Heavy Metals In Your Body
A heavy metal is defined as any metal that can have a toxic effect on the body. The term “heavy metals” originally referred to the dense metals such as cadmium, mercury and lead but it now refers to any toxic metal.
In today’s world they are everywhere, but are often overlooked as the cause of a number of health conditions.
What Are Heavy Metals?
A heavy metal is defined as any metal that can have a toxic effect on the body. The term “heavy metals” originally referred to the dense metals such as cadmium, mercury and lead but it now refers to any toxic metal.
Heavy metals are absorbed into the body from a number of different sources; from cookware, fish, soda cans, freeway dust, cosmetics, vaccines and many, many more. When they enter the body, the heavy metals are initially carried around by the blood which then dumps them off into an organ such as the liver, kidneys, bowel, brain and nervous system, spleen, and eyes. In fact, people with high heavy metal levels may have multiple heavy metals in more than one organ. Over time, the presence of the heavy metals in the organ can disrupt the biochemical process, causing the organ to malfunction.
Heavy metals are common in today’s world, but they are often overlooked as the cause of a number of health conditions. Heavy metals can often be the underlying root cause. Fortunately, a number of methods exist to identify and eliminate heavy metals from our bodies.
List of Heavy Metals
The list of heavy metals below shows the heavy metals whose levels are generally tested in a urine test:
- Aluminum
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Barium
- Beryllium
- Bismuth
- Cadmium
- Cesium
- Gadolinium
- Lead
- Mercury
- Nickel
- Palladium
- Platinum
- Tellurium
- Thallium
- Thorium
- Tin
- Tungsten
- Uranium
Heavy Metal Pollution
Heavy metal pollution is an on-going process as the metals accumulate over time. A person’s exposure can be determined by where they live, for example someone living in a large city would potentially have more risk of exposure to heavy metal pollution than someone who lives in a rural area. Sometimes babies are born victims of heavy metal pollution as toxins pass from the mother to the baby through placenta and breast milk. Many childhood vaccines contain mercury, which puts young children at additional risk.
Heavy metal pollution increasingly exists in the environment with the growth in industrialization and the resulting heavy metal pollution which is being released indiscriminately to the environment. Heavy metals are also present in many of the products we use daily such as deodorants, shampoos, lipsticks, cookware and in our food.
Heavy Metal Signs/Symptoms
Heavy metal symptoms are very varied and as a result, heavy metal toxicity can be overlooked as the root cause of a condition. Heavy metal signs can include lack of energy, poor circulation, weight-gain, high blood pressure and unexplained aches and pains are some of the symptoms of heavy metal toxicity. Other symptoms of heavy metal toxicity include:
- Allergies
- Cold hands and feet
- Digestive problems
- Frequent colds and flus
- Loss of memory
- Metallic taste in mouth
- Mood swings
- Night sweats
- Parasites
- Skin problems
- Sore or receding gums
Health Effects of Heavy Metals
The health effects of heavy metals are many and varied. Usually if a patient tests high to one metal, there will probably be other metals present in their body. Here are some health effects of the most common heavy metals:
Mercury: fatigue, Alzheimer’s disease, foggy thinking, hypothyroidism, headache and insomnia.
Lead: chronic kidney disease, anemia, gout, sterility, irritability, hyperactivity and memory loss.
Aluminum: Aluminum damages the brain and is linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Other health effects include constipation, gastro-intestinal irritation, hyperactivity, speech disorders, excessive headaches, and abnormal heart rhythm.
Arsenic: skin changes, discoloration and swelling, whitish lines in the fingernails, disruption of liver and kidney function.
Cadmium: osteoporosis and fractures, anemia, dry skin, hair loss, heart disease, joint pain and kidney stones.
Copper: abdominal complaints, metallic taste in mouth, manic depression, learning disabilities, anxiety, poor memory and irritability.
Testing for Heavy Metals
The body excretes small amounts of heavy metals in the hair, stool, and urine. So testing for heavy metals generally involves analysis of hair, stool, and/or urine samples. At LifeWorks Wellness Center, a urine sample is taken after one dose of chelation therapy, which is administered to speed up the excretion of the metals. Testing for heavy metals using a urine test will reveal the amount of metal being excreted by the patient, which in turn denotes the likely levels of that metal in their body.
Get Tested for Heavy Metals
LifeWorks Wellness Center is long recognized as one of the foremost natural health clinics in the US. At our Tampa Bay, Florida alternative medicine office we have been offering testing for heavy metal toxicity for a long time and many of our patients have benefitted from it. Our patients fly in from all over the world because they simply can’t find clinics offering tests for heavy metals where they live.
We have helped many patients regain their health and we would love to help you, too. To become a patient, or for more information, feel free to call our New Patient Coordinator at (727) 466-6789 or simply submit an online web inquiry with your request.