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Heavy Metals

Heavy Metals reduce ability of the liver to detoxify, they are they are associated with many neurological, and immune diseases such as:  autism, MS, Hypothyroid / Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Parkinson’s, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia. 
Heavy metals cause oxidative stress, which causes and contributes to inflammation.  Inflammation is a key causative and aggravating factor in ALL chronic, degenerative diseases.  Some examples are: cardiovascular disease, hypertension, arthritis, and diabetes. 

Chronic exposure to metals (just like with other toxins) eventually overwhelms the body’s ability to eliminate these fast enough.  The body then resorts to storing the heavy metals in the tissues (to keep it out of the blood, avoiding an “acute” poisoning situation).  The body tends to store heavy metals in the bones, the nervous system, the brain, the kidneys, the spleen, the thyroid and adrenal glands.  Build up of heavy metals can cause or contribute to a wide variety of symptoms such as: 

Probably the most common question I get is:

“Where would I have been exposed to these toxins?”

Click this link for a chart of the sources and symptoms of Heavy Metal Toxicity

Unfortunately the answer is “everywhere”.  There are elevated levels of heavy metals, pesticides, solvents, plasticizers, and many other chemicals in our air, water, soil, and food.  Even rainwater has elevated levels of toxic chemicals.  Dental amalgams, immunizations and many prescription drugs contain heavy metals. 

Airborne heavy metals are from:  car exhaust, coal burning power plants, municipal and medical waste incinerators to name a few. 

Water / fish:  Waste from many different kinds of industries dumps heavy metals and other toxins directly into streams, oceans and rivers.  These metals and toxins are taken up by fish that swim in these waters. 

Soil / food / water:  Heavy metals are components of many pesticides as well as fertilizers used to grow our food.  This also allows metals to leech into our groundwater.  Municipal water supplies are not necessarily screened for heavy metals, pesticides, solvents or pharmaceutical drugs (these enter the water supply because people flush expired prescription drugs down the toilet). 

I offer comprehensive testing and treatment for heavy metals.  Treatment involves chelation with one or more drugs that bind metals and remove them from your body.  I am certified in chelation therapies and have extensive training in environmental medicine. 

Please see the pages on Cleansing and Chelation for more information.