This is Google's cache of https://eddiesbloglist.rocks/. It is a snapshot of the page as it appeared on Mar 28, 2024 05:35:02 GMT. The current page could have changed in the meantime. Learn more.
Full versionText-only versionView source
Tip: To quickly find your search term on this page, press Ctrl+F or ⌘-F (Mac) and use the find bar.
Eddie's Blog List – Dispelling The Mainstream Narrative

Dr. Sebastian Gorka: Don’t Be Held Hostage to Big Pharma

By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH

Please enjoy this bigger than life interview I had with a true giant and former White House advisor, Dr. Sebastian Gorka. His booming voice gets your attention as we analyze a few points on pandemic response, particularly the denial of lawful, clinically appropriate, medically necessary prescriptions by pharmacists during the pandemic.

Gorka presents The Wellness Company membership as a potential solution—free for Courage Discourse subscribers. From telemedicine to its own pharmacy and medical emergency kits to have at home, The Wellness Company and its medical board and affiliates are presenting America with a solution as we come into election season and the threat of biologically engineered Disease X delivered by the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex from one of its biolabs positioned all over the globe.

The Wellness Company, use PROMO CODE COURAGE

Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH

Chief Scientific Officer, The Wellness Company

The Wellness Company

(Makow) Was the Moscow Concert Attack Staged?

March 27, 2024 Winter Watch Around the Web 0

Henry Makow | March 26, 2024

In conclusion, the currently available video evidence 

and some additional evidence concerning the March 22 Moscow 

concert hall attack is consistent with or even suggestive 

of a staged event run by Russian security forces. 

The motivation may have been to create a pretext for an escalation 

of the Ukraine War. Additional evidence may either confirm 

or refute this preliminary assessment.”

Why Staged-Deception Events Are Used More Often Than Pure False-Flags Operations

Editor’s Note: This is a re-run of our Feb. 20, 2018, Winter Watch article with relevant updates. It focuses on the wash, rinse, repeat patterns of staged deception since about 2016.  Of particular note is that the videos linked to in the original article have been scrubbed from YouTube and elsewhere. This is an increasing pattern seen since 2017, as evidence and high traffic truth sites are flushed down the memory hole. We leave them in current state to reinforce out points made in Post Staged-Deception Evidence Widely Scrubbed from the Internet: What to do About it.


It has been our contention that the majority of mass casualty events are fake or synthetic hoaxes. There may be a small degree of hybrids events used as cover to eliminate targeted individuals. Since the term “hoax” seems to get a pejorative reaction (similar to “conspiracy theory”), perhaps a better term to use is “staged deception.”

The reason staged deceptions are preferred — meaning not involving real deaths or a limited number of deaths — is primarily because real victims or their survivors go off the rails and can’t be controlled. Real false flags with real death gets very messy, whereas staged deceptions can be precisely directed and manipulated. Fakes can and do read off of a script. Real victims wouldn’t be so immediately scripted.

The Crime Syndicate has been liberally using faux personas for centuries. It is fundamental stagecraft or spycraft. Watch the movie Little Drummer Girl.

Plus, owning the victimhood franchise, or “victim stance,” is extremely effective and valuable for four reasons: 1) beating back those who question the anomalies (the gaslighting, one-trick-pony, “you’re crazy” accusation); 2) maximizing charity frauds and government-funded loots; 3) demonizing target groups or peoples; and 4) forcing problem-reaction-solution control agendas. One such example of late is “control of the Internet,” “pre-crime” intervention and hauling targets into mental health facilities.

The following 22-item staged-deception detection checklist offers more detail. There is only a little variation between events, and they follow a familiar wash-rinse-repeat pattern and scripts such as “manifestos”. We call this “high strangeness.”

No. 1: A staged drill for a similar type of event happening at the same time and/or nearby place.

No. 2: Grainy, obscured or non-existent photos or videos (circa 1963 Dealey Plaza) of the alleged violence or bodies. Images are typically blocked, filtered and obscured. There are unexplained filters or blurs present on much of the imagery offered up. The camera is jerky and bouncing and shifts to the ground or sky at crucial moments. Sound is used for effect, and often the camera person is far too chatty and offers up NLP trauma-based implants.

