Parkinson’s – Alzheimer’s and Aluminum Cookware

I bet you have not thought about your cookware since you purchased it. Well until recently I had not either. Six years ago my wife was diagnosed with Parkinson ‘s disease.

Parkinson’s disease or PD is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs motor skills, cognitive processes, and other functions. PD is characterized by tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability. Among the non motor symptoms are autonomic dysfunction and sensory and sleep difficulties. Other symptoms can develop as the disease progresses.

A diagnosis like that can turn your world upside down. At this time, there is no cure for Parkinson’s and the treatment is one of masking or limiting the symptoms as much as possible. It is also a progressive disease that moves at different rates in each person.

Not much is known for sure about Parkinson’s but the general feeling is that some people are more genetically prone to get the disease than others and that the environment is the trigger. As they say, “Genetics loads the gun and the environment pulls the trigger.”

The possible environmental causes or triggers for PD tend to skew towards the absorption of metals and pesticides in the body. Is this the cause? No probably not, but it may be factor worth looking into. At this stage of the game, I am looking for ways to slow the problem, not compound it. So when I heard that aluminum cookware was being looked at because it may leach aluminum into the food I took notice and did a little research.

I found that the first stamped and cast aluminum cookware was manufactured in 1892 by a company in Pittsburgh which later became known as ALCOA. Believe it or not, it was not a big hit. In fact it was not well received at all because of quality concerns. I was surprised to learn that it took over 50 years before aluminum pots and pans actually gained acceptance with the general public.

Of course today, the concerns raised are not about quality, they are medical ones. The main worry is the possibility that toxic levels of aluminum could be absorbed into the body when cooking with the metal, and in the worst scenario possibly causing Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.

That’s a pretty strong concern to have and my research shows that cookware is not the only exposure to aluminum that we have on a daily basis. In fact to be fair, it’s almost impossible to avoid it in the environment. It is the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust and can be found in our air and water. It is also found in medicines, deodorants and, of course, in aluminum cookware. Scientists that measure such things tell us that the average person intakes anywhere from 3 to 50 mg of aluminum each day. Those of us lucky enough to also use aluminum cookware can expect to ingest an additional 3 to 6 mg each time they cook with the pots and pans.

So what is it that we actually know about metals and the human body? Well obviously aluminum like other metals is toxic in excessive amounts. For example, the intake of too much aluminum might impair the kidneys. Toxic levels of aluminum have also been linked to other issues such anemia, decreased liver function, poor coordination, calcium deficiency and memory loss among other health issues.

Although both are serious neurological diseases, Alzheimer’s is more out front in publicity than Parkinson’s and therefore one of the biggest worries of our aging population is that using aluminum cookware might cause Alzheimer’s. The facts are, that researchers conducting autopsies on many, but not all, Alzheimer’s patients discovered higher levels of aluminum in their brains. That may not be a smoking gun but that is interesting.

The facts are that there is no definitive proof that aluminum is the the trigger or even a contributor to Alzehimer’s or Parkinson’s. The FDA says it’s safe and how often are they wrong. Okay maybe to often but how often are they wrong about cookware. I mean its got a lot going for it, it’s lightweight, low-priced and a great heat conductor. No wonder Aluminum can be found in about half of manufactured cookware today.

http://www.discoverwaterlesscooking.com/index.html:The Best in Waterless Cookware

So why have I decided to opt out and avoid aluminum cookware? Here are my reasons:

1. Aluminum is highly reactive. Cooking acidic foods such as tomatoes or tomato sauce can cause leaching. The food actually absorbs the aluminum from the pot or pan, which means you will be swallowing aluminum particles traced back to the cookware. In addition to avoiding cooking acidic foods in aluminum cookware, it is also advisable not to store them in aluminum products. I even avoid using aluminum foil. 2. Try this experiment. Take a clean aluminum pot and put a half glass of water in the pan and use a clean scouring (soap-less) pad to scrub the inside of the pan. Now pour the water into the glass and look at the residue in the water. Try the same experiment with stainless steel cookware and you will find no residue. 3. I do not trust the FDA. It’s not that they are lying to me on purpose, but they sometimes don’t know what they don’t know. How many times have you heard them tell you something is safe only to find it pulled off the market later because they were wrong. Right now they do not think adding another 3-6 mg of aluminum to your body each time you cook is bad for you. Really! They also do not think that overtime it could build up and present a problem. But here’ the thing, they do not know for sure. It’s not personal to them but it certainly is to me. As they say in the south, “They don’t have a dog in this hunt but I do”. 4. There are alternatives to aluminum cookware out there so why gamble. Should I risk it because it’s cheaper or some bureaucrat says, “they think it’s safe enough to use”. Should I use it until someone proves it’s linked to a disease? No, it’s easier, smarter and safer to buy an alternative cookware set. It may not be the whole answer, but it is a proactive thing that I can do with the knowledge and the facts that I have.

I chose to go with the waterless cookware type for a variety of reasons such as, low heat cooking, higher nutrition retention, low energy usage and lifetime guarantee, surgical stainless steel construction and more. There are many waterless cookware companies selling sets for a variety of prices ranging from the reasonable to the absurd. I have found no real difference in the high priced ones except that their advertising costs are higher and you seem to be covering that. If you want a good set of waterless cookware, you can buy direct on the Internet and get some great deals. I recommend that you check out Vapo-Seal Cookware I did and love the set we got.

Before you buy any cookware set online, make sure you check out Vapo Seal Waterless Cookware and get their free report “The 10 most frequently asked questions about waterless cookware and the questions that you should be asking” Best Waterless Cookware. Also published at Parkinson’s – Alzheimer’s and Aluminum Cookware.

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