A case of lead poisoning due to Ayurvedic medicine use demonstrates the importance of patient history in diagnosis and the need for public health collaboration to prevent similar risks.
An article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) highlights a case of lead toxicity from Ayurvedic medicines in a young woman, and the complexity in diagnosing the rare condition.
“Given that lead toxicity is uncommon and its presentation nonspecific, patients are often seen by many health care providers before the diagnosis is made,” writes Dr. Julian Gitelman, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, with coauthors. “A careful exposure history is essential to suggest the diagnosis.”
Ayurvedic medicine, also known as Ayurveda, is one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems. Originating in India over 3,000 years ago, it is based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a balance between the mind, body, and spirit. Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of maintaining this balance through diet, herbal treatments, meditation, yoga, and other lifestyle practices. Its approach to health is tailored to an individual’s unique constitution or “dosha,” aiming to treat the root cause of symptoms and promote long-term well-being.
Patient Case and Diagnosis
The patient, a 39-year-old woman, visited the emergency department 3 times in 6 weeks for abdominal pain, constipation, nausea and vomiting. On her third visit, she was admitted to the hospital for anemia and possible gastrointestinal bleeding. Numerous, invasive investigations failed to reveal a cause of her symptoms.
At a follow-up visit weeks later, she reported having taken Ayurvedic medicines daily for more than a year to treat infertility. Her blood lead level was high at 55 µg/dL, compared with a normal level of less than 2 µg/dL. The patient stopped taking the Ayurvedic treatments and began chelation therapy. Her blood lead level decreased and her symptoms resolved.
Public Health Response and Investigation
Once the diagnosis of lead toxicity was made, the medical team contacted Public Health Ontario (PHO), which tested 17 different pill samples provided by the patient. After testing revealed high levels of lead in most of the pills, PHO involved the local public health unit, Toronto Public Health, and Health Canada, as it regulates natural health products. A joint investigation of the Ayurvedic clinic resulted in the seizure of hundreds of pills due to noncompliance with the Natural Health Products Regulations. Both Health Canada and Toronto Public Health issued public advisories to warn people that the products from this specific business were health hazards.
The authors emphasize the importance of communication and collaboration between clinicians and public health to minimize the health risk of lead in consumer products. “A recent systematic review of case reports on lead poisoning found traditional or herbal medications to be a common cause.” the authors write. “Heavy metals are sometimes intentionally added for their perceived healing properties.”
“When consumer products may be contaminated with lead, or when lead exposure is linked to sources in the community, involving public health can facilitate broader actions to reduce and prevent exposures to other people at risk,” they conclude.
Reference: “Lead toxicity from Ayurvedic medicines” by Julian Gitelman, Howard An, Vincent Spilchuk and JinHee Kim, 8 August 2024, Canadian Medical Association Journal.
DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.230592
News
Building the Brain Requires Millions of Dangerous DNA Breaks
Scientists discovered that building a healthy brain involves an unexpected step: young neurons routinely break and rapidly repair their own DNA. As the brain develops, newly formed nerve cells must travel through tightly packed tissue [...]
One Tiny Change May Explain How Viruses Jump From Bats to Humans
Scientists found that one tiny genetic change may determine whether a bat virus stays in bats or becomes a human threat. Most infectious disease outbreaks begin when a virus or other pathogen crosses from animals into [...]
Scientists Discover 250+ Genes That Could Lead to New Ways To Prevent Melanoma
The world’s largest study of mole genetics identified hundreds of genes tied to melanoma risk, uncovering potential new drug targets and paving the way for more accurate melanoma screening and prevention. Researchers at QIMR [...]
Breakthrough Diabetes Treatment Reprograms the Immune System
An engineered stem cell therapy reversed new-onset Type 1 diabetes in mice by shifting the immune system away from attacking insulin-producing cells. For more than a century, people with Type 1 diabetes have relied [...]
Taking the world’s temperature: WHO chief spotlights global health emergencies
Taking the world’s temperature on pressing health matters, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus provided the latest on current global challenges - and successes when it comes to international cooperation. “The outbreaks of hantavirus, Ebola and Marburg all show [...]
Scientists Create Tiny “Mini Livers” That Could One Day Replace Liver Transplants
Engineered tissue grafts could help perform key liver functions and benefit thousands of people living with liver failure. The liver is one of the body’s hardest-working organs, carrying out hundreds of vital jobs, from [...]
NanoMedical Brain/Cloud Interface – Explorations and Implications. A new book from Frank Boehm
New book from Frank Boehm, NanoappsMedical Inc Founder: This book explores the future hypothetical possibility that the cerebral cortex of the human brain might be seamlessly, safely, and securely connected with the Cloud via [...]
Scientists Discover Surprising Way To Help the Brain Recover After Stroke
A new study suggests that strengthening the body’s natural circadian rhythms may help the brain recover after stroke, even when treatment begins days after the injury. Every year, millions of people survive a stroke, [...]
Our books now available worldwide!
Online Sellers other than Amazon, Routledge, and IOPP Indigo Global Health Care Equivalency in the Age of Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine and Artifcial Intelligence Global Health Care Equivalency In The Age Of Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine And Artificial [...]
Younger Generations Are Aging Faster – and It May Be Fueling a Surge in Cancer
Younger generations may be aging biologically faster than those before them, and that shift could help explain rising rates of cancer at younger ages. For decades, cancer was viewed largely as a disease of [...]
Using Cannabis Could Raise Your Stroke Risk by 37%, Massive Study Reveals
Large-scale evidence suggests cannabis, cocaine, and amphetamines may directly raise stroke risk, including in younger adults. As recreational drug use becomes increasingly common, researchers are uncovering evidence that its health consequences may extend far beyond [...]
Could Vitamin C Be the Secret to Keeping Your Brain Younger?
Lower vitamin C levels were linked to reduced brain volume and weaker neural connectivity in older adults, suggesting a potential connection between nutrition and brain health. Could a common vitamin help preserve the brain [...]
This Deadly Disease Was Wiping Out Humans 5,500 Years Ago
A new study suggests plague was already a deadly threat 5,500 years ago, striking small hunter-gatherer communities long before cities and agriculture emerged. For centuries, plague has been remembered as the disease that devastated [...]
China closing in but US leads in biotech quality, commercial reach, survey finds
SAN DIEGO, June 22 (Reuters) - China, which now conducts more clinical drug trials, opens new tab than the U.S., still lags in the quality and commercial reach of its biomedical science, according to a recent survey, opens new [...]
New method generates renewable supply of progenitor immune cells
In a paper published in Cell, a USC Stem Cell-led team reports a new way of generating a renewable and expandable supply of the progenitor cells that give rise to macrophages. These immune cells help [...]
Scientists Just Discovered a Cellular Survival System That Was Never Supposed To Exist
A surprising backup pathway allows cells to make a crucial amino acid when their primary machinery fails. For decades, biologists believed cells had only one way to access a molecule they cannot live without. New [...]
