High Lead Level

Hi N.,
How did you find out your child had lead in her system?
I believe it requires a blood test.
I do know it can cause cognitive damage so you need to follow up on this.
There are many views on lead poisening. Some same you can not reverse it. Some say you can do chelations and some say vitamins and suppliments can rid toxic metals.
I use a homeopath and I can ask her what she suggests.
Let us know what your learn and how your child was infected with the lead. I am very intersted in knowing.
Best wishes.
M.

I would definitely research some natural methods to help your child rid of the lead. I know that a lot of kids on the autism spectrum and/or with ADHD have elevated levels of these kinds of toxins in their systems. It may help to research some of their all-natural healing methods to help your child. I know another poster mentioned that chelation is very painful but I can tell you that it doesn't have to be. There are a number of methods to chelate your child but they should only be approached with an expert. Even though it does not sound like your child is suffering from any of these disorders, this book may be worth looking into: Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies. It has a mostly natural healing program that does address ridding children of toxins like lead and mercury. Best of luck!

Hi N. -

Most local (County) health and environmental departments have a lead program. You can talk to an informed nurse about health effects/remedies and work with an environmental expert to determine likely sources and reduce exposure to them. If you live in Washtenaw County, you can call ###-###-####. If you are in another county, check the web. Good luck.

-S.

I see some here have suggested natural remedies/detoxes. I would definitely suggest that. However, I would suggest doing that with the guidance of a professional. I highly recommend the Healthy for Life Clinic. http://www.healthyforlifemi.com/index.shtml

Find the source!! Have her toys tested, there are spots in different areas that will do five toys for free. Have your house paint, both inside and out tested. Also, talk to your ped. they should be able to give you more resources. Good luck!

N.,
Having gone through this I know how scared you are and what you are going through it will be OK I promise you that.
I am a mother of a son who is now 9 he had elevated lead levels found just before he turned 1.
First Dr. Weiner in Port Sanilac is the best in the area he used to work at childrens hospital in Detroit and they still send him cases.
Second I used a diet high in Iron(not suplements actual food) to reduce his lead levels the lead attaches to the iron and is removed from the body. easy enough to do Bannanas and Spinich within a year I had his levels down to a safe level. My son was almost at the point where they wanted to do a theraphy that would remove all the minerals from his system to include the good ones I would have to look up the levels he was at and what it is down to now. I had him tested during and after the fact he showed no signs of damage but he now has some learning disabilities but I can not be sure they are all from the lead or if they are genetic. (history of the same learning problems).
Have your house tested it is FREE through the county health department it may suprise you what caused it. In my sons case the vanitian(sp) blinds.
Feel free to email me if you have any other questions I will do my best to answer them for you.
Call doctor Wieners office he may be able to recomend someone closer to you. Keep your whits about you people will try to push you to what they feel best check on all the options do some research and then do what your gut tells you. It worked for my son my gut said to try the high iron diet and it worked.
I went back and read the responses you have gotten so far. Yes lead is in older houses not just in the paint it was also found in the Varnish on the doors of our home (100 years old) it had been painted over and they didn't feel it was the cause. It can also be found in candles, toys, dirt, vanitian blinds, and many other things. Playground equipment the dirt in the parks take your pick its all around us. Saint Clare County Health Department came and tested my home I did not and would not trust a home test, he came in with a hand held machine to check the levels there are other counties with the equipment I don't know which ones but it can be done and is FREE to parents whom have a child with elevated lead levels.

For one, make sure she isn't drinking water out of the tap on a regular basis. Get a water treatment system (AMWAY has one of the best and I don't mean to sound like a pusher, but it really is one of the best there is). Or bottled water.

There are detox methods to help extract heavy metals from the body. I don't know if the foot baths are geared for kids, but at Bio Energy Medical Clinic in Ann Arbor, they offer them. It can also be done with an I.V. Give them a call and see what they have to say.

Bravo for addressing this at this early stage.

N.,
I am sorry to hear that her levels were elevated. It must be frightening for you to hear that. Fortunately, there are programs within the State of Michigan that can help you.
Every child that is tested for lead results are reported to both the state and the CDC (it's tracked which is actually a blessing). You should be contacted by someone from your local health department (nurse). Since it is the holidays, I would recommend contacting them. They can help you to identify the source of the lead poisoning. There can be so many different things that caused it. I've listed the link to the State of Michigan's leadsafe home website - please check it out - lots of useful information on it and people to contact that can help you!

http://www.michigan.gov/leadsafe

As far as chelation therapy that some Mom's have suggested, I would strongly encourage you to talk with the nurse at your local health department and the folks at the state before making any decisions. It is painful for the kids and not something I would ever do to my daughter. However, that is a choice you have to make. I would just get all the information I could before making any decisions.

