Hompes MethodPractitioner Training Level II

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Lesson Eleven

The Human Toxic Burden

Human Toxic Burden

• This is a long and “heavy” lesson. It’s designed to give you everything you need to educate your clients and patients where toxins come from, what symptoms they may cause and the kinds of risk they carry for future disease development

Human Toxic Burden

Human Toxic Burden

• Bad food contains toxins

• Bad bugs product toxins

• Bad toxins are…bad toxins!

• A lack of good foods increases toxin retention

• A lack of good nutrients increases toxin retention

• A lack of good bugs increases toxin retention

Human Toxic Burden

http://www.slideshare.net/metametrix/environmental-toxicity-and-the-effect-on-health?qid=33376350-cc32-4f77-87f4-429444fe91e2&v=qf1&b=&from_search=1

http://www.slideshare.net/metametrix/environmental-toxicity-and-the-effect-on-health?qid=33376350-cc32-4f77-87f4-429444fe91e2&v=qf1&b=&from_search=1

Human Toxic Burden

• Like the slideshow, Dr. Crinnion’s four part article, published in the journal Alt. Med. Review (Thorne Research) is excellent and is publicly on the Internet for clients and patients to download.

Human Toxic Burden

• Dr. Sherry Rogers’ book, Detoxify Or Die is another excellent reference book for people who are skeptical.

Human Toxic Burden

“Chemical compounds ubiquitous in our food, air, and water are now found in every person. The

bioaccumulation of these compounds in some individuals can lead to a variety of metabolic and systemic dysfunctions, and in some cases outright disease states. The systems most affected by these

xenobiotic compounds include the immune, neurological, and endocrine systems.”

Altern Med Rev; 2000;5(1):52-63.

Human Toxic Burden

“Toxicity in these systems can lead to immune dysfunction, autoimmunity, asthma, allergies, cancers, cognitive deficit, mood changes, neurological illnesses,

changes in libido, reproductive dysfunction, and glucose dysregulation. Chemicals and their effects on these

systems are reviewed in this article. Subsequent articles in this series will focus on therapeutic regimens to

combat the toxic effects of these and other compounds.”

Altern Med Rev; 2000;5(1):52-63.

Human Toxic Burden

“The twentieth century, with its promise of “Better Living Through Chemistry,” brought a host of chemical

toxin-related illnesses, often referred to as environmental illness. Recent articles in the medical

literature have shown the rate of cancers not associated with smoking are higher for those born after 1940 than before, and that this increase in cancer rate is due to environmental factors other than smoking.”

Human Toxic Burden

“New medical diagnoses include sick (closed) building syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), both

of which are known to be related to overexposure to environmental contaminants. The primary action of the

major pesticide classes and solvents is to disrupt neurological function.”

Human Toxic Burden

“In addition to being neurotoxic, these compounds are profoundly toxic to the immune and endocrine systems. The adverse health effects are not limited only to those

systems, as these compounds can cause a variety of dermatological, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and cardiological

problems as well.”

Human Toxic Burden

Revisit the Olympic Rings

Human Toxic Burden

“Our environment is currently flooded with chemicals that are present in our air, water, and food. Since 1976

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been conducting the National Human Adipose Tissue

Survey (NHATS). NHATS is an annual program that collects and chemically analyzes a nationwide sample of

adipose tissue specimens for the presence of toxic compounds. The objective of the program is to detect and quantify the prevalence of toxic compounds in the

general population.”

Human Toxic Burden

Human Toxic Burden

• There are now over 80,000 chemicals registered for use by the US EPA (some sources estimate closer to 120,000).– The EPA was only testing for 54 in the previous study.

• Over 3,800 of these are classed as “high-use” chemicals.

• Less than half the high-use chemicals have been assessed for toxic effect on humans.

• Less than 9% have been assessed for toxic effects on children.

Human Toxic Burden

According to Wikipedia:

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes USEPA) is an agency of the United States

federal government which was created for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment by

writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_federal_agencieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_government

Human Toxic Burden

• An Environmental Working Group (EWG) Neonatal Toxin Study examined 10 babies born in US hospitals: A total of 287 chemical compounds were identified in the babies’ umbilical cord blood, with an average of 200 chemicals identified per infant.

www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/

http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/

Human Toxic Burden

• Xenobiotics were assessed in a study that examined meconium – the 1st BM after a baby is born:

– Nicotine was detectable even in babies whose mothers were non-smokers.

– Two metabolites of organophosphate pesticides (DEP and DETP) were found in 19/20 and 20/20 samples, respectively.

