IRON OVERLOAD - THE MISSED DIAGNOSIS

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IRON OVERLOAD - THE MISSED DIAGNOSIS

by: Cutler, Paul, M.D.

http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=19990303140150

 

Dr. Cutler graduated from the University of Toronto medical school, and

practiced nutritional and general medicine in Toronto until 1993. He has clinics

now in St. Catharines, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York. He has published

many research articles on excess iron in medical journals including Diabetes

(Oct. 1989), American Journal of Psychiatry (Jan. 1991), Journal of Neurological

and Orthopaedic Medicine and Surgery (Spring 1993), and Canadian Journal of

Psychiatry (Feb. 1994).

 

My interest in iron metabolism began around 1986 when I read an article

published in The Mayo Clinic Proceedings by Virgil Fairbanks who was then chief

of iron metabolism. His article, Hemochromatosis or Iron Overload - the

Neglected Diagnosis was a scathing attack on the medical profession for ignoring

excess iron in the body. Physicians were more interested in anaemias and low

iron deficiency and did not really perform the necessary tests of iron

metabolism to diagnose the opposite end of the spectrum - iron overload. He

described conditions directly related to excess iron in the body such as

arthritis, diabetes, psychiatric illness, and liver disease.

 

These conditions were very common in my medical practice, and I decided to find

out how many of my patients had excess iron, and it turned out to be a

significant number, as many as 30% of my patients. When I began to lower the

iron levels, my patients improved, and I published some research articles on the

subject in some rather prestigious medical journals. By 1989, doctors began

publishing research which showed that iron was also a risk factor in cancer at

levels that were far less than what they had thought safe in the past. In

September 1992, a classic article in Circulation by Jerome Sullivan showed that

excess iron was also a risk factor in heart disease, second only to cigarette

smoking as a cause of heart attacks in men. Sullivan's study sent shock waves

through the medical and nutritional communities because doctors have been

prescribing supplementary iron, and nutritionists have been insisting that food

be fortified with iron, and this was a

reminder that excess iron is very dangerous. In the following year, studies

were published which showed that vitamin E and vitamin C reduced the rates of

heart attacks and angina, and when you put all of these studies together, you

realize that iron is capable of inducing free radical or oxidative pathology.

EFFECT OF EXCESS IRON ON ANTIOXIDANTS

Two thirds of the iron in the body is in the hemoglobin itself where it is

believed to be safe, about 6% in muscle and various important iron enzymes, and

27 to 30% in storage and this has now been shown to be no longer safe but it

will overwhelm the cells and cause free radical pathology. Free radicals are

normally produced in the body for metabolism of oxygen, but free radicals can

also be produced by excess ultra violet radiation, excess sunlight, tobacco

smoke, and an excess of any metals such as iron or copper and they can deplete

the antioxidants such as vitamin C and E in the body. Free radicals are atoms

with an unpaired or an extra electron in any orbit, usually the outer one. The

free radicals create havoc to normal cells by removing electrons from the normal

cells to pair their own missing electron, and this damages the healthy cell

which in turn tries to draw electrons from an adjacent cell, and this chain

reaction of destruction will

continue, unless there are enough antioxidants to step in and donate electrons

to these cells or to the free radicals and stop the attack. So as the iron

builds up, the antioxidants go down. Therefore in order to offset the adverse

affects of excess iron, you need adequate supplies of the antioxidants vitamin

C, vitamin E, and beta carotene, often in amounts much larger than the average

balanced diet can supply.

CANCER

Tumour cells and bacteria need iron to grow, and your body tries to starve them

of iron by diverting the iron from the blood to storage sites deep within the

tissues. It is well known, biochemically, that if you add iron to tumour cells

in cultures, they grow at a much faster rate and that breast cancer cells thrive

on iron. In 1988, many studies began to surface showing that iron was indeed a

risk in common cancers such as lung, colon, bladder, oesophagus, and at levels

that were shockingly less than doctors had previously considered dangerous. A

study in the New England Journal of Medicine (Oct. 1988) by Dr. Richard Stevens

showed that as iron saturation levels increase, cancer rates go up. Until that

time a 65% saturation level was considered to be safe, but this study showed

that at a 37% saturation level, the cancer rate started to skyrocket, and

doctors began to question the levels they had previously considered safe. In

January 1994, in the

International Journal of Cancer, Dr. Stevens reported that cancer rates were

increasing at levels of only 31%.

ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Some interesting findings came out of the 1992 Sullivan study. Many doctors

began reporting that as iron levels increase, as ferritin goes up above 200, the

cholesterol levels also go up, especially the LDL (bad) cholesterol, regardless

of changes in diet such as reducing high cholesterol foods. Blood sugar goes up,

blood pressure goes up, triglycerides go up and HDL levels go down. Despite all

the recent studies in cardiology and cardiovascular surgery journals, I still

don't know of any cardiovascular surgeons who put their patients on vitamin E or

attempt to remove excess iron before they do these procedures. Doctors don't

seem to want to recommend nutritional supplements. Under 5% recommend vitamin E

to heart patients. It's tragic, because they know better.

FATIGUE

The most common symptom of iron overload is weakness, lethargy and a fatigue

that is disabling. As the iron builds up it disturbs other body processes and

depletes certain minerals and vitamins such as zinc, and vitamin E and vitamin

C.

CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER

Abdominal pain is the next most common symptom and this is usually in the right

upper quadrant because the liver is involved. In iron overload patients,

cirrhosis of the liver is 13 times more common than in the general population.

ARTHRITIS

Arthritis caused by iron is common in anywhere from 35 to 60% of people who have

arthritis, especially in young people, and it will start with the first three

fingers, or the knuckle joints of the thumb, index and third fingers; although

any joints can be involved, these will get the brunt of it.

ENDOCRINE IMBALANCE: THYROID, ADRENALS, DIABETES

Iron has a marked affinity for the different glands. One of the first glands

that is affected is the pituitary, and it is common to find evidence of low

pituitary hormones. Testosterone production in the testicles is reduced and this

can cause impotence. Iron can also affect the thyroid, and the adrenal glands

and will eventually affect all tissues if untreated, but endocrine tissues are

the most effected. And the most common endocrine manifestation is diabetes.

PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

If the iron is not needed by the bone marrow to make new red cells, then it goes

to tissues like the liver. The next major source for storage of iron is the

brain. Iron affects the neurotransmitters in the brain, affecting the

hydroxylase system in the brain, so that psychiatric symptoms and neurological

symptoms like confusional states, dizziness, mood disorders, and even ringing in

the ears are relatively common.

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Dr. Richardson, Chief of Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan feels the

major cause of Alzheimer's Disease is excess brain iron levels. So as liver iron

builds up, brain iron levels build up. Dr. McLachlan at the University of

Toronto Dementia Clinic showed that aluminum was the cause of Alzheimer's

Disease (D.R.C. McLachlan et al. Desferroxamine. Lancet, June 1991). He is using

an iron chelator called deferoxamine to treat Alzheimer's Disease and his

results are probably better than any other treatment program for Alzheimer's. He

stated that the drug arrests the disease. Dr. Richardson and Dr. McLachlan have

been arguing, " Is it the iron, or is it the aluminum? " The same medication

lowered both. It is my feeling that iron is a far greater risk in this condition

than is aluminum.

PIGMENTATION

Iron overload has often been called the " bronze disease " , because untreated

people can develop this natural beautiful tan without going out in the sun, but

that is an end stage and we don't see that any more, but you will see isolated

patches of brown that almost look like coffee stains on the skin. These clear up

dramatically and the bronzing goes away as the iron is removed.

CAUSES OF IRON OVERLOAD

HEREDITARY

Hereditary hemochromatosis is a genetic disease in which abnormal genes permit

the individual to absorb too much iron from an ordinary diet. This hereditary

factor is probably the most common way people get overloaded with iron. There is

no real mechanism for controlling iron absorption in the body. Outside of

menstruation, the body really has no way of getting rid of extra iron. Normally

the average diet contains 15 to 25 mg. of iron and yet all we need is one mg.

per day for normal metabolism. In hemochromatosis, 3 or 4 mg. of iron per day

are absorbed instead of the 1 mg. we need, and over the years this results in

massive overloading and accumulation of iron in the vital organs. As many as 20%

of the population has the genetic potential to overload with iron from what we

would call a normal dietary intake. Jerome Sullivan who has published papers on

iron as a cause of heart disease since 1981 believes that hereditary

hemochromatosis is basically the

reason some families have a greatly increased risk of heart disease.

