Iodine and Potassium Iodide

[mariowil7]

From what Mariowil7 posted above, then it appears as though the EDTA should be taken 10-15 minutes after the iodine, selenium etc has been taken so as to remove what has been released from the cells. So it doesn't necessarily mean to stop iodine one day in order to chelate the heavy metals. At least that is how I read it:

Step 3
WHILE THE MINERALS ARE EFFECTIVE TOXIC METAL MOBILIZERS THEY ARE NOT THE BEST CHELATORS.

Ten to fifteen minutes after taking the minerals, you want to take a proven chelator such as EDTA. Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), DMPS and DMSA also used for chelation, but EDTA and ALA seem to be the easiest on the system while still being effective.

Thanks for pointing this out Aeneas, taking EDTA/DMSA after iodine is definitely more effective. I was also thinking in terms of those who have more severe detox or heavy metal reactions to iodine to take a break on regular intervals, like 5 days on, 2 days off where one would take EDTA to get rid of the metals still circulating.

As Gaby just pointed out it could be that EDTA neutralises iodine and she therefore suggests to take it well apart from the iodine intake. And if I understand it correctly, then one would only do this if symptoms of heavy mercury/metal detox is burdening the system. Staying below the individual threshold with Lugol/KI and the iodine will do the detox over time, unless one gets symptoms that indicate otherwise.

Yes Eboard10 as it has pointed out it will be wise to play it safe and follow the Gabi sugestion...

just my two cents...

 

[no-mans-land]

According to Brownstein, excess iodine (1gram or more) can "rarely" cause temporary hyperthyroid symptoms, although he doesn't seem to know exactly why. The endocrinologist I went to see didn't really know much about the situation either because, as she said, she hasn't met anyone crazy enough to take large doses of iodine! One thing she did say that was interesting however was that excess iodine can be taken up into fat cells in the body and stay there for 2-3 weeks. From what I remember, a lot of toxins, including heavy metals, are stored by the body in fat cells, and of course, the brain is made up mostly of fat.

That is an interesting piece of information.

I think some people are seeing viral infections on lower doses of iodine due to this release of mercury and other heavy metals which then affects the immune system. Like an indirect feeding mechanism where the immune system is unable to keep a check on the viruses because it is impaired by the circulating mercury. This might be the reason why some people could be seeing a flare on a latent viral infection and/or could be catching colds and other stuff more easily.

I guess that's exactly what happend to me too recently. I stayed on a low dose of iodine, like 3 drops of 10% solution once a day. 4 days ago I just upped the dose to 4 drops and just half an hour later headaches started. I went out to do the Christmas groceries and eventually catch something like a flu that struck me down immediately. Since then the symptoms developed like a typical viral infection with all the good things. Today it's already way better than yesterday.

I was a bit confused since the symptoms developed so closely to the increase of the iodine that I first thought it must be related to a detox symptom, but since it had all the signs of a real viral infection, I thought about bad luck. The above explanation totally make sense since I, too, had mercury fillings and it really feels like that after round about 3 weeks into the protocol the body now starts to dump the heavy metals, which put a lot of stress onto the immune system.

I guess I will implement the DMSA here too.

 

[Joe]

What if EDTA neutralizes the iodine?

I was searching about this and found some weird chemical explanations, but the following stands out:

_http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8905632

EDTA inhibits lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodide oxidation by acting as an electron-donor and interacting near the iodide binding site.

"Kinetic studies indicate that EDTA competitively inhibits iodide oxidation by acting as an electron donor."

Just in case, I would take it far away from the iodine dose, like before going to bed. Same with DMSA which is more specific for mercury. EDTA is mostly for lead. The DMSA dose of 100-200mg every two nights is better tolerated than the standard protocol which calls for 200mg three times per day for three days. This last protocol can be very hard to tolerate.

FWIW. Best to make sure that the improvement in symptoms is from chelation and not from neutralizing iodine.

Yep, and you could also use DMSA/EDTA as part of the iodine "pulse" protocol. Take iodine for a while until you have a reaction, then stop for the 3 days of DMSA/EDTA, and then back on the iodine for the next 11 days, then continue with the DMSA/EDTA protocol until the only thing you experience is unbounded joy and enthusiasm for life! Or is that too much to expect??

 

[nicklebleu]

Read this abstract today - another caveat for prolonged high-dose iodine:

Biol Trace Elem Res. 2015 Dec 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Effect of Excess Iodine on Oxidative Stress Markers, Steroidogenic-Enzyme Activities, Testicular Morphology, and Functions in Adult Male Rats.

