Evaluation of a Detoxification Regimen for Fat Stored Xenobiotics
Medical Hypothesis, Vol.9, 1982.
Summary: One hundred and three individuals undergoing
detoxification with Hubbard's procedure volunteered to undergo
additional physical and psychological tests concomitant with the
program. Participants had been exposed to recreational (abused) and
medical drugs, patent medicines, occupational and environmental
chemicals. Patients with high blood pressure had a mean reduction of
30.8 mm systolic, 23.3 mm diastolic; cholesterol level mean reduction
was 19.5 mg/ 100 ml, while triglycerides did not change. Completion of
the detoxification program also resulted in improvements in
psychological test scores, with a mean increase in Wechsler Adult
Intelligence Scale IQ of 6.7 points. Scores on Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory profiles decreased on Scales (4-7) where high
scores are associated with amoral and asocial personalities,
psychopathic behavior and paranoia. Medical complications resulting from
detoxification were rare, occurring in less than three percent of the
subjects.
Body Burden Reductions of PCBs, PBBs and Chlorinated Pesticide
Residues in Human Subjects
Ambio, Vol.13, No.5-6, 1984.
Summary: Prior to detoxification, adipose tissue concentrations
were determined for seven individuals accidentally exposed to PBBs. The
chemicals targeted for analysis included the major congeners of PBBs, PCBs
and the residues of common chlorinated insecticides. Of the 16
organohalides examined, 13 were present in lower concentrations following
detoxification. Seven of the 3 reductions were statistically significant;
reductions ranged from 3.5 to 47.2 percent, with a mean reduction among
the 16 chemicals of 21.3 percent (s.d. 17.1 percent). To determine whether
reductions reflected movement to other body compartments or actual burden
reduction, a post-treatment follow-up sample was taken four months later.
Follow-up analysis showed a reduction in all 16 chemicals averaging 42.4
percent (s.d. 17.1 percent) and ranging from 10.1 to 65.9 percent. Ten of
the 16 reductions were statistically significant.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients Presenting Subclinical Signs and
Symptoms of Exposure to Chemicals Which Accumulate in Human Tissue
Proceedings of the National Conference on Hazardous Wastes and
Environmental Emergencies, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1985.
Summary: A discussion of some of the problems in attempting to
diagnose and treat low-level body burdens of toxic chemicals. A review of
120 patients who were prescribed detoxification treatment as developed by
Hubbard to eliminate fat-stored compounds showed improvement in 14 of 15
symptoms associated with several types of chemical exposures.
Reduction of the Human Body Burdens of Hexachlorobenzene and
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on
Cancer, Scientific Publications Series, Volume 77, 1986.
Summary: Electrical workers paired by age, sex and potential for
polychlorinated biphenyl exposure were divided into treatment and control
groups. Adipose-tissue concentrations of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), four
other pesticides and 10 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners were determined
pre- and post-treatment, and three months post-treatment. At
post-treatment, all 16 chemicals were found at lower concentrations in the
adipose tissues of the treatment group, while 11 were found in higher
concentrations in the control group. Adjusted for re-exposure as
represented in the control group, HCB concentrations were reduced by 30
percent at post-treatment and 28 percent three months post-treatment. Mean
reduction of polychlorinated biphenyl congeners was 61 percent at
post-treatment and 14 percent three months post-treatment. These
reductions are statistically significant (f< 0.001). Enhanced excretion
appeared to keep pace with mobilization, as blood-serum levels in the
treatment group did not increase during treatment.
Excretion of a Lipophilic Toxicant Through the Sebaceous Glands: A
Case Report
Journal of Toxicology Cutaneous andOcular Toxicology, Vol.
6, No. 1, 1987.
Summary: A 23-year-old woman worked at a manufacturing facility,
hosing the soot and ash accumulated in the exhaust stack and on the filter
pads of an oil-fired generator. She performed this task without protective
gear. After six months, she reported feeling ill to the plant nurse. One
month later, she was removed from the job, and she remained unable to work
for 11 1/2 months because of symptoms relating to toxic chemical exposure.
The toxicants were amenable to removal through the sebaceous glands and
possibly the gastrointestinal tract by Hubbard's detoxification technique.
This was accompanied by remission of her subjective complaints and she was
authorized to return to work.
Improvement in Perception of Transcutaneous Nerve Stimulation
Following Detoxification in Firefighters Exposed to PCBs, PCDDs and PCDFs
Clinical Ecology, Vol. VI, No.2, 1989.
