The Borax Conspiracy
*How the Arthritis Cure has been Stopped*
*Walter Last*
You may not be able to imagine that borax, this humble
insecticide and laundry detergent, has the potential of singlehandedly bringing
down our entire economic system. But you
do not need to worry, the danger has been recognized and the necessary steps
are already being taken to defuse the situation. I will start with the basics and you will
understand what I mean as the story unfolds.
Borax is a naturally occurring mineral commonly mined from dried
salt lakes, and is the source of other manufactured boron compounds. The main deposits are in California and
Turkey. Chemical names are sodium tetraborate decahydrate, disodium tetraborate
decahydrate, or simply sodium borate. This
means it contains four atoms of boron as its central feature combined with two
sodium atoms and ten molecules (or sometimes less) of crystallisation water.
All borax is naturally mined, there is no synthetic borax, the difference is
only how much crystallisation water it contains - decahydrate means 10 water
molecules, pentahydrate means 5, and anhydrite means 0 water; chemically it is
all the same.
Borax is commonly sold as technical or agricultural grade with
99 to 99.5% minimum purity. Potential impurities
consist of sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, bicarbonate, carbonate,
sulphate and phosphate but not toxic or heavy metals. This grade includes the borax commonly used
as household cleaner. Pharmaceutical
grade is not noticeably purer or better.
Borax is the sodium salt of the weak boric acid. Because sodium is more strongly alkaline,
this makes a solution of borax strongly alkaline with a pH between 9 and 10 (pH
7 is neutral). When ingested, it reacts with hydrochloric acid in the stomach to
form boric acid and sodium chloride. The boron content of Borax is 11.3% while
for boric acid it is 17.5% or about 50% higher.
Ingested boron compounds are rapidly and nearly completely excreted with
the urine. Formerly boric acid was widely used as a preservative in foods but
is now banned for this purpose in most countries, and is also banned from
public sale in Australia.
According to conventional medicine it is not known if boron is
essential for humans but research shows that we do need it. The reason why it was difficult to answer
this question is the presence of boron in all plants and unprocessed
foods. Diets with a fair amount of fruit
and vegetables provide about 2 to 5 mg of boron per day, but this also depends
on the region where the food was grown and how it was grown.
In reality the average intake in developed countries is 1-2 mg
of boron per day. Institutionalized patients may receive only 0.25 mg of daily
boron. Chemical fertilizers inhibit the
uptake of boron from the soil: an organic apple grown in good soil may have 20
mg boron, but if grown with fertilizer it may have only 1 mg of boron. Fertilizers combined with poor food choices
have greatly reduced our boron intake compared to 50 or 100 years ago.
Further, unhealthy cooking methods greatly reduce the
availability of boron from food. The
cooking water of vegetables containing most of the minerals may be discarded
during home cooking or commercial processing; phytic acid in baked goods,
cereals and cooked legumes may greatly reduce availability, while gluten
sensitivity and Candida overgrowth inhibit the absorption of minerals. All this makes health problems due to boron
deficiency now very common.
*Health Effects of Boron*
Due to their content of boron, borax and boric acid have
basically the same health effects, with good antiseptic, antifungal, and
antiviral properties but only mild antibacterial action. In plants as well as animals boron is
essential for the integrity and function of cell walls, and the way signals are
transmitted across membranes.
Boron is distributed
throughout the body with the highest concentration in the parathyroid glands,
followed by bones and dental enamel. It
is essential for healthy bone and joint function, regulating the absorption and
metabolism of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus through its influence on the
parathyroid glands. With this boron is
for the parathyroids what iodine is for the thyroid.
Boron deficiency causes the parathyroids to become overactive,
releasing too much parathyroid hormone which raises the blood level of calcium
by releasing calcium from bones and teeth.
This then leads to osteoarthritis and other forms of arthritis,
osteoporosis and tooth decay. With
advancing age high blood levels of calcium lead to calcification of soft
tissues causing muscle contractions and stiffness; calcification of endocrine
glands, especially the pineal gland and the ovaries; arteriosclerosis, kidney
stones, and calcification of the kidneys ultimately leading to kidney failure. Boron deficiency combined with magnesium
deficiency is especially damaging to the bones and teeth.
Boron affects the metabolism of steroid hormones, and especially
of sex hormones. It increases low
testosterone levels in men and oestrogen levels in menopausal women. It also has a role in converting vitamin D to
its active form, thus increasing calcium uptake and deposition into bone and
teeth rather than causing soft tissue to calcify. Also other beneficial effects have been
reported such as improvement of heart problems, vision, psoriasis, balance,
memory and cognition.
The German cancer researcher Dr Paul-Gerhard Seeger has shown
that cancer commonly starts with the deterioration of cell membranes. As boron is essential for cell membranes and
boron deficiency widespread, this may be an important cause for the initiation
of tumour growth. Boron compounds have
anti-tumour properties and are "potent anti-osteoporotic,
anti-inflammatory, hypolipemic, anti-coagulant and anti-neoplastic agents"
(1).
This overview shows the wide-ranging influence of boron on our
health. In the following I want to
describe some of these health effects in greater detail.
*The Arthritis Cure of Rex Newnham*
In the 1960's Rex Newnham, Ph.D., D.O., N.D, developed
arthritis. At that time he was a soil
and plant scientist in Perth, Western Australia. Conventional drugs did not help, so he looked
for the cause into the chemistry of plants.
He realized that plants in that area were rather mineral deficient. Knowing that boron aids calcium metabolism in
plants he decided to try it. He started
taking 30 mg of borax a day, and in three weeks all pain, swelling and
stiffness had disappeared.
He told public health and medical school authorities about his
discovery but they were not interested.
However, some people with arthritis were delighted as they
improved. Others were scared to take
something with a poison label on the container and meant to kill cockroaches
and ants. Eventually he had tablets made
with a safe and effective quantity of borax.
Within five years and only by word of mouth he sold 10,000
bottles a month. He could no longer cope
and asked a drug company to market it.
That was a major mistake. They
indicated that this would replace more expensive drugs and reduce their
profits. It so happened that they had
representatives on government health committees and arranged that in 1981
Australia instituted a regulation that declared boron and its compounds to be
poisons in any concentration. He was
fined $1000 for selling a poison, and this successfully stopped his arthritis
cure from spreading in Australia. (2)
Subsequently he published several scientific papers on borax and
arthritis. One was a double-blind trial
in the mid 1980's at the Royal Melbourne Hospital which showed that 70% of
those who completed the trial were greatly improved. Only 12% improved when on placebo. There were no negative side-effects, but some
reported that their heart ailment had also improved, and there was better
general health and less tiredness. (3)
Most of his later research was devoted to the relationship
between soil boron levels and arthritis.
He found, for instance that the traditional sugarcane islands, due to
long-term heavy use of fertilizers, have very low soil-boron levels. Jamaica has the lowest level and arthritis
rates are about 70%. He noted that even
most dogs were limping. Next comes
Mauritius with very low boron levels and 50% arthritis. The daily boron intake in these countries is
less than 1 mg/day. An interesting
comparison is between Indian and native Fijians. The Indians are estimated to have an
arthritis rate of about 40% and eat much rice grown with fertilizer while the
native Fijians with an estimated arthritis rate of 10% eat mainly starchy root
vegetables grown privately without fertilizer.
The US, England, Australia and New Zealand generally have
average soil-boron levels with an estimated intake of 1 to 2 mg of boron and
arthritis rates of about 20%. But
Carnarvon in Western Australia has high boron levels in soil and water, and the
arthritis rate is only 1%. It is similar
in a place called Ngawha Springs in New Zealand with very high boron levels in
the spa water which is curative for arthritis.
Actually all spas reputedly curing arthritis have very high boron
levels. These are also high in Israel
with an estimated daily boron intake of 5 to 8 mg and only 0.5 - 1%
arthritis.
Bone analysis showed that arthritic joints and nearby bones had
only half the boron content of healthy joints.
Equally, synovial fluid that lubricates joints and provides nutrients to
the cartilage is boron deficient in arthritic joints. After boron supplementation bones were much
harder than normal and surgeons found them more difficult to saw through. With additional boron bone fractures heal in
about half the normal time in both man and animal. Horses and dogs with broken legs, or even a
broken pelvis, have fully recovered.
Borax is also effective with other forms of arthritis, such as
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Juvenile Arthritis, and Lupus (Systemic Lupus
Erythematosus). For instance Dr. Newnham
saw a young girl aged 9 months with juvenile arthritis. He was able to cure her in 2 weeks.
He wrote that commonly people can get rid of their pain, swelling
and stiffness in about 1 to 3 months.
Then they can reduce treatment from 3 to 1 boron tablet (each 3 mg) per
day as a maintenance dose so that they can avoid any future arthritis. He also stated that patients with rheumatoid
arthritis commonly experienced a Herxheimer reaction and that this is always a
good prognostic sign. They must
persevere and in another 2 or 3 weeks the pain, swelling and stiffness will be
gone. (4,5)
I found this statement not only interesting but also
surprising. The Herxheimer reaction is
an early aggravation of symptoms with increased pain. It is commonly due to toxins released by
killed Candida and mycoplasma. This is
very common with antimicrobial therapy, and borax definitely is an
exceptionally good and strong fungicide.
