Sue,
I am so sorry to hear about Chelsi's most recent seizure. Just when
you feel like things are going good. Did you find that the seizure
came on with her normal circumstances of seizures?

I have been in contact with
Maraika Mason
Cert. Clin. Nut.
www.epilepsy-health.com

Have you looked into the treatment that has helped her family?

I am waiting to try anything new until my appointment with the
children's hospital. I received great news that Megan's appointment
has been bumped up from Sept 21 to Aug 23 to now Aug 11th!!! We are
going to see an Epilepsy specialist!

Also do you have contact information on Mineko? Can you send me an
e-mail address?

May I ask why you stopped the chiropractic approach? Did it not
work?

I think I mentioned that my ex-husband sent my daughters hair in for
analysis... It came back with high Aluminum. I found these
article's about high levels of aluminum. I am not yet ready to walk
down the road of the detox her but maybe? Have you looked into
eliminating certin foods?

***************************************************************

http://www.luminet.net/~wenonah/hydro/al.htm -

Al
Aluminum
atomic no. 13, atomic wt. 26.98, metal, row 4, col.3A, val. 3,
orbits 2-8-3
________________________________________
________________________________________
Aluminum Toxicity
The following information was compiled and submitted by Frank
Hartman.
"From the earliest days of food regulation, the use of alum
(aluminum sulphate) in foods has been condemned. It is universally
acknowledged as a poison in all countries. If the Bureau of
Chemistry had been permitted to enforce the law ... no food product
in the country would have any trace of ... any aluminum or saccarin.
No soft drink would contain caffeine or hebromin; no bleached flour
would be in interstate commerce. Our food and drugs would be wholly
without adulteration ... and the health of our people would be
vastly improved and their life greatly extended."
From History of crime against the Food Laws (1929) by Dr. Wiley, the
prime mover behind the original Pure Food Law and Director of the
FDA. He resigned in disgust in 1912 over exceptions granted to the
law and lack of enforcement.
Aluminum has been exempted from tesitng for safety by the FDA under
a convoluted logic wherein it is classified as GRAS. (Generally
Regarded As Safe.) It has never been tested by the FDA on its safety
and there are NO restrictions whatever on the amount or use of
aluminum.
There are over 2000 references in the National Library of Medicine
on adverse effects of alumium. The following were extracted to
provide a small sample of the range of toxicity of aluminum.
Chemical Registry
Aluminum toxicity has been recognized in many settings where
exposure is heavy or prolonged, where renal function is limited, or
where apreviously accumulated bone burden is released in stress or
illness. Toxicity may include: encephalopathy (stuttering, gait
disturbance, myoclonic jerks, seizures, coma, abnormal EEG)
osteomalacia or aplastic bone disease ( associated with painful
spontaneous fractures, hypercalcemia, tumorous calcinosis ) proximal
myopathy, increased risk of infection, increased left ventricular
mass and decreased myocardial function microcytic anemia with very
high levels, sudden death.
Aluminum is ubiquitous in our environment; it is the third most
prevalent element in the earth's crust. The gastrointestinal tract
is relatively impervious to aluminum, absorption normally being only
about 2%. Aluminum is absorbed by a mechanism related to that for
calcium. Gastric acidity and oral citrate favors absorption, and H2-
blockers reduce absorption. As is true for several trace elements,
transferrin is the primary protein binder and carrier for aluminum
in the plasma, where 80% is protein bound and 20% is free or
complexed to small molecules such as citrate.
Cells appear to take up aluminum from transferrin rather than from
citrate. Purified preparations of ferritin from brain and liver have
been found to contain aluminum.
It is not known if ferritin has a specific binding site for
aluminum. Factors regulating the migration of aluminum across the
blood–brain barrier are not well understood.
Serum aluminum correlates with encephalopathy; red cell aluminum
correlates with microcytic anemia, and bone aluminum correlates with
aluminum bone disease.
Basal PTH when elevated appears to protect bone and thereby favor
CNS toxicity.
Other factors favoring one form of toxicity over another are not
well understood.
Aluminum toxicity has been reported to impair the formation and
release of parathyroid hormone. The parathyroid glands concentrate
aluminum above levels in surrounding tissues. Treatment of aluminum
toxicity in renal failure patients often reactivates
hyperparathyroidism, which to a certain extent is helpful for bone
remodeling and healing.