Chakraborty A1, Mandal J1, Mondal C1, Sinha S1, Chandra AK2.

Abstract

Improper iodine intake is a major concern in public health. Chronic intake of low iodine affects gonadal functions of man and animals; however, such effects of excess iodine in male reproduction, specially on testicular morphology, testicular steroidogenic enzyme activities, sperm morphology, sperm viability, and sperm count including male hormonal profiles in reference to iodine status and thyroid hormone profiles are yet to be explored. With this background, adult male rats of 120 ± 10 gm Bw of 90 ± 5 days were divided broadly in two groups depending on the duration of the treatment for 30 and 60 days, respectively. Both the groups consisted of control animals. Excess iodine (100EI), i.e., 100 times more than its recommended level but within its tolerable ranges, was administered through gavage regularly to the first group of experimental animals for 30 and 60 days, respectively, and excessive iodine (500EI), i.e., 500 times more than its recommended level and above tolerable range in the same way and for the same durations, was administered to the other group of experimental animals. Overall results revealed that regular consumption of iodine in excess impairs reproductive functions in adult male rats depending on the dose and duration of its exposure through different mechanisms. Excess iodine accumulates in the testis which results in generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as evidenced by higher lipid peroxidation level as well as an imbalance in the pro-/antioxidant status inhibiting the activity of ∆5 3β- hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) and 17β-HSD resulting to reduced synthesis of testosterone that causes structural and functional changes of the testis. Secondly, persistent generation of ROS in testis as a result of prolonged excess iodine exposure affects hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis that stimulates synthesis and secretion of corticosterone which inhibits LH release that downregulates testosterone synthesis causing further testicular disruption. Thirdly, excess iodine when administered above its tolerable ranges for prolonged duration acts on thyroid itself developing a state of biochemical hypothyroidism (as evident by low T3) which further potentiate the disrupting effect of excess iodine on male gonads by reducing circulating testosterone level.sterone level.

OK, these are rats ...

However as a general rule I think we can say:
- chronic high-doses of iodine are probably not optimal, once iodine stores have been restored and/ or halides have been detoxed
- but on the other hand, if there is an acute problem, high-dose iodine is safe and effective for a relatively short time

Any thoughts?

 

[Galaxia2002]

Just a question for those who might know while I try to find the answer myself, but if iodine is effective at removing metals from the organs/cells etc. does it actually help to eliminate them, or does it just remove them from the organs/cells and dump them in the bloodstream or somewhere?

Chemically speaking, there is a difference between a chelator and a mobilizer. A chelator strongly binds to a metal, and a mobilizator just take it from one part to another. The solubility of mercury iodide is low (100 parts per million) but not low enough to act as chelator, which make me think that it can act as mobilizator principally and as chelator secondarily whereby the use of an additional chelator is necessary.

I started to take 15 mg of potassium iodide and really quick get some throat sores with a burning sensation. I go for 50 mg/day by two days to kill any bug and they disappeared, as well as the feeling of infection. And I go down again to 15 mg. Curiously months before I felt some slight pain when my therapist of lymphatic drainage passed by my neck area. I felt some pain when she passed by some nodules (not the thyroid), and when she finished the drainage there was no pain, as it should be. Time after she passed by the area with no pain. Even I forgot of that. So the iodide seemed to reactivate some latent infection there. It is as a memory effect was revealed by the iodine.
By the way test muscle( I don't find it reliable) tell me a range of 5 to 15 mg/day of iodine. I feel a slight headache sometimes at night, mucus production and I find more difficult to get some sleep but all those symptoms are becoming less evident with the time.

 

[Joe]

Read this abstract today - another caveat for prolonged high-dose iodine:
OK, these are rats ...

However as a general rule I think we can say:
- chronic high-doses of iodine are probably not optimal, once iodine stores have been restored and/ or halides have been detoxed
- but on the other hand, if there is an acute problem, high-dose iodine is safe and effective for a relatively short time

Any thoughts?

That sounds reasonable to me. One tangential question though. Does iodine cross the blood-brain barrier?

 

[Keit]

That sounds reasonable to me. One tangential question though. Does iodine cross the blood-brain barrier?

Nope, it can't.

 

[Oxajil]

Hm, I couldn't find anything that explicitly said that iodine can cross the blood-brain barrier. But it is concentrated in the brain; how could it get there otherwise?

