Page 42 - Summer2008

sardines and mackerel. Some sources of folate are meat, sh, poultry, milk, LABORATORY ASSESSMENT

liver, beans, sunower seeds and many vegetables. Hair mineral analysis offers a valid and
For many it is helpful to avoid casein, especially as found in fraction- inexpensive way to test someone’s toxic metal
ated food products such as shake powders. Although some people react status, as well as provide insights into nutritional
even to the casein that is a natural component of whole raw milk, butter status. The growing hair follicle is well supplied
and cheese, the worst problems seem to come from manufacturing pro- by the blood vessels, and blood transports both
cesses involved in fat removal and pasteurization. The ingredient casein essential and toxic elements present in the body.
is a fractionated milk protein product with elevated methionine levels and These elements are incorporated and stored in
extremely low levels of the amino acid cysteine. This stimulates the body the hair proteins, which are evaluated in the test.
to make cysteine through the toxic intermediary homocysteine, worsening Hair tests can evaluate someone’s toxic metal and
any effects of metal toxicity. nutritional status over the past three months. 47 ,48
To avoid toxic metal buildup, we must avoid processed foods. Pro- Analytical Research Laboratory (ARL) in Phoe-
cessed foods contain many unwanted metals. Sodium aluminum phosphate, nix and Biochemical Laboratories in Edgewood,
for example, is used as an emulsier in processed cheese and potassium New Mexico are labs with good experience in

alum is used to bleach our. Alum is also a “spice” in commercial pickles. hair testing, although there are many other good
Cadmium is used as plating material in food processing plants. Processed labs around the country.

foods and drinks also contain chloride, uoride, aluminum and other The downside to hair analysis is that
harmful compounds from municipal water supplies, not to mention the laboratory reports can be dif cult to read and
remains of excreted pharmaceutical drugs. Processed foods also remove evaluate correctly, and there is some controversy

protective zinc and calcium in the rening process, making people more about how to do the assays and what constitutes
vulnerable to the toxic effects of cadmium, which is not removed during normal ranges of toxins and nutrients. In most

the milling process. cases, the rst test will show low levels of toxic
To make matters worse, many processed food products are pack- metals. Aluminum typically shows up in the
aged in aluminum foil. Take-out items can “take out” our health because  rst test, sometimes with low levels of mercury
of aluminum containers. Beer and soft drink cans come from aluminum. and arsenic. However, to correctly interpret the
Solders used to seal some cans are a common source of cadmium. test, it is necessary to look at the overall levels
Fruits, vegetables, beans and grains should be organic. Rice and and ratios of macro and trace minerals. In all
wheat grown in soil contaminated by sewage sludge or super phosphate probability, there will be evidence of “hidden”
fertilizers may be toxic in cadmium. toxicity. This means that the body in its wisdom
Commercial seeds are treated with mercurial fungicides. Antioxi- has stashed mercury and other very dangerous
dants from fresh, locally produced foods, that have not been sitting around metals as deeply out of the way as possible. 49

oxidizing for weeks or months, can help to minimize the oxidation and If a client follows the rst hair test with an
solubility of the toxic metals. effective detoxication program, follow-up hair

Chlorella is widely sold as a “green drink” or supplement to health- tests will typically reveal not only higher levels
conscious individuals trying to detoxify mercury and other metals. The of the metals present in the initial analysis but
chemistry may support the claims. These are known as porphyrin-like also the emergence of other, more deeply buried
products because once the healthy magnesium of the chlorophyll is as- ones, such as cadmium and lead.
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similated, a porphyrin-like ring is left to bind and help neutralize and Cadmium and lead rarely show up on the
eliminate metal toxins. Blue-green algae, spirulina, chlorella, and barley  rst hair mineral test because the body binds
greens are similarly sold as “superfoods.” On the downside, these greens them very tightly and keeps them deeply stored in
may contain analogues of B that worsen cases of B de ciency, putting the liver, joints and bones. For example, ionized
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people at risk for accumulating higher homocysteine levels. So if you use elements that are nearly the same size as calcium
these products, be sure to eat organic liver as well. (e.g., some radioactive elements) and magnesium
Finally, it is important to drink clean water. Tap water typically (e.g., nickel) often are found in the bone where

contains aluminum, uoride, chlorine—not to mention pharmaceutical they can poison and damage the stem-cell-
drug residue and other contaminants. In some parts of the country well producing bone marrow. Often clients require
water is contaminated with lead or other metals, and nitrates and other months on a detoxi cation program before they
chemicals from fertilizers. begin excreting cadmium and lead. Lead may
take as long as a year or more to show up. Mak-
ing matters more complicated, lead might show
40 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2008