TRANSFUSIONS

Certain anemias require a lot of transfusions and patients can be overloaded

with iron in this way.

SUPPLEMENTS

If you take iron supplements over an extended period of time when you don't need

them, you will overload with iron. Many in the medical profession have been

guilty of abusing prescription of iron supplements without even performing iron

blood studies because they felt iron was safe. Also, people who have too much

iron can get very sick from taking vitamin C and must use vitamin C carefully

because it increases iron absorption especially when taken during or after

meals.

NUTRITIONAL INTAKE

There are sources of nutritional dietary iron which raise the iron levels in the

body such as red meat and alcohol. Iron exists in two forms and this is

important to remember because they are absorbed differently. The heme iron, meat

iron or ferrous iron has probably around 12 to 15% absorption, whereas the

non-heme, ferric or plant iron has only 2 to 5% absorption. This is why the

studies by Sullivan and others have shown that it is the red meat iron that

really has to be restricted in diets for people with iron overload, and plant

iron is not considered to be a major offender in iron overload states. Iron

fortified enriched foods can raise iron levels and are now being questioned.

Water with excessive iron levels can cause something called Kachung's Disease, a

disease reported in China, which is an arthritis and heart disease from excess

iron. There is the classic Bantu disease occurring in Bantus who brewed beer in

pots that are excessively high in

iron. Iron cooking utensils can increase the iron content in the food from 3 to

10 fold. This is especially true of acidic foods such as tomato sauce. Alcohol

per se is not high in iron, but it's a potent reducing agent and reducing agents

can convert the ferric from plant iron to the ferrous or heme iron, and will

increase the absorption of iron from the intestine.

SCREENING FOR EXCESS IRON

There are four necessary tests: serum iron, TIBC (total iron binding capacity),

percent transferrin saturation and serum ferritin. Acceptable transferrin

saturation was previously 60%; it is now less than 30%. The safe level of stored

iron, called ferritin, was previously 500; after Sullivan's 1992 study, most

people accept 120 as normal and 200 as being significantly toxic. So now we have

figures which are about half of what was considered safe only a year or two ago.

TREATMENT

Dr. Fairbanks at the Mayo Clinic said that conditions that are related to iron

will often be completely cured when the iron is removed, and scientists are now

doing research to show that you can reverse all of these problems which increase

with iron overload by drawing the blood or lowering the iron. Excess iron is

toxic and it doesn't matter whether your excess iron is genetic or acquired, it

has to be removed. Most iron related problems seem to occur in men in their late

40's around 49 to 55, and in women around 60 to 65. The accepted treatment for

most people is by removal of blood. If you draw out the blood, the iron comes

out with it. Most of the time we do it once per week for around 15 to 20 blood

removals. We do the same as the Red Cross, we remove 400 or 500 ml. to correct

this. 95% of the time we use blood removal or phlebotomy and 5% we use iron

chelators like deferoxamine. There are certain problems which do not respond to

blood letting such

as the type of arthritis caused by iron overload. Chelators are used in these

cases to draw the iron out of the joints and the arthritis is cured. The

Hospital for Sick Children is now researching an oral iron chelator which may

replace all of this but it will require years of testing.

-

 

CHELATION THERAPY FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND OTHER PROBLEMS

by: Cutler, Paul, M.D.

http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=19990303191838

 

Dr. Cutler graduated from the University of Toronto medical school and practiced

nutritional and general medicine in Toronto until 1993. His clinic is now

situation in Niagara Falls, New York. He has published many research articles on

excess iron in medical journals including Diabetes (Oct. 1989), American Journal

of Psychiatry (Jan. 1991), Journal of Neurological and Orthopaedic Medicine and

Surgery (Spring 1993), and Canadian Journal of Psychiatry (Feb. 1994).

 

THE INTERPLAY OF INFECTIONS, IRON OVERLOAD AND FREE RADICAL PATHOLOGY IN DISEASE

Over the past five to ten years, I have witnessed explosions in the fields of

medicine that deal with infectious diseases, iron overload and free radical

pathology. Illnesses related to these three agents include atherosclerosis,

auto-immune diseases, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis,

and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and

Parkinson's disease.

