In this episode, Dr Nirala Jacobi is in conversation with Dr Christopher Shade. Dr Shade is the CEO and founder of Quicksilver Scientific, a lab that specialises in the environmental, biological, and analytical chemistry of mercury and all of its forms, and its interaction with sulphur compounds, particularly glutathione, and its enzyme systems.
Dr Jacobi met Dr Shade at the Bioceuticals Research Symposium in Sydney, 2017, and was riveted by his presentation on detoxification.
Topics discussed in this episode include:
- The liver, gallbladder, and GI connection, and how to align them so as to clear gastrointestinal issues.
- How failure to move bile is at the heart of detox reactions
- Bile as a detergent in the small intestine and how bile can be a core issue in SIBO.
- Bile acid destruction and fat malabsorption in SIBO.
- Emunctories and what this means.
- Drainage areas and how the extracellular space is cleared.
- Metal binder for the GI tract that is far better than chlorella – IMD microsilica
- Toxin conjugates and their interaction with bile salts.
- Phosphatidylcholine (PC), its requirement to fluidise the bile, and choline’s relationship to cholestasis.
- Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxins from leaky gut (from SIBO) creating inflammation in the hepatocytes and the flow on effects from this.
- Phase 3 detoxification – The role of bile flow in lessening detoxification reactions through lowering toxic conjugate buildup in the blood, and instead moving them through the proper elimination channels.
- The importance of addressing emunctories in treating skin conditions.
- How LPS impairs phase 3 in the liver.
- Neurological consequences of leaky gut, SIBO, and of a backfiring liver.
- Neuroinflammation, LPS, and a leaky blood brain barrier.
- Movement of metals into the urinary flow and how it has nothing to do with glomerular filtration rate (GFR), even though this is what is commonly measured for kidney function.
- Organic anion transport peptide’s (OATP) role in bringing toxic conjugates from the blood into the proximal tubular epithelial cells in the kidneys, then the movement of the toxic conjugates into the urinary flow through the MRP2 transporter.
- MRP2 and how LPS and metals can block it.
- How the same things that shut down liver transport of toxic conjugates, can also shut down kidney transport.
- Does LPS affect GFR?
- Active transport of toxins happens in the proximal tubules of the kidney, not in the glomerulus.
- Kidney disfunction and how SIBO can be related to proximal tubule damage in the kidney due to the build up of LPS.
- Proximal tubule function test available – Mercury Tri-Test from Quicksilver Scientific.
- Genetic Single Nuclear Polymorphisms (SNPs) and how the transport protein SNPs are commercially uncharted as yet.
- How inflammation blocks detoxification.
- Chronic infections turning down detoxification.
- Ways to address phase 3 detox.
- Address under-functioning gallbladder with PC, for example.
- Address leaky gut so that toxins dumped into small intestine do not recirculate.
- Strong bitters before meals.
- Take multi-toxin binder (30 minutes after taking bitters) – this is important to do 30 minutes after bitters.
- Dr Nirala Jacobi uses Toxaprevent, but not in SIBO-C patients.
- Dr Shade uses:
- Charcoal
- Clay
- Chitosan
- Metal binder eg. IMD (much stronger than chlorella), Chlorella.
- Acacia gum
- For leaky gut
- Low FODMAPS
- Bifidogenic prebiotic
- Powdered Aloe
- Marshmallow root
- Slippery elm
- Is there a test to assess phase 3 detox function?
- NRF2 upregulators and their role in cellular detoxification, to be implemented AFTER liver and kidney detoxification is streamlined.
- The importance of NRF2 and the effects it has on the body.
- Dr Shade’s universal binder – Ultra Binder
- How to access Dr Shade’s products.
- Dr Shade’s recipe for a self made toxin binder.
- The importance of Myrrh in the bitters
- The bitter detoxifier in ayurvedic medicine, qi and blood mover in chinese and ayurvedic medicine, and strong antimicrobial.
- Cautions with long term myrrh supplementation.
- Other herbals bitters to include:
- Dandelion
- Solidago (Golden Rod)
- Gentian
- Dr Jacobi’s bitters blend
- Dandelion
- Oregon grape
- Gentian
- Baical Skullcap
- Bitters as opening up the bile, tonifying the kidneys, and restoring ileocecal valve function.
- What is the function of bitter receptors on the ovaries?
- If SIBO clients are Hydrogen Sulfide dominant note that the bacteria involved here are bile loving, so any cholagogues will exacerbate the SIBO issue.
- Does charcoal absorb all of your minerals?
- Using charcoal as the primary binder – amounts to take and rationale for diversifying binder portfolio.
- Is mercury stored in biofilm?
- Is it advised to disrupt biofilm, or is it dangerous to do so?
- EDTA as a biofilm breaker.
- Plaques in the vascular system are actually biofilms.
- What mercury testing is offered at Quicksilver Scientific?
- Is it worth testing for mercury toxicity?
- When is it good to test people for mercury toxicity?
- How healing the GI tract can heal the kidneys.
- What is the evil of amalgam fillings?
- Why people with amalgams often have to urinate a lot at night.
- The body has its own inbuilt chelating system – glutathione, glutathione-s-transferase, and the transport proteins.
- What are the myths of chelation agents?
- Is lipoic acid a chelator, or is it upregulating the body’s natural chelation system?
- The importance of lining up all the drainage, and lining up all the phases of detoxification.
- Hydrotherapy for the lymphatics.
- The issues in Australia with lead and aluminum – Dr Shade’s recommendation on how to test these areas:
- Nutripath’s Blood Metals Assay
- Excess copper in the presence of low zinc can become synergistically toxic with all toxic metals.
- Whole blood vs intracellular for testing?
- How do you measure intracellular stores?
- Residence time in the blood of different metals.
- Dr Shade’s last pearls of wisdom – start with drainage, then move to mobilisation after levels come down first with good drainage.
Resources
- Quicksilver Scientific
- Dr Shade’s Quicksilver Scientific Youtube channel
- Proximal tubule function test available – Mercury Tri-Test from Quicksilver Scientific.
- Tri-test is available through Nutripath
- Ultra Binder by Quicksilver Scientific for detoxification
- Bitter X by Quicksilver Scientific
- Klinghardt therapy