Neurotoxicity Explained

Everybody knows that you need good elimination habits to function optimally but few have only a basic understanding of what that means.  In a society that is becoming more focused on health and nutrition, a closer look at a group of toxins, called neurotoxins, is needed.

While elimination routes include kidney, gastrointestinal, skin and exhaled air, the liver is the most vital of body functions in the process of elimination of neurotoxins.  Common sources of neurotoxins include metals, biotoxins (viral, fungal or parasitical sources), man-made chemicals called xenobiotics that include pesticides, preservatives and excitatoxins such as MSG, aspartame, and food colorings. 

Neurotoxins are absorbed by nerve endings and travel inside the neuron to the cell body in the mammal nervous system.  As a result, they cause disruption in vital functions of the cell such as axonal transport(1) of nutrients, mitochondrial function and proper DNA transcription.

In the liver, elimination of most all products are expelled with the bile into the small intestine.  Unfortunately, because of the lipophilic and neurotropic nature of neurotoxins, most of these toxins are reabsorbed in the small intestinal wall by nerve endings of the enteric nervous system (ENS).  The ENS tissue is the same as the brain in the embryonic stage and then separates, hence sometimes referred to as the brain away from the brain.  Once these toxins are reabsorbed, they can be transported back to the brain, the liver, subclavian vein or uptake by bacteria in the bowel resulting in cause or exacerbation of illness caused by neurotoxins.

Obviously, the issue is complex.  Risk factors that can contribute to the sluggishness of the liver include allergy, poor diet of high carbohydrate and low protein, occupational exposure, prolong illness, surgeries, constipation, metal absorption and genetics to name a few.  

Solutions include evaluation of liver function for Phase I and Phase II detoxification, evaluation of toxic levels, and implementing a detoxification program.  It must include proper protein, a good mineral base and balanced electrolytes which can help displace metals. Other nutrients and food sources, including a mercury-free EPA/DHA fish oil, aide in binding up these toxins so they can be eliminated. Improving the diet, elimination and reduction of metal sources and other risk factors are a start but it needs to be done right. 

1  Axonal or axoplasmic transport is the movement of mitochondria, lipids, neurotransmitter regulation, proteins, and other cell parts to and from a neuron’s cell body through the contents of a cell that are enclosed within the plasma membrane or cytoplasm.  

www.cemmed.com contact for proper testing and guidance

www.healthwatch.com

Termite Extermination-Informed Consent

Pesticides kill insects and pests but can also have a devastating effect on the human species.  When a panic-stricken friend called to say she had a termite infestation and the exterminator wanted to pour 350 pounds of pesticide in and around her home, I realized most people do not know how to get enough information for informed consent.

Termites not only eat the wood structure of your home but can penetrate the soil and lay eggs.  A contact pesticide, the safest form of pesticide will not reach the target areas which are the nest and eggs and the queen termite nor protect your investment.   Often at least two persistent pesticides are recommended to resolve the problem.  They are called persistent because they linger in the environment and can be toxic to birds, aquatic and wildlife.  The mechanism of action to kill the pests is by affecting the nervous system. 

Suggested research:

FIND the Material Safety Data Sheet on line. 

GOOGE search: product name MSDS

Wikipedia is a good source for information on any subject

Also read material on line about each product suggested by your exterminator. 

Termidor is a persistent pesticide.  One of the most recommend products for termite control and extinction is Termidor.  The active ingredient (fipronil) is about 0.06% of the solution.  The concentration is much lower than most insecticides and has virtually no odor.  The termites cannot see, smell or taste the product and therefore do not avoid it.  The product is engineered to be slow-acting so once they contact, ingest and share it with their nestmates, the problem is well on its way to being resolved.

Pyrethroid pesticide is a contact pesticide.  One of probably the safest of all the pesticides is Bifenthrin.  It can be used indoors including food handling areas like restaurant kitchens, on and around building exteriors, plants and lawns.  It is a synthetic pesticide comparable to the natural pesticide pyrethrum which is made from chrysanthemum flowers.  It is not harmful to pets when dry, but has been found to be moderately toxic to birds and highly toxic to fish.  Plants do not absorb this pesticide.  Mechanism of action is by paralyzing the central nervous system and is effective as a contact pesticide for spiders, mosquitoes, cockroaches, ticks and flears, pillbugs, chinch bugs, earwigs, millipedes and termides. 

Tim-Bor & Borrada D are inorganic borates.  These products are used as wood preservatives to stop and prevent rot and insect attack. They are water soluable inorganic borage salts with insecticidal and fungicidal properties.  These borates are effective against subterranean, dry and damp wood termites, carpenter ants and Powder Post beetles and more.  The mechanism of action is a slow acting stomach poison and contact poison to decay fungi.  As a wood preservative, the insects or larvae feed on, tunnel or digest wood thus accumulating the active ingredient.  This is not the first choice for treatment.  This product protects from decay fungi as well.

