lead poisoning

[bunkers1]

i finally found out what caused me to have epilepsy. ive been obsessed with finding out how this happened for years, and ive finally stumbled upon the answer. as a child i lived near ( less than 2 blocks away ) a paint factory. i was born in ' 78, the year after lead paint was banned. however lead stays in the soil and my family grew a garden and we ate from it. also my father would cart me around wherever he went, which was usually junk yards ( exposure there too from old batteries and radiators) . when i was 7 and we moved dad renovated the house, while i was there tearing down walls and such. anyway i suspected it may be lead poisoning so i went out to get my lead level checked and for not being exposed in 20 years its still pretty high a 4 so docs say that lead poisoning is a good bet on what caused the epilepsy to begin with.

[Bernard]

Wowsers. Are you trying chelation therapy to remove the heavy metals from your system?

[bunkers1]

the level of 4 is in the bone so the cheleaton (simple partial?) therapy wouldnt greatly reduce the level if at all. plus once neurological damage is done with lead poisoning the chances of reversing it are slim to none... at least that is what ive been told by the doctors and everything ive found online... thats why lead usage has been brought to such low levels in the U.S.A. its effects at high exposure can be devestating and untreatable. ive seen some people on here mentioning that they use herbs for treatment of their seizures and other medical uses, when i was researching lead content items, it mentioned that many herbs bought overseas, mainly in India contain lead. so just a warning and you might want to check your labels and manufactures.

[kidart]

Bunkers,

We discovered lead toxicity in our kids who both have absence seizures. I'm guessing also that it is linked to the seizures. It showed up in a hair analysis. They've had 3 each. It showed up in small amounts on the 2nd one. After taking supplements given to us by our chiropractor, the lead went from 1.5 to 13.5, which means the body is getting rid of it. So your dr. was wrong. Our boys have had major improvement off the meds and on the supplements. Since they started the supplements to detox the heavy metals, it's made a big difference. Our younger son, who is 9 has had very severe symptoms which have drastically improved in the year we've been seeing our chiro. (Restorative Endocrinologist). If it would have been up to the dr's and neurologist, they would have been on meds forever. I used to work in a place where I airbrushed w/ car paint w/ no ventilation. (what was I thinking). I'm guessing that's how they got it, along w/ pesticides. We've gone organic, gotten rid of ALL processed junk...food coloring, msg, corn syrup, etc. They repeat the hair analysis every 3-4 mo. We take whole food supplements (Standard Process). I would not walk into a store and just try supplements. Find a restorative endocrinologist in your area. This detox therapy works.

[Endless]

Kidart,

Did your chiro check blood levels of lead, not just hair? Hair samples are considered unreliable, and blood levels are the gold standard:
http://www.lead.org.au/lanv3n3/lanv3n3-13.html
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hac/hair_an..._c_sharon.html

The increase in lead levels in the hair is most probably variation in the hair analysis. The fact that it shows up in the second and not the first, and shows improvement in the third makes this the most likely thing. It could also be an increase in lead due to lead content in the vitamins themselves. Your son may have improved because he was on the wrong meds for him, and removing them made him feel better. Or, I don't know how long your son was on meds. Enough time on them and they could be removed and he'd still be seizure free. It could have also been another reason that hasn't been obvious.

Maybe you'd want to see an M.D. for proper evaluation and treatment, in addition to the alternative therapies. I'm betting when an MD takes blood levels you might find there isn't a problem.

[kidart]

Well, if it's so inaccurate, why is it working then? The hair analysis has uncovered mineral deficiencies too. Our younger son went from not being able to function on a daily basis, to being a happy social kid. I'm assuming if you're saying it doesn't work, it's because you have no hands on experience with it. Some government sheet full of medical jargon doesn't do a thing for me. All I know is that it has done wonders for our family. Medical doctors prescribe medications to treat symptoms. Our whole health care industry is about symptom relief, not actually finding the root of the problem. And it's also run by pharmaceutical companies. Our kids took medication and it was unbearable. It also was starting to affect their liver. We will keep doing the hair analyses and keep taking the supplements because they are working better than any prescription medication did. And I have both of my kids and myself to prove it.

