Bosscher Foundation

Do you recognize one or more of the above mentioned health problems? These might be caused by the use of the local anesthetic articaine.

You can always reach us by mail with your questions and comments at [email protected] (if possible in the English language).

Warning
The aim of this website is to inform the public and/or patients over the application and use of local anesthetics. As such, this website offers only background information to those looking to learn more about local anesthetics and their application, and in particular articaine hydrochloride.(trade names: Ultracain™ and Septanest™).

Attention
It is not intended that the information given in this website should replace the advice of your general practitioner, dentist, dental surgeon or anesthetist. Please consult your doctor in case of doubt and let him/her advise you.

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Contents

1. Explanation of this site construction
2. Accountability
3. The articaine problem (for patients)
4. Advantages and disadvantages of articaine
5. Disclaimer

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1. Explanation of this site construction

The site shows the sections listed above. Various keyterms are printed in blue and underlined. By clicking on such a term, you will access its definition or explanation. The main text can be continued by clicking the instruction at the end: 'click here to return'.

If after reading this abbreviated website you require more information, consult our extensive English-language site which explores in greater depth, among other things, the decomposition of articaine and the substances which result from the process: The articaine problem (for professionals).

As a rule this website refers to the substance called 'articaine' and, as much as possible, avoids the productnames Ultracain™, Septanest™, Citocain™, Primacaine™, Septocaine™, Ubistesine™, Citocartin™, etc., all of which, however, contain articaine as an active anaesthetic compound.

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2. Accountability

This website is the realization of an initiative by the management and the medical advice group of the Bosscher Foundation s.l.a.

The chief editors are:
• Marianne Govers, chairperson of the Bosscher Foundation and dentist
• Dick van Vlaardingen, secretary of the Bosscher Foundation

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3. The articaine problem (for patients)

At the beginning of the 90’s, Marthe Bosscher came across a relatively large number of patients in her natural-healing practice, who were suffering from health problems, which were for the most part attributed to amalgam fillings. This is easily detected using the Dr Voll method of electro-acupuncture measurement (EAV). After diagnosing these symptoms, patients were advised to have their (metal) amalgam fillings replaced with less toxic alternatives and to contact their dentist. Alongside this advice, patients underwent a homeopathic detoxification program. The aim of removing the filling was to stop the long-term poisoning of the body. The detoxification program was designed to accelerate the expulsion of amalgam already accumulated in the body. For a long time, this two-track approach had much success in treating patients with amalgam problems. In 1994, however, the results began to be less successful.

After having initially been declared cured, a number of patients became ill again, weeks or sometimes months later, and more seriously than before. The outer symptoms were tiredness, food intolerances and allergies, and a general feeling fatigue. These symptoms sometimes occurred in combination with diarrhea, muscle cramps and tingling in the fingers and toes.

EAV readings shed no light on the matter. Not only did these patients return with a wide range of complaints, but these complaints could not be cured with the existing homeopathic programs. Referring patients to the dentist for an amalgam replacement also seemed to be having fewer results. Some patients left the dentists feeling more ill than they had ever felt before.

Meanwhile Marthe Bosscher began research into the sudden failure of her therapy that had been working so successfully for many years. During her research, she concentrated her attention mainly on the materials used by the dentist or dental surgeon, since she had not altered her own methods of treatment or medicines.

Finally, in April/May 1995, it became clear that the group of patients that returned with serious complaints had been treated with the anesthetics, Ultracain™, Septocaine™, etc. During follow up research, it appeared that patients treated with Xylocaine™, Citanest™ of Scandonest™ had no problems resulting from their treatment, had subsequently experienced no health problems and recovered better than those treated with Articaine.

The health problems experienced by patients treated with Articaine seemed to fall into two categories:

Neurological problems, disorders of the (central) nervous system. These disorders exhibited themselves as Parkinson’s (tremors), ME-type complaints, ALS and MS. Also included in this category are patients with muscle failure and long-term tingling in the fingers and toes.

Carcinogenic problems, cancer symptoms. Mainly cases of breast, prostrate and kidney cancer were detected. Some forms of breast cancer appeared, strikingly enough, 5 to 7 months after dental treatment, whereby women not only noticed that lumps appeared overnight, but that they then grew very fast. This form of breast cancer often seemed to be highly resistant to therapy.

The root cause of both these problems lies, in our opinion, in the use of articaine with patients with pseudocholinesterase (PChE) deficiency. The warning given with Ultracain™ in the information leaflet is very clear. It reads as follows:

“Ultracain may not be administered to patients with cholinesterase deficiency, unless there are strict indications for its use. This is due to a possible prolonged working effect of Ultracain in these patients and in some cases extremely strong effects”.

It is worth noting that not all information leaflets for articaine products contain such a warning. Septanest™ and Septocaine™, both Septodont™ products, do not contain unfortunately such a warning. Furthermore, no doctor can see whether or not a patient has a deficiency of this enzyme. This can only be determined based on a laboratory blood test and this is rarely requested by dentists, general practitioners or medical specialists. Only in exceptional circumstances does an anesthesiologist carry out an enzyme test when a plasma enzyme (pseudocholinesterase) deficiency is suspected, such as when using certain muscle relaxants during operations, e.g. succinylcholine.

Under “normal” circumstances, the articaine is converted into articainic acid in the presence of a plasma enzyme (pseudocholinesterase), is further broken down in the liver and finally excreted through the kidneys. Should articaine be administered to patients with no, or defective, enzymes needed for the decomposition of articaine and then the body will look for alternative methods to deal with this substance.

