By Bonnie Pockley
Heavy metals are everywhere. They are in our food, in our cleaning products and in our packaging. By now you’ve most certainly heard of high levels of Mercury in fish but there are also other, harmful, heavy metals almost everywhere you look including the air you breathe and the water you drink. Of the 20 or so classified heavy metals, the main four that are harmful to human health are: Lead, Cadmium, Mercury and Inorganic Arsenic.
With modern day industrial production, environmental contamination and exposure to heavy metals has become a growing, and very serious, problem. Heavy metals may be taken into the body in several ways: via ingestion, inhalation and skin absorption. This is often through the consumption of processed foods containing residual contaminants from industrial manufacture, skin contact with household products and particulate pollution in the air through industrial waste.
The accumulation and build-up of heavy metals in the body is dangerous and often contributes to unexplained poor health. Heavy metals affect the central and peripheral nervous system causing depression and mental illness as well as having nephrotoxic (toxic to kidneys), fetotoxic (toxic to a foetus) and teratogenic (the ability to cause malformation to an embryo or foetus) effects. They are also known to have an impact on and to be associated with the gross dysfunction of energy producing pathways, metabolic pathways as well as impairing reproductive and eliminatory organs (colon, liver, skin, intestines, spleen).
‘No matter how many good health supplements or procedures one takes, heavy metal overload will be a detriment to the natural healing functions of the body… Even minute levels of toxic elements have negative health consequences, affecting nutritional status, metabolic rate, the integrity of detoxification pathways…Disruption of the metabolism and balance of nutrient elements results in marked aberrations in the metabolism of carbohydrate, protein/amino acids, lipids, neurotransmitters and hormones.’
How do you get rid of Heavy Metals in our system?
Heavy metals are eliminated from your system through chelating agents and are excreted through your urine. Be it preventative or as a means of treatment, TONIC SUPERFOODS believes that an important part of any detox is a heavy metal cleanse (which is why we’ve included it as Part 1 of our Summer Detox Plan). This, however, doesn’t have to be painful or expensive. Some of the best chelating agents are garlic and coriander. Below is a delicious recipe that doubles as a fantastic heavy metal chelating agent:
HEAVY METAL DETOX PESTO:
· 4 cloves garlic
· 1/3 cup Brazil nuts (selenium source)
· 1/3 cup sunflower seeds (cysteine source)
· 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (zinc, magnesium sources)
· 2 cups packed fresh coriander (Vitamin A source)
· 1 teaspoon TONIC SUPERFOODS MSM (sulphur source) · 2/3 cup Avocado oil
· 4 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions:
Blend all ingredients together and store in the fridge in a jar. Add to food over the course of the week and enjoy!
NB: Please consult a doctor is you are concerned about serious heavy metal poisoning. or exposure.
Below is a list of the origins of some common heavy metals and negative side effects they might have:
Aluminum -- Is found in aluminum foil, cans, baking powder, cosmetics, cheese, fireworks, dental amalgams, deodorants, drugs, toothpaste, pesticides, pollution, table salt (you can substitute with natural sea salt), nasal spray, cookware, vehicle exhaust, aspirin and more.
Aluminum can cause learning disabilities, Alzheimer's, dementia, dry skin, anemia, headaches, liver dysfunction, memory loss, Parkinson's, heartburn, peptic ulcer, psychosis, Aluminum tends to accumulate in the kidneys, liver, brain, reproductive organs, muscles, stomach. Some of the common symptoms of aluminum are headaches, abnormal heart rhythm, depression, blurred vision, numbness in hands and feet.
One of the most well known health problems caused by aluminum is Alzheimer's and dementia. The use of aluminum in many products used on a daily basis may be the reason there is such an increase in the number of people who have these health problems.
Arsenic -- Is found in some seafood, is used in galvanizing and power plants, is found in pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, desiccants and wood preservatives and riot control gas. There is arsenic in the air due to the burning of wood coal, metal alloys and arsenic waste.
It can cause anemia, malaise, fatigue, spontaneous abortions, dermatitis, skin lesions, peripheral neuropathy, encephalopathy, cardiovascular distress, Raynaud's phenomenon, hypertension, myocardial infarction, hearing loss, cardiovascular disease, cancer of the skin, liver or respiratory tract.
Beryllium -- Is found in household products, coal, spark plugs, microwave tubes, photographic equipment, etc.
The lungs are the target organ of beryllium toxicity and may be a cause of lung cancer. It may also cause contact dermatitis, ulcers, magnesium depletion, organ dysfunction and disturbance of calcium and vitamin D metabolism.
Lead -- Is in auto exhaust, batteries, cigarette smoke, inks, cosmetics, household dust, hair dyes, lead pipes, pottery, liver, canned fruit, pesticides, pencils, paint, newsprint, toothpaste, putty, PVC containers, tin cans and water.
It can cause adrenal insufficiency, behavioral disorders, cardiovascular disease, loss of coordination, depression, constipation, fatigue, anxiety, anemia, allergies, immune suppression, decreased IQ, insomnia, joint pain, kidney disorders, liver dysfunction, memory loss, menstrual problems, muscle aches and weakness, multiple sclerosis, myelopathy, Parkinson's disease, restlessness, seizures, stillbirths, sudden infant death syndrome, and lots more.
Lead also affects cognitive development in children such as retardation, learning difficulties and behavioral problems.
Mercury -- Is found primarily in dental amalgams. It is also found in air conditioner filters, batteries, body powders, newspapers, laxatives, medications, vaccines, fungicides, grains, insecticides, paints, Preparation H, tattoos, diuretics, thermometers, paper, fluorescent light bulbs, skin creams and ointments.
Mercury tends to concentrate in the kidneys and brain. It can cause dementia, colitis and renal failure in people who have used laxatives containing mercury. Other health problems include bronchitis, fatigue, insomnia, loss of memory, chest pains, gingivitis, anxiety, adrenal dysfunction, brain damage, dizziness, eczema, immune dysfunction, migraines, pain in limbs, vision loss, hyperactivity, hypothyroidism, kidney damage, memory loss, joint pain, depression, mental retardation, anorexia, nerve impairment and chronic viral, bacterial and fungal illnesses.
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