Autistic children have more toxic metals in their blood

Autistic children have more toxic metals in their blood




New evidence suggests that heavy metal exposure may be a cause of autism, in a study conducted by researchers from Arizona State University and published in the journal Biological Trace Element Research.

The researchers found that autistic children had significantly higher levels of numerous toxic metals in their blood than non-autistic children.

Autism is a neurological disorder that causes repetitive or restricted behavior and trouble with communication and social interaction. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it affects one in every 252 girls and one in every 54 boys in the United States. Although mainstream medicine long considered autism to be a hereditary disorder, increasing evidence is emerging that link the condition to various environmental factors, such as toxic exposure.

"Studies such as this improve our understanding," said Caroline Hattersley of the UK-based National Autism Society. Further studies should be performed to back up this research, she said.

More exposure equals more severe symptoms

The researchers tested blood and urinary levels of various toxic heavy metals in 99 children between the ages of five and 15. 55 of the children had autism, while 44 did not. The groups were similar in age and gender distributions.

The researchers found that autistic children had 41 percent higher levels of lead in their blood and 74 percent higher levels in their urine than non-autistic children. Their urinary levels of tungsten were 44 percent higher, thallium levels were 77 percent higher and tin levels were 115 percent higher.

All four of these metals have previously been linked with impaired brain function and development, the researchers noted, and can be toxic to other organ systems as well.

Based on three separate scales of autism http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/aa/autism.php severity, the researchers also found that higher blood levels of toxic metals were associated with more severe cases of autism. In fact, between 38 and 47 percent of all variation in autism severity could be explained by varying heavy metal levels, particularly cadmium and mercury http://bit.ly/Dangers-of-Mercury. This made toxic metal burden the single "strongest factor" predicting severity, the researchers said.

On one level, the findings come as no surprise, given the well-established neurotoxic effects of heavy metal exposure.

"We knew that exposure to lead makes people lose IQ points, and clearly it can induce autism," lead researcher James Adams said. "The study also showed that people with the highest levels are least able to excrete them."

The findings may have real-world implications for both preventing and treating autism, however.

"We hypothesize that reducing early exposure to toxic metals may help ameliorate symptoms of autism, and treatment to remove toxic metals may reduce symptoms of autism," the researchers wrote. "These hypotheses need further exploration, as there is a growing body of research to support it."

Adams has previously conducted research into the effectiveness of DMSA, a drug designed to remove toxic metals from the body. The study concluded that DMSA did indeed remove some metals successfully, and also reduced some symptoms of autism. Autistic children with the highest urine levels of metals benefited from the treatment the most.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162231.htm
http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/10/higher-levels-of-toxic-metals-in-blood-urine-of-children-with-autism/52419.html
http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/national/2013/02/26/study-lead-exposure-can-cause-autism/


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8 Things You May Not Know About Lead Poisoning

8 Things You May Not Know About Lead Poisoning

Lead is a toxic metal and lead poisoning can have really ugly consequences. Lead exposure commonly happens by way of lead based paint, the CDC has reported it as the number one cause of exposure in children. Other persons are exposed to lead dust through occupational hazards. But did you know lead exposure can cause sexual dysfunction? Or that, not long ago, multiple cases of lead poisoning resulted from contaminated flour? Here are 8 things you may not know about lead and lead poisoning.



1. Lead Exposure May Cause Schizophrenia

Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that lead exposure can negatively affect the areas of the brain that are linked to schizophrenic behavior. [1]

2. Lead Poisoning Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction

Research conducted at Turkey’s Konya Research and Training Hospital found that chronic lead exposure was a factor responsible for increased frequency of erectile dysfunction. [2]

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3. Lead Poisoning Can Unexpectedly Affect Pregnant Women

We all know lead poisoning is toxic and its horrible effect is multiplied when it affects pregnant women. That said, many pregnant women take extra precautions to avoid toxic metal exposure. But what if exposure happened years prior?

Lead may stay in the bones, immobilized, for decades and only mobilized when calcium needs increase during pregnancy. This leads to pregnant women and their unborn children being at a higher risk for complications from lead exposure, including anemia, high blood pressure, low birth weight, and developmental delays. This can be extremely frightening because the length in time between exposure and effect can make evaluation very difficult. [3]

4. Lead is Toxic to Animals

The focus on lead poisoning is not limited to humans. The Department of Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine reviewed 45 years worth of literature and found 70 incidences that involved cats. Symptoms of poisoning can be less apparent in animals and researchers warned that lead toxicosis may be an under recognized problem in felines. [4]

