Aluminum poisoning affects the neural tissue and spine; it can settle in the brain where it inhibits cell oxygenation (there is a definite relationship of aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease. Officially, it’s not known whether too much aluminum leads to Alzheimer’s, or if Alzheimer’s causes your brain to hold on to aluminum).
Mucous membranes are also greatly affected by this mineral. When exposed to aluminum, the sinuses produce more mucous (trying to rinse it out?), creating sinus drainage, which can lead to sore throat and lung congestion.
Or if the sinuses aren’t draining properly, a sinus infection can be the result.
Sources of Aluminum Toxicity
Aluminum poisoning can come from practically anywhere: beer and soda cans, aluminum foil and cookware, antacids and baking powder (get the NON-aluminum kind to bake with); it’s the active ingredient in antiperspirants.
Aluminum sulphate is sometimes added to foods to prevent caking, and to municipal water supplies to make the water less cloudy. Safe levels, of course 😉
Using commercial hair dyes, toothpaste, and baby powder can all lead to aluminum toxicity. Remember – heavy metal poisoning is cumulative. Read ingredients carefully.
Possible symptoms of poisoning from aluminum include Alzheimer’s disease, forgetfulness, stomach ulcers or stomach pain, chronic sinus problems, low thyroid, kidney problems (especially the right kidney), dry mouth, small, hard stools, babies who cry a lot.
How to Avoid Aluminum Poisoning
If you drink beer, stick to the small, specialized breweries. They’re more likely to be using stainless steel brew tanks and glass bottles.
Avoid sodas; it’s pretty difficult to find a brand that’s halfway healthy anyway. Even the organic ones are mostly empty calories.
Stainless steel cookware is probably safer than its aluminum counterpart; Pyrex® and Corningware® may be better. Practice eating more of your vegetables raw.
Read all ingredients carefully, whether it’s food or cosmetics. Use as few chemicals (read: stuff you can’t pronounce) as is practical.
The best remedy for aluminum poisoning is probably in the homeopathic realm. These formulas (or single remedies) can safely chelate heavy metal toxicity and take it out of your body.
More on Environmental Toxins
The two leading categories of environmental toxins are chemical poisons and metal poisons, with magnetic (electrical) imbalances quickly gaining.
Information you can use to
Would like to know a few things. First, how come there’s no email option? Second, why doesn’t the Big G require a warning label on aluminum cans and other products that contain aluminum just like tobacco products? Whose squashing this information? Third, what’s the average amount of aluminum, per can, that leaches into beer and also into soda? I say that seperately because the acidity of the two beverages could be different, causing different reactions. Awaiting your reply and thank you.
Hi and thanks for stopping by.
First, you can always email me by clicking on the Contact button at the top of each page. It goes straight to my email inbox.
Second, very good questions! And I don’t have the answers, unfortunately. Sometimes it seems like our government believes the needs of Corporation People are much more important than Human People (now that corporations are “people”). Money is always a very strong incentive, whether it means making more of it, or not losing what you’re accustomed to getting.
Third, I haven’t found exact numbers, and I’m guessing it would be very hard to get them because of all the variations. Every single product will have unique, sometimes proprietary ingredients, with different pH values. And it could be that storage methods also affect leaching (i.e. does warehouse temperature affect leaching?). I’d say that any amount is too much, because it is cumulative.
There is more research on aluminum cookware; maybe you can surmise possibilities:
The Brandy Wine Science Center Inc. performed tests for leaching on various types of cookware including hard-anodized aluminum. The study tested for metals like iron, nickel, copper and aluminum. The final results showed that hard-anodized aluminum does leach 7.10 milligrams per liter of liquid used in the test.
Read more: Anodized Aluminum Dangers | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5884131_anodized-aluminum-dangers.html#ixzz29tapZIck
Hope this was at least some help to you.
Sherri
Aluminum gets rid of your boron. You need the boron for the proper functioning of your parathyroid gland. If the parthyroid gland is affected, there is a whole host of other things that can go wrong in the body — excess stomach acid production, blood pressure variations, bone loss and fatigue,
Yes, Polly, these incredible bodies of ours have amazingly interactive components and systems. Although I don’t really like comparing it to a machine, there are definitely some similarities.
And when something gets out of balance, other systems will have to take extra “punishment.”
Think of the uneven wear on your tires when your car’s wheels are out of proper alignment.
Thanks for your comment.
I’ve recently learned that caffeic acid from coffee protects the brain from aluminum damage. [1] (I would only use organic coffee because some of the regular coffee is sprayed with a large amount of pesticides.)