 

INFECTIOUS AGENTS It is well established that the cause of most stomach ulcers

is a bacteria called H-pylori. Recently we have seen bacteria such as chlamydia

and dental bacteria implicated in coronary artery disease. They have actually

been cultured from the plaques of patients with atherosclerosis. Viruses have

been implicated in conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's

disease. One of the tetracycline antibiotics has provided relief for rheumatoid

arthritis, indicating its infectious nature. The strength of our immune system

determines whether we can fight infectious agents and prevent certain cancers

and auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

 

CHRONIC FATIGUE Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has a distinct clinical diagnosis

because its onset is usually after a viral infection, and often in the beginning

six months people complain of an acute neurological episode such as confusion,

visual loss, numbness, tingling and weakness. Symptoms such as sore throat,

swollen lymph glands, arthritis, fibromyalgia, CNS symptoms and cognitive

changes are very typical of this condition. Blood tests are highly abnormal.

Immunoglobulins such as IGg are elevated. There are B and T-cell abnormalities.

Even hormones like prolactin can be elevated.

 

IRON OVERLOAD Iron overload is clearly a cause of both acute and chronic

infections because iron is a fuel for many of these agents. It causes cancer

because cancer cells require an enzyme which is highly iron dependent to grow,

and the more iron these cells have, the faster they grow. Iron is well

established as a cause of increased free radical pathology. So any treatment

which can effectively control infectious agents, iron overload and free radical

pathology should show great promise.

 

CANCER Research has shown that the prognosis and progression of illness can be

predicted by the serum ferritin level for conditions like breast, colon and

kidney cancer and leukemias. Even the American Cancer Society follows the

ferritin level which is the blood test for stored iron. However, a lot of

doctors don't bother to do it and it has key significance.

 

AIDS If you control the iron levels in the blood called ferritin or storage iron

factor, you can control the rate of progression of AIDS and control many of its

complications.

 

ATHEROSCLEROSIS Iron causes atherosclerosis because it can oxidize some of the

blood fats to cholesterol and cause a whole stream of reactions. Iron is a major

risk in atherosclerosis. Note that cholesterol lowering drugs can increase the

cancer rate and lower co-enzyme Q10 levels.

 

HEPATITIS B AND C If we decrease iron levels through blood removal or chelation,

we can control the progression of Hepatitis B and C and can minimize or

eliminate the cirrhosis that is common.

 

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS When there is more iron getting into the lesions of M.S., the

more severe the M.S.

 

HYDROXYL ION The hydroxyl ion is the trouble maker, the bad guy. Normally in

cellular respiration very little of this is produced. However it is produced

when macrophages, white cells, want to kill a virus or bacteria and they shoot

out lots of hydroxyl to destroy them. Excess iron and copper increase the

conversion of hydrogen peroxide into the toxic hydroxyl, and this will destroy

the cells, the cell membrane, lipids and nucleic acids. So anything that

increases the hydroxyl ion like viruses or iron can create total destruction and

disruption of the cell. It must be under strict control by the body's

anti-oxidant mechanisms. Any deficiency of our natural anti-oxidants, vitamin C,

vitamin E, beta carotene and co-enzyme Q10 can often cause the production of

more hydroxyl.

 

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE There is a small percentage of hydrogen peroxide which is

constantly in the blood. Certain conditions lower this. Hydrogen peroxide has

many functions. It is used to help kill viruses, bacteria and any infectious

agents. It plays a role in cell membrane function and energy regulation; it

plays a protective role in the immune system, and it can produce some of the

tumour necrosis factor cells as well. It plays a role in hormone regulation,

specifically progesterone and thyroid. It can even help certain allergic

reactions and has well-known uses topically for wounds. We get the same

wound-healing effect if we use it intravenously, especially for ulcers, whether

they are arterial or venous.

 

As we get older, the brain builds up more monoamine oxidase (MAO), and this is

associated with Parkinson's disease and several other depressions of the aging,

and one of the factors which helps keep this under control is hydrogen peroxide.

Any conditions that would deplete hydrogen peroxide or increase iron will cause

the dopamine levels to go down and hence you get the symptoms associated with

reduced dopamine which are Parkinson's disease and some of the supernuclear

palsies associated with it.

 

CHELATION TREATMENTS:

 

CHELOX THERAPY One of the treatments I use is Chelox therapy which is a

combination of two types of therapies: chelation therapy and oxidative therapy.

