DETERMINATION OF OXIDATION TYPE BY MEANS
OF TISSUE ELECTROLYTE RATIOS
by Lawrence
Wilson, MD
(first published in the Journal of
Orthomolecular Medicine, Vol. 1, #2, 1986)
Abstract. A method of
determining oxidation types by means of hair tissue mineral ratios was
evaluated by reviewing 55 patient files. Correlations were assessed
between tissue calcium/potassium, sodium/magnesium, and sodium/potassium
ratios, and nine signs and symptoms of oxidation type. Hair mineral ratios were
found to be good predictors of signs and symptoms of oxidation type.
INTRODUCTION
In 1972, Dr. George Watson, PhD proposed that different
individuals metabolize their food at different rates, and that deviations in
the rate of oxidation can produce physical and mental illness.
He
typed people, using various tests, into 'fast', 'slow', and 'sub'
oxidizers (1,2). Watson further claimed that fast and slow oxidizers
require different kinds of foods and supplementary nutrients, in order to
balance their chemistry. By assessing the chemistry, and then giving the
appropriate foods and nutrients for each 'type', positive changes were observed
in behavior and general health (1,2).
Watson
used determinations of serum dissolved CO2 and serum pH, odor tests, or a food
preference questionnaire to determine fast and slow metabolic types.
Research has been underway for the past decade to find simple, reliable methods
to confirm Watson's work, and to improve upon his tests to precisely assess
oxidation rate. This study is an evaluation of a method developed by
Dr. Paul C. Eck of Phoenix, Arizona, to determine oxidation types
utilizing mineral ratios in a sample of hair analyzed by atomic absorption
spectroscopy.
METHOD
A) Criteria for inclusion in the
study. To be included in the study, each
case had to meet 3 sets of criteria: 1) proper hair sampling, 2) proper
laboratory technique, and 3) adequate information about the signs and symptoms
of oxidation types. The criteria were the following:
1. HAIR
SAMPLING: a) normal shampooing was allowed on the day of sampling. b) patients
had to wash their hair four times after receiving a chemical permanent, before
submitting a sample for analysis. c) hair creams, setting lotions, sprays, conditioners,
etc. were allowed to be on the hair. d) hair was clipped from at least
three sites from the back of the head and nape of the neck. The sample
was cut as close as possible to the scalp, and any hair over 1 and one-half
inches long was cut off the sample and discarded. e) clippings were combined
until a half-gram sample was obtained.
2.
LABORATORY TECHNIQUE: a) all tests were performed at a laboratory that does NOT
wash the hair prior to analysis. b) preparation of hair for analysis was by
digestion of a 300 mg sample in 2.0 ml of a 3:1 solution of nitric/perchloric acid, heated to 300 C. overnight, and rehydrated
with 6.0 ml of 0.9% HCl solution. 0.8 ml of this
solution is then diluted to 4.0 ml with a 0.2% cesium chloride solution. c)
analysis was performed on an atomic absorption instrument. d) calibration of
the instrument was by Fisher A. A. Standards. e) quality control consisted
of testing each batch of samples against:
- a
check sample from the Fisher A.A. Standards
- an in-house control hair sample
- a National Bureau of Standards Control
- a blank solution of the acids used in digestion
3)
ADEQUATE PATIENT INFORMATION: At least four signs or symptoms of fast or slow
oxidation had to be listed in the patient file, obtained at the time the sample
was taken.
B) Method of determination of oxidation type from tissue mineral analysis. Two ratios are involved in Paul Eck's determination of
oxidation type (3): calcium/potassium and sodium/magnesium. Fast oxidation is defined by
Dr. Eck as a calcium/potassium ratio less than 4:1 and a sodium/magnesium
ratio greater than 4.17:1.
For
this study, two varieties of fast oxidizers were determined and analyzed - fast
with a normal or elevated sodium/potassium ratio, and fast with a low
sodium/potassium ratio.