Brownstein wrote:

“Large amounts of iodine are also stored in many other areas of the body including the salivary glands, cerebrospinal fluid and the brain, gastric mucosa, choroid plexus,breasts, ovaries, and the ciliary body of the eye. In the brain, iodine concentrates in the substantia nigra, an area of the brain that has been associated with Parkinson’s disease.”

There's also this interesting paper: http://iodineresearch.com/files/andrasi_2007_determination_iodine_brain.pdf

The resemblance of iodine distribution in both hemispheres indicate that the differences for various human brain regions are not at all accidental. The heterogeneous distribution of elements in human brain may partly be due to the various cell densities, cell volumes and different cell type within different regions. The lowest iodine concentration can be seen in white matter (genu corpori callosi) (Table 6). This can be explained by its very low cell density. Surprisingly, low iodine concentration can be found in some cortical structure which are in connection with cognitive function (e.g. cortex cerebri). High iodine concentrations were found in brain regions involved in sensory system (pulvinar thalami) and in limbic system (gyrus hippocampus). The grey and white matter of gyrus hippocampus was found to be decreased in post-traumatic stress and in major depression [30,31]. Another interesting finding is that some regions which can be classified on the basis of their physiological function contained similar high levels (e.g. basal ganglia) suggesting that there is some relation between the iodine profile of the brain and its function.

 

[Keit]

Hm, I couldn't find anything that explicitly said that iodine can cross the blood-brain barrier. But it is concentrated in the brain; how could it get there otherwise?

Very strange. Russian sources that I saw say that it can't cross it, unless you inject it directly into a cerebral fluid. It has to do with molecular structure and mass of the substance. They say that intact barrier would stop it, along with other substances such as specific antibiotics (penicillin is one of them).

But, perhaps it is possible for specific areas of the brain, such as hippocampus? Because one of the sources talks about the ability of the blood-brain barrier to allow specific substances to enter and accumulate in some areas but not in others. And hippocampus is one of those areas.

 

[Eboard10]

Hm, I couldn't find anything that explicitly said that iodine can cross the blood-brain barrier. But it is concentrated in the brain; how could it get there otherwise?

Very strange. Russian sources that I saw say that it can't cross it, unless you inject it directly into a cerebral fluid. It has to do with molecular structure and mass of the substance. They say that intact barrier would stop it, along with other substances such as specific antibiotics (penicillin is one of them).

But, perhaps it is possible for specific areas of the brain, such as hippocampus? Because one of the sources talks about the ability of the blood-brain barrier to allow specific substances to enter and accumulate in some areas but not in others. And hippocampus is one of those areas.

I recently finished reading the book Excitotoxins - The Taste that Kills, where the author mentions that certain parts of the brain are not protected by the blood-brain barrier, including the hypothalamus. He also states that the blood-brain barrier system can fail or be impaired from a number of circumstances including head injuries, viral and bacterial infections of the brain, exposure to certain metals such as lead and tin and high body temperature. FWIW.


ADDED: http://www.livestrong.com/article/162348-4-parts-of-the-brain-not-protected-by-the-blood-brain-barrier/

The blood-brain barrier prevents toxic substances, large molecules, and neurotransmitters released in the blood from entering the brain. Four areas of the brain are not protected by the blood-brain barrier. These areas include the posterior pituitary gland, pineal gland, the median eminence of the hypothalamus and the area postrema.

 

[Gaby]

Found this in the Resource Network of The Iodine Movement

http://iodineresearch.com/brain_pg1.html

The large effects on the iodide space of perchlorate and saturation with unlabelled iodide in
experiments in which the marker was administered intravenously and in the perfusate (7 and 8)
suggests the presence of an active iodide transport from the brain extracellular fluid into the blood
over the blood—brain barrier.

One of the iodine books that I have (by Juan C. Mirre, in Spanish) reminds people that T3 (which has iodine) plays a key role in the neuron's synapses, possibly regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin, GABA, and norepinephrine.

It is speculated that the epidemic of ADHD is due to iodine deficiency. There could be a direct neurological impairment and/or development, and also less iodine to deal with all the toxicity.

Children who are iodine deficient have lower intelligence.

So yeah, I would think that iodine can cross the blood brain barrier. A lot of research on iodine is only coming more recently as people are realizing that everybody is very deficient due to bad policies from the 20th century.

