Download - Truly Alive Magazine

Understanding the Environmental
Influences of Neurotoxins on Your
Brain: Heavy Metals
By Pamela Costello, MD, PhD, Holistic Neurological Physician
You will observe with Concern how long a useful Truth may be
known, and exist, before it is generally receiv’d and practis’d on.
Benjamin Franklin, 1786
While there is a general awareness by the public of our
increasingly toxic environment adversely influencing our health,
the specific relationship of these toxins to our nervous systems
warrants further discussion and investigation. The above quote
is an excerpt from a letter by one of our forefathers, Benjamin
Franklin, written to his apprentice, in which he alludes to his
early discovery as a printer’s apprentice of the toxic influences of
directly handling lead on his and his coworkers’ nervous systems.
He describes developing great pain in his hands when handling the
warmed lead printing agents, as well as cautioning as to the older
guild workers developing ‘feeble hands’ from their more chronic
lead exposure.
After the recent loss of a beloved patient of mine from ALS
(who had toxic levels of uranium, aluminum, and other industrial
toxins), I found myself both heartbroken and angry as to the unconscionable
lack of focus by both those in the industry that allowed
this to happen, as well as by the medical profession, on the role of
environmental toxins damaging the adult and developing nervous
systems. I have consequently made it a practice focus to provide my
patients with a better awareness of the relevant casual relationships
of environmental toxic influences on our nervous systems, including
routes of exposure, mechanisms of interaction, tools of assessing
one’s neurotoxin burden, and mechanisms of remediation.
Environmental neurotoxins include heavy metals (mercury,
lead, aluminum, arsenic, manganese, copper, cadmium, etc.) as
well as industrial solvents, hydrocarbons, insecticides, herbicides,
fertilizers, fluorides, PCB’s, ionizing radiations, and dietary factors,
including ethyl alcohol.
It is well recognized that most disease states are multi-causal
in their origins, including genetics, nutrition, perinatal trauma,
environmental factors, etc. Not as well accepted is the fact that
heavy metal neurotoxic exposures have been directly and indirectly
linked to such developmental neurological diseases as the Autism
Spectrum, behavioral and mood disorders, learning disabilities,
mental retardation and Cerebral Palsy, seizure disorders, Spina
Bifida, and other mal-developmental neurologic conditions.
In the adult nervous system, we see heavy metal neurotoxic
influences manifesting as brain fog, or the inability to focus,
attentional, and memory dysfunction, ALS, MS, balance
dysfunction, pain syndromes, mood disorders, visual and hearing
loss, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Dementias.
A. Mechanisms of Neurotoxicity: most environmental toxins
such as heavy metals have a positively charged lipophilic (fat
loving) component that is attracted to the negatively charged
linings and insulating myelin of the brain, spine, and nerves.
The result of this interaction is abnormal brain development in
the fetal and juvenile brain, and increased cell death in the adult
nervous system. This affinity of heavy metal toxins also applies
to other fat bearing organs and tissues of the body, including
the thyroid, kidneys, liver, pituitary, and bone marrow, creating
similar imbalances and dysregulation.
B. Routes of exposure: inhalation of airborne heavy metals,
transdermal absorption, ingestion (mercury leakage from
dental amalgams, food or water-bearing toxins), nasal neural
uptake, transmission from mother to fetus (across the placenta)
and to child (breast milk).
C. Tools for assessing toxic burden: assessing environmental
exposures is done through history taking, provoked heavy
metal laboratory testing, serologic testing, anatomical and
functional imaging, and physical examination.
D. Mechanisms of neurotoxin remediation: clearing toxins
(chelation), avoidance behaviors (filtering water, air), utilizing
organic food sources, and transdermal detoxification.
Although disease and wellness reflect a multi-causal nature,
the environment represents an increasing source of potentially
reversible factors. In 2008, Neurology journal reported the
incidence of ALS in New Zealand to have steadily increased by
3% per year from 1985-2006. The increasing incidence of autism
is even more dramatic. It is incumbent upon us to deeply explore
these issues further for possible intervention for patients suffering
from these illnesses.
Read more articles by Pamela Costello online: www.trulyalive.net
Truly Alive | September/October 2012 11