The Horrors of Heavy Metals

It's spooky season, and boy do I have a horror story for you! Heavy Metals. . .

Heavy Metals are some of the most underestimated monstrosities wreaking havoc on the human microbiome. We not only underestimate the impact they have on our health, but we undervalue and ignore the importance of examining their presence throughout the body in routine wellness checks. 

Toxic amounts of heavy metals in the body have an outstanding impact on chronic disease. Heavy metals can destroy every system in your body. They negatively affect your body by impairing mitochondrial function, gut microbiota, testosterone production, immune response, liver capabilities, and cognitive function.

From the time that we are born, we are exposed to thousands of toxins daily. Some of the worst of these toxins are lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. These toxins fall under the category of heavy metals. 

We get them from our food, water, cosmetic products, furniture, dental fillings, and more! 

Overtime, these metals build up in the body. The problem with the accumulation of heavy metals is that, when they get out of hand, they hard press our detoxification systems throughout the body. This makes it extremely difficult for our body to work effectively to rid itself of harmful toxins. The accumulation of these toxins in your system can play a role in the development of several issues, as listed in the chart above. 

The body can store heavy metals in a variety of ways. Adipose tissue (fat) is one way heavy metals can accumulate in the body. When heavy metals make their way to tissues, they stay in the body for longer durations. This can make it very difficult for somebody who is on a weight loss journey, or any journey to improve physical health. During periods of weight loss or stress, heavy metals that are stored in tissues can get released into the blood steam. Once in the bloodstream, heavy metals can be transported to almost any organ system in the body. 

Heavy Metal Impact on the Brain 

Heavy metals like mercury can cross the blood-brain barrier and can accumulate in brain tissue. Having too much metal in the nervous system is very harmful. It causes oxidative stress, disrupts mitochondrial function, and hinders enzyme activities. 

Excessive metal buildup in the brain can cause severe and lasting damage, especially in the form of neurological disorders. (Studies from epidemiological and clinical research have found a link between atypical metal exposure and various neurological conditions. We often diagnose these conditions as Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autism spectrum disorders, Guillain–Barré disease, Gulf War syndrome, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Wilson’s disease. [1])

Bad to the Bone!

Heavy metals such as lead and cadmium can accumulate in bone tissue. Cadmium is found in a range of sources, from certain fertilizers and cell phone batteries to waste products from the tobacco and tanning industries, and even in some metal plating used in jewelry. Consequently, cadmium has the potential to be present in various food items. The body keeps cadmium for a prolonged period, with an estimated half-life ranging from 10 to 30 years [2]. Cadmium exposure can cause health problems like kidney failure, heart disease, and increased risk of cancer. Lead has prominent origins of environmental pollution, such as mining and steel production. It is also found in battery production, electrical infrastructure, piping, construction materials, gasoline refinement, paint production, and even as a component of radiation protection. Elevated amounts of lead exposure can cause anemia, elevated blood pressure, higher risk of stroke and heart issues, as well as central and peripheral nerve toxicity [2].

Gut Check: Heavy Metals are HORRIFIC on your Gut!

Because of how aggressively heavy metals accumulate in the gut, they can impact and entire species of microbiota that reside in the complex ecosystem of the gut microbiome. Gut microbiota plays a substantial role in mediating the bioavailability and toxicity of heavy metals [3].  Heavy metals are unrelenting when it comes to the damage they can do in your gut microbiome. This can be an article in and of itself. I will list a few additional medical journals that you can reference if you would like to look at a more in depth analysis on the impact of heavy metals in your gut. In short, heavy metal toxicity can lead to changes in the colonization of specific bacterial species and metabolic pathways throughout the gut microbiome. They can damage DNA, and even promote the spread of genes associated with antibiotic resistance within the gut microbiota.

10 Ways Heavy Metals Enter Our Bodies

1. Furniture: Due to flame retardant coatings and finishings, common culprits that leak heavy metals include sofas, car seats, mattresses, and other upholstered items.