Summary: Seventeen firefighters with a history of acute exposure
to polychlorinated biphyenyls, dibenzofurans, and dibenzodioxins were
evaluated for peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathic evaluation was done using
the Neurometer®, a transcutaneous nerve stimulation device. Prior to
detoxification, five of the 17 had abnormal current perception threshold
measurements. Following treatment, all showed improvement. Most
strikingly, the current perception thresholds of two patients returned to
normal range after detoxification. This finding raises the possibility
that damage heretofore thought to be permanent may in many instances be
partially reversible.
Occupational, Environmental and Public Health in Semic: A Case Study
of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Pollution
Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Society of
Civil Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, October, 1989.
Summary: Eleven workers with readily observable symptoms of
exposure to PCBs and other chemicals were chosen for detoxification from a
group of 24 male volunteers from a factory using PCBs in the manufacture
of capacitors. The remaining 13 served as a control group. Detoxification
treatment reduced both the body burdens and the symptoms of treated
workers while no such improvements occurred in the control group. This
study, undertaken in cooperation with the University Medical Center of
Ljubljana and the Institut fur Toxikologie, University and Technical
Faculty of Zurich, supports the use of health screening and detoxification
for individuals affected by toxic exposures.
Human Contamination and Detoxification: Medical Response to an
Expanding Global Problem
Proceedings of the MAB UNESCO Task Force on Human Response to
Environmental Stress, Moscow, 1989.
Summary: Individuals with a variety of workplace exposures were
unable to work or had reduced work capacity. Following detoxification,
each was able to return to work. Though the results presented are
anecdotal, they confirm previous findings in the peer-reviewed literature
(Schnare et al., 1982; Roehm, 1983; Schnare et al., 1984;
Schnare and Robinson, 1985; Tretjak et al., 1989) and demonstrate
that this approach can be effective in reducing body burdens of toxic
compounds and returning individuals to the workplace.
Neurobehavioral Dysfunction in Firemen Exposed to Polychlorinated
Biphenyls (PCBs): Possible Improvement after Detoxification,
Archives of Environmental Health, Vol.44, No. 6, 1989.
Summary: Fourteen firemen were exposed to polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) and their by-products at the site of a transformer fire
and explosion. Six months after the fire, they underwent
neurophysiological and neuropsychological tests. They were re-studied six
weeks after detoxification. A control group of firefighters was selected
from firemen who resided in the same city but were not engaged in the fire
in question. Initial testing showed that firemen exposed to PCBs had
poorer neurobehavioral function than the control group. Significant
reversibility of impairment was noted after detoxification.
PCB Reduction and Clinical Improvement by Detoxification: An
Unexploited Approach?
Human and Experimental Toxicology, Vol. 9, 1991.
Summary: A female worker from a capacitor factory, with a
history of exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other
lipophilic industrial chemicals, was admitted for treatment at the
University Medical Centre of Ljubljana, Slovenia (then Yugoslavia). She
presented with severe abdominal complaints, chloracne, liver abnormalities
and a bluish-green nipple discharge of approximately 50 ml in quantity.
High PCB levels were noted in adipose tissue (102 mg kg'), serum (512 ug/1'),
skin lipids (66.3 mg kg'), and in the nipple discharge (712 ug 1'). After
detoxification, PCB levels in adipose tissue were reduced to 37.4 mg kg'
and in serum to 261 ug', respective reductions of 63 percent and 49
percent. Excretion of intact PCBs in serum, appreciable before treatment,
was enhanced by up to five-fold during detoxification. The nipple
discharge ceased early in the detoxification regimen.
Xenobiotic Reduction and Clinical Improvements in Capacitor Workers: A
Feasible Method
Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Vol. A25, No.7,1990.
Summary: Eleven capacitor workers, occupationally exposed to
PCBs and other industrial chemicals, underwent detoxification. Thirteen
co-workers served as controls. Mean PCB levels prior to detoxification
were 28.0 mg/kg in adipose and 188.0 ug/L in serum. Following
detoxification, PCBs were reduced in serum by 42 percent (p<0.05) and
in adipose by 30 percent for patients without concurrent disease. Patients
with concurrent disease had a 10 percent reduction in adipose levels,
while serum levels remained unchanged. Both adipose and serum PCB levels
increased in members of the control group. At a four-month follow up
examination, these differences were maintained, though the mean adipose
PCB values in all groups were higher than at post-treatment. All patients
reported marked improvement in clinical symptoms post-treatment, with most
of these improvements retained at follow-up. No such improvements were
noted in controls.
Treatment of Pesticide-Exposed Patients with Hubbard's Method of
Detoxification.
Presentation at the 120th Annual Meeting of the American Public
Health Association, 1992.