– Mercury was detected in 6.4% of the maternal blood and 46.1% of the meconium.

Human Toxic Burden

• The EWG Adult Burden Study looked at 9 persons, including several international environmental activists:

– 210 different chemicals were examined.

– The study found an average of 91 per person

www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden1/

http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden1/

Human Toxic Burden

• The chemicals are everywhere (ubiquitous). They’ve been detected in even the remotest parts of the world such as in Inuit people living way up towards the Arctic. Soils, waterways, oceans, plants and animals are also contaminated, of course.

Human Toxic Burden

• Sources of exposure:

– Part of mom’s toxic burden is passed to us – in other words, if mum is toxic, the baby will follow.

– New compounds are added to our bodies daily through eating, drinking, breathing and putting things on our skin.

– Medical drugs are all toxic on some level.

– The biggest sources of toxins are indoor air in our homes and workplaces, along with our food.

Human Toxic Burden

http://www.chemicalbodyburden.org/whatisbb.htm

http://www.chemicalbodyburden.org/whatisbb.htm

Human Toxic Burden

http://www.everydayexposures.com/

http://www.everydayexposures.com/

Human Toxic Burden

Human Toxic Burden

http://nhne-pulse.org/body-burden-resource-page/

http://nhne-pulse.org/body-burden-resource-page/

Human Toxic Burden

www.cosmeticdatabase.com

http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com

Human Toxic Burden

http://styleangel.typepad.com/beautybystyleangel/2010/11/toxic-

burden-women-put-515-chemicals-on-their-faces-

everyday.html

http://styleangel.typepad.com/beautybystyleangel/2010/11/toxic-burden-women-put-515-chemicals-on-their-faces-everyday.html

Human Toxic Burden

• Do these chemicals cause health problems? The nine EWG ADULT study subjects carried:– 76 chemicals linked to cancer in humans or animals.

– 94 chemicals that are toxic to the brain and nervous system.

– 86 chemicals that interfere with the hormone system.

– 79 chemicals associated with birth defects or abnormal. development.

– 77 chemicals toxic to the reproductive system.

– 77 chemicals toxic to the immune system.

Human Toxic Burden

• These compounds clearly affect:– Immune system (allergies, asthma, chronic infections,

autoimmunity).

– Nervous system (mood, memory, neurological diseases) -solvents diminish neural functioning and pesticides are neurotoxins by design.

– Endocrine/hormonal system (reproduction, fertility, PMS, sperm counts, energy production) – plastics and pesticides mimic the functions of hormones in the body.

– Mitochondrial function - the cellular energy centers - are compromised by these toxins, leading to poor energy production in the body

Human Toxic Burden

• Diseases associated with the toxic burden:– Cancer incidence is increasing

– Baby boomers generation have higher rates of cancer than any previous generation

– Childhood brain cancers are rising

– Asthma rates are rising worldwide

– Autism and ADD/ADHD rates are increasing

– Chemical Sensitivity, chronic fatigue and immune deficiency “syndromes” are all increasing

– Gulf war syndrome is heavily associated with toxicity

Human Toxic Burden

• In every day life, the effects of toxins can be seen in:– Fatigue– Obesity– Diabetes– Fibromyalgia– Cognitive difficulties– Brain Fog– Mood disorders– Tremors– Chronic neurological

illnesses– Asthma– Allergies– Chemical sensitivities– Autoimmune conditions– Chronic bacterial, fungal,

and viral infections– Certain cancers– Infertility– Hormonal imbalances

Human Toxic Burden

• Heavy metals (AKA toxic elements) have neurotoxic effects, cause oxidative stress and suppress immune function, among other things. We’ll look at them separately, in Lesson Ten, Part Two:

– Mercury

– Lead

– Arsenic

– Cadmium

– Aluminium

Human Toxic Burden

• Heavy metals occur naturally in the environment and background exposure has always been there. But the advent of the industrial revolution created a dramatic increase in exposure levels (mining, industry, food packaging, dentistry, cosmetics, personal care products, etc.)

Human Toxic Burden

• Plastics and Parabens are grouped into a chemical category known as endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs. This is just a fancy term to explain the negative impact of these chemicals on animals’ hormone systems. According to the Endocrine Society, these are:

Human Toxic Burden

“Substances in our environment, food, and consumer products that interfere with hormone biosynthesis, metabolism, or action resulting in deviation from

normal homeostatic control or reproduction.”

Human Toxic Burden

• Phthalates are widely used in the production of plastics, cosmetics, and other convenience items. As such, exposure is virtually universal. It is estimated that roughly, a billion pounds of phthalates are produced per year. Phthalates have been shown to have numerous physiological effects, mainly related to steroid hormone disruption.

Human Toxic Burden

• Phthalates mimic the actions of estrogen in the body, which may offset the beneficial effects of other hormones such as progesterone and testosterone. Although studies on individual phthalates
have found them to be of low estrogenic potency, when multiple compounds are present, dramatic enhancement of estrogen receptor response to estradiol was found.

Human Toxic Burden

• Parabens are widely used in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food products. The most frequently used parabens – and the ones you will see listed on your personal care and cosmetic product labels - are:– Methylparaben

– Ethylparaben

– Propylparaben

– Butylparaben

– Benzylparaben

Human Toxic Burden

• Methyl- and propylparaben are the most commonly used preservatives in cosmetics, and are allowed in concentrations up to 1%. Parabens are found in shampoos and conditioners, moisturizers, hair care products, shave gels, cosmetics, personal lubricants, sunscreen and tanning lotions, deodorants and antiperspirant, toothpastes, food additives, topicaland parenteral pharmaceuticals.

Human Toxic Burden

• There is little meaningful research on the negative health effects of parabens. However, because usage tends to be daily and accumulates over several decades, some scientists and doctors are becoming concerned about the possible health effects of these chemicals. Remember, just because the studies haven’t been done yet, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem!

Human Toxic Burden

• Bisphenol A (BPA) is a phenolic chemical used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins and has been in use for over 50 years. BPA in food and beverage containers accounts for the majority of daily human exposure. BPA leaches into food via packaging and during agricultural production.

Human Toxic Burden

• In the Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals (NHANES), a review of urinary BPA levels from the 2003-2004 data found BPA in 92.6% of people sampled. Infants, children, females, and folk with lower incomes had slightly higher urinary BPA levels.

Human Toxic Burden

• In large population studies, higher urinary BPA levels are statistically associated with avoidable morbidity (simply feeling unwell), reported heart disease, increased diabetes and liver enzymes, increased allergy/hay-fever diagnosis, and endocrine changes. Animal studies have shown altered development of the fetal prostate and mammary gland, inhibition of postnatal testosterone production, and changes in neurodevelopment.

Human Toxic Burden

• Triclosan is used in many personal care products as an anti-microbial agent. It targets bacteria mainly by inhibiting fatty acid synthesis. Triclosan itself is regarded as a weak androgenic compound and its metabolite is a weak estrogenic compound. It may also increase antibiotic resistance in microbes.

Human Toxic Burden

• Adverse effects of triclosan have not been established in humans, largely because research hasn’t really been done. In animal studies, triclosanalters serum thyroxine (T4 thyroid hormone) concentration and interacts with P450 enzymes that are heavily involved in detoxification.

Human Toxic Burden

• 4-Nonylphenol is used in industrial, agricultural, and domestic consumer products. 4-NP is ubiquitous in food products and is used in PVC films for food packaging. The 4-NP is absorbed into food –especially fatty food – from the PVC. The US Centers for Disease Control detected nonylphenol in about half of 371 urine samples collected from US adults between 1988-1994.

Human Toxic Burden

• Nonylphenol compounds are used as industrial surfactants and detergents. They are added to hundreds of consumer products for carpet and dry cleaning, pesticides, paper manufacturing, paints and coatings, as well as cosmetics and household cleaners.

Human Toxic Burden

• In 2005, the European Union classified nonylphenolsas a reproductive hazard – yes, a reproductive hazard– and subsequent legislation led to their use in cosmetics and other products being restricted. The reproductive issues arise from the fact that NPs are estrogenic. They mimic the effects of estradiol –which is the strongest acting human estrogen.

Human Toxic Burden

• Since NPs are found in high concentrations within food packaging and the environment, their total health impact is likely to be highly significant. NPs disrupt reproduction and fertility as well as contributing to birth defects and developmental delay.

Human Toxic Burden

• A solvent is a liquid or gas that is used to dissolve a solid, liquid, or gas in order to create a new solution. Volatile solvents are used aggressively during industrial processes to manufacture a huge variety of consumer products. Each year, annual solvent production numbers in the tens of billions of pounds in weight.

Human Toxic Burden

“Chemicals known as solvents are part of a broad class of chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These compounds are used in a variety of settings, are ubiquitous, and off-gas readily into the atmosphere. As

a result of their overuse, they can be found in detectable levels in virtually all samples of both indoor & outdoor air. Certain kinds are detectable in adipose

samples of all U.S. residents. Once in the body they can lead to neurological, immunological, endocrinological,

genitourinary, & hematopoietic problems.”