 

[Joe]

Some interesting, and disturbing info on mercury:

Mercury salts when heated with Na2CO3 yield metallic Hg and are reduced to metal by H2O2 in presence of an alkali hydroxide. Cu, Fe, Zn and many other metals ppt. metallic Hg from neutral or slightly acid solns. of mercury salts. Soluble ionized Mercuric salts give a yellow ppt. of HgO with NaOH and a red ppt. of HgI2 with alkali iodide. Mercurous salts give a black ppt. with alkali hydroxides and a white ppt. of calomel with HCl or soluble chlorides. They are slowly decomposed by sunlight.

Use: In barometers, thermometers, thermostats, hydrometers, pyrometers; in mercury arc lamps producing ultraviolet rays, fluorescent lamps, mercury vapor lamps; manuf. all mercury salts, mirrors; as catalyst in oxidation of organic compounds; extracting gold and silver from ores; making amalgams, electric rectifiers, mercury fulminate, ammunition; In dental amalgams for filling teeth; in determining N by Kjeldahl method, for Millon's reagent; as cathode in electrolysis, electro analysis, exterior house paint, ceramics, and many other uses.

Toxicity: Readily absorbed via respiratory tract (elemental mercury vapor, mercury compound dusts), intact skin, and G.I. tract. Spilled and heated elemental mercury is particularly hazardous.

Acute: Soluble salts have violent corrosive effects on skin and mucous membranes; severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea; kidney damage; death usually within 10 days.

Chronic: Inflammation of mouth and gums, swelling of salivary glands, excessive flow of saliva, loosening of teeth; kidney damage; muscle tremors, jerky gait, spasms of extremities; personality changes, discouragement, depression, irritability, nervousness, dementia, loss of motor coordination.

{dementia - loss or impairment of mental powers due to organic causes.}

Mercury has been found to accumulate in vital organs and tissues, such as the liver, brain, and heart muscle. Major symptoms of mercury toxicity include Emotional Instability, tremors, gingivitis, and kidney failure. Some also believe mercury may be linked to multiple sclerosis and epileptic seizures. Further, its affect on the body's immune system is potentially devastating, possibly contributing to diseases such as leukemia and hematopoietic dycrasias.

Recent studies have found that substantial amounts of mercury vapor are released from dental amalgam after chewing gum for just ten minutes.

No governmental agency has established safe standards for mercury intake from dental amalgams. Some experts believe "there is No Safe Level of mercury exposure."

Mercury exposure is of particular concern in the developing fetus and in children due to their low body weight. — Source —

The Problem With Mercury

The problem is Mercury simply "Loves Sulfur" too much. So much so, that it will compete with other molecules for Sulfur and can usually "steal" Sulfur out of other molecular structures, in effect killing them.

Mercury (Hg) interacts with brain tubulin and disassembles microtubules that maintain neurite structure. -reference-

If it can't steal Sulfur, Mercury will bond to the Sulfur atom the best it can. This usually prevents the molecule from performing its function.

Sulfur is part of our blood cells as well as many other proteins and enzymes. Many systems in our bodies are very much like today's Industrial Assembly Lines. If one work station stops functioning the whole system can backup or get very crazy.

Enzymes perform very specialized functions within our body's chemical assembly line. It shouldn't be very hard to visualize the whole process going out of whack if someone doesn't show up for work. Imagine cars coming off the assembly line without tires, or headlights, or oil light sensors, or fuses — you get the idea.

From our viewpoint, Enzymes are really "Hyper" little fellows. In the lab, they have been clocked doing Two Million Reactions Per Minute ! (2,000,000 /min.) That means in a 24-hour period, they can do their job 2,880,000,000 times. (Two Billion, Eight Hundred Eighty Million Reactions per Day)

Today a typical adult carries ten amalgams weighing a total of about ten grams, of which five grams is mercury. What little research there is on the rate at which mercury escapes amalgam suggests about half a gram of mercury will escape from these ten fillings over the ten-year life of these fillings, and most of this mercury will be absorbed by the bearer of the amalgams. To put a half-gram in context, consider these facts: Half a gram of mercury dropped into a ten-acre lake warrants the promulgation of a fish advisory for the lake in Minnesota; the tennis shoes with mercury in them that were banned by the Minnesota legislature in 1994 contained half a gram of mercury per shoe. -reference-

(0.5 gram in a 180 lb. body produces a concentration of 6.168 PPM. Compare this level, to the elements in the " Water of Life". —TRC—)

There are about 1,501,430,636,558,496,585,414 atoms in 0.5 grams of mercury. Each and every atom of mercury is able to disable an enzyme or other critical protein in your body. Over ten years, if the body fails to remove this mercury, a lot of damage can be done. Unfortunately, mercury has ways of "hiding in the body" and can be quite hard to remove.