Research is being carried out into how these alternative methods of articaine decomposition take place. However, it is suspected that if plasma enzymes are unable to deal with the articaine, then liver enzymes will do this instead. During this process, it is quite probable that the articaine is broken down into a mutagenic substance, nitrohydroxylamine. If the body cannot tolerate this substance, then cancer can result.

How likely is it that somebody has insufficient enzymes to deal with articaine? According to scientific literature, it may be assumed that 1 in 25 Caucasians has such a genetic enzyme deficiency and is advised to avoid articaine. As a precaution, articaine is not recommended for use on anyone working in close proximity with or using substances that cause liver damage. For example:

- Painters:	due to solvents used in many types of paint
- Upholsterers:	due to solvents in glue
- Agricultural and horticultural workers:	due to organic phosphor compounds and organic phosphates
- Cattle-breeders:	due to organic phosphates (e.g. sheep dip)
- Addicts:	due to the use of alcohol and drugs

Furthermore, anyone exposed to heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and mercury (metal fillings in teeth) is strongly advised to be very wary of using articaine, as the risk of liver damage is also present.

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4. Advantages and Disadvantages of articaine

Advantages
Characteristic for Ultracain™ and Septocaine™ is that they are fast acting and effective in penetrating bone. The latter has not been proven scientifically but is the opinion of those who work with these products. When using Ultracain™ and Septocaine™, the patient no longer has to return to the waiting room to allow the anesthetic to take effect. During treatment, it seems as though Ultracain™ and Septanest™ are more effective than most other anesthetics. For these reasons, increasing numbers of dentists and dental surgeons are opting for Ultracain™ and Septocaine™.

Disadvantages
Articaine is dependent on cholinesterase group enzymes to metabolize correctly and in particular pseudocholinesterase (PChE), also known as ButyrylCholinesterase (BuChE). When there are insufficient levels of this enzyme or insufficiently effective enzymes in the body, Ultracain™and Septocaine™ are not broken down in the way intended and the body seeks alternative ways to rid itself of these substances. This alternative metabolic process leads to the formation toxic by-products, which can cause paralysis or brain damage. In some cases, these by-products attack the human DNA/RNA structure, which can cause the onset of cancer. The forms of cancer evoked by articaine are, in our experience, particularly aggressive and resistant to therapy. The cancer can be treated by means of chemotherapy, radiation treatment or surgery but tends to return after a while because the articaine that has accumulated in tissue, fat or brain tissue is slowly released back into the body. If the immune system has been weakened, due to use of medicines, stress or an unhealthy lifestyle, the cancer can return as a result of the steady release of unprocessed, or partially processed, articaine in the body tissues.

The latest experiential results indicate that articaine may distort the metabolism of fatty acids. The editors will update these pages as more information about and insight into these unsuspected side effects become available.

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5. Disclaimer

This website has been put together with the outmost of care. Where possible, use has been made of professional advisors. All statements and hypotheses are based on the most recent information and experience, which were available to us at the time of writing this material.

The information on this website is based on scientific, as well as experiential, information and should be evaluated in this light (see Warning). The use of this information is at your own risk, and is your own responsibility. The Bosscher Foundation cannot be held accountable in any way for the use of this information.

This website was originally published in the Dutch language of which this is a translation. The Bosscher Stichting can not be held accountable for errors in this translated document.

If you believe that there are blatant errors or inaccuracies, then we would be most appreciative if you could inform us. You can contact the Bosscher Foundation by telephone on +31 (0)181 404050 or by email at [email protected].

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Glossary:

Local anesthetic: a local anesthetic is often administered by general practitioners, dentists, dental surgeons and dermatologists for simple procedures. Anesthesiologists also use local anesthetics for certain forms of regional anesthesia (epidural), for procedures such as Caesarian sections. Click here to return.

Amalgam fillings: amalgam fillings are the metal fillings used in teeth. Amalgam is a mixture of mercury and other (heavy) metals. It has become more apparent that mercury compounds and other heavy metals have the tendency to dissolve and spread throughout the body. The body cannot excrete these compounds easily. They accumulate in human tissues and disrupt bodily functions. There is reason to believe that the immune system is especially disrupted. This is one reason why increasing numbers of people are having metal fillings replaced with white (composite) fillings.
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EAV measurements: (Electro Acupuncture, Dr Voll method) readings taken of the energy flow in the classical acupuncture lines. The diagnosis is carried out by connecting the patient with a meter, which can measure trace quantities of toxic substances in the body, as well as the degree to which the organs are functioning.
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Pseudo Cholinesterase: cholinesterase is an enzyme produced in the human body, which is partly responsible for the decomposition of articaine. If the cholinesterase levels in your blood are insufficient your body cannot (fully) break down the articaine. This can result in the anesthetic having an undesirably long working effect; the symptoms of which can be paresthesia (tingling) in the fingertips and toes. It is not currently known how damaging the (long-term) presence of articaine is in the human body. For the time being, we believe that a warning is advisable. Pseudocholinesterase (PChE) belongs to the cholinesterase group and can also be called Butyryl Cholinesterase (BuChE).
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Mutagenic: mutagenic is derived from “to mutate” or “mutation”. Here, it is used in the sense of the mutation or change of a cell from a benevolent to malevolent form.
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Resistance to therapy: quite often it is noted that therapies designed to combat the symptoms of certain conditions fail with victims of articaine. In the opinion of the Bosscher Foundation, this is because damaging substances (articaine or its by-products) remain in the human body and can be re-released at any moment, causing the symptoms to reoccur, even after initially successful treatments.
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Deficiency: Shortage of or insufficiency.
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