Altern Med Rev 2000;5(2):133-143.

Human Toxic Burden

• Solvents / VOCs are found at higher concentrations in indoor environments. In 1985, the Total Exposure Assessment Methodology (TEAM) study by the U.S. EPA showed the greatest personal exposure to VOCs occurs from air in the home.

Human Toxic Burden

• The EPA looked for the presence of 20 VOCs in indoor air, outdoor air, respired air, and personal air in a total of 780 people. The biggest source of personal exposure was from indoor air, which showed much higher levels of VOCs, especially at night.

Human Toxic Burden

• The compounds found most frequently were:

– Paradichlorobenzene (mothballs and room deodorizers/air fresheners)

– Styrene (take away drink cups, plastics, foam rubber, and insulation)

– Tetrachloroethylene (dry cleaning products)

– Vinylidene chloride (plastics)

– Xylene (paints)

– Benzene and ethylbenzene (petrol / gasoline)

Human Toxic Burden

• A further study - EPA’s National Human Adipose Tissue Survey – revealed that four solvents were present in 100% of tissue samples tested across the country. They were: xylene, dichlorobenzene, ethylphenol, and styrene. The study confirmed long-term, regular exposure to VOCs for the entire population.

Human Toxic Burden

“The unfortunate truth is, whether outdoors or indoors, at work or at home, solvents are being inhaled. The two

worst places to have high solvent content in the air is the home, the place where people usually spend at least half of the day, and the workplace, where they

spend at least eight hours… New or newly remodeled buildings have a substantial amount of chemical off-gassing and can easily become “sick buildings,” with

many workers getting “sick building syndrome” (SBS).”

Human Toxic Burden

“The most common presenting symptoms of SBS are: headache, dizziness, disorientation, difficulty

concentrating, fatigue, and eye, nose and throat irritation. Many EPA staffers began to complain of adverse health symptoms; the air was tested but no single agent was

found to be out of range. However, when 71 ill employees evacuated the building claiming health problems – that

went away when they were not in the building – and began picketing, the EPA realized the issue was real.”

Human Toxic Burden

• Overexposure or chronic exposure to volatile solvents damages the central nervous system and causes chemical-driven liver and kidney damage. Benzene, in particular, has a severe toxic effect on blood and is a recognized human carcinogen. To put that in slightly more direct language: benzene causes cancer.

Human Toxic Burden

• VOCs are primarily peripheral and central nervous system neurotoxins. When the central nervous system is primarily affected the symptoms can include:– Diminished cognition– Poor memory– Slower reaction time, hand-eye and foot-eye coordination– Diminished balance and gait disturbances– Depression– Irritability– Paresthesias– Tremors

Human Toxic Burden

• VOCs have also been implicated in kidney damage and immunological problems, including increased cancer rates and immune-toxicity. Solvents have been found to lower testosterone and can increase insulin and sex hormone binding globulin levels, rendering certain hormones in the body unavailable for use.

Human Toxic Burden

• They have been associated with infertility, decreased sperm count, increased rates of spontaneous abortion, and increased rates of fetal development problems. VOCs have also been associated with increased cardiovascular death rates. Solvents are very damaging to bone marrow and have been associated with many of the bone marrow cancers as well as anemia and thrombocytopenia.

Human Toxic Burden

• Indoor air levels of solvents and formaldehyde are closely associated with asthma and chronic bronchitis, especially in children. Low-dose exposure symptoms include rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, wheezing and persistent flu-like symptoms. Because these compounds are stored in fat cells, they can cause weight gain and create situations where weight loss is difficult to achieve.

Human Toxic Burden

• PCBs were used as lubricants and coolants in transformers, capacitors, and electronic equipment but were banned in the late 1970s due to environmental accumulation and negative health effects. Unfortunately PCBs don’t degrade and disappear very quickly. In fact, they remain in the environment for hundreds of years. PCBs accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and concentrate higher up the food chain in fish, fatty meats, and dairy products.

Human Toxic Burden

• Some PCBs can have soil-to-human biomagnificationfactors of over one million. In other words, humans may have a one million times higher PCB concentration in tissue than is found in the soil. Numerous studies from around the globe have consistently documented PCBs in breast milk samples.

