Kim’s Journal: Detoxing Grace

Grace’s Health Journal (Test Results and Detox) – January 2012

Recently we had our daughter, Grace, tested for food sensitivities, heavy metals and brain inflammation due to immune reactions to food and environmental toxins.  She had been complaining of chronic stomach pain and was suffering for two months with constant asthma attacks (up to 8 a day) and a recurrence of eczema due to mold exposure in our home. She also had frequent ear infections and had to have her adenoids removed and tubes put in.  Grace has struggled for years with a sensory disorder (dyspraxia) speech delay and difficulty concentrating/remembering along with general irritability and moodiness.  She has also never been able to sweat and overheats very quickly when exercising. Grace has been on and off of antibiotics and steroids her entire life.  She also received all of her vaccines (46 shots on her immunization record).

Grace’s blood test results showed that her immune system reacts strongly to many different types of food because her intestinal tract has been torn up by antibiotics, steroids, vaccines and wheat (gluten), leaving holes where food falls through into her blood stream (Leaky Gut Syndrome).  Her good digestive flora was wiped out allowing pathogenic bacteria to colonize her gut.

Grace’s stool test showed that she has the pathogenic bacteria, helicobacter pylori, in her gut, parasites and yeast overgrowth along with pancreatic insufficiency (her pancreas struggles to produce the proper enzymes needed for adequate digestion).  The test also showed traces of mold still in her body.

Grace’s heavy metal blood test results revealed that she has elevated (very high) levels of mercury (thimerosal), lead and aluminum in her body.

One month before taking the tests I started Grace on a special diet (GAPS Diet – no wheat (gluten), dairy, or sugar) which was helping.  Immediately after receiving the test results, John Smothers, (a local nutritionist/herbalist who practices functional/integrative medicine) removed other foods she’s sensitive to like eggs, potatoes, cashews, tomatoes, onions, pineapples, and lemons. He started her on a special detox/treatment protocol which included natural supplements, herbs, powerful probiotics, enzymes, medical food, and chelators for heavy metal removal.  I also added freshly juiced organic fruits and vegetables to her diet.

Once on the protocol I was able to take her off of all her medications (steroids, cough and sinus drugs, benadryl, albuterol).  Her stomach pain and constipation stopped within the first few days of the protocol.   Her asthma greatly decreased but from time to time still flared up.  I purchased grounding sheets for her bed thinking that she might be sensitive to electromagnetic fields in our home.  Kid’s with high levels of heavy metals are much more sensitive to EMFs.  The grounding pad helped and her asthma attacks stopped.  She’ been 100% asthma free for six weeks.

Although her eczema has greatly improved she still has flare ups.  I stopped using medicated lotions and followed John Smother’s advice to use coconut oil and give her Bentonite Clay baths.  I also put a filter on her shower to remove fluoride (she’s extremely allergic to it) and chlorine from her water) and she uses fluoride free toothpaste.  We also use a reverse osmosis system for clean drinking water. This is helping.

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Grace’s Supplements/Medical Food:

1. GI Barrier Repair 180 Capsules by NeuroScience – $42.00 – http://www.forresthealth.com/GI-Barrier-Repair.html
2. GI Reset/NS – $60.00 –  http://www.forresthealth.com/GI-Reset.html
3. Therabiotic (probiotic) – $34.95 – http://www.forresthealth.com/Ther-Biotic-Women-s-Formula.html
4. Integrative Therapeutics, Tyler Similase GFCF 120 Veg Capsules (Enzymes) –  http://www.healthdesigns.com/integrative-therapeutics-tyler-similase-gfcf-120-veg-capsules
5. NuMedica, ImmunoG PRP 240 capsules (bovine colostrum) – $36.95 – http://www.healthdesigns.com/integrative-therapeutics-tyler-similase-gfcf-120-veg-capsules
6. UltraClear Renew Protein – $71.70 – http://www.healthdesigns.com/integrative-therapeutics-tyler-similase-gfcf-120-veg-capsules
7. TheaNaq (nuero transmitter regulator) – $45.00 – http://www.healthdesigns.com/integrative-therapeutics-tyler-similase-gfcf-120-veg-capsules
8. ADP 60/Biotics (Kills yeast)- $40.00 (120 Tablets) – http://www.healthdesigns.com/biotics-research-a-d-p-120-tablets
9. SacBoulardii DF (probiotic)– $39.90 – http://www.healthdesigns.com/numedica-sacboulardi-df-250-mg-60-vegetable-capsules
10. FC – Cidal Biotics (Kills yeast)- $27.00 – http://www.healthdesigns.com/biotics-research-fc-cidal-100-capsules
11. GastroMend HP – 60 vcaps – $40.00 – http://www.thin-site.com/products/353 (Buy from Dr. Smothers)
12. Porphyra-Zyme (detox from heavy metals)- $16.00, or Porphyra-Zyme (270 Tablets) – $39.00 – http://renewalenterprises.com/porphyrazyme2.html
13. LipoFlow 2 oz EDTA – (detox from heavy metals) $28.00 http://www.smhomeopathic.com/store/product1259.html

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Journal of Grace’s Treatment and Recovery:  March 8, 2012

Grace is doing amazing well. She’s been on the protocol for a little over two months.  Her stomach pain and constipation have completely disappeared.  Her asthma has stopped although I fully expect it to return with allergy season.  She is extremely allergic to grass and tree pollen.

Grace’s skin is improving and she actually sweat while running a few weeks ago.  Grace has never been able to sweat and I learned that this is a common symptom of heavy metal toxicity.

This past week I’ve noticed a big improvement in Grace’s ability to focus.  For the first time she’s been able to sit and work through all of her homework without constant help and redirecting from me.  In fact, she didn’t require my help or redirection at all.  She has been unusually relaxed and pleasant.  In the past she would often melt down, lose control, physically hit her sister when irritated and cry multiple times throughout a given day.  She’s always been very fidgety, restless, shy and frequently emotionally unstable.  I’m happily noticing that her mood and self control are improving along with her self confidence and social skills.  She even enjoys lying still in bed and reading at night. I am so grateful!!

In July we will have her tested again to see precisely how the protocol is working insider her body.  Dr. Smother’s believes that most of her food allergies and sensitivities will go away once the mucosal lining of her intestine is restored and the food stays in her digestive system. This along with the heavy metal detox will greatly reduce the inflammation in her brain that has caused much of the psychological, sensory and behavioral issues that she’s struggled with.

Helpful Articles related to Grace’s issues

• Rise in allergies linked to war on bacteria
• Inner Weapons Against Allergies: Gut Bacteria Control Allergic Diseases, Study Suggests
• Probiotics and Allergies
• Probiotics prevent asthma
• Preventing damage caused by antibiotics
• Increased Risk of Developing Asthma by Age of Three After Cesarean
• How Vaccines Compromise the Immune System
• The Danger of Excessive Vaccination During Brain Development
• Vaccines Cause Allergies – Dr. Dave Mihalovic

** I was very surprised and upset by Grace’s heavy metal test results and started doing some research to find out where she acquired her heavy metal load. Here are excepts from some articles that I found:

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Symptoms of Mercury Poisoning (Grace has had 19 of these symptoms)

• irritability
• anxiety/nervousness, often with difficulty in breathing
• restlessness
• exaggerated response to stimulation
• fearfulness
• emotional instability
• lack of self control
• fits of anger, with violent, irrational behavior
• loss of self confidence
• indecision
• shyness or timidity, being easily embarrassed
• loss of memory
• inability to concentrate
• lethargy/drowsiness
• insomnia
• mental depression, despondency
• withdrawal
• suicidal tendencies
• manic depression
• numbness and tingling of hands, feet, fingers, toes, or lips
• muscle weakness progressing to paralysis
• ataxia
• tremors/trembling of hands, feet, lips, eyelids or tongue
• incoordination
• myoneural transmission failure resembling Myasthenia Gravis

Sources of Mercury
Exposure to mercury can be particularly hazardous for pregnant women and small children. During the first several years of life, a child’s brain is still developing and rapidly absorbing nutrients. Prenatal and infant mercury exposure can cause mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness and blindness. Even in low doses, mercury may affect a child’s development, delaying walking and talking, shortening attention span and causing learning disabilities.

In adults, mercury poisoning can adversely affect fertility and blood pressure regulation and can cause memory loss, tremors, vision loss and numbness of the fingers and toes. A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to mercury may also lead to heart disease.

Mercury pollution can be a serious health threat, especially for children and pregnant women. Over the years, many companies have used mercury to manufacture a range of products including thermometers, thermostats and automotive light switches. Although the metallic mercury in these products rarely poses a direct health hazard, industrial mercury pollution becomes a serious threat when it is released into the air by power plants, certain chemical manufacturers and other industrial facilities, and then settles into oceans and waterways, where it builds up in fish that we eat. Children and women of childbearing age are most at risk.

Mercury and a High-Fish Diet
Humans risk ingesting dangerous levels of mercury when they eat contaminated fish. Since the poison is odorless, invisible and accumulates in the meat of the fish, it is not easy to detect and can’t be avoided by trimming off the skin or other parts. Once in the human body, mercury acts as a neurotoxin, interfering with the brain and nervous system.

Once mercury enters a waterway, naturally occurring bacteria absorb it and convert it to a form called methyl mercury. This transition is particularly significant for humans, who absorb methyl mercury easily and are especially vulnerable to its effects.

Mercury then works its way up the food chain as large fish consume contaminated smaller fish. Instead of dissolving or breaking down, mercury accumulates at ever-increasing levels. Predatory fish such as large tuna, swordfish, shark and mackerel can have mercury concentrations in their bodies that are 10,000 times higher than those of their surrounding habitat.

A July 2005 report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that one in 17 women of childbearing age have mercury in their blood above 5.8 micrograms per liter of blood — a level that could pose a risk to a developing fetus. This is an improvement from the prior report in 2003 which showed that one out of 12 women had mercury in their blood at this level. Newer science indicates, however, that mercury actually concentrates in the umbilical cord blood that goes to the fetus, so mercury levels as low as 3.4 micrograms per liter of a mother’s blood are now a concern. Nearly one in 10 women of reproductive age in the United States has mercury in her blood at or above this level, according to the new CDC study.