Distilled water was placed in metal containers and the amount of
the "Metal Can" that disolved into the distilled water was measured
daily using Specific Conductance readings. You can divide the SC
number by 2 to get the approxamite amount of atoms in ppm ( mg /
l ).
4 ppm of aluminum in human blood can cause it to colagulate.
Aluminum in humans is documented to Inhibit Learning. See Below ...
________________________________________
Aluminum neurotoxicity in preterm infants receiving intravenous-
feeding solutions.
Bishop N.J. – Morley R. – Day J.P. – Lucas A.
From: N Engl J Med (1997 May 29) 336(22):1557-61
Aluminum, a contaminant of commercial intravenous–feeding solutions,
is potentially neurotoxic. We investigated the effect of perinatal
exposure to intravenous aluminum on the neurologic development of
infants born prematurely.
RESULTS: The 90 infants who received the standard feeding solutions
had a mean (± SD) Bayley Mental Development Index of 95 ±22, as
compared with 98 ±20 for the 92 infants who received the aluminum-
depleted solutions (P=0.39). The former were significantly more
likely (39 percent, vs. 17 percent of the latter group; P=0.03) to
have a Mental Development Index of less than 85, increasing their
risk of subsequent educational problems. For all 157 infants without
neuromotor impairment, increasing aluminum exposure was associated
with a reduction in the Mental Development Index (P=0.03), with an
adjusted loss of one point per day of intravenous feeding for
infants receiving the standard solutions. In preterm infants,
prolonged intravenous feeding with solutions containing aluminum is
associated with impaired neurologic development.
________________________________________
Aluminum-containing emboli in infants treated with extracorporeal
membrane oxygenation.
Vogler C. – Sotelo-Avila C. – Lagunoff D. – Braun P. – Schreifels
J.A. – Weber T.
From: N Engl J Med (1988 Jul 14) 319(2):75-9
We found fibrin thrombi or thromboemboli at autopsy in 22 of 23
infants with respiratory failure who had been treated with
venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). In
addition, distinctive basophilic aluminum-containing emboli were
found in 12 of the infants; the distribution of these emboli was
similar to that of the thromboemboli, except that an aluminum-
containing embolus was found in a lung in only 1 infant. Sixteen
infants had pulmonary thrombi or thromboemboli. We also found
friable aluminum-containing concretions adhering loosely to the
mixing rods of heat exchangers that had been used to warm the blood
flowing through the ECMO circuit; such concretions were not present
on unused mixing rods. We propose that these aluminum-containing
concretions developed as the silicone coating of the heat exchanger
wore away and aluminum metal was exposed to warm, oxygenated blood
and that fragments of aluminum-containing concretions formed emboli.
This hypothesis is supported by the fact that aluminum-containing
emboli were generally not present in the lungs, which are bypassed
by ECMO.
________________________________________
The role of aluminium for adverse reactions and immunogenicity of
diphtheria-tetanus booster vaccine.
Mark A. – Granstrom M.
From: Acta Paediatr (1994 Feb) 83(2):159-63
235 schoolchildren aged 10 years received either a regular,
aluminium-adsorbed diphtheria-tetanus vaccine or the same vaccine in
fluid form, in order to investigate if local side effects could be
diminished by exclusion of aluminium. System reactions were rare and
local reactions frequent in both groups but larger local reactions
were even more pronounced in the non-adsorbed vaccine group.
________________________________________
Neurotoxic effects of aluminium on embryonic chick brain cultures.
From: Acta Neuropathol (Berl) (1994) 88(4):359-66
Toxic damage of brain cells by aluminium (Al) is discussed as a
possible factor in the development of neurodegenerative disorders in
humans. Effects of Al on cell viability (lysosomal and mitochondrial
activity) and differentiation (synthesis of cell-specific proteins)
were found to the brain area specific with the highest sensitivity
observed in optic tectum.
________________________________________
Aluminium in tooth pastes and Alzheimer's disease.
Verbeeck R.M. – Driessens F.C. – Rotgans J.
From: Acta Stomatol Belg (1990 Jun) 87(2):141-4
The role of aluminium from tooth pastes may be even more important
than that from the drinking water.
________________________________________
Persistent subcutaneous nodules in children hyposensitized with
aluminium-containing allergen extracts.
Frost L. – Johansen P. – Pedersen S. – Veien N. – Ostergaard P.A. –
Nielsen M.H.
From: Allergy (1985 Jul) 40(5):368-72
A follow-up study of 202 children who had received hyposensitization
with aluminium-containingallergens showed that 1-3 years after
cessation of hyposensitization 13 children still had severely
treatment-resistant subcutaneous nodules in their forearms. Because
of their long persistence the nodules of six children were studied
in detail. Histologically, the nodules showed infiltration with
lymphocytes (forming germinal centres), macrophages, plasma cells,
mast cells and a few eosinophils.
In five patients aluminium crystals were found scattered between the
cells and, in addition, the phagosomes of the macrophages contained
aluminium. Patch tests for aluminium were positive in four of the
six patients.
________________________________________
Behavioural effects of gestational exposure to aluminium.
Rankin J. – Sedowofia K. – Clayton R. – Manning A.
From: Ann Ist Super Sanita (1993) 29(1):147-52
The involvement of aluminium in the aetiology of a number of human
pathological diseases has altered its status from being a nontoxic,
nonabsorbable, harmless element. This maybe of particular concern to
the developing foetus which is more susceptible to agents and at
lower levels than the adult. Little attention has been given to
aluminium's potential reproductive toxicity until recently and
further research is required for a full evaluation of its toxicity.
Our preliminary results demonstrate behavioural and neurochemical
alterations in the offspring of mice exposed to aluminium during
gestation. Further, the effects of such exposure are also present in
the adult animal suggesting persistent changes in behaviour
following prenatal exposure.