Human Toxic Burden

• Over 200 different PCBs were made before 1977, and some consumer products may still contain PCBs, including:

– Old fluorescent lighting fixtures

– Electrical devices or appliances containing PCB capacitors

– Electrical transformers

– Old microscope oil

– Hydraulic fluids

Human Toxic Burden

• The greatest sources of PCB exposure come from contaminated food. Commercially raised beef, pork, poultry and dairy products contain PCBs. Seafood and fish also carry PCBs. There is a staggering difference between PCB levels in farmed fish (very high) versus wild-caught fish. Farmed salmon is known to contain up to 40 times more PCB than most other foods. In fact, farmed salmon is one of –if not the - most toxic foods on the planet, yet most people think it’s a healthy choice.

Human Toxic Burden

• The US Centers for Disease Control is measuring PCB levels in the ongoing NHANES trial and to date has been looking for 15 different PCBs. Ten of these are frequently detected in people. Of the PCBs, six are known to produce adverse health effects. Here are some of the negative health impacts resulting from PCB exposure:

Human Toxic Burden

• Immune System Effects of PCB:

– PCBs induce apoptosis of monocytes and thymocytes(thymus cells).

– PCBs cause diminished white blood cell activity.

– Dioxin-like PCBs can cause thymic atrophy (shrinking of the thymus) and immunosuppression.

– Dietary PCB exposure can lead to increased rates of certain cancers, especially liver and lung cancer.

Human Toxic Burden

• Neurological Effects of PCB:– In utero exposure to PCBs affects intellectual

functioning in children.– Children may also also have lower IQ levels and have

increased rates of hyperactivity. – Adults consuming PCB-contaminated fish may develop

problems with memory and learning. – Persons exposed to PCB gas may have slower reaction

times, faster sway speeds, diminished color discrimination
and visual performances, and constricted visual fields.

– Folk exposed to PCB gas also have score lower on digit symbols, vocabulary, verbal recall, and embedded memory tests.

Human Toxic Burden

• Endocrine effects of PCB:– PCBs adversely affect thyroid levels, including elevated

anti-thyroid antibodies.

– As PCB serum levels increase, thyroid hormones decrease.

– Women exposed to PCBs report higher incidence of stillbirth, miscarriage, abnormal menstrual bleeding and greater incidence of endometriosis than non-exposed women.

– PCBs and other chlorinated compounds lead to increased risk for type II diabetes.

Human Toxic Burden

• Chlorinated pesticides have been used worldwide in agriculture since World War II. Of the chlorinated pesticides, DDT is probably the best known. These chemicals have also been used as insecticides. Chlorinated pesticides have been identified in over 98% of all persons studied. Because they are fat-soluble and do not dissolve in water, they are stored in various organs as well as adipose tissue (fat cells).

Human Toxic Burden

• Most chlorinated pesticides have been banned for use in the US and Europe since the 1980s; however they are still in use in other parts of the world. Pesticide exposure occurs when we eat food contaminated with pesticide residue. Pesticides are also present in drinking water because the chemicals leech through soil into reservoirs. They can also be passed to infants in utero and through breastfeeding.

Human Toxic Burden

• The main routes of exposure are:

– Consuming contaminated fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, dairy, and fish.

– Drinking contaminated water.

– Inhaling chemical vapour or contaminated dust, soil, and house-dust.

– Direct skin contact, which can cause necrosis of skin and gums, itching, swelling and blistering.

– Bioaccumulation from mother.

Human Toxic Burden

• The primary toxic effect of this family of pesticides is in nerves and muscles. They are absorbed via the gut or lungs and interfere with nerve impulse transmissions. In humans, this can result in chronic neurological problems including mood disorders and difficulties with learning and memory. Chlorinated pesticides have also been shown to cause fatigue, obesity, diabetes, certain cancers, immune problems, allergies, heart disease, and a host of other challenges.

Human Toxic Burden

• Prenatal exposure to DDE, HCB, and dieldrin increases the risk of otitis media, and higher levels led to the otitis becoming recurrent.

• Prenatal DDE exposure increases rate of asthma in children.

• DDE increases the rate of mast cell degranulation and increases risk of allergy and asthma.

• Elevated serum DDE results in cell-mediated immune deficiency and may increase the incidence of herpes zoster.

• DDE (and other chlorinated pesticides) are found in higher levels of the Substantia nigra in persons with Parkinsonism. It also disrupts the transport of dopamine in the brain.

Human Toxic Burden

• DDE is associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.

• DDE is associated with higher rates of type II diabetes.

• DDE levels are associated with a 71% increased risk of developing testicular germ cell tumors.

• Persons with above-median levels of DDE (and other chlorinated compounds) may have increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer and will lead to tremendously shorter survival times in persons with pancreatic cancer.

Human Toxic Burden

• DDE levels (below medial levels) were associated with a greatly elevated risk factor (3.2) for liver cancer.

