‘Natural’ supplement for infertility caused woman’s lead poisoning, Canada doctors say
A woman in Canada was hospitalized multiple times with pain in her stomach and possible internal bleeding before doctors were able to identify the surprise cause — her infertility supplements.
Three times over the course of six weeks, the 39-year-old came into the emergency department with abdominal pain, constipation, nausea and vomiting, according to an Aug. 8 case report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
By her third visit, doctors looked past her normal vital signs to search for a deeper cause of the pain and discomfort she was experiencing.
They first tested her hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells, and found levels far below normal, suggesting she was suffering from anemia, the case report says.
However, that wouldn’t be enough to cause her pain on its own.
The doctors tested her electrolytes and the levels of various minerals and vitamins in her body, according to the case report.
She had a history of hypothyroidism, so they tested her hormone levels and liver enzymes. Everything was normal, the doctors said.
The doctors took samples of her bone marrow and biopsied her female reproductive organs to test for endometriosis. Again, no startling results, according to the case report.
“Her discharge diagnosis was anemia of unknown cause and possible mild endometriosis,” the doctors said in the case report.
She was given pain killers, some laxatives and her usual medication, then sent home.
Unusual buildup of chemicals
Her stomach pain improved, but she still felt tired, had shortness of breath, headaches and ringing in her ears, the doctors said.
Four weeks later, she was back in the hospital and doctors received the results of a previous porphyria screening, a test that looks for unusual buildups of chemicals in the body.
Her blood lead level was 55 micrograms per deciliter, more than 25 times the acceptable value of 2 micrograms per deciliter.
She had extreme lead poisoning.
It was then that she told the doctors she had been taking Ayurvedic supplements every day for more than a year to help treat her infertility, the case report said.
“Her regimen varied, ranging from a few to a dozen pills daily,” the doctors said in the case report. “She had stopped taking them before her admission to the hospital because of the abdominal pain, but had resumed them after discharge.”
While taking standard Western medicine to help the woman become pregnant, she had also been consuming multiple types of pills and using incense, the case report says.
A ‘natural’ treatment
Ayurveda, from the Sanskrit words ayur, meaning life, and veda, meaning science or knowledge, is an ancient form of Indian medicine that uses “natural” treatments and therapies to create a balance between your body, mind, spirit and environment, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The 3,000-year-old practice uses herbs and plants or oil and spices in combination with therapy, yoga and meditation, Johns Hopkins Medicine says, to internally cleanse the body.
“A nationally representative survey in the United States found that 1 in 1000 people had used Ayurvedic medicines in the previous year,” the case report said.
Shocked by the amount of lead that was circulating through the woman’s body after taking Ayurveda supplements, the doctors decided to test the pills themselves, according to the case report.
The woman gave Public Health Ontario 17 distinct pills and two samples of incense that were then tested for lead.
From those pills, 11 tested higher than the lead limit for natural supplements, and one pill contained so much lead that it was 13% lead by weight, according to the case report.
Not only did the doctors find lead in the pills, but 14 out of 15 samples tested by Health Canada showed high levels of arsenic and mercury as well, according to a recall report.
Some of the pills also included prescription medications, given to customers without a doctor prescription, the case report said.
All of the pills came from a single Ayurvedic health consulting company in Toronto, causing health officials in Canada to announce a recall and warning for anyone using products from the company.
Hundreds of pills were seized by health officials, and the company’s 200 customers were warned about the dangers of their products.
Metals are intentionally added
“A random sample of Ayurvedic pills bought on the Internet from manufacturers based in the United States and India showed that 21% contained lead, mercury or arsenic,” the case report said. “Heavy metals are sometimes intentionally added for their perceived healing properties.”
The doctors concluded traditional or herbal medications should be considered as possible causes when patients present lead poisoning symptoms.
The woman was treated for lead poisoning and later recovered, but doctors said her case “highlights the risks and clinical manifestations of lead toxicity from Ayurvedic medicines and the importance of collaboration between clinicians and public health authorities to control the health risk from lead in consumer products.”
The case occurred in Toronto.
This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 2:19 PM with the headline "‘Natural’ supplement for infertility caused woman’s lead poisoning, Canada doctors say."