What surprises me, however, is that this fungicidal effect is already
present at this rather low dose of 75 to 90 mg of borax. Equally surprising is the finding that also
up to 30% of those with osteoarthritis experienced a Herxheimer reaction,
suggesting that the border between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis is
rather fluid. I believe that in
long-standing and especially resistant cases it will be advisable to use other
antimicrobials in addition. For
co-factors in arthritis treatment also see my article Arthritis and Rheumatism <http://www.health-science-spirit.com/arthritis.html> or the booklet OVERCOMING ARTHRITIS <http://www.the-heal-yourself-series.com/OvercomingArthritis.html>
*Osteoporosis and Sex Hormones*
Boron deficiency causes greatly increased amounts of calcium and
magnesium to be lost with the urine. A
borax supplement will reduce the daily loss of calcium by nearly 50%. As this calcium comes mainly from resorbed
bone and teeth, boron deficiency may be the most important factor in causing
osteoporosis and tooth decay.
It has been estimated that 55% of Americans over 50 have
osteoporosis and of these about 80% are women.
Worldwide 1 in 3 women and 1 in 12 men over the age of 50 may have
osteoporosis, and this is responsible for millions of fractures each year. Rats with osteoporosis were given a boron
supplement for 30 days with the result that their bone quality was now
comparable with that of the healthy control group and of a group supplemented
with oestradiol (6).
The beneficial effect of borax on bones seems to be due to two
interrelated effects: a higher boron content of the bones which makes them
harder, and a normalisation of sex hormones which stimulates the growth of new
bone. Low oestrogen levels after
menopause are thought to be the main reason why so many older women develop
osteoporosis. In men testosterone levels
decline more gradually which seems to be reflected in their later onset of
osteoporosis as a group.
Research has now shown that boron supplementation in
postmenopausal women doubles the blood level of the most active form of
oestrogen, 17-beta oestradiol, to the level found in women on oestrogen
replacement therapy. Equally, the blood
levels of testosterone more than doubled (7).
With HRT there is a higher risk of breast or endometrial cancer which is
not known to happen with hormones produced by the body as with borax
supplementation.
Some women get premenstrual problems because oestrogen levels
are too high and progesterone too low, and therefore may be afraid of using
boron. However, I found no evidence that
boron raises oestrogen above normal healthy levels. Boron may balance levels of sex hormones
similar to the action of maca root powder.
Maca acts on the pituitary gland not only to increase but also to balance
our sex hormones and seems to stimulate our own progesterone production as needed.
A recent study in younger men (29 - 50) showed that the level of
free testosterone (the form that matters most) had risen by one third after a
daily supplementation of about 100 mg of borax for one week (8). This is of special interest for bodybuilders.
Contrary to the medical preference of chemically castrating men
with prostate cancer, research with boron has shown that elevated testosterone
levels are beneficial by shrinking prostate tumours and PSA levels, PSA being a
marker for tumours and inflammation in the prostate. Also significantly improved memory and
cognition in elderly individuals may be partly due to increased levels of sex
hormones and partly to improved membrane functions of brain cells (9).
I have been asked about boron supplementation for women with
oestrogen-sensitive breast cancer.
Breast cancer is related to calcifications in the breast. In my opinion it is more important to
normalize the calcium-magnesium metabolism and cellular membrane functions
rather than feel restricted by a possibly faulty medical concept, especially as
I believe that cancer can usually be controlled with long-term antimicrobial
therapy. Therefore I would use boron as
well as macain this case.
*Fungi and Fluoride*
Being such an excellent fungicide it is not surprising that
borax is being successfully used to treat Candida. There is much interesting information on an
Earth Clinic forum called Borax Cures (10).
With low to medium-weight people use 1/8 teaspoon of borax powder and
with heavier weight ¼ teaspoon per litre of water. One drinks the water spaced out during the
day, and does this for 4 or 5 days a week as long as required.
Many contributors wrote that it cured or greatly helped
them. So for instance this post: "I
also have psoriasis, so maybe the soreness in my joints is the psoriatic
arthritis creeping in. I thought, after
reading about borax here on this forum, I would give it a try. OMG!
In one day, the soreness in my knees has vanished! .... Also, my psoriasis seems a lot better after 2
days drinking 1/4 tsp borax in 1 litre of water per day."
