The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Detoxifying

  • Dragging (detoxifying) heavy metals out of your body (5)

    OLOROGUN MICHAEL IBRU passed away earlier this month, after many years of Parkinson’s disease challenges. This is a condition in which the nervous system degenerates, leading to tremors or shaking, and in ability to control some body processes. Saliva drools from the mouths of some challenged people. Some have to be carried in and out of bed. In such cases, the muscles may have become rigid. It may all begin with the shaking of the thumb and the forefinger, especially when the hand is at rest. In some people, simple tasks become mountainous and time-consuming tasks. When they walk, the paces may become shorter or they may drag their feet, giving the wrong impression of a partial stroke. Performance of unconscious movement may become more difficult. Such movements may include blinking and swinging of the arms during a walk, and smiling. Speech problems may arise. Slurring is common. So is monotony of words spoken. Writing, too, may become more difficult, and the letters may become smaller in size.

    There are more symptoms than can be mentioned here. It all has to do with damage to a group of nerve cells in the brain region called substantia nigra. These cells produce a chemical substance called Dopamine. Dopamine works as a messenger between the brain and the nervous system which controls and co-ordinate body motion. When substantia nigra cells die or are damaged, Dopamine output and presence in the brain is reduced. The implication is that, that part of the brain which controls movement can no longer work optimally. This is why movement becomes slow and abnormal in Parkinson’s disease. The disease is slow in growing. Symptoms often come up only when as many as about 80 percent of substantia nigra cells have been lost or damaged. Medicine isn’t still clear about the cause(s) of Parkinson’s disease. Genetic disposition is often mentioned, as are environmental factors such as pesticides, herbicides, certain pharmaceutical drugs, heavy metals, aluminum toxicity and a wide range of related conditions grouped under the term parkinsonism.

    Currently, science and medicine say there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, although there may be remissions in some types of Parkinsonism disorder, such as tremors provoked by the use of anti-psychotic drugs which may disappear when the drugs are withdrawn. Alternative medicine offers a wide-range of help, including brain detoxification, anti-oxidant food supplements for the brain, Dopamin-containing foods and herbs, heavy metal detoxification, regeneration of damaged nerves using such factors as the appropriate cell or tissue salt, Lion’s mane mushroom, and Ubiquinol, the most bioavailable and reactive form of Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10).

    To centenarian Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini belongs the credit for a modern-day discovery of the brain healing potential of lion’s mane mushroom. And she won a Nobel Prize Award for this. During the Second World War, she carried out experiments in her bedroom in Germany, damaging the nerves of chicken embryo and treating it with Lion’s Mane, after futile efforts to regenerate it with other substances. It was Lion’s Mane mushroom which gave the desired result. And she was to discover this happened through a chemical substance in this mushroom known today as Nerve Growth Factor (NGF).

    The website www.supernutritionlife.com/Lions-mane-mushroom-experience-hericium-erinaceus reports:

    “Enhancing the secretion of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) is the most beneficial benefit of Lion’s Mane. This and all the other neurotrophins are responsible for easy learning and formation of new memories. Nobel Prize winner (for the discovery of Nerve Growth Factor) centenarian Rita Levi-Montalcini, used NGF daily as an eye drops. She used to tell that her brain was more active as a centenarian, than it was when she was 40 years younger. So it looks like the benefit of NGF are nothing to scoff at…Giving a 100-year-old better brain than she had at 60. If used as eye drops, NGF is very costly and would cost you about $300 per day. That’s where Lion’s Mane comes in to the picture. Common saying about Lion’s Mane is that “it gives nerves of steel and memory of a lion”.

    ntil recently, researchers had looked more at medicinal mushrooms for their anti-cancer and immune-supporting abilities. Now, however, researchers in Japan and China have shifted the frontier to cover brain health, focusing in particular on Lion’s Mane mushroom, also called Hericium erinacewn.

    The website www.shokos.com/Amyloban3399.htm reports: “A study was done in a rehabilitative hospital in the Gunma prefecture in Japan, with 50 patients in an experimental group and 50 patients used as a control. All patients suffered from cerebrovascular diseases causing senility, Parkinson’s disease or other spinocerebeller and orthopedic disease that afflict the elderly. Seven of the patients in the experimental group suffered from different types of dementia. The patients in this group received five grammes of dried Lion’s Mane mushroom per day in their soup for a six-month period. All patients were evaluated before and after the treatment period for their Functional Independent Measure (FIM), which is a measure of independence in physical capabilities (eating, dressing, walking e.t.c) and perceptual capacities (understanding, communication, memory e.t.c).

    The result of the preliminary study show that, after six months of taking Lion’s Mane mushroom, six out of seven Alzheimer’s patients demonstrated improvements in their perceptual capacities, and all seven had improvement in their overall FIM score.

    “In 1991, a novel class of compounds in Lion’s Mane, called ‘hericenones’, was discovered by Dr. Hirozaku Kawagishi of Shizuoka University in Japan. These ‘hericenones’ were found to stimulate the production of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) in mouse astraglial cells in culture. Dr. Kawagishi saw the possibility of using this novel compound as a natural treatment for Alzheimier’s disease. He speculated that, if they could cross the blood – brain barrier and induce NGF production in the brain, this might counteract some of the neurodegenerative effects of Alzheimier’s disease. Massive neuronal cell death is the ultimate outcome of Alzheimier’s disease, so NGF production might conceivably lead to the growth of new neurons to replace those that die.  Dr. Kawagishi’s continuing work on ‘hericenones’ led him to pursue more deeply the mechanism by which damage is done in Alzheimier’s disease. As the disease progresses, there is destruction of neurons caused by the formation of plagues containing a molecule called amyloid beta peptide. These plagues are toxic to surrounding neurons in the brain. Dr. Kawagishi discovered that an agent in Lion’s Mane mushroom inhibits the toxicity of the plagues. He demonstrated this agent as a phospholipid, and can exert a protective effect on brain cells in culture, shielding them from damage by the amyloid peptides. This agent is now called Amyloban”.

    est we forget, this series is on the detoxification of heavy metals which wreak many health hazards in the body, including, but not limited to Parkinson’s disease. So far, this series has offered some useful tips, including (1) high colonic irrigation (2) Cillantro and chlorella (3) vitamin B17 or laetrile (4) zeolite (5) moringa Oloifera e.t.c. At Babcock University in Southwestern Nigeria, researchers have experimented with moringa to see if it offers protection for the brain against damage by lead, a heavy metal. Rat fed moringa and lead suffered minimal brain damage in comparison to those fed led in the diet but no Moringa, who suffered extremely widespread damage. Studies are being carried out to see if Moringa in the diet may help to reverse brain damage in rats induced by lead toxicity. Mother Nature offers an endless list of other healing and protective factors which include the following…

    Matol

       This is a Canadian cleansing and immune boosting proprietary supplement known especially for its capacity to boost the production of Natural Killer (NK) cells. NK cells are immune cells which kill cancer cells in particular. The product was marketed in Nigeria up till the 1980s by Major Ordain (rtd) who relocated to Ghana after the death of his wife and son.

