Dr. Lippman is generous in spirit and shares her knowledge on many subjects related to wellness. We met years ago at a fabulous organization created by another wonderful friend and colleague, Dr. Tessa Warschaw.
In addition to many of her speaking engagements, Dr. Lippman has been a frequent presenter, sharing her knowledge at San Fernando Valley Marketing and Admissions Professionals (SFVMAPS), and other distinguished groups. This month, I am honoring Dr. Lippman as my guest blogger.
Thank you Dr. Lippman, I look forward to hearing from you again.
By Cathie Lippman, M.D., the Lippman Center for Optimal Health
The disastrous contaminated water situation in Flint, Michigan this year has alerted the populace across the country to the problem of lead contaminated water. People were unaware of lead as a problem in the first place, unless you remember leaded paint and leaded gasoline. Secondly, many of us have been unaware of how much lead is still used in our environment.
Why is lead such a problem? There is no safe level for lead in the human body. In children, it can lower IQ levels, reduce hearing, affect kidneys and contribute to poor performance in school. In adults, it can cause fatigue, abdominal pain, constipation and headaches to name just a few of the symptoms.
The February 14, 2011 edition of Mercola.com described how we get exposed to lead in our own homes. “The greatest amount of lead found in your home’s drinking water frequently comes from lead service lines, lead interior plumbing, or copper pipes connected with lead solder.” Cities use chlorine to treat the municipal water. The chlorine is the corrosive which causes the lead to leach off of the pipes in your home.
What to do about the lead that collects in your water overnight when you don’t run the tap? Run the water for 30 seconds every morning before you use it. Even the Los Angeles Unified School District requires the teachers every school morning to run the water in their classrooms for 30 seconds before anyone uses the water.
The other way to prevent lead in your water is to put in a good water filtration system with an NSA filter that removes 100% of the heavy metals in the water. Such a system will also filter out “dangerous byproducts from chlorination, as well as bacteria and cysts that are naturally present in well water and can survive urban water treatment facilities” as mentioned in the Mercola article.
Ask your doctor for a blood lead level test. This does not reflect any lead stored in your bones, but at least it will let you know how toxic you are at the present.
For further evaluation of your heavy metals (includes mercury, cadmium and aluminum), contact my office at 310-289-8430.