate, completely false statement. It has been established in medical literature that heavy metals and other toxins, even in low concentrations, do interfere with the body's inate ability to rid itself of toxins. I have also read that chronic, low-level inflammation (which is always there in the presense of an autoimmune disease) interferes with glutathione. And this is where conventional medicine is left behind and where cutting-edge science starts as it relates to this topic.

 

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To summarize this post, what this has taught me is that there seem to be no current reference ranges for provoked heavy metals tests, which I find to be extremely disappointing and it makes exploring this topic even more difficult.

[IrishHeart]

Thanks for the greeting. I am planning on getting my testing done in this order: 1. Thyroid. 2. Celiac. 3. Other.

 

On another thread you started back in September 2013, you were asking about making aG F recipe...Back then, your signature line said "next to test: celiac and thyroid"

 

 

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/104072-how-to-make-crunchy-chicken-nuggets/#entry887727.

 

 

Six months later and...you mention "getting tested". 

 

If you are gluten-free, no testing will be valid.

 

You may not believe anything else I am saying but believe that.

 

And you are writing pretty eloquently for someone with "brain fog and trouble concentrating", BTW, so kudos!

 

You are doing round- about testing when you could have just started with the celiac panel.

[Seeking2012]

On another thread you started back in September 2013, you were asking about making aG F recipe...Back then, your signature line said "next to test: celiac and thyroid"

 

 

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/104072-how-to-make-crunchy-chicken-nuggets/#entry887727.

 

 

Six months later and...you mention "getting tested". 

 

If you are gluten-free, no testing will be valid.

 

You may not believe anything else I am saying but believe that.

 

And you are writing pretty eloquently for someone with "brain fog and trouble concentrating", BTW, so kudos!

 

You are doing round- about testing when you could have just started with the celiac panel.

 

I have good days and bad days. On bad days I can't remember anything, can't think, and can't formulate long sentences or thoughts. On good days I come to forums like this. Today I'm feeling pretty good and surprisingly have a high energy level; I was even able to work out without issues.

 

I still have not gone gluten-free or had any gluten sensitivity testing at all. I eat gluten several times a week.

[dilettantesteph]

What wikipedia says about quackwatch: Open Original Shared Link

The guy who founded it: Open Original Shared Link

 

It's all good.

[IrishHeart]

Not only that, Dr. Barrett has a website and he offers his mailing address and phone number.

 

Give him a call and see what he says.