    MATOL KM is the brainchild of KARL JURAK, who researched many plants for their medicinal properties until 1922 when he came up with the MATOL KM formula in Canada. In 1982, J.F. Robert Boldlic began a world-wide distribution of MATOL KM, after he had used the product and found it beneficial to his sagging health.

    MATOL KM, a 13-herb and five minerals product, got a mention in the book authored by Harold and Arline Bracher, “FORTY SOMETHING FOREVER”, on chelation therapy and other heart savers. They say:

    “While writing this book, several nutritionally-oriented doctors we had been in touch with over the years, called our attention to a potassium-rich liquid KM by name”.

    Chelation is all about using substances dietarily to drag heavy metals and other toxins out of the body by binding to them.

    Allen Bethea says: “One tablespoon of MATOL KM contains a total of 108mg of chamomile, sarsaparilla, dandelion, horehound, licorice, senega, passion flower, thyme, gentian, saw palmetto, alfalfa, angelica, celery seed, and cascara sagrada. The herbs are supposed to work in synergy; the amount of any individual herb per dose is probably too small to have a therapeutic effect. For instance, a typical herb laxative may have 450mg or more of cascara sagrada per dose. More than four times the weight of a dose of KM’s extract blend.

    In addition to herbs, a dose of MATOL KM contains four key minerals. It has 30.5mg of calcium in the form of calcium glycerophosphate. Ferric glycerophosphate adds 1.4mg of iron. One dose includes 22.5mg of iodine as potassium iodide and 350mg or 10 percent of the recommended daily amount of potassium ion.

    Diatom

    A diatom is an algae with a distinctive cell wall made from hydrated silica. A proprietary blend of diatom is often called Diatomaceous Health or Diatomaceous Earth (DE). The cell wall of diatom, called Frustule, is made of two halves called valves. There are many holes or perforations in these valves or cell wall which permits nutrients and waste exchange with the environment. We are not concerned here with the wide use of Diatomaceous Earth in industry, water filtration, agriculture, pet care and all of that. We are more interested in its ability to detoxify the human body.

    Says Dr. Axe in his website, Http://Draxe.com/diatomaceous: ‘’It often comes in the form of a white powder and is also used in water filtering, food manufacturing, skin products and farming, to naturally eliminate free radicals, viruses, insects, parasites and other harmful organisms by binding to them and drying them out. It also has the ability to improve the body’s use of calcium, improve bone mineralisation, protect joints and fight the effects of aging. And not that’s all.”

    Dr. Axe goes on to list six benefits of Diatomaceous Earth, four of which he discusses below, the others been outside our range of current interest. In his words:

    DETOXIFIES THE BODY

    Diatomaceous Earth works like a natural detoxifying agent within the body, killing parasites and viruses that can contribute to illnesses while also helping to clean the blood. Some of the benefits of using diatomaceous earth (DE) internally include reducing odours, helping to curb gas, cleansing the digestive tract, boosting liver function and absorbing harmful toxins within the blood. How does DE help with detoxification? Silica works similarly to antioxidants found in high antioxidant food because it retains its trait as a stable particle even while continuously suspended in a liquid medium, allowing it to fight free radical damage. It is broken down into a colloidal form, which acts like a detoxifier for the blood since it carries an electrical charge that attaches to free radicals and other harmful toxins. Silica particles can then neutralise the charge of free radicals and remove them from the body through sweat, urine and feaces, which slows oxidative damage and has anti-aging effects.

    “A study published in the American Journal of clinical Nutrition’’ found that silica also helps eliminate heavy metals from the body such as Aluminum, making it perfect for a heavy metal detox. In studies, it has been shown to have a high-Aluminum-affinity and reduces aluminum availability from the human gastro-intestinal tract.

    “FIGHTS PARASITES’’. A study published in the Oxford Journal of poultry science found that Diatomaceous Earth (DE) has the potential to be an effective treatment to help control parasites. Interestingly enough, this was observed in hens that produced organically raised, free range eggs. Given two breeds of commercial egg laying hens Diatomaceous Earth improved production of their eggs and egg quality compared to control groups, effectively working as a parasite cleanse in the process. The hens used in the study were found to differ in their resistance to internal parasitic infections which was observed by examining their gastro-intestinal tract. The hens fed DE had significantly lower incidences of infections, including fewer capillaries FEC, slightly lower emerita FEC, fewer birds infected with heterakis and significantly lower heterakis worm infections. Those fed DE were also significantly heavier in weight, laid more eggs and consumed more feed than hens fed the control diet, plus their eggs had larger yolks and therefore were more concentrated with nutrients.

    ‘’IMPROVES JOINT, BONES AND LIGAMENT HEALTH’’

    A 2007 study published in the Journal of Nutrition Health and Aging stated that dietary silicon is beneficial to bone and connective tissue, and helps prevent low bone mass (Osteoporosis), which is considered ‘a silent epidemic of the 21st century’ Silica within DE helps with normal bone metabolism and joint formation with evidence over the past 30 years suggesting there’s a positive association between dietary silicon intake and better bone mineral density. Thus, DE makes a great addition to any osteoporosis diet and treatment plan. A number of possible mechanisms for how this works, have been suggested, including the possibility that silicon helps with synthesis of collagen (used to form joints, the lining of the digestive tract and connective tissue) and within the mineralisation of bones. While more research is still needed, it appears that DE can be used to help support normal metabolic processes, preserve joint health and prevent bone disorders”.

    “HELPS CLEAN AND PROTECT SKIN NAILS AND TEETH

    ince it has natural abrasive qualities, and kills parasites, DE is used in many toothpaste, skin exfoliators, polish and skin scrubs. Just like other beneficial days – like Mennonite clay – it dries out harmful toxins and leaves behind cleaned, smoothed skin with little to no side effects. It also seems to have anti-aging effects by helping with the absorption of calcium in forming strong bones, nails and teeth.

    As we should now have seen, detoxification should be a regular feature of everyday life. We “detoxify” the car engine when we clean the plugs and change the engine oil, but many of us do not think of budgeting for the detoxification of our bodies. We take the body for granted and, when it breaks down, begin to search for quick fixes or the magic bullet. Some patients even ask their doctors if they would need to continue with their food supplement once they get well. For such people, I have a ready answer: how long ago was the fuel tank of your car engine replaced, and when did the car have the engine oil changed?  Do we not put petrol in the car tank throughout its life span? And do we not change the engine oil regularly? We cannot talk about all the detox aids in a series this short. We haven’t talked about Marian Dina A, B and J. We haven’t spoken about chlorophyll, about aloe Vera and the likes of them. Surely, we will re-open the subject some other day.

