(People often wonder how we chose the nutrients we put in the Ultimate Detox. This article helps explain the ingredients and some of our reasoning in choosing them.)
*Chlorella – the Super Detox! Chlorella is a super healthy food that helps detoxify the body of heavy metals that have accumulated over a lifetime. Even small amounts of this plant can help the body repair DNA and give you much more needed energy.
Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF): A complex of substances found only in chlorella. The powerful CGF helps to remove the multitude of impurities in your body and renew cellular strength and integrity. Chlorella binds to heavy metals as well as other toxic substances in the bowel and helps with the detoxification process.
It is the fibrous material in chlorella that has been shown to bind with heavy metals and pesticides that can accumulate in our bodies. Chlorella was also shown to increase elimination of cadmium as well as uranium and lead (Horikoshi, 1979). Chlorella also has detoxification potential for PCBs (chemical compounds used in plastics, insulation, and flame retardants, with the potential to cause cancer and liver damage).
Because of this, millions overseas, particularly in Japan, love chlorella’s ability to remove or neutralize these toxic substances from the body. As a bonus, chlorella also helps many other processes in your body, especially the bowels, the blood and the liver.
Cilantro: Also known as coriander or Chinese parsley, works with chlorella and MSM. It helps move mercury out of cells so the chlorella can bind to it and allow it to be excreted from the body. Cilantro has been shown in clinical trials and research to activate mercury, plus other toxic metals stored in the brain and spinal cord, and move them rapidly out of those tissues. This is important because cilantro is one of the very few substances known to remove mercury from the central nervous system.
*L-Glutamine: Glutathione (GSH) is the second super-star! It is the most potent heavy-metal detoxifier manufactured by the body! The power of glutathione in the elimination of toxins is amazing (up to 60 percent of all liver metabolites in the bile). It is one of the few known mechanisms by which the body can flush mercury back across the blood-brain barrier and out of brain tissue. It is also a major antioxidant within cells and is the major repair enzyme. This provides “mega” protection against DNA damage from heavy metals.
Glutamine and Vitamin C are precursors that have been found to help replenish GSH levels. NAC has also been found to significantly boost GSH levels in deficient subjects. We have also added other precursors that help. NAC converts easily to cysteine in the cell, providing a very effective precursor for the manufacture GSH. Alpha-lipoic acid also enhances cellular and extracellular levels of GSH. Selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin E, combined with those above, have been shown to raise glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity five-fold.
MSM (methyl-sulfonyl-methane): MSM makes individual cell walls more permeable so that the cell can easily get rid of toxins and absorb nutrients. This makes the transfer of materials (and heavy elements) easier. Because of this, MSM is important in oral chelation by helping the chelation detoxification process remove toxins from the cells of the body.
Cysteines (NAC & HCL): These are common proteins that might rival EDTA – if they are taken before bed hours (and not after eating any other proteins)! Taken by themselves, these excess cysteines have a powerful reaction in removing toxic metals.
Cysteines are almost a special category. They are not specialized like some of the other chelators we include. They tend to just attach to the heaviest particles first, then the next heaviest particles. It just so happens that most of those particles are toxic in your body (Ultimate Foundation adds the good minerals back). Cysteines also protect DNA by neutralizing free radicals. These heavy metals initiate free-radical reactions – without being used up during the reaction. Therefore, the heavy metals continue to cause free radical damage as long as they are present in the body.
NAC: Also powerful for anti-oxidation and cell detoxification. NAC helps the body neutralize toxins and heavy metals, such as mercury from dental amalgam fillings, and cadmium and lead from paint and cigarette smoke. This is a slow process, but good absorption makes NAC one of the most effective oral chelating agents. (The anhydrous form is far more bio-available and effective – thus our choice of it.)
Caution: Taken with nitroglycerin, NAC can cause severe headaches. It is also recommended that you should take 3 times as much vitamin C as NAC to protect against it being oxidized. Diabetics should consult their physician before using NAC since it may have an insulin-blocking effect.
Modified Citrus Pectin: An extensive study by the University of Florida confirms the toxin-removing ability of citrus pectin. It has also been very effective in removing built-up arterial plaque. Whether by mechanical means or fiber attachment is unsure – but we’ll take the results!
Malic Acid: The other half of the EDTA dynamic duo! Malic Acid, an organic fruit acid, has been found to help remove the toxic metals lead, strontium, and others. However, it is especially effective for aluminum, known to damage delicate brain cells. This makes malic acid an important part of a full chelation protection. The EDTA and malic acid combination appear to make both nutrients work better.
Bromelain: Used for other things but has a very helpful quality for us. It is a penetrator, which means it more easily penetrates into other tissues and, more importantly, helps carry the other nutrients along with it in order to get to the toxins, capture and remove them.
Milk Thistle: Helps keep the liver clear by removing accumulated fatty buildup that clogs the liver’s filtering ability. This helps the liver to be able to filter the captured heavy metal toxins and pesticides out of the bloodstream.
Vitamins B6, B12 & Folic Acid: These vitamins help prevent high homocysteine levels that irritate the walls of arteries. This can cause cholesterol to stick to the artery walls, increasing blood vessel blockages in the heart, brain, and other organs. These nutrients are also in the Ultimate Foundation formula but are added here to help the artery cleansing activity of EDTA.
Vitamin C: People often ask why we use vitamin C here. Vitamin C can actually chelate heavy metals by itself! It is commonly used in detoxifying the body before, during and after mercury amalgam removal. It is more important in helping the body make glutathione and balancing the activity of NAC. A person should take about 3 times vitamin C of the amount of NAC to help prevent oxidation and protect against kidney stones.
Alpha Lipoic Acid: The structure of ALA is very small which allows it to easily slip through cell membranes. Many other antioxidants are too large to pass through the cell membrane. It is another nutrient important in flushing mercury from the body. ALA is capable of compounding with heavy metals previously bound to proteins and can readily penetrate the blood-brain barrier to reach the mercury trapped within the CNS. ALA’s ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and its high affinity for fatty tissues make it one of the most important natural chelators of mercury and other heavy metals.
As a bonus, ALA also increases Glutathione levels. Glutathione, a major antioxidant within cells, is the major repair enzyme. This provides protection against DNA damage from heavy metals. Moreover, supplementation with ALA also enhances cellular and extracellular levels of GSH.
Garlic: (deodorized). Garlic is one of the best veggies in working well with MSM, chlorella, and cilantro in removing mercury. It also helps keep blood thin and detoxifies the liver during the chelation process.
Selenium: There are some clinical results indicating selenium is helpful in working with the nutrients above in removing mercury.
[Note: Zinc: The jury is out on zinc yet, however some people are concerned that EDTA may remove a bit of selenium and zinc. So far, it is unlikely since EDTA and the other chelators prefer other heavy elements. However, we do not use EDTA and the Ultimate Foundation provides zinc and other minerals. If you do not take a good multi-mineral, you may want to add selenium and zinc.
[Note: EDTA – ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. This has a pretty impressive list of heavy metals it removes! EDTA has a low absorption rate. We have found that the chlorella does a better job due to its better absorption ability. Also, the FDA sent a warning letter to doctors about using EDTA properly and this has scared insurance companies (who don’t know better). In any case, they won’t cover EDTA anymore so, unfortunately, we have had to remove it from our formula.]
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