Lady LUX

Bridget* was in her early twenties when she first saw Dr. Donese Worden, a naturopathic medical doctor. Her symptoms – sheer exhaustion, no motivation, sick all the time, multiple infections – were so bad she could not drive, attend school or hold down a job. After many doctor visits and thousands of dollars poured down the drain, an undiagnosed Bridget was told to see a psychiatrist for her problems.

But Worden had a different theory: Bridget’s system was full of toxins. And tests appeared to confirm her supposition. Bridget had a high level of lead. A round of chelation therapy later, Bridget is now back in the work force and married. Her new concern: limiting her exposure to toxins.

According to Worden, her story is not unique: “Many patients have found relief from many different symptoms just by removing the toxins from their body so it can heal itself and function in good health.”

Heavy metal usage – especially the particularly dangerous lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium and mercury – abounds in the industrial, domestic, agricultural, medical and technological sphere. This wide distribution in our environment has generated concern over these toxins’ effect on human health.

“The main actions of heavy metals, demonstrated in animal and human studies, are an increase of free radical production and oxidative stress among other negative health effects,” Worden, a global educator on medical issues and owner of Worden Medical Specialties, said. “The underlying mechanisms, mainly for short periods of time and at low concentrations, have not been well explored.”

While breast cancer risk factors include a family history of cancer, heavy alcohol consumption, high intake of red meat, previous radiation treatments for cancer, low calcium or Vitamin D intake and early age at first period, Worden would caution that toxins such as lead are likely a root cause of cancer.

Just because you have a family history of a disease doesn’t mean you have to go down the same path. A large portion of whether a gene behaves badly is in your control, such as diet, exercise and less stress. And heavy metals are definitely on that list, claims Worden.

Although studies have proven the above risk factors, an area that has lacked attention is the environmental aspect: toxins, plastics, pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, heavy metals and more. Heavy metals are recognized as carcinogens by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. But that doesn’t mean that the average consumer is protected. Even at lower levels of exposure, these toxic elements can cause multiple organ damage.

“Their toxicity depends on several factors, including the amount and route of exposure, as well as the age, gender, genetics and nutritional status of exposed individuals,” Worden explained.

In our consumer-oriented society, toxins such as lead are practically unavoidable. We are talking not just old pipes and paint, but presence in clothing, office supplies, crafts, furniture, jewelry, toys, supplements, juices, herbs and more.

“Lead is found in our air, water and ground,” Worden declared. “Therefore when we condense or concentrate foods and herbs, we need to understand that we are also concentrating the toxins. Some herbals extracts have been found to cause renal toxicity from the contaminants in the extracts. As far as juicing, even if you buy 100 percent organic, the fruit could still contain levels of heavy metals. Rice, for example, contains high levels of arsenic.”

The bad news is ingestion is not the only route of exposure. You can become exposed from skin contact and inhalation. Thus everyone is at risk – including children – and the risks are high, such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

To limit your risk, try asking for a company’s Certificate of Analysis to prove your vitamins, juices and whatnot have been tested. Worden recommends requesting the end batch run. “That means they actually extracted the toxins and the final product you will be ingesting doesn’t have high levels of toxins.”

“Nutritional companies that are buying raw materials for their products should be testing them for these toxins and extracting them before selling them to the public … If you are going to ingest anything daily that has been concentrated it’s a good idea to check (and get a Certificate of Analysis),” the doctor declared.

If all these associations – hypertensions and cardiovascular risk – have been found to cause such risk, long-term exposure could put women at risk for cancer and other serious ailments.

“Over the last 50 years, the adverse effects of chronic lead and mercury exposure have been underscored,” Worden declared. “Mercury and lead induce hypertension in humans and animals. Cardiovascular risk after exposure to metals has been reported so could longer term exposure put us at risk for cancer?”

But don’t feel hopeless just yet. Worden has some advice for those wishing to limit their exposure.

If you are concerned, one of the first steps is to get tested. A naturopathic doctor can prescribe urine, fecal and blood tests appropriately.

Be sure to test your food, clothing, supplements and other sources of contamination. And be sure to include yourself in the round of testing. If found to have high levels of toxicity, chelation therapy (administrating chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body) is an option. One easy strategy, recommends Worden, is to rotate the foods you eat, thereby preventing levels of a particular food toxin to build up.

“As a naturopathic medical doctor, we look for the cause of disease and symptoms rather than just giving you a medication or supplement to mask the problem or make you feel better,” she maintained.

Don’t think the Food and Drug Administration will do this testing for you, urges Worden. Your grocery store abounds with unsafe products – even organic items contain toxins.

Worden notes the average response to toxic buildup: “It couldn’t be causing my symptoms. I have a name for my disease. The question should be why do I have the disease or symptom? … Finding the root of the problem takes time. Most NMDs spend hours with a patient analyzing the whole system. Many times, ridding the body of the harmful things and putting in the good things allows the body to heal itself. It’s far wiser than any doctor or treatment out there. It knows what to do if it’s not being blocked.”

For further information, visit The Centers for Disease Control or the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Worden operates two clinics in Arizona, Worden Medical Specialties, that offer testing and detoxification options.

Tagged in: wellness, health, breast cancer, toxins,

Lifestyle / Wellness