Cameras are often used of a genre that never existed even in the past and certainly not in the current year. Given the numbers of alleged eyewitnesses, few footage clips emerge of clear, decisive evidence of death and carnage. Only impressions are given. There is a surreal “black magic” art form applied to images the public is shown. See: An Analysis of the 2016 Brussels Airport ‘Bombing’ and Waukesha Parade High Strangeness Psyops Examined.

Of late very little imagery is even bothered with. It’s as if the public is conditioned to react in Pavlov dog fashion strictly through a talking head on TV.

No. 3: A pronouncement is made by a stooge that the scenes are too awful and graphic to show to the public. The victimization stance is employed to deflect clear examination of “death scenes,” autopsies, interviews by those other than the MSM and proof of real deaths. Those asking for proof are gas lighted and shamed. Full and clear CCTV footage is rarely provided.

Update: another scrubbed video

No. 4: There is a tepid emergency response that doesn’t combine with the mass casualty count. Emergency responders are often spotted waiting around at some distance as shown in the video below. What footage that does appear hardly shows a thing, let alone mass casualties.

Update: another scrubbed video

No. 5: Images and videos are aggressively scrubbed and memory holed from social media and YouTube. Try to find the streaming video of the alleged shooters in Buffalo and Christchurch.

More than Merely Dubious: How I Was Permanently Banned at Reddit

No. 6: Eyewitnesses provide conflicting accounts of what happened, as was the routine at Ft. Lauderdale. With the Las Vegas and Florida high school mass shootings, a multiple-shooter distraction is pushed forward.

Update: another scrubbed video- no way to keep up.

Devin Kelley, the Texas church shooter boogeyman with no motive

No. 7: Mainstream lugenpresse media quickly name and demonize the perpetrator (patsy or cutout). The perp always has bizarre social media posts with a boogeyman persona and, of course, pictures posed with weapons and manifestos. Some early accounts are later shown to be false.

Typically the manifestos are cut and paste reused previous screeds.

The Buffalo Shooter and His ‘Plagiarized’ Manifesto

No. 8: The culprit often has no military training and yet can achieve mass casualties extremely fast and shoot accurately. [See “Las Vegas Mandalay Shooting”] and A Discussion with John Friend about the Ramifications of the Alleged Supermarket Event in a Poor Neighborhood of Buffalo

No. 9: Culprit gets killed, drugged or “suicided.” Alternatively, a surviving cutout perp is rarely if ever seen again [see  Why Haven’t Certain Notorious Mass Killers of the Last Decade Been Interviewed?

No. 10: Culprit leaves behind a “manifesto” and/or ID. Of late, he is involved with “online jihadist or white supremacist forums.”

No. 11: Evidence gets conveniently destroyed or is sealed. Surviving culprits are rarely seen and are never interviewed in jail or prison. Perps/cutouts fall into the star chamber justice system. See: Pittsburgh Synagogue Gunman Robert D. Bowers Nonexistent in the System

No. 12: No obvious motive for the mass attack on innocents. Although the manifestos call for strikes on the power structure, attacks on high value targets are non-existent. Instead it is grandmothers and poor people.

No. 13: Immediate calls for gun control, mental health measures or controls on the Internet. Of late portraying local police as cowards and incompetents is used. Victims are instantly at the forefront.

Russ Winter, Robert Phoenix Discuss Uvalde as Backdrop to Nationalizing Police

No. 14: “Victims” appear to be staged-crisis actors. [See ” Did Rochester Institute of Technology Class of ’07 Grads Provide Fake Personas for the Vegas Shooting?

Abundant duping delight is present — so much so that New Age hocus pocus has emerged that people now “grieve differently.” Families of “victims” and other crisis actors show little to no emotion and sometimes even snicker and cry without tears. Players are often melodramatic posers and synthetic looking.

Duping delight illustrated

No. 15: “Victims” and “witnesses” get killed twice or are recycled to appear in later events.

No. 16: Checks on the backgrounds of victims reveal no public records or records with glaring errors. [See ” Miles Mathis Exposes Fake Personas in the Las Vegas Shooting Victims

Findagrave searches usually turn up nothing.

No. 17: Families of “victims” have elite, military or acting backgrounds. People with criminal backgrounds are utilized.

No. 18: All-smiles families and friends of “victims” receive millions in federal payoffs and Gofundme charity.

No. 19: Foreknowledge of event appear in social media.

