Heavy Metal Toxicity





		Your Path to Healthy Living and a Healthy Life

Food is the most important weapon in your detox arsenal. Not only does it stimulate normal detoxificaton (detox) mechanisms, but it also provides necessary nutrients for your body's detox system to work properly. Regular detox is as vital to good health as breathing. Unfortunately, we live in a world that is radically different from the one that existed 100 years ago. Today we are bombarded with chemicals, pollutants and major heavy metals in amounts our bodies are not designed to eliminate easily. It is not be enough any more to rely on food to cleanse your body.

According to Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, Ph.D, it isn't just the heavy metals that can reek havoc on your system. He states in an article that appeared in Explore volume 10 Number 1,"invading microorganisms can often thrive in a heavy metal environment". In research conducted in Germany and the United States, scientists have found that "microorganisms tend to set up their housekeeping in those body compartments that have the highest pollution with toxic metals". It makes sense as the"body's own immune cells are incapacitated in those areas whereas the microorganisms multiply and thrive in an undisturbed" area. In light of recent findings that many chronic disease can be caused by microorganisms like viruses or bacteria, it is imperative that we rid our bodies of potential breeding grounds.

The most common and deadly heavy metals are aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. Less well known, but equally toxic are antimony, barium, beryllium, bismuth and silver. Heavy metals are dangerous for two reasons. First, they damage inner cellular workings and secondly, for they impair the detoxification mechanism. Lead and cadmium, in particular, can disrupt basic metabolic processes by inhibiting enzyme function. Toxicity of any of these heavy metals may cause:

high blood pressure
artery disease
kidney disease
neurological problems
modify the structure of DNA hampering the communication between DNA and the rest of the cell.
displace vital minerals like zinc
may destroy brain tissue

Heavy metal toxicity can be a slow and often silent killer. Most doctors do not test or even consider this kind of poisoning in their standard testing. As these toxins accumulate and are stored in tissues, testing for evidence in the blood may not be effective unless it is very recent exposure to heavy metals. However, the hair mineral analysis is an accurate technique for detecting heavy metal exposure and should be done on a regular basis as part of your detoxification regimen.

Where do they come from?

A hundred years ago heavy metal toxicity from aluminum, cadmium, arsenic, barium, beryllium, bismuth and silver was not common. Even though aluminum is one of the most abundant minerals in the the earth's crust it was not mined or used as it is today so it was not an issue. Unfortunately, since industrialization, the process of smelting aluminum and using these other metals in manufacturing and processing has become common place. Aluminum is used in the production of cans, pots and pans, antiperspirants and even as an anticaking agent in baking products. Cadmium is used to keep rubber from becoming brittle. Mercury was found in latex paints and is still used in amalgam fillings. The other heavy metals are also commonly used. Most of these elements are showing up in our water, food and air.

As many of the symptoms of heavy metal toxicity mimic other conditions and exposure to these elements may not be obvious, a proper diagnosis may be difficult without proper testing. If you suspect any of the symptoms below could be caused by heavy metal toxicity, see a health care practitioner immediately.

memory loss
nausea
diarrhea
insomnia
swollen glands
depression
loss of appetite
headaches
dementias
neurological disease
kidney disease
autoimmune disease
hormone dysfunction
fatige

These symptoms may be caused by other conditions and should not be taken lightly. If you suspect your health is compromised, please seek medical care immediately.

Hair Mineral Analysis

The hair mineral analysis tests for nutritional minerals as well as the heavy metals. The information gained from careful analysis of this test by a qualified health care provider can determine mineral deficiencies and the potential for future health challenges due to elevated levels of heavy metals. It is an inexpensive, non-invasive test that requires a small amount of hair from the nape of your neck. If you are concerned about the health of your family and yourself contact us about taking this test.