5. Lead is Toxic to People Who Eat Animals

Hunting is usually done with lead ammunition. While previously dismissed as an “unlikely source of lead exposure” researchers have more recently warned that lead bullets can fragment upon impact and particles can distribute, polluting the meat. This is a potential lead exposure risk for anyone who ingests the meat of wild game that was hunted with lead ammunition. [5]

This has been of particular concern in Greenland. Research has shown a close relationship between how often adults consume wild birds taken during hunting and measured levels of lead in blood. The situation is severe enough that lead shot is fingered as the primary source of lead exposure for persons in Greenland. [6]

6. Lead has Been Found in Children’s Toys

In 2003, the Deschutes County Health Department and the Oregon Department of Human Services reported a lead poisoning incident involving a boy who had swallowed a metal trinket that was sold in a vending machine. [7]



Additionally, the Department of Chemistry at Ashland University in Ohio found, when evaluating paint scraped off plastic jewelry items, lead limits to be in excess of regulatory limits. Furthermore, these were on items intended for children! Just another reason to avoid plastic junk. [8] Read more

Heavy metal testing -Learn the difference between Live Blood

Heavy metal testing -Learn the difference between Live Blood

Some heavy metals, in trace amounts, are beneficial to the body; these include iron, zinc, copper and manganese. Other heavy metals can be poisonous or toxic to the human body; these include arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, iron, and others. These metals manifest themselves within the soft tissues of the body and may cause gastrointestinal, neurological, and other serious illness if left untreated. More people are undergoing heavy metal testing, via Live Blood Cell Analysis or Hair Mineral Analysis, to seek answers to some of their acute or long-term health issues. Still others ask for testing to get ahead of any potential health problems.

Heavy metals become poison to the body when the elements deposit in soft tissue and remain there due to the body's inability to metabolize them. Toxic metals enter the body via consumption of food or water; inhalation of polluted air; or absorption through the pores of the skin. People may be exposed to heavy metals at work if they work within the agricultural, manufacturing, or pharmaceutical industries; they may also become exposed in older residential settings where lead paint was used. Both children and adults can be exposed; both acute and long-term poisoning may occur.

Live Blood Cell Analysis is a test whereby a health care practitioner pricks the patient's finger to deliver a drop of blood onto a slide. The specimen is then studied through a high-resolution, dark-field microscope which sends an image to a TV monitor. This type of test is typically performed to detect lead, mercury, cadmium, and aluminum toxicity. It can also be used to test for the number one cause of acute heavy metal poisoning, arsenic; however, since arsenic clears from the blood rapidly, the Live Blood Cell Analysis may prove useless. In this instance, urine tests are more reliable for exposure over the last couple of days, and hair mineral analysis is preferred to detect exposure over the last few months. Read more

'Poor man's' heavy metal detox - boost health without breaking

'Poor man's' heavy metal detox - boost health without breaking

Living in an increasingly toxic world, we're hard-pressed to keep health in top form -- even when we adopt an ultra-clean diet. As a rule of thumb, extra help is needed now and again to clear out accumulated environmental toxins. Be that as it may, intensive juice fast retreats or pricey detoxification protocols are oftentimes out of reach financially for many. It can be downright frustrating.

The good news is that we do in fact have affordable (and painless) options for detoxification which utilize easy-to-find supplements and foods. Clay, cilantro and fermented or cultured edibles are all helpful in gently purifying the body, revitalizing health and encouraging vitality.

Healing inspired by Vietnamese soup

As reported in the article "Detox Naturally With Cilantro and Clay," Dr. Yoshiaki Omura of the Heart Research Foundation in New York stumbled upon a surprising heavy metal detoxification agent: cilantro. Omura and his colleagues were having very little long-term success using antibiotics and antiviral compounds for recurring infections in their patients -- symptoms would vanish, only to reappear a few months later.

After investigating further, Omura discovered that deposits of aluminum, mercury and/or lead had localized in certain areas, allowing for bacteria and viruses to multiply in those locations.

Interestingly, one patient excreted significant levels of mercury in his urine after consuming Vietnamese soup containing cilantro. During additional testing, Dr. Omura found that ingesting cilantro also stimulated the excretion of lead and aluminum from the body. When he instructed his patients to regularly consume fresh cilantro or cilantro juice -- in addition to taking antibiotics or natural antivirals -- the infections were permanently healed.

Dr. David Williams, a chiropractor and medical researcher and author of the abovementioned article, takes the cilantro detox a step further by adding clay.

"Since cilantro may release more heavy metals than the body can efficiently remove, and to prevent any metals from being deposited in the colon, I also recommend using a form of calcium bentonite clay called Pascalite. While using the cilantro for a detox period of two weeks, take 1 to 2 teaspoons of Pascalite mixed with water three times a day between meals." Read more