Dr. Eck
found that the fast oxidizer with a low sodium/potassium ratio (Na/K <
2.5:1) behaves more like a slow oxidizer than a fast. It was decided to test
this concept as part of the study.
Slow oxidation is defined as a calcium/potassium
ratio greater than or equal to 4:1 and a sodium/magnesium ratio less than or
equal to 4.17:1.
Mixed oxidation is a transition or
unstable state which is defined as either a calcium/potassium ratio greater
than 4:1 and a sodium/magnesium ratio greater than or equal to 4.17:1, OR a
calcium/potassium ratio less than or equal to 4:1 and a sodium/magnesium ratio
less than 4.17:1. These definitions are summarized in table 1.
TABLE 1. MINERAL
RATIOS FOR FAST, SLOW AND MIXED OXIDATION
FAST OXIDATION
WITH NORMAL OR ELEVATED NA/K RATIO:
calcium/potassium ratio LESS THAN 4:1,
sodium/magnesium ratio GREATER THAN 4.17:1,
sodium/potassium ratio GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 2.5:1.
FAST
OXIDATION WITH LOW NA/K RATIO:
Calcium/potassium ratio LESS THAN 4:1,
sodium/magnesium ratio GREATER THAN 4.17:1,
sodium/potassium ratio LESS THAN 2.5:1.
SLOW
OXIDATION:
Calcium/potassium ratio GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 4:1, and
sodium/magnesium ratio LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 4.17:1.
MIXED
OXIDATION:
Calcium/potassium ratio GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 4:1, and sodium/magnesium
ratio GREATER THAN 4.17:1.
OR
Calcium/potassium ratio LESS THAN 4:1, and
sodium/magnesium ratio LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 4.17:1.
C) Sign and Symptom Criteria for
Determining Oxidation Type.
George Watson found that certain food preferences, signs and
symptoms are associated with each oxidation type. Since the blood and odor
tests Watson used were not performed on the patients in this study, it was
decided to use food preferences, signs and symptoms as a basis of comparison
with the results of the tissue mineral analyses.
The
52-question oxidation test which Watson published (1) had not been given to
these patients, but patients had been questioned about food habits, cravings,
food preferences, and a variety of physical and emotional symptoms. Utilizing
Watson's and Eck's research about oxidation types, nine indicators of oxidation
type were chosen for this study:
-
frequency of bowel movements
- oily or dry skin
- warmth of extremities
- food cravings
- blood pressure
- sweating
- typical moods
- energy level
- animal protein preference
Following is the rationale for each of the above indicators:
1. Frequency of Bowel Movements. Increased metabolic activity
is associated with increased peristaltic activity and hence more frequent bowel
movements in the fast oxidizer. More than one bowel movement per day was
considered an indicator of fast oxidation. One or fewer movements per day
indicated slow oxidation.
2. Dry or Oily Skin and Hair. Increased metabolic activity
is associated with increased activity of the sebaceous glands of the skin and
scalp, which in turn is associated with oily skin and hair in the fast
oxidizer. Patients were asked to subjectively rate themselves as having a
tendency to oily or dry hair and skin.
3. Blood circulation. Increased rate of metabolism
in the fast oxidizer is associated with enhanced blood circulation, and
correlates with a tendency to warmer hands and feet, even in cold
weather. Patients were asked if they experienced cold extremities.
4. Food cravings. Food cravings can express the
body's desire to balance chemistry. Fast oxidizers tend to crave fats,
butter and red meat, foods which slow the metabolic rate. The slow
oxidizer often craves sweets to combat hypoglycemia, and salt to replace salt
lost through underactive adrenal gland activity (low aldosterone).
5. Blood Pressure. Fast oxidation is associated
with increased vascular (sympathetic) tone, and sodium retention due to
elevated aldosterone levels. These frequently
result in a blood pressure over 120/80. Slow oxidizers tend to have blood
pressures of 120/80 or lower. This is due to weaker vascular tone, and/or low
sodium levels which causes a reduced blood volume and blood pressure.
