Page 39 - Summer2008

VACCINATIONS: There are many reasons not to vaccinate, including the injection of mercury and aluminum additives
directly into the bloodstream.

NATURAL MEDICINES: The toxicity of pharmaceuticals is well known, but natural medicines don’t get off the hook.
Colloidal silver has caused consumers to turn blue-gray from silver poisoning. Colloidal mineral toddies have left people
with heavy metal toxicity as well as toxic levels of needed macro or trace minerals. Some Ayurvedic, Tibetan and Chi-
nese preparations have proved to be high in mercury, lead and arsenic, either because of alleged medicinal values for
such substances or unintentional contamination. Herbs picked from areas near highways are often contaminated with
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cadmium, lead and manganese.

SMOKING: Don’t smoke or expose yourself to second hand smoke unless you want cadmium poisoning.
DENTAL WORK: Amalgam fillings may contain cadmium, zinc, tin, copper and silver in addition to mercury. Metal crowns
are a problem with any metal, even expensive gold. Porcelain crowns may have metals hiding beneath. Root canals,
implants, partials and dentures all contain potentially problematic ingredients. With dentistry, there are no truly good
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solutions, only ones that are less dangerous. The worst of this is, of course, the amalgams. They should be removed,
but not during pregnancy or lactation, and only by a holistic dentist trained in safe removal. Removal of amalgams must
be performed using the dental protocol established by the International Academy for Oral Medicine and Toxicology
(IAOMT).
HOUSEHOLD CLEANING PRODUCTS: Think green products by reputable companies such as Seventh Day, Mrs Meyer’s
and others. Beware of numerous unethical companies that have been jumping on the “green” bandwagon.

INSECTICIDES: Beware of suggestions that you keep it simple and natural by using Borax. Never expose yourself to
boron-containing solutions repeatedly or for extended periods of time. People have died from overexposure to boric
acid, including the boric acid douches recommended by some doctors for yeast infections.

Readers may find this a grim and alarming list of “no’s.” However, many of the suggestions are do-able, especially
if we take “baby steps” and change one habit at a time. And although ill people need to dramatically reduce exposure
and stay as non toxic as possible, most of us need not worry about perfection so long as we closely follow a Weston A.
Price style diet and regularly detoxify as explained elsewhere in this article. In other words we can enjoy life as long as
we eat well and “eat dirt.”
1. www.ilpi.com/msds/faq/
2. ISCO TABLES: A Handbook of Data for Biological and Physical Scientists, Tenth Edition (Lincoln, NE, 1989). p. 42.
3. Saper, RB, Kales SN, et al. Lead, mercury, and arsenic intoxication have been associated with the use of Ayurvedic herbal medicine products. .JAMA. 2004, 292,
2868-2873.
4. Sallon S, Namdul T et al. Mercury in traditional Tibetan medicine - panacea or problem? Hum Exp Toxicol 2006, 25,405-412.
5. Chan K. Some aspects of herbal contaminants in herbal medicines. Chemospheres. 2003, 52, 9, 1361-71.
6. Ernst E. Toxic heavy metals and undeclared drugs in Asian herbal medicines. Trends Pharmacol Sci, 2002 23, 3, 136-9.
7. Grippo AA, Hamilton B. et al. Metal content of ephedra-containing dietary supplements and select botanicals. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2006, 63, 635-644.
8. Frank J. Metal free dentistry: crowns, root canals and extractions. Consumer Health Organization of Canada. 1998, 28, 2 www.consumerhealth.org/articles. Re-
trieved June 5, 2008.
toxic intermediate homocysteine. Problematic metal toxins in the body and largely made unavailable by protease inhibi-
may bind and interfere with the conversion of homocysteine, trapping it tors. 27,28
so that it accumulates metabolically. 17-19 Thirty percent of elderly persons (both
High homocysteine levels are markers of cardiovascular problems, male and female) have elevated homocysteine
cancer and other diseases of industrial societies, and also of poor and pre- levels. Twenty nine percent of vegetarians have
mature aging. They are associated with arterial plaque, neoplasia, tumors elevated homocysteine levels (caused by the rela-
and a long list of metabolic imbalances. 20-22 Homocysteine levels are higher tive lack of methionine and vitamin B in their
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in most vegetarians because of inadequate dietary protein and B vitamins diets and/or excess soy consumption) compared
(especially B ) in general or excess soy in particular. 23-26 Soy is marketed to just  ve percent of omnivores. Among symp-
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as a “perfect protein” because it contains all the essential amino acids, but tomatic atherosclerosis patients 13 to 47 percent
“contains all” is not the same as contains optimum—and usable—levels (possibly more) have elevated homocysteine
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and ratios. In terms of helping the body to handle metal poisoning, soy levels. Although supplemental B , B and folic
6 12
is an especially inferior protein because its cysteine content is tied up in acid are an inexpensive, often-lifesaving way to
SUMMER 2008 Wise Traditions 37