________________________________________
Aluminium allergy.
Veien N.K. – Hattel T. – Justesen O. – Norholm A.
From: Contact Dermatitis (1986 Nov) 15(5):295-7
13 children ranging in age from 1 to 13 years and 1 adult patient
had positive patch tests to 2% AlCl3 in water. 13 of them had
pruritic excoriated papules, 9 at sites of hyposensitization therapy
with aluminium-bound pollen extracts, and 4 at sites of childhood
immunization with an aluminium-bound vaccine (Di-Te-Pol).
________________________________________
Estimates of dietary exposure to aluminium.
Pennington J.A. – Schoen S.A.
From: Food Addit Contam (1995 Jan-Feb) 12(1):119-28
Daily intakes of aluminium were estimated for 14 age-sex groups
based on the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Total Diet Study
dietary exposure model. Estimates of aluminium intakes ranged from
0.7 mg/day for 6-11-month-old infants to 11.5 mg/day for 14-16-year-
old males. Average intakes for adult men and women were 8-9 and 7
mg/day, respectively. The major contributors to daily intake of
aluminium were foods with aluminium-containing food additives, e.g.
grain products and processed cheese.
________________________________________
Aluminum concentrations in tissues of rats: effect of soft drink
packaging.
Kandiah J. – Kies C.
From: Biometals (1994 Jan) 7(1):57-60
Canned soft drink fed rats had significantly higher blood, liver and
bone aluminum concentration than rats that were given glass bottled
soft drink.
Sources of Aluminum
Over the Counter; Deoderants, vaginal douches, baby wipes, skin
creams, suntan lotions, toothpaste, buffered asprin, some
haemorrhoid and diarrhea products.
Medical; Vaccinations, allergy testing, intervenous solutions,
allergens, wound and antacid irrigation, ulcer treatment, blood
oxygenization, bone or joint replacement and burn treatment.
Foods; Aluminum cans, foils, containers, baking powder, cake mixes,
frozen dough, pancake mixes, self-rising flour, grains, processed
cheese.
________________________________________
Aluminum toxicity following intravesical alum irrigation for
hemorrhagic cystitis.
Kanwar V.S. – Jenkins J.J. 3rd – Mandrell B.N. – Furman W.L.
From: Med Pediatr Oncol (1996 Jul) 27(1):64-7
Mental status changes in an immunosuppressed child can be due to a
variety of causes; aluminum toxicity is rarely considered. We report
a teenage girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who developed
mental status changes, speech disturbance, coarse tremor, and
abnormal EEG findings following intravesical 1% alum irrigation and
administration of aluminum-containing antacids. All abnormalities
resolved after a nine-week course of intravenous deferoxamine.
________________________________________
Progressing encephalomyelopathy with muscular atrophy, induced by
aluminum powder.
Bugiani O. – Ghetti B.
From: Neurobiol Aging (1982 Fall) 3(3):209-22
The injection of aluminum powder into the cerebrospinal fluid of
adult rabbits induced a slowly progressing encephalomyelopathy
characterized at first by alteration of posture and then by
myoclonic jerks and muscle weakness.
Neurofibrillary degeneration was the hallmark of the disease and
involved most of the gray areas. Neurogenic muscular atrophy
appeared in animals sacrificed in the second and third month after
injection.
________________________________________
From: History of crime against the Food Laws (1929)
by Dr. Riley, the prime mover behind the original Pure Food Law and
Director of the FDA. He resigned in disgust in 1912 over exceptions
granted to the law and lack of enforcement.
Aluminum has been exempted from testing for safety by the FDA under
a convoluted logic wherein it is classified as GRAS. (Generally
Regarded As Safe.) It has never been tested by the FDA on its safety
and there are NO restrictions whatever on the amount or use of
aluminum.
Diseases Associated with Aluminium Intoxication
H. Tomlinson, M.B., Ch.B., MRCS., LRCP
________________________________________
Aluminum is known to inhibit cell division during the "S Phase" at
levels less than 4 ppm.
Aluminum toxicity is a widespread problem in all forms of life,
including humans, animals, fish, plants and trees, and causes
widespread degradation of the environment and health. Over 7,000
reference articles on aluminum toxicity existed in various data
bases as of 1936, (Today, there are more than a million.) all
recognizing the toxicity.




