KIRK DOUGLAS KIRK DOUGLAS - Earthstar

treatment lasts 2-3 months. This productis a newcomer and enjoys limitedclinical experience. Supplementationwith heavy metals is unnecessary.IonCleanse - This is an electronicfootbath system which removes heavymetals from the body via the processof reverse osmosis. Various colors andparticles appear in the bath water makingit possible to identify toxicity inspecific organs. It is safe and gentleand only rarely requires supplementationwith minerals. A course of treatmentinvolves ten-twenty-hour sessions.Patients report a sense of lightnessand a greater sense of well beingafterwards. This treatment has foundusefulness in the setting of arthritis,autism, gout, edema, chronic pain,chemotherapy and radiation therapysituations and cardiovascular disease.DMPS and DMSA - These twoagents (dimercaptopropane sulfonicacid and dimercapotsuccinic acid) arepowerful heavy metal chelators thathave been used for over fifty years. Ofthe two, DMSA is felt to be somewhatsafer. DMPS is given by IV infusionand DMSA by the oral route. They areboth used in provoked urine testing forassessing total body burden of heavymetals. DMSA is the safer of the twoand at present represents the gold standardof chelating agents. A course oftreatment lasts one-two months.Rarely allergic problems, detoxificationsymptoms and augmentation ofneurologic problems in autistic childrenare seen.Penicillamine - This is an old agentwith a new use as an effective heavymetal chelator. Unlike the others itcrosses the blood brain barrier andmay be more effective for this reason.It is quite safe. It is being used in thesame clinical situations as DMSA andmay replace it in the future as thechelating agent of choice.Modified Citrus Pectin - This alsorepresents an old agent with a new usein the chelation of heavy metals. As anatural product derived from orangeand grapefruit rind it is safer and doesnot require the use of mineral supplements.Chelation is slower requiring acourse of three months of treatment.Garlic, chlorella, kelp and cilantro canbe added to the regimen to increase itseffectiveness by binding heavy metalsin the gastrointestinal tract. Early clinicalexperience suggests that this agenthas great promise as a heavy metalchelator.Heavy metal testing is performed onhair, blood and urine. Hair analysis isthe least accurate, the cheapest but easiestto perform and is most appropriatein the pediatric population. It reflectstoxic exposure for the prior threemonths and can be influenced by hairtreatments and hair products. Autisticchildren are known to be unable toexcrete heavy metals into their hairand will have spuriously low readings.Blood analysisis intermediatein accuracy forheavy metaltoxins with redblood cellanalysis beingsomewhat better.It has beenused for massscreening.Provoked urinetesting is themost accurateand measuresthe total bodyburden ofheavy metalswhich closelyreflects theimpact on theindividualíshealth. Often itis the only testwhich showsthe true level ofmetal toxicity.Chelation TherapyEach year over 500,000 Americans dieof atherosclerosis our nationís numberone killer. Conventional medicalapproaches to the problem ofteninvolve the use of medications andinvasive procedures such as angioplastyand bypass surgery. Since the1950’s EDTA chelation therapy hasoffered patients a safe and painlessalternative. This procedure has beenshown to effectively reverse symptomsof athersclerosis and correct the majorunderlying cause of arterial blockage.Chelation therapy is given as a seriesof twenty-thirty weekly infusions eachlasting three hours. EDTA moleculesin the infusion ‘grab’ the built up moleculesof calcium and lead and otherminerals from blood vessel walls andtransport them to be eliminated by thekidneys. It is felt that the beneficialeffects of chelation therapy are formContinued on Page 65APRIL / MAY 2007 EARTH STAR 25