Funny that you mention the right kidney. I had to have my right kidney removed. Whether or not that is an indication of a previous aluminum problem is an interesting question, but the answer doesn’t really matter as much to me as the question concerning my present ability to remove aluminum. Reduced kidney function makes one susceptible to aluminum accumulation. Conversely, as you mention, the aluminum can compromise kidney function. (Aluminum accumulation is of particular concern for those on dialysis since the dialysis can’t remove the aluminum.) Fortunately, I’m not one of those unfortunate people who must rely on dialysis. I don’t ever want to go there either. Therefore, if there is excessive aluminum in my body, I want it out now.
My doctor recently gave me an EDTA IV infusion to check if aluminum was present. (I don’t have the results yet.) He told me that EDTA infusions will remove aluminum, but oral EDTA doesn’t work that well because very little of the oral EDTA is absorbed. DMPS doesn’t do a good job of removing aluminum either. With just that one EDTA influsion, I noticed a slight improvement in my ability to recall people’s names. I’d like to try a few more influsions, but whether or not that occurs will most likely depend on the results of the testing.
Just like aluminum displaces boron, I would suspect that boron supplementation would help displace aluminum and get rid of it. So I’ve been taking boron for the last few months and seem to have less sinus pain and more energy. I’ve not tried chlorella yet, but Dr. Klingheart said that chlorella will absorb the aluminum. (He likes the BioPure brand of chlorella.)
One of the things that has helped me in the past is alpha ketoglutaric acid. That is lost when one is exposed to aluminum. It is also lost when one is exposed to alcohol or the yeast toxin acetaldehyde. The alpha ketoglutaric acid is important for energy production. It is also needed for the conversion of B6 into its active phyridoxal-5-phosphate (P5P) form. I noticed improved energy when trying the alpha ketoglutarkic acid and P5P with PAK. If you wish to try the alpha ketoglutaric acid, be aware that just like its counterpart glutamine, it can cause constipation.
According to some 23andme genetic results, some of us are more susceptible to aluminum poisoning than others.
For aiding the body in the removal of aluminum, are you refering to homeopathic drainage formulas?
Here is the mouse study where they injected aluminum into the brain of these animals and fed them caffeic acid.
Protection of mouse brain from aluminum-induced damage by caffeic acid.
Yang JQ et al., CNS Neurosci Ther. 2008 Spring;14(1):10-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1527-3458.2007.00031.x.
[Polly included a link to that abstract, but I couldn’t get it to work, so I removed it. To read the abstract, copy the name of the abstact, go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ and paste it into the pubmed search box. Sherri]
Hi Polly,
You’ve done some really extensive research!
I’d be interested in knowing what happens with your EDTA IV, if you want to share. I’ve known people who got great benefit, and others who weren’t helped much at all using EDTA chelation treatments.
My clients tend to be more DIY and less MD oriented, and since I’m not an MD, I can’t write prescriptions anyway 🙂
The remedies I’m familiar with are usually much simpler (and way less expensive). The one I used for myself for aluminum toxicity is called simply “Alumina” and is a low potency – 6x.
http://www.rxbewell.com/alumina-aluminum-oxide-vibropathic/
As for chlorella, I’ve found it to be quite effective in removing heavy metals and other destructive chemicals. It was one of the supplements my mother used when she had an aggressive breast tumor. I imagine the brand you mentioned is a fine one. My belief is that there are many good ones available. Look for a reliable brand name, then make sure it says “broken cell wall” or something similar. Here are some good reputable brands: http://www.iherb.com/chlorella?rcode=pey289
I do love my organic coffee, but caffeine is not only highly addictive, it can be really tough on your adrenals. I wouldn’t suggest upping coffee intake to protect yourself from aluminum poisoning.
Thanks again, for your detailed reply.
Sherri
Hi Sherri,
Thank you for the reference to the alumin homeopathic. My test results came back and I was high in aluminum and lead. I’ve since done several EDTA chelation sessions. For about 3 days following each session, I feel absolutely fantastic. Then I slip back down. I don’t know if it is the removal of lead, aluminum or just the anti-oxidant effects of the EDTA. It is great for me though.
I’ve found a cheaper way to remove the aluminum and I’m experimenting with that. Dr. Exley has found that drinking a silicic acid rich water (Volvic, Figi, or Spritzer) will remove aluminum. I’m getting mixed results with it. I think it is because I need to take some absorbant material with it. The silicic acid restructures biofilms in the intestines. Dr. Klingheardt uses stabilized ortho-silicic acid (Biosil) as part of his gut biofilm removal protocol. Acording to a 2009 lecture notes, he was using Biosil and Interphse enzymes to break up the biofilms along with some green clay to absorb the released metals and toxins. (I’m not one for ingesting clays because most have aluminum in them. I rather use chlorella or charcoal to absorb the debri.) So, I will have to experiment with adding in an absorbant material.