If there’s one thing I have learned in caring for my spouse, it’s that to keep him healthy and functioning at his optimum level; I have to take a holistic approach to his care. Taking drugs to prevent exacerbations helps prevent significant loss of function; however, if his body is not in the best shape possible to fight attacks from viruses or bacteria or if he’s injured or allows his body to become de-conditioned, those issues are just as significant to his well-being as the medication he takes. Therefore, Lynn’s wellness regime includes a diet that targets mitochondrion function (repair of nerve cells); he exercises daily, focusing on different muscle groups; and he rests when tired. At his neurologist visit, his functioning was better than before as it had been the visit before. The neurologist stated, “You’re surprisingly better, and it’s not due to what I’m doing for you. Keep up the good work.” It seems he’s doing all the right stuff, so why does he continue to feel so bad?
Lynn has been taking Rebif for almost two years now. If you take Rebif or know anyone who has, it can make you feel like you have the flu; however, that usually gets much better as your body adjusts. That hasn’t happened for Lynn. In addition, as a side-effect of Rebif, his thyroid stimulating hormone levels became high, indicating that his thyroid was not working correctly. Hypothyroidism makes you feel cold, extremely tired, and generally miserable. So, hypothyroidism was blamed for why he felt bad, but then the thyroid levels began to get back to near normal, but his fatigue and general malaise seemed worse. Was this just another MS issue he would have to live with? Maybe no ….
The best healthcare provider he has had by far to date is not his neurologist but his dietician. She’s am zing. We were having one of our regular consultations with her and describing how bad he felt, and she quickly became suspicious that something else might be going on. She asked his primary care doctor to do a urine test for heavy metals. She requested a six-hour provoked test, which required him to take some pills that stimulated the release of heavy metals that might be stored in his cells into his bloodstream and later excreted into his urine. This would potentially show if he had stored heavy metals in his system that might be affecting his health. We were shocked at the results!
Lynn used to work in construction, which, of course, involved using lots of chemicals (i.e., paints, salt-treated lumber, and many other cleanings, coating, shining bonding, and other chemical agents). His tox element clearance profile showed excessive levels of lead, mercury, arsenic, gadolinium, rubidium, thallium, and cadmium! The two hat were the most out of range were gadolinium and ARSENIC! (No, I am not feeding him arsenic to slowly poison him). His ars ic level should have been below 50 µg/g, and it was 202! Four times the acceptable limit. No wonder he feels so bad!
Excessive lead buildup can interfere with membrane functions, iron transport, the life span of red blood cells, and some liver functions. It can also cause reduced vitamin D synthesis, slowed nerve conduction, peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, and loss of IQ. Hmmmm….Lynn has borderline anemia, low red blood cell counts, hypertension, and, of course, neurological issues.
Excessive mercury inhibits lymphocytes, leading to immunosuppression and the development of autoimmune conditions (e.g., arthritis, MS, lupus, etc.). It can also cause memory loss, tremors and excitability, insomnia, lassitude, anorexia, gingivitis, and stomatitis. So far, I only seem bothered by MS.
Arsenic inhibits mitochondrial function, inactivation of lipoic acid, impairment of lymphocyte stimulation, and interferes with DNA repair (sounds like MS, doesn’t it?). Symptoms consistent with excessive arsenic include garlic breath, increased salivation, fatigue, chest pain, diarrhea, hypotension, hair loss, skin hypopigmentation (i.e., very pale skin), white-streaked fingernails, anorexia, peripheral neuropathy, leucopenia (low white cells), and erythrocyte (red blood cell) fragility. …..He has more than a few of these symptoms, though the garlic breath might be coming from the excessive amount of garlic he eats EVERY day.
Excess Cadmium side effects are made worse if you also have an excess of mercury or lead (which Lynn does). It causes neuropsychological problems with mood and behavior changes, impairs kidney function, interferes with gluconeogenic enzymes and cellular energy production, and may lead to iron-disordered anemia due to its effects on the liver. (He basically seems to be doing okay here, but maybe the cellular energy and his anemia might be impacted.)
Gadolinium seems to be the least toxic but can cause hair loss and skin lesions. This I’m sure he got from all the MRI x-rays he’s taken related to his MS. Apparently, he doesn’t get rid of the contrast after he gets it.
Rubidium can interfere with potassium transport and metabolism as well as increase the release of norepinephrine. It can, therefore, lead to headaches, lassitude, irritability, disturbed sleep, cardiac arrhythmia, peripheral neuropathy, inflammation of the respiratory tract, and kidney damage. (He’s not experiencing many of these, thank goodness)
Increased thallium levels can lead to liver damage, kidney damage, skin and eye problems, and neurological problems such as peripheral neuropathy, ataxia, tremors, hearing loss, a “burning feet” sensation, axonal degeneration, and myelin loss! Lynn probably got his thallium content from cardiac tests (he has a mitral valve prolapsed and obtains a cardiac scan with contrast every two years to check on how well the heart is coping with the prolapse.) He hasn’t had many of these tests which seems fortunate since his body is not getting rid of it.
So, what does this all mean? I’m not sure. What we know is that he will start slowly detoxing this stuff out of his system next week. It has to be done slowly so that he won’t get arsenic poisoning effects from all that free-floating arsenic. Once his cells are cleaned up, he should feel a lot better, and maybe then the diet he’s on to repair his neurological system will be better able to do its thing. Who knows, maybe he might even be able to walk again. I know he has lesions from the MRI, but I don’t know where the lesions are or what body functions are affected, so we have our hopes up that this might be a break, though, that would allow him more mobility. It won’t cure him, but if it can make him feel better and do more, that’s good enough for us. I’ll keep you informed. Oh, and all prayers are appreciated.
This article originally appeared on Multiplesclerosis.Net by Health-Union, LLC, and has been reposted with permission.
