Heavy Metals testing

[Red Tara]

Kurt,

One thing you may want to try is to contact quicksilver and get a list of their providers in your area. Maybe there is someone else in your area who accepts your insurance who could order the test for you.

Also, The quicksilver test wasn't paid for by medicare, its possible medicare paid for for Genova, don't recall re: the last re- test, if not its around $100-150. Medicare pays zero for iv chelation and it costs $125.00 to 150 for a session. I also get glutathione with my treatment it seems to help me feel normal afterwards, and thats an additional $20.00 or so. The chelation with pills is pretty inexpensive.

Its a pleasure to share info with you. I'm such a newbie here, I know very little about dealing with the apoe gene.

[CoachDD]

I don't mind sharing cost information at all - it helps everyone to learn options out there. I worked in the insurance industry for almost 30 years, so if anyone has questions, I'll do my best to assist. That being said, I also acknowledge that we have VERY good coverage through my husband's plan - they cover things like acupuncture (thankfully!!). I was able to submit the Doctor Data testing through them and did get coverage for that (similar to lab work) and had a small out of pocket. The supplements my FM ND has me taking are all over the counter - but are pharmaceutical grade - so you should be able to get these relatively easily (even my biological dentist stocks them).

Dr. Aviva Romm has publicly shared her "discount" code via Fullscript and that is where I get the vast majority of my supplements (D3/K2 drops, Seeking Health Bs, OrthoMega (DHA/EPA, Liquid Iodine, to name a few). I have done the due diligence and found they are always cheaper here than through Amazon or buying from the manufacturer directly!

Specifically for the chelation, the Chelex (Xymogen) is $42.40 for 120 capsules (and not something I can get independently - I order this through my doc or my dentist). For the Reacted Multimin (Ortho Molecular Products), it is $24.32 for 120 capsules when ordered through Fullscript.

I'll also share this under the topic about "discounts" with some of this information.

[Red Tara]

For people on a tight budget, a portable far infrared sauna is an option. Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/SereneLife-Porta ... B0711XW4P3. As of the date of this post, it costs $189.99 with free shipping.

It might take longer to see health improvements using a portable sauna, but I've heard they are still worth it. That's coming from Ari Whitten, developer of The Energy Blueprint course.

Hi there B!

I'm back from my travels and am seriously now looking into a sauna. I think the high tech saunas will not fit in my hosue.
darn! I know my consultant has one outside with a cover over it, but its not High Tech. I was wondering who Ari Whitten is and what he may have saids about the portable sauna. All best wishes, Em

[Red Tara]

Hi there B!

I'm back from my travels and am seriously now looking into a sauna. I think the high tech saunas will not fit in my hosue.
darn! I know my consultant has one outside with a cover over it, but its not High Tech. I was wondering who Ari Whitten is and what he may have saids about the portable sauna. All best wishes, Em

[TheBrain]

Hi Emm,

What a bummer that the High Tech sauna won’t fit in your house. Even the single person sauna won’t fit?

Here’s a link to Ari Whitten’s web site: http://ariwhitten.com. I took his Energy Bluepirnt course, which focuses on improving one’s energy. He also has a podcast, which he started last year. Here are his credentials: http://ariwhitten.com/about-ari.

I’ve heard it’s not a good idea to buy a sauna and keep it outside, even if covered. High Tech Health doesn’t recommend that for their saunas.

[Red Tara]

Thanks B,

I appreciate your feedback.

I have to keep researching.

[Indywoman]

Hello Everyone,
I am trying not to duplicate everyone's questions on this forum, but sometimes sifting and sorting is so time consuming that I end up unable to keep searching. Still working full time as a teacher so reading all this can be a second job! All too long to say, please forgive for the questions. I am going through the Bredesen protocol with a certified ReCode doctor and here come the tests and costs...

I think I will go through with the Quicksilver test first as some of you suggested as I am wary of the oral DMPS and the fact that it seems to have quite a few folks who are wary of it, not only in reactions with issues to liver, kidneys, etc. (probably that's more than 400 mg. as in this test but still) but the lack of FDA approval. Two months later is that still a consensus here?