  • Dragging (Detoxifying) heavy metals out of your body (4)

    WELCOME back from Eid-el-Kabir festivities. During Eid-el-Kabir, I am reminded not only that ram meat is better than cow meat for anyone who is mindful of his or her health, but, also, that, of the Four Animals at the foot of the Throne of the Almighty Creator, as the Christian Bible renders this image in the Book of Revelations, only the Ram bear the countenance of man. The ram and the three other animals form a perfect square. The three others are a Lion, Eagle and a Bull, sometimes called an ox by some people. Of them all, the Ram is the only animal to bear the countenance of man. This presentation holds a serious spiritual message for Mankind as do the mien of the other Animals. Back in high school, I was not a Geometry loving student. And it was much, much later, when I began to become able to think deeply that I began to understand the Square and even the Pyramid. In school, as I said, I hated geometry and all those constructions which go with it. But when I became let into one of the messages of the Pyramid, I recognised what noble royal art it is for rendering to man spiritual messages of serious import for his existence. Today, I will mention only the projection upwards of the dot point or the dot on the Square on which each of these Four Animals stands. That construction gives rise to a Pyramid, with a Starting Point for everything above the square, and the square standing as the Four Pillars of Creation. The Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria have come to this recognition in the course of their Spiritual development the origun merin ni ile aiye ni (the world has four pillars), if we can see these Animal not as animals in the sense in which we see and recognise earthly animals, but as living and knowing Beings, we may come to the recognition of their importance to the perfection of our beings, since they are the First Beings sighted nearest to the Creator. Whenever I eat ram meat, therefore, I never get over the thought that the Ram bears the countenance of man. Does the symbolism in the earthly ram featuring in our memory every Eid-el-Kabir celebration hold for us a bigger message than we know of? While we contemplate this possibility, we must quickly return to terra firma, that is … to this Earth, lest we detour from the urgent need to constantly detoxify our bodies of heavy metals and other toxic substances we cannot escape from every day on this poisoned Earth.

    Thanks, Alhaja Mario Abubakar, for your insight and encouragement. Many readers of this column and of this series may not really understand why this column is raising the current dust.  She and one or two other readers telephoned me to express their delight at reading not about another litany of bacteria and viruses from which we must flee. Heavy metals are among those destructive substances assailing our health every day about which we obtain little or no information and against which we have little or no personal empowerment. So, from this week this column will strive to share information about how these can be acquired.

    Last week, the prospect of detoxification through high colonic irrigation was discussed. It is all about a catheter pumping detox materials into the bowels through the anus and, through this, opening up of the taps as it were to run out poisons from as far up as the liver to as far down as the anus. Sometimes, fecal wastes and poisons which have adhered to intestinal wall, obstructing absorption of nutrients and even preventing optimal digestion of foods, are scrubbed off the wall and brought out of the body. It may be necessary to have a medical doctor supervise a high colonic irrigation.

    Vitamin B17 (Laetrile)

    A war still rages between Orthodox Medicine and Alternative Medicine over whether Vitamin B17 does what the latter claims it does … cure cancer.

    Actually, the United States Food and Drugs Administration (USFDA) banned it in the 1980s, haunted doctors who prescribed it, including Dr. Contreras Snr. out of business. These doctors fled to Mexico which granted them full freedom for their prescriptions. And that, perhaps, is why, today, Mexico is acclaimed the worst leading cancer cure nation. Vitamin B17 is present in the seeds of fruits such as Apricots and Apples, and cassava and millet. I was alarmed when I learned for the first time that I could eat the seed of an apple if I wanted Vitamin B17. That was because of apple seed, like some other seeds, contained cyanide, a killer chemical substance. But I relaxed somewhat later when I obtained information about how this type of cyanide works. In the seeds of the fruits which contain cyanide, the cyanide is surrounded by laetrile. Tumour cells are believed to break the laetrile wall when the latter comes into contact with them. The broken laetrile releases the cyanide. The cyanide infuses the tumour, increasing its acidic content and, thereby, killing it. Alternative medicine doctors say this process works best when Vitamin B17 is administered along with Vitamin A, C, and E, all antioxidants, and pancreatic enzymes. This arsenal is believed to induce apoptosis or programmed cell death in the cancerous tissue.

    In the 1980s, the department of physiology of Kyung Hee University in South Korea combined Amygdalin extract, as Vitamin B17 is also called, with prostate cancer cells in a test tube. The extract was reported to significantly induce apoptosis in the prostate cancer cells. This led the researchers to conclude that it offered hope for the treatment of prostate cancer. Animal studies concluded that vitamin B17 could kill cancerous bladder and brain cell if it was combined, for example, with anti-body enzyme complexes. Some other studies have proven that Vitamin B17 may have no effect on breast and human living cells, fueling its rejection in mainstream medicine as an anti-cancer medicine. Despite these reverses, Vitamin B17 have won accolades for reducing enlargement of lymph nodes when it was administered intravenously, for stimulating white blood cell activity, for improving the secretion of pancreatic enzymes and liver enzymes. The support it gives liver function in this regard is thought to enhance the organ’s detoxification capacity. Thus, while the liver can detonate harmful heavy metals and free radicals, pancreatic enzymes prevent the transformation of healthy cells into aberrant cells.

    Dr. Contreras Snr. (1915-2003) popularised the use of Vitamin B17 (Amygdalin). He ran the Oasis of Hope Hospital in Tijuane, a Mexico, for more than 30 years. After his medical training he enrolled for post graduate training at the Children’s Hospital Boston, was chief pathologist at the Army Hospital in Mexico City, was professor of histology and pathology at the Army Medical School. Many of his patients were from the United States which, till today, is pathologically opposed to the use of Vitamin B17 in cancer therapy.

    Graviola leaves

    In Nigeria, we call the fruit Sour Sop. In Europe, and the United States, it is reported to be one of those many cures for many seemingly intractable diseases which mainstream medicine is accused of trying to sweep under the carpet in favour of pharmaceutical drugs. Graviola fruit is seasonal in Nigeria, and is expensive since it would appear not to be cultivated in plantations, as is the practice today abroad. Two weeks ago, one of the long-standing readers of this column, Mr. Muhammed Rabiu Aliu, telephoned me to ask if there was anything new in the market. I told him a smart Nigerian retired General had cultivated a large acreage of NONI! Fruit, had begun production of Nigerian-made Noni juice which the sells on network marketing basis. This would not only create jobs but would save foreign exchange. Secondly Graviola (Sour sop) leaves may be worth considering in the absence of the fruit. He exclaimed! He said he suddenly remembered that a secretary of his once told him her sister who suffered from breast cancer for which she was seeing oncologists (cancer doctors) at the Lagos university  teaching Hospital (LUTH) eventually took Graviola leaf therapy and her doctors were later to confirm the cancer completely regressed. So, I undertook a small search for information on the leaf of sour sop and found it may help detoxification.

