This article from CNN's health page made me think how many docs have misdiagnosed me prior to the metals test. They just aren't taught in school to suspect environmental toxins. They should be taught:
Review


WASHINGTON, Aug. 16-In many parts of the world they eat them fried for snacks, but in the U.S. we'd rather spray them through the cracks.


We're talking about bugs, insects, spiders, and other multi-legged creatures with which we'd rather not share our persons, homes, lawns or pets. Insects outnumber people in the U.S. by a few billion or so, but that doesn't stop us from trying to stop them.


At times the use of insect repellants and pesticides is an issue of health. Mosquitoes, for example, can transmit West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis. Ticks carry Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Brown recluse and black widow spiders inflict painful and occasionally fatal venomous bites.


More often, however, chemical pesticide use is aimed at keeping our lawns as green and smooth as artificial turf, our fruits and vegetables pristine and free of blemishes, our trees free of undesirable leaf chomping caterpillars, and our pantries and food closets free of marauding ants and meal moths.


But while we're nuking our lawns to get rid of grass-eating grubs, we could also be killing beneficial insects such as honeybees and lady beetles, and putting our children, our pets, and ourselves at risk.


Last month, investigators from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reported findings of a study showing that schoolchildren and school employees are at significant risk of illness from the use of pesticides in and around schools.


Among cases where the source of exposure could be traced, 69% were tied to the use of bug-killers at school, and 31% were linked to pesticide drift from neighboring farmlands, reported Walter A. Alarcon, M.D., and colleagues from NIOSH and other federal and state health agencies in the July 27, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.


"Pesticide poisoning is a commonly under-diagnosed illness in America today," according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publication on recognition and management of pesticide poisonings. "Despite recommendations by the Institute of Medicine and others urging the integration of environmental medicine into medical education, health care providers generally receive a very limited amount of training in occupational and environmental health, and in pesticide-related illnesses, in particular."


Pesticides can be broadly divided into chemical agents and biopesticides.


Since the removal from the market of organochlorine pesticides such as DDT and chlordane, the most widely used insecticides have been the 40-plus members of the organophosphate class.


These chemicals are used in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and in homes and gardens; some were also used as chemical weapons in World War II. These agents can cause both acute and subacute toxicity. They work by disrupting acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that controls the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, resulting in overstimulation of nerves and muscles in effector organs.


Organophosphates are absorbed by inhalation, ingestion, and through skin penetration, and can cause symptoms that include headache, hypersecretion, muscle twitching, nausea, diarrhea respiratory depression, seizures and loss of consciousness. Miosis is a frequent diagnostic sign of organophosphate poisoning.


Treatment for acute organophosphate poisoning includes clearing airways, improving tissue oxygen, and IV administration of the anticholinergic agent atropine. Pralidoximine may also be indicated, although this agent could be hazardous in poisonings caused by insecticides in the N-methyl carbamate class of agents, which also affect acteylcholine transmission, according to the EPA.


Other insecticide chemical classes with similar effects on the nervous system include the N-methyl carbamates and pyrethroids, a class of neurotoxic synthetic agents based on a naturally occurring insecticide found in chrysanthemums.


Another common pesticide that many people come in contact with is N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, or DEET for short. This chemical is an insect repellant rather than a bug killer, and it's found in a variety of over-the-counter products for adults and children.


Although DEET can be toxic if swallowed and should not be applied to broken skin or open wounds, it is generally considered to be safe according to the CDC.


"Using insect repellents containing DEET should not be harmful if label directions are followed and the product is used safely," according to an agency fact sheet. "In rare cases, using DEET products may cause skin rashes. Some persons who used products containing a high concentration of DEET or who were exposed to excessive amounts of DEET have experienced skin rashes, blisters, and skin and mucous membrane irritation." Adverse neurologic effects have been reported with massive exposure and chronic use.

Products with 10% to 35% DEET are adequate in most circumstances. Higher concentrations should be reserved for situations in which insect infestation is high and high temperatures and humidity may limit repellent efficacy.

Public health experts generally agree that the small risk and generally mild side effects of DEET exposure are more than outweighed by the chemical's ability to protect against mosquito and tick bites and the illnesses that can be transmitted by them.


For those who don't like the idea of spraying DEET on their skin, the CDC notes that recent studies have shown that the naturally occurring plant based oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-menthane 3,8-diol (PMD)], is also registered with the EPA and provides protection against mosquitoes similar to that of repellants with low concentrations of DEET (10%).


Environmental health experts recommend use of integrated pest management programs to reduce the risk of exposure to pesticides. These programs involve taking steps to reduce pest infestations by nontoxic means, and using pesticides only as a last resort. When pesticides are necessary, the least toxic agents should be used, authorities say.

You would get much validation on this issue by reading the book "detoxify or die" by Dr. Sherry Rogers, M.D. She does some mainstream medicine bashing in this book about how they're all about drugs and treating symptoms and don't look for root causes of things such as heavy metals, toxins, etc. It is an excellent book in which she highly advocates sauna use (especially the infra red sauna) for detoxification. She also has a section in this book on the mercury amalgam problem and recommends removing the fillings and getting the mercury out with DMSA. She has a detox cocktail which consists of ALA, Vitamin C and glutathione to get rid of toxins. It's a great book.

Medical schools have Directors (boards). These boards usually have several members who are employed by pharmaceutical companies in the following way:

The P company says, "Hey, we'd like your input on this new drug so we'd like to employ you for the next 4 years. We'll fly you and your family to Figi twice a year?all expenses paid?to attend a few seminars where we'll have you offer your advice to us for ways we can improve our products. We'll pay you $200,000 per year."

OK, that's the part of the discussion we know about. How do you think the rest of the conversation goes? Perhaps something like this:

"Hey'a, why don't you see what you can do to introduce your students to our new drug in your curriculum? It would be a real benefit to their future patients."

Food for thought.