6. Sweating. Enhanced metabolic activity
increases generation of heat in body tissues. This is associated with
increased sweating in the fast oxidizer. Slow oxidizers generally sweat
less. Patients were asked to rate themselves subjectively as to whether
they sweat heavily or lightly.
7. Mood. In fast oxidation, all
metabolic processes speed up, including mental functioning. This can
result in a tendency to anxiety, nervousness, or jitteriness. Slower
mental activity in the slow oxidizer, on the other hand, causes a tendency for
sluggishness, lethargy, apathy, and depression.
8. Energy level. A fast metabolic rate, within
certain limits, is associated with higher energy levels, than is a slow
metabolic rate. Fatigue and lethargy can be experienced by both types,
but is more common in the slow oxidizer. Patients were asked to
subjectively rate their energy level as high or low.
9. Animal Protein Preference. Fast oxidizers require more
fat, and tend to prefer red meats to other meats, as they contain a higher
percentage of fat. Slow oxidizers tend to prefer chicken, fish, or
vegetarian proteins because these low-fat sources of protein speed up and
normalize the slow oxidizers' metabolic rate.
PROCEDURE
Ninety-seven patient charts were reviewed. A 'signs
and symptoms' worksheet was filled out for each patient. The totals for
the slow and fast symptoms categories were added up and expressed as a ratio of
fast characteristics to slow characteristics. A ratio greater than 1/1
indicates fast metabolism. Less than 1/1 indicates slow metabolism. Forty-two
charts were discarded from the study because fewer than 4 signs or symptoms of
oxidation type were listed for the patient.
Ratios
of calcium/potassium, sodium/magnesium, and sodium/potassium were calculated
for each hair analysis to determine fast, fast with low sodium/potassium ratio,
slow, and mixed oxidation as defined in Table 1. The results of the hair
analyses and the ratios of fast and slow symptoms for the 55 cases are listed
in Table 2. All files are available for inspection.
Correlation
was then made to determine how much agreement existed between tissue mineral
ratio indicators and sign and symptom indicators of fast and slow
oxidation. Results are summarized in Table 3.
TABLE 2. DATA FROM
55 PATIENTS
Hair
analysis date expressed with the following abbreviations:
F = fast
oxidizer
FI = fast oxidizer with a low sodium/potassium ratio
M = mixed
oxidizer
S = slow oxidizer
SIGNS
AND SYMPTOMS DATA EXPRESSED AS A RATIO OF FAST/SLOW SYMPTOMS
F
2/2 S
0/4 S 1/3
S 2/3 S
0/4 S 1/3
M 2/4 FI
2/3 FI 3/2
F 2/2 S
0/5 M 3/1
FI 3/2 S
0/4 S 1/3
S 0/5 S
2/2 S 1/4
FI 1/5 M
2/4 FI 1/3
S 1/3 S
2/4 S 1/5
S 2/7 S
1/4 S 0/4
S 2/3 S
1/3 S 1/3
S 1/4 M
4/1 S 1/3
S 2/5 M
0/4 S 2/3
S 1/6 FI
0/5 S 1/5
S 1/4 S
1/3 S 1/3
S 0/4 S
1/4 S 1/5
S 2/4 M
0/5 S 2/2
S 1/5 S
1/3 FI 1/5
F 3/2 S
2/3 M 3/3
S 3/2
Totals:
SIGNS &
SYMPTOMS ANALYSIS
FAST
OXIDIZER
6
3
FAST WITH LOW NA/K RATIO
0
7
SLOW
OXIDIZER
44
38
MIXED
OXIDIZER
5
7
--------
--------
TOTALS
55
55
Analysis of the data by percentages:
1) OF
THOSE WITH FAST OXIDIZER TISSUE ANALYSES:
* 1 out
of 3, or 33.3% demonstrated FAST OXIDIZER symptoms.
* 2 out of 3, or 66.6% demonstrated AN EVEN MIXTURE OF SLOW AND FAST symptoms.
* NONE demonstrated SLOW OXIDIZER symptoms.