    The journal “CANCER LETTERS” reports a study of the effects on Graviola leaf therapy on cancer pancreatic cases. The cells were prevented from multiplying and “advised” to die. The researchers concluded these leaves may prevent and treat cancer. In May 1998, THE JOURNAL OF OTHORNOPHARMACOLOGY reported Graviola leaf therapy suppressed the herpes simplex virus. In 2010, the INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCE reported that mice induced to have inflammation and pain suffered less of these symptoms under Graviola leaf therapy than the placebo group.

    Cilantro and Chlorella

    Cilantro, a deep green leaf herb and chlorella a deep-green algae, are reported to work in a partnership
    that can remove about 80 percent of the heavy metals in a person’s body. Cilantro leaf stem and root have been used in traditional medicine for their “antiseptic carminative, analgesic, aphrodisiac, antispasmodic, flatus-removing, depurative, deodorant, digestive, fungicidal, lipolithic, stimulant and stoma chic properties.” Dr. George Georgiou says:

    “Many health practitioners use synthetic chelating agents such as DMPS, DMSA, EDTA and others to mobilise and eliminate heavy metals from the body. There are advantages and disadvantages to us. These one advantages is the power of their mobilising activity-they are quick to mobilise and eliminate certain metals in the body, but this may place a life burden on the body’s detoxification system. Cilantro is the best used in conjunction with chlorella because it mobilises more toxins, then it can carry out of the body. It may flood the connective tissue (where the nerves reside) with metals that were previously stored in safer hidden places. This can cause detoxification if another binding agent isn’t used to help rid the body of the heavy metals that are found in their hidden places throughout the body. People who have eaten large salad daily full of cilantro have experienced this effect moodiness terrible  acne,  joint pain  and more while they were mobilising heavy metals, they weren’t all excreted from the body fart enough which meant they were detoxifying and retoxifying themselves at the same time”

    Zeolite

    Whatever goes up must come down, we say. And what goes around comes round. Another way of
    saying it is that one good turn deserves another. About two decades ago, an under 20 struggling mother of three children was obliged to add to her financial responsibilities care for one child from another home who needed food, clothing, medicine, and shelter. That child struggled through life and is, today in the United States, a medical doctor training to become a consultant gynecologist. Meanwhile, both foster mother and young woman kept in touch. The older woman developed a malignant tumour in the throat which does not permit water or food access to the stomach. A hole had to be made in her upper abdomen through which a feeding tube was fitted into her stomach to eat, she has to liquefy food and pipe down as though through a funnel. Now her stomach burns whenever food touches it. And, to top it all, she developed endometrial problem which makes her bleed from the vagina every day. The bleeding requires two to five menstrual pads every day to mop. I suggested she may add Zeolite to her seemingly endless list of nutritional supplements. Zeolite was scarce in Nigeria and expensive. It helped a gentleman in Benin City whose PSA (prostate Sensitive Antigen), which should normally read 0 – 4 counts but which had risen to more than 400 counts. His testes were to have been removed. But the crash of his PSA to almost normal saved them. This troubled woman sent an SOS message to many people abroad, but the gynecologist – in – training was the only one to respond. She checked on Zeolite and thought it could help her “Antie’s”. From her mega resource as a struggling student, she sent the first bottle and told her Zeolite was good in Cancer therapy.

    Last week, she sent two bottle more with the prayer “antie, you must be well”. When I heard the news, the auntie and I said prayers together on the telephone for her wellbeing and mine as well. I hope you, too, will remember her in your prayers.

    Zeolite has many uses, industrially and in chemistry. We are concerned here with its medical benefits as suggested by many sources, including www.globalhealingcenter.com, which says:

    “One way to benefit your body in several ways is to detox with Zeolite. Zeolite are naturally occurring minerals, typically found in rocks and clay. Cultures around the world have consumed clay for health purposes. Prior to the rise of industrial used civilization and many animal species consume earth minerals as well. Zeolite has many industrial, agricultural and medical uses. Large amounts of research have been done on all the possible benefits of detoxing with Zeolite and studies show that they appear to balance pH within the body, reduces allergies, act as antioxidants and aid liver function. Zeolite also appears to help with digestion and most importantly, they may also help remove toxic metals from the body. One natural Zeolite, Clinoptilolite, was discovered to assist in removing toxic metal, toxins through, urination without depleting the body’s store of essential electrolytes. These studies are extremely encouraging because they suggest Zeolite can help with alleviating accumulated toxic metals. The benefits of Zeolite have been known in the medical community for many years. They have been used for blood purification, Zeolites supplements have been used to detox the body of lead and also known to fight diarrhea and harmful organisms.”

    How does Zeolite work? The website explains: “The molecules in Zeolite contain a powerful magnetic energy, which can be used to attract and hold several types of toxins. The idea is that Zeolite pull the metals out of afflicted tissues and into themselves. this ability may be especially important for removing lead, Aluminum, Cadmium, Arsenic and Mercury. These metals are then passed out of the body through urination and defecation.”

    I should advise in advance of your trial of Zeolite that it has, for me, and awful taste, despite my penchant to put anything “awful” on my tongue without squeezing my face. Once again, happy Eid-el-fitri in arrears. Some other day, we would talk about the Ram.

  • Dragging (Detoxifying) heavy metals out of your body (2)

    If you would like to live to “ripe” old age, filled with bubbling   and roaring energy, and free of pain and disease, you should be interested in experiments of Dr. LEXIS CARPEL which made tissue from the heart of chickens live for about 14 years. Dr. Carrel was a French surgeon and biologist. He won the Nobel Prize for the findings of these experiments which suggest that human beings may live twice or three times or even more than they now live if they feed the cells of their bodies with the right nutrients and remove the waste products of the living processes of these cells. When Dr. Carrel worked at the Rockefeller Institute in New York, he began in 1912 to research longevity of chicken cells. The average backyard chicken lives for about eight or ten years, although many do not live longer than five years.

    Dr.  Carrel made his experimental embryonic chicken heart tissue live in laboratory settings for many years before he quite Rockefeller Institute and handed the research to his colleague, LIBERT EBELLING.

