Impaired Detoxification

[Guest guest]

Impaired Detoxification

Oct 02, 2005 11:34 PDT

 

 

If you feel sluggish and achy, have trouble concentrating or feel

like

you are living life in a fog, you will likely benefit from a program

of

detoxification. On the other hand, even if you have no apparent

symptoms, but have certain genetic quirks that prevent you from

getting

rid of toxins, you could still be headed toward disaster such as

cancer,

Parkinson's, Alzheimer's or ALS. Unfortunately, our detoxification

system has much more to contend with now than it did before the

industrial revolution. With the introduction of four million

synthetic

compounds, heavy metals, as well as the load from our own internally

generated waste from metabolism and digestion, many of us have

exceeded

our coping capacity. The consequences for our health are staggering -

 

feeling sick and tired, or worse, severe debilitating degenerative

diseases, and even increased risks for birth defects. Think of it as

the

rain barrel of our bodies that overflows from all the stressors -

physical, environmental, and emotional. When the rain barrel

overflows

we get sick.

 

Everyone one of us has chemical toxins stored in our bodies, and

approximately one in every four people also store heavy metals. The

job

of taking care of these toxins is very metabolically expensive,

requiring plenty of nutrients and cofactors that help to get rid of

those toxins. In the Remove section, we learned how to reduce our

exposure to these toxins. Here we learn how to maximize their

elimination. The major categories of toxins are chemical toxins,

heavy

metals, microbial compounds (from bacteria, yeast or other

organisms),

and the waste products of normal metabolism. The heavy metals that

cause

the most damage are lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, nickel and

aluminum. The chemical culprits include toxic chemicals and VOCs

(volatile organic compounds), solvents (cleaning materials,

formaldehyde, toluene, benzene), drugs, alcohol, pesticides,

herbicides

and food additives. Bacteria and yeast in the gut produce waste

products, metabolic products and cellular debris that can interfere

with

many body functions and lead to increased inflammation and even

autoimmune diseases. These include endotoxins, toxic amines, toxic

derivatives of bile and various carcinogenic substances such as

putrescine and cadaverine (you can imagine why they have those

names).

In fact, toxins from the gut can make people crazy, especially in

liver

disease. People who have liver cirrhosis cannot process the toxins

in

the gut and it leads them to delirium and the standard medical

treatment

is " sterilization of the gut " with antibiotics. Lastly, we must get

rid

of the byproducts of normal protein metabolism including urea and

ammonia.

 

In order to handle this enormous task, we need help. Our skin,

liver,

kidneys, intestines and even lungs help us detoxify. Yet for proper

functioning they rely on the food we eat and specific nutrients as

well

as phytochemicals to do the job right. Without proper support, our

waste

backs up, making us sick. Recently, a study in the journal Neurology

showed that chronic increases our chance of getting Parkinson's

disease

by up to 450%! There are genetic differences in how we handle things

as

well. A recent report in the Journal of the American medical

Association

[Maternal cigarette smoking, metabolic gene polymorphism, and infant

birth weight. JAMA.2002;287:195-202], found that women who have

trouble

detoxifying the 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke - like polycyclic

aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's), arylmines, and N-nitrosamines - tend

to

have infants with very low birth weights. These gene-environment

interactions determine the risk of getting cancer, osteoporosis, and

cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's, depression and more. The good

news

is we can supercharge our detoxification systems to help us cope.

 

We all have different capacities for detoxification that determine

our

risk and susceptibility to disease from exposure to toxins. As we

understand these differences we will be able to support people to

optimize their detoxification systems and minimized their risks.

 

" The rapid advances in the Human Genome Project, bioinformatics and

biotechnology have provided unprecedented opportunities as well as

challenges in understanding the genetic basis for individual

differences

in susceptibility to environmental exposures. " [JAMA.2002;287:195-

202]

 

Our functional capacity to metabolize and excrete toxins varies from

person to person and determines the rate and amount of accumulation

of

toxins in our systems. The total load - all the exposures and

influences

that tax our physiology - needs to be considered when creating

optimal

health. Even low-level toxins profoundly effect the proper

functioning

of our cells and biological systems. Chemicals are often studied for

their toxic effects independent of how they react in the presence of

other chemicals. But when acting in concert - which is what commonly

occurs in our bodies - their toxicity increases dramatically. For

example, in one rat study scientists administered lead and mercury

in

relatively low doses of LD1 (LD50 is the " lethal dose " 50% of the

time

and LD1 is the lethal dose 1% of the time). Receiving a dose of LD1

of

mercury and LD1 of lead resulted in a LD100, in other words, an

effect

100 times more toxic and lethal than each given alone.

 

Trying to keep track of all these toxins is difficult, and limiting

exposure is important, but boosting your own elimination and

detoxification system is a critical step you can take toward good

health. We have reviewed the strategies for improving elimination

through gut, urine, liver and skin. While we must at times

individualize

our approach based on the biochemical and genetic differences among

people, there are some basic principles that encourage mobilization

of

toxins, maximize their excretion and minimize their redistribution

to

other sites in the body. It is important to make sure all these

parts of

healthy detoxification are working well together. They depend on the

right food, exercise, adequate sweating, vitamins, minerals,

accessory

(or special) nutrients, hyperthermic or heat treatments like saunas

or

steam baths, stress management and occasionally heavy metal

chelation

treatments with medications like DMPS or DMSA that remove mercury,

arsenic and lead.

 

Many factors influence detoxification including diet, lifestyle

habits,

age, sex, disease and genetic variations from person to person. For

example, in Parkinson's disease, the enzymes needed for proper

detoxification of certain environmental chemicals function less than

optimally, making any toxic exposure to those chemicals a

significant

danger. As one example among many, exposure to the common home

gardening

chemical, rotenone, is associated with a higher risk of Parkinson's.

The

same liver detoxification enzyme (CYP2D6) is responsible for

metabolizing Prozac and other SSRI [please define] anti-depressants.

It

makes us wonder what will happen in 30 years to the millions of

people

who will be taking Prozac, with a million new prescriptions being

written every week. Women who have a sluggish enzyme for glutathione

S-transferase (GST) (a very common genetic variation) have an

increased

risk of giving birth to children with low birth weight or cleft lip

or

palate. But simply eating Brussels sprouts or drinking green tea can

boost this detoxifying enzyme, perhaps even preventing adverse

reproductive effects. We now know that the way we process hormones

plays

a big role in our cancer risk. The toxic metabolites of estrogen are

what do the damage. Toxins, folate status, insulin and even

compounds in

our food such as cruciferous vegetables influence specific

detoxification pathways that regulate the removal of excess

estrogen.

Within a few years, doctors will be able to analyze our DNA from

blood,

or cheek or skin scraping, and identify our risks and specific

interventions to correct these problems, whether they are specific

foods

or supplements or even new types of " prodrugs. " Prodrugs are

substances

that help support and enhance the body's own healing systems such as

fish oil to prevent heart attacks or reduce inflammation, or

acidophilus

or probiotics that put back healthy bacteria into the gut and can

help

with irritable bowel syndrome.

 

The comprehensive program outlined here will help to correct many of

these types of problems and maximize your body's own detoxification

capacity, and safely eliminate stored toxins. Depending on your

symptoms, genetic predispositions and environmental exposures, you

may

need different levels of nutrients and types of treatment. However,

this

approach can be safely applied for most people. The first step is to

reduce your exposure to toxins and optimize digestion as already

outlined. Then you can begin to implement the following life-long

strategies for keeping the rain barrel from overflowing!

______________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets