Measuring Deuterium Levels: Methods and Health Implications

The good folks from The Center For Deuterium Depletion in Los Angeles, where I traveled to record this podcast episode. The Center for Deuterium Depletion's mission is to promote deuterium depletion research and therapies to prevent or ameliorate disease, maximize quality of life and/or improve personal performance.

Deuterium is a naturally occurring element. You acquire deuterium through the food you eat, the liquids you drink and the air you breathe.  Your body's ability to deplete deuterium decreases with weight gain, age, illness and lack of quality sleep. Deuterium is a rare type of hydrogen – only 155 out of every million hydrogens are deuterium. Its nucleus contains a proton and a neutron, which makes it twice the mass (weight/size) of regular hydrogen.

My guests on this show believe deuterium in tissue should not exceed 130 ppm (parts per million) and they base this value on the deuterium levels found in a broad number of plants, animals that are grass fed and the food products of grass fed animals - butter, milk, tallow, etc. Unfortunately, many people are now saturated with deuterium and this affecting their mental and physical performance. On today's show, you'll learn exactly why that is, and what you can do about it. My guests on this show are Dr. Anne Cooper and Dr. Que Collins.

A native of Australia, Dr. Anne Cooper, D.C., LAc. earned her Doctorate in Chiropractic from Cleveland Chiropractic College (Los Angeles), graduating with Honors in 1997, while on the Dean’s list and winning the Charles Gibson award for clinical excellence.   Her growing commitment to total health and innovative healing therapies led her to continue on with over 20 years post-doctoral experience in Functional Medicine and a Masters degree in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, graduating with highest honors in 2011. Early in her career, as a celebrity aesthetician, working with great beauties such as Ava Gabor, she realized that where there is beauty, there MUST be health and that health must be established on a very deep cellular level. Anne's credentials:

• Master’s in Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine (Highest Honors)
• Doctorate of Chiropractic (Honors)
• Charles Gibson Clinic Entrance Award
• Licensed Aesthetician
• Certifications: Clinical Nutrition, Applied Kinesiology, Functional Medicine,  Energetic Medicine, Herbal Medicine

Dr. Cooper manages Cignature Health's patients and guides their day-to-day therapy. She also is our healthcare professional liaison and helps them implement our protocols and services into their practices. Her expertise as both an experienced natural and functional medicine practitioner helps bridge any communication gap between our principal and chief scientists training in allopathic medicine and the training received by chiropractors, naturopaths, acupuncturists, herbalists, nutritionists, etc.   Dr. Que Collins is a leading scientist when it comes to developing and applying nutrition and metabolic therapies to treat cancer in people and pets.

• Ph.D., Clinical Immunology
• M.S., Oncotherapeutics
• M.A., Experimental Pathology
• B.S., Poverty Health Care and Cancer Epidemiology

  He is Co-Founder and Principal Investigator at Cignature Health Metabolic Clinic – the first clinic in the world to use deuterium and tracer technologies to describe and follow the health status of patients with metabolic disorders such as cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. Principal Investigator, Epigenix Foundation – this not-for-profit organization created by the founders of Quest Nutrition promotes research to prevent and ameliorate disease, maximize quality of life and/or improve personal performance. He is also Co-Founder and Principal Investigator of Ketopet Sanctuary – a 53-acre ranch outside Austin, Texas that uses the ketogenic diet and other metabolic therapies with and without standard of care to treat dogs with naturally occurring cancers. During our discussion, you'll discover: -What exactly is deuterium anyway?...7:30

• A form of hydrogen
• Deuterium has an extra which makes it twice as big and twice as heavy
• Deleterious effects on our mitochondria when present in water
  • Produces ATP; depending on hydrogen ions
  • Deuterium "gums up the machine" due to its size
  • Hydrogen atoms are replaced by deuterium when deuterium is present
  • We actually make deuterium depleted metabolic water inside our mitochondria

-Deleterious effects of deuterium on the mitochondria and cells...10:30

• Clinical tests showing its effects on the mitochondria/metabolism are fairly recent
• Deuterium stops up the electrode transport chain; results in excessive energy within the cells
• Affects cell integrity
• Changes electromotive constant of cells
• Bottom line: Hydrogen holds us together; the size and density of deuterium changes the whole structure inside our cells

-Why present levels of deuterium in the modernized environment are problematic...14:15

• While deuterium is a natural and essential element, its presence has increased in the modernized environment: foods, atmosphere, water
• Climate change has released deuterium previously stored in ice caps
• Ice is dated by measuring the deuterium level (deuterium dating)
• Processed, synthetically made foods increase glyphosate
• GMO foods possess high amounts of deuterium
• Deuterium levels in food will vary based on where it's grown (highest in the equator and in low elevations)

-Lifestyle practices that have led to increased deuterium levels...19:45

• Lack of sleep, particularly deep REM sleep
  • REM sleep we burn up carbs, go into ketosis
  • Someone on a ketogenic diet doesn't need as much REM sleep as someone who isn't
• Breathing: fast, through the chest vs. diaphragm

-The best way to test one's deuterium levels...28:00

• D-Terminator test (condensation from lungs)
• Saliva and urine
• Water sources: well or municipal
• Major water brands typically have high deuterium levels
• Animals that are fed corn and soy will have high deuterium in their meat
• Grains in general are high in deuterium

-Why companies sell deuterium-depleted water when we possess the ability to make it ourselves...33:30

• It's a short-term biohacking tool
• DDW was originally formulated for cancer patients
  • A cancerous cell is simply a normal cell with a different metabolism
  • Deuterium gets into the DNA and is not allowed to fold
  • Cancer cells can't use the TCA cycle
  • Bottom line: DDW makes cancerous cells dysfunctional and supports healthy cells
• Primary therapies: Air, food, water, sunshine, natural therapies, appropriate exercise, thought processes, support from family and friends

-The mask that Hollywood stars use to increase their tolerance to Co2 while exercising...39:45

• We breathe in .5 to 1 liter of water while we sleep (especially in humid or tropical climates)
• Mask allows you to drink DDW while you sleep

-Other blood biomarkers that correlate to deuterium levels...42:10

• Mitochondrial health markers: CRP, HRV, iron, and more
• Modern medicine views it as a sign of disease; it's actually a sign of high deuterium levels

-Why the Center for Deuterium Depletion doesn't advocate drinking DDW as a permanent solution...44:15

• DDW shouldn't be used as a "crutch"
• It's a holistic approach, of which water is merely a component
• The amount of DDW a person should consume is protocol-specific (cancer patient vs. a wellness warrior)
• DDU: deuterium depletion unit
• Deuterium levels can be dropped in 2 weeks with water alone; takes longer for more comprehensive results

-How DDW is made and manufactured...48:45

• Distillation tower (capturing steam, freezing, extracting deuterium)
• Became necessary in communist countries where deuterium rich water was used to make bombs

-Dietary adjustments to decrease deuterium levels...50:30

• Green plants are lower in deuterium than fruits
• Algae and spirulina contain high chlorafil amounts
• Roots and underground veggies are very starchy
• Your metabolic response will help determine your needs
• No diet is better than the other, so long as you understand the deuterium load in it and adjust appropriately
• Think "lifestyle" vs. diet, water consumption, etc.

-And much more... Resources from this episode:

- Center for Deuterium Depletion website

- Click here to purchase a D-Terminator DDW test to test your own deuterium levels

- Click here to buy D-Water Test

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Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Dr. Cooper,  Dr. Que or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!

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