    Ebelling kept the research going and discarded the chicken heart tissue after he grew tired of the experiment. That was 34 years after Dr. Carrel had begun it. The lesson in this experiment is that, if the backyard chicken lives for no longer than 10 years but its heart tissue lived in the laboratory for 34 years, there must be something in the environment which is antagonistic to longevity. What affects the chicken affects us, humans as well. Human anti-aging research had been unearthing many of these challenges, and heavy metals poisoning is one of them. Poor nutrition is another. As this column has been suggesting, we cannot flee from our poisoned Earth. Man is now reaping bountiful harvests of the poisonous seeds he has been sowing. What he can now do to protect his health is to aid the organs of his body which remove poisons from his system. We should not forget that the ideas for this series came from:

    1. The roasting of cow skin (Ponmo in Yoruba and Kanda in Igbo) and.
    2. The report last months by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) that it had investigated samples of underground water in all 20 Local Governments Council Areas of Lagos State and found them all filled with high levels of toxic heavy metals, especially iron. The first part of this series addressed poisoning by Arsenic and Lead. Both cause cancer and death from other diseases. Maybe I should now add that all those boys and girls, men and women hawking all sorts of articles in traffic jams are inhaling lead in automobile exhaust and that, in the future, their generation may fall prey to all sorts of diseases, the origins of which may not be immediately linked to their childhood occupations. The same may go for many children, who, like their mothers, spend a great deal of time after school hours, selling one thing or the other by the road side. These children are hardly top brass at school. They fail “O” Levels woefully and are no materials for university education unless they “runce” (manipulate) examinations. Lead inhalation may have disturbed their cognitive capacities.

    More frightening than this is the report last week that four men had been arrested by the police in Warri for treating cow skin (Ponmo, Kanda) with the chemical mortuaries used to preserve human corpses. This chemical is said to make cow skin swell and weigh well for a good market price. The outcome of Police investigations should be of interest to us. Meanwhile, we should remember that, as much as we are unable to flee from this poisoned Earth, detoxification is our lifeline to the protection of our health. I learned this much when I lived in a house on Ajanaku Street, in Awuse Estate, Ikeja, Lagos. It was after about 10 years of living there that I discovered that the house had an underground water storage tank the tank was locally fabricated from aluminum, a dangerous metal. The soldering was made with lead, a dangerous heavy metal. And, to worsen matters, the inside of the tank was coated with coal tar to prevent rusting. Coal tar, like any tar, including the blackened roasted corn, is a cancer causing agent.

    This discovery opened my eyes to the need for regular detoxification of my system. And that, exactly, is what Dr. Carrel and Dr. Ebelling have taught us by keeping chicken heart tissue alive for more than 34 years, throwing it away. Dr. Ebelling got tired of the research. Who knows, if the tissue would not have lived till the day, that is for more than a 100 years?

     

    Iron toxicity

    Before I suggest some detoxification ideas, I would like to quickly mention the damage iron toxicity and mercury poisoning may cause to health. Men often wonder why women live longer than men. It may have to do with iron toxicity. Iron is the central atom which holds the atoms of hemoglobin together. These atoms comes from Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen and Nitrogen. When Iron hold them together, hemoglobin is formed. Hemoglobin is a component of the red blood cell. It helps the cell absorb oxygen for the transportation to all the cells. Too much iron in the body is a cause of pain for which many people take pain killers instead of addressing the underlying or root cause(s).

    Too much iron may damage the liver and the heart. Women are less likely than men to have too much iron in their blood because they lose iron every month during menstruation.

    As Clifford S. Spanier man advises us in www.emadicine.medscop.com:

    “Iron toxicity can be classified as corrosive or cellular. Ingested Iron can have an extremely corrosive effect on the gastrointestinal (GI) Mucus, which can manifest as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, hematemesis and diarrhea. Patients may become hypovolemic because of significant fluid and blood loss. Cellular toxicity occurs with the absorption of excessive quantities of ingested Iron. Severe overdose causes impaired oxidative phosphory action and mitochondrial dysfunction which can result in cellular death.

    The liver is one of the organs affected by cellular iron toxicity, but other organs such as the heart, kidney, lungs and the hematologic system also may be impaired. Overload of iron in the heart may cause death due to myocardial siderosis. With both chronic and cellular toxicity, the end result is significant metabolic acidosis, due to several factors. Inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation will promote anaerobic metabolism. Individuals demonstrate signs of GI toxicity after ingestion of more than 20mg per kg. Moderate intoxication occurs when ingestion of elemental iron exceeds 40mg/kg.

    Ingestions exceeding 60mg/kg can cause severe toxicity and may be lethal.

    Suggested iron doses are based on calculation of the amount of the elemental iron. Different iron preparations (salts) contain different amounts of elemental iron, as follows:-

    v           Fumarate – 33%

    v           Sulfate – 20%

    v           Gluconcite – 12%

    I am not a blood tonic lover for this reason. Many people who feel run down are too quick to drown proprietary blood toxics with lots of iron without knowing the level of iron in their bodies, how much iron, they need, if they need it at all, and the amount of iron present in the self-recommended blood toxic they are taking. I’d rather take iron – rich food supplements if I believe I have any need for iron pep up. This natural iron is better tolerated by the body, which knows how to safely handle any excess of it.

    The LASEPA finding that iron and other heavy metals are present in Lagos underground water should not be glossed over, especially as most of the sachet water (“pure water”) and bottle water brands sold in Lagos come from well waters.

    On the wash basins of the toilets in many homes, red markings or etching are common signs. This is evidence that iron is present in the tap water. It should be frightening to the health – conscious person that iron in larger quantum than is safe may be present in his sachet or table water. I had a needless argument with one of my acquaintances the other day. We were relaxing over snacks in the evening at a rendezvous in our housing estate and discussing environmental poisoning in today’s earth. When I said I do not drink water from the borehole of my house, he asked why I did not treat it. When I said I did not because the chemicals for treating borehole water were poisoning, and that even the chlorine in tap water was a poison, he asked why I took sachet water or bottle water at all. At that point, I knew we were headed for a long but needles argument. For, much, earlier, I had said we couldn’t flee from todays poisoned Earth but could navigate our ways and health around its discomfitures.

    One way I did this, I had said, was that I minimized my risks and took time to detoxify my body regularly.

    Certainly, I am not a “something – will – kill – a- man” person.  Even people who are “something – will – kill – a – man person do not wish to die when the chips come down. This gentleman had no money to look after his health, is addicted to health-damaging lifestyle, exhibits symptoms of degenerating health and unprepared to learn from the experience of other people. I guess many people are like him. Our friend may profit from this information from JENNIFER BLAIR in the website.ehow.com:

    “Home owners who receive their drinking water from a well often have concerns about its possible contaminants, such as heavy metals. One of the more common metals to find its way into well water is iron. Iron oxides and salts found in Nature may work their way into a well water supply with no obvious signs, depending on the concentration. Individuals who consume water contaminated with iron for a prolonged period may develop iron toxicity, a potential deadly condition. Recognizing the symptoms can help catch the condition before it progresses to a more serious stage.”

