Heavy Metal Poisoning

Index of Diseases / Health Conditions ... Medicinal Foods, Herbs, Spices & Household Items

The below provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. Any treatment protocol should be discussed with a qualified healthcare practitioner ... Please refer to: Medical & Legal Disclaimer.

Toxicities in Your Home / Safe & Healthy Alternatives

Toxic metals that are found in the environment and have the potential of poisoning us, include.

• Mercury
• Aluminum
• Cadmium
• Arsenic
• Lead
• Nickel

The above toxic metals can cause or contribute to a long list of diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain and neurological disorders. While we recognize the acute toxicity that comes from high levels of metals, a vast majority of patients suffer the adverse effects of low-level, chronic exposure.

Symptoms of ACUTE Heavy Metal Toxicity:

• "Brain Fog" / Difficulty Concentrating
• Sudden, severe cramping and/or convulsions
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Sweating
• Headache
• Difficulty breathing
• Impaired cognitive, motor and language skills

Symptoms of CHRONIC Heavy Metal Exposure (build-up):

• "Brain Fog" / Permanent brain damage
• Chronic Fatigue
• General feeling of sickness
• Depression
• Digestive distress, and reduced ability to properly assimilate and utilize fats
• Impaired blood sugar regulation
• Aching joints
• Female reproductive problems, such as menstrual difficulties, infertility, miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension and premature birth

Lead Toxicity:

Lead is one of the most studied metals and much information has been accumulated on its toxicity.

Potential Health Risks:

• Lead exposure has been shown to cause severe anemia, permanent brain damage, neurological disorders, reproductive problems, diminished intelligence and a host of other diseases.


• According to a recent nationwide survey, 900,000 American children aged one to five have blood lead levels higher than the Center for Disease Control's level of concern (Source: Natural Resources Defense Council - http://www.nrdc.org). Particularly vulnerable are infants, small children and pregnant women.

Possible Sources:

• According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the U.S. Public Health Service, the major exposure of lead to the general population in food is through fruits and grains.
  • Lead in the food chain comes mostly from direct deposit from the air to plants and from livestock eating soil laced with lead as they eat the plants. The bans on leaded gasoline and paint have reduced exposure. Imported foods, however, may still contain significant levels of lead (chocolate, coffee beans, etc.)
  • Some older pieces of china may contain lead which can leach out from the surface of the dish and get into foods and beverages. Then, when the food is eaten, the lead gets into the body. Precautions that can be taken to reduce your exposure to lead in food include, avoiding the use of glazed pottery and pewter dishes to serve or store food, avoiding the storage of beverages in leaded glass decanters, keeping the home clean and as dust free as possible, eating a variety of foods

• Cosmetics / Lipstick:According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, lead can be found in more than half of the 33 top-brand lipsticks. Lead is a potent neurotoxin, and according to Mark Mitchell, MD, MPH, director of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, "The latest studies show there is no safe level of lead exposure. Lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels." Since the average woman ingests more than four pounds of lipstick over the course of her life, it's time to get the lead out of lipsticks.

  (Please Note: snopes.com had dismissed rumors of lead toxicity in lipstick as "mostly false" and alarmist because -- according to them -- women do not eat lipstick (or at least not in sufficient amounts to do any harm). Any woman who has to keep reapplying her lipstick throughout the day knows that this is not so ... Additionally, some lipstick will get absorbed into the body right through the skin, which is no different than eating it.)

• Backyard Vegetable Gardens: Vegetables and fruits from your "organic" backyard garden may not necessarily be free from lead. Environmental officials and scientists are warning homeowners that there may be lead in the soil. Flakes of lead paint from old homes often create contamination around houses that vegetables can take up. Remnants of leaded gasoline might also be in the soil near busy roads. While the problem is pervasive in urban areas, suburban homes that were built near apple orchards are also at risk, because lead arsenate was once used regularly as a pesticide. Soil around homes can contain everything from arsenic to motor oil, but lead is one of the most common contaminants, and to children, one of the most dangerous.

• Lead in your drinking water





 
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• Dental fillings

• Paint: Many homes built in the U.S. before 1978 and ninety percent of houses built before 1940 contain lead paint.  A contemporary risk of lead poisoning comes from scented candles. According to the Environmental Illness Society of Canada, some candle makers are still using lead cores in their wicks, which can result in lead particles being emitted into the air of a home.
   
  • • If you live in or are planning to buy a house built before 1978 have an inspector check it.
    
    
    • If you discover lead in your home, consider covering over paint with wallpaper, paneling or a thick coat of new paint (make sure it is non-toxic paint!). Be careful about preparing the surface, however, scraping off loose chips or sanding can stir up the lead dust.
    
    
    • Don't dry-vacuum lead dust -- it will just stir it up. Use an HEPA vacuum cleaner, which has an ultra-fine filter that traps tiny dust particles.
    
    
    • If you have a young child at home who is at risk for lead exposure, talk to your physician about having the child's blood tested for lead levels.
    
    
    • For more information, call the National Lead Information Center at (800) 424-LEAD

Heavy Metals and our Immune System:

Heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium all depress the immune system even at low levels.

• Cadmium comes from cigarette smoke and as a toxic by-product of metal plating industries, which can get into the water supply. Cadmium slows down the speed of the B-cells' producing antibodies in the immune system.