http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art7739.asp -

The Dangers of Aluminum Toxicity


Even though aluminum is not considered to be a heavy metal like
lead, it can be toxic in excessive amounts and even in small amounts
if it is deposited in the brain. Many of the symptoms of aluminum
toxicity mimic those of Alzheimer's disease and osteoporosis. Colic,
rickets, gastrointestinal problems, interference with the metabolism
of calcium, extreme nervousness, anemia, headaches, decreased liver
and kidney function, memory loss, speech problems, softening of the
bones, and aching muscles can all be caused by aluminum toxicity.

Aluminum is excreted by the kidneys, therefore toxic amounts can
impair kidney function. Aluminum can also accumulate in the brain
causing seizures and reduced mental alertness. The brain is normally
protected by a blood-brain barrier, which filters the blood before
it reaches it. Elemental aluminum does not pass easily through this
barrier, but certain compounds contained within aluminum, such as
aluminum fluoride do. Interestingly, many municipal water supplies
are treated with both aluminum sulfate and aluminum fluoride. These
two chemicals can also combine easily in the blood. Aluminum
fluoride is also poorly excreted in the urine.

When there is a high level of absorption of aluminum and silicon,
the combination can result in an accumulation of certain compounds
in the cerebral cortex and can prevent nerve impulses being carried
to and from the brain properly. Long term calcium deficiency can
further aggravate the condition. Workers in aluminum smelting plants
on a long term basis, have been know to experience dizziness, poor
coordination, balance problems and tiredness. It has been claimed
that the accumulation of aluminum in the brain could be a possible
cause for these issues.

