These substances are heavy metals such as lead, iron, copper, and manganese. They are commonly found in fruits and vegetables and are required "trace" elements that are essential for body function. The problem stems from the fact that many Americans are being over dosed due to environmental and lifestyle factors. Many of these heavy metals are found in the multivitamins we are putting into our body to boost our health!
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, there are three that we have the right to be most concerned about: arsenic, lead, and mercury. But others such as aluminum and iron are also very common in our environment and can also lead to problems in development and body function as well.
Arsenic is released by smelting of alloys and also the manufacture of chemicals and glass. This metal is contaminating the ground water of over 70 countries including the US! In 2008, a study in the southeastern counties of Michigan investigated low to moderate arsenic exposure through groundwater and 23 disease processes such as cancer, diabetes, circulatory and respiratory disease, and kidney or liver disease. Their findings showed increased mortality rates for men and women for all circulatory diseases, cerebrovascular disease, type II diabetes, and kidney disease. Read more here.
Lead is a neurotoxic that can be stored in your soft tissues and your bones and can be absorbed through ingestion or inhalation. It can damage the nervous system including your brain and in excessive amounts can cause blood disorders and delay puberty in girls. Click here for a study. Long term exposure has been linked to kidney disease, abdominal pain, weakness in the hands, increased blood pressure, anemia, miscarriage, reduced fertility in males, and even poor immune response. According to Roberts, lead poisoning is the most common heavy metal toxicity in children and exposure is most commonly through ingestion of lead based materials, soil, dust, and contaminated food or water.
Mercury can be found almost everywhere in your environment from the food we eat (fish especially), dental fillings, cosmetic products, and the vaccines we are injecting into our children. Mercury can be inhaled, ingested, and even absorbed through the skin. Mercury can cross the blood-brain-barrier to be stored in the brain which can cause many of the same symptoms of lead poisoning as it is also a neurotoxin.
What can you do to reduce your exposure and clear your body?
1) Get tested. A blood test alone is not enough as these harmful substances can also be stored in the brain and other soft tissues. Get your blood, hair, and urine tested. Visit your doctor or find a Natural Health Office that can run these tests.
2) Detoxify your body. Chelation therapy and thorough body cleanses may help to reduce the levels in your body.
3) Be proactive and load up your body with anti-oxidants to prevent further exposure. Vitamin C is a great source and many anti-oxidants can be found in dark fruits such as blueberries, grapes, and pomegranates. Many of our bodies are starved for anti-oxidants and a helpful way to ensure your body has what it needs is through the Vitamin C Calibration.
4) Get in the sauna. Saunas are a great way for your body to get rid of toxins through the most direct method: sweat from your skin. A dry low temperature sauna is best and make sure to shower right after you are done to rinse the metals so they cannot be reabsorbed.
5) Limit your mercury intake through fish. Avoid albacore tuna as it has three times the mercury as light tuna. Here's a calculator to determine how much tuna you can eat each week safely. If you're eating fatty fish such as mackerel, swordfish, or shark you're already taking in a lot of mercury so cutback on other seafood that week.
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