• Lead slows T- and B-cell response. Even tiny amounts of lead in the blood can cause learning disabilities and behavioral problems. In adults, lead can contribute to high blood pressure, reproductive problems, and memory loss.


• Mercury reduces the number of T-cells and reduces activity in the immune system. Also causes memory loss.


• All three of the metals reduce the activity and speed the macrophages, thereby increasing susceptibility to infection.

Guidelines for Reducing Your Heavy Metal Exposure

• Eliminate / do not use or minimize:
  • avoid conventional household cleaning products
    • Safe alternatives:
      • home-made cleaning products
    • avoid conventional insecticides and herbicides
      • Safe alternatives
    • avoid cosmetics with aluminum bases, mineral powders that contain bismuth, and aluminum-laden antiperspirants, which have been shown to increase Alzheimer’s risk by as much as 300 percent!
    • avoid stainless steel thermoses; the glass lined kinds are best.
    • avoid aluminum and Teflon cookware as they are well known for their toxic dangers, and stainless steel can expose you to carcinogenic nickel.
      • only use glass, cast iron, carbon steel, titanium, and enamel cookware.
      • minimize consumption of restaurant food as restaurants are required to use stainless steel pots and vats.
    • avoid costume jewelry if you are sensitive to metals.
    • avoid smoking and second hand smoke as it causes cadmium poisoning.
    • avoid vaccinations that inject mercury or aluminum directly into your bloodstream.
  
  
  • At the dentist:
    • People don't realize that many of the materials dentists use are heavy metals. In fact, the major cause of mercury poisoning is from dental fillings -- half of which is mercury! This being said, there have been cases of acute poisoning from removing these fillings by conventional and even holistic dentists who did not know how to safely handle / remove these toxins. The result is that these toxins are ingested by the patient during the procedure causing serious health problems. This is something to be handled only by the most experienced biological / holistic dentists - who may recommend against the removal in certain situations. Please review the following resources:
      • Mercury poisoning
      • Dental fillings
      • Holistic dentists
    • Avoid stainless steel orthodontics, such as braces and palate wideners.
  
  
  • Herbal Remedies:
    • Make sure you purchase your natural herbal remedies from a reputable source with strict quality testing. Some remedies can be high in contaminants, such as mercury, lead and arsenic. Some colloidal silvers can lead to silver poisoning.
   

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  About The Author - Rudy Silva is a Natural Nutritionist. To learn more about the other nutrients you need to hold off signs of dementia or Alzheimer's go to http://www.for--you.com/dementiaremedies

  How Heavy Metals Affect the Brain:

  Brain tissue has an attraction for heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and others. When heavy metals appear in the brain they can interfere with your natural brain chemistry. This interference, overtime, can accelerate the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's.

  Aluminum is an element that has been associated with Alzheimer's. Aluminum has been found in high levels in people's brain that have died of Alzheimer's. The evidence points to aluminum been involved with Alzheimer's.

  There is a lot of controversy about whether aluminum can bring on Alzheimer's. But because the Aluminum Industry is so powerful, it has blocked and campaigned against any reports that point to aluminum's involvement in dementia or Alzheimer's.

   

  Here is a list of products that contain aluminum:

  • Antacids, aluminum wrap, pans, pot, rice cookers, small oven trays, soft drink cans, baking soda, various food cans, toothpaste tubes, water, roll on deodorants
   

  Here is what heavy metals do:

  • Lead - makes you aggressive and hyperactive
  • Cadmium - makes you confused and aggressive
  • Mercury - gives you headaches, causes memory loss
  • Aluminum - is associated with dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

  Heavy metals come from air pollution, smoking, pesticides, fillings. (For tips to stop smoking, please click here.)

  Be aware of how heavy metals and aluminum get into your body, since they will end up in your brain and accumulate along your artery walls with cholesterol. Having loss of memory and other mental abilities is not result of aging. It is a result of poor diet and excess consumption of pollution and toxins.

   

  Ways to Minimizing Heavy Metal Damage:

  • For all of these metals, food supplements, such as zinc, selenium, calcium and fiber, can provide some degree of protection and possible removal.
    • Vitamin C is a surprisingly good chelator. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco looked at blood levels of lead and ascorbic acid and found that those with the highest levels of ascorbic acid were 89 and 65 percent, respectively, less likely to have elevated blood lead levels.
    • Phytic acid - found in the hulls of fiber-rich nuts, seeds and grains - removes toxins from the intestinal tract.
    • Garlic and cilantro are also natural chelators. Garlic helps to eliminate lead, zinc, and other toxins from body tissues.
      • My favorite: Cilantro Pesto Sauce - the natural heavy metal detoxification recipe that is easy to make, inexpensive and effective (safe and good for birds, too!)
  
  
  • Electrolytic mineral supplements or eat a lot of fruits and vegetables high in minerals. The good minerals compete to get absorb in your intestines with the heavy metals. Good minerals will get absorbed leaving behind the heavy metals. These heavy metals will then be excreted out of your body.
  
  
  • Also drinking a lemon and chlorophyll drink is helpful. Chlorophyll attaches to heavy metals and help to remove them from your body. Drink this every morning. Here's how to make this drink. Combine juice of one lemon, 8 oz of distilled water, and 1-2 oz of chlorophyll.
   

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  Information contained on this website is provided as general reference only. For application to specific circumstances, professional advice should be sought.
  
  

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  GreenAndHealthy.Info strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!