No. 20: Wounds do not correlate and match the weapons used (Hollywood effect). Victims suffering severe wounds are shown in public a short time, if not days, later. See: Roanoke Shooting: If You Believed This, You’ll Believe Anything

There are even stories of survivors being in multiple deceptions. [See ” Mason Wells from Brussels Blast: Head Shrinks After Miracle Recovery“]

No. 21: There are frequent reveals and mistakes made in staging scenes. In the Orlando Pulse event, actors walked past the camera and — perhaps thinking they are out of sight of cameras — stopped, grinned, stood up the injured man with red shoes and engaged in a little jig. Red shoe shown firmly planted on terra in video below.

-surviving videos are in this article: Orlando Pulse ‘Shooting’ Skulduggery — Smoking Guns Galore

Note: We don’t have the staff or budget to birddog hundreds of these deep-sixed videos. It is important to check these events within a few days of when they happen and before memory holing and censorship.

No. 22:  Shoes as Calling Cards are left behind: Shoes in Staged Deceptions and False Flags as Both Calling Cards and Black Magik

Study: These 3 Supplements Boost Your Heart Health

  • An analysis of 884 randomized controlled trials including 27 micronutrients and 883,627 participants demonstrated that folic acid, coenzyme Q10 and omega-3 fatty acids could reduce heart disease mortality, heart attack and coronary heart disease events

  • Omega-3, folic acid and CoQ10 help support more than your heart, including reducing the risk of dementia, age-related cognitive decline and major depressive disorder, promoting DNA synthesis and red blood cell production, lowering blood pressure and decreasing brain shrinkage, to name a few

  • While the study is encouraging, you can do more to protect your heart health, including getting adequate sleep, appropriate exercise, using a sauna and doing breathing exercises, taking care of your gums and avoiding lifestyle choices that damage heart health

Visit Mercola Market

Advertisement

A December 2022 paper1 analyzed 884 clinical trials and 27 micronutrients to determine the nutrients that have the biggest impact on heart health. The focus on heart disease is important since it continues to be the leading cause of death in the U.S.2

Cardiovascular disease is a term that encompasses several types of conditions, many of which are related to atherosclerosis. In this condition, there’s a buildup of plaque along the walls of the artery which makes it more difficult for blood to flow and oxygen to reach the muscles. Heart disease contributes to some of the other leading causes of death, including stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.

According to the World Health Organization,3 4 out of every 5 cardiovascular deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and roughly one-third of these occur in people under 70 years of age. In the U.S.,4 one person dies every 33 seconds from cardiovascular disease, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds and roughly 1 out of every 5 heart attacks are silent. This means the heart attack happened, the damage is done, but the person is not aware of the event.

According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,5 90% of the annual health care bill totaling $4.1 trillion is dedicated to caring for people with chronic and mental health conditions. Of those, one-third of all deaths are from heart disease and stroke, which has an economic burden of $216 billion every year and $147 billion in lost productivity.

Cardiovascular disease is a multifactorial health condition that must be addressed using a variety of strategies. This systematic review of the literature6 helped identify three nutritional supplements that have had the biggest impact, but not the only impact, on cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The study7 was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology with the objective of providing an up-to-date evidence-based diagram of the impact that micronutrients have on cardiovascular disease outcomes.

The researchers analyzed 884 randomized controlled clinical trials that included 27 micronutrients and 883,627 participants. The supplements tested included omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, folic acid, vitamin D, magnesium, L-arginine, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), melatonin, curcumin and quercetin, to name a few. These were among the supplements that suggested moderate to high-quality evidence for reducing risk factors associated with heart disease.

Specifically, the researchers found that omega-3 supplementation reduced heart disease mortality, heart attack and coronary heart disease events. Folic acid supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of stroke and CoQ10 helped reduce all-cause mortality events. The researchers concluded that their data highlighted the “importance of micronutrient diversity and the balance of benefits and risks to promote and maintain cardiovascular health in diverse populations.”8

In other words, the diversity and balance of vitamins, minerals and micronutrients from a well-balanced, whole-food diet could help promote and maintain heart health. Unfortunately, monocropping,9 nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides have destroyed soil health,10 so with each passing year it becomes more challenging to get enough vitamins and minerals from whole foods.11 12

The data also showed that supplementing with beta-carotene could increase the risk of death,13 which is likely because it converts to vitamin A in the body and supplementing increases the risk of toxicity.14 In a press release,15 the researchers acknowledged that antioxidants have long been known to play a role in heart health by reducing oxidative stress.