Another one about toe fungus: "He wet his feet and then
took a handful (of borax) and rubbed it all over his feet. He said it stopped itching immediately! He was stunned. A few weeks later I asked him how his
athletes foot was and he said: oh wow! it hasn't come back! that stuff totally cured it !!!"
Other enthusiastic posts were about vaginal thrush. Borax appeared to be more effective than
other remedies. Commonly one large gelatin
capsule filled with borax or boric acid was inserted at bedtime for several
nights or up to 2 weeks. Alternatively
the powder can be mixed with cool solidified coconut oil as a bolus or
suppository.
A recent scientific study (11) confirms these positive
observations with vaginal thrush. Boric
acid at the dose of a filled capsule worked even in cases of drug-resistant
Candida and against all the tested pathogenic bacteria. Because of the greater dilution, a douche may
not be strong enough for bacteria and drug-resistant Candida but it should work
for normal Candida. Borax, due to its
alkalinity, was more effective than boric acid.
In normal healthy conditions Candida exists as harmless oval
yeast cells. When challenged, chains of
elongated cells called pseudohyphae develop, and finally strongly invasive
long, narrow and tube-like filaments called hyphae. These damage the intestinal wall, and cause
inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome.
Pseudohyphae and hyphae can be seen in the blood of individuals with
cancer and autoimmune diseases. Candida
can also form tough layers of biofilm.
This same study shows that boric acid/borax inhibits the formation of
biofilms and also the transformation of harmless yeast cells into invasive
hyphal form. In other articles I have
shown that this process, commonly initiated by antibiotics, is a basic cause of
most of our modern diseases, and this makes borax and boric acid primary health
remedies. But this article shows that
there are many more reasons to give them a top rating.
A scientific review in 2011 concluded: "... boric acid is a
safe, alternative, economic option for women with recurrent and chronic
symptoms of vaginitis when conventional treatment fails..." (12). But as it is so much better than drugs why
not use it as a first option, or use the even more effective borax?
Another study from Turkey (13) shows the protective effect of
boric acid on food contaminated with mycotoxins, especially fungal
aflatoxins. Among these, Aflatoxin B1
(AFB1) causes extensive DNA damage and is the most potent carcinogen ever
tested, especially affecting liver and lungs, also causing birth defects,
immunotoxicity and even death in farm animals and humans. Boric acid treatment was protective and led
to increased resistance of DNA to oxidative damage induced by AFB1. The strong antifungal action of boric acid
is, of course, the reason why it has traditionally been used as a food
preservative.
Borax, similar to the equally endangered Lugol's iodine
solution, can also be used to remove accumulated fluoride and heavy metals from
the body (14). Fluoride not only causes
bones to deteriorate, but also the pineal gland to calcify and the thyroid to
become underactive. Borax reacts with
fluoride ions to form boron fluorides which are then excreted in the
urine.
In a Chinese study borax was used to treat 31 patients with
skeletal fluorosis. The amount was gradually increased from 300 to 1100 mg/day
during a three month period, with one week off each month. The treatment was effective with 50 to 80%
improvement.
One forum contributor suffered with Fibromyalgia/Rosacea,
chronic fatigue and TMJ for over 10 years which she believed were caused by
fluoride. She used 1/8 tsp of borax and
1/8 tsp of sea salt in a litre of de-chlorinated water, and drank this for 5
days each week. Within two weeks her
face cleared, the redness faded, body temperature normalized, energy level
increased, and she steadily lost excess weight.
The only side-effect was an initial aggravation of her Rosacea
symptoms.
Another post: "7 years ago thyroid cancer, the next year
adrenal fatigue, then early menopause, the following year uterine prolapse
followed by hysterectomy - the following year fibromyalgia and neuropathy. Early Childhood was fluorinated water along
with fluoride tablets. Fall of 2008 I
was looking at total disability. I could
barely walk and couldn't sleep because of the pain and was throwing up daily
from the pain in my back. ... After
reading about fluoride I came to understand where all of my problems
originated. ... I began the borax detox
of 1/8 tsp in a litre of water and within 3 days my symptoms were almost
gone."
*Calcium-Magnesium Metabolism*
There is antagonism as well as cooperation between calcium and
magnesium. About half of the total body
magnesium is found in bones and the other half *inside* the cells of tissues
and organs. Only 1% is in the blood, and
the kidneys try to keep this levels constant by excreting more or less with the
urine.
In contrast, 99% of calcium is in bones, and the rest in the
fluid *outside*of cells. Muscles
contract when calcium moves into the cells, and they relax when calcium is
again pumped out and magnesium moves in.