This 0.5 grams of mercury can produce a potential loss of 4,324,120,233,288,470,165,993,719,156,572 chemical reactions in your body. (Based on our lab example / over 10 years)

As you can see, it is quite difficult to grasp the scale on which all these chemical reactions are occurring, and we are only considering one source of mercury and this one toxic atom.

Mercury intoxication often produces a psychotic state resulting in hyper-excitability. The expression 'Mad as a Hatter' originates from the hat-makers of the 19th century who were chronically exposed to mercury compounds used in making felt and beaver hats. Mercury was also used to preserve leather and the furs for coats.

MAD AS A HATTER

Few people who use the phrase today realize that there's a story of human suffering behind it; the term actually derives from an early industrial occupational disease. Felt hats were once very popular in North America and Europe; an example is the top hat. The best sorts were made from beaver fur, but cheaper ones used furs such as rabbit instead.
Mercury is added to products to stop things from growing. Mercury was commonly added to exterior house paint until the late 1990's to keep mold from growing on the paint. Exterior paint is designed to "powder-off" instead of cracking and peeling, so the mercury enters the environment as a fine powder. (I highly recommend that you filter the air coming into your environment.)

Mercury is added at even higher levels to marine paint for ships. The object here is to keep barnacles off the hull. The solvents used in these paints continues to "out-gas" for many months, and are very good at carrying mercury into the body via the respiratory tract.

Mercury is also used in ammunition and many explosives, especially military types. Studies have shown that toxic levels of lead can be detected in blood samples, after only a couple of hours of indoor target practice, in a poorly ventilated room. This study failed to measure mercury levels, but there is a direct relationship between the amount of lead absorbed and the amount of mercury absorbed by human bodies.

Cellular Immunity

Antibodies* contain sulfur and are therefore attacked by mercury — thereby destroying the body's natural disease defense system. [ * an�ti�bod�y n. A protein substance produced in the blood or tissues in response to a specific antigen, such as a bacterium or a toxin. Antibodies destroy or weaken bacteria and neutralize organic poisons, thus forming the basis of immunity. ]

Major Immunoglobulin Classes

An antibody is about 1/700 the size of a red cell.

The immune system needs to be able to create an enormous number of antibodies, e.g., perhaps 10 billion B lymphocytes, each able to produce more than 100 million different antibody proteins. Since humans have only about 100,000 genes, it becomes impossible for our genes to specify each one of these proteins.

Newborn children receive specific environmental antibodies through nursing. (Mother's milk)

Our bodies are constantly creating new antibodies in response to the many different life forms attacking our bodies.

In cellular immunity, cells play the most important role in destroying foreign invaders. The cells involved are macrophages and the various subsets of T cells: helper CD4+ cells, suppressor CD8+ cells, cytotoxic T killer cells, and natural (NK) killer cells. Monokines and lymphokines secreted by macrophages and CD4+ helper cells, respectively, play an important role in directing and augmenting both cellular and humoral immune responses.

 

[mariowil7]

From Perceval

[...] The problem is Mercury simply "Loves Sulfur" too much. [...]

Here are some highlights and some natural and non natural (synthetic) solutions to that conundrum...

From _http://drsircus.com/medicine/essentials-natural-chelation/

[..] The Metal-Free Method.

Dr. Jaquelyn McCandless says, “Oral agents, especially DMSA, can encourage yeast overgrowth.” When chelating people with a heavy metal burden, particularly when they are young children or very elderly or have any chronic disease, it is best to mobilize and eliminate the metals gently, slower rather than faster, so that the body can reabsorb less and avoid flooding the body with toxic metals that cause further oxidative stress due to their free radical activity.
[...]

Metal chelation is a complex and serious matter. It is a fact that you can end up in worse health after chelation than when you started if you are not well-informed and do not proceed carefully under the care of a competent healthcare practitioner.

Synthetic chelators can be used to good effect by competent doctors but their dangers are ever present. Some of the more aggressive chelation procedures are appropriate in the cases of acute toxic exposure but even with stage-four cancers or imminent threat of heart attack or stroke it is probably best to use gentle approaches whenever possible.
[...]

Using synthetic drugs with their own toxic side effects is not the best way to chelate. Even EDTA, which is much less toxic than DMPS and DMSA, may not be appropriate for treating low-level lead exposures because it can be toxic in that it also increases excretion of some essential metals. EDTA produces substantial diuresis of zinc and a temporary 30-40 percent decrease in plasma zinc.
[...]

