As a Functional MD, I spend a lot of time addressing toxicity. While conventional medicine wants to deny that we live in a toxic soup of our own concoction, functional MD’s recognize what study after study reveals. Not only do one-time high doses of toxins cause issues, but low-level chronic exposures also create bodily harm. Let’s take a moment to highlight one such study concerning inorganic arsenic.
Arsenic, widely recognized as toxic, comes in different forms. Inorganic, meaning not attached to carbon molecules made by living organisms, stands out as the most toxic version. Researchers have known that it causes intestinal damage but not how this damage occurred. In the Toxicology Letter from April of 2018, Chiocchetti et al report a simple experiment using a line of intestinal cells in culture dish. They exposed these cells to low levels of inorganic arsenic for up to 21 days.
What happened to these intestinal cells after 21 days of arsenic? Several changes were noted. First, increased levels of pro-inflammatory Interleukin 8 were measured in the sample. Next, the microvilli, the fingerlike projections of intestinal lining that allow nutrient absorption, were lost. Then, the barrier function of the gut was impaired leading to “leaky gut” or technically, intestinal hyperpermeability. Finally, the structure of the cells changed. This affects the function of the gut lining as well.
Take-away: When conventional medicine claims that the toxicity hype is all hot air, tell them that you will be seeing a Functional MD at Sanctuary to get help with living a healthier life by avoiding toxins like arsenic.
Toxicol Lett. 2018 Apr;286:80-88. doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2018.01.011. Epub 2018 Jan 31.
Effect of subchronic exposure to inorganic arsenic on the structure and function of the intestinal epithelium.
Chiocchetti GM1, Vélez D1, Devesa V2.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
