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Diagnostics Chemical Detoxification In general we accumulate the chemicals of our world in our bodies at different rates, depending on a multitude of factors. Various chemical agents, called xenobiotics, can enter the human organism, compromise the structure of our cell membranes, and damage our DNA. These chemicals are drawn into and stored in the fatty tissues (brain included). The liver is the primary organ for detoxification of such chemical molecules and detoxification can operate only if the molecule is transported to the liver. To detoxify successfully, several physiological functions must be in optimal condition. Impaired physiology (functions of the body) blocks or impairs detoxification. The functions we are concerned with are: • Liver Function: This parameter of our physiology requires a great number of nutrients at sufficient levels. The liver should not be burdened with alcohol, drugs, infections, and excess ammonia or toxins from the intestinal tract. • Circulatory Function: This must be "free flowing" leading to efficient and adequate tissue supply of oxygen. Often the fat deposits will have to be thoroughly metabolized to rid the body of toxins that are sequestered. The blood and lymph flow are the primary conduits for transport of nutrients in and out of the body. • Adrenal and Thyroid Function: These glands must function at top efficiency since their hormones influence enzyme activities and in turn the metabolic functions. With slow metabolic functioning, one has impaired detoxification. • Renal (Kidney) Function: There must be efficient clearance through the kidneys and proper re-absorptive functioning. Adequate water intake will help the detoxification process—you can’t clear chemicals without sufficient water intake. • Bowel Function: This should be normal with perfectly normal transit time so that toxins move along and out of the body rapidly. Absorption of toxic substances due to bowel putrefaction stops transit time (constipation) or "leaky gut" further burdens the detoxification processes. The actions of the major part of detoxification takes place in the liver and can be divided into two parts: • Phase I Detoxification: This first part relates to the reactions involved initially in the liver’s handling of xenobiotics. The reactions that go on in this phase include oxidation, reduction and hydrolysis. This first phase is catalyzed (made to work quickly and efficiently) by the cytochrome P450 (mixed function oxidase) enzyme system. The main factor that determines the efficiency of this first phase is the number of vitamin and mineral co-factors. • Phase II: Once the xenobiotic (chemical) is worked on (functionalized) by Phase I, the altered xenobiotic molecules can be bound with one of several agents that will make the entire new molecule much more hydrophilic (love water and dissolvable in it). This bonding process is called conjugation. The agents that bond with the xenobiotics are glucuronate, hippurate and glutathione. Other agents that have conjugation functions are glutamine, taurine and glycine. What is the meaning of elevated D-glucaric acid in the urine? • A significantly elevated D-glucaric acid in the urine is an indication of undue stress on the liver from chemicals, drugs or alcohol. It is a biomarker for contamination of the body. • A low level of D-glucaric acid could mean: • Nothing clinical • A toxic-free environment • A defect in the liver’s enzyme response to foreign chemicals which could be due to many things including heavy metal toxicity • Severe malnutrition What is mercapturic acid and what is its significance? This is a molecular combination of glutathione and xenobiotics. Many foreign organic chemicals including the vast majority of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides conjugate with glutathione. Originally discovered in the 1870s and published about by the German chemical industry, mercapturic acid now is recognized as a major metabolite of enzymatic detoxification. Because mercapturic acid is a major direct product of xenobiotic (chemical) metabolism, the amount in the urine directly reflects the degree or rate of enzymatic detoxification for many organic chemicals. Removing Xenobiotics There are many ways to deal with the detoxification process but this is too varied a subject to go into detail. The methods are: 1. Infra Red Sauna 2. Exercise 3. Up-regulating liver detoxification 4. Normalizing nutritional state 5. Normalizing systems involved: circulatory, intestinal, and hormonal 6. Bio-oxidative (Ozone, hydrogen peroxide, hyperbaric oxygen) |
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