Secondly, this doctor wants to do the MRI in the “cognoscopy” portion of the protocol which includes MRI imaging of the hippocantal volume. Our family's deductible for insurance is high, which means I would have to pay the entire cost ($2500?) and I am not sure it is worth it. It gives the doctor a baseline which means another one later and therefore more cost, and I can see the efficacy to the researcher/doctor, but less so to me. What do you all think in terms of a limited amount of money to spend on resources for testing? Is it worth it, and worth it b/c it also means measuring again (more cost) in "X" amount of time after the baseline?

Thank you so much!

[Anna]

My FM doc wants me to do a Doctor's Data provoked heavy metal test, so I'm reviving this thread with some questions and concerns that I did not see covered:

1. I'm concerned that test results could be misleading. How accurate and meaningful is provoked testing? Has anyone complemented the provoked test with other tests, such as using a separate kit to test unprovoked urine or doing a hair mineral analysis? Basically, I'm trying to figure out the best evidence-based approach to testing heavy metals and trusting the results, and this seems to be highly controversial, and the more I read, the more confused I get?
Here's a Quackwatch article that addresses some potential problems with heavy metal testing: https://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/urine_toxic.html
This is what Chris Kresser has to say (https://chriskresser.com/heavy-metals-and-behavioral-disorders-in-children/
"Heavy metal testing is a controversial topic because each of the currently available methods of testing—hair, urine, and blood—has some drawbacks.
Hair testing. Hair testing has become a popular method for assessing heavy metal status. However, using hair testing alone, we cannot know for certain whether a high level of a metal in the hair reflects a significant body burden of that metal or indicates that the patient is efficiently eliminating the metal through the hair and thus has a low level of it in the body.
Urine testing. Urine heavy metal provocation tests, which use a chelating agent such as DMSA to provoke a release of heavy metals into the circulation, present problems similar to those with hair testing; it is possible that a metal may be high in the urine because the body is efficient at excreting it, or it may reflect a high body burden of the metal. Another problem is that reference ranges for provoked urine results have not been developed or validated.
Blood testing. Blood testing is problematic for assessing heavy metal status because heavy metals typically circulate in the blood for only a short time before becoming sequestered in tissues.
While each of these testing methods is faulty when used alone, combining a couple of techniques may be a more accurate way to assess heavy metal toxicity. For example, you could do a provoked and an unprovoked urine test, or a hair test and a provoked urine test. Combining two tests may paint a more accurate picture of the body’s total heavy metal burden."

2. I'm fearful of the prep! What is involved in the prep? My doctor mentioned that the chelation agent used for the test might make me feel sick. Did anyone experience this? Will anything about the test tax an already-confused immune system?

3. First morning pH? My doctor mentioned that my first morning urine pH should be above 6.4. I've been testing this, and no matter what I do, it's always below 6. Is this really necessary? Any suggestions?

Any thoughts are appreciated. And yes, I will be asking my doctor some of these questions too.

[circular]

I’ve just finished reading this whole thread. My conclusion for now is that probably everyone has some metals to chelate, and maybe rather than worrry about whether the tests are up to snuff or not and spenilding money on them, it’s better to just adopt a slow detox/chelation lifestyle. What percentage of testers are clean of all metal toxicity?

Edit: ‘spenilding?

[Anna]

My conclusion for now is that probably everyone has some metals to chelate, and maybe rather than worrry about whether the tests are up to snuff or not and spenilding money on them, it’s better to just adopt a slow detox/chelation lifestyle. What percentage of testers are clean of all metal toxicity?

That has basically been my approach, and I suspect very few people are free of metal toxicity. But when one is stuck going in circles with significant health challenges, and basic lifestyle/nutritional approaches aren't producing the anticipated result, it might be wise to dig deeper and see where efforts should be focused. I see metal toxicity as being a continuum, and I'd like to see where I sit. I think my biggest concern with doing the testing is the lack of agreement about how the testing should be done and how to interpret the results.