It is estimated that the normal person takes in between 3 and 10
milligrams of aluminum per day. Aluminum is the most abundant
metallic element produced by the earth. It can be absorbed into the
body through the digestive tract, the lungs and the skin, and is
also absorbed by and accumulates in the bodies tissues. Aluminum is
found naturally in our air, water and soil. It is also used in the
process of making cooking pots and pans, utensils and foil. Other
items such as over the counter pain killers, anti-inflammatory
products, and douche preparations can also contain aluminum.
Aluminum is also an additive in most baking powders, is used in food
processing, and is present in antiperspirants, toothpaste, dental
amalgams, bleached flour, grated cheese, table salt, and beer,
(especially when the beer is in aluminum cans). The biggest source
of aluminum, however, comes from our municipal water supplies.

Excessive use of antacids is also a common cause of aluminum
toxicity in this country, especially for those who have kidney
problems. Many over the counter type antacids contain amounts of
aluminum hydroxide that may be to much for the kidneys to handle
properly.

So, what can we do to prevent aluminum toxicity from happening to
ourselves and our families?

1. Eat a diet that is high in fiber and includes apple pectin.
2. Use stainless steel, glass, or iron cookware. Stainless steel is
the best choice.
3. Beware of any product containing aluminum or dihydroxyaluminum.
4. A hair analysis can be used to determine levels of aluminum in
the body.
5. Research has shown that the longer you cook food in aluminum
pots, the more they corrode, and the more aluminum is absorbed into
the food and hence into the body. Aluminum is more readily dissolved
by acid forming foods, such as coffee, cheese, meat, black and green
tea, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, turnips, spinach and radishes.
6. Acid rain leeches aluminum out of the soil and into drinking
water.



http://www.home.earthlink.net/~joannefstruve/_wsn/page2.html

Taking aluminum out of the diet is not difficult, but it can get
somewhat complicated and quite frustrating. One's attempt to follow
the guidelines of Aluminum-Abstinence Therapy (AAT) could end in
failure if one doesn't have sufficient knowledge about the subject.

Foods and products that contain aluminum are listed [in bold] in the
next section, but before the lists are examined, please read the
information below. It must be thoroughly understood before one
begins AAT. Many patients appear to worsen from time to time,
confusing those involved in their care; and sometimes those who use
AAT for AD prevention find that it doesn't help. There are many
reasons for this, including the following:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abstaining from aluminum may not appear to be effective if one is
taking drugs, breathing vapors or consuming toxic substances of any
kind. The reason for this is because chronic drug use and/or toxic
substance exposure may cause side-effects similar to the symptoms of
aluminum toxicity.

Millions of microscopic particles of various toxins are ingested
daily by those who are exposed to outdoor smog, work in toxic
environments and/or consume contaminated water. Although AAT will
work to reduce the level of toxicity in the brain, it cannot perform
miracles. Significant results may not be seen when overdoses of
these and other toxins, including alcohol, over-the-counter
medications and/or prescription drugs are ingested continuously. In
other words, when the brain becomes overwhelmed, its performance is
minimized until one's intake of toxic substances is dramatically
reduced.

The following story will help illustrate this point. One Alzheimer's
patient became oppositional and uncooperative, even though he had
been on AAT for over two years. His family believed that the therapy
was not working and that the disease was progressing. One day, this
man refused to eat or drink anything, including his prescription
drugs. When the problem worsened, his family decided to follow his
advanced directives allowing him to die.

But he didn't die. Three days later, he surprised us when he got out
of bed, dressed himself, and was cordial and cooperative to the
point of helping others! What made the difference? His behavior
improved because his brain was given the chance to excrete the
offending drugs. In other words, because the drugs were stopped
(inadvertently), the man's brain was finally able to cleanse itself.
After the man's family had his medications appropriately adjusted,
their father was cordial and co-operative from that point on.

This incident made it clear that continuous ingestion of drugs and
other toxic substances can obscure or complicate the performance of
Aluminum-Abstinence Therapy.

