Understanding Heavy Metal Toxicity

Most of us who live in modern day society are continuously exposed to high concentrations of heavy metals (toxic metals.) Heavy Metals such as aluminium, cadmium, fluoride, lead and mercury have become a normal part of our industrialised culture. Heavy metals are commonly found in thousands of different food & beverage products, household cleaning products, household furnishings, cookware, personal body care products, cosmetics and untold numbers of industrial products and chemicals.

How do heavy metals affect us?

After exposure, the heavy metals pass quickly through our body via the blood and can store in vital tissues where they disrupt chemical, hormonal, immunologocal or neurological processes thus wreaking havoc on our overall health. Small amounts of heavy metals in the body are highly significant as even tiny amounts are capable of causing serious health problems by interfering with the body’s normal biological function.

While copper, iron and zinc in low concentrations are essential for health, they become toxic at high levels. Other Heavy metals like aluminium, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, fluoride, lead and mercury have no bodily function and will cause heavy metal toxicity and should therefore be avoided wherever possible.

Generally speaking, heavy metals disrupt the body’s metabolic function in two basic ways: 

• Firstly, they accumulate in vital organs and glands such as the heart, brain, kidneys, bone and liver where they disrupt their important functions.

• Secondly, heavy metals inhibit the absorption, interfere with or displace vital nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids. These nutrients are essential for health and wellbeing. For example, enzymes are needed for nearly every chemical reaction in the body and essential minerals play a vital part in these reactions. When heavy metals are present minerals like calcium and magnesium are displaced and heavy metals such as lead or cadmium take their place. Toxic heavy metals can’t fulfill the same role as these essential nutrients so their presence becomes harmful to our health by inhibiting the proper chemical, enzyme and neurological reactions that should occur within the body.  

The result of heavy metal toxicity within the body is that it can cause cell damage and inhibit proper body functions. This can lead to any variety of diseases processes that results in cell damage and then eventually cell death.

Possible symptoms of heavy metal exposure

What can I do to avoid heavy metal toxicity?

While it may be impossible to eliminate exposure to toxic metals, it is important to be aware of heavy metals and to minimise exposure wherever possible both at work, home and living environments. There are many ways heavy metals can be absorbed into the body; through foods and beverages, skin exposure, via the air we breathe and with procedures such as injections and dental fillings.

While, preventative measures are very important, avoiding heavy metal exposure completely is impossible unless you live in bubble. What is important is to prevent the accumulation of heavy metals in the body and to look at the options available to remove any heavy metal build-up that may be already present in your system. In our clinic we recommend Green Cleanse, which forms the basis of our heavy metal protocol, because of it's unique ability to draw out, bind to and remove all heavy metals.

• Learn how you and your family are exposed - Our E-Book 'Heavy Metals and Your Health', is a PDF downloadable file that we have compiled as a reference guide to help you identify the sources of heavy metals and elevated essential minerals in your work, home and living environments. This E-Book not only provides details on how we are exposed to heavy metals on a daily basis, so you can try to avoid these sources, but it also gives the side effects heavy metal exposure can cause to us in terms of health issues.

• Check your toxicity levels  - We offer a Hair Mineral Analysis Test that accurately measures heavy metals, essential minerals and other mineral levels. Depending on the results specific nutritional supplements will be recommended.