HELP: Has anyone ever been tested for heavy metals?

[cookie]

I have rheumatoid arthritis. My AP wants to do a Provocation Test for Toxic Metals (heavy Metals). Its a procedure used to measure the degree of excretion of lead, mercury, cadmium, aluminum and other toxic elements after the administration of chelating medicines(intravenously) that bind and excrete these metals.

Has anyone had such a test and was it successful in treating your specific arthritis???

The Provocation Test for heavy metals is not a diagnostic test, and is considered experimental and not considered relevant or meaningful by the traditional Toxicology Standards.

Diagnosed with RA in 2005. Taking minocycline M W F. Taking B vitamins, fish oil, probiotics, vit E, calcium, vit D, DHEA, zinc, magnesium taurine, curcumin, msm, GLA, vitamin C, glutathione capsules. Using topical ointments for pain such as Voltaren. Drinking lactose free milk, eating lean meat such as chicken and fruits and veggies. Exercising 3 times a week.
My side effects of mino are hyperpigmentation of my face/neck and darkening of my gums and whites of eyes which is very distressing. Diagno

[Maz]

@cookie wrote:

Has anyone had such a test and was it successful in treating your specific arthritis???

Hi Cookie,

Yes, I have done the Doctor’s Data 6-hour urine challenge with oral DMSA. It involved collecting first morning urine in one container for the pre-challenge test and then taking the oral DMSA (per body weight), drinking 3 liters of water over the course of 6 hours and collecting urine in a separate container for the post-challenge test. So, the test is run in two parts – pre and post DMSA challenge to compare what the body excretes normally with what may be bound in tissues and bone after the DMSA is taken.

I was shocked to discover I have 20x the lead in my body for an average person – CDC levels for lead poisoning and also very high levels of mercury, antimony and cadmium. My doctor started me on an aggressive protocol of IV EDTA weekly chelation (he wanted me to do it twice a week for several months but it was impractical to get up to his office twice a week). I managed 6 weekly IVs, but these were so hard on me I had to switch to oral DMSA (as per my sig line). I’ve been doing this since Feb.

The reason the doc checked these is because I was having serious detox problems and kept experiencing drug-induced lupus, which is an acetylation problem (body’s inability to metabolize certain drugs). I also got tested for mold exposure, which suppresses immune function and my levels were highly indicative of this, too. So, the chorella pyrenoidosa I take is to help mop up the heavy metals excreted in the gut and also to help with mold.

After recently adding Moxatag to my Biaxin (clarithromycin) and plaquenil, I’m having close to pain-free days now.

Chelation has many benefits other than for arthritis, which are reason enough for me to undergo the treatments. These include things like cardiovascular health, which is often a big factor for RAers with chronic inflammation. Also for anyone suffering from Raynaud’s. Chelation is also thought to break through biofilms where bugs hide, as these biofilms cleave to heavy metals as a protective barrier. It may be one reason why tetras work well as they are also chelative in action.

It is very worth researching the benefits of chelation. Here is an article on the Arthritis Trust website, but you’ll find much more online…there is one study on chelation for RAers showing efficacy, but unable to access the full study, unfortunately.

http://arthritistrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Chelation-Oral.pdf

http://arthritistrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/The-Role-of-Chelation-Therapy-Antibiotics-and-Mycoplasms.pdf

One case study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21655943

Very important to chase chelation with a good multi-mineral supp as it will remove good minerals, too. 😉 I also have weekly IV Myer’s Cocktails and Glutathione IV pushes, which are both additionally anti-oxidative and chelative in action.

[cookie]

Hi Maz:

What you described is exactly what is involved in the test. I’m going to try this and hopefully if I need chelation it will help my RA inflammation. I’ll post my results when I’ve completed the initial stages.

Thanks for your input.

Cookie

Diagnosed with RA in 2005. Taking minocycline M W F. Taking B vitamins, fish oil, probiotics, vit E, calcium, vit D, DHEA, zinc, magnesium taurine, curcumin, msm, GLA, vitamin C, glutathione capsules. Using topical ointments for pain such as Voltaren. Drinking lactose free milk, eating lean meat such as chicken and fruits and veggies. Exercising 3 times a week.
My side effects of mino are hyperpigmentation of my face/neck and darkening of my gums and whites of eyes which is very distressing. Diagno

[Maz]

@cookie wrote:

What you described is exactly what is involved in the test. I’m going to try this and hopefully if I need chelation it will help my RA inflammation. I’ll post my results when I’ve completed the initial stages.

Thanks for your input.

Pleasure, Cookie! Good luck and let us know how you get on. 🙂

Btw, have no idea how I got lead poisoning, but as I am a child of the 60s, seems many of us from before the mid-70s might have been exposed to lead-based paints in toys, cribs, house paints, etc. I lived many years in England in some old buildings where there may have been old lead-lined water pipes….mind you, I also used to chew on lead pencils – ach!

[cookie]

Hi Maz:

I will post my results as soon as I get them. It’ll be interesting for sure!!!

Cookie

Diagnosed with RA in 2005. Taking minocycline M W F. Taking B vitamins, fish oil, probiotics, vit E, calcium, vit D, DHEA, zinc, magnesium taurine, curcumin, msm, GLA, vitamin C, glutathione capsules. Using topical ointments for pain such as Voltaren. Drinking lactose free milk, eating lean meat such as chicken and fruits and veggies. Exercising 3 times a week.
My side effects of mino are hyperpigmentation of my face/neck and darkening of my gums and whites of eyes which is very distressing. Diagno

[Lynne G.SD]

Hi Cookie;
My doctor had the test done by U.S Biotek labs.The results just about scared the britches off of her as some levels were so high or so low that I should have been dead.This lab uses the hair analysis and is the same testing method that CSIs use for police work.Your hair will give a very accurate result of what you ahve been exposed to throughout your life.We use it in archeology all the time

[Valsmum]

Maz & Cookie,

Chelation has always interested me. Does it have any harmful side effects or is it relatively safe?

About mold, I read it can cause arthritis, and when I moved to a state that had a high mold count (it was even on the local daily news) I was dxd with RA. Then I moved to mediterranean climate and I noticed an improvement after being there for 4 weeks, I had to maintain a strict diet, but I coincidentally improved after my big move. Now, I wonder if mold had a part to play as well as diet??

[Maz]

@Valsmum wrote:

Chelation has always interested me. Does it have any harmful side effects or is it relatively safe?

Hi Valsmum,

In the hands of a doc who is properly trained and knows what he/she doing chelation is relatively safe. There are variables in the mix – protocols need to be individualized (route of administration and type of chelation) depending on a person’s heavy metal load and build, as well as their state of health. For e.g a person with diabetes may need to be particularly careful as certain forms of chelation can significantly lower blood sugar levels. Some docs actually encourage you to eat during an infusion, if IVs are being used. Chelation also removes good minerals, so these need to be replaced afterwards or you can feel a bit like a drained dish rag. The following is a site I came across with info on RA and chelation (see sub-section entitled, “A Broad View of Chelation in Medical Practice) this is the study I was unable to locate in full, but someone with access to studies may be able to open it)

http://www.gordonresearch.com/inner.cfm?itemCategory=46981&siteId=502&priorId=0

“The dramatic responses in some cases of rheumatoid arthritis in the literature may be explained with inhibition of Nfkappa

[Author]

Posts