What Are typically the Major Heavy Metal Offenders?

• Mercury – toxic effects include damage to kidneys, lungs, and the brain (injures neurons and can cause neurological illness)
• Aluminum – creates inflammation, especially in the brain and can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease
• Cadmium – increases blood pressure and can cause atherosclerosis and kidney damage
• Arsenic – disrupts mitochondrial activity and causes serious neurological, respiratory, and gastrointestinal challenges
• Lead – causes abdominal issues, headaches, and impairs brain
• Copper – causes nervous system dysfunctions, loss of sexual interest, connective tissue problems

How Do We Get Them?

Mercury is most commonly enters the body from amalgam fillings. It is also found as methyl mercury in farmed or Atlantic fish, and as inorganic mercury in dental amalgams.  It’s often used as a preservative in the influenza vaccine.

Aluminum is in most cooking pans, tin foil, many antiperspirants, many over-the-counter medications, processed cheese and related products, cake mixes, pancake mixes, and frozen dough. It has also replaced mercury in many vaccines as a preservative. Also be aware of coffee pods with aluminium seal, the hot water is compressed through the punched holes to make coffee. Ps Fluoride in drinking water increases uptake of aluminum.

Cadmium was typically seen as being high in cigarette smokers only,  but having entered into our water supply and even air, and the soil and food supply, it is now seen in typically high levels in people consuming lots of vegetables. It’s often found in plastics and even some chocolate.

Arsenic is in drinking water, some rice, and large scale chicken production.

Lead is in paint (unless it says on the can ‘lead-free’), commonly in drinking water (from old pipes), some herbal remedies from questionable brands, and some chocolate.

Copper is in many common foods like coffee, chocolate, avocado, soy, shellfish, certain beans and nuts, and most IUDs are also made of copper.

How Do We Get Rid of Them?

Heavy metals can hide in the cells of the brain, nervous system, liver, kidneys, gall bladder, gut and soft tissue, and are not always easily picked up in tests, especially if you are looking for them in the blood while they are being stored in the cells. A good example of this is testing for mercury: if you had sushi last night, mercury levels may show up as high with a blood test, but the may not be indicative or the mercury sitting inside your cells from years and years of being released from your amalgam fillings or from your childhood vaccines. Hair analysis and Oligoscan spectrometry are better suited for this.

It is absolutely essential to get an experienced practitioner to run tests and guide you through this process. The body and all the excretory organs need to be functioning optimally before embarking on a chelation detox which can further overload and exhausted or toxic body.

Thus, it is important that the detox pathways are open and functioning well, meaning the liver, kidneys, and gut. Taking folate, B Vitamins, and eating foods such as broccoli, kale, garlic, onions, and daikon radish that contain sulfur can be useful adjuncts in this process.

The Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) Axis must be in good condition to properly detoxify heavy metals.

While detoxing heavy metals, there should be little to moderate stimulant activity – i.e. over-exercising, over-working, and even over-stressing, plus avoiding caffeine and other stimulants.

Where there are high heavy metals in the body, minerals are often deficient due to the link with leaky gut and decreased absorption of minerals. Therefore testing levels of essential minerals provides a clearer picture of cellular health. The Oligoscan allows for testing of heavy metals and minerals.

Once all of this has been successfully addressed, you are ready for chelation and binders. I recommend oral chelation over IV chelation.

There are many different opinions on this topic, but this is what has worked for me personally.  It ensures that you can manage and titrate specifically for your individual situation.   That makes it easier to avoid possible side effects, like extreme dizziness and nausea. This way, if you do too much too fast, you can always scale back on dosage until your system stabilizes and then move forward again when your body is ready.

EDTA is an amino acid chelator. It is most effective at eliminating heavier metals and will work from heaviest to lightest. It is safest to work with low doses and take your time, like 6 months to a year, listening to your body, instead of trying to detox too fast and cause damage to your kidneys or other organs. I recommend this one.

My two favorite binders are zeolite and chlorella. The mistake many people make is taking binders like chlorella with a smoothie or food. These products eliminate the toxins from your body, so you want to do that independently of the digestive process to ensure proper assimilation of the nutrients from your food. Take binders 30 minutes before or 1 hour after any food or supplements.

You must sweat! The other ways that toxins come out are through lymph and sweat. But remember: over-exercising can inhibit healing. The most effective way to sweat is with an infrared sauna. Before getting in the sauna is a great time to take binders. You should also drink plenty of water and increase fiber and electrolyte intake during the detox process, especially after the sauna.

Getting heavy metals out of the brain can be especially difficult as they can often accumulate there, particularly after certain dental procedures (amalgams, implants, etc).  Dr. Klinghardt, a German doctor that is an expert on heavy metals, toxicity, and chronic illness, has found that liposomal melatonin is a great detoxifier of the brain because it acts as an antioxidant and is especially effective for heavy metals. It also helps with sleep (which is integral for detoxification) and the gut. The ‘hangover’ many people report is actually a brain detox effect.

A Special Note on Women’s Health and Copper

A metal that merits special attention is copper.  It is different in that all the other above mentioned metals have no productive use in the body.  Copper is different; we require it to live and thrive. However, in excess, it builds up in the liver, joints, lungs, and brain and impairs adrenal function, slows down metabolism, and can have disastrous effects on mood, hormones, and reproductive health.

Birth control and copper IUDs can affect how copper functions in the body. While for some women this is not a problem, others find it common to experience things like mild to severe sexual difficulties of various types, depression, and anxiety. Pulling the excess copper out can be beneficial for many reasons, including less PMS, cramping, and higher fertility rates. Copper and zinc are inversely related, so re-mineralizing zinc and also Vitamin C (which is an antagonist to copper) is necessary.

Additional Suggestions to Take/Eat/Do

• Supplement with zinc, NAC, ALA, milk thistle, glutathione, and garlic
• Eat wild caught, low-mercury fish (salmon, shrimp, and cod), plenty of high-quality protein and fats like omega-3, olive oil, and flax oil
• Use natural deodorant
• Dry brush before bathing
• Replace aluminum pots and pans for cast iron or ceramic
• Spray magnesium oil on organs and belly (assists in detox, bowel regulation, relaxes muscles and calms nervous system)
• Get amalgams taken out by a biological dentist (must be done correctly or can be extremely toxic)
• Air filters and water filters in your home
• Put your phone on airplane mode while sleeping (reduce EMFs)
• Rebound 5 minutes, twice a day on a mini-trampoline

Full Credit & References:
Metals and the Mind-Wise Traditions, Theresa Vernon
Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis, Lawrence Wilson, MD
Copper and Your Health, Lawrence Wilson, MD
Fundamental Teachings, Dietrich Klinghardt, MD