They believe that one reason past studies have been inconsistent is that the approach of using antioxidant therapy hasn’t been widely adopted in preventive cardiology. The researchers said the findings suggest there is a need for personalized dietary interventions and further study is required to look at the long-term effects that some micronutrients have on health.

Dr. Simin Liu, professor of epidemiology and medicine at Brown University and a principal investigator for the study, discussed the results of the study in a press release:16

“Research on micronutrient supplementation has mainly focused on the health effects of a single or a few vitamins and minerals. We decided to take a comprehensive and systematic approach to evaluate all the publicly available and accessible studies reporting all micronutrients, including phytochemicals and antioxidant supplements and their effects on cardiovascular risk factors as well as multiple cardiovascular diseases.”

Since much of mainstream reporting appears bent on generalizations that serve the purpose of advertisers, it is crucial to ask questions as you read, and not take things at face value. For example, a December 2022 Insider article17 reported that even though researchers found three supplements that could help improve heart health, and one that doesn’t help, there were other studies showing problems with fish oil.

The article gives several examples and links to more research, but what it illustrates is that, depending on the publication and the authors’ affiliations and objectives, it’s important to keep an open mind when you see a study, and to remember this is one reason why it’s important to keep your doctor informed about what you’re taking, if for no other reason than because some supplements can interfere with certain prescription drugs.

Another concern is that cardiologists are seeing a rise in heart problems in connection with certain herbal remedies, specifically, heart arrhythmias in young people.18 (Herbal remedies are derived from a plant’s seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark or flowers,19 and besides in pill form, they often come as a liquid extract, tea, bath salt, oil or ointment.)

According to Cleveland Clinic,20 herbal supplements have been used for centuries, as they are believed to have healing properties. Some examples include aloe vera, echinacea, peppermint oil and chamomile.

The “herbal” supplements that Insider named included fish-based omega-3 and beta carotene, even though fish oil doesn’t qualify as an herbal supplement. In the article, California-based cardiologist Dr. Danielle Belardo names ephedra and bitter orange as the supplements causing the most trouble.

The U.S. banned ephedra in 2004 because it causes arrhythmia, heart attack, stroke and death, but it still shows up in some herbal supplements.21 The evidence against bitter orange is inconclusive when taken at commonly used dosages.

Insider also discusses conflicting findings on the benefits of fish oil and ashwagandha, while links within the article lead to more discussion on the pros and cons of fish oil — a source of omega-3, but not the only source.22

When analyzing all the different outcomes, it’s likely that the mixed research results reflects cases where participants are not always tested for deficiency before the potential benefits of supplementation are measured. It’s also important to note that while nutrients are necessary for optimal health, more of a good thing isn’t necessarily beneficial.

While the featured study has confirmed what past research has found — that these supplements are associated with improved cardiovascular health — these three nutrients have other health benefits. For example:

  • Omega-3 — Just some of the health benefits of maintaining an optimal or near optimal balance of omega-3 and omega-6 include reducing your risk of Alzheimer’s disease,23 cognitive decline,24 autoimmune diabetes (Type 1 diabetes),25 eczema or psoriasis,26 tumor growth,27 major depressive disorder and other psychiatric disorders,28 and poor weight management.29

    
    

    Balanced omega-3 to omega-6 levels also offer protection for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS),30 cognitive aging,31 and improved recovery after traumatic brain injury.32

  • Folate — Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9 that’s found in food, while folic acid is the synthetic type of B9 found in supplements. Vitamin B9 is essential; your body cannot synthesize it so you must consume it.

