Guest guest Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 For well-written investigative journalism on how severe heavy metal contamination of the food supply has become: Wilson, Duff; Fateful Harvest: The True Story of a Small Town, a Global Industry, and a Toxic Secret; HarperCollins, c2001. [book] Chemical fertilizers are used worldwide, and contamination in these products will affect commercial food grown in all countries. Even " organic " crops have been known to be contaminated with fertilizers high in heavy metals from industrial sources. Various attempts by industry lobbyists to water down the organic standard have focused on industry's desire to disguise the disposal of heavy metal waste by ***knowing and intentional*** contamination of commercial fertilizers. Read the book for more info. ---Roger Wicke, PhD, TCM Clinical Herbalist contact: www.rmhiherbal.org/contact/ Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute, Hot Springs, Montana USA Clinical herbology training programs - www.rmhiherbal.org > Tue, 28 Sep 2004 13:54:58 EDT > Musiclear >Re: SPAM-LOW: Re: Contaminated herbs > >In a message dated 9/28/2004 1:35:58 PM Eastern Daylight Time, >alonmarcus writes: > >FDA to take huge >quantities of herbs off the market. > >>>>No because they are foods and if they do we will all go hungry >>alon > > Exactly. I think we have a wide spread problem that extends into our >every day food stuffs. If the FDA was to start to pull herbs, that are >considered food, then they would have to start pulling food. I think we would get an >awakening if the amount of pollution in the food supply was really revealed. > > AFAIK > > Chris ---Roger Wicke, PhD, TCM Clinical Herbalist contact: www.rmhiherbal.org/contact/ Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute, Hot Springs, Montana USA Clinical herbology training programs - www.rmhiherbal.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 Roger Which labs do you use to analyze for heavy metals and which tests? Alon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 > " alon marcus " <alonmarcus >Re: Re: SPAM-LOW: Contaminated herbs > >Roger >Which labs do you use to analyze for heavy metals and which tests? >Alon > In the last few years, I don't even bother with lab tests. The only one I would recommend from experience, though, is Great Smokies Lab: http://www.gsdl.com/ It is popular with many naturopaths, and many of my students have used it. Results seem to be consistent with other evidence. Standard metals tested are usually: Abbreviations (element symbols): Pb=lead, Hg=mercury, Cd=cadmium, As=arsenic, V=vanadium, Cr=chromium, Mn=manganese, Co=cobalt, Ni=nickel, Po=polonium, U=uranium, Al=aluminum, Cu=copper, Sn=tin, Sb=antimony. Several years ago there was a U.S. government sponsored audit (I forget which agency) of 6 or so major heavy metals diagnostic labs, and the test results from the very same original samples came out completely different. So there are a lot of bad testing labs out there, giving almost meaningless results. Because the risks of putting people on a heavy metals chelation diet are almost minimal (chlorella, fresh cilantro, seaweeds, mung beans, etc., plus a few herbs like fang feng) if done correctly (seaweeds are crucial in making sure the heavy metals do not get mobilized and then reabsorbed), and because it is so pervasive, Ryan Drum, an herbalist who specializes in the study of seaweeds for heavy metal detox, thinks that these type of diets should be a regular habit for people who live in industrialized nations. What I've found to be highly consistent with Great Smokies lab results are a combination of the following: (1) matching up known exposure by taking a careful environmental health history (i.e., during childhood, swimming in a pond known to contain arsenic from mine tailings; playing with liquid mercury balls; lots of dental amalgams; water supply contaminated from nuclear facilities; Depleted uranium from having served in either of the two Gulf Wars - these are a few examples from my own clients) (2) a high correlation between client's symptoms and signs and the symptom pattern for specific heavy metal poisoning. For reference, I find the following most useful: Chemical Exposure and Human Health by Cynthia Wilson (McFarland, Jefferson, North Carolina, c1993), which is a reference handbook listing common industrial chemicals, their symptoms of toxicity, tissues and organ systems affected, and common industrial sources of toxicity. Homeopathic Drug Pictures, by M.L. Tyler (Jain Publishing, New Delhi; c1980, Health Science Press), which is a very readable, often entertaining, presentation of the homeopathic indications for remedies, including the heavy metals. Since the homeopathic indications for a heavy metal remedy are the same as the symptoms of toxicity, such reports are much more useful than plain lists of symptoms, because they present quirky and oddball symptoms that might otherwise be overlooked in the allopathic medical literature. The two following homeopathic references are also useful, but Tyler's is the most literate and dramatic perspective. Repertory of the Homeopathic Materia Medica, 6th edition, by J.T. Kent (Jain Publishing, New Delhi; 1981). Handbook of Materia Medica and Homeopathic Therapeutics, by Timothy F. Allen (Jain Publishing, New Delhi, c1981) (3) Because Blood Stagnation is common in many people with chronic heavy metal toxicity, if you give a standard TCM formula for invigorating Blood, or include these types of herbs in a formula, and the symptom pattern becomes aggravated - note the pattern of the aggravation and see if it corresponds to any of the homeopathic descriptions for heavy metals. If so, it is likely the metals are being mobilized from the tissues, but not being excreted efficiently, which is what the special diet is for. Over the years, I use fewer Chinese herbs in my practice and more dietary counseling, plus educating clients about cleaning up their food sources (organic, etc.). Eventually, if the Chinese do not clean up their act, this will be disastrous for our profession. ---Roger Wicke, PhD, TCM Clinical Herbalist contact: www.rmhiherbal.org/contact/ Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute, Hot Springs, Montana USA Clinical herbology training programs - www.rmhiherbal.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 though, is Great Smokies Lab >>>They have really gone downhill latently because of growth and new lab director. As far as for heavy metals they never agree with Doctors data or Meriden. actually none of have usually agree when you mail split samples Alon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 plus a few herbs like fang feng) >>>Roger what is the rational for fang feng Thanks Alon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2004 Report Share Posted September 30, 2004 That's too bad that even Great Smokies has gone downhill. Being of a conspiratorial mindset, I'd wager that the corporate powers-that-be will benefit by an absence of reliable testing labs. Just imagine the testimony at corporate trials when cross-examining the testing lab on their throwing-darts-blindfolded results. I've suspected that even Great Smokies was losing its touch, but so many of my naturopath friends swear by them. Which is why I stopped recommending that my clients waste their money on tests. The only practical alternative is to do a careful environmental history and to study the heavy metal entries in the homeopathic textbooks - anyone who appreciates the pattern recognition algorithms of TCM will quickly get the hang of it. Re: fang feng Is it specific for arsenic toxicity. (See Chen and Chen " Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology " .) Also, see the formula Drain the Yellow Powder (xie\ huang/ san~). This formula has a large amount of fang feng and is used for " smoldering Fire of Spleen " . The pattern that Bensky describes could very well be due to arsenic poisoning in some cases - arsenic sometimes creates the unusual symptom of " feels hot but desires warmth " , and it does affect the digestive system with painful cramping - fang feng relieves Intestinal Wind. ---Roger Wicke, PhD, TCM Clinical Herbalist contact: www.rmhiherbal.org/contact/ Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute, Hot Springs, Montana USA Clinical herbology training programs - www.rmhiherbal.org > " Alon Marcus " <alonmarcus >Re: Re: Re: SPAM-LOW: Contaminated herbs > >though, is Great Smokies Lab >>>>They have really gone downhill latently because of growth and new lab director. As far as for heavy metals they never agree with Doctors data or Meriden. actually none of have usually agree when you mail split samples >Alon > > Thu, 30 Sep 2004 15:06:56 -0500 > " Alon Marcus " <alonmarcus >Re: Re: Re: SPAM-LOW: Contaminated herbs > >plus a few herbs like fang feng) >>>>Roger what is the rational for fang feng >Thanks Alon ---Roger Wicke, PhD, TCM Clinical Herbalist contact: www.rmhiherbal.org/contact/ Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute, Hot Springs, Montana USA Clinical herbology training programs - www.rmhiherbal.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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