Page 43 - Summer2008

up in the hair after release from one storage site, and organs and attaches itself to the chelating agent, which is then expelled
decline on a subsequent test but later rise again through the urine or feces. As discussed below, this causes a toxic rush
as it is released from yet another site. For these into the bloodstream that can result in painful and dif cult detoxi cation
reasons, hair mineral analysis testing needs to symptoms with a possible worsening of overall health—and sometimes
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be performed as an ongoing process. even death.
Nickel is a growing problem because of A better urine test to identify metal and environmental toxicity is
partially hydrogenated fats in the “Standard a porphyrins pro le such as the one offered by Metametrix Laboratory.
American Diet,” the popularity of nickel-con- The porphyrin metabolic pathway is responsible for the formation of he-
taining jewelry and the widespread usage of moglobin and other energy-producing compounds, as well as molecules

stainless steel in the processing of foods, bever- essential for detoxication. Toxic metals and chemicals present in the
ages and pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately, nickel body interrupt this pathway, producing speci c porphyrins, which be-
rarely shows up in hair even when present at come elevated in the urine. This test can differentiate speci c toxic metal
toxic levels elsewhere in the body. For nickel, exposure and potential biochemical damage caused by that exposure. The
it is better to analyze sweat, which is one way test can help clinicians evaluate the effects of mercury amalgam  llings,
the body attempts to get rid of this carcino- the wanted and unwanted effects of chelation therapy and the toxicity of
genic metal. (The other way is excretion via the certain pharmaceutical drugs. 54,55
bowels.) Nickel also causes hyperviscous and For newborns, meconium analysis can detect fetal exposure to lead,

hypocoagulable blood so a clotting prole of mercury, cadmium and other toxic metals, DDT and pesticide exposure as
TM
the blood analyzed by a Sonoclot or similar well as alcohol, tobacco use and illicit drug use. Meconium is the greenish
diagnostic is another useful test. Nickel toxicity mix of bile, amniotic  uid, bile pigments, epithelial cells, mucus, blood and
should be suspected if there are symptoms such other substances found in the  rst stool of a newborn. Meconium testing is
as tiny blisters or reddish rashes where nickel offered at many hospitals but commonly used only when cocaine or other
touches the skin (as with eyeglasses or jewelry) maternal illegal drug use is suspected. 56,57
or at sites of sweating (such as the palms of the
hand, hairline, or feet). In addition to “sensitizing A DIRT CHEAP SOLUTION
dermatitis,” stubborn symptoms that might be the Until we can clean up the planet and our act, we fortunately do have
result of nickel toxicity include allergic asthma, a “dirt cheap,” stop-gap way of coping with metal toxicity. That solution is
acid reux, insomnia and snoring. diatomaceous earth. Dr. Knight has extensively tested a product produced

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Another shortcoming with hair tests is that by Perma-Guard that is also available through WisdomWays in Edgewood,
gold, silver, uranium and other metals usually Colorado. Diatomaceous earth comes from fossilized shells of freshwater
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are not included as part of most laboratories’ diatoms and is found in vast deposits all over the earth. Made up of silicone
standard hair tests. Luckily, the same detoxi - and trace minerals, diatomaceous earth can, according to the scientic

cation programs that round up and remove the literature, absorb methyl mercury, E. coli, endotoxins, viruses (including
usual toxic metal suspects will usually help to poliovirus), organophosphate pesticide residues, drug residue, and protein,
eliminate or deal with these others as well. perhaps even the proteinaceous toxins produced by some intestinal infec-
The biggest problem with hair tests is tions. 59,60
not the test itself but the fact that far too many The only caveat is that diatomaceous earth used for human or ani-
people—including doctors and other health mal detoxi cation must be food grade. People and other mammals should
practitioners—misread the initial hair tests and never use the coarse, crystalline form of diatomaceous earth sold for use in
take the low levels in the initial readings at face swimming pool  lters or as insecticides, or sources of diatomaceous earth
value. contaminated with toxins like arsenic and the metal toxins. If inhaled, the
Conventional doctors prefer blood tests to crystalline form can cause a disabling lung disease called silicosis and
determine metal toxicity. Such tests have little upon ingestion might puncture the lining of the alimentary tract. Food-
diagnostic value unless they follow recent acute grade diatomaceous earth binds metals and other toxins, gently siphoning
exposure because the body keeps the blood clean or leaching them out of storage areas and passing them innocuously out
at all costs. Urine samples aren’t much better of the body.
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unless potentially dangerous systemic, oral or Microscopic live cell analyses of blood taken from individuals who
intravenous chelating agents are given, followed have detoxed using food-grade diatomaceous earth for many months
by a 24-hour collection. In such tests, mercury display little evidence that the particles make their way intact into the
or another metal is “provoked” out of the tissues blood. Hair analyses of these individuals display normal or even slightly

SUMMER 2008 Wise Traditions 41