Imidacloprid-Imidacloprid is a chlorinated neonicotinoid insecticide that acts on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor which inhibits degradation by acetylcholine-esterase.  It has relatively low toxicity to most animals other than insects due to the specific receptor named above and is a topical treatment for dogs and cats for fleas.  The product breaks to inorganic molecules in water and soil and therefore is not considered a persistent pesticide but is reported to degrade into toxic, persistent, 2-chloropyridine.  It can stay in the environment for 2.75 years.  In the body 96% of the chemical is eliminated in 48 hours.

To help avoid infestation, remove all loose wood from under the house and keep the area dry. 

Other pesticides may be recommended by the exterminator.  Do your homework and make an informed choice of remedy regarding the problem of termite infestation.

http://cemmed.com

www.healthwatchcentral

DDT, DDE, DDD, DDA-Organochlorine Pesticide

DDT, DDE, DDD, DDA-Organochlorine Pesticide                                      Part 1 

DDT is an organochlorine insecticide that was first synthesized in 1874 and was a commonly used pesticide in the United States on crops and in buildings until 1972 when it was banned from use.  It was banned in Mexico in 2000 but is still used in Africa, South America and Asia to control malaria and other pests. DDT is still manufactured in the US but sold only to foreign countries but there is the exception for DDT for public health emergencies involving insect disease and lice. 

DDT is persistent in the environment, accumulates in fatty tissues and some pests can build resistance to it.  While stored in fat, it produces no noticeable symptoms. It affects the nervous system by interfering with normal nerve impulses.  Mammals exposed to DDT develop liver tumors an have increase risk of liver tumors but there is not sufficient study to demonstrate that it is carcinogenic in humans. 

DDT breakdown products in the body include DDE, DDD and DDA.  It is excreted in the urine, feces or breast milk. It tends to accumulate in animals but has declined with discontinued use.  The soil half-life is 2-15 years, and 150 years in the aquatic environment.  

DDT is dichlordiphenyltrichloroethane

Organochlorines are chemical compounds that contain hydrogen, carbon, chlorine, and possibly other atoms.

DDE is dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene-breakdown product of DDT

DDD (DDT) is dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane

DDA is 2,2-bis(4-chlorophernyl)-acetic acid

Center for Environmental Medicine

Pesticides – Effects on Children

Our children seemingly have chronic exposure to pesticides from the womb to the grave.  Over a lifetime, with approximately 4.5 billion pounds of chemicals applied annually to crops, buildings and lawns in the United States, is it any wonder chronic illness in on the rise?  Reports of 50% intake of pesticide exposure occur within the first five years of life.

Additionally, some tests indicate vulnerability to pesticide up to three months before pregnancy and the first month after conception.  As if this isn’t enough, many pesticides detoxify through mother’s milk either as pesticides or their metabolites because the milks fat content causes the solubility of the toxin.  The developing brain and central nervous system have pronounced vulnerability to neurotoxicants such as lead, mercury, alcohol, other than pesticides and causes reason for concern.

While the overall use of pesticides decreased 17.2 % from 1979 to 1997,  that has little affect on children 6 years and younger who are much more susceptible to pesticide toxicity because they eat more, drink more and breathe more per body weight.  Children are physiologically different than adults because they grow rapidly requiring more energy Their activities of ground playing and water activities put them at greater risk for heavier exposure to pesticides in water, soil, and air.

Multiple pesticides may be present at the same time in mother’s milk and consequences may include altered social skills, decreased intelligence, and reproductive difficulties or failures.  Thyroid function in pregnant women is a critical determinate in IQ and some persistent pesticides such as polychlorinated biphenols and dioxins disrupt thyroid function.  In animal models studies have shown a variety of pesticies such as DDT/DDE, mirex, aldrin, dieldrin, atrazine, dieldrin, atrazine, hexachlorocyclobexane, toxaphene, alachlor, chlordane, vincloxolin and chlorphyrifos can interfere with estrogen androgen and thyroid receptors during critical periods of development.  Additionally, pesticides can affect neurotransmitter metabolism and electrophysiological actions. 

It’s important that we learn how to protect our kids and because certain pesticides such as DDT and DDE have a half-life of about 150 years in aquatic environments, seafood may be one of the easiest exposures to avoid.   Getting a child use to a good distilled fish oil high is DHA early in life is probably one of the best things you could do as it mobilizes many pesticide toxins out of the body but is also great for brain development, skin and liver function. 

Today there are sophisticated tests for pesticide residue of all kinds, which require a simple blood draw shipped to the laboratory. 

http://es.epa.gov/ncer/childrenscenters/pesticides.html

Center for Environmental Medicine