Dr. Jane Hightower, a doctor of internal medicine at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco also linked fish consumption to elevated mercury levels when she tested her own patients. Her 2003 study found that 89 percent of the participating patients — chosen because of their fish-heavy diets — had elevated mercury levels. Many had levels as much as four times that which the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe.

Other Sources of Mercury
Power plants are the largest source, emitting around 50 tons of mercury pollution annually. Cement plants are the fourth largest emitter of airborne mercury in the United States, and facilities that recycle auto scrap are another big source of mercury pollution, historically pouring 10 to 12 tons of mercury into the air every year. Chlorine plants, which use massive quantities of mercury to extract chlorine from salt, “lose” mercury when mercury volatilizes during maintenance and other operational activities. The most common way Americans are exposed to mercury is through tuna fish.

• Thimersol = Mercury (some vaccines)
• an “Allergen Patch Test” it contains 2% thimersol
• 36 nasal sprays have thimerisol in them
• Contact lens solutions have thimerisol in them
• Hemorrhoid medications have thimersol
• Otic and Ophthalmologic Drops (some designed for children) have thimersol in them
• Mothers who have metal amalgams in their mouth should have their newborn baby’s hair tested for mercury.
• Autistic children can’t detox mercury poisonings.
• Antibiotics decrease mercury excretion. Mercury goes into tissues not the blood.

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Symptoms of Aluminum Toxicity (Grace has had all of these symptoms except impaired intellect as far as we know).
Aluminum is particularly poisonous to the nervous system with a range of symptoms that can include disturbed sleep, nervousness, emotional instability, memory loss, headaches, and impaired intellect. It can stop the body’s ability to digest and make use of calcium, and  phosphorus. This prevents bone growth and reduces bone density. Aluminum can also cause conditions which actually force calcium out of the bones. Either of these situations can bring on weakness and deformation in the bone structure with crippling effects. Toxicity can also result in aching muscles, speech problems, anemia, digestive problems, lowered liver function, colic and impaired kidney function.

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Sources of Aluminum

Aluminum cookware and utensils: Boiling water in aluminum pots produces toxic hydro-oxides, boiling meat produces chlorides and frying bacon in an aluminum pan increases nitrates. Aluminum teapots should be avoided because the tannic acid in the tea tends to allow aluminum to leak into the tea.

Food Additives: The following food additives contain aluminum compounds: E173, E520, E521, E523 E541, E545, E554, E555 E556, E559. Aluminum is a common food additive found in foods such as processed cheeses, table salt, baking powders, pickles, bleached flour, prepared dough, cake mixes, non-dairy creamers, vanilla powders and some donuts and waffles. Milk formulas for babies can contain up to four hundred times more aluminum than breast milk.

Medications: Antacids quite often contain aluminum trisilicate as does buffered aspirin. Antacids can contain 200 milligrams or more of elemental aluminum in a single tablet. Certain popular antacids contain aluminum hydroxide. Aluminum is present in popular over-the-counter and prescription medicines such as certain pain-killers and anti-diarrhea medicines.  Many Vaccines also contain aluminum adjuvants.  To find the list of immunizations containing Aluminum go to: http://www.immunizationinfo.org/issues/vaccine-components/aluminum-adjuvants-vaccines

Other products containing aluminum: Aluminum can be found in toothpastes, nasal sprays, anti-antiperspirants, dental amalgams, cigarette filters and pesticides. Some metal cleaners contain aluminum oxide.

In order to prevent becoming a victim of Alzheimer’s disease, it is prudent to avoid all colorants, additives, toxic chemicals, pesticides and polluted air and water. Drink alcohol in moderation and with meals only. Make sure blood sugar levels are normal and avoid refined sugars and carbohydrates. Some experts recommend taking a daily Vitamin C and Zinc supplement.

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Symptoms of Lead Poisoning  (Grace has experienced all these symptoms except joint pain, metallic taste, vomiting and loss of Appetite)

• headaches
• muscle and joint weakness or pain
• excessive tiredness or lethargy
• behavioral problems or irritability
• difficulty concentrating
• loss of appetite
• metallic taste in the mouth
• abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting
• constipation

Sources of Lead


Lead can be found in many products and locations. Some you might never have thought of, including some imported candies, toys, and traditional medicines. The most common cause of lead poisoning is dust and chips from old paint. However, some non-paint sources, though less common, can cause severe cases of lead poisoning.

• Paint (older homes, old toys, furniture, crafts)
• Dust
• Soil
• Drinking water
• Air
• Folk medicines, ayurvedics, and cosmetics
• Children’s jewelry and toys
• Workplace and hobbies
• Lead-glazed ceramics, china, leaded crystal, pewter
• Imported candies or foods
• Imported food in cans
• Firearms with lead bullets
• Mini-blinds
• Other common sources of lead (car batteries, radiators, candle wicks, some inks, etc.)