    
    

    Folate is required for DNA synthesis, protein metabolism and red blood cell production.33 It also supports fetal development, cognitive function during aging,34 lowering blood pressure and decreasing brain shrinkage.35 Deficiency can lead to depression, infertility, heart disease, anemia, muscle weakness and dementia.36

  • CoQ10 — Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant your body produces, and the highest levels are found in the pancreas, liver, kidneys and heart.37 Evidence demonstrates that it is integral to mitochondrial function.38

    
    

    One of the functions of CoQ10 and ubiquinol — the reduced form — is to neutralize the byproducts of cellular metabolism and therefore lower the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS).39 Supplementation can help lower the incidence of atrial fibrillation40 improve mitochondrial function, and may halt the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).41

While this study is encouraging, supplementing with omega-3, folic acid and CoQ10 are not singular strategies that protect your heart health. In other words, your heart health is affected by several factors over which you have control. These include:

  • Sleep — Insufficient sleep42 and the time you go to bed43 influence your heart health. In the short-term, sleep deprivation also negatively affects your judgment, ability to learn and mood, and increases your risk of an accident or injury.44

  • Exercise — Exercise, including aerobic and resistance training, helps preserve cardiovascular health. The American Heart Association recommends at least 2.5 hours of getting your heart above a resting rate each week45 to help improve the risk factors associated with heart disease.46 Resistance training reduces muscle loss, which is associated with insulin resistance,47 metabolic dysfunction48 and cardiovascular disease.49

  • Sauna use — Sauna use mimics exercise and improves heart health. Men using a Finnish-style, dry heat sauna seven times per week cut their risk of death from fatal heart problems in half, compared to those who used it only once a week.50

  • Breathing exercises — Two minutes of slow rhythmic breathing help lower blood pressure,51 which the researchers suggested could be used therapeutically. A separate study52 from the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Arizona found five minutes of focused high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) could lower blood pressure.

  • Gum health — People with periodontal disease have a higher risk of a serious cardiovascular event, including a stroke or a heart attack.53 It is important to note that people with heart disease don’t all have unhealthy gums and not everyone with unhealthy gums gets cardiovascular disease. Daily flossing and tooth brushing can help reverse the early stages of gum disease, which when left untreated can turn into periodontal disease.

  • Nutrition — Polyphenol proanthocyanidins unique to cranberries may help support heart health,54 vitamin D can improve heart failure outcomes55 and a vitamin D deficiency is a significant predictor of mortality.56

    
    

    Adequate amounts of vitamin K2 in the diet can significantly lower the risk of atherosclerotic-related heart disease,57 and magnesium, which is essential to many bodily functions, helps maintain normal blood pressure, combats inflammation and improves blood flow, thereby lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.58

  • Avoiding lifestyle choices that damage heart health — As important as doing something to improve your heart health is not doing the things that damage your heart. For example,59 smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, overeating, a sedentary lifestyle and substance abuse are choices that damage your heart.

    
    

    There are also medications and over-the-counter drugs that can cause heart damage in people with diabetes, including commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen (Advil).60

>”,”action”:null,”class”:null}” data-component-name=”ButtonCreateButton”>NEXT ARTICLE >>

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked.

The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. The subscription fee being requested is for access to the articles and information posted on this site, and is not being paid for any individual medical advice.

If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before using products based on this content.

Tattoo Ink Can Cause Organ Failure and Allergies

  • Researchers with Binghamton University in New York analyzed 54 tattoo inks from nine different brands common in the U.S.

  • Among them, 45 contained additives and/or pigments that weren’t listed

  • More than half of the inks contained polyethylene glycol (PEG), which can cause organ damage

  • Fifteen of the tattoo inks analyzed contained propylene glycol, a potential allergen that could cause health issues due to systemic absorption

  • Most of the dangers from tattoo inks come from iron oxides, which can cause high iron levels; the most effective way to lower your iron is to donate blood two to four times a year

Visit Mercola Market

Advertisement

In the U.S., 32% of adults have a tattoo.1 Among them, 22% have more than one. In most cases (69%), people get tattoos to remember or honor a person or event, while 47% get tattoos to make a statement about something they believe in. Another 32% of Americans surveyed said they got a tattoo to improve their personal appearance.2

But what many don’t consider is that tattoos can have a negative effect on physical health, due to adulterants commonly found in tattoo ink. In short, this form of personal expression comes with a price, one that could be as high as organ damage or allergic reactions.3

Researchers with Binghamton University in New York analyzed 54 tattoo inks from nine different brands common in the U.S. Among them, 45 contained additives and/or pigments that weren’t listed. More than half of the inks contained polyethylene glycol (PEG), a synthetic, water-soluble polymer used in a variety of products, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and personal care items.

In tattoo ink, PEG may act as a solvent or a carrier for the pigment, helping to maintain the ink’s consistency. However, PEG “can cause organ damage through repeated exposure,” a Binghamton University press release noted.4 Allergic reaction to PEG is another risk, with symptoms ranging from mild skin irritations to more severe responses, such as anaphylaxis.

