What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

The leadin your body can damage your heart, your brain, and your health.

Humans have been smelting lead for 5000 years. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the rate of lead production skyrocketed. It is now everywhere; in the air, in the water, and in the soil. We breathe it, we eat it, and we drink it. The amount of lead in our bodies is at the same level that prevailed during the time of the Roman Empire, which is approximately 1000 times above the natural levels in humans.

Why does this matter?

In a multiyear study of veterans, lead was correlated with decreasing IQand brain function. Simply put, the higher the lead, the lesser the brain function.

In addition to damaging your brain, according to a study published in the prestigious journal “The Lancet”, elevated lead levels are believed to account for over 400,000 deaths per year from heart disease in the United States alone. As if that weren’t bad enough, studies have associated increased levels of body lead with strokes and lead has also been implicated as a cause of high blood pressure and is thought to be a contributor to cancer.

Why blood testing isn’t good enough

Lead is unavoidable. It enters your body through multiple pathways. Even those who do not perceive themselves at risk have lead accumulating in them. Blood testing is not adequate because when lead enters the body it passes through the blood briefly and then is deposited into bone and other tissue. It is therefore out of sight, hiding in the body where it slowly corrodes health. In order to evaluate it properly, the total body lead must be evaluated.

How is body lead evaluated?

First, the client receives a gentle infusion of calcium EDTA. This is an FDA approved product that pulls lead out of its hiding places and into the bloodstream where it can be filtered out and passed in the urine. This process is known as “chelation”. After receiving the infusion, you will be sent home with a collection jug. You will collect urine for the next six hours, and then send a small sample of it to the lab to be evaluated. All of the supplies are included in the kit, including the box for mailing in the specimen. The results come back in approximately two weeks and can be interpreted by the nurse.

Now I’ve discovered my lead level, what next?

At Intellectual Medicine we have proven that our approach effectively reduces total body lead. The study that we performed using our protocols had an average reduction of total body lead of 38%. We will guide you towards the infusion treatment that best suits your needs. There are several different protocols depending upon your lead level, your age and other medical factors.

When your cycle of treatment is completed, you will be retested to ensure reduction in lead.

What is a “safe” lead level?

There is no known level of lead that is believed to be safe. It is a pure toxin, and the rate of risk increases along with the level. Our goal is to reduce the lead in your body, and thereby diminish your risk for heart attacks, strokes, dementia and other diseases. Once the initial treatment has been completed and you have been reevaluated, a maintenance approach will be designed so the lead does not re-accumulate.

What else does chelation do?

In addition to reduction in your lead levels, chelation has been shown to lower the levels of cadmium, a carcinogenic heavy metal that also accumulates in the body. In addition to taking out toxic heavy metals, the infusion contains essential micronutrients, antioxidants and high-dose vitamin C. Our goal is to take out what doesn’t belong there and restore essential micronutrients that support cellular health throughout the body.

What are the downsides?

In a major study looking at thousands of patients over multiple years across multiple centers, the rate of side effects with chelation was the same as placebo. This supports the findings at Intellectual Medicine that over the past five years there have been no significant side effects or complications.

Why we believe everybody should be tested

Knowing your lead level is as critical to your health as knowing your blood pressure, cholesterol and percent body fat. The time to take action is before anything happens. We believe that reducing your body lead level is a fundamental component of long-term preventative health. In short, we should all know our lead level, we should all be chelating, the only question is which approach best suits our needs.

Dr. Stephen Petteruti believes that addressing our cellular health in a proactive way gives us our best chance to stay vital, remain resilient to disease, and live life with a strong brain and a strong heart. Chronologic aging does not need to be accompanied by physiologic decay. Building cellular health is part of the foundation to living a long, youthful life.

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