What are Heavy Metals?

Heavy metal toxicity and history

Every person living in Western industrialized countries today is known to be “at least a thousand times more polluted with toxic metals and/or heavy metals than anyone who lived when Christ walked the earth,” reports Morton Walker, DPM, a prominent medical researcher. Even in ancient times, exposure to heavy metals had toxic consequences. For example, the fall of the Roman Empire has been linked to widespread brain damage to Rome’s residents who drank water delivered in lead pipes which contaminated the water.

Today, it is impossible to escape contamination from heavy metal poisoning, especially lead, cadmium, nickel, aluminum and mercury. Many sources of contaminants have been banned by the FDA, such as lead additives in gasoline and paint. However, many of these compounds still persist in the environment.

The Body’s Heavy Burden Toxic heavy metals

By itself, the body is unable to completely eliminate heavy metal residues, even in very low concentrations. Instead, it tends to store them at various sites: the lymphatic and circulatory systems, fatty tissue, and vital organs such as the brain and the liver.

These toxic residues can bio-accumulate for years until a saturation point is reached when the burdened body areas start to affect the whole body, particularly those with weakened immune systems. Commonly, the result is a toxic, overloaded liver with liver stagnation symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, mental fog, etc.

The Unseen Menace

One of the most dangerous of the heavy metals is mercury – including the form that is in silver fillings. Mercury in silver fillings is converted to methyl mercury by bacteria and becomes a highly toxic neurotoxin, easily absorbed by nerve cells. Mercury in the nervous system interferes with energy production in individual cells, and the impaired ability of the cell to detoxify.

The cell then becomes toxic, and dies. Laboratory studies have shown that within 24 hours of injecting a tiny amount of mercury into a muscle in the body, it infiltrates the brain, spinal cord, kidneys, adrenals, lungs, bloodstream and connective tissue.
Do you have silver fillings (dental amalgams)?

If so, exposure to toxic mercury can leach into the head and body creating a host of distressing symptoms. Other chronic heavy metal exposure from air, water, foods, medicine and the environment can keep people feeling sick, mentally and physically.

How does Heavy Metal Detox work?

The main route of excretion of mercury is via the urine, thus accelerating the excretion rate of the mobilized metals as compared to the fecal route, decreasing the possibility of enzyme and leaky gut mediated reabsorbtion ion through the bowel, and decreasing the burden on the liver. The majority of the metals to be mobilized and eliminated per dose are quickly detectable in the first urination following the dose.

Sources of Heavy Metals

Heavy metal residues from many toxic sources are still present in our environment, including the following key contaminants:

Lead: Sources of common exposure

Dust or chips from old paint containing lead
Tap water delivered in old lead pipes
Air - 600,000 tons of lead are exhausted into the air by factories
Pesticide residues (used on lawns, produce, farms, etc.)
Cigarette smoke (first-hand or second-hand)
Hair dyes

Mercury: Sources of common exposure

Many types of fish (a widespread hazard)
Cosmetics
Pesticides
Mercury amalgams (silver fillings) in your teeth. Removing silver fillings improperly can expose the host to high amounts of mercury leaching into the body.

Aluminum: Sources of common exposure

Aluminum cooking utensils
Antacids
Deodorants

Common Symptoms of Heavy Metal Toxicity

Headaches
Blood pressure concerns
Fatigue
Muscle pain
Mood and Memory Concerns
Joint pain
Digestive problems
Constipation
Brain fog
Anger / Irritability
Hormone imbalance