Hair Test Interpretation: Finding Hidden Toxicities
by Andrew Hall
Cutler,
PhD, PE
© 2004, 2008, 2009
Andrew Hall
Cutler
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It is relatively
difficult to
establish good reference ranges for every element under every
circumstance. Despite the fact that the
statistical
definition of the Doctor’s Data reference ranges would
reasonably be expected to lead to a
bar on the plot for thallium most of the time, it is common not to see
one.
Blood thallium levels are
often falsely
normal (low) in poisoned people.
Urine levels in a 24 hour collection are somewhat more reliable
but
false normals are still common.
Hair levels are often informative but no estimate is available
at
present regarding false normal thallium levels in hair from toxic
people.
Most thallium salts are
colorless,
odorless, and tasteless.
Thallium is concentrated
into
certain cells because it binds to a specific site on a cell surface
mineral
transport protein that is normally used to take potassium up in
exchange for
sodium (the biochemical term is Na,K ATPase). It
concentrates particularly well into the brain, kidney,
and the part of the heart called the myocardium. In
addition to binding to the sulfhydryl groups of various
enzymes, thallium specifically attaches to vitamin B2 – riboflavin –
and
inactivates it. Without vitamin B2
fats can’t be burned for energy and the main route that carbohydrates
take into
the energy producing Krebs cycle through pyruvate is also blocked. Citric acid, succinic acid, suberic
acid and adipic acid go up on an organic acid test.
Only protein can be easily used for energy.
Thallium is also
reabsorbed in the
kidney by the same mechanism that retains potassium, so people with low
serum
potassium or low potassium intake retain thallium and are more
susceptible to
its toxic effects.
The half life for
thallium
elimination from the body is variously given in the literature as 8 to
30
days. It apparently does not clear
from the nervous system at a significant rate since neurological
problems may
persist for years.
The majority of excreted
thallium
leaves the body in the fluids the intestines secrete to help digest
food. Lesser amounts are secreted in the
bile
and also are excreted in the urine.
About twice as much thallium leaves the body in feces as in the
urine.
The medical literature is
full of
descriptions of acute poisoning by large amounts of thallium. Typically the symptoms start 12-24
hours after the thallium is eaten.
When smaller amounts are eaten the symptoms might not appear for
24-48
hours. The first symptoms are from
the digestive tract – abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, perhaps
vomiting, with
constipation later. One to a few
days later neurological symptoms appear.
There is hypersensitivity to touch and pain, unusual phantom
sensations,
as well as muscle weakness that often begins in the soles of the feet
and the
big toe and slowly spreads up to the body. Movement
may also become clumsy. The pain
hypersensitivity can be so extreme that the brush
of a feather can cause intense pain.
The victim may salivate excessively. There
may also be excessive thirst. At this
point a variety of other
problems may appear. Psychic
disturbances such as delirium, restlessness, hallucinations and
delusions are
common. There may be eye turn or
crossed eyes. Color perception may
be altered or reduced. Blindness
(due to optic neuritis) is frequent.
Convulsions or seizures are occasionally seen.
Liver and kidney damage often occur. About
a week after the thallium is
eaten the head hair falls out and the outer part of the eyebrows is
lost. Children tend to develop the psychic
disturbances
more while adults are more prone to the weakness, hypersensitivity and
heart regulation
problems that come from impairment of the nerves that run the body.
Heart function is
affected and
victims are at risk of sudden cardiac death for at least several weeks. Heart racing is a common symptom as is
elevated blood pressure.
Chronic toxicity does not
have the
digestive tract problems or dramatic onset of symptoms that acute
toxicity
does. The neurological,
psychiatric and vision problems described above are prominent, hair
loss does
occur, and there can be heart problems and high blood pressure due to
impairment of the nerves that run the heart and other internal organs
(autonomic neuropathy in medical terminology). There
are typically also sleep problems. Tremors
sometimes occur as well. The neurological
and psychiatric
effects can be severe enough to lead to dementia or psychosis.
A slow blurring or
dimness of vision
is characteristic, with loss of both central vision and also mild
constriction
of the field of vision.
Thallium does cause toxic
porphyria
through its effect on the liver.
In chronic toxicity the
symptoms may
come on slowly and will usually be subtle rather than dramatic. Mild to moderate chronic toxicities are
quite unlikely to be diagnosed (e.g. the combination of hair loss,
heart racing
and high blood pressure might be misdiagnosed as too much thyroid
hormone.
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|
Read some excerpts from
the book: |
||
|
|
||
|
Other books of
interest (vaccines cancer autism hormone balance etc) |
||