    Jennifer Blair lists these symptoms under the following headings…gastrointestinal cardiovascular and pulmonary nervous system and skin symptoms.

     

    Gastrointestinal

    Typical, the first symptoms of iron toxicity from well water are related to the gastrointestinal tract because iron has a corrosive effects on the lining of the stomach. Initial symptoms are usually abdominal pain and diarrhea and there may also be a metallic taste in the mouth. Nausea and vomiting are common as well and, in some advanced cases, individuals suffering from iron toxicity may have blood in their vomiting or stool. The loss of fluids often leads to dehydration and, more extreme cases, stock. In severe instance of well water iron toxicity, liver enzymes may become elevated and liver failure may occur. As a result, jaundice can also be a symptoms.”

     

    Cardiovascular and pulmonary 

     “Individuals who contract iron toxicity from the ingestion of tainted well water may experience rapid breathing and fluid build-up in the lungs. The heart rate often increases as well, and blood pressure may begin to drop. The blood may also be unable to clot properly. In addition, an individual with iron toxicity often has a fast and weak pulse.”

     

     Nervous system

    “Exposure to iron toxicity from well water may be accompanied by a headache, dizziness, fever and chills. Individuals often feel drowsy and may become unconscious.

    Irritability, confusion and lethargy are also common symptoms, and seizures may occur.

     

    Skin

    “Individuals who suffer from iron toxicity due to well water consumption may also demonstrate visible symptoms. Their skin, fingernails and lips often appear blueish due to low oxygen levels in the body. Flushing may also result or the skin loses its colour, giving it a pale appearance. In case when iron toxicity progresses further along to affect the liver, the skin may take on a yellow cast know as jaundice”.

    It should be clear from the foregoing that treatment of the symptoms of iron and other heavy metal poisoning should go beyond merely restoring the conditions to status gun ante, to heavy metal hair analysis for example, and metals detoxification.

     

    Mercury

    “Many people are burdened with mercury tooth fillings. Yet this is a heavy metal which may cause cancer. Vaporises, especially when hot meals are eaten, damaging the gums and teeth.

    If the vapour finds its way to the eyes, nerve damage may occur there, impairing vision. Many other ailments have been linked to mercury toxicity as well.

    For a long time, one time Nigerian Health Minister Professor Olikoye Ransome-kuti spent his tenure advising Nigerian Women not to bleach their skin with mercury-containing soaps, explaining that, after mercury does its job, it would find its way to the liver. Many antiseptic soaps today contain mercury. It would be interesting to find out if a correlation exists between these soaps and related creams on one hand, and an upsurge of breast cancer on the other.

    From the website www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets.com we obtain the following information:

    “Mercury is a natural occurring element that is found in air, water and soil. Exposure to mercury, even small amounts, may cause serious health problems and is a threat to the development of the child in utero and early in life.

    Mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems and lungs, kidneys and eyes. Mercury is considered by WHO as one of the 10 top chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern. People are mainly exposed to methlmercury, an organic compound, when they eat fish and shell fish that contain the compound. Mercury exist in various forms:  elemental (or metallic) and inorganic (to which people may be exposed through their occupation), and organic (e.g methylmercury, to be exposed through their diet. These forms of mercury differ in their degree of toxicity and in their effects in the nervous, digestive and immune system, and on lungs, kidney, skin and eyes.

    “Mercury occurs naturally in the earth crust. It is released into the environment from volcanic activity, weathering of rocks and as a result of human activity.

    Human activity is the main cause of mercury releases, particularly coal-fired power stations, residential coal burning for heating and cooking, industrial processes, waste incinerators and as a result of mining for mercury, gold and other metals.

    “Once in the environment, mercury can be transformed by bacteria into methylmercury. Methylmercury then (bio accumulates occurs when an organism contains higher concentration of the substance than to the surroundings) in fish and shell fish. Methylmercury also biomagnifies. For example, large predatory fish are more likely to have high levels of mercury as a result of eating many smaller fish that have acquired mercury through ingestions of plankton. ‘People may be exposed to mercury in any of its forms under different circumstances. However, exposure mainly occurs through consumption of fish and shell fish contaminated with methylmercury and through worker inhalation of elemental mercury vapours discerning industrial processes. Cooking dose not eliminate mercury.”

    In Canada, Brazil, China, Greenland and Columba, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that there are many children whose mothers ate contaminated fish and shellfish when they were still in the womb. These children today suffer from poor memory, mental retardation language deficit and vision problems. In Minamate, Japan, one of worst cases of mercury poisoning occurred when a company producing a celtic acid dumped its wastes into a river between 1932 and 1968. The local community was a fishing and fish eating community. No one suspected the fish they ate were contaminated with methylmercury from the factory waste until many people began to suffer from brain damage, paralysis, incoherent speech and delirium, among other health discomfitures.

    People in Nigeria are turning away from red meat on health grounds, and going more for fish caught in the high seas where lots of industrial waste from Europe and the United State have been dumped. In Nigeria, it is doubtful if the environmental protection agencies ensure industrial wastes are transformed into safer substances before they are discarded into public drains such as canals, from where they enter the underground water supply. Thus, there is no fleeing from our poisoned world. What we can do to protect our health is to help our eliminative organs, through detoxification, to remove toxic wastes, and prevent them from accumulating in our bodies.

    The chicken heart longevity experiment of Surgeon Alexis Carrel, in which Chicken heart tissue before lived for 34 years before it was thrown away, shows that, by eating the right kind of foods and by detoxifying our bodies, we, too, can extend our lifespan, suffering no pain or disease.

     

  • Dragging (Detoxifying) heavy metals out of your body (1)

    LAGOS is working. That’s the nickname of a struggling, young man named TUNDE TELLA. He was born in Mushin, a suburb of Lagos known for violence a few years ago, and buttered in peaceful highbrow Oko Oba GRA scheme I, in Agege, another suburb of Lagos. I remembered him two Saturday’s ago when the government of Lagos State suspended the cow skin (Ponmo, in Yoruba market at the Lagos abattoir in Agege. Tella, also called Hakeem or AK, pathologically believes in Lagos State and its ruling party and government that, for him, Lagos is the Leader State in Nigeria. Among many of his friends who are still licking the wounds of the defeat of President Ebele Jonathan in the Presidential elections which brought Muhammadu Buhari to power, and  who, because of this, see nothing good in Lagos and it Governance, AK would react to their “belly-aching” with the slogan LAGOS IS WORKING”. So, last Saturday, I called him on the telephone to congratulate him that, indeed, Lagos is working. For me, the suspension of the cow skin market at the Lagos Abattoir was almost unbelievable. Only two Thursday’s ago, that is two days before the suspension, this column published the articles: LAGOS ABATTOIR, PURVEYOR OF DISEASE AND DEATH. The article was all about the curing of cow skin for the market in a heap of tyre bonfire which has been poisoning the air and land and homes around the abattoir with carbon monoxide (CO) and such heavy metals as lead,  cadmium, arsenic, zinc and Dioxin, a cancer-causing substance. This practices had persisted for many years. Many people in the area may have been made sick or ill by these poisoning without relating their problems to the air they breathed, the water they drank, or the food they ate on their dining tables on which these air-borne substances settled. Co-incidentally, the publication came about the time the Lagos Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) announced it had studied underground water, including wells, in all 20 local government areas of Lagos and found them all polluted with heavy metals. This column first raised the question of heavy metals in underground water when it was appearing in the Guardian Newspaper in the 1980s. At that time, the newspaper Science Editor, SEUN OGUNSEITAN, who discovered in KOKO, toxic waste chemicals from Europe dumped there by a Nigerian who was paid for the job in Europe. The heavy metals were reported to be in underground water in Ijesha area of Lagos and found to be more than 3,000 times in excess of the World Health Organisation (WHO) safety levels for such chemicals. Nigeria is an in–alert and inert country, where many people are yet to be knowledgeable about the interchange between the environment and their health. Even today, has the average Nigerian come to terms with the latest founding of LASEPA? What does it matter to you, in particular, that there may be heavy metals in the sachet of “pure water” or bottle water you and your family drink every day? What about the vegetables you so much like to eat which may have absorbed these metals, or the animals whose meat you eat, which may have in them these heavy metals picked up from the plants they ate before their slaughter for your kitchen and table? I trust AK to say Lagos State will deal with this in due courses. And I believe him. The move against these cow meat market is a good testimonial for believability in Lagos State. So, while we await Lagos State government action on LASEPA findings, and while we crack our brains for how to detoxify our bodies of these heavy metals, I’d like to give the government another suggestion. This suggestion is in respect of pedestrian traffic in Lagos foot bridges. Ably, the government of Lagos State is blocking with iron and steel all the “foot paths” on the express ways through which pedestrians cross the express ways (jay-walking) irrespective of the overhead pedestrian foot bridges which may be directly above their heads. Now, pedestrian traffic is mushrooming on these overhead bridges. The bridges are rowdy. People walk zig-zag, bumping into one another like rat pursued either and thither by cats. I sometimes wonder if life on these foot bridges would not be better if we could all keep right”, as we drive on the roads, while walking on these foot bridges. The government may paste KEEP RIGHT signs on these bridges to change, for the better, the way we walk on them: Lagos is working, I hope to tell AK when this falls in place.

     WE must now quickly return to LASEPA findings and heavy metal poisoning, and to the steps we can take to protect ourselves against them.

     Heavy metals

    We can learn about heavy metals in the website raredisease.org: “Heavy metals poisoning is the accumulation of heavy metals, in toxic amounts, in the soft tissues of the body”, it says, adding: “Symptom and physical findings associated with heavy metals poisoning vary according to the metals accumulated. Many of the heavy metals, such as Zinc, Copper, Chromium, Iron and manganese, are essential to body function in very small amounts. But, if these metals accumulate in the body in concentration sufficient to cause poisoning, then serious damage may occur. The heavy metals most commonly associated with poisoning of humans are Lead, Mercury, Arsenic and Cadmium. Heavy metals poisoning may occur as a result of industrial exposure, air or water pollution, food, medicines, improperly coated food containers, or the injection of Lead-based paints.”

    Aluminum poisoning may also occur along with heavy metals poisoning. But aluminums is a soft metal. We pick it up from the grinders of Crayfish and Ogbono (lgbor or Apon in Yoruba) in the markets, or from the aluminum cooking pot or tea mug or spoons. Aluminum collects in the brain and damages it if the concentration is high enough. As for the signs and symptoms of heavy metals poisoning, raredisease.org says:

    “The symptoms of heavy metals poisoning vary according to which type of metal over exposure is involved. Some specific examples are:

    • Arsenic poisoning
    • Cadmium poisoning
    • Chromium poisoning
    • Cobalt poisoning
    • Lead poisoning
    • Manganese poisoning
    • Mercury poisoning
    • Phosphorus poisoning
    • Thallium poisoning
    • Antimony poisoning

    Aluminum, Barium, Bismuth, Copper, Gold, Iron, Lithium, Platinum, Silver, Tin and Zinc poisoning. Over exposure to Arsenic may cause “headaches, drowsiness, confusion, seizures and life-threatening complications.” It may also cause such neurological hazards as brain damage, nerve disease of the extremities, pericapillary hemorrhages within the white matter, and loss or deficiency of the fatty coverings around these nerve fibres.”

    There may also be skin problems, such as “transverse white bands on the finger nails and excessive accumulation of fluid in the soft layers of tissue below the skin” in the intestines, a “flu-like illness”may occur. This may cause “vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and diarrhea which in some cases may be bloody.” There may also be a “breakdown of the hemoglobin of red blood cells, a low level of iron in the red blood cells and low blood pressure (hypotension).” The website adds that ‘some individuals may experience a Garlic-like odour that may be detectable on the breath.’

    “Where the poisoning is chronic, weakness, muscle ache, chills and fever may develop.”  A poisoned person may experience skin and nail symptoms which may include “hardened patches of skin, with unusually deep creases on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, unusual darkening of certain area of the skin, transverse white bands on the fingernails and a scale-like inflammation of the skin.” Other symptoms may include “inflammation of sensory and motor nerves and the mucus membrane lining the throat.” Build ups of inorganic Arsenic have been reported in the liver, spleen, kidney, lungs and intestines. From these organs, it deposits in tissue such as skin and nails.

    “Symptoms of acute inorganic arsenic poisoning”, says this website, “include severe burning of the mouth and throat, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure and muscle spasms. Individuals with severe inorganic arsenic poisoning may experience heart problems, accumulation of acids in the tubes of the kidneys, breakdown of this hemoglobin of red blood cells, irregular heart rhythms, coma, seizures, bleeding within the intestines, yellowing of the skin, mucus membrane and white of the eyes (jaundice).”

    You will find arsenic poisoning frightening if you realise that arsenic is a weed killer used on the farms to protect such crops as Carrots, Cucumber, water melon and many types of vegetables. It is not surprising that beans from Nigerians farm has been barned in Europ.  A few years ago, our cocoa was banned in the world market. The residue leaches into the soil and poisons underground water, shallow wells especially.