Dr. George Georgiou says, “Many health practitioners use synthetic chelating agents such as DMPS, DMSA, EDTA and others to mobilize and eliminate heavy metals from the body. There are advantages and disadvantages to using these. One advantage is the power of their mobilizing activity—they are quick to mobilize and eliminate certain metals in the body, but this may place a huge burden on the body’s detoxification systems.
[...]

The literature was full of testimonials on how chlorella and cilantro are excellent chelators of heavy metals, so we tested both of these in carefully designed, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.
[...]

Dr. George Georgiou and the Russian government invested one million dollars in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 350 people that has shown that when natural substances are combined, they work as effectively as synthetic chelators. After much experimentation Georgiou selected cilantro, chlorella and a chlorella growth factor extract.

Another excellent chelator that works as part of a complete protocol, like the HMD does, is Metal-Free, which was designed and created by Dr. David Minkoff. He developed his unique chelation system to save his wife much the way Dr. Rashid Buttar developed his TD-DMPS to recover his son from autism.

The peptide’s affinity to metal is strong, meaning that when a metal is picked up by Metal-Free it will not lose the particle along its way out of the body. Metals may be removed in the urine, sweat or fecal matter. Heavier metals, such as lead, mercury and uranium, are principally removed through the bowels, which mean the kidneys are protected from the heavy metals.
[...]

Metal-Free formula attaches itself onto the metal or toxin, which keeps it soluble and in circulation to be removed.
The formula attaches itself using all three methods of bonding (ionic, covalent and hydrogen) while DMPS uses only ionic. Metal-Free’s triple bond prevents the metal from being lost and reattaching itself into another area of the body. The peptides in Metal-Free are nanosized meaning they can easily penetrate skin and mucous membranes.

Dr. Minkoff said to me that, “Metal-Free, for reasons unknown and we have checked many times, does not bind beneficial minerals and so does not deplete the body while removing the heavy metals.” This is of course a problem when one uses synthetic chelators like DMPS.

Conclusion

I learned a lot from Dr. Greenberg and most of the items in his formula are in my protocol. Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC)) did not make my top fifteen medicinals but would be next in my priority list. ALA is a serious chelator and should be taken with caution by starting at low dosages and supporting its use with a full protocol, which includes clay to make sure that the heavy metals do actually leave the body.
[...]

Dosages, though, have to hit the sweet spot to affect changes and cures. When it comes to concentrated nutritional medicine (Natural Allopathic Medicine) it is important to remember that we are using medicinals that are not poisonous (because the body needs them, that’s why we call them nutritional medicines). This means the operating medical principle is not the dose makes the poison (allopathic terrorism). It means that we can take the dosages up to the saturation point. With some medicinals like magnesium and vitamin C we have bowel tolerance levels to inform us when we reach this level. With sodium bicarbonate we have simple pH paper for a guidance system. With just about everything else we have plenty of medical science to guide us.

No matter what chelating method you use, they will all be more effective if your magnesium levels are not depleted. Magnesium is very important for phase one detoxification and it, along with other minerals like zinc, displaces toxic heavy metals from the body. Magnesium is a crucial factor in the natural self-cleansing and detoxification responses of the body. Thus it is reasonable to assume that low levels of magnesium would render a person or child vulnerable to heavy metal mobilization during chelation. Many of the problems with chelation can be reduced when a person is given sufficient magnesium.

The Herbal Oral Chelation Formula some highlights... (cilantro + chlorella + Humic/Fulvic )

from _http://jonbarron.org/detoxing-full-body-detox/clinically-proven-oral-chelation#.Vn82314gB-x

Why cilantro and chlorella?

Because cilantro changes the electric charge on intracellular deposits of heavy metals to a neutral state, which relaxes their tight bond to body tissue, freeing them up to be flushed from the body. Studies have shown that levels of mercury, lead, and aluminum in the urine increase significantly after consuming large amounts of cilantro. It seems that cilantro changes the electric charge on intracellular deposits of heavy metals to a neutral state, which relaxes their tight bond to body tissue, freeing them up to be flushed from the body -- exactly the results seen in the Clinical Study.

Once free, the next step is to actually facilitate the removal of the metals from the body. And here's where chlorella comes in. Chlorella possesses the capacity to absorb heavy metals. This property has been exploited as a means for treating industrial effluent that contains heavy metals before it is discharged, and to recover the bio-available fraction of the metal in the process. In studies undertaken in Germany, high doses of chlorella have been found to be very effective in eliminating heavy metals from the body – from the brain, intestinal wall, muscles, ligaments, connective tissue, and bone.