Oxidation refers to the removal of electrons; oxidative therapy uses agents like

hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer because it can receive electrons and then

become reduced to other agents. In Ontario, chelation therapy and hydrogen

peroxide therapy are not accepted treatments for atherosclerosis, but the one

chelator that I use more than any other, deferoxamine, is indeed an approved and

very potent iron chelator.

 

DEFEROXAMINE (trade name: DESFERAL) The Montreal General Hospital is using the

chelator deferoxamine to kill HIV viruses. Results have come in from all over

the world including the Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto and Toronto General

Hospital which show remarkable improvement by using the chelator deferoxamine.

One of my patients with AIDS had his liver enzymes go down from 120 to 48 with

just one treatment, indicating that it was beneficial to the liver. This

compound is non-toxic to the kidneys; therefore nephrologists commonly use it

for their patients with end-stage renal disease who have become overloaded with

aluminum due to the dialysis. This produces improvement of kidney function.

 

DESFEROXAMINE AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Deferoxamine is also used in Alzheimer's

disease. Dr. Donald R. McLachlan of the Department of Medicine, University of

Toronto, used deferoxamine at the Toronto Hospital (Western division) in their

Alzheimer's clinic for more than ten years. Dr. McLachlan is now retired, but

had some striking results in Alzheimer's that have been published regularly

(Patient Care, Nov.91; Can Med Assn Journal, 91; Lancet, Jun 91). Iron creates

the tangles and plaques in the brain. After three months of deferoxamine you can

see most of the tangles are gone. Your doctor may obtain deferoxamine (Desferal)

by contacting CIBA-Geigy. It is presently used for children who have

thalassemia. The protocols for using it for Alzheimer's disease are documented

in Dr. McLachlan's research.

 

DESFERAL VERSUS EDTA CHELATORS The chelator desferal is a naturally occurring

product which various bacteria make to remove iron from plants or soil. Desferal

is a much smaller molecule than EDTA and it can actually penetrate into tumour

and virus cells to remove iron and slow down their growth. It is a very potent

anti-oxidant specifically for the hydroxyl ion, the most potent of the tissue

damagers. Desferal has been shown in many conditions, especially Hepatitis C, to

stimulate the natural interferon which helps the body suppress the virus.

 

EDTA cannot even be compared with these functions. EDTA is used for heavy metal

poisoning like lead poisoning and in some cases of atherosclerosis but this is

very controversial.

 

-----------------------------

IRON AND COPPER OVERLOAD

by: Lavie, Rebecca, M.A.

http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=19990303204921

 

Rebecca Lavie is a former special education teacher who was forced to give up

her career after being stricken with an unidentified disabling illness. After 12

years of going from doctor to doctor, she was finally diagnosed with iron

overload and elevated levels of aluminum, lead and copper by Dr. Paul Cutler of

Niagara Falls, New York. Following her treatment and recovery, she began

researching the scientific literature on the subject of iron overload, a

potentially lethal, but underdiagnosed and undertreated medical condition. Her

book Iron: A Double Edged Sword is written under the pen name of Adeena

Robinson.

 

HEMOCHROMATOSIS AND ACQUIRED IRON OVERLOAD There are basically two types of iron

overload, the hereditary kind known as hemochromatosis, and the acquired form.

The average north American diet is overloaded with iron, and research shows that

iron levels tend to rise with age. Once you absorb too much iron it stays with

you for life. We lose only one mg. of iron a day through perspiration, urinary

and fecal excretion. There is no easy exit except through phlebotomy (bleeding),

giving blood, or medical treatment like chelation.

 

RISK FACTORS FOR IRON OVERLOAD The risk factors for acquired iron overload are:

excessive ingestion of red meat; iron supplements or injections when you don't

need them; foods that are iron fortified; iron cookware; tap water (use a water

purifier or reverse osmosis to remove it); alcohol; cigarette smoking; oral

contraceptives; lack of exercise (we lose iron when we sweat); too many blood

transfusions (you not only get somebody else's bacteria and viruses, you also

get the iron to feed them, and they flourish on iron); taking vitamin C with

foods can increase iron absorption.

