Hello again Elite friends!  This week we will explore a little bit about the possibilities of Heavy Metals in your system… sounds peculiar right?  How could you possibly get heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, and other metals that can be quite toxic to the body, in YOUR system?  Well, let’s find out…

Heavy Metals
There can be many definitions and/or criteria for what is considered a heavy metal.  In this case, we are talking about heavy metals that are highly dense and can be toxic to the human body in high amounts.  Because of the density of these so called heavy metals, such as fluoride, mercury, aluminum, arsenic, etc. the body has a hard time of disposing of them.  They have a tendency to be stored in your cleansing organs such as the liver, kidneys, and intestines (sometimes in the brain and heart as well).  Another possible area where heavy metals are stored will be in the skin or deep within the fatty tissue (this is the bodies way of protecting the organs from further intoxication and can make it difficult to lose weight).  No matter where the body decides to store them, the point is– the body will do it’s best to store them because of the difficulty to eliminate them.  When there is an overload of stored heavy metals this can show up in a variety of symptoms in the body:

• Mental Fogginess
• Fatigue
• Weakened immune system
• Headaches/Migraines
• Anxiety/depression
• Tremors
• Ringing in ears
• Weight retention (Hard time losing weight)
• Digestive issues/IBS
• Other chronic health conditions

These symptoms are so vast that it can be common to be misdiagnose for other ailments or dis-eases that have common symptoms.  Luckily, you can get tested for heavy metals that may be in your system by your doctor or health care practitioner.

Possible Sources of Heavy Metals
It’s impossible not to be exposed to heavy metals in one way or the other because of the various things we interact with EVERY day.  Every body is different and some people can process and eliminate heavy metals due to their current health or lifestyle, while others may store them and slowly eliminate them.  Either way they can be very disruptive to the entire livelihood of the body.  Here are just a few sources of exposure:

• Cosmetics (possible arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, mercury, and/or nickel.)
• Cookware (possible lead, cadmium, nickel, and/or aluminum)
• Conventional Deodorant (possible aluminum)
• Conventional Toothpaste (possible lead, aluminum, and/or fluoride)
• Farmed Fish (possible mercury)
• Dental fillings (possible mercury)
• Aluminum cans ( possible aluminum)
• Pesticides/herbicides (possible arsenic, copper sulfates, lead, and/or mercury)
• Freeway Dust (variable heavy metals)
• Pollution (variable heavy metals)

As you can see, we interact with heavy metals every day.  Instead of feeling the weight of this (pun intended) we will take a look at what you can do to help assist your system with the elimination.

Natural Approach to Heavy Metal Elimination
There are extreme measures you can do to detox your system of heavy metals or there are mild and every day measures you can take to help assist the body to eliminate them.

• Bentonite Clay
  • This is a more extreme natural way of helping detox the body of heavy metals from the system.  When this clay is put in a spring or distilled water it creates a electrical charge and pulls the metals out of your system to be eliminated through the urine/colon.  Do lots of research before attempting this to see if it is right for you or check with a health practitioner.  This method requires drinking LOTS of water throughout the day and should be complimented with a healthy diet. Use bentonite clay topically as a poultice and apply to your feet or armpits for a drawing effect and gentle detox: mix water, apple cider vinegar and clay into a thick poultice, apply to feet or armpit. Let clay dry then soak it off in Epsom salts or rinse off with warm water.
• Activated Charcoal
  • This supplement can work similarly to the bentonite clay– absorbing toxins in the body and discharging them through the urinary tract system or colon.
• Triphala
  • This is an ayurvedic fiber supplement used traditionally in India.  This fiber will help gently detox and help move things along through the colon.  Added benefits include: high in vitamin C, can help regulate blood sugar levels, and can help with weight loss.
• Chlorella/Spirulina
  • Take either one of these powerful blue green algae supplements to help gently remove heavy metals from your system and reap the benefits of all the minerals and vitamins that are in them.
• Vitamin C
  • This helps reduce the free radicals in the body and will help assist the body to remove the toxins.
• Liver cleansing herbs
  • Milk Thistle
  • Turmeric

There are other more aggressive methods called “chelation” that some health practitioners administer and can assist you with the whole detox process.

Foods to Help Elimination of Heavy Metals

• Leafy greens
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Foods high in vitamin C:
  • Lemons
  • Oranges

Doing a little bit every day, like adding one of the above supplements into your daily routine or by simply adding some parsley or lemon to your water to help assist your body to eliminate these toxins, is a great easy first step! If you want to dive right in to a detox– just make sure you do your research first!

**Bonus tip: When in doubt sweat it out!  Do hot yoga or sit in a sauna (infrared saunas are great too) to help induce elimination of heavy metals from excessive sweating!

As always, do what you feel is best for YOUR body– if you aren’t sure, ask your doctor. We are health ENTHUSIASTS not licensed practitioners.