Together, these herbs create a powerful oral chelation formula. [...]

1. Some people complained of getting slightly “spacey” while using the formula.
2. And some people who relied on urine provocation testing to determine how well the formula worked for them would freak out when they saw higher numbers after using the formula—even though that would be expected and was a sign that metals were actually pulled out of the soft tissue and clearing the body.

As it turns out, these problems are related. What’s happening is that the cilantro is unbinding and freeing up the heavy metals—particularly mercury—faster than the chlorella can escort it from the body. Eventually, the chlorella catches up, but until then, the temporarily higher levels of metals in the blood can make you feel a bit woozy. Also, this lag time will cause the numbers seen in provocation testing to remain higher for longer periods of time.

So, the question arose, was there any way to enhance the formula that could help at least mitigate these problems, understanding that they can never be totally eliminated since they are inherent in the detox process?

THE ANSWER...

Humic and Fulvic Acid

Humic acid, fulvic acid, and humin are types of humic substances or humates that are the major components of organic matter found throughout nature as a result of the action of millions of beneficial microbes on decomposing plants—a process known as humification. Humic acid and fulvic acid are considered to be the chemically bioactive compounds. They are black or dark brown in color and are of high molecular weight. Humins are the brownish amorphous substance that is produced from acidic reactions on certain sugars, carbohydrates, or the remaining residue of humate extraction and are considered less biologically active.
[...]

Fulvic Acid and Chelation

There are many health benefits associated with the use of supplemental humic and fulvic acids, including:

Control of inflammation
Stimulating metabolism
Working as powerful free radical scavengers
Regulating the thyroid and thymus glands
Oxygenating the blood
Maintaining optimum alkalinity

But the one we are concerned with today is their ability--and especially that of fulvic acid—to chelate toxic and/or inorganic metals and escort them safely out of the body.
[...]

In order for a compound to be called a true chelating agent, it must have certain chemical characteristics. It must have at least two sites capable of donating electrons to the metal it chelates. For true chelation to occur, the donating atom(s) must also be in a position within the chelating molecule so that a formation of a ring with the metal ion can occur. Humic and fulvic acid both qualify as true chelating agents.

Adding Fulvic Acid to the Existing Formula (bioactive cilantro or chlorella)

As it turns out, we could make room for adding a sizeable amount of pristine, organic, liquid humic/fulvic acid by dropping out some of the alcohol and water base in the tincture since they play no active role in the heavy metal chelation formula. Thus, we get to add a large amount of a powerful chelating agent to the formula without reducing the amount of bioactive cilantro or chlorella even one microgram. In formulation, this has to be considered the ultimate win/win scenario.
[...]

Humic/Fulvic Conclusion

When we tested the revised version of the heavy metal chelation formula with the added fulvic acid solution, the first thing that we noticed was that several people who had previously complained about feeling “off” or “spacey” when using the formula no longer had that complaint. They felt no dizziness or wooziness—indicating that the fulvic acid was working as expected. And under limited urine provocation testing, the numbers for heavy metals in the blood began to drop much more quickly in the days after using the formula than with previous versions. By all indications, the efficacy of the formula has been significantly enhanced.
[...]

It’s also recommended that you drink a glass of water after consuming a 4 mL serving of the formula.

And the last but not less important as the above...

Chelation: Harnessing and Enhancing Heavy Metal Detoxification—A Review

_http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654245/

Roles of Chelation in Natural Toxicokinetics

Metal binding proteins, including metallothioneins, are potent chelators for heavy metals and are central to the natural response of the body to these toxic elements. Glutathione is another potent chelator involved in cellular response, transport, and excretion of metal cations and is a biomarker for toxic metal overload.

Not only animals, but also plants produce chelating compounds, and metallothionein content of foods may affect bioavailability as well as metabolism of toxic metals such as cadmium.

Some foods have been suggested to reduce absorption or reabsorption of toxic metals and to support natural detoxification pathways.
[...]

(iii) Given that toxic metals have great affinity for sulphur-containing peptides, diets rich in sulphur-containing foods such as alliums (e.g. garlic) and brassicas (e.g., broccoli) have been suggested for effects on glutathione, with hopes for symptomatic improvement and enhanced excretion. Garlic prevented cadmium-induced kidney damage and decreased the oxidative damage due to lead in rats.