 

DIAGNOSIS OF IRON LEVELS Most doctors will treat the disease caused by the iron

overload and not the iron overload itself. Too many medical doctors are

misdiagnosing women as being iron deficient and prescribing iron when it is not

really necessary. Iron overload is not really a rare disease but a correct

diagnosis is rare. The blood test alone can often be misleading.

 

TESTS FOR EXCESS IRON:

 

Hemoglobin and serum iron are the tests usually performed by doctors when they

are testing your iron levels. This is usually reliable if the iron test results

are elevated, but if it is low or normal, these tests can be misleading. Low

hemoglobin does not always mean iron deficiency because there are many different

kinds of anemias, and hemoglobin may be low for reasons other than iron

deficiency. In Sideroblastic Anemia, iron is low in the blood but high in the

tissues. When your hemoglobin goes down below 10 you may have iron deficiency

anemia, but you have to do the other tests as well to get the complete picture.

 

Serum iron becomes low during infections and certain disease states like

inflammations and cancer, or if you are losing blood as in a gastrointestinal

bleed which you may not even be aware of. The lowering of serum iron levels is

the body's defence mechanism to remove iron from the blood stream by

transferring it deep within the tissues. This keeps it away from foreign

invaders like bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and cancer cells which all

need iron to survive. By taking iron supplements, you are just feeding them and

perpetuating the problem.

 

Not all doctors test for serum ferritin. Serum ferritin is actually just a

storage bin which can hold a large number of iron molecules. In an infection,

the iron will go into ferritin where it is safer than if it gets into the cells

where it can cause more damage. The normal level of serum ferritin shouldn't go

above 50. Some people can get sick when it's as low as 50. At the level of 80,

there is an increased risk of heart attack.

 

Transferrin saturation is another test. Transferrin transports iron to different

parts of the body where it is needed. It is usually low during an infection.

 

One of the most reliable tests is the deferoxamine challenge. This test is not

affected by any disease states. It measures intracellular or free iron which is

a very dangerous kind of iron. You can have a low ferritin and yet have very

high intracellular iron. Deferoxamine also measures and removes excess aluminum,

copper and small amounts of mercury. It can be used as a treatment as well as a

test.

 

Don't rely on hair analysis for testing iron. It is just as likely to be wrong

as right. According to Drs. Richard Passwater, Ph.D. and Elmer Cranton, M.D. who

are experts in hair analysis, there is no real correlation to the actual iron

values. Copper levels are more likely to be correct in hair analysis unless you

have liver problems which cause it to be low.

 

Interro, Vega and kinesiology are not reliable tests for excess iron, copper and

other metals. Some people who have actually had high levels of metals have been

incorrectly diagnosed using these methods.

 

EXCESS IRON INCREASES OTHER METALS Excess iron can cause other metals such as

copper, calcium and manganese to accumulate in the body by binding with them,

and they become deposited in the wrong places and cause harm. Copper is

notorious in this respect, especially if the liver is compromised. Manganese can

also accumulate in the liver and brain. Calcium can build up in the arteries -

this can be removed by deferoxamine and EDTA. Many women with breast cancer have

calcium deposits in their breasts and only chelation can remove it (Anticancer

Research, 1994). Copper tends to antagonize other minerals like zinc, manganese,

vitamin B6 and molybdenum.

 

COPPER OVERLOAD The late psychiatrist, Dr. Carl Pfeiffer of Princeton

University, reported in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine in 1987 that 64%

of his female patients and 37% of males had elevated copper. Women tend to have

higher copper levels than men because of their higher estrogen levels. Dr.

Pfeiffer correlated high copper levels with high blood pressure, hair loss, PMS,

insomnia, tinnitis, depression, schizophrenia, learning disability, autism and

hyperactivity.

 

RISK FACTORS FOR COPPER OVERLOAD Excess copper could be in your drinking water

or it could be caused by your plumbing. Well water often has high copper levels.

Back in May 1997, hydro admitted that they dumped about 20 tons of copper into

Lake Ontario; They started doing it in the 70's and continued well into the

80's. Chocolate, peanuts, shellfish, mushrooms, wheatgerm, liver, citrus fruits

and dairy are all sources of copper. Smoking, clothing dyes (especially dark

ones), copper pots, the new high copper amalgam fillings, and herbicides and

pesticides can increase your copper. Animal feed contains copper because animals

grow faster and gain weight when they are fed copper. This suggests elevated

copper may be a factor in weight gain.

