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Toxic Metals
In our practice we screen for and find many people burdened with toxic metals, insecticides, and internal toxins. These toxins are often neurotoxins which affect the brain leading to altered thinking and emotional states, poor coordination, and unusual sensations in the body. These toxins also cause a lot of physical pain in joints and body tissues. Fibromyalgia is an example of a disease condition where I find many toxic metals contributing to pain levels in the body. These toxins also a contributing factors in almost all degenerative disease conditions, either by being the direct cause of some diseases or by accelerating the decline in health from a pre-existing condition.
I find that the most common toxic metals that I find in my practice are mercury, lead, nickel, and aluminum. Please especially read about exposure sources for these metals. I find by far that mercury is the most damaging and commonly found toxin in my patients. Mercury fillings are the largest exposure source. I want to state emphatically that anyone having dental work done should never allow silver or mercury amalgam fillings to be put into their mouth.
People who are considering having mercury fillings removed and replaced with non-toxic alternatives would be wise to reconsider this procedure. I find that many people who have had this done have had drastic declines in health afterwards. Some people can tolerate this procedure and others cannot. It is impossible to determine whether you will benefit from this removal process. A ray of hope, though: I have noticed that patients who first detoxify their bodies, get their livers and kidneys working optimally, take care of chronic infections, and become as healthy as possible first... these patients tolerate this procedure with minimal side-effects. I always recommend that mercury fillings be replaced only one at a time and are tested by me or their dentist to determine which filling is removed first and when it is appropriate to move on to the second filling. A month between filling removal is about right. Many people return to high levels of health without mercury removal. Some people benefit from removing this source of toxins. It is worth mentioning that the older the fillings are, the less mercury is remaining in them. For people with old fillings in their mouth I tell them that most of the mercury we need to worry about is no longer in your fillings, but rather in your lymph system, body tissues, brain, and other organs. We support these patients with a systematic and gentle detoxification procedure.
I have had some patients report that they felt worse after having intravenous chelation therapy done. I believe that chelation therapy is a useful tool for health care but some patients are unable to tolerate it well due to extremely burdened livers or kidneys. I would make sure that large improvements in overall health are achieved first before attempting chelation therapy.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that toxic metals are the second worst environmental health problem in the United States. Toxic metals are widely used in industry, food processing, and agriculture and find their way into our air, food, and water.
Good habits that can beneficially change your intake and uptake of toxic metals include eating a high fiber diet, avoiding conventional foods grown with pesticides and artificial fertilizers, and eating organic foods.
Including high sulfur foods such as onions, garlic, legumes, and eggs assist the body in blocking uptake and removing retention of many toxic metals.
Using only stainless steel, glass, enameled, or iron cookware, and certainly avoiding aluminum cookware can reduce the intake of harmful metals.
Read labels and avoid products known to contain toxic metals. Avoid canned foods and canned drinks of all kinds, soft drinks in cans, beer in cans, aluminum cans, tin cans, and especially lead-soldered cans. Some researchers estimate we could easily reduce our lead intake 50% by simply avoiding lead-seamed canned foods altogether.
Include apples in your diet for a source of pectin, which binds with and helps remove most toxic metals from the body. Eat buckwheat, high in rutin, a protective agent against heavy metals and radiation. Eat a whole-foods, high-fiber diet to help bind with and pass toxic metals without entering your system. Consider drinking orange juice before X-ray exams. A New Jersey animal study reported rats given orange juice before X-ray exposure suffered two times less damage that rats given water.
Aluminum Exposure: aluminum cookware, antacids, antiperspirants, aluminum cans, kitchen utensils, paints, dental composites.
Protective factors: Adequate iron, calcium, magnesium, lecithin, apple pectin, garlic, kelp, vitamin C, B6 and the B vitamins, help bind with aluminum and remove it.
Toxic symptoms include: Stomach-bowel disturbances, headaches, fatigue, forgetfulness, speech disturbances, bone pain, dryness of skin and membranes, tendency towards colds, burning pain in the head relieved by food, heartburn, aversion towards meat, anemia, ALS, cavities, softening of bone, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's like symptoms.
Antimony exposure: foods, tobacco, solder, metalwork, sheet and pipes, bearing metals, castings, flame retardants in textiles and plastics, adhesives, paper, pigments, mordants in dyeing processes, rubber processing, batteries, mining, and smelting.
Toxic symptoms include: Skin spots (rash and pustules), eye disorders, stomach-bowel disorders, circulatory system damage, liver damage, lung inflammation, bronchitis, emphysema, high blood pressure, altered EKG readings, heart muscle damage, a sense of suffocation, gout-like symptoms, metallic taste in the mouth, fatigue, muscle disease, low blood pressure, anorexia, disturbances in menstrual cycles, spontaneous abortion.
Protective factors: Adequate magnesium and selenium.
Arsenic Exposure: poisons, pigments, dyes, wood preservatives, wine, coal burning, treated lumber, pesticides, herbicides, laundry aids, smog, tobacco products, bone meal, dolomite, kelp, refined table salt, beer, seafood, drinking water contaminated from agricultural runoff, electronic/photoelectric processes, some specialty glasses.
Toxic symptoms include: Headaches, confusion, drowsiness, convulsions, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody urine, muscle cramps/weakness, fatigue, hair loss, skin disorders, changes in fingernail pigmentation, many cancers, coma, and death.
Protective factors: Selenium, iodine, garlic, SOD, vitamin C, sulfur, cysteine, and methionine.
Barium Exposure: medical X-ray exams, all raw clay materials, dental composites, filler in paper, paints, plastics, the surfaces of dry clay materials, finished clay sculpture, finished ceramics, ceramics industries, and industries supplying ceramic materials.
Toxic symptoms include: Violent diarrhea, convulsive tremors, paralysis, heart damage, nerve damage.
Cadmium exposure: refined foods, refined grains, white rice, drinking water from galvanized pipes, evaporated milk, shellfish, sewage sludge, paint, pigments, artificial fertilizers, soil, air pollution, coal burning, plastics, nickel-cadmium batteries, coffee, tea, soft drinks, and tobacco smoke.
Protective factors: Zinc, iron, calcium, copper, protein, vitamin C, and protein.
Toxic symptoms include: high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, a dulled sense of smell, anemia, hair loss, joint soreness, dry scaly skin, appetite loss, weak immune system, liver disease, kidney disease, emphysema, cancer, and shortened life span.
Copper exposure: beer, copper cookware, copper plumbing, tap water, insecticides, pasteurized milk, many foods, swimming pool chemicals, sewage sludge, dental crowns, mineral supplements, and permanent wave products.
Toxic symptoms include: Diarrhea, eczema, anemia, high blood pressure, kidney disease, nausea, PMS, sickle cell anemia, stomach pain, weakness, and damage to the nervous system, mental and emotional disorders, autism, hyperactivity, depression, hallucinatory and paranoid schizophrenia, insomnia, mood swings, stuttering, and senile dementia.
Protective factors: Zinc, molybdenum, manganese, sulfur, and vitamins C and B6.
Gold exposure: dental fillings, jewelry, injections for arthritis.
Iron Exposure: dyes, inks, paints, pigments, mineral supplements. Some people suffer from a genetic disease which renders them less able to eliminate excess iron from their bodies so they are extremely susceptible to iron poisoning.
Lead exposure: leaded gasoline finding its way into the atmosphere, the soil, and water, paint, hair dyes, newsprint, solder, lead-seamed canned foods, road dust, insecticides, putty, batteries, leaded crystal glass, lead pipes, tobacco, industrial pollution, and foods grown in leaded soils.
Toxic symptoms include: Diarrhea, stomach pain, loss of appetite, anxiety, easy fatigue, muscle weakness, cramps, arthritis, gout, clumsiness, insomnia, headache, restlessness, mental retardation, confusion, tremors, seizures, loss of coordination, irritability, emotional instability, anemia, blue gums, learning disabilities, paralysis of arms and legs, blindness, death, impotence, reproductive disorders, infertility, and liver failure.
Protective factors: High fat diets increase lead absorption. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, protein, vitamins C, E, and niacin reduce lead absorption and storage.
Manganese exposure: ceramics, antiseptics, dyes, medicines, steel products, air pollution, water supply.
Mercury exposure: "silver" fillings, seafood, polluted water, sewage sludge, cosmetics, fabric softeners, inks used by tattooists and printers, latex, some medications, some paints, plastics, polishes, solvents, wood preservatives, explosives, gunpowder, some vaccinations, coal burning, mercury vapor lamps, and batteries.
Toxic symptoms include: depression, irritability, hyperactivity, asthma, allergies, a metallic taste in the mouth, loose teeth, excessive saliva, skin disorders, arthritis, gum disease, hair loss, insomnia, memory loss, and muscle weakness. Mercury poisoning can mimic ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, and MS, and it may play an important role in triggering Alzheimer's disease.
Protective factors: Selenium, avoiding the fat of fish and eating the meat of fish.
Nickel exposure: cocoa, chocolate, cigarettes, water, dental materials, hydrogenated oils and fats, processed and refined foods, buckwheat, oats, legumes, cabbage, and nickel-cadmium batteries.
Toxic symptoms include: skin rash, lung diseases, poor energy, heart attack, inflammation.
Protective factors: Avoidance of refined and processed foods, hydrogenated fats and oils, using stainless steel cookware in preparing acidic foods, metal cooking utensils, superphosphate fertilizers, tobacco, nickel-plated jewelry, watchbands, zippers, bras, pierced earrings.
Silver exposure: dental fillings, jewelry.
Thallium exposure: coal burning, smelting, cement factories, tobacco, fruits and vegetables grown in contaminated soils, photoelectric cells, nickel-cadmium batteries, lamps, electronics, semiconductors, organic catalysts, imaging procedures for heart disease.
Toxic symptoms include: pins and needles sensations, nerve inflammation, shaky movements, staggering, difficulty in pronouncing words, disorientation, tremors, hallucinations, male-pattern baldness, anorexia, mental confusion, high blood pressure, weakness, sleep disorders, and immune function changes.