(iv) Cilantro (leaves of Coriandrum sativum), a popular culinary and medicinal herb, gained attention when a soup was reported to enhance mercury excretion following dental amalgam removal and remains popular despite limited evidence. In animals, it decreased lead absorption into bone and inhibition of the delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) enzyme. Less encouragingly, in a recent trial in 3- to 7-year old children exposed to lead, a cilantro extract was as effective as placebo in increasing renal excretion (improvements across treatment and placebo groups were ascribed to improved diet during the intervention).

Several supplements are also in use to address metal toxicities.

(i) Taurine and methionine are sulphur-containing amino acids. They are rich in membranes particularly of excitable tissues, and they decrease oxidative stress markers resulting from heavy metal exposure. Practitioners also report using taurine for 6 weeks or so prior to hair analyses, to boost levels and improve detection.

(ii) Alpha lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that regenerates other antioxidants (e.g., vitamins E and C, and reduced glutathione) and has metal-chelating activity. Both fat and water soluble, it is readily absorbed from the gut and crosses cellular and blood-brain membrane barrier. Clinical experience is that it must be used carefully as it poses particular risks of redistribution of metals.

(iii) N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), an orally available precursor of cysteine, is a chelator of toxic elements and may stimulate glutathione synthesis, particularly in the presence of vitamins C and E.

(iv) Glutathione is not recommended to be administered orally as it undergoes digestion; however novel modes of delivery such as liposomal and prodrug preparations are emerging. It may be administered intravenously, in creams and via nebulizer. Glutathione is an important physiological chelator, and the reduced form of glutathione protects cells from reactive oxygen species associated with heavy metals.

(v) Selenium is an important essential element, that is present at a broad range of levels across populations. The selenide ion forms an extremely stable, insoluble compound with mercury, and provides relief of mercurialism symptoms. On the face of it, selenide might not be compatible with chelation, as the two agents may counter the effectiveness of one another; however, selenium may be incorporated in organic molecules, and organic selenium/mercury complexes may be transported through membranes. Selenium depletion in the face of mercury exposures also depletes seleno-enzymes. In humans, organic selenium supplementation was beneficial in a controlled trial among 103 mercury-exposed villagers. A selenium yeast product increased mercury excretion and decreased oxidative stress-related biomarkers urinary malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine.

Of all the above the most important part for me, to do a more deeper research is this:

methods of bonding (ionic, covalent and hydrogen). Because those methods seems to me to be intrinsically related to CHELATION.

There is a lot of work for me to do in that Electrochemical area.

As a side note, the Natural way to deal with Sulfur (Cilantro et al) seems promising specially because of being Naturally abundant.

 

[Leòmhann]

I am currently catching up on the thread. I have noticed several references to MCT oil and think I might try it. Is there a specific brand name that it would be best to look for.? Best formula or other things to consider about this kind of oil?

Mac

I've previously bought the Buried Treasure brand (16 oz) through luckyvitamin.com @ $12.59, but I've decided to go with a larger quantity (32 oz) @ $24.95 on amazon that's non-gmo/organic and bottled in a bpa-free container: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XM0Y9SE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00&pldnSite=1 - both are derived completely from coconuts (not palm)...

 

[nicklebleu]

In the link Gabi mentioned there was this study:

Bito LZ, Bradbury MW, Davson H.
J Physiol. 1966 Jul;185(2):323-354.

1. Even when a steady level of (131)I(-) is maintained in the blood for long periods, the uptake by
brain and spinal cord is very small, and the possibility that this is due to an active transport of I(-)
from brain-tissue to blood has been examined.

2. Most of the phenomena, however, can be explained on the basis of a slow passive diffusion
across the blood-brain barrier associated with an active transport of (131)I(-) out of the c.s.f. across
the choroid plexuses, so that, except possibly for the spinal cord, active transport from central
nervous parenchyma into the blood need not be postulated. If it does occur, it contributes very little
to the net exchanges between the three compartments, plasma, c.s.f. and extracellular fluid.

3. The steady-state distribution of bromide between plasma and c.s.f. is normally such that the
concentration in the c.s.f. is only some 70% of that in plasma; it has been shown that this is most
probably due to an active transport of Br(-) across the choroid plexuses

So in summary it seems that iodine crosses the BBB, but only in small quantities, but bromine seems to penetrate the BBB better, unfortunately.

But it's an old study, there might be some active transport mechanism, where iodine is coupled to some protein or other substance, that might not have been captured in the above study.

The question remains - if the iodine is so critical for brain development, how does it unfold it's magic?