Another health concern related to PEG in tattoo inks is its potential role in systemic absorption and distribution, leading to questions about the long-term impact of these substances on the body’s systems. The disruption of the skin barrier during tattooing could theoretically increase the risk of systemic exposure.

“Pigments may accumulate in the lymph nodes or other organs as they are in direct contact with the skin tissue and lymphatic system,” researchers explained in Chemical Research in Toxicology.5

Further, 15 of the tattoo inks analyzed contained propylene glycol, another potential allergen that could cause additional issues due to systemic absorption. “Other contaminates included an antibiotic commonly used to treat urinary tract infections and 2-phenoxyethanol, which poses potential health risks to nursing infants,” the news release reported.6

It’s unknown whether the contaminants were intentionally added or the result of contaminated or incorrectly labelled materials.

The research was conducted by John Swierk, an assistant professor of chemistry, and colleagues, who are seeking to understand the molecular composition of tattoo inks to uncover any potential risks:7

“Tattoo inks are particles of pigments suspended in a water solution. Inks are usually made of a mixture of solid particles, molecular dyes, binders, and water. The color of the tattoo comes from light being reflected or absorbed by the particles and dyes … we don’t really understand the potential risks of tattoos.

The scientific and medical literature do document many instances of undesired reactions to tattoos, with long-term allergic reactions being most common.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regards inks and pigments used in tattoos as cosmetics,8 which means, like most of the cosmetics market, there’s very little oversight. The FDA even notes that many pigments used in tattoo inks are industrial-grade colors suitable for printers’ ink or automobile paint, not specifically approved for skin contact.9

In late 2022, Congress passed the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA), which allowed the FDA to regulate tattoo inks. “The FDA is still figuring out what that is going to look like and we think this study will influence the discussions around MoCRA,” Swierk said, adding:10

“This is also the first study to explicitly look at inks sold in the United States and is probably the most comprehensive because it looks at the pigments, which nominally stay in the skin, and the carrier package, which is what the pigment is suspended in.”

The featured study only included adulterants at high concentrations of 2,000 parts per million (ppm) or more. In Europe, where tattoo inks are more strictly regulated, substances are considered in the 2 ppm range. In future studies, the researchers plan to see if pigments banned in Europe are present in U.S. tattoo inks.

“Our goal in a lot of this research is to empower artists and their clients. Tattoo artists are serious professionals who have dedicated their lives to this craft and they want the best possible outcomes for their clients,” Swierk said. “We’re trying to highlight that there are some deficiencies in manufacturing and labeling.”11

Still, even in the European Union, separate research found 93% of tattoo inks tested violated European legal requirements on labeling. While 50% of the inks listed at least one pigment ingredient incorrectly, 61% contained pigments of concerns, with red inks being particularly problematic.12

In addition, tattoo ink residues — particularly acrylonitrile butadiene styrene particles — are one source of plastic particle pollution that’s been detected in human blood.13

Metals are also common in tattoo ink, with one study finding that iron, aluminium, titanium and copper were most abundant.14

Iron oxides, which are compounds formed by iron and oxygen, are used as pigments in tattoo inks due to their stability and vibrant hues. They vary in color depending on the specific chemical composition and structure. For instance, black iron oxide is used to create black inks, while red iron oxide is often used for red inks.

While it’s often suggested that iron oxides in tattoo ink is safe, a case report published in the journal Virulence showed that tattoos can lead to high iron levels in the blood. The study reported a young woman with profound anemia whose serum iron levels were inexplicably high:15

“Her high serum iron was not fully explainable until we examined the patient and noticed a large black tattoo on her left flank area. Apparently iron oxide in the ink used for the tattoo was absorbed transcutaneously and led to high serum iron in the face of the other data, which suggested iron deficiency … We believe that this case report … illustrates the potential toxicity of tattoo ink.”

Your body has a limited capacity to excrete iron, so it can easily build up in organs like your liver, heart and pancreas. This is dangerous because iron is a potent oxidizer that can damage your tissues and contribute to a variety of health problems, including cancer. The Chemical Research in Toxicology researchers, from Ege University in Turkey, explained:16

“In tattoo inks, Fe [iron] forms red (Fe2O3), black (Fe3O4), yellow (FeOOH), and brown (iron oxide mixture) colors in different formulas. Iron oxide is a known darkener used in tattoo inks. These iron oxides are present in inorganic inks, albeit in small quantities. It is reported that it reacts with O2 [oxygen] and H2O [water] and turns into different salts.