 

TREATMENTS FOR REMOVING HEAVY METALS:

 

With the correct treatment, the prognosis may be good even in advanced cases.

 

PHLEBOTOMY is the mainstream treatment. It is like giving a blood donation and

is the orthodox method of reducing iron. The phlebotomy will cause you to become

mildly anemic, and the body will draw upon the iron overloaded organ to

replenish what has been lost. This will remove the iron but not the other

metals. Phlebotomy does not remove metals from the brain.

 

DEFEROXAMINE Deferoxamine is an intravenous chelating agent approved in Canada

only to treat severe iron poisoning, and certain medical conditions which

require multiple blood transfusions such as thalassemia. Deferoxamine isn't

really a drug; it is just a culture of bacteria which ingests and removes the

iron and aluminum and some of the copper and mercury. It can remove

intracellular iron, and can also cross the blood-brain barrier and remove toxic

metals from the brain. It may be used for arthritis, diabetes, atherosclerosis,

cancer and mental illness. It has to be taken intravenously or intramuscularly.

In the hands of a trained clinician, deferoxamine is a very safe and effective

treatment. Deferoxamine and phlebotomy can be combined.

 

D-PENICILLAMINE D-penicillamine is an oral prescription formula which removes

mainly copper and a little of the iron and some lead and mercury.

D-penicillamine is a substitute chelator, but it has more side effects than

deferoxamine. Research has demonstrated that D-penicillamine can cause damage to

certain organs. Deferoxamine is much safer.

 

EDTA EDTA is an intravenous chelator which removes mainly copper, lead and

cadmium, but only some of the iron. EDTA is not suitable for people with liver

problems.

 

ORAL CHELATION FORMULAS Oral chelation sold over the counter is a misnomer. It

will delay the symptoms of iron overload because it contains anti-oxidants which

delay the symptoms, but it doesn't chelate the iron or remove the metals.

Unfortunately some of these formulas have iron and copper in them which will

neutralize the benefits of the antioxidants which generally work better when the

levels of toxic metals are low. Real oral chelation formulas like

D-penicillamine and DMPS are available only by prescription.

 

ANTIOXIDANTS Antioxidants such as vitamin E and beta carotene will help to

neutralize the free radicals generated by excess iron, and sometimes they can

delay the symptoms for a very long time but they don't chelate the iron or other

metals.

 

HIGH FIBER DIETS help to decrease iron absorption. Also iron is better absorbed

from animal sources, so it is no coincidence that people with cancer and other

diseases get better when they eat a vegetarian or macrobiotic diet.

 

Excessive levels of iron and copper promote production of free radicals in your

body and may cause heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, depression,

memory loss and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Iron will accumulate in your most

vulnerable and weakest organs. To some extent this is hereditary: in identical

twins, the target organs are generally the same.

 

HEART DISEASE In the early 1980's, Dr. Jerome Sullivan established a correlation

between heart disease and iron levels (Lancet, 1981). He found that after

menopause, heart attacks in women rise and approach those of men. Women on oral

contraceptives also have an increased risk of heart disease because they bleed

less, and iron can build up over time. Patients with high blood pressure may

also benefit from phlebotomy to lower iron levels.

 

CANCER Iron can reactivate a latent infection or tumour. In one experiment they

put rats on severely restricted low calorie diets and these starved animals

lived a lot longer than those on normal diets. The iron content of the food was

subsequently identified as the major life-shortening factor rather than

calories. In a study in Carcinogenesis, 1991, three groups of rats were given

iron deficient, regular or excess iron diets, then injected with a carcinogen.

The rats on the low iron diet developed a lower rate of cancer, and the rats on

the elevated iron diet had higher rates of cancer. When the iron in their diet

was removed, their cancer rate decreased. Iron feeds cancer cells and causes

them to metastasize. Many studies have shown that up to 88% of metastasized

breast cancer patients have elevated serum ferritin. Cancerous breasts have

three times as much iron as normal breasts.

 

Excessive copper is often involved in cancer and may be a risk factor in

estrogen-dependent cancers. Research has shown that there is a 72% increase in

the copper content of malignant tumours of the ovary, uterus and cervix (Cancer,

Sep 1983). Other studies have shown similar high copper contents in breast

cancers. Estrogen increases copper absorption, causing your copper levels to

rise. This may occur when you take birth control pills or hormone replacement

therapy (Journal of Fertility and Sterility, Nov 1979).

