I'm not beholden to any expert, just making my way through the minefield the best I can.
Yeah, it's definitely a minefield!
Thanks for your findings.
No problem.
@
Aerose91 and @
ahmo - I did some research and am now very wary of zeolite. See Cutler post
here and
here. There is a
study, but there are several issues: Erik "Rik" Deitsch is known for his unethical behavior; James Flowers's his business partner and product manufacturer; and
Stewart Lonky has vested interest in two of Deitsich's companies (credit to T. Sykes and S. Penney for this one).
I also found:
Waiora Faces Potential Fraud Class Action over Natural Cellular Defense Nutritional Supplement
Waiora Pays $12M To Settle Suit Over Anti-Aging Supplement
Waiora is a producer of "liquid zeolite." The
defendant list included Waiora's
Erik Deitsch and
James Flowers. (It looks like Deitsch was later dropped, but he's been in trouble in other areas.)
The "
WV Coal Miner" study looks suspiciously similar to the
Flowers et al. study (noted by S. Penney). Note the "waiora" in the lower left-hand corner. The contact email is at "ncdsupport.com" which is "The Official Website for Natural Cellular Defense." If you look
here,
Erik Deitsch is associated with Wellness Industries, LLC., which is marked as providing funding for the document.
Another
study was sponsored by the "Zeolite Trial Ethics Committee." In the
study overview, you can see the sponsor's address, which actually belongs to
ZEO Health, seller of powdered zeolite.
Dr. Karampahtsis claims to check three products, but they have 10 people on powder, 5 on drops, and 5 on spray - which is unevenly weighted. The study has no control group.
All participants consumed the powder by the end of the 1st outcome. Only 10 participants had their liquid zeolite results counted, but all 20 had their powder results counted, which weights results in favor of the powder.
Dr. Karampahtsis states 68.4% of participants on powder excreted >=50% more Tungsten. Wait, 68.4%?
13 / 20 = 65%
14 / 20 = 70%
This doesn't make sense. How do you get 68.4% from 20 people?
Micah Portney, owner of ZEO Health, writes about the study:
Micah Portney from The Zeolite Expert blog said:
The results for our zeolite powder were quite astonishing, wherein significantly larger amounts of all twenty heavy metals were pulled out of the body—over double the amount for the majority of the metals. The study outlined that Zeolite Pure is effective in pulling out ALL of the 20 toxic metals and has a higher propensity for certain metals, including Aluminum, Arsenic, Barium, Cadmium, Cesium, Gallium, Lead, Mercury, Nickel, Platinum, Thallium, Tin, and Tungsten.
Figure 2 shows 14 of 20 metals were "significantly" excreted by varying amounts of powder participants, with powder beating out liquid in 11 metals.
11 or 14 ≠ 20.
Why would Portney lie?
Interestingly, Dr. Karampahtsis states that
some metals were excreted more prior to using zeolite (whether powder or liquid is not made clear).
Something is amiss.
Marketers claim zeolite passes through the gut and doesn't get into your bloodstream (meaning by definition it can't chelate). It might pull out some electrolytes. This
study notes zeolite in simulated blood-like fluid
can result in a release of Silicon.
Another
article:
Minimal amounts of free aluminium or silicium from the ingested zeolites are resorbed from the gut. The bulk of ingested zeolite probably remains undissolved in the gut . . . The contact of zeolite particles with gastrointestinal mucosa may elicit the secretion of cytokines with local and systemic actions . . . Mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of zeolite particles have been described, resembling such effects of asbestos fibers.
Admittedly, I haven't delved as much into bentonite clay or activated charcoal.
Here is a N=1
study and
cat study suspecting bentonite clay can take out an electrolyte. It can also affect medications. Another
paper says it's beneficial for pharmaceutical application. If you use it, be careful and remember to keep up electrolytes. You might want to start with something simpler, like a foot-bath.
For internal use, I've heard calcium bentonite is best. Avoid sodium bentonite and kaolinite.
Activated charcoal works by
binding to things in the stomach, does not get into the blood stream, and has
little effect on electrolytes. Take the gelatin capsule version if you still have silver fillings. Take it apart from foods/meds, due to adsorbancy. (Things cling to the surface rather than get integrated in the substance.)
_theliquidzeolitebook.com/zeolite-information/where-are-those-clinical-trials-anyway/
_timothysykes.com/2009/10/the-skeletons-in-nphcs-closet-zeolite-detox-environmental-toxins-mlms-embezzlement-ftc-rebukes/
_theliquidzeolitebook.com/zeolite-information/liquid-zeolite-why-i-no-longer-promote-it-by-shelley-penney/
_theliquidzeolitebook.com/zeolite-information/liquid-zeolite-why-i-no-longer-promote-it-by-shelley-penney/i-do-not-sell-liquid-zeolite-part-2/
_theliquidzeolitebook.com/zeolite-information/waiora-white-paper-madness-the-fraud-continues/
_ zeolite.net.nz/index.php/why-use-zeolite
_etszeolite.com/
_etszeolite.com/html/zeolite_faq.html#bloodstream
_yourncdinfo.com/ncd.html
_thezeoliteexpert.com/comparing-the-detoxing-powers-of-zeolite-supplements-overview-of-a-clinical-study/