Iron oxide formation has been associated with significant deleterious effects, such as inflammation, apoptosis, disruption of mitochondrial function, membrane changes, reactive oxygen species formation, increased micronucleus induction, and chromosome condensation, depending on concentration, exposure time, and cell type.”

Further, accumulation of iron from these oxides can lower glutathione levels in brain tissues, leading to oxidative stress — a condition where harmful molecules cause damage to cells.17 Studies have also shown that iron accumulation can lead to an increase in harmful lipid oxidation within cells.

Similarly, iron oxide nanoparticles can damage the membranes of rat brain endothelial cells by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), harmful molecules that can cause significant damage to cell structures.18

Elevated ferritin, a protein that’s the carrier molecule of iron, is also associated with a 2.9 times higher risk of death from cancer19 and blood donors have been shown to have a lower likelihood of developing certain cancers than nondonors.20

Elevated ferritin has also been linked to dysfunctional glucose metabolism, raising the risk of diabetes nearly fivefold in men and fourfold in women.21 22 High ferritin also increases your risk of metabolic syndrome,23 a condition associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, liver disease and heart disease and insulin resistance.

According to research published in 2018, buildup of iron also has a type of “rusting effect” in your brain and is common in most Alzheimer’s patients.24

I suspect high iron may actually be a catalyst when it comes to skin cancer, along with high linoleic acid (LA) intake. LA is oxidized by iron, creating something called lipofuscin, which is basically iron attached to oxidized LA. A more common term for lipofuscin is liver spots. So, liver spots are a dermal representation of oxidative damage to LA by high iron.

The key to avoiding the health risks associated with tattoos is to not get them in the first place. But if you already have tattoos, there are steps you can take to help mitigate the risks of iron exposure.

The most effective way to lower your iron is to donate blood two to four times a year. If losing 10% of your blood in one sitting is problematic for you, then you can remove blood in smaller amounts once a month on the schedule I have listed below. If you have congestive heart failure or severe COPD, you should discuss this with your doctor, but otherwise this is a fairly appropriate recommendation for most.

Christy Sutton, D.C., is the author of two books, “Genetic Testing: Defining Your Path to a Personalized Health Plan: An Integrative Approach to Optimize Health,” and “The Iron Curse: Is Your Doctor Letting High Iron Destroy Your Health?” In our interview, she reviews the dangers of excessive iron and also recommends additional strategies to lower your iron levels. One is the supplement curcumin.

“Clinically, I have seen curcumin’s ability to lower iron almost to a fault,” she says. “… for people that are high in iron or even inflamed with high iron, high ferritin, that’s a great place to start, because curcumin binds to iron. It also has all of these other wonderful health-promoting properties. It’s so good for your brain — it actually helps remove excess iron from the brain and other organs, the heart, liver, spleen.”

Sutton also recommends taking curcumin with an iron-rich meal, such as shellfish or red meat, to inhibit iron uptake. Other supplements that help bind iron include silymarin, an extract from milk thistle. It lowers iron and helps protect and repair the liver. Another thing that binds to and lowers iron is alpha-lipoic acid.

You can have your iron levels checked using a simple blood test called a serum ferritin test. I believe this is one of the most important tests that everyone should have done on a regular basis as part of a preventive, proactive health screen. However, if you have tattoos, this test may be especially important. Aside from a serum ferritin test, a gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) test can also be used as a screening marker for excess free iron.

Sutton recommends keeping ferritin below 100 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml). Ferritin above 100 ng/ml means you’re either inflamed, have high iron or both. Studies referenced in Sutton’s book suggest anything over 200 is pathological. The higher your ferritin level, the shorter your lifespan. You’re also more likely to die of a heart attack and cancer. Remember, if your iron levels are high, donating blood two to four times a year is an effective way to lower them.

>”,”action”:null,”class”:null}” data-component-name=”ButtonCreateButton”>NEXT ARTICLE >>

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked.

The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. The subscription fee being requested is for access to the articles and information posted on this site, and is not being paid for any individual medical advice.

If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before using products based on this content.