• DDE levels almost doubled the risk (OR 1.9) for endometrial cancer.

• DDE and other environmental endocrine disruptors have also been associated with increased rates of precocious puberty.

• DDE showed a clear correlation with both preterm births and small-for-gestational-age babies.

Human Toxic Burden

• DDE was the most frequently found chlorinated compound in a study of infertile females and their male partners.

• DDE levels are also associated with multiple abnormalities in semen indices and sperm amount, motility, and quality.

• DDE can also lead to early menopause.

• DDE levels are associated with greater risk of 
endometriosis and reduced functioning of their 
natural killer cells.

• DDE can lead to altered levels of thyroid hormones.

Human Toxic Burden

• The main source of chlorinated pesticides is contaminated food. Other sources of exposure are dust or dirt in homes and buildings contaminated with DDE. Contamination could occur in older dwellings where DDT was used several years ago, or in newer housing projects that were built on or around previously contaminated soil brought into the house in the air or on shoes.

Human Toxic Burden

• Carpets can be very large chlorinated pesticide reservoirs. When DDT is produced, it consists of a combination of both DDT and DDE. The rate of breakdown in the environment is approximately 40-60 years. In other words, it takes 6 decades for DDT to be degraded in soil. This is why even when DDT and DDE contamination remain despite their manufacture having been discontinued. Despite DDT being banned for use in the US in 1972.

Human Toxic Burden

• Organophosphate pesticides/insecticides are widely used for insect control on food crops and for pest control in residential and commercial areas. In the US, approximately 40 organophosphates are registered for use by the EPA for uses such as mosquito control, prevention of animal diseases and insect control on food and vegetable crops.

Human Toxic Burden

• Organophosphates are used as pesticides for: – Agricultural crops and orchards– Citrus crops– Greenhouses– Stored grain, corn, and seeds– Residential lawns– Residences– Commercial property– Pet flea collars and treatments– Livestock– Ant/roach baits– Mosquito control

Human Toxic Burden

• Organophosphate (OP) exposure may occur by ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact with insecticides and/or pesticides. Primary exposure to organophosphates in the general population is from the ingestion of food products or from residential use. The highest levels of OPs are seen in pesticide applicators, farm workers, and pesticide manufacturers.

Human Toxic Burden

• OPs or their metabolites can inhibit a key enzyme in the central and peripheral nervous systems, leading to neurotransmitter imbalances and a range of symptoms, including:– Nausea– Runny nose– Dizziness– Headache– Drowsiness– Fatigue– Gait disturbance– Numbness and weakness of the extremities

Human Toxic Burden

• In a survey of health effects from pesticide exposure among agricultural workers, the workers reported experiencing three or more of the above symptoms. Atrazine, is an herbicide used on farms, highways and railways. Atrazine disturbs hormone system function.

Human Toxic Burden

• Long-term health effects of OP are not well known, but studies suggest that children exposed to OP pesticides - prenatally and in childhood - may have difficulties performing tasks involving short-term memory and may show increased reaction time, impaired mental development or pervasive developmental problems. In newborns, the effects of OP exposure are manifested mainly by an increased number of abnormal reflexes, whilst in adolescent kids, the effects may manifest as mental and emotional problems.

Human Toxic Burden

• Farmers exposed to chlorpyrifos, malathion, and parathion were observed to have respiratory illnesses including asthma and wheeze. Commercial applicators exposed to chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, and phorate were also found to wheeze. Decreased sperm motility and count were observed in adult male rats treated with chloropyrifos.

Human Toxic Burden

• Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) are by-products of various industrial processes, and are regarded as highly toxic compounds that are environmental pollutants and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). They include:

– PCDDs, or simply dioxins (75 PCDDs, seven of which are toxic)

– PCDFs - there are 135 derivatives. Strictly speaking they are not dioxins, ten of them have "dioxin-like" properties.

– PCBs, which also are not dioxins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioxins_and_dioxin-like_compounds

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioxins_and_dioxin-like_compounds

Human Toxic Burden

• Dioxins have been considered highly toxic and able to cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer The symptoms reported to be associated with dioxin toxicity in animal studies are incredibly wide ranging, both in the scope of the biological systems affected and in the range of dosage needed to bring these about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioxins_and_dioxin-like_compounds

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioxins_and_dioxin-like_compounds

Human Toxic Body Burden

“It is common knowledge, among people who study immunity, that radiation, polyunsaturated fatty acids, estrogens, and dioxins are toxic to the thymus gland,

and can produce immuno-deficiency.”