This cellular pump requires much energy to pump calcium out, and if
cells are low in energy, then calcium may accumulate inside cells. Low cellular energy may be due to Candida,
faulty sugar or fat metabolism, deficiencies, or accumulating metabolic wastes
and toxins.
This then leads to only partial relaxation of the muscles with
stiffness, a tendency to cramps, and poor blood and lymph circulation. The problem gets worse the more calcium moves
from bones into soft tissue. Nerve cells
can also accumulate calcium, leading to faulty nerve transmission, in the lens
it causes cataracts, hormonal output keeps reducing as endocrine glands
increasingly calcify, and all other cells become handicapped in their normal
functions. In addition it causes
intracellular magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium is needed to activate countless enzymes, and a deficiency
leads to inefficient and blocked energy production.
A further problem is that excess calcium damages the cell
membrane and makes it difficult for nutrients to move in and wastes to move
out. When the intracellular calcium
level gets too high the cell will die.
Here we can see the importance of boron as a regulator of cell
membrane functions, especially in regard to movements of calcium and
magnesium. With boron deficiency too
much calcium moves into the cell while magnesium cannot move inside to displace
it. This is the condition of old age and of the boron-deficiency diseases
leading up to it.
While in good health and especially in younger years a calcium –
magnesium ratio of 2 : 1 is normal and beneficial and supplied with a good
diet. But with increasing age, boron
deficiency and resulting disease conditions we need progressively less calcium
and more magnesium.
For boron to be fully effective in reversing tissue
calcification ample magnesium is required.
For elderly individuals I recommend 400 to 600 mg of magnesium together
with the daily borax supplementation spaced out during the day, and with
protracted joint problems additional trans-dermal magnesium. However, oral magnesium may need to be adjusted
according to its laxative effect. I am doubtful whether calcium supplements are
needed and beneficial, even in case of osteoporosis. In my view these
individuals have plenty of calcium stored in soft tissues where it does not
belong, and supplementing boron and magnesium is expected to redeposit this
misplaced calcium into bones. I regard
the medical focus on a high calcium intake as a prescription for accelerated
aging.
In some countries (e.g. Australia, NZ, USA) borax can still be
found in the laundry and cleaning sections of supermarkets. There is no "food-grade” borax available
or necessary. All borax is the same and
"natural," and usually mined in California or Turkey, whether it has
been packed in China or any other country.
The label usually states that it is 99% pure (or 990g/kg borax) which is
safe to use, and is the legal standard for agricultural grade borax. Up to 1% mining and refining residues are
permitted. Boric acid, if available, may
be used at about ⅔ the dose of borax, it is not for public sale in
Australia.
Firstly dissolve a lightly rounded teaspoonful (5-6 grams) of
borax in 1 liter of good quality water.
This is your concentrated solution, keep it out of reach of small
children.
*Standard dose* = 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of concentrate. This has 25 to 30 mg of borax and provides
about 3 mg of boron. Take 1 dose per day mixed with drink or food. If that
feels right then take a second dose with another meal. If there is no specific
health problem or for maintenance you may continue indefinitely with 1 or 2
doses daily.
If you do have a problem, such as arthritis, osteoporosis and
related conditions, cramps or spasms, stiffness due to advancing years,
menopause, and also to improve low sex hormone production, increase intake to 3
or more spaced-out standard doses for several months or longer until you feel
that your problem has sufficiently improved. Then drop back to 1 or 2 doses per
day.
*For treating Candida,* other fungi and mycoplasmas, or for
removing fluoride from the body - using your bottle of concentrated solution:
Lower dose for low to normal weight - 100 ml (= 1/8 teaspoon of
borax powder or 500 mg); drink spaced out during the day.
Higher dose for heavier
individuals - 200 ml (= 1/4 teaspoon of borax
powder or 1000 mg); drink spaced out during the day.
Always start with a lower dose and increase gradually to the
intended maximum. Take the maximum amounts for 4 or 5 days a week as long as
required, or alternatively periodically alternate between a low dose and your
maximum dose.
For vaginal thrush fill a large size gelatine capsule with borax
and insert it at bedtime for one to two weeks. With toe fungus or athlete's
foot wet the feet and rub them with borax powder.
You may take borax mixed with food or in drinks. It is rather alkaline and in higher
concentrations has a soapy taste. You may disguise this with lemon juice,
vinegar or ascorbic acid.
In Europe borax and boric acid have been classified as
reproductive poisons, and since December 2010 are no longer available to the
public within the EU. Presently borax is still available in Switzerland (15),
but shipment to Germany is not permitted. In Germany a small amount (20 – 50
grams) may be ordered through a pharmacy as ant poison, it will be registered.