 

INFECTIONS Dr. Randal Lauffer of Harvard University and other experts believe

that mild iron deficiency may be beneficial in some disease states. People who

are malnourished may be more resistant to infectious diseases than

well-nourished people. It has been noted in times of famine that infectious

illnesses such as tuberculosis and malaria are suppressed during starvation and

reactivated when refeeding programs are instituted. They began testing iron

levels and found that when iron levels rose, infections increased. This was

reported in the Journal of Perspectives in Biology and Medicine (Summer, 1977).

 

MENTAL PROBLEMS AND HEAVY METALS Iron and copper can interfere with brain

chemicals, the neurotransmitters, which can result in depression, anxiety,

aggressive behaviour and memory loss. Research shows that learning disabled,

hyperactive, retarded and autistic children almost all have elevated copper, and

the ones who don't have elevated lead levels (Psychopharmacology Bulletin,

1978). Violent children tend to have high levels of copper compared with those

who are not violent (Medical Post, Feb 1995). Dr. Yiu at the University of

Western Ontario found that patients who suffered from depression and mental

illness had high iron and copper levels. Dr. Cutler did pioneering work in the

treatment of psychiatric illness using deferoxamine which can cross the

blood-brain barrier and remove these metals (Canadian Journal of Psychiatry,

1994).

 

LIVER DISEASE Many people with excess iron develop liver dysfunction which can

develop into an enlarged liver, jaundice, and lead to cirrhosis and liver

cancer. Note that liver dysfunction often causes high ammonia in the bloodstream

which can produce symptoms that mimic mental illness.

 

THYROID DISEASE Copper may be either too high or too low, and iron may be too

high.

 

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS There is almost always excess iron and high copper. A small

segment of patients have low copper and these people will benefit from wearing

copper bracelets.

 

OSTEOPOROSIS Excess iron may lead to osteoporosis because it antagonizes

calcium, manganese and other minerals. Also, if copper levels are either too

high or too low, it may cause osteoporosis. Unfortunately, some formulas for

osteoporosis contain high levels of copper and this can cause problems if your

copper levels are too high.

 

CANDIDA There will often be high iron and excess copper.

 

FIBROMYALGIA There will be high iron, and sometimes high copper, lead, cadmium

and mercury. The immune system is suppressed by all these metals.

 

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Research shows that when excess iron enters the brain and

damages it, it opens up the pathway for excess aluminum to enter and cause even

further damage.

 

PARKINSON'S DISEASE High levels of iron and aluminum are found.

 

MIGRAINE HEADACHES are a common side effect of birth control pills. Studies show

that high copper foods will trigger migraine headaches.

 

POST-PARTUM DEPRESSION During pregnancy, copper levels rise. This allows

relaxation of pelvic ligaments and joints to facilitate the birth process. If

the levels do not fall within a few weeks after childbirth, especially if zinc

is low, you may have postpartum depression and possible psychotic states.

 

INFECTIONS AND CANCERS IN INFANTS Some experts believe pregnant women are being

prescribed too much iron. Blood volume expands during pregnancy and it may give

a false low hemoglobin reading. Some researchers are concerned that excess iron

can cause increases in childhood cancers and may be a contributing factor in

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) because it increases the rate at which

botulism grows. In one study, pregnant women were given iron injections near the

end of term. When the babies were born, they had a lot more severe and frequent

infections than the group who didn't get iron. In a New Zealand study, babies

given iron injections soon after birth developed severe infections. There were

many deaths and they had to discontinue the practice. In a study of children who

were not iron deficient, half of the children were given iron supplements, and

half were given a placebo. After four months, the iron supplemented group showed

retarded growth

compared to the placebo group (Lancet, May 1994).

 

Why are we enriching baby formulas with iron? Not all babies need it. Breast fed

babies are healthier and have fewer infections. Human breast milk contains a

protein called lactoferrin which separates iron from the harmful microbes. Human

breast milk has up to ten times more lactoferrin than cow's milk. Soya formulas

do not contain any.

 

 

 

 

 

DISEASES RELATED TO HIGH IRON AND COPPER LEVELS: