Heavy Metals - Toxic or Essential?
Did you know that mercury toxicity can increase your risk for thyroid autoimmunity by 20%? That Cadmium toxicity increases breast cancer risk by 63%? That Lead toxicity decreases IQ by up to five points? That arsenic can increase the risk of diabetes by 18% and gout by 52%? Studies prove that heavy metal toxicity can wreak havoc on the body - so let’s take a deep dive into heavy metals.
Organic heavy metals are dense metallic elements that are naturally present on the earth. They are in small amounts beneficial to your health, as the body is able to effectively process and excrete whatever excess it cannot use. The problem lies within inorganic, man-made toxic heavy metals of the modern world, mainly in the form of byproducts from industrial production and agriculture, such as fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, rodenticides, steel manufacturing, and mining. They are used in many industries at tremendous levels, yet are generally considered toxic even in small quantities to the human body. These metals end up in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil that our food comes from. They build up in cells and tissues and can cause severe health problems. Because our bodies are not able to keep up to detox with this increased daily ubiquitous exposure, a massive burden is added to the body due to the bioaccumulation of metals.
It is important to understand that there are two different kinds of heavy metals:
Organic / Essential Heavy Metals
Certain heavy metals like copper, iron, or zinc are essential for survival. They only become toxic when we are exposed to them in excessive amounts.
2. Inorganic / Toxic Heavy Metals
Metals such as mercury, aluminum, lead, cadmium, arsenic, etc. have no physiological function and have polluted our oceans, soil, and environment. They simply do not belong in the human body.
It is estimated that 25% of the population has some sort of heavy metal poisoning.
The journal Circulation - one of the most respected cardiology journals - stated, that if your lead level was over two parts per billion (ppb), which lies "within the normal range”, the risk of stroke goes up by 89%, the risk of a heart attack goes up by 150% and the risk of death from a heart attack goes up by 55%. Lead toxicity puts us at a higher risk than smoking or high cholesterol. Around 40% of the population is affected by lead levels over 2 ppb.
Exposure to excessive amounts or chronic low exposure affects our biology in multiple ways:
Cellular damage by inhibiting mitochondria function
Disruption of enzyme function
Dysregulation of hormone function (in particular the thyroid)
Overstimulation of the immune system which in turn may lead to autoimmunity
Damage to the brain cells, especially mercury and leads are potent neurotoxins, which interfere with neuron function
Increase in oxidative stress
12 most common harmful heavy metals:
Aluminum
Arsenic
Cadmium
Cobalt
Chromium
Copper
Lead
Manganese
Mercury
Nickel
Tin
Titanium
The most common signs and symptoms of heavy metal toxicity:
Weight gain
Inability to lose weight
Chronic fatigue
Depression
Anxiety
Irritability
Insomnia
Digestive problems
Constipation
Lowered IQ
Infertility
Metallic taste in the mouth
Lack of motivation
Shooting nerve pains
Numbness in hands and feet
Blurred vision
Sunburn-like skin
Moodiness
Brain fog
Memory loss
Loss of smell
Chemical sensitivity
Lowered testosterone
Hair loss
Further heavy metal toxicity is directly linked to health conditions like Chronic Lyme Disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, EBV, Hashimoto’s, MS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, parasitic infections, autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, cancer, etc. Why? It comes back to the terrain theory (I’ve written about it here). Chronic toxin exposure creates a dirty body terrain, that allows other pathogens and toxins not only to manifest due to a weakened immune system, that is not strong enough to fight off foreign invaders. Additionally microorganisms pleomorph from a harmless into a harmful type, as a reaction to the toxicity.
Most common heavy metal exposure:
Foods like brown rice or ground vegetables, because the soil contains heavy metals
E cigarettes and vapes
Cosmetics
Household Products
Herbicides and Pesticides
Vaccines
Tap Water
Soil
Amalgams
Broken thermometers containing pure mercury
Through birth genetically from mother to child
Commercial chicken meat
Copper pipes
Birth control like copper IUD
Cookware
Poor Quality pharmaceuticals or supplements
Antiperspirants
Food additives/ preservatives
Fish & Seafood (in particular large ocean fish and farmed fish)
Breast Implants
Testing for heavy metals
The most common testing methods for heavy metals are via blood, hair, or urine.
Blood Testing: Most doctors measure solely blood levels which can be misleading as stored heavy metal levels in bone, organs and tissues are being disregarded. Blood results only indicate acute high-level exposure, but heavy metals are rapidly cleared from the blood and deposited into the tissues within a few days of exposure. Due to this factor, low-grade, chronic heavy metal poisoning is often overlooked by blood tests.
Hair tests tend to provide only a partial picture. This test typically looks for only the mercury found in fish and not the type found in dental fillings.
Urine tests give an idea of what the body is able to process under normal conditions. A provoked urine test uses a potent chelating agent to draw metals out of your tissues, therefore it provides a better measurement of the body’s overall toxic burden. I generally do not recommend using harsh chelating agents, as they can cause a lot of damage to a body that is not ready to remove heavy metals, plus essential elements like magnesium, potassium, etc. are being removed in the process.
My preferred method of testing is the Vibrant Heavy Metal Test that you can order here: supplement one week with 2 x 500mg Glutathione (= 2 x 10 pumps). In case you react strongly to Glutathione, please stop the supplementation and perform the test immediately. Ideally, do a sauna session in the evening or morning before taking your urine sample for the most accurate results!
How to remove Heavy Metals
Removing heavy metals is a tedious process, but with the right tools on hand, it is possible to get into full remission from heavy metal toxicity. Learn about my favorite supplements and dosages and strategies to remove toxic heavy metals from the body and get rid of stubborn weight, chronic fatigue, body pains and so much more!
Are you struggling with weight loss resistance and chronic illness? Heavy metal toxicity is one of the big reasons why so many people struggle to get the number on the scales to move. Learn about my favorite supplements to properly detox heavy metals from the body!