Ray Peat - Immunodeficiency, dioxins, stress, and the hormones.

Human Toxic Burden

“Marine fish are now so generally polluted with dioxin, that in Japan there is a clear association between the amount of fish in a person’s diet (their body content of EPA and DHA) and the amount of dioxin in their body.”

Ray Peat - Immunodeficiency, dioxins, stress, and the hormones.

Human Toxic Burden

“In California, many seals die with an unusual form of metastatic cancer. Seals are highly contaminated with

industrial dioxins. In Africa, aflatoxin is strongly associated with immunodeficiency. In animals, both

dioxin and aflatoxin activate the expression of viruses. Endometriosis is stimulated by dioxins.”

Ray Peat - Immunodeficiency, dioxins, stress, and the hormones.

Human Toxic Burden

• Most intake of dioxin-like chemicals is from food of animal origin: meat, dairy products or fish predominate depending on the country. Since the half-lives are very long (for e.g. TCDD 7–8 years), the body burden will increase almost over the whole lifetime. Therefore the concentrations may increase five- to tenfold from age 20 to age 60.

Human Toxic Burden

• In line with animal studies, developmental effects may be much more important than effects in adults. These include disturbances of tooth development,and of sexual development. An example of the variation in responses is clearly seen in a study following the Seveso disaster indicating that sperm count and motility were affected in different ways in exposed males, depending on whether they were exposed before, during or after puberty.

Human Toxic Burden

• Intrauterine exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like compounds as an environmental toxin in pregnancy has subtle effects on the child later in life that include changes in liver function, thyroid hormone levels, white blood cell levels, and decreased performance in tests of learning and intelligence.

Human Toxic Burden

• A discussion of manmade chemicals would not be complete without mentioning medical drugs. All pharmaceutical medications must be transformed and detoxified by the body. If a patient is already toxic, which as you’ve seen is a common situation and if he or she is struggling with nutritional insufficiency due to poor quality diet, pharmaceutical drugs have the potential to cause yet more stress and strain on the body.

Human Toxic Burden

• Every medical drug comes with a list of documented side effects. The side effects themselves may be caused by allergic reactions or through an overwhelming effect on an already stressed detoxification system. Few studies exist to prove the long-term safety of any medical drug. Furthermore there is no documented evidence to confirm the safety of taking multiple drugs concomitantly.

Human Toxic Burden

“Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), also known as lipoglycans, and endotoxin are large molecules consisting of a lipid

and a polysaccharide composed of O-antigen, outer core and inner core joined by a covalent bond; they are

found in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, and elicit strong immune responses in

animals.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipopolysaccharide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moleculehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysaccharidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covalent_bondhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacterial_outer_membranehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gram-negative_bacteriahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_response

Human Toxic Burden

“Endotoxin formed in the bowel can block respiration and cause hormone imbalances contributing to

instability of the nerves, so it is helpful to optimize bowel flora, for example with a carrot salad; a dressing

of vinegar, coconut oil and olive oil, carried into the intestine by the carrot fiber, suppresses bacterial

growth while stimulating healing of the wall of the intestine.”

Ray Peat - Epilepsy and Progesterone

Human Toxic Burden

“Stress and shock tend to increase our absorption of bacterial endotoxin from the intestine, and endotoxin causes the release of serotonin from platelets in the

blood.”

Ray Peat, PhD: Thyroid, insomnia, and the insanities: Commonalities in disease.

Human Toxic Burden

“Bacterial endotoxin, and other things that cause excessive capillary permeability, edema, or shock-like

symptoms, will activate renin secretion.”

Ray Peat - Salt, energy, metabolic rate, and longevity.

Human Toxic Burden

“Chronic constipation, and anxiety which decreases blood circulation in the intestine, can increase the liver's exposure to endotoxin. Endotoxin (like intense physical

activity) causes the estrogen concentration of the blood to rise.”

Ray Peat - Menopause and its causes

Human Toxic Burden

"How does estrogen enhance endotoxin toxicity? Let me count the ways."

J.J. Maher (Liver Center and Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco) in Hepatology, 1998, 28(6):1720-1.

“TNF is produced by endotoxin, and estrogen increases the amount of endotoxin in the blood.”

Ray Peat – Oestrogen and Osteoporosis

Human Toxic Burden

“Incidental stresses, such as strenuous exercise combined with fasting (e.g., running or working before

eating breakfast) not only directly trigger the production of lactate and ammonia, they also are likely to increase the absorption of bacterial endotoxin from

the intestine. Endotoxin is a ubiquitous and chronic stressor. It increases lactate and nitric oxide, poisoning mitochondrial respiration, precipitating the secretion of the adaptive stress hormones, which don't always fully

repair the cellular damage.”

