I posted on my Face Book page that I would be talking about heavy metals. I was surprised that I have so many re-tweets…. This must be a hot topic.
Heavy metals are naturally occurring in the environment, but we do not want them in our bodies. Some of the most toxic are mercury, lead, cadmium, nickel, arsenic, uranium, aluminum, and calcium. Obviously, I cannot give you all the particulars in one post, but I can give you a brief overview.
Mercury is highly toxic. We hear about mercury in the vaccines and in the dental amalgams. The government is concerned about mercury poisoning: “Mercury toxicity should be evaluated in any patient with hypertension, coronary heart disease, cerebral vascular disease, cerebrovascular accident, or other vascular disease.” How many people do you know who are taking blood pressure medications? Did you know that mercury in the body, mercury “inactivate(s) numerous enzymatic reactions, amino acids, and sulfur-containing antioxidants (N-acetyl-L-cysteine, alpha-lipoic acid, L-glutathione), with subsequent decreased oxidant defense and increased oxidative stress. Mercury binds to metallothionein and substitute for zinc, copper, and other trace metals…” In laymen’s terms, this means that your body mistakes mercury to zinc, copper and other trace metals. When your body substitutes mercury for these other essential nutrients, we run into structural difficulties. Something to think about we see people wearing copper bracelets and copper joint support to combat the pain of arthritis. What if we would supplement with copper? Would those joint issues be resolved? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21806773
Here is a short video that shows what happens to mercury in the mouth: https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=the+smoking+tooth+video&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004
Lead poisoning. We might think that with the EPA and the move away from lead in our paint and our pipes, we would have nothing to worry about. However, I saw a new client today with a high level of lead in his body. He is only two years old. Where is he getting the lead? Today, batteries, solder, pipes, pottery, roofing materials and some cosmetics contain lead. In addition, lead is a key ingredient in imported canned goods. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/basics/causes/con-20035487
Symptoms of lead poisoning in adults are: High blood pressure, Abdominal pain, Constipation, Joint pains, Muscle pain, Declines in mental functioning, Pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities, Headache, Memory loss, Mood disorders, Reduced sperm count, abnormal sperm, Miscarriage or premature birth in pregnant women. Symptoms in children are failure to thrive, kidney dysfunction and learning difficulties.
Nickel toxicity is slightly rarer than the previous two… Most of the time, people present with nickel allergies from jewelry, eyeglasses, and dental crowns. When this happens, there is normally a rash on the skin. However, you can get nickel poisoning from ingesting the metal through the air or water, and in dental materials. http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/nickel-jewelry-allergy I have a client who is allergic to the nickel that is the base metal in her dental crowns. She had to have the dentist remove her existing crowns and replace the metal in them with composite materials. Once that was done, her allergy symptoms subsided.
Arsenic poisoning can also occur through food, water, and air contamination. You might remember that arsenic is in rat poison. Many plays, television dramas have used arsenic poisoning in their plot lines. Some of the symptoms of arsenic poisoning are: Vomiting, Abdominal pain, Diarrhea, Dark urine (termed black water urine) Dehydration, Cardiac problems, Hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells), Vertigo , Delirium, Shock , Death. Another unique symptom of arsenic poisoning is urine and breath that smells like garlic.
Uranium is a radioactive metal, and we don’t usually hear that much about it. It is found in the earth’s crust in its organic state. However, we use uranium for commercial production to form products such as autunite, carnotite, coffinite, pitchblend, tobernite, tyuyamunite, and uraninite,
The majority of the uranium deposits in the United States are found in the western states of Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Uranium toxicity will affect the kidneys. If you are having kidney issues, we might need to look to see if you have been exposed to excess radiation. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=16&po=5
Aluminum toxicity is somewhat more common. We absorb aluminum from household products and personal care items such as antiperspirant, feminine hygiene products, toothpaste, infant formula, antacids, and cookware. If you have too much aluminum in your body, you can expect to see accumulation in the kidneys, brain, bones, and skin. Aluminum can contribute to memory loss and brain dysfunction. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/165315-overview#a5
So, you ask, what can I do to detoxify the tissues? There are many natural chelators. The pectin in fruit will bind with heavy metals and help pull it out of the tissues. Cilantro and chlorella also help the body loosen its grip on the heavy metal load. These are things that you can do at home to help the body. While these common foods will help you, you need to enlist the help of a professional who has therapeutic products to help you heal faster.
Until next time,
Dr. Polly
