Borax Research Studies: Exploring the Benefits and Risks
0 User Review
Reproductive toxicity in boron exposed workers in Bandirma, Turkey.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22575543
Low frequency of infertility among workers in a borate processing facility.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12835486
I did come across two articles from Thammasat University that I wanted to get your feedback on:
Effect of borax on immune cell proliferation and sister chromatid exchange in human chromosomes
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2776007/
Genotoxic effects of borax on cultured lymphocytes.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19323026
On the flip side, other studies have shown that borax guards against genetic damage in human lymphocytes:
In vitro studies on chemoprotective effect of borax against aflatoxin B1-induced genetic damage in human lymphocytes.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22526492
Boron compounds reduce vanadium tetraoxide genotoxicity in human lymphocytes.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21791386
I would imagine that if boron leads to genotoxic effects, then birth defects or negative health consequences would have been noted in the studies listed above on occupational exposure and fertility.
I am curious on what you might have to say about the fact that genetic alterations and apoptosis have been observed in the very same cells that borax has been shown to exert protective effects.
(Los Angeles, Ca)
11/16/2012
You have cited published medical research strictly controlled and approved by AMA and FDA guidelines and acceptance. Let not this define your perception regarding the efficacy and safety of Boron.
In many cases the funding for such provided studies should be a considering factor regarding the integrity of these journals. Also, most importantly a detailed history regarding the medical and medicinal use of boran should be researched over a longer period of time, for example, past 100 years before the strong hold of the current cartel of medicine.
This website is evidence that modern medicine is not working and many paradigms are not as they seem.
(Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)
11/17/2012
Perhaps such a conspiracy you mention exists, but if it were as pervasive as you suggest, then no articles would be listed on PubMed in support of using borax. In addition, all of the articles I cited originated either from Turkey, Rome, or Thailand, in which case the FDA does not apply.
The research I cited is both supportive and critical of the use of borax/boron. In fact, the articles from Thailand were the only ones I could find to support the notion of "genotoxity. " In addition, the genetic and apoptotic effects observed in Thailand are inferred by its authors to be potentially pathological, whereas such genetic alterations might have a neutral or even positive effect on the individual's immune system. That said, the authors in Thailand provide microscopic images of these effects, and therefore it is difficult to dispute. I take these findings with a grain of salt until such studies can be replicated in a different lab. I also question the toxicity of this substance, since various studies have shown no documented ill effects in borate miners who are constantly exposed to these substances. There do appear to be cases where boron exposure causes spontaneous hair loss and skin eruptions, but this could be due to allergies or various systemic physiological imbalances, such as vitamin/mineral deficiences.
Here are two more articles in support of using borax medicinally:
Borax counteracts genotoxicity of aluminum in rat liver.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22491726
Preparation and characterization of antimicrobial wound dressings based on silver, gellan, PVA and borax.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22939352
Borax used to be prescribed medicinally in the United States, and in fact I found this image of a medicine bottle from 1920:
http://archive.org/details/Borax
Not many articles are listed on Pubmed on this topic prior to 1950, however there was one article from 1902 that described (in great detail) the results of the administration of borax and boric acid in children:
ON THE INFLUENCE OF BORIC ACID AND BORAX
UPON THE GENERAL METABOLISM OF CHILDREN.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235950/pdf/jhyg00321-0017.pdf
I will follow this post with an exhaustive review of the literature on borax for anyone who is interested.
(Los Angeles, Ca)
11/19/2012
No, not an intentional conspiracy but rather, only formulated substances that can be patented tend to receive funding for clinical trials. The conspiracy is not against Boron but only to maximize profitability for a drug producing and manufacturing company with patentable substances.
And yes, there are published journals for the use of Boron. Most if not all of the medical journals documenting the use of Boron and other natural substances like olive leaf extract, lavender oil are studied by scientists, research physicians and universities but then never make it to mass clinical trials, never officially written into pharmacopeia as effective standard treatments.
Don't let medical Journals dictate 100% of your beliefs. Many doctors I have spoke with even know to be cautious with citing these journals.
With that said, they are useful as published data can show that the substance studied has shown safe and effective in small scale testing or may be supported by other journals also published giving confidence in the substance.
(Perth, Western Australia)
12/14/2012
If any medical research centre decided to, it could publish a study saying "table salt toxicity in mice" - and so people would start getting scared of table salt thinking it was now a 'toxic' substance!
The heading is designed to get attention only. Read the article and you would discover that the salt levels used in the 'research' were high (for mice). That's what these researchers do. They keep increasing the dose until there is a reaction, then publish the results to show they have discovered something.
Simple 'toxicity' is not the issue.
Many natural chemical substances are toxic at high doses. Salt and borax are no different to hundreds of other substances. Abusing/exceeding the accepted or therapeutic dose can do harm but at the normal dose great benefits can be obtained.