    Will Allen says in www.chelseagreen.com “more than 100 products add Arsenic as an ingredient, including but not limited to wall papers, paint, cosmetics, medicines, fruits preserves in cans, bakery foods, cocoa, sweet meat, tobacco,  book coverings, book bindings, lamp shades, decorated plates, toy decorations, cardboard boxes, labels, carpets, water colours, dental fillings, stocking veils, stuffed animals candles.”

    Wherever we turn, we encounter arsenic. Dr. Cottinghan advises in www.prevention.com that arsenic was plentiful in Cruciferous Vegetables (which are among the best antioxidant vegetables), dark meat fish (Tuna, Mackarel, Salmon, Sardines, Blue fish and sword fish, rice, chicken and other poultry and beer and  wine). As Arsenic comes hand in hand with sulphur, it is often suggested that unsulphured wines and blackstrap Molasses be consummed. We cannot flee from Arsenic. For there is no hiding place for us world poisoned by man.

    It is in water and in the soil, in the water from boreholes… it is everywhere. What we can do is to regularly remove it from our bodies as we should other heavy metals as well. When we eliminate the ones in the intestines today, the ones in the cells and other soft tissue are emptied into the intestine the next day.

    It is like on Sanitation Day in Nigeria when we bring all the dust and garbage from the household into the streets for the dustmen to take away. Detoxification should be followed up with periodic high colonic irrigation with inedible coffee to open up the liver and the bowels.

     

    Lead poisoning

    ARSENIC poisoning may be scary, that of lead is no less frightening. Lead toxicity in children may make them “less playful, clumsier, irritable and sluggish.” According to raredisease.org “in some cases, symptoms include headache, vomiting, abdominal pain, lack of appetite, constipation, slurred speech, changes in kidney function, usually high amounts of protein in the blood, and usually pale skin resulting from a low level of iron in the red blood cell”

    Says the website. “Neurological symptoms associated with lead overexposure include an impaired ability to co-ordinate voluntary movements, brain damage, seizures, convulsions, swelling of the optic nerve and or impaired consciousness. Some affected children experience learning or behavioral problems such as mental retardation and selective deficit in language, cognitive function, balance, behavior, and school performance. In some cases, symptoms may be life-threatening.”

    In adults, over-exposure to lead may cause high blood pressure and damage to the reproductive organs.  Additional symptoms may include fever, headaches, fatigues, sluggishness, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, constipation, joint pain, loss of recently acquired skills, incordination, listlessness, difficulty sleeping, irritability, altered consciousness, hallucinations and or seizures. In addition, affected individual may experience low levels of iron in the red blood cells, peripheral neuropathy and, income cases, brain damage”

     

    Good news

    Here is good news about how to protect the body against brain damage. I wish to quickly refer to it ahead of other suggestions for lead detoxification in the second part of this series. The good news is that, at Babcock University in Ilisan, Ogun State of Nigeria, a physiologist researcher is studying the possibility of reversing lead-induced brain damage with Moringa Oloifera, as a food supplement. I cannot give details of this study ahead of its publication in a science journal. The researcher divided rats into four groups and treated them as follows… Group I was given normal diet. Group II was given normal diet with lead…

    Group III was given normal diet with lead and Moringa

    Group IV was given normal diet and Moringa.

    After some weeks, the rats were “sacrificed” (that is, killed) and their brains were examined. Prior to the experiment, they were all tested for cognition and other skills, all were found to be in excellent conditions. After the experiment and the study of their brains, the rats fed normal diet and those normal diet and moringa had no brain damage, they had only changes in the brain typical of rats of their age. The rats fed normal diet and lead suffered extensive brain damage. The rats fed normal diet, lead and Moringa suffered mild brain damage. Another experiment is to be set up to study the possibility of reversing brain damage in rats, using Moringa as a food supplement.

    This experiment at Babcock University shows that heavy metals poisoning can be curbed or prevented, and that it may be possible to even reverse the damage it causes. Already, many experiments have shown many food supplements act likewise in respect of the organs of the body they are specific to. For example, Milk Thistle and Eclipta and Eclipta alba (false daisy) protect the liver against damage by carbon tetrachloride, one of the deadliest toxic chemicals an unprotected liver does not withstand. Bilberry protect the eyes. Ubiquinol strengthens the heart. Slippery elm helps ulcers. Chlorella excrets heavy metals and other toxics from the body. So do zeolite, Diatom, chelated minerals such as Zinc, EDTA.

    We are all exposed and host of these lead every day. Overexposed people include battery plant workers, lead production workers, welders and solders. We are exposed to lead when we inhale the fumes of motor vehicle exhaust or snuff the smell of house paint. Some diner plates are hardened with lead so, serving hot food in them may expose the diner(s) to lead toxicity. Lead appears in the stool, urine, saliva, hair and nail. In Europe, it is possible to determine amounts of lead in the body through hair analysis of minerals and metals. It is doubtful if such diagnosis takes place in Nigeria where the patients, if superstitious or fetish, may fear diabolical uses of his or her hair sample. As stated earlier, we cannot protect ourselves well enough against heavy metals in this over poisoned world. For lead, for example, is in drinking water, toys, playgrounds, vegetable gardens, window sills, in the air, in the soil, in the cosmetics, everywhere.

    The website www.lead.org.au/fs/fst2.html. Widens the net… “There are at least 3.5 million homes in Australia with lead-based paint and it is not possible to identify it by its looks. Lead paints often sweet-tasting and, therefore, children would pick at it and eat it, and animals will eat it. Also, when this paint is sanded, scraped or is peeling, it creates a dangerous lead dust that is easily inhaled or swallowed. This dust also enters soil where it is easily accessed by children or animals. Lead does not breakdown. It remains toxic and unless dealt with safely, it will not go away.

    ‘Exhaust emissions from leaded-petrol driven vehicles were another source of lead particles which not only pollute the air but settle on soil and on buildings where people will come in contact with it.

    ‘Workers such as furniture restorers, lead lighters, car battery and radiator workers and painters can bring home lead dust on their clothes and their children are poisoned as a result.

    “The first flush of water in the morning or during the night should not be given to babies or young children because lead can leach into water. New taps can contain 4.5 percent lead and older taps can contain even more. New plumbing may leach lead for up to five years.

    A water filter may be the answer for your family. “Some food cans sold in Australia still had lead solder. These cans are usually irregular in shape with a thick seam and horizontal depression (dent). This is a source of lead that is easily avoided by buying a non-lead soldered product with flat welded seam.”

    The list goes on and on and on. Detoxification would appear to be the only escape route in our world today poisoned by heavy metals.