2) OF
THOSE WITH FAST OXIDIZER ANALYSES WITH LOW NA/K RATIOS:
* 2 out
of 7, or 28.6% demonstrated FAST OXIDIZER symptoms.
* NONE demonstrated AN EVEN MIXTURE OF SYMPTOMS.
* 5 out of 7, or 71.4% demonstrated SLOW OXIDIZER SYMPTOMS.
3) OF
THOSE WITH SLOW OXIDIZER TISSUE ANALYSES:
* 1 out
of 38, or 2.6% demonstrated FAST OXIDIZER symptoms.
* 2 out of 38, or 5.3% demonstrated AN EVEN MIXTURE OF FAST AND SLOW symptoms.
* 35 out of 38, or 92.1% demonstrated SLOW OXIDIZER symptoms.
4) OF
THOSE WITH MIXED OXIDIZER TISSUE ANALYSES:
* 2 out
of 7, or 28.6% demonstrated FAST OXIDIZER symptoms.
* 1 out of 7, or 14.3% demonstrated AN EVEN MIXTURE OF FAST AND SLOW OXIDIZER
SYMPTOMS.
* 4 out of 7, or 57.1% demonstrated SLOW OXIDIZER symptoms.
TABLE 3. SUMMARY OF
PERCENTAGE CORRELATIONS.
HAIR
ANALYSIS CORRELATION WITH SIGNS AND
SYMPTOMS
fast
mixed
slow total
fast
oxidizer
33.3%
66.7%
0
100%
fast with low Na/K
28.6%
0
71.4% 100%
slow
oxidizer
2.6%
5.3%
92.1% 100%
mixed oxidizer
28.6%
14.3%
57.1% 100%
DISCUSSION
Slow oxidizer tissue mineral ratios were an excellent
predictor of slow oxidizer signs and symptoms. Fast oxidizer mineral
ratios with low sodium-to-potassium ratios were also a good predictor of slow
oxidizer signs and symptoms.
Fast
oxidizer mineral ratios correlated best with fast or a mixture of fast and slow
signs and symptoms. Possibly, this mixed correlation is due to the
presence in the study of individuals called 'temporary fast oxidizers' or 'slow
under stress'.
These
people have fast oxidizer mineral ratios but don't manifest signs and symptoms
typical of fast metabolism. The physiological basis for temporary fast
oxidation has been elaborated (4). Patients in this category, on retesting
their tissue mineral levels after several months of corrective therapy, change
to mixed or slow oxidation.
Mixed
oxidizer mineral ratios correlated best with slow oxidizer signs and
symptoms. Most mixed oxidizer hair analyses resolve within 3 months of
corrective therapy to slow or fast oxidation.
The
percentages of correlation between mixed oxidizer tests, and slow and fast
oxidizer symptoms (57% and 28%), approximately matches the ratio of slow to
fast oxidizers in the general population (3-4:1). The correlation of the
unstable mixed oxidizer tests with slow and fast oxidizer symptoms probably
reflects the direction in which the mixed oxidizer tissue tests will resolve.
CONCLUSION
Results of this study support the concept that oxidation
type may be determined by calculation of calcium/potassium, sodium/magnesium,
and sodium/potassium ratios in an unwashed hair sample analyzed by atomic
absorption spectroscopy. Future studies will evaluate the efficacy of
nutritional therapy using hair mineral ratios as a basis for diet and
supplement regimens.
References
1.
Watson, G., Nutrition and Your Mind,
Bantam Books, New York, 1972.
2. Watson, G., Personality Strength
and Psychochemical Energy, Harper and Row, NY, l979.
3. Eck, Paul C., "Oxidation", Healthscope
Magazine, #2, pp. 2-5, April-May l982.
4. "Introduction to Oxidation Types", tape 2 of 6-tape series,
produced by Dr. Lawrence D. Wilson, l984.
5. Wilson, L., Nutritional Balancing And
Hair Mineral Analysis, LD Wilson Consultants, Inc., 1991, 1998, 2005.
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