Boron tablets can be bought from health shops or the Internet,
commonly with 3 mg of boron. In some European countries, such as The
Netherlands, these may still contain borax, but not in others, such as Germany,
where boron is not allowed in ionic form as with borax or boric acid. While suitable as a general boron supplement,
I do not expect them to work against Candida and mycoplasmas. Most scientific
studies and individual experiences in regard to arthritis, osteoporosis, or
sexual hormones and menopause were with borax or boric acid. It is not yet
known if non-ionic boron is as effective as borax. To improve effectiveness I
recommend 3 or more spaced-out boron tablets daily for an extended period
combined with sufficient magnesium and a suitable antimicrobial program (16).
*Possible Side-Effects*
While side-effects from pharmaceutical drugs tend to be negative
and often dangerous, with natural medicine such as borax therapy these are
usually healing reactions with beneficial long-term effects. Most common is the Herxheimer reaction from
eliminating Candida.
In some of the above forum posts rapid improvement was
experienced within days. This is always
a functional response. High cellular
calcium levels cause muscle contraction with cramps or spasms as a common cause
of pain. Boron, especially together with
magnesium, can rapidly relax these muscles and take away the pain.
However, with
long-standing severe calcifications a large
amount of calcium cannot be redistributed in a short time. This leads to increased calcium levels in the
affected area, especially the hips and shoulders, and can cause problems for a
considerable time, such as a tendency to severe cramping and pain, or problems
with the blood circulation, or nerve transmission. Nerve-related effects in
hands and feet may be numbness, or reduced sensitivity or feeling in the skin.
Higher amounts of calcium and fluoride passing through the kidneys may cause
temporary kidney pain. Such healing
reactions cannot be avoided when aiming for a higher level of health.
Whenever you experience an unpleasant effect reduce or temporarily stop borax intake
until the problem subsides. Then gradually start increasing again. Helpful
additional measures are a greatly increased fluid intake, using more organic
acids such as lemon juice, ascorbic acid or vinegar, and improving lymph flow
as with rebounding, walking or inverted positions.
Government health agencies are concerned about boron toxicity. You might be concerned as well if you read
the following, pertaining to sodium chloride or table salt (17): 'Acute oral
toxicity (LD50 - the dose at which half of the tested animals die): 3,000 mg/kg
[Rat]. Chronic Effects on Humans:
Mutagenic for mammalian somatic cells. Slightly hazardous in case of skin
contact, ingestion or inhalation. Lowest Published Lethal Oral Dose in Man:
1000 mg/kg. Causes adverse reproductive effects in humans (fetotoxicity,
abortion) by intraplacental route, may increase risk of Toxemia of Pregnancy in
susceptible women. May cause adverse reproductive effects and birth defects in
animals, particularly rats and mice - fetotoxicity, abortion, musculoskeletal
abnormalities, and maternal effects (on ovaries, fallopian tubes). May affect
genetic material (mutagenic). Ingestion of large quantities can irritate the
stomach with nausea and vomiting. May
affect behavior (muscle spasicity/contraction, somnolence), sense organs,
metabolism, and cardiovascular system. Continued exposure may produce
dehydration, internal organ congestion, and coma.'
Now compare the sodium chloride toxicity with the Material
Safety Data Sheet or MSDS for borax (18): 'Low acute oral toxicity; LD50 in
rats 4,500 to 6,000 mg/kg of body weight. Reproductive/developmental toxicity:*
*Animal feeding studies in rat, mouse and dog, at high doses, have demonstrated
effects on fertility and testes. Studies with boric acid in the rat, mouse and
rabbit, at high doses, demonstrate developmental effects on the fetus, including
fetal weight loss and minor skeletal variations. The doses administered were many times in
excess of those to which humans would normally be exposed. No evidence of carcinogenicity in mice. No mutagenic activity was observed in a
battery of short-term mutagenicity assays.
Human epidemiological studies show no increase in pulmonary disease in
occupational populations with chronic exposures to borate dust and no effect on
fertility.'
Here you see that table salt is 50 to 100% more toxic than borax,
it changes the genetic material and is mutagenic, while borax is harmless in
this regard. Infants are most at risk
from high borax ingestion. It has been
estimated that 5 to 10 grams can cause severe vomiting, diarrhoea, shock and
even death, but it also says that lethal doses are not well documented in the
literature.
The following toxicity data are from documents of the US
Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control(19, 20).
A review of 784 accidental human poisonings from 10 - 88 grams
of boric acid reported no fatalities, with 88% of cases being asymptomatic,
meaning they did not notice anything.
However, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, and central
nervous system effects, dermatitis, erythema, and death have been observed in
some children and adults exposed to more than 84 mg boron/kg, corresponding to
more than 40 grams of borax for 60 kg of body weight.
Animal studies have identified reproductive toxicity as the most
sensitive effects of boron ingestion.
Exposure of rats, mice, and dogs for several weeks showed some damage to
the testes and sperm at doses of more than 26 mg boron/kg which corresponds to
15 grams of borax/day for 60 kg body weight.
Most at risk is the developing foetus, and in the studied
animals rats were most affected. In one study slight reductions in the foetal
body weight were already found at 13.7 mg boron/kg/day used during
pregnancy. The no effect dose was set at
less than 13.7 mg/kg/day corresponding to about 7 grams of borax per day for 60
kg body weight. With an added safety factor a no effect value of 9.6 mg
boron/kg/day was calculated corresponding to 5 grams of borax for 60 kg.
However, a rat study lasting for 3 generations found no
reproductive toxicity or effect on the parents or offspring at 30 mg
boron/kg/day. This dose corresponds to
17 grams of borax for 60 kg ingested for 3 generations! In another 3-generation study no problem was
found at 17.5 mg boron/kg/day, corresponding to 9 grams of borax/60 kg, while
the next higher tested dose of 58.5 mg/kg/day, corresponding to 30 grams of
borax/60 kg, resulted in infertility.
Therefore we can assume that the safe reproductive dose is up to about
20 grams/60 kg/day.
Human studies of the possible association between impaired
fertility and high boron levels in water, soil and dust in a Turkish
populations, and boron mining and processing workers, found no effect. One study even reported elevated fertility
rates in borax production workers as compared to the U.S. national average.
All this is important because possible reproductive toxicity is
the official reason for the present assault on borax. The sodium chloride MSDS mentioned above also
states: "While sodium chloride has been used as a negative control in some
reproductive studies, it has also been used as an example that almost any
chemical can cause birth defects in experimental animals if studied under the
right conditions." Keep this in
mind when you read the following.
*The Assault on Borax*
Arthritis in its various forms and its close relative
osteoporosis affect about 30% of the population in developed countries. Osteoporosis is responsible for more long
term hospital care than any other individual disease. This is due to the very high incidence of
fractures, and especially the protracted nature of hip fractures. This is a main source of income for the
medical-pharmaceutical system. If the
boron-magnesium cure for these diseases should become widely known, this vital
income stream would dry up and the system collapse. As this is the biggest and most profitable
industry in the world, this cannot be allowed to happen.
When Dr. Newnham discovered the boron-arthritis cure it was not
a big problem for the pharmaceuticals because news travelled slowly and was
easily suppressed. This is very
different now with Internet communication.
Most research funding comes from the pharmaceutical industry, and
nothing has come forward to duplicate Dr. Newnham's findings and other positive
osteoporosis studies. Instead, funding
goes into the development of patentable boron drugs for limited application as
in chemotherapy, or even to discredit boron. A test-tube experiment found that
a relatively low dose of about 4 grams of borax can damage lymphocytes, just
like an earlier test-tube study showed that vitamin C supplements are
toxic. Most positive borax studies now
come from China, Japan and Turkey.
Furthermore, PubMed is a publicly funded search facility for
bio-medical research publications. While other articles for Newnham R.E. and
Zhou L.Y. are still listed, the two
important borax publications mentioned earlier - about the arthritis trial at
the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the treatment of skeletal fluorosis in China -
are no longer listed, but they belong there and obviously had been there
originally. I suspect that they have
been deliberately removed to prevent them from being quoted in other research.
In addition, increasing effort goes into publicly demonizing
borax for its alleged reproductive and infant toxicity. As an example I recently read an article by a
'senior scientist' of the supposedly 'green' Environmental Working
Group. In it the perceived dangers of
borax were so exaggerated that most comments in effect said: "Thank you
for opening my eyes. I did not know how
poisonous and dangerous borax is, I certainly will not use it anymore in my
laundry, or for cleaning my toilet and kitchen."
This is obviously a deliberate campaign to make people grateful for
banning borax from public sale. For
laundry and cleaning purposes Borax Substitute now replaces the product
previously sold as Borax. The EU has
spearheaded this campaign. In June 2010 borax and boric acid were reclassified
as “* Reprotoxic** Category 2*“, suggesting that they may be harmful to the
reproductive functions of humans in high doses, and the product package must
display the skull and crossbones symbol.