[Endless]

Actually, I do have experience with it. I was concerned about toxic metal poisoning because of my work. I was desperately trying to find a cause for my seizures, thinking if I looked hard enough I'd find it. I went to a naturopath who did a hair test and it came back positive for cadmium, and he suggested vitamins and supplements to detox. The high cadmium levels freaked me out because it is strongly linked to kidney failure and cancer. So I saw an MD who specializes in integrative (natural) medicine, and can prescribe the best of both worlds. He repeated the hair test and then blood and urine tests. Hair test said no problems, blood test said no problems, either. He went mostly by the blood test when he said I didn't have a problem. He explained to me all the ways a hair test can be contaminated, or the analysis can be wrong. Just to make sure he had me come in 6 months later for another blood test. Everything was within normal limits. I was so relieved....

I'm not saying your son didn't feel better. It's obvious he did. The only thing I'm saying is that hair analysis isn't reliable, and any measurements you get that way doesn't mean the lead level is going up or down - the results are unreliable. There may be another explanation why they are feeling better now.

[kidart]

So, if your dr. told you hair analysis is inaccurate, why did he do it then? Hmmm. And how do you know that the one he did was accurate?

My younger son's first test showed a severe magnesium deficiency. After being on the supplements (magnesium and calcium) his hyperactivity went way down. (magnesium def. causes adhd symptoms) He's been taking these and now the levels are normal. And he has a normal activity level of a 9 yr. old.

I'm not here to argue with you, but all I can say is good luck to you. I hope you are able to find a way to be seizure free.

[Rae1889]

FYI, magnesium deficiency is common in most people, specifically those that dont get enough calcium, as calcium is needed to absorb magnesium. Yes it can cause ADHD symptoms, as well as migraines etc

[RobinN]

We did hair analysis with Rebecca, and it was very helpful to me to know how to treat her.

There is also a very well respected man by the name of Andrew Cutler that has written a book, called Amalgam Illness diagnosis and treatment. What you can do to get better.

In his book he discusses other toxins on of which is lead:

Gout, glaucoma, paleness, weakness and drooping of the wrists and ankles, wasting of the shoulder girdle muscles, low sex hormones (with the corresponding pituitary hormones elevated, unlike for mercury where both pituitary factors and hormones are relatively low)., fear of being murdered. The victim will feel worse at night, and better during exercise.

The victims will also have a lot of gastrointestinal pain (colic) and gas.

There are many laboratory test abnormalities that are distinctive for lead poisoning that can be used to see how much of a problem lead is versus mercury for a particular person. Results in the high end of the normal range are significant for a person who also has some mercury in them because lead and mercury are synergistic in their effects.

***

There are a variety of laboratory tests for the metabolic effects of lead. In addition, certain changes observed in a blood count are typical of lead and not of the other toxins. Lead levels in hair, urine and blood are representative of body burden. Free erythrocyte protoporphyrin zinc protoporphyrin and urinary aminolevulinic acid are specific tests for lead intoxication.
Coexistence of gout is diagnostic for lead.
Wrist or ankle drop is diagnostic for lead.

Chronic mercury intoxication can be difficult to diagnose because large quantities of mercury can be sequestered in the internal organs yet most of the mercury in the extra cullular compartment may have been excreted long ago. Thus a "low" mercury excretion may mean someone is fine, or it may mean someone was poisoned to the gills so long ago it is no longer apparent by measuring excretion. Unlike, mercury, lead has a long excretion half life., So lead excretion will be indefinitely elevated if lead poisoning has occurred and no chelation treatment has been given in the meantime.

While some controversy surrounds the hair element test, authoritative sources like Tietz accept it as a useful screening test for heavy metal intoxications such as lead and arsenic.