Lead in clay?

Hi, Jason and Fellow Members:

I was wondering if Eyton's Earth calcium bentonite clay is tested for lead content.

I have purchased three to four 5-gallon buckets of calcium bentonite clay from Eyton's Earth over the last 10 years, and I have recently come upon some disturbing information that I am hoping Jason can allay my fears about:

https://drchristianson.com/surprising-danger-about-bentonite-clay/#1528048579644-a0324c50-39d6

I was tested for heavy metals around 2003, after having all my amalgam fillings removed by a biological dentist, and I had no lead or other heavy metals in my body at that time.  However, when I was tested again last year, I had elevated levels of lead in my body.  I have used Eyton's Earth clay (sporadically), both internally and externally, in between the two testings.  My water well & pipes tested negative for lead.  I did move to an old farm house in 2009, around the time I started using the clay, so perhaps that is the source of my contamination. 

I know that clays (as well as Himalayan sea salt) can appear to the unlearned person to have harmful substances (such as aluminum) in them, when in reality the actual form of the substance in the clay is not toxic to the body.  So perhaps this is the case with the foregoing article, but I would like to be sure that the clay is not the problem.  I am certainly no expert, but it seems to me that even if lead were in the clay, the clay would grab onto it as soon as the clay is hydrated, and not let it be released in the body.  But then again, according to this article, our stomach acid causes the clay to release the lead.  Is anyone aware of any studies that might clarify this issue?

Thanks,
OmaLou

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Greetings, OmaLou:

This has been studied pretty extensively, by myself, others, and especially researchers in France, who have been using edible clay regularly for centuries.

I recommend reading the guide I've produced called "A Comprehensive Beginner's Guide to Edible Clay", which covers the available scientific research in a bit more detail.  While the actual science is not conclusive, it is pretty definitive:

http://www.eytonsearth.org/earthcures/a-comprehensive-beginners-guide-to-using-edible-clay/

I, and others, have done proper heavy metal testing regularly by well qualified medical doctors SPECIALIZING in environment medicine.  These guys, as well as functional doctors, are really the only ones actually qualified to do this kind of specialized work.

My heavy metal loads are always well below average, and I figure I've probably been exposed to clay more than almost anyone, since I work with it daily, bath in it and use it as needed as a nutrient.

To answer your question, yes we batch test all of our calcium bentonite for heavy metals, trace minerals, and do a microbial study.

Our clay has far less lead than certified food grade, USP bentonite.  That said, that all soils have some lead and trace amounts of heavy metals.  I have to find a heavy metal free clay, and I've done studies on most clays commonly used in human and animal health.

All of that said, in today's world, I don't recommend that clay be used as a stand alone detox product.  I have a daily detox routine that I use to help keep my body's detox channels open, my detox genes up-regulated, and my organs in great shape to help prevent retention toxicity.

If a person has any sort of retention toxicity issue, it won't matter if they use digestive detox aids.  Most people that I correspond with that have this type of issue either have liver or kidney retention toxicity.  When this happens, the body down-regulates the genes responsible for Phase 1-2 detoxification.

Dr. Christopher Shade is probably the expert in the biochemistry here (and yes, he and his trained MDs use clay in their mercury detox protocols).

Furthermore, most "bentonite" contains particles that are close to 40 microns in diameter.  In the nano world, these would be considered huge boulders.  Most of these clay particles sorpt anything with a positive charge, and then carry it out of the digestive tract safely.  Even if they were loaded with lead, the lead would never reach the blood stream, and even if it did, it would not be bioactive because it is rendered inert.

Even all of this considered, it is true that stomach acid reduces clay's sorption power (which is one reason why I try to teach people to DRINK MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF WATER WITH CLAY USE), and can even cause clay to dump some of its material-- which won't happen if you drink massive amounts of water with clay. (this has been studied by Argiletz in France, and the amounts released by 20 micron illite particles was pretty insignificant).  But, where the body runs into most of its heavy metal retention issues is actual via the BILE, which is alkaline.

Clay is an amazingly effective, health-promoting nutrient... acting not only as a direct detox agent, but as a systemic catalyst for detoxification... it's an amazing digestive system healing substance... even MORE amazing at transforming the bio-terrain of the colon... but even so, there ARE people who can run into problems with it.  They are rare, but it does happen.

For example, clay is loaded with iron, so you have these over-educated "armchair" doctors who try to sound the alarm about iron as well.  But the truth is that laboratory testing has shown that people with a "regular" ability to utilize and eliminate iron do NOT retain iron from clay ingestion. 

BUT, those people who have chronic medical  conditions with iron absorption and/or retention CAN run into issues with clay.  Why this occurs with them, I have not been able to figure out.

It is possible that a person might have a similar response to other materials in clay due to some metabolic or other abnormality.  I am extremely pragmatic when it comes to health.

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The first place I would look when a person has a healthy lifestyle and still shows abnormal heavy metal levels is kidney retention toxicity.  If the kidneys are not filtering any specific toxin properly (and this can actually and quite literally be toxin-specific, like only mercury).

I would see if there is a strong detox reaction preferably to 1 tsp. of micronized zeolite, taken in 8 ounces of water, which tends reacts very particularly to kidney retention toxicity (yes, zeolite is even more loaded with lead which is fused to the crystal).

I would do the same also (but at a different day/time) with lemon water first, then lemon water with cayenne.

Kidney retention toxicity can happen DECADES after an insult you might not even know about.  I've seen kidney retention toxicity happen out of the blue thirty years after chemotherapy has been completed (non-targeted chemo).

If a person does have retention toxicity, again, it really doesn't matter how low the exposure is, it will build up in the body. 

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Starting radiotherapy next week and not supposed to use any ointment that might contain metals.
Could I still drink my clay with its iron and lead? Sure I will use it topically as it is easy to clean well before the next radiation.
Now as about testing heavy metal in our body, how do you test that? Was going to do a saliva test and when I saw all the questions i had to answer before sending the test, I decided that they would give the answer to the through the questions and not the saliva and did not do it....

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I've never heard of anyone having an issue with consuming clay water and radiotherapy.  Since radiotherapy is localized, you'd have to be worried about a high concentration of metals at the treatment location (primarily, externally applied).  There is no such concern with drinking clay water.

Each method of heavy metal testing has strengths and weaknesses.  Such "weaknesses" are highly problematic.  For example, hair analysis gives interesting data, but does not even show any oroganic mercury that might be an issue in the body, all of the readings are exclusively inorganic.

The one exception is called heavy metal challenge testing, which is a chelation challenge test that measures heavy metal levels in urine after consuming a chelation agent, my favorite being DMSA.  It is not without risks, should really be done under the supervision of a environmental medical doctor, and can be unpleasant.

While the scientist in me loves the idea of doing a heavy metal challenge test BEFORE, and then six to nine months AFTER detox...  The healer in me would prefer that a person do a full digestive system cleanse, then a basic heavy metal cleanse and dietary adjustments, and THEN do a heavy metal challenge test, maybe even a year out.

The heavy metal challenge test IS available to order online at Rocky Mountain Labs... but, buyer beware.  Chelation agents, with individuals who are experiencing any form of retention toxicity, can make a person very ill, even for six months, with fatigue and even neurological symptoms.  Don't let lofty sounding protocols fool you, even things like the "Cutler Protocol", which may be awesome for most people with mercury toxicity, can be extremely dangerous for a small segment of the population.

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