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Barb Bates asked about the clay I mentioned in an earlier letter (I downloaded that letter at the office and don't have it here at home). Barb, I was referring to betonnite clay, an old standby for dredging heavy metals out. It is also available at a health food store, either alone or in combination with different detox formulas. Betonnite tends to be binding, so be sure to use it in conjunction with a herbal laxative, or you might explode :) The article Jeff referred to recommended chelating, but I have not tried that. How bout anyone else out there?? The first improvement I experienced was more energy, and oddly, better sleep. I think I metabolized meds better also, because I have very little problem with uneven response anymore unless I splurge on peanuts or ice cream or something high protein. I still use about half the meds I was using 1.5 - 2 years ago. Mainly, I just plain ole felt better. My elimination system definitely worked much better than it had in many moons. This kind of detox doesn't target the liver...it is more of an elimination, blood, lymph purifier, although there is probably benefit to the whole body. I found a lot of odd approaches to liver cleansing such as kombuchu, and various other unfamiliar substances. But everything I read seemed to tout the benefits of the milk thistle, so that's the route I took. I guess it may be time to look at that topic again. On another topic, the Life Extension group just published an article on something called SAMe, which I don't know anything about. Some of the research looks interesting, I pasted in part of the article below. A brief web search of SAMe turned up very little. Does anyone have info on this?? L-Dopa and Serotonin In a recent study from the National Institute of Neuroscience Japan, researchers demonstrated that the serotonin inhibitor, para- chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) decreases dopamine activity, which L-Dopa does not restore. However; intravenous serotonin does restore dopamine activity after PCPA therapy. This study implicates a completely new pathway in dopamine production and maintenance that L-Dopa does not affect. It opens a new avenue of PD research. It doesnot mean that PD patients can cure themselves by taking serotonin- PD is an extremely complicated disease which involves free radicals,among other things, but it does open up exciting possibilities. Research shows that L-Dopa quits working after about 4 years. Some of the new research on the interaction between dopamine and serotonin seems to indicate that the ultimate failure of L-Dopa may relate to its depletion of serotonin. In a study in Neuroscience Letters in 1993, it was shown that PD patients have significantly decreased levels of dopamine and serotonin in their cerebral spinal fluid. Patients treated with L- dopa have even less serotonin than untreated patients (although they have increased dopamine). The depression that a lot of PD patients have may be a result of the loss of serotonin, both from the disease itself and from L-Dopa treatment. It is important to note that the drug Selegiline (Deprenyl),which is often used in PD patients to keep L-Dopa effective longer, increases serotonin Thanks, Kathie Tollifson [log in to unmask] 46/8