In the mean time, keep her hands washed with soapy water (good thing to do anyway - flu season) and try to keep her little hands out of her mouth. The site link I listed will also give you tips on cleaning around the house that can help you! Please, check it out and good luck! Her levels will go down once you figure out what is causing it.

A.

Actually her doctor should've suggested to you what to do for her level to go down if he hasn't. Please consider everyone's response, and know that with the paint even if it's paint particles in the window sill it can cause high levels to be detected. Especially in older homes that were built in the 1950's and before, the paint is known to be very harmful. You may have to get your paint stipped down to the very bare surface and treated, painted over. If you're renting, the landlord has to get this done or they can face charges. You can break your lease for issues of this magnitude. I had to leave a house I was residing in with my children because the landlord refused to do anything. The Department of Health Services was called and I just broke my lease. My children's doctor told me point blank, leave the house. My kids didn't have high levels, it was low and even that's serious. So watch and pay close attention to her because it can damage cognitive and motor skills. I'm praying that she'll be okay as I'm sure she will be as well as you.

Take care of the both of you and Happy Holidays!!

A

The source is somewhere your child spends a lot of time, like home or daycare. One thing that the others didn't mention, is that some mini-blinds have a lead content in them, and when dust accumulates on them, the dust ends up with lead in it. Dust from lead contaminated surfaces is common. Go to cdc.gov/lead, or google lead poisoning prevention. You will find a ton of reliable information, check out more than one sight. It is great that your physician caught this. You have your work cut out for you!

Make sure you dust regularly, also make sure there is no lead paint in your home. A good rule of thumb is not to let her bite or suck on any windowsills, etc.

My understanding is that these metals stay in your system, so I'd focus more on making sure the environment is as lead free as possible.

Hi N.,

I'm assuming you found out through a blood test ordered by your pediatrician. What I am surprised about is, that your pedi didn't set an appointment for you to come in and discuss the situation. Or maybe they did and you just didn't mention it.

Regardless, you need to first talk with your pediatrician and determine a course of action. Lead is everywhere. We most often hear about it from lead based paint. More recently it was in the news due to possible lead paint on toys made in China. Specifically Mattel toys. However, lead is also in the ground.

As you are aware, little kids PUT EVERYTHING in their mouths. Many times kids will pick up lead from playing with shoes and then putting their hands in their mouths, or just chewing on the shoes themselves. Picking up stuff off the ground and putting it in their mouths is another source. Or, if you live in an older home, chewing on the painted window sills and ingesting it through the paint. Depending on your water supply, it could also be in your water. If you are on a well and septic, have your water tested.

I would first make an appointment with your pediatrician. I have heard of vitamin supplementation or chelation as possible treatments. www.mercola.com has some discussions on lead. Dr. Mercola is a Dr who practices in the Chicago area. He is a Doctor of Osteopath and follows a more holistic approach. He doesn't jump on the medication bandwagon for everything. His website is very good for information.

Second you need to look for the potential sources of lead in your childs life. If you do not locate them, then even if you can get their lead levels down, it won't do any good. Locate the source(s). Then, finally, take steps to remove or minimize the exposure.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

My child had high lead levels too. Our house is a 1920s house that we gutted and rebuilt from the studs. The health dept nurse came to our house and all she could guess was that the dust was still in the air from the demolition. Or, paint from the exterior was making it's way into the house.

How old is your child? If she's a baby, when they start to eat "real food" that will help the toxins to leave her body. We washed down the ceiling and walls of my sons room. That seemed to help. We have hardwood floors throughout so we washed all those too. The windows in his room had not been replaced so we painted over them with several coats of primer and paint. We had the air ducts cleaned. The health dept has or knows of places that sell test kits for lead. There are also government programs that will give you money if you qualify to remediate lead in your home.

If her lead level was 10 or higher they have told you she needs to be retested until they are lower than 10. It only took a few months for my son's levels to drop. It's now been several years since then. We yearly have him checked and his levels are >1.