Other health conditions can hinder the brain's ability to cleanse
itself, as well. Many of these will be addressed on the Foundation
website. To learn more now, click on WHAT TO EXPECT and SIGNS OF
ALUMINUM POISONING in the menu bar at the bottom of this page.
THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS MAY CONTAIN TOXIC AMOUNTS OF ALUMINUM:

Foods made with aluminized baking powder*, self-rising flour*, and
salt. The following are some of these products:

Microwave popcorn
Salted snacks
Hot cocoa mixes
Coffee creamers
Pickles and relish
*Flour tortillas
*Pizza crust
*Muffins
*Doughnuts
*Cookies
*Pancakes
*Waffles
*Cupcakes
*Cakes
*Baking mixes
*Brownies
*Pastries
*Corn bread
*Banana bread
*Carrot bread
*Dipping batter for fried foods

WARNING: Aluminumized baking powder is now being used in many foods
that were formerly prepared without baking powder, such as pizza
crust, raised doughnuts, pie crusts, cookies, waffles, prepared
meats, cheeses, and other products that were once aluminum-free.

IMPORTANT:

Do not confuse baking soda with baking powder. Soda is a pure
product with no additives. Baking powder is a mixture of chemicals
used as leavening in countless baking products. (Leavening is what
makes a cake rise during the baking process.)

Many people believe that all breads are made with baking powder.
This is not true. Most breads are made with yeast.

Don't panic. Numerous aluminum-free baked goods are available in
ordinary grocery stores, as well as health food stores and
restaurants. Simply read labels to be safe.


OTHER PRODUCTS CONTAINING ALUMINUM:

Anti-perspirants
Many body lotions and cremes
Most cosmetics
Shampoos and conditioners
Soaps
Suntan lotions
Lip Balm
Etc

WHEN PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ARE NECESSARY:

When prescription drugs are necessary, one's first line of defense
in preventing food and drug poisoning is to curtail the number of
toxins consumed on a daily basis.

They add up quickly. One breakfast waffle normally contains
one "dose" of aluminum. (A dose is considered the amount required to
cause an obvious effect, such as a change in behavior.) One muffin
eaten for lunch adds another dose; and a dinner biscuit adds
another. The day's total of aluminum equals 3 doses. Remember, the
more items eaten, the more aluminum is ingested.

When prescription drugs are consumed as well, the amount of toxicity
in the brain can rise to injurous levels, especially when over-the-
counter drugs are taken at the same time.

Caffeine overdose can create even more problems. When the brain
becomes dehydrated, behavior changes are commonplace. Indeed, when
chocolate, caffeinated drinks, herbal diuretic teas, packaged
diuretic herbs, body-building and diet supplements are eaten as
well, negative behavioral episodes can easily occur. Even vitamins
can become toxic when taken in excess.

When signs of toxicity appear, they should be taken very seriously.
Call your doctor to discuss symptoms, disclosing all substances that
could be at fault. Follow the doctor's orders and begin abstinence
immediately.


WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT BRAIN TOXICITY:

1. Assume responsibility for safeguarding your own health. Do not
expect that the Food and Drug Administration is protecting you. They
are not. All the facts are not in. Scientific investigation is still
in its infancy.

2. Learn how to read medication descriptions. Ask your doctor or
pharmacist to explain what is difficult to understand.

3. Write to manufacturers. Ask for ingredient disclosures to be
mailed to you. Most are willing to respond.

4. Learn to say no, even in social situations. If you suspect that
party foods contain aluminum (refer to list above), choose items
that are most likely aluminum-free. This habit may be difficult to
cultivate at first, but as you observe how contaminated foods affect
your mind, moods and emotions, abstinence will become easier and
less troublesome as time goes on.

5. Ask restaurant managers to examine food and salt labels before
ordering questionable items.

6. Examine all package labels before making a purchase.

********************************************************************
Has anyone else received any information of something that has
worked outside of medication?

It seems that the medication is a band aid to the true problem? How
do you feel? Do you think that there is a real cure?