Welcome to My World _ Heavy Metals Harming Your Health?

Hello World! Today I found some great info on how heavy metals affect our health, and ways to avoid these heavy metals. Well, the post didn’t get too long, so I will leave it as one post chock full of great information.

Ways Heavy Metals Could Be Affecting Your Health

And we aren’t talking about the music, folks… 🙂 

The hat makers of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries often suffered with tremors, speech problems, hallucinations and emotional instability linked to their use of mercury nitrate in the hat-making process. While mercury is no longer used in the hat industry, it is still prevalent in our society.

Heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury, as well as aluminum, which is technically a soft metal, are still prevalent in many aspects of life and have been linked to a whole host of health issues. Here are some of the ways heavy (or soft) metals could be affecting your health, depending on the specific effects of certain metals:

ALUMINUM EXCESS

Although not strictly a heavy metal, aluminum is found in our air, food, soil

and water and can have detrimental health effects if the exposures become excessive. Aluminum is found in many baked goods and processed foods, pharmaceutical drugs and over-the-counter medications, deodorants, foil and pie plates, aluminum pots and pans, some municipal water supplies, shampoo and skin creams. Some of the symptoms of aluminum excess include:

• Confusion
• Muscle Weakness
• Bone pain, deformities or fractures
• Seizures
• Speech problems
• Slow growth in children
• Lung problems
• Brain diseases
• Impaired iron absorption or anemia
• Nervous system problems including impaired voluntary or involuntary actions or twitches

CADMIUM EXCESS

Here are some of the ways long-term cadmium exposure from cigarette

smoking, phosphate-fertilized soil and grass, contaminated food or industrial processes such as smelting, can affect your health:

 

 

 

 

• Abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting
• Chest pain
• Cough
• Fevers and chills
• Heart damage
• Kidney disease
• Liver damage
• Lung damage
• Muscle pain
• Shortness of breath
• Tingling fingers
• Weak bones

MERCURY EXCESS

Mercury is found in many types of fish (such as tuna, marlin, swordfish and

orange roughy), amalgam dental fillings, thermometers, fluorescent light bulbs and some batteries. Excessive exposure to this heavy metal can cause:

• Breathing difficulties
• Difficulty sleeping
• Disturbances in peripheral vision
• Headaches
• Kidney damage
• Mood swings or irritability
• Muscle weakness and twitching
• Speech or hearing impairment
• Tremors

LEAD EXCESS

Lead was used in paint in older homes and offices, some industrial and

mining activities, pottery using lead glazes, soil in areas with a history of high traffic flow (due to the use of lead in leaded gasoline years ago), many cosmetics, foods stored in pewter or leaded crystal glassware or grown in soil with high amounts of lead, water in homes or buildings with lead solder or lead pipes. Some of the symptoms of lead excess include:

• Abdominal cramps
• Behavioral problems
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Impaired growth
• Irritability
• Lack of energy
• Learning disabilities
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle pains
• Nausea and vomiting
• Poor Coordination
• Seizures

Many of the above symptoms or conditions can be caused by a range of other health problems so it is always a good idea to see your doctor if you are suffering from any symptoms. Many testing methods are available to assess metal levels in your body so it is best to consult with a health practitioner who specializes in heavy metals. Additionally, because the detoxification or removal of metals from your body is complex and can actually aggravate conditions if it is done incorrectly, it is best to work with a qualified health professional prior to undertaking any of these practices.

Ways to Remove Toxic Heavy Metals from Your Life

Heavy metals are a part of modern living. They are found in our water,

consumer products, foods and other everyday places. It’s difficult to avoid lead, cadmium, mercury or aluminum (which is not technically a heavy metal since it tends to be soft, but it can still have damaging effects on your body). Even though metals can be hard to avoid completely, taking some precautionary measures can drastically reduce your exposure. Here are some of my preferred ways to eliminate toxic heavy metals from your day-to-day life:

1. Make the Switch:

Switch from aluminum-containing deodorants to aluminum-free options.

Most health food stores and some grocery stores offer aluminum-free deodorants or you can make your own with two simple ingredients.  I switched to a natural deodorant made basically from almonds and aloe, a couple of years ago, and I really like it.

2. Bake Up a Better Batch:

Stop using most varieties of baking powder in your baking. If the label doesn’t indicate whether the baking powder you use contains aluminum, assume it does. Most health food stores and grocery stores carry aluminum-free baking powder.

3. Kick the Habit.

Quit smoking. Cigarettes usually contain cadmium. According to Dr. J.

Robert Hatherhill, PhD, author of The Brain Gate, smoking one pack of cigarettes daily exposes your body to ten times more cadmium than a person’s body can handle each day. Be sure to avoid secondhand smoke as well.

4. Filter Out the Metals.

Filter your drinking water. Tap water frequently contains cadmium and

lead. This is especially an issue if you live in an older home with lead pipes.

5. Slay the Spray:

Avoid using pesticides on your lawn, flowers or indoors since many

pesticides contain cadmium, which can be linked to blood pressure issues (both low and high blood pressure, and kidney damage).

6. Can the Cans:

Reduce your consumption of canned goods as the solder can contain lead.

7. Leave Peeling Paints Alone. 

If you live in an older home, do not peel off paint on the wall. Use a professional skilled in sealing or removing lead from homes. Older paints frequently contain lead.

8. Nix the Wicks:

Choose candles that have lead-free wicks. Many commercial varieties of

candles contain lead in the wick. On that note, you’ll want to avoid most commercial candles for other reasons as well: most are made from petroleum by products and the scents used can cause many health issues.       I have a cat who was diagnosed with asthma, and my vet told me to stop using candles. I haven’t burned a candle in my house in ten years.

9. Select Superior Seafood:

If you eat fish, choose varieties that tend to be lower in mercury. Some of

the worst culprits for mercury include: halibut, king mackerel, shark, swordfish, tilefish, tune, and farmed salmon. Some of the lowest levels of mercury tend to be found in: haddock, wild or Pacific salmon, sardines, and tilapia.

10. Cherry-Pick the Best Produce:

Choose organic produce as much as possible to avoid cadmium-containing

pesticides used in the growing of non-organic fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes.

This is great information for all of us. I’ve slowly started switching to more and more natural and organic products when I shop at the grocery store. What do you do to keep yourself healthier? Let me know by leaving a comment below. I’d love to hear from you…

Have a great healthy day!