Looking for a “new” you?
What about shifting the “old” you to one who isn’t so
tired, overwhelmed or depressed? This year, freeing up space in your
body’s tissues that may be burdened with toxic material is a good
starting point to help energize yourself, prevent development of
illness, or even help an illness you may already have.
Although there
are many toxic elements we are exposed to, this article will discuss
the impact of heavy metals on our lives and to our health.
The most common heavy metals we find in testing and treating
patients is mercury, arsenic, lead and cadmium.
These metals are known carcinogens and are poisonous to our
bodies.
We can be
exposed to toxic heavy metals in an acute way—for example,
accidentally eating some poison containing arsenic.
For most of us, though, our exposure comes from chronic
frequent contact. Sources
of exposure include our water supply, work and industrial exposure,
the paint and piping in our homes, and hobbies.
The term ‘heavy’ refers to the weight of the metal.
Heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium are at
the ‘heavier’ end of the periodic table.
These four metals are non-essential for our bodies and are
harmful in excessive amounts. Healthy
heavy metals, in trace amounts, include cobalt, copper, iron,
manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, strontium, and zinc.
Mercury
exposure can come from mining operations, paper industries, chlorine
and lye plants, thermometers, vaccines, and dental amalgams
(fillings). Mercury
accumulates in the brain, kidneys, lungs, and fatty tissues.
It is a poison that kills cells and damages our central nervous
system. Many believe
mercury is linked to autism and many autoimmune disorders, such as
multiple sclerosis. (Mercury
toxicity and mercury content in vaccines and dental fillings is a vast
topic. For more, see “Mercury and the Brain” at http://www.alaskawellness.com/Mercury&Brain~Archive.htm
or any of the 15 articles Alaska Wellness has published on
vaccinations: http://www.alaskawellness.com/Archives.htm
.)
Arsenic is
widely known as a key ingredient in rat poison, but it is also
involved in the smelting process of copper, zinc, and lead. It is used in the manufacture of chemicals and glass and is
found in pesticides, fungicides, paints, and as wood preservatives.
Here in Alaska, I encourage my patients to have their water
tested, and very sadly, arsenic is commonly found in toxic amounts.
Most of us
with children know that our babies get checked for anemia. This was
instituted as a screening tool for lead poisoning. Usually an anemic child then gets tested for lead poisoning.
Lead exposure can come from the flaking lead-based paints in
older houses or furniture. Lead is found in water pipes, drains, soldering material,
battery manufacture, fuel additives, PVC plastics, crystal glass
production, fishing lead weight production, and is in pencils and
pesticides.
When we hear
cadmium, we think of batteries, like the ones used in our cell phones.
Exposure to cadmium can also come from cigarette smoke, from
the mining and smelting of lead and zinc, PVC plastics, paint
pigments, and is in sludge, fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides.
Many of the
symptoms of heavy metal toxicity overlap; for the purposes of this
article I have grouped them together. Symptoms of heavy metal toxicity
can include: high blood
pressure, anemia, a metallic taste in the mouth, gingivitis, fatigue,
memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, tremors,
hypothyroidism, digestive problems, depression, irregular heartbeat or
rhythm, allergies, ringing in the ears, excessive perspiration,
unexplained skin rashes, anxiety, dementia, abdominal pain, diarrhea,
garlic odor on the breath, headache, vertigo, numbness or shooting
pains in the hands and feet, paralysis, kidney failure, blindness,
mottled skin, eyelid swelling, reduced reflexes of the limbs,
arthritis, constipation, weakness, seizures, loss of libido or
impotence, gout, insomnia, anxiety, disturbing dreams, vomiting,
inability to defecate fully, liver injury, and bone loss (increasing
one’s risk for fracture).
Heavy metals
accumulate in our tissues, including our organs, muscles, and fat.
When our tissues are burdened with these heavy metals, they
can’t make energy or function very well.
Our immune system is greatly hindered by these heavy metals.
Over time, our body systems fail and illnesses such as cancer,
high blood pressure, heart disease, heart failure, chronic fatigue,
thyroid problems, hormonal problems, memory problems, and autoimmune
disorders such as multiple allergies, lupus, and multiple sclerosis
can occur.
So, how do you
find out if you are toxic? First
of all, seek out a practitioner who is knowledgeable in heavy metal
testing and treatment. Different
kinds of tests include blood, urine, hair, or cell response assays.
Be aware, however, that hair mineral analysis does not always
provide accurate information. First of all, treated (permed or
colored) hair can’t be tested.
An inch of hair only evaluates the last month’s release of
metals. Healthy people
detoxify through hair, skin, and nails.
Therefore, a person can have an elevated hair analysis,
reflecting a healthy release of toxins without any toxic tissue
burden, but an elevated analysis could also reflect toxicity.
With that said, a person can have low levels in their hair
analysis and because of an inability to properly release tissue burden
of heavy metals, be quite toxic.
Bottom line, the test is inconclusive and is a waste of time,
money and haircutting.
One of the
most reliable and easiest ways to test for heavy metals is through the
urine. This is done two
different ways, with each revealing different results.
An “unprovoked” test is when a patient collects their urine
for 24 hours. The urine
is then sent off for analysis. This
“unprovoked” sample is good for testing for acute exposure of
heavy metals—for example, when one accidentally or unknowingly
ingests arsenic or is exposed to lead while making fishing weights or
soldering. The
disadvantage to this test is that it doesn’t reveal what your body
has stored in your tissues. This
is discovered by a “provoked” urine challenge.
In a
“provoked” urine test, a person is given a medication that helps
bind and pull out heavy metals from the tissues.
Then, they collect their urine for 24 hours. This “provoked” test will reveal a more realistic picture
of what is going on inside your body.
Both tests are important to do as knowing if you are being
acutely exposed to a metal can lead to the identification and removal
of the source of poisoning and avoid further exposure.
The provoked test will reveal tissue burden of the toxins and
monitor the body’s releasing of found toxins during treatment.
Once testing
is completed, you and your practitioner can use this information to
decide how to best help your body rid these toxins. Your program can include prescribed medications that help
pull the toxins from the tissues and excrete them out of your body.
It will most likely also include vitamins and supplements that
help aid this process as well as support your immune system and the
body’s detoxification abilities.
I am
frequently asked if many of the problems created by heavy metal
toxicity are reversible. It
is clear that the answer to that depends on the level of burden; i.e.,
how poisoned one is, and for what length of time a person is toxic.
With that said I take joy in seeing patients grow healthier and
in watching many of their complaints disappear with the removal of
these unhealthy toxins. For
this New Year, I encourage you to “get the lead”—and all other
unhealthy heavy metals—out!
Renae
Blanton,
MSN, ANP, is a Family Nurse Practitioner providing holistic
integrative care to families at Comprehensive Medicine, LLC. She can
be reached at 344-7775.
