The Problem with Hemochromatosis or Iron Overload Disease (IOD)

Since hemochromatosis or iron overload disease is such a clear example of 'metal mediated' free radical overproduction I have decided to write this small article for this newsletter.

When we look at statistics, we will see that 1 in 200 to 1 in 400 hundred people 'supposedly' will develop 'fully blown' hemochromatosis in their lifetime. In some races the disease seems to be more wide spread than in others. As is the case so often.nobody really knows why that is.

What Professor Robert Batey (the gentleman who supervised our clinical trial at the Newcastle University and one of Australia 's leading experts on hemochromatosis) believes is that hemochromatosis is much more wide spread then statistics indicate. He thinks that as many as 1 in 20 people suffer from a kind of iron overload disease. The problem may not be picked up because it may be 'sub clinical' and/or because until recently no simple test was available. Today we know that even very small amounts of ionic iron (and/or other 'transition metals') can produce very large amounts of free radicals through the 'metal mediated Fenton reaction'.

Here now are a some excerpts from articles on the internet:

Hemochromatosis is a genetic disease of abnormal iron metabolism. A person who has hemochromatosis absorbs too much iron from an ordinary diet. Consequently, this condition is sometimes called "iron overload" or "iron storage overload." If untreated, hemochromatosis can damage major organs in the body (Roeckel et al. 1998). Iron is a catalyst for the generation of free radical activity that has been identified as an underlying cause of cancer, atherosclerosis, liver cirrhosis, neurological disease, and other aging-related disorders. Approximately 32 million Americans are carriers for hemochromatosis, but only a minority of these carriers actually manifests the disease. www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-056.shtml - 80k - 17 Nov 2005

You see, it may be true hat the 'disease' which is 'labelled' hemochromatosis may manifest in a minority of people only..but what about the potentially huge number of people who suffer the 'sub clinical' effects of the problem? People who suffer from arthritis, atherosclerosis, neurological disorders and age related diseases..and nobody ever looked at the level of iron storage and/or other ionic metals. That is my argument time and again: small amounts of metals and especially iron can produce large amounts of free radicals.

HHC patients can chronically absorb a small excess of iron each day, resulting in iron stores 10 times the normal amount by the time they are middle-aged . The body is unable to adequately chelate and store this amount of iron . Therefore, unbound iron accumulates and generates free radicals , leading to cellular injury of the liver and other organs . (I highlighted some of the words which I find important).

HHC is commonly under diagnosed in white patients. In other ethnic groups, such as African Americans and Hispanics, it may not even be considered despite the presentation of signs and symptoms strongly suggestive of iron overload. The prevalence of iron overload among Hispanic persons is estimated to be as high as 5 in 1000 persons.

HHC, an autosomal recessive disorder previously considered to be rare, is now known to be the most prevalent genetic disease in individuals of northern European descent. The hemochromatosis gene is responsible for most cases of HHC. The prevalence of the homozygous genotype is estimated to be 1 in 250 persons; the prevalence of the heterozygous genotype is approximately 1 in 8 persons.

http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C518176.html

Although hemochromatosis is considered to be a 'genetic disorder' we have one case where a gentleman took two bottles of CH77 about 12 years ago..and never had to be 'bled' again. You may be aware that the only 'answer' modern medicine has to hemochromatosis is 'blood letting' or 'phlebotomy' as it is known clinically.

That means that a person who has been diagnosed with hemochromatosis will have to submit to a number of phlebotomies in quick succession (one or more per week) until the 'iron store levels' have come down to an acceptable level. After that the sufferer has to have one phlebotomy per month on average depending on how quickly the iron store levels build up again. Please also see my article on "why women live longer than man.'. They clearly have the 'advantage' of a monthly blood letting before they go through menopause. Once they stop having that monthly 'phlebotomy' the rate of 'chronic' diseases (heart attacks, strokes, cancer etc.) catches up with that of men.

Joe is still having a blood test done every 6 months..but his iron store levels are now normal and have been normal since he took the two bottles of CH77. He had suffered from the problem for many years and his uncle had died of the disease (which is in keeping with the genetic theory).

Here is what Sandra Cabot has to say about the problem. I include her because many of you may have heard about her or even know her:

Hemochromatosis is a disorder of iron regulation - it is an inherited disease where excess "free" iron is deposited in various organs including the liver. It is 'free' because it is not bound tightly to carrier proteins which would otherwise prevent it from damaging cells. The problem is that because of the chemical properties of iron, it cannot be broken down and eliminated from the body. Therefore this situation leads to iron overload in the body.

Many people believe that the body has a high requirement for dietary iron and think the more they eat the better their health will be. This is not so for everyone and is a very individual thing. Indeed the disease of iron overload is all too common and unfortunately remains grossly under diagnosed.

The abnormal regulation of iron absorption is believed to occur in the gut (duodenum). The excess iron accumulates over a long period of time. Early diagnosis is important as the iron excess is stored gradually over a lifetime therefore the earlier detected the less chance of development of cirrhosis and liver cancer.

The condition tends to occur more commonly in men - this is likely to be due to the fact that women have monthly blood loss due to menstruation and lower intake of iron in the diet . ( highlights indicate that I am delighted that others can SEE what I can SEE).

http://www.liverdoctor.com/Section4/hemachromatosis.asp

There is a lot more to read and to say about the potentially huge problem of 'metal overload' and here specifically iron overload, of course. With these small articles I would like to invite you to get a bit more familiar with 'free' metals, their ability to over produce free radicals and the ultimate chance we all have to help a lot of suffering people out there through these new insights and our new methods of dealing with the problem, i.e. the Ionic Heavy Metal Test and CH77 .

Hans, 21.11. 2005