Heavy metal toxicity has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, depression, behavioral problems, joint pain, fatigue, anxiety, kidney disease, Parkinson’s disease, and more, including a weakened immune system.
The human brain has a built-in blood-brain barrier that is supposed to help protect the brain from toxins. However, heavy metals such as mercury, lead, aluminum, arsenic, and cadmium can cross the blood-brain-barrier. Most heavy metals are neurotoxins, which means they act on the nervous system and disrupt the functioning of nerve cells.
Heavy metals can not only cross the blood-brain barrier but also pass through the placenta and damage a developing fetus.
Lead – is a neurotoxin and is found in old water pipes and old paint in historic homes, but lead can also be found in spices such as turmeric, chili, and paprika, and conventionally grown vegetables due to the application of fertilizers and pesticides. Always use organically grown vegetables and spices.
Cadmium – a known carcinogen. It also causes damage to the kidneys and lungs, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe weight loss, and hypertension, and it can impact the skeletal system. Exposure is mainly due to contaminated foods but also from inhaling tobacco smoke, batteries, synthetic rubber, and copy machines.
Aluminum – is a neurotoxin. Cooking with aluminum pots and pans, cosmetics (creams and deodorants), baked goods that contain aluminum-baking powder, aluminum foil, toothpaste, and vaccines.
Mercury – is a neurotoxin that causes neurological damage, memory issues, anxiety, depression, cerebral palsy, etc. It accumulates in the body over time. Found in fluorescent light bulbs (it can potentially disperse into the air in your room), dental amalgam, saltwater fish (tuna, swordfish, marlin, king mackerel, shark), and vaccines.
Arsenic – a known carcinogen. It can be found in private well water, seafood, rice, wood preservers (arsenic trioxide / pressure-treated wood), weed killers, and rat poison.
Testing for heavy metals is available through a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA), urine test (challenge test), and blood sample.
• Hair analysis testing provides a comprehensive panel for lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, etc.
• Urine testing is done after ingesting a pharmaceutical-grade chelator (EDTA, or similar). This test should not be offered to people with kidney issues.
• Blood testing helps to complete the picture, and can provide detailed insights into the source of exposure, e.g. mercury from food (methylmercury) or mercury from dental fillings (elemental mercury).
In some cases, it can be helpful to compare all three types of testing. For example, mercury is predominantly excreted through urine. Comparing blood to urine samples can indicate if the kidneys are functioning properly. Comparing the results to a hair sample, we can find out how much mercury has accumulated in the body, thus telling us if you are detoxifying properly or not.
Heavy metals tend to accumulate in multiple places in the body, including the brain, and especially the pineal and the pituitary glands, which explains why heavy metals can disrupt the endocrine system and cause symptoms of hormonal imbalance. They also accumulate in the thyroid, prostate, heart, muscle, and even bone. Once in the body, they disturb body chemistry due to mimicking important minerals. For example, thallium mimics potassium which can affect the nerves and the cardiovascular system. Cadmium has been shown to displace zinc, and lead replaces calcium. They do not just mimic minerals but also disrupt many important enzyme functions. For example, zinc is important for numerous enzyme activities but can get replaced (in the sulfhydryl group) by lead. But it doesn’t stop here. Heavy metals also block mitochondria activity causing fatigue and increasing the risk of developing cancer dramatically.
When it comes to heavy metals, detoxification has to be done slowly. Forcing the body to release heavy metals from tissues into the bloodstream too quickly, e.g. by taking large doses of chelator, can result in adverse reactions.
Support your lungs with indoor plants: ivy, peace lily, and mother-in-law’s tongue have been shown to filter cadmium out of the air. Stay away from synthetic fragrances and air fresheners. Drink mullein tea. Mullein helps to lubricate the lining of the lungs. Diffuse essential pine tree and/or fir oil.
Consider a heavy metal cleanse if you are affected by parasites, especially lung or liver flukes.
Support your skin by applying a thin layer of moist natural clay. Bentonite clay or Argiletz green clay are easy to use and effective in drawing toxins (and impurities) out of your skin. You can also book a full-body mud wrap at a professional spa salon. Incorporate dry brushing into your wellness regime at home to boost circulation and stimulate the lymphatic system. Start at the feet and work your way up your legs, then continue from your hands up your arms towards your heart. At night, enjoy a hot bath with 2 cups of Epsom salt and 1 cup of apple cider vinegar added to it. If you have access to red light therapy and a far-infrared sauna, use this service once or twice weekly.
Stay hydrated to help your kidneys with their important job of filtering and flushing out toxins. Twice per year, consider fasting for your kidneys, and eat fresh stinging nettle spinach, raw dandelion greens, take turmeric shots, and drink birch water, eat ramson soup or pesto, nettle tea, ginger tea, hawthorn juice, and juniper essence. Throughout the year support kidney health with fresh lemon water (ideally on an empty stomach, consumed at room temperature), herbal teas such as holy basil (tulsi), add fresh parsley to your dishes and smoothies, and take hot baths with juniper essence, or take a uva ursi supplement. A helpful supplement to support burdened kidneys is Rentone Drops by Ayush Herbs.
Hydration does not only help the kidneys but also the lymphatic system. This plus movement helps your body flush out toxins more effectively. Bouncing or light jumping is especially beneficial.
The kidneys and lymphatic system cannot do all the work. When it comes to detox, a proper functioning liver is crucial. If you feel that your liver could use some TLC, cut out alcohol and sugar, reduce stress, increase your intake in antioxidants and cruciferous vegetables, boost intake of magnesium and trace elements, and consider turmeric as a tea or supplement as well as beet juice and celery juice. Another well-known folk medicine remedy is Castor oil. Apply a thick layer of organic castor oil on your skin over your liver, cover it with a warm towel, and rest for about 30-45 minutes.
Besides sweat and urine, stool is another major way to excrete toxins. Of course, when looking at healthy living from a holistic viewpoint, one cannot bypass gut health. A few simple measures to support regular bowel movements include adding more fiber by eating more whole vegetables and fruit but also chia seeds are a great source of fiber. Additionally, so-called binders can be used to assist heavy metals removal. These binders include chlorella, modified citrus pectin, activated charcoal, bentonite clay, silica, and zeolites.
Besides supporting the body’s detoxification pathways by keeping the above-listed organs healthy, there is another key factor when it comes to detox: sleep. Sleep is the body’s built-in recharge, repair, and detoxification program.
In my health coaching programs, I teach my clients how to improve their ability to remove toxins including heavy metals from their bodies. The better your body can filter out environmental and metabolic toxins, and the better your overall nutritional status, the better your health.