here's a believer!

[Guest guest]

Throughout my years of failing health I

have collected what can virtually be called a full and expansive library of

medical texts and text upon text of natural therapies and syndromes.

I found this, this morning which I will

copy for you. Saline implants are encased in a silicone shell; therefore, I

believe this applies, especially when you see the symptoms.

This is from the book called “What Your

Doctor May NOT Tell You About Autoimmune Disorders” by B.

Edelson, MD. And Deborah .

Please excuse any typos as I am just going

to type as I read. Here goes.

SILICONE

IMMUNE TOXICITY SYNDROME

About thirty years after silicone breast

implants first began to be used, hundreds and then thousands of reports of complications

were made. What had started out to be a positive, confidence boosting operation

sought by an estimated two million women turned into an autoimmune nightmare

for thousands of them. That’s because the silicone breast implants that had

been placed into their chests had leaked. In fact, research shows that after

twelve years of use, up to 95 percent of breast implants had deformities such

as holes or cracks. Once the silicone left the implant, it traveled through the

body and deposited itself in various sites, causing free radical damage and an

assortment of symptoms in some women.

Silicone

Immune Toxicity Syndrome and Autoimmunity

Although at first researchers tried to

link the symptoms experienced by women who had leaking silicone breast implants

to other autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, for me

and many other scientists, the symptoms pointed to a new disorder. That

disorder eventually was named silicone immune toxicity syndrome. Dozens of

studies support the validity of this autoimmune disorder. For example:

Among

176 women with breast implants who were examined at the Hospital for joint

diseases in New York,

77 percent had chronic fatigue, 65 percent had cognitive dysfunction, 56

percent had severe joint pain, 53 percent hair loss.

At

Louisiana State

University Medical

Center at New

Orleans, 300 women with implants had developed

musculoskeletal complaints. The symptoms appeared an average of 6.8 years

after implantation.

High

levels of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) were found in 10 of 11 women with

implants who also had auto immune symptoms.

In

a study of 111 women (with and without implants), those with implants had

a statistically significant increase in anti-silicone antibodies, with the

highest levels seen in women who had a ruptured breast implant.

An

Australian study showed that 70 women with silicone implants had elevated

levels of auto antibodies to collagen, similar to what is found in women who

have lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

A

study of 50 women with implants showed that 89 percent had fatigue, 78

percent had joint pain and 38 percent had positive ANAs.

In

56 women with implants and scleroderma (an autoimmune disease), the

scleroderma had developed an average of nine years after implantation.

Among these women, 83 percent had ANAs and 77 percent had Raynaud’s

phenomenon.

Signs

and Symptoms

Women who have silicone immune toxicity

syndrome often have many symptoms that mimic those of other autoimmune

disorders, and have other autoimmune disorders as well. The most common signs

and symptoms include the following:

Rheumatoid

arthritis (see chapter 6)

Sjogren’s

syndrome (see “Sjogren’s Syndrome,” below)

Severe

fatigue

Tingling

in the hands and feet

Memory

and cognitive difficulties

Night

sweats

Muscle

inflammation

Hair

loss

Abdominal

pain

Emotional

instability

Joint

and tendon pain

Multiple

chemical sensitivities and food and inhalant sensitivities

Causes

Silicone breast implants contain silicone

gel, a synthetic material containing 38 percent silicon. Silicon is a

nonmetallic element found in the soil, and is the primary component of glass. Silicone

(medical grade suitable for implantation) is a compound in which the carbon has

been replaced by silicon. Silicone used for breast implants is placed in a semi

permeable membrane envelope for implantation.

As silicone gel leaks from the implants,

the material is picked up by macrophages (immune system cells), broken down,

and circulated throughout the body. The gel breaks down into silicon and

silica, which cause dysregulation of the immune system. The body produces

antibodies against the silicon and also against the protein complex (the

complex that forms when silicon attaches to protein molecules in various

organs), resulting in an autoimmune response.

In addition, the silicone gel stimulates

production of free radicals, which damage cell walls, DNA, and enzyme systems. This

damage can be pervasive, affecting all organs in the body.

Daria:

A Case of Silicone Immune Toxicity Syndrome

Daria came to the Edelson Center after fighting a three year battle with

silicone immune toxicity syndrome. By age forty - five, she had a successful career

as a dentist, but her symptoms were now making it extremely difficult for her

to continue to practice. She took a sabbatical and came to my Center.

Comprehensive Medical History Evaluation

Questionnaire responses revealed that during the 1970’s she developed

sensitivities to metals used in her dental practice. In 1987 she had silicone

breast implants and was happy with the cosmetic results. In 1996 she had

silicone injected into her face and her troubles started. She lost twenty pounds,

developed muscle and joint pain, had frequent urination, fatigue, headache, bruising

in her extremities, digestive problems, abdominal pain, bone pain, edema, dry

skin, rash chest pain, belching, irritability, and decreased cognition, among

other symptoms.

We administered a battery of tests and

found, among other things, Candida and Klebsiella infections; deficiencies of

the minerals selenium, magnesium, and manganese; high levels of mercury and

lead; chemical toxicity (specifically to the toxins toluene, xylene, and

dichloromethane); auto antibodies to myelin basic protein; and an increased

T-cell reaction to silicone and silicon.

Treatment included chelation using DMSA

and DMPS for removal of mercury and lead; high- temperature sauna treatment for

chemical toxicity; nutritional therapy to support chelation and chemical

biodetoxification, as well as address mineral deficiencies; immunotherapy to

balance her immune system (thymus therapy and IV gamma globulin); nystatin (an

antifungal) along with a yeast-free diet to fight the infections; and DMSO for

inflammation. Within six months, she was 85 percent improved overall. She

returned to work full-time and her health continued to improve.

From the book entitled “What Your

Doctor May NOT Tell You about Autoimmune Disorders” First written March

2003 by B. Edelson, M.D. and Deborah .

Dawn