Heavy Metal Detoxification 101
August 01, 2022
Heavy metal poisoning may not seem like something most people need to worry about. Unfortunately, however, it has become much more common in recent years. Metals like mercury, lead, chromium, cadmium, and arsenic commonly make their way into our bodies and impact our health.
These heavy metals are microscopic particles that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Yet, they are contaminated in much of the water, food, and air today. Heavy metal poisoning can be acute or chronic. Sometimes the symptoms are more noticeable, and other times they may be less apparent. Still, these toxic metals can build up in the body and begin to impact our health.
In this article, we'll discuss the effects of heavy metals on the body and how to get rid of heavy metals.
What Are Heavy Metals?
Heavy metals are "metals with relatively high densities, atomic weights, or atomic numbers." These metals are plentiful in nature but are usually found deep in the earth. However, these metals have been extracted for years because of their many industrial uses. Now, humans are in contact with these metals more than ever before. Consumption of heavy metal particles can cause metal particles to build up in the body and lead to heavy metal poisoning.
What Is Heavy Metal Poisoning?
Heavy metal poisoning is the accumulation of toxic amounts of heavy metals in the body's soft tissues. While the body needs small amounts of some heavy metals to function normally—such as iron, chromium, copper, manganese, and zinc—toxic amounts of these metals are harmful.
Suppose too many metals accumulate in your body's soft tissues. In that case, it results in heavy metal poisoning and can cause serious health problems. While severe heavy metal poisoning is less common, it is not uncommon for accumulated heavy metals to still interfere with normal body function and impact our health.
Symptoms of Heavy Metal Exposure
What Are the Symptoms of Heavy Metals in the Body?
The symptoms of heavy metals in your body will differ depending on whether the heavy metal poisoning is acute or chronic. Acute heavy metal poisoning means you were exposed to a large amount of metal at once.
The acute symptoms of heavy metals in your system may include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Numbness
- Confusion
- Falling into a coma
Chronic or long-term exposure to lower levels of heavy metals is more common than acute heavy metal poisoning. It may cause symptoms that develop slowly over time. Symptoms of chronic heavy metal poisoning may include:
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Brain fog
- Weakness
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain
- Headaches
- Constipation
- Digestive issues
Heavy metal poisoning can be challenging to diagnose, as many of the symptoms of heavy metal poisoning can be the same as other health problems.
How Do Heavy Metals Effect the Body?
Heavy metals can affect the body in several ways. Essentially, heavy metals disrupt metabolic functions. As they accumulate, they disrupt the function of vital organs and glands such as the brain, heart, brain, liver, kidneys, bone, etc. They also displace essential minerals from their original place and hinder their biological function.
What Causes Heavy Metal Poisoning?
The cause of heavy metal poisoning is the accumulation of metals in the body's soft tissue. Some of the common sources of exposure to heavy metals include:
- Industrial exposure
- Air pollution
- Water pollution (often in tap water)
- Contamination in food
- Certain medications
- Improperly coated food containers, plates, and cookware
- Ingestion of lead-based paints
- Insecticides
- Herbicides
- Pesticides
What Causes Heavy Metal Poisoning?
The cause of heavy metal poisoning is the accumulation of metals in the body's soft tissue. Some of the common sources of exposure to heavy metals include:
- Industrial exposure
- Air pollution
- Water pollution (often in tap water)
- Contamination in food
- Certain medications
- Improperly coated food containers, plates, and cookware
- Ingestion of lead-based paints
- Insecticides
- Herbicides
- Pesticides
How to Test for Heavy Metal Toxicity
Exactly how heavy metal poisoning is treated depends on the symptoms and exposure. In severe cases, one may need to pump their stomach to remove ingested metals or have fluids administered intravenously.
Typically, however, a chelating agent is introduced. Chelators are compounds that magnetically bind to heavy metal particles and help eliminate them from the body. Some common chelating medications include:
- Penicillamine
- Dimercaprol
- Calcium disodium EDTA
However, there are other natural alternatives to these drugs as well. Consult your doctor before taking any dietary supplements for heavy metal toxicity. Some of the best natural chelating agents include:
Among these, zeolite and fulvic acid are much more effective than cilantro. Still, cilantro may be easier to incorporate into one's diet daily. Taking natural chelating agents is best for chronic heavy metal poisoning, in which one has been exposed to small amounts of metals built up over time.
Nearly everyone living in the modern world has some heavy metal toxicity. Therefore, it is a good idea to periodically help your body to cleanse these built-up metal particles by doing a short-term heavy metal detox cleanse.
Zeolite
Zeolite is a natural volcanic mineral that has a strong negative charge. This negative charge allows it to attract and bind to a wide range of positively charged particles—which include most of the toxins that are harmful to our health, including:
- Heavy metals
- Environmental toxins
- Mold
- Microbial pathogens
Zeolite binds to more than just heavy metals. It also binds to pathogenic organisms in the body. This volcanic mineral also does not get broken down or absorbed by the body. Instead, it simply passes through your bloodstream collecting positively charged toxic elements, and is excreted. This unique ability makes zeolite one of the most potent detox agents in the world.
The particle size of zeolite determines its function. This means the smaller the particle size, the more effective it will be at removing toxins. Our Nano Zeolite formula uses a special chemical-free method that breaks down the particle size of zeolite to below 5 microns. Our extraction method also ensures that our Nano Zeolite formula is extremely pure with no added solvents or exposure to harsh chemicals.
Fulvic Acid
Fulvic acid is another powerful chelating agent. Fulvic acid is a naturally occurring compound found in soils, compost, and marine sediments that are formed through the decomposition of organic substances.
Studies have found that this natural compound has a unique ability to bind to toxins and heavy metals. Fulvic acid also has a small molecular size and weight. It is therefore capable of a high degree of penetration into cell membranes. This makes fulvic acid very useful as a powerful supplement for cellular detoxification.
Our Fulvic Acid & Trace Ocean Minerals formula uses a unique extraction method that is completely chemical solvent free and creates a pure and potent fulvic mineral complex unlike any other on the market.
Cilantro
Cilantro is a popular culinary herb used in Mexican and Indian cuisine. Many people are familiar with cilantro, but not everyone knows its powerful heavy metal detox properties. However, to get the detox benefits of this herb, one would need to consume a fair amount—much more than most people use in their food.
One way to get more cilantro in the diet is to add a cup of cilantro to smoothies. Additionally, a cilantro extract supplement can provide heavy metal detox benefits.
Heavy Metal Detox Cleanse
It is a good idea in today's world to cleanse our bodies of heavy metals a few times each year. This can be done in just a few days of an intentional detox cleanse. To do a heavy metal detox cleanse:
- Pick a period of 3-7 days and follow the following steps each day.
- Drink around 1 gallon of purified water daily (avoid tap and bottled water). Add Fulvic Acid and Trace Ocean Minerals (link product) to your water.
- Exercise daily, and try to sweat each day (hot yoga or sauna makes this easier)
- Drink the Heavy Metal Juice each morning; this contains our Nano Zeolite formula.
- Eat antioxidant-rich foods each day (fruits and vegetables).
- Have a big green salad for one of your meals.
- Eat only organic foods.
- Avoid overeating.
- Get plenty of sleep each night.
- Avoid sources of heavy metal exposure the best you can (toxic cookware, canned foods, industrial pollution, polluted air, tap water, foods grown with pesticides)
How to Prevent Heavy Metal Poisoning
Exposure to heavy metal particles is practically unavoidable today if you live in the city. However, you can still limit the toxins you are exposed to and periodically cleanse your body of heavy metals, so they don't build up and impair organ function.
To avoid heavy metals:
- Use non-toxic cookware (stainless steel, glass, ceramic)
- Avoid eating things stored in aluminum cans
- Avoid using or cooking with aluminum foil
- Do not drink tap water unless a high-quality filter purifies it
- Avoid areas with a lot of air pollution
- Buy organic foods to avoid exposure to pesticides
- Incorporate chelating agents into your regular diets, such as fulvic acid or cilantro.
Summary
Heavy metal poisoning has become much more common in recent years. Metals like mercury, lead, chromium, cadmium, and arsenic commonly make their way into our bodies and impact our health. These heavy metals are microscopic particles that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Yet, they are contaminated in much of the water, food, and air today.
Heavy metal poisoning can be acute or chronic. Acute heavy metal poisoning means you were exposed to a large amount of metal at once. Chronic or long-term exposure to lower levels of heavy metals is more common than acute heavy metal poisoning. It may cause symptoms that develop slowly over time.
While heavy metals can be damaging, they can be removed from the body. Chelating agents can bind to heavy metals and help to eliminate them. Of course, however, it is best to avoid exposure to heavy metals in the first place whenever possible. This can often be achieved with simple changes in diet, lifestyle, and products.
Suppose you are concerned that you have heavy metal poisoning. In that case, it is recommended to consult your doctor as soon as possible.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4144270/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/heavy-metal
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560920/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557806/
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