Lactate vs. CO2 in wounds, sickness, and aging; the other approach to cancer.

Human Toxic Burden

“The toxic mechanism of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) involves inappropriate stimulation of cells, followed by inflammation and mitochondrial

inhibition. The stimulation seems to be a direct "biophysical" action on cells, causing them to take up water, which is especially interesting, since estrogen's

immediate excitatory effect causes cells to take up water.”

Lactate vs. CO2 in wounds, sickness, and aging; the other approach to cancer.

Human Toxic Burden

“Hypoosmolarity itself is excitatory and anabolic. It stimulates lipolysis and fat oxidation (Keller, et al.

2003), and osmotic swelling stimulates glycolysis and inhibits mitochondrial respiration. Endotoxin causes

hyponatremia, and a hypertonic salt solution is protective, lactate solutions are harmful. Other stresses

and inflammations also cause hyponatremia.”

Lactate vs. CO2 in wounds, sickness, and aging; the other approach to cancer.

Human Toxic Burden

“One of the effects of endotoxin that leads to prolonged cellular excitation is its inhibition of the glucuronidation

system (Bánhegyi, et al., 1995), since this inhibition

allows excitatory estrogen to accumulate.”

Lactate vs. CO2 in wounds, sickness, and aging; the other approach to cancer.

Human Toxic Burden

“In women and rats, antibiotics were found to cause blood levels of estrogen and cortisol to decrease, while progesterone increased. This effect apparently resulted from the liver's increased ability to inactivate estrogenand to maintain blood sugar when the endotoxin stress

was decreased.”

Lactate vs. CO2 in wounds, sickness, and aging; the other approach to cancer.

Human Toxic Burden

“Since endotoxemia can produce aerobic glycolysis in an otherwise healthy person (Bundgaard, et al., 2003),

a minimally "Warburgian" approach--i.e,, a merely reasonable approach--would involve minimizing the absorption of endotoxin. Inhibiting bacterial growth, while optimizing intestinal resistance, would have no

harmful side effects.”

Lactate vs. CO2 in wounds, sickness, and aging; the other approach to cancer.

Human Toxic Burden

“In the presence of bacterial endotoxin, respiratory energy production fails in the cells lining the intestine.

Nitric oxide is probably the main mediator of this effect. The shift from respiration to glycolysis, from producing

carbon dioxide to producing lactic acid, involves a global change in cell functions, away from specialized

differentiated functioning, toward defensive and inflammatory processes.”

Ray Peat - Cascara, energy, cancer and the FDA's laxative abuse.

Human Toxic Burden

• I could have put a lot more of Dr. Peat’s information on endotoxin into this presentation, but we’d be here all day. Remember, endotoxin is coming from the good bugs as well as the exotoxins from the bad bugs (e.g. mycotoxins from Candida). Imagine what’s happening if you have Ascaris or tapeworm taking a dump in your gut…

Human Toxic Burden

• Biotoxins include tetanus toxin, botulinum toxin (botox), ascaridin from intestinal parasites, unspecified toxinsfrom Streptococci, Staphylococci, lyme disease, Clamydia, tuberculosis, fungal toxins and toxins produced byviruses. Biotoxins are minute molecules and belong to a group of chemical messengers which microorganisms useto control the host´s immune system, host behaviour andthe host‘s eating habits.

Dietrich Klinghardt - A Comprehensive Review of Heavy Metal Detoxification andClinical Pearls from 30 Years of Medical Practice.

Human Toxic Burden

• A quick summary:

– Foods (see Hompes Level Level I)• Nuts, seeds, raw veg, PUFA, gluten, soy, etc.)

– Food additives

– Alcohol

– Medical and recreational drugs

– Heavy metals

– Manmade compounds (xenobiotics)

– Endotoxin and biotoxin

Human Toxic Burden

• We’ve covered a massive amount of information in this lesson. Use the info to educate your clients and patients about the need to offload toxic exposure:

– Clean up their diet

– Clean up their home

– Avoid or minimise alcohol

– Clean up their gut

– Consider their pharmaceuticals – set realistic timescales with their MDs to reduce the meds.

Human Toxic Burden

Thank You!

• Thanks a million. In part two of this lesson, we’ll take a look at the heavy metals in a little more detail – it’s important that you understand at least the basics. Then, we’ll begin looking at how we can test toxin levels in people using functional medicine testing.