Return to the Purdey environment Home Page. Revised: 5/4/04

Summary of various Lab.Test results.

Subject: Nigel Purdey

Please note the Labs referred to on this page require a medical referral. A number of GPs who could do this, following a private consultation, are listed on the Bio Lab site. Please also note that if you have CFS not all these tests would necessarily be relevant to you. Again discuss this with your advisor.
The main purpose of the page is to encourage those who are told by their NHS GP that there’s nothing physically wrong, as I was, that there most probably is something physically wrong.

1) Pesticide levels in fat cells.

Most of these tests were conducted at the Biolab Medical Unit, 9 Weymouth St, London W1 on 18/02/99 by Dr John McLaren – Howard. www.biolab.co.uk Tests 6,7,8,12 and 13 were conducted elsewhere.

Results

Comments by Dr McLaren-Howard .

‘Quite marked exposure to Lindane.’ ‘DDT/DDE and HCB within background exposure levels. PCBs are above average background levels.’

My own comments: This test was a gas chromatographical analysis of fat cells and it scans, in theory, for up to 10,000 pesticides, variants, breakdown products.

It is surely no coincidence, given the total level of chlorinated pesticides that the overwhelming chemical sensitivity I have is to chlorine, such as the low levels encountered in a cup of tea, even made from filtered tap water. If the water is boiled for at least 8 minutes I experience no additional symptoms. Unboiled water will first cause a dose dependant increase to normal symptoms ie tingling, joint pain, dizziness and finally severe heart palpitations.

The presence of a fairly high level of Mevinphos in the fat would suggest my OP degradation is slow. Assuming oral entry of Mevinphos, enzymes have not managed to degrade the parent compound during the considerable time taken to reach the fat cells of the outer buttock. Mevinphos is one of the most potent of OPs with an LD 50 in animals of 3- 12mg/Kg. It was one of the ‘dirty dozen pesticides’.

Due to this slow degradation the pesticides would have time to initiate pathogenic pathways whilst circulating in the blood either by direct receptor stimulation – ie OPs and muscarinic cholinergic receptors in RBCs or by the generation of free radicals that lead to damage of cellular components: lipid membranes, DNA, conformational change of proteins etc. This latter characteristic is shared by many substances - all pesticides and most xenobiotics ie Fluoride, silicone, mercury, ozone, UV. Benefits are often reported when these are removed, but unfortunately dismissed by the medical profession, because there is no understanding of the action of free radicals.

2) Red cell elements :

3) White cell Result mmol/l Ref. range Sample Date: 21/9/00

4) Lymphocyte sensitivity tests: Date 20/09/00

A range of substances were tested
Interpretation of Results :<100 is normal, 100 – 200 mild sensitivity, 200 –500 definite sensitivity, >500 marked sensitivity.

7 further substances tested gave normal readings including interestingly Mevinphos (25) and
PCP (75)

My comments on cell elements : Calcium: Although this is just below top of ref. in RBC I always considered that this was significant indicating abnormal cell biochemistry or relating to receptor stimulation/oxidative stress and ion channels- the later high white cell result confirmed I was correct. Ca may have also been released from intracellular stores. OPs and many toxins target the calcium channel and would raise intracellular Ca causing havoc in the cell signalling cycles. Could Mevinphos do it at this low level? The cause I think is either mutation in cell ion channel and other proteins or post translational chemical stress from either cytokines or free radicals.This is borne out further by tests 8 - apoptosis and 10 -resting potential studies.

Both Magnesium and potassium as I expected were just below ref range.

This doesn’t indicate deficiency per se, because my plasma Mg, tested by GP, was normal, but displacement following calcium or sodium influx or leakage via damaged ion channels.

5) Gut fermentation

Blood sample was taken 1/2 hr after glucose loading dose.

Short chain fatty acids were within the ref. range – valerate and butyrate were at the bottom of the range.

All other alcohols measured were within the ref. range.
This result is consistent with mild yeast (Candida Albicans) overgrowth.

6) Cortisol, DHEA and Secretory IgA
This analysis, 6 and 7, was carried out at Diagnostech,UK, York chambers, York Street, Swansea with samples of my saliva taken by myself at 8am, Noon, 4pm and Midnight on 29/3/99, a normal working day with average stress, and posted to the lab.

Test Description

My comment – This firstly shows adrenal exhaustion/atrophy but in addition the curve is time shifted approx 12 hours which indicates a secondary problem upline in the hypothalamus and or pituitary which act on the adrenal cortex and regulate cortisol production over a 24 period. Tertiary or secondary Adrenal insufficiency.

7) Mucosal Barrier Screen

8) Apoptosis ;

This was carried out at the Rayne Institute, King’s College Medical school, Dept of Immunology, Coldharbour lane, London SE5 by Dr Ruben Varela Calvino.

Flow cytometry was used with Annexin V and propidium iodide stain to detect changes to the cell membrane in lymphocytes that occur in apoptosis. In the early stages of apoptosis the inner phosphatidylserine membrane becomes externalised and this staining technique picks this change up. Cells are also checked for granulosity

Control	Patient

9) Myothermogram : Abnormal
A non-invasive test which plots the exothermic curve from simple muscle movements. The test is particularly useful in identifying intracellular magnesium deficiency and some other factors involved in muscle action. Reduction in oxygenation and perfusion are also detected.

Comment by Dr Mclaren-Howard : The Myothermogram demonstrates a tendency to lacticacidosis. This would exaggerate calcium transit into the cells and discourage normal mechanisms for removing excess calcium. All of the capillary electrode experiments were performed at the standard pH of 7.4.

10) Resting potential studies : Abnormal

Comment by Dr Mclaren-Howard:

Studies using micro-capillary electrodes show the following:

1. As the extracellular magnesium gradient is increased, there is the usual, gentle, lowering of the resting potential up to a ‘serum’ magnesium of 1.05 mmol/l. At that point there is a rapid fall in the potential difference and severe disruption of the cell occurs when the magnesium level reaches 1.45 mmol/l. In controls, these changes are not seen below an extracellular magnesium of 2.10mmol/l.
2. The above change is associated with increased calcium and sodium transit into the cell. In controls, once the external magnesium reaches 1.3 mmol/l we usually see a mild reduction in intracellular calcium and occasionally find the sodium begins to reduce. This is followed by a rise in the Potential Difference.
3. Intracellular calcium levels are higher than normal.
4. The use of crown ethers to try to bind calcium at the ion channels does not reduce intracellular calcium. In controls, this use of calcium binding crown ethers usually reduces intracellular calcium by approx.8%.
5. Increasing the extracellular calcium gradient from 2.5 to 4.5 mmol/l leads to rapid transit of calcium across the membrane and into the cells. In controls we would see very little change in the intracellular calcium level but we would see a change in the PD that directly reflects the extracellular calcium concentration. In this patient, that change in PD is doubled with severe cellular disruption before the extracellular calcium reaches 4.5mmol/l.

Conclusions.

This patient has an increased intracellular calcium (at least so far as the ionised fraction is concerned) Calcium ion channels do not respond to artificial attempts to reverse this. Increased extracellular magnesium increases calcium and sodium uptake by the cells. This is a reversal of the normal situation.

12) Urinanalysis. (Feb 2004) Self administered, using test strips available over the counter. I stopped my supplements for the tests and did 10 repeats at different times of day, conditions – Testing for pH, ketones, specific gravity, protein, bilirubin, blood, glucose, nitrite, uro-bilinogen.

Results:

Specific gravity was consistently very high at 1.025 -1.035. The latter figure is extrapolated as it is just beyond the range of the colour chart.

Ketones gave a trace reading – at rest, no fasting etc.

pH was low at 5.5 average, but within reference.

Otherwise all normal.

This result was not unexpected because of my adrenal test. High sg is caused by high concentration of electrolytes/protein/ascorbic acid in the urine. In my case it would be electrolytes as the protein and ascorbate were normal.

This result can implicate dehydration, nephrosis, adrenal insufficiency/low cortisol, high anti diuretic hormone, as the root cause - I will need to check this out further.

13) Red blood cell morphology : result - abnormal
Carried out by Red Blood Cell Research Ltd, New Zealand.