From December 2010 these products were no longer available for public
sale within the EU. While this
classification now applies for all of Europe, non-EU countries still have some
leeway in regard to public sales. This
initiative is part of a *Globally Harmonized System of Classification and
Labelling of Chemicals* (GHS) which is to be implemented as soon as
possible. Australia is well-advanced on
preparing regulations to implement the GHS for industrial chemicals, with new
regulations expected in 2012 (21).
The European Chemicals Agency gave as reason for their
reclassification of boron products (paraphrased):
'The available data do not indicate major differences between
laboratory animals and humans, therefore it must be assumed that the effects
seen in animals could occur in humans as epidemiological studies in humans are insufficient
to demonstrate the absence of an adverse effect of inorganic borates on
fertility. 17.5 mg boron/kg/day was derived as a NOAEL (no event level) for
male and female fertility. For the rat decreased foetal weight occurred at 13.7
mg boron/kg/day, and a safe limit of 9.6 mg/kg/day has been derived.' (22)
What they are really saying is this: 'While we have no human
data, animal studies suggest that for adult reproductive functions a daily
ingestion of about 2 teaspoons of borax is safe. But to be absolutely sure that no-one is
harmed, we will ban it totally.' Importantly, this ruling is not related to
borax in foods or supplements where it is already banned, but only for general
use as in laundry or cleaning products or as insecticides. Because borax is not readily inhaled or
absorbed through intact skin, it is difficult to see how even a few milligrams
daily could get into the body with the conventional use. If the same standard would apply to other
chemicals there would be none left.
The key study in this assessment was published in 1972. Why is this being dug up now to justify
banning borax when it was of no concern for the past 40 years? It does not make any scientific sense,
especially if you consider that the main chemical in the new borax substitute,
sodium percarbonate, is about three times more toxic than borax. Acute oral
LD50 values for animals are from 1034 to 2200 mg/kg/day (23). Even the commonly used sodium bicarbonate,
with an animal LD50 of 3360 mg/kg, is nearly twice as toxic as borax (24). Both of these chemicals have not been tested
for long-term reproductive toxicity at the high doses that caused fertility
problems in rats and mice.
The same applies to washing powders, it has been stated that no
toxicity is
expected if used in the approved way, or that reproductive tests have not
been done. Ingredients in these products are more toxic than borax, why can
they be used in the approved way but not borax?
And how about really toxic items such as caustic soda and hydrochloric acid? Why do they remain available to the public
when one of the safest household chemicals is banned despite the fact that it
is absolutely impossible to cause any reproductive harm with the approved use?
Regardless of the lack of any scientific credibility, the stage
has been set for borax and boric acid to be globally removed from public sale
at short or no notice. Even low-level
and less effective boron tablets are now tightly controlled by the
pharmaceutical industry, and may be restricted at any time through Codex
Alimentarius regulations. With this the
medical-pharmaceutical system has safely defused any potential danger that
borax may have posed to its profitability and survival.
*Note:*
This article is not about curing arthritis. Boron is essential
for healthy bones and joints, and supplements may be able to help with
arthritis, but chronic conditions often are associated with additional other
deficiencies, allergies, microbial infestations and inflammation. All of these factors may need to be
addressed. For further information see Arthritis and Rheumatism <http://www.health-science-spirit.com/arthritis.html> or the more detailed Overcoming Arthritis<http://www.the-heal-yourself-series.com/OvercomingArthritis.html>
*REFERENCES*
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9638606
(2) http://www.whale.to/w/boron.html
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1566627/pdf/envhper00403-0084.pdf
(4) http://nah.sagepub.com/content/7/2/89.full.pdf
(5) http://www.arthritistrust.org/Articles/Boron and
Arthritis.pdf<http://www.arthritistrust.org/Articles/Boron%20and%20Arthritis.pdf>
(6) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/172591209
(7) http://www.ithyroid.com/boron.htm
(8) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21129941
(9) http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2006/aug2006_aas_01.htm
(10) http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/borax.html
(11) http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/content/63/2/325.long
(12) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21774671
(13) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2873987/
(14) http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/fluoride.html
(15) http://www.supergenial.ch/pi1/pd2.html
(16) http://www.health-science-spirit.com/ultimatecleanse.html
(17) http:/www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927593 <http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927593>
(18) http://www.hillbrothers.com/msds/pdf/n/borax-decahydrate.pdf
(19) http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp26-c2.pdf
(20) http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0062-0004
(21) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globally_Harmonized_System_of_Classification_and_Labelling_of_Chemicals
(22) http://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/17230/supdoc_boric_acid_20100609_en.pdf