Breast Implant Poisoning and Why Explant Surgery is on the Rise

Many women are suffering today from chronic illness, autoimmune disease, heavy metal poisoning and more, without showing signs of getting better even with the best microbiome rebuilding protocol, GAPS. They deliver babies who experience eczema that only goes away with chelation treatment, and themselves often experience unrelenting and continually worsening welts, migrating consuming hives, intestinal issues, hair loss, debilitating joint pain, fatigue, itching and burning, skin on fire, histamine responses, urticaria, thrush, bloating, exhaustion, irritation and other symptoms. They often feel like they are losing their minds as doctor after doctor, medicine after medicine turn up no results. Losing hope becomes debilitating to the point of mental breakdown. 

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Silicone poisoning, also known as Silicone Implant Illness, presents in many forms. 

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reports, “Ongoing studies are strongly encouraged in all areas from cancer detection to autoimmune disease as we strive for improved patient safety, patient awareness, and patient education.”

Several reports are made, such as a study of the reports on breast implants published in Information for Women About the Safety of Silicone Breast Implants. They said, “There is no evidence that silicone implants are responsible for any major diseases of the whole body.” Yet their committee concluded recommendations of, “The need for standard procedures in informing women about breast implants, conducting studies on their safety, and approving changes in design; and (the) need (for) more research.”

They specifically found, “Many women will have secondary problems such as severe contracture, rupture, and implant removal. Implants do not last forever; risks accumulate over time, and many women should expect to have more than one implant. Some women with breast implants are indeed very ill. However, the committee can find no evidence that these women are sick because of their implants.”

Of the 400,000 breast augmentation surgeries each year, 25% of them are reported to be reconstruction after mastectomy, according to Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Statistics.

Even though many experts say there are no reports done on the dangers of breast implants, they exist. Connective Tissue Disorder is a common complaint from women with breast implants, so much so that studies on the issue were performed in 2011, 2010, 2007, 2004, 2001, the list goes on. 

Internal Medicine Journal reported a study showing women with implants had lower BMI but when compared to the control group, reported less healthy emotional states and lower quality of life in general. They were over twice as likely to suffer from lupus, an autoimmune disease involving great pain. They had higher depression scores and the rate of suicide was astounding. The control group committed suicide 0.4% of the time as compared to the implant group with 7%, a shocking statistic difference.

The International Journal of Epidemiology reported a study of 23,847 women, 3,950 of the women had breast implants, 19,897 did not and were considered the control group. The women were followed for over 3.5 years. Medical records confirmed connective tissue disorders in 21 women with implants as compared to 74 women without implants. Again, a shocking statistic difference.

They reported the study was too small to consider applicable, but found, “A small increased risk of connective tissue disorders.”

Internal Medicine Disorders studied complaints regarding connective tissue diseases, thyroid disorders, fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis and made the observation, “Allegations that exposure to endogenous silicone, especially related to breast implants, might be causally related to connective tissue disease. More recent comparative studies have implied no such increased risk. The aims of the present study were to compare the prevalence and/or incidence of autoimmune and connective tissue disorders in a population-based cohort of female Sydney residents stratified by augmentation mammoplasty status.”

European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology reported a study of those with implants and those without, reporting, “Positive correlation with implant rupture was given for the numb feeling/tingling sensation in extremities.”

The National Center for Health Research has a comprehensive ongoing database of information and studies on implants and chronic illness.

The overwhelming tone of these studies is women report feeling sick, they do a study, and their results are not strong enough to decide conclusive evidence. At the same time, when women have explant surgery done, they often, if not always, report and improvement in chronic health issues. 

So many complaints have been made from women suffering from chronic illnesses, that the FDA held a two-day conference, a Federal Review, on March 25th at 26th at 2019 regarding renewed safety concerns. The FDA, “Warned two makers of breast implants that they had failed to conduct adequate long-term studies of the devices’ effects on women’s health. Those studies were mandated as a condition of approving the implants, and the agency cautioned that the devices could be taken off the market if the research wasn’t properly carried out.”

The following week they held another two-day meeting on just breast implants, in order to hear from researchers, specialists, patient advocacy groups and manufacturers.

