The observation that selenium can help with petrochemical sensitivity was first made by Stephen Levine, Ph.D., founder of Allergy Research Group (ARG), when he described the reversal of his own illness by taking a selenium-in-kelp preparation.
Observations:
There are three groups of petrochemically sensitive patients:
ARG sells a 0.004% solution of the right kind of selenium for this protocol.
Procedure:
[1/2 of a dropper is about one full squeeze on the dropper bulb, which is about 15 drops, or 3/4cc. One drop contains about 2mcg of selenium. At full dose, one 8oz bottle from ARG should last about 3 months.]
This dose should be sufficient, and later becomes the maintenance dose, i.e., 1⁄2 dropper full bid (twice a day). For the first two categories mentioned above, there is no problem. These patients tolerate the 1⁄2 dropper full bid, and they continue to improve. Some patients with arthritis become symptom-free even on low doses. (It is interesting to note that veterinarians have used selenium for arthritis in dogs for years).
With regard to the third, troublesome category, i.e. those patients who are too sensitive to take even one drop, they should do the following:
One final tip: Some patients who have arthritis even without obvious petrochemical sensitivity do well on small amounts of selenium. Dr. Levine has published a number of interesting articles regarding his theories of how selenium works as an antioxidant.
The main thing to remember is that it is a slow process and may take two months before the ability to tolerate petrochemicals has improved. A good test is how well tobacco smoke is tolerated and how well one feels in general.
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