Potential Treatment Of Metal
Induced CFS Using Curcumin Based Antioxidants.
The Role Of Metals.
There is a large amount of information available regarding CFS, and the related conditions of CFIDS, PVFS, and ME. In terms of the possible causes of CFS, the website of The Environmental Illness Resource, at www.ei-resource.org, gives a good summary, as follows:
The cause, or causes of CFS are still not clear. There are a number of theories that have been proposed, the main ones propose the following factors as the cause, or causes, of the illness:
·
Viral Infection
·
Immune or Endocrine Dysfunction
·
Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction
·
Environmental Toxins
·
Genetic Predisposition
·
Candida Overgrowth/Gut Dysbiosis
·
Heavy Metal Sensitivity
·
Emotional Stress or Trauma
This position is supported by the RACP and outlined on the website www.mja.com.au under CFS Clinical Guidelines 2002.
Background.
In this case, the subject was employed in an aluminium remelting plant over a three-year period from 1996-1998. The plant processed 1200 tonnes/month of aluminium, and exposure was predominantly by inhalation. After persistent symptoms, in May 1998 the subject’s health had deteriorated, so he attended a clinic for a full check-up. The symptoms evident were gastro-intestinal (IBS), fatigue, Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), an elevated RDW (anisocytosis), and an increased number of URT infections. The problem was incorrectly diagnosed, and no further tests were conducted.
Discovery.
In 2003 the subject contracted cellulitis, which was taking a long time
to heal. In the investigation of the reason for the delayed healing, a hair
sample was taken in July 2003 and submitted for mineral analysis. The result
reported for Aluminium was 248 parts per million (ppm).
The reference interval established by the laboratory in accordance with normal clinical laboratory protocol is less than 18 ppm. The level of Al in the range reported (248 ppm) is found in less than 0.04% within the population tested of over 27,000 patient samples processed by the laboratory.
The initial hair tissue mineral analysis was supported by tests of other tissues including Toenail, Fingernail, Foot Skin, Semen, and Underarm Hair. Refer to Graph One below for the initial results and changes mapped over the duration of stage one chelation:
In order to confirm the likely source of exposure, semen from 2000 was
tested and allowed the construction of the probable contamination curve. The
aluminium levels are consistent with a biological half-life of 3 years, as per
the WHO EHC 194-1997, and indicate that the level of tissue contamination in
1998 would have been about three times the level detected in 2003. Refer to Graph
Two below for the backward projection of aluminium levels:
Health Effects.
The adverse effects of metals on the human body are many and varied. They may be both Primary and Secondary effects.
Primary effects include free radical production, gut flora destruction, sweat gland blockages, enzyme dysfunction, impaired bone mineralisation, impaired erythropoiesis, lipid peroxidation, reduced dopamine activity, neural protein agglomeration, arterial accumulation, renal toxicity, hepatotoxicity, adrenal insufficiency, reproductive impairment, and cognitive impairment. Secondary effects include viral susceptibility, elemental imbalances, and nutritional element deficiencies.
Aluminium, iron, zinc, & copper are implicated as contributory factors in the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, and aluminium has also been associated with ALS, Parkinson’s disease, MS, and Down’s Syndrome. Refer to the website www.pranabio.com for their MPAC theory as an example, as below:
Chelation Therapy.
The accepted treatment for high levels of metals is chelation, which
binds and removes the contaminant from the body via the kidneys. There is no
specific binding agent for aluminium, and typically both desferrioxammine
(DFO) and EDTA are used. DFO has a number of well-defined side effects and is
used with great caution if required over a long period.
It was found that a curcummin-based anti-oxidant was very effective at removing aluminium from the body, as reflected in Graph One.
As a comparison, DFO was tested to determine if it would be more suitable for the removal of brain aluminium. It was found that DFO was marginally more effective, however, the cost of a DFO injection was around $200, compared to the cost of the curcummin-based anti-oxidant at around $20. The serum aluminium level obtained by curcummin was 88% of that for DFO, and the urinary aluminium level was 75% of that for DFO.
The result of the trial appears in Graph
Three below:
Populations At Risk.
The document produced for the WHO, entitled EHC-194 (1997) Aluminium, acknowledges the risk of aluminium for certain populations, which are, for example:
· Premature infants
· Dialysis patients
· Persons with impaired renal function
· Occupationally exposed workers
By implication, anyone who is exposed to a short-term overload, or has a reduced capacity to process the metal, must also be included in the risk categories. As an example, the poisoning at Camelford in 1988 is such a case where normal healthy individuals were placed into the risk category by a chemical incident.
Hair Mineral Analysis.
The very high level of aluminium found in hair indicates a past
exposure where there has been a considerable sequestration of aluminium into
tissues.
There was NO CORRELATION between hair tissue aluminium and serum and
urinary aluminium prior to the start of chelation, which is consistent with a
historical exposure. Over the period of primary chelation, the hair tissue test
profiles of the subject clearly show that curcummin
is removing all of the toxic elements, refer to Graph Four below:
The Reference
Values in Graph Four are at the lower end of the currently acceptable reference
ranges for each element, and the Y-Axis values are on a logarithmic scale. Hair
and tissue samples were taken using good laboratory practices (GLP) at all
times and this was certainly the key to obtaining reliable results both in
terms of accuracy and consistency:
Conclusions.
A number of important conclusions can be drawn from this
case study that will benefit sufferers of CFS, and they are as follows:
·
Hair and
tissue elemental analysis is an excellent indicator of a past exposure to toxic
metals where there has been sequestration, and also of elemental deficiencies
and imbalances.
· Due to the time between exposure and testing, blood and urine testing will NOT be reveal the sequestration of metal into tissues.
·
Curcummin
appears to be a very strong anti-oxidant and chelator
of metals, including aluminium, and offers the associated benefits of no known
side effects.
·
Due to the
very strong links between aluminium and other metals in neurological
dysfunction, it is hypothesised that curcummin is an
effective treatment for such dysfunctions, including Alzheimer’s disease, which
may only be currently manifest as pre-symptomatic mild cognitive impairment.
Peter Stewart,
[Note: if you wish to print this case study, it would be
better to use the PDF version
at http://www.co-cure.org/Stewart.pdf
.]