ALUMINUM
The awareness of evidence regarding aluminum exposure and its negative effects on our bodies is growing. Researchers have been linking aluminum exposure to neurological disorders such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, ADHD, and even cancer for years. In fact, “there has been a strong link between human exposure to aluminum and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease for half a century or more” says Chris Exley, PhD, of Keele University in England who has been studying the impact of aluminum on the human body since 1984.1 Aluminum occurs naturally in the soil, water, and air but we are contributing to the load by the manufacturing of aluminum products, power plants, pollution from industrialization, and vaccines.
If significant aluminum load exceeds the body’s capacity to eliminate it, it is deposited into various tissues such as bone, brain, liver, heart, spleen, and muscle.2 Humans living a modern lifestyle, can very easily reach these daily dose levels. Children and elderly people are the populations at greatest risk of exposure to potentially harmful levels. Dr. Chris Shaw, a neuroscientist and professor at the University of British Columbia explains in his studies regarding the aluminum that is in countless products we have used every day since the Industrial Revolution; “We increasingly have this compound that was not part of any biochemical process on Earth, that can now only go and do havoc, which is exactly what it does. It causes all kinds of unusual biochemical reactions.”2 Side effects of chronic Aluminum exposure or toxicity are muscle weakness, confusion, speech problems, slow growth in children, brain diseases, and nervous system problems causing difficulty with voluntary and involuntary actions.
WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?
Aluminum contamination has been found in a number of products on the market that include but are not limited to the following:
- Foods and Beverages
- Deodorants and Antiperspirants
- Cosmetics like dry shampoo and many others
- Pharmaceuticals like antacids and buffered aspirin.
Additional contamination occurs when food comes into contact with aluminum equipment. Cooking with aluminum foil dramatically increases your aluminum levels. According to a 2006 study, cooking meat in aluminum foil increased aluminum levels as follows:3
Red meats cooked in aluminum foil increased in aluminum from 89% to 378%. Poultry increased from 76% to 214%. Aluminum levels increased with higher cooking temperatures and longer cooking times.
Vaccines are a primary source of aluminum that exposes children to this metal more now than ever. Children today are receiving 17 shots that contain aluminum, compared to 4 vaccines in the 1970s-1980s.4 Common vaccines that contain aluminum are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, DTap, Pneumococcal , HPV, and Hib but there are more. The worst part is that many children are receiving more than just one vaccine at a visit in which the concentration of the aluminum levels is greatly increased.
A study published in BMC (BioMed Central), a portfolio of high quality peer-reviewed journals, in 2013 concluded5:
"Alum has high neurotoxic potential, and planning administration of continuously escalating doses of this poorly biodegradable adjuvant in the population should be carefully evaluated by regulatory agencies since the compound may be insidiously unsafe... especially in the case of over-immunization or immature/altered blood brain barrier."
Following a typical injection, 59% of the aluminum content is excreted within the first five days, but 25% may be retained long term. In some children, the aluminum may have a 10-year half-life.6 Injection of aluminum is different than ingestion. However…this topic deserves its own newsletter.
Intake of daily antacids and aspirin that contain Aluminum is the reason why elderly persons are more susceptible to aluminum intake at neurotoxic levels. Oral intake of 330 mg/kg/day or more results in decreased myelination of nerves in experimental animals, and even 230 mg/kg/day is enough to cause neurological damage.6 Adults who take a buffered aspirin everyday as directed by their physician to reduce cardiovascular risk with an antacid, are getting between 840 and 5,000 mg of aluminum-containing compounds per day!6
ALZHEIMERS
Very small amounts of aluminum are needed to produce neurotoxicity, and this is done in increments of small amounts over a lifetime. The hypothesis that aluminum significantly contributes to Alzheimer’s disease is built upon very solid experimental evidence and should not be dismissed.7 Data combined from 37 studies involving 1227 participants was published as a meta-analysis in The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. The studies examined autopsy reports measuring amounts of aluminum in the brain, blood, and CSF. The conclusion of the report demonstrated that aluminum levels are significantly elevated in the brain, serum and CSF of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.8
Getting Rid of It
Actual absorption of Aluminum from ingestion is relatively low. Most aluminum ingested from food, water and drugs is excreted out by the kidneys into the urine; the brain, however, is extremely sensitive to it. The problem is that neurons are very good at absorbing whatever aluminum does make it into the bloodstream.5 The result over time is a gradual destruction of neural tissue.
There are many nutrients you can take to aid in removal of heavy metals:
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
Selenium
Turmeric
Milk Thistle
Chlorella
Try adding herbs to your foods like cilantro, parsley, curry, and garlic
It is also very important to test liver function, kidney function, and your immune status. Testing using a comprehensive blood panel for a basis will not only cover all these statuses but can also detect any major deficiencies or toxicities that could be affecting your body’s ability to heal, repair, and detox. You can test your toxic element status by doing hair and urine analysis tests. Hair testing will help show what you are currently excreting. However, further investigation can be done by a urine test to determine if there are toxic elements you are NOT excreting. This is critical in that some people develop or have an impaired ability to efficiently eliminate aluminum and other heavy metals. Basically, the heavy metals are going in faster than they are being eliminated. Oral chelation agents can help assist the heavy metal elimination process.
There are some oral chelating agents that can be very effective and cause heavy metals to be quickly removed from the body. However, caution should be used: high doses of these products can have side effects such as upset stomach. Your SBN health professional can help guide you to efficiently and safely eliminate heavy metals. Using oral chelating agents should NEVER be done unless under the supervision of your experienced healthcare provider. To find out more about heavy metals you may be exposed to and/or to see what other deficiencies exist, it is recommended to always get tested first. An individualized plan of action is important because not everyone’s body excretes toxins at the same rate. There are many variables that can play into your body’s healing rate. It is never too late to get started. Call us today to schedule a consultation with an experienced nutritionist to get tested!
References
1. Dr. Veronique Desaulniers. “Aluminum Toxicity: 4 Ways to Detox Your Brain & Body.” The Truth About Cancer, 27 Mar. 2018, thetruthaboutcancer.com/detox-aluminum-toxicity/.
2. Walia, Arjun. Here’s Where Aluminum Goes When It’s Injected Into Your Body from a Vaccine. The Vaccine Reaction. Published May 31, 2016
3. Turhan, S. “Aluminium Contents in Baked Meats Wrapped in Aluminium Foil.” Meat Science., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2006, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22063217?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000%2Cf1000m% 2Cisrctn.
4. NVIC.org Vaccination Pamphlet
5. Khan, Zakir, et al. “Slow CCL2-Dependent Translocation of Biopersistent Particles from Muscle to Brain.” BMC Medicine, BioMed Central, 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3616851/.
6. Goldman, Erik. “Aluminum, Alzheimer's & Autism: Understanding the Connection.” Holistic Primary Care, 26 May 2015, holisticprimarycare.net/topics/topics-a-g/chronic- disease/1701-aluminum-alzheimer-s-autism-understanding-the-connection.html.
7. Gherardi, Romain Kroum, et al. “Aluminum and Alzheimer's Disease: after a Century of Controversy, Is There a Plausible Link?” Frontiers in Neurology, Frontiers Media S.A., 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4318414/.
8. Sohaib A. Virk Sohaib A. Virk Guy D. Eslick. Aluminum and Alzheimer's disease: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Alzheimer’s and Dementia. The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. University of Sydney. 2003, January 09.