The New York Times reported, “One problem to be discussed is an uncommon cancer of the immune system called anaplastic large cell lymphoma, which has been detected so far in 457 women with breast implants, according to the F.D.A. Removing the implants usually eliminates the disease, but some women have also needed chemotherapy, and 17 deaths from the cancer have been reported worldwide.”

To read the 251 page PDF transcript of this meeting, click here. The ultimate conclusion, was more research was needed. 

In the meeting, there were small windows of opportunity for individuals, open to the public, could speak for 3 minutes. Many, many women traveled thousands of miles, at their own expense, to speak for their three minutes.

One woman came from Canada and said, “Since my explant last January, all of my autoimmune symptoms have subsided. In the last year I have had only one major flare-up in which it took mere weeks to recover instead of months.”

Another woman said, “Within months of implant surgery, I started having symptoms such as migraines and unexplained weight gain despite my healthy lifestyle. I started then having flu-like symptoms that I could not relieve. The symptoms kept accumulating. I was referred to countless doctors of various specialties. By the 6-year post-implant, I was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune illnesses. I was completely bedridden, waiting to die.”

She went on to say, “Breast implant illness has cost me everything. I had to close my thriving business. I’m in the process of being accepted into a Chapter 13 and home loan modification, but I still may lose my home. I can no longer afford health insurance and cannot afford medical care. Today, I am no longer bedridden, and I’m about 85% better. The only medical procedure I had was the explanation of my implants. I lost 10 years of my life due to safe implants.”

Another woman who flew in from Canada, said, “Implants transformed me from an athlete with a full-time job to a full-time patient.” Years later she had explant surgery and said, “My implants and capsule (were) analyzed by Dr. Pierre Blais in Ottawa. My capsules were a hundred times thicker than what he usually sees and were covered with granulomas. But the most shocking was the fact that one of my implants had a micro rupture of longstanding origin that had leaked silicone oil into my body for years. After my explant surgery, several of my long-term symptoms disappeared almost immediately.”

The stories are extensive. Another woman spoke for her 3 minutes saying, “After experiencing breast implant illness and researching, I found that silicone is not safe or biologically inert, as described by my plastic surgeon, but rather it is made of an array of toxic chemicals and heavy metals that leak from early on and interact with our body glands, organs, and immune system, causing profound illness.”

It is a common misunderstanding that implants are simply filled with saline or silicone, however, this is incorrect. The heavy metal content of breast implants is astounding, including:

Arsenic (symptoms linked to dizziness, headaches, confusion, heavy metal taste in the mouth {common with other metals, also}, excess saliva, swallowing impairment, blood in urine, muscle cramping, hair loss, cancer, diabetes, tinnitus),

Cadmium (connected to kidney failure, cancer, liver damage, vertigo, disturbance of sleep, tremors, seizures, headaches, sweating, hallucinations. Cadmium is very difficult to chelate),

Barium (related to respiratory issues, can be fatal),

Antimony (symptoms present similar to arsenic),

Beryllium (known for chest pains, night sweats, shortness of breath, red raised bumps and rashes),

Cobalt (known for depression, anxiety, hypothyroidism, cranial nerve damage, visual impairment, hallucinations, vertigo and personality disorders),

Lead (known for memory loss, joint pain and fatigue).

*Nourishing Plot is written by Becky Plotner, ND, traditional naturopath, CGP, D.PSc. who sees clients in Rossville, Georgia. She is a Board Certified Naturopathic Doctor, through The American Naturopathic Medical Association and works as a Certified GAPS Practitioner who sees clients in her office, Skype and phone. She has been published in Wise Traditions, spoken at two Weston A. Price Conferences, Certified GAPS Practitioner Trainings, has been on many radio shows, television shows and writes for Nourishing Plot. She serves on the GAPS Board of Directors and has recently been named “The GAPS Expert” by Dr. Natasha and will serve teaching other Certified GAPS Practitioners proper use of the GAPS protocol. Since her son was delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder/manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia, through food, she continued her education specializing in Leaky Gut and parasitology through Duke University, finishing with distinction. She is a Chapter Leader for The Weston A. Price Foundation. becky.nourishingplot@hotmail.com

“GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The right of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.