Tin exposure: industrial pollution, canned foods, processed foods.
Toxic symptoms include: High blood sugar, shaky movements, staggering, difficulty pronouncing words, vision changes, headaches, and liver pain.
Protective factors: Zinc, iron, and copper.
Titanium exposure: pigments in paints, preservatives in medicines, tap/well water, dental crowns, implants.
Radium-Uranium radiation exposure: drinking water, plants, food, air in buildings, ceramics, light bulbs, photographic chemicals, medical and dental X-rays, radioactive tracers in medical diagnosis, soil and building materials, tobacco smoke, cellular phones, computer video screens, electronic games, microwave ovens, radar devices, satellite dishes, smoke alarms, radiotherapy.
Toxic symptoms include: fatigue, headache, weakness, loss of appetite and taste, vomiting, headache, weakness, hair loss.
Protective factors: Calcium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, kelp, seaweed, or sea vegetables, Coenzyme Q10, cysteine, glutathione, and methionine help protect against radiation.
Zinc exposure: poor inorganic supplements in food.
*Suzie- Suzie, a woman in her mid 50's, had been a patient of mine for many months. Her primary health concerns were unstable health, unusual sensations of burning in random areas of her body, migrating tingling sensations, unusual headaches, bouts of explosive anger, frequent nosebleeds, aches and pains, rashes that came and went, and frequent bouts of colds and flu. During the course of my seeing her she developed pain in her knees with no indication of injury. My examination indicated a heavy burden of homocysteine in the body, burdens of mercury, nickel, and lead, and muscle imbalances in the knee area. A combination of nutritional support for detoxifying the metals, nutritional support for detoxifying the homocysteine, combined with applied kinesiology treatment for the muscles of the knee helped her body to correct the problems in her knees. She is currently pain free in her knees. It is also worth mentioning that Suzie had her mercury amalgam fillings recently removed. Although this is a highly beneficial procedure it can occasionally cause more problems than it fixes if the person is unable to detoxify well. I believe this was the case for Suzie. Suzie reports that with continued nutritional support her health is stable. She no longer has unusual burning or tingling sensations. Her nose bleeds and rashes have stopped. Her aches and pains have calmed down tremendously and she is almost never sick. I attribute most of these health problems to heavy metal poisoning aggravated by mercury re-exposure during dental surgery. I believe that Suzie would be labeled "hypochondriac" with the standard medical approach and received little, if any, help for her various complaints.
*Yolanda- Yolanda, an energetic 35 year old woman, had been a patient of mine for several months. She came to my office complaining of knee pains in both knees and she had not had any injuries to her knees. Yolanda had recently had mercury amalgams removed from her teeth. My assessment of her indicated that her body was extremely toxic with heavy metals such as copper, mercury, nickel, etc and that many of these metals were probably irritating the areas around her knees. We supported Yolanda with several amino acids and chelating agents that help to pull toxins out of the body. Yolanda has reported much improvement in her knee pains after this protocol.
*Margaret- a woman in her mid-50's has been in my care for over a year. Her main health complaints have been depression, cloudy thinking, uncomfortable heart sensations, overweight, acne rosaceae on her nose and cheeks, and various aches and pains in her body. Acne rosaceae is a disease which apparently has no known cure and causes red, inflamed skin over the cheeks and nose, and a gradual swelling of the nose over the life of the patient. Margaret had been to see a dermatologist for her condition and was told to apply topical antibiotic cream on her face for the rest of her life as symptom management. Over the past year we have treated her for low-grade, chronic infections, supplemented her with digestive support and nutrition, changed her diet, and begun the process of detoxifying her from toxic metals. Margaret seems to be one of the most burdened patients I have ever seen with heavy metals including mercury, nickel, tin, lead, aluminum, arsenic, copper, antimony, barium, insecticides, and others! We are slowly and surely drawing these toxins out of her body. We make sure she drinks copious amounts of water and has proper support for her liver and kidneys (both important organs of detoxification.). Margaret also seems to suffer from an allergy to commercial pork products that affects her nose. We have her avoiding pork now. Margaret has felt like she was a hypochondriac. She noticed a huge decrease in well-being after having mercury amalgams removed. She had unusual heart symptoms that came and went at odd hours of the night. She couldn't sleep. Skin problems, feelings of dizziness, and water retention have bothered her. I am proud to say that Margaret has lost about 70 pounds, sleeps well, is no longer cloudy in her thinking, her heart symptoms are gone, and her aches and pains are gone. Her moods are much higher. She feels younger and looks 10 years younger. Even her acne rosaceae is gone! She no longer takes any medication for this condition. When she was at her worst, certain foods and even certain vitamins with unnecessary ingredients in the pill would make her feel like she was going to die. Now she no longer feels this way. We use Thorne nutritional products for our patients because many of them are sensitive to unnecessary ingredients. Thorne products are extremely pure, pharmaceutical quality nutritional supplements. I believe in them whole-heartedly.
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