Summary: A review of the efficacy of detoxification in
addressing the complaints of 155 patients who had experienced significant
exposures to pesticides. Treatment effected reductions in chemical levels
in adipose tissue, and a concomitant decrease in symptomatic complaints.
Neurotoxicity and Toxic Body Burdens: Relationship and Treatment
Potentials
Proceedings of the International Conference on Peripheral Nerve
Toxicity, 1993.
Summary: Many chemicals have neurotoxic health effects of long
duration, leading to the conclusion that these effects are essentially
irreversible. This paper proposes that the accumulation and persistence of
neurotoxic chemicals in adipose tissue may play a role in the prolongation
of neurotoxic effects. If this were the case, an approach designed to
reduce body burdens of fat-soluble compounds should lead to a similar
reduction in neurotoxic effects. Transcutaneous current perception
thresholds were measured using the Neurometer device in 48 patients
exhibiting neurotoxic effects both before and after detoxification.
Following detoxification, marked improvements were noted in both
peripheral neuropathy and self-reported patient profiles.
Reduction of Drug Residues: Applications in Drug Rehabilitation
Presentation at the 123rd Annual Meeting of the American Public
Health Association, 1995
Summary: Drug residues and their lipophilic metabolites are
associated with persistent symptoms; their mobilization into blood
correlates with drug cravings. The concentration of drug metabolites in
both sweat and urine was measured in eight individuals who had been
actively using drugs prior to detoxification. Cocaine, opiate, and
benzodiazepan metabolites were detected by fluorescent immunoassay in both
sweat and urine. Low levels (not indicative of use) continued to be
eliminated for several weeks. In two cases, drug levels were below
detection prior to treatment but became detectable during detoxification.
A separate series of 249 clients with a history of drug abuse rated the
severity of their symptoms before and after detoxification. Chief
symptomatic complaints prior to detoxification included fatigue,
irritability, depression, intolerance of stress, reduced attention span
and decreased mental acuity. (These same symptoms were dominant in those
who had ceased active drug abuse over a year prior to treatment.)
Following detoxification, both past and current users reported marked
improvements in symptoms, with most returning to normal range.
Treatment of Children with the Detoxification Method Developed by
Hubbard
Presentation at the 123rd Annual Meeting of the American Public
Health Association, 1995
Summary: Eighteen children from ten families were referred for
detoxification. Their chief complaints included environmental sensitivity,
headaches, chronic fatigue, allergies, respiratory problems and recurrent
infections. In each case, the entire family had become ill following a
known change (e.g., application of pesticides, installation of improperly
cured carpet) in their environment. The ages of the children ranged from
neonatal to 15 at the time of exposure, with treatment ages ranging from 4
to 21. Treatment resulted in improvements in symptom profiles, with at
least 89 percent of the children reporting long-term improvements in their
symptoms.
Precipitation of Cocaine Metabolites in Sweat and Urine of Addicts
Undergoing Sauna Bath Treatment
Fifty-Seventh Annual Scientific Meeting, National Institute on
Drug Abuse, College on Problems of Drug Dependency, 1995
Summary: Four subjects (three males and one female) admitted to
a residential treatment program were selected for study. All met DSM-III-R
Criteria for cocaine dependence and ingested cocaine by smoking. The
duration of their use of the drug ranged from eight months to 18 years,
and they reported cocaine use on over 75 percent of days in the month just
prior to treatment. Three reported last use of cocaine within 48 hours of
admission; one reported last use 25 days prior to program entry. Urine and
sweat samples were collected from subjects every two to three days during
detoxification and analyzed by fluorescent immunoassay. Cocaine
metabolites were detectable in both sweat and urine of all subjects. Three
of the four subjects showed a measurable increase in sweat or urine
cocaine metabolite concentrations at the beginning of detoxification. Two
subjects demonstrated negative urine samples prior to detoxification, but
demonstrated the presence of metabolites when detoxification commenced.
Reduction of the Radioisotope Cs-137 Using the Detoxification Method
Developed by Hubbard
Presentation at the 124th Annual Meeting of the American Public
Health Associations, 1996.
Summary: Fourteen children living in the plume path of the
destroyed Chernobyl reactor underwent detoxification. Each was
periodically measured using a portable radiation detection system capable
of measuring the characteristic gamma ray emitted during the radioactive
decay of Cs-137. (Five such measures were made over the course of
approximately four weeks.) Elimination rates were compared to expected
rates of elimination from published studies. Children uniformly eliminated
Cs-137 more rapidly than expected, with the exception of two cases in
which children were eating contaminated treats from home. (Rapid
elimination of Cs-137 resumed when these items were eliminated from their
diets.)
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