Dr. David Williams...
Dr. David Williams is a medical investigator, international traveler, and one of the world's leading authorities in natural healing. Often years ahead of the conventional medical establishment, he has located, evaluated, and announced effective treatments and cures for practically every major health concern today. He shares these breakthroughs with over 275,000 insiders through his in-depth monthly newsletter Alternatives.
To learn more about Dr. Williams and the values underlying what he does each month in Alternatives, you may visit his Web site. |
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Can the Can Can
 Dear Friend:
Unfortunately, Alzheimer's has become one of the diseases of our age, and although the jury is still out regarding aluminum and its exact role in Alzheimer's disease, I'm still recommending that you do everything possible to cut your ingestion of this toxic substance. Yes, aluminum is highly toxic. But for years, every time the possible connection between aluminum and brain malfunction was mentioned, the media, orthodox medicine, and the Food & Drug Administration reassured the public there was nothing to worry about. As you might expect, it's beginning to look as if they were wrong. (Too many of us think getting older means losing our memories and mental sharpness. It's not inevitable. Click here to see a few of the natural supplements I recommend to help prevent it.)
Many people are exposed to aluminum through soft-drink cans. My grandparents rarely, if ever, had the opportunity to consume canned colas and other drinks, and my parents' exposure didn't occur until they were reaching their adult years. (Even then, most of the canned goods were packaged in steel or tin containers.) My generation and those after us, however, have been practically weaned on canned drinks. It's not uncommon to see kids these days starting their day with a cola for breakfast and continuing the habit throughout the day.
The Usual Suspects
We may not know for sure why aluminum is associated with Alzheimer's disease, but we do know it causes a breakdown of the bone structure and possibly liver disease. Bone demineralization or weakening can also lead to hip fractures, vertebra collapse, and many of the same horrors associated with a different disease, osteoporosis.
Your body does eliminate much of the aluminum you ingest through the urine and also in the bile released by the gallbladder. It is now suspected that a sluggish or malfunctioning gallbladder can lead to an accumulation of aluminum. It would be interesting to see how many Alzheimer patients have a history of gallbladder problems.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University injected aluminum into the brains of rats at the equivalent doses commonly found in humans. The researchers found that the brain cells lost their ability to absorb glucose. Glucose (or blood sugar) is the brain's energy source. Without it, a condition called dementia occurs. Dementia includes memory loss, decreased learning ability, and a general slowing of all brain function. It is these same symptoms, along with nerve degeneration, that show up in diseases like Alzheimer's, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease), Down's Syndrome, and Parkinson's disease.
If you still think aluminum toxicity isn't serious enough to warrant making any changes, consider a couple of additional items. Besides its relationship to dementia and nerve degeneration, it has also been tied to hyperactivity in children and even ringing in the ears, or tinnitus. (Even though tinnitus is a multi-faceted problem, in the past I've recommended ginkgo biloba. This herb also has the ability to stimulate blood flow to critical regions of the brain. Click here to check it out.)
It's Literally Everywhere!
It may be years before the full effects of human aluminum ingestion are fully understood. People rarely receive a large single dose. Instead, the mineral has become so pervasive in our food supply that we ingest microscopic amounts practically every day of our lives. As such, any adverse effects may take decades to surface. Even still I would highly recommend the avoidance of ingesting aluminum whenever possible. Aluminum is often found in
- antacids;
- processed foods such as nondairy creamers, some flours, cheeses, cream-filled cookies;
- tea;
- drinking water; and
- baking powder.
It can leach from aluminum cookware and aluminum beverage containers, especially if the drink contains citric acid (a common ingredient in wine coolers and many fruit juices). Researchers have found that when aluminum was ingested with citric acid the degenerative effects to the nervous system occurred much sooner I hate to be an alarmist, but a quick look at the changes that have taken place in our diets keep pointing to the fact that we're slowly poisoning ourselves. We fail to realize that our repeated exposure to chemicals and toxins has a cumulative effect. Diseases like Alzheimer's are just beginning to become more common.
What To Do?
When it comes to aluminum I would suggest you start protecting yourself now:
- Minimize your consumption of acidic products packaged in aluminum containers.
- Don't use aluminum cooking utensils.
- Read food labels closely. You'll discover several products you should avoid or at least minimize.
- Avoid aluminum-containing antacids, diarrhea medicines, and douches.
- Switch from antiperspirants or spray deodorants to non-aluminum-containing roll-ons or stick deodorants, or alternative products you can find in health food stores.
- Make sure you're getting enough calcium either in the diet or through supplementation. Calcium hampers aluminum's absorption by the body.
- Drink distilled water if possible. (With the greater frequency of pollutants and cryptosporidium outbreaks in public water supplies, I'm convinced that distillation is the only way to go. Click here to see the distiller I recommend.)
Aluminum is naturally abundant in the soil, and I realize that it would be practically impossible to avoid it altogether. Even so, any steps you can take to minimize your ingestion of aluminum will only improve your chances of avoiding diseases like Alzheimer's.
Until next time,
Dr. David Williams
PS: In the September issue of my newsletter, Alternatives, I take a look at the figures for adverse drug reactions in this country. Unfortunately, your chance of experiencing such a problem is very high. The University of Toronto did a study and found that roughly 2,216,000 patients in U.S. hospitals per year experienced a serious adverse drug reaction. As many as 106,000 patients died during their hospital stay. Based on these figures, adverse drug reactions are now the fourth leading cause of death in this country. (If you're not yet a Subscribe to FREE Updatesr and would like to receive this issue, be sure to Subscribe to FREE Updates by September 12, 2002.) |
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