2. House Keys: LEAD, LEAD, and MORE LEAD! House keys should be handled with care, as they are touched everyday!

3. E-Cigarettes: They may be a healthier alternative to cigarettes, but they are still incredibly bad for you! Smoking e-pens increases your exposure to toxic heavy metals such as cadmium.

4. Prescription Drugs: There are certain drugs, FDA approved, that will use heavy metals as binding agents. Other OTC medications, such as antacids have also been found to carry trace amounts of aluminum.

5. Dental Fillings: This is a big one! There are several cases in which heavy metal toxicity has been linked directly to dental fillings. With that said, this may be linked to an increased sensitivity to certain metals such as mercury. There is still emerging research being done on this topic. Amalgam dental fillings, specifically. Certain fillings contain up to 50% mercury. It is important to understand that this can be detrimental to your health over time.

6. Pesticides and Herbicides: Agricultural chemicals and soils have been shown to contain various heavy metals including cadmium. This is in addition to other toxic levels of PFAS and glyphosate. Needless to say that your pest killers could slowly be killing you.

7. Cosmetic Products: Your lip gloss may be cool, but it's also poppin with toxins. Sorry Lil Mama. Mascara and other cosmetic products have been found to contain mercury and other unlabeled heavy metals. Please do your brand research guys.

8. Water: Approximately 30% of plumbing infrastructure contains lead, which leaches into your water. To reduce the risk of consuming toxic amounts of heavy metals, it is super important to opt for a good filtered water.

9. Baby Food: ATTENTION MOMS! Please be careful about what you are feeding your precious babies. Commercial fruit juices and other infant diets were tested, and up to 95% of tested foods came back with high amounts of heavy metals. This is increasingly alarming since we know how great of an impact heavy metals can have on the brain. The developmental stages of childhood are crucial to cognitive function in adult life. It is important that parents do their due diligence when it comes to nutrition for their children. [6]

10. Vehicle Exhaust and Batteries: We are all aware that cars are definitely not environmentally friendly. Batteries aren't either, especially car batteries. These are known to leak metals such as nickel and lead.

Trick or Truth?

How about both? The truth about heavy metals can feel a little disparaging, and completely overwhelming. In this article, you learned the truth, however I am not going to leave you without a few tricks to help deal with these realities. There are several ways that you can help support your bodies natural detoxification systems, which can help to mitigate the accumulation of heavy metals.

Tips for Detoxifying:

1. Increase your Vitamin C intake!

2. Make sure you have adequate levels of Glutathione! (THIS RANKS NUMBER ONE ON MY LIST)

3. Supplement Alpha Lipoic Acid

4. Make sure you're not deficient in Zinc! This is so important for your immune function.

5. Take NAC! This is a powerful antioxidant that serves many purposes for your health!

Detoxing your body is an important step in optimizing your health. With that being said, it can be complex. It is always recommended that you work with a licensed nutritionist. Functional medicine doctors dedicate their life to helping people to work through these processes safely and effectively. While being knowledgeable about this topic is helpful and edifying, it's no small thing! You should always work to support your body in any way that you can, but doing so without the supervision of a professional can have harmful consequences.

You Are NOT ALONE: My Personal Testimony

I struggled with Cystic Acne for YEARS. I was on rounds and rounds of antibiotics for recurring BV. I was getting BV once a month around my period. So they put me on Spironolactone which only created MORE issues. I tried birth control because I felt hopeless and it created MORE issues. I was on this downward spiral and I honestly felt so discouraged. This is actually what set me on my own healing journey and started studying the human gut microbiome and low toxic living practices. This is when I first partnered with Hormone Logics. and they ran my full comprehensive blood + toxin panel finding Heavy Metal Toxicity in my blood. I had to do a heavy detox (Chelex) to get rid of the toxicity + lifestyle changes. The Chelex also took a toll on my body so I had to stop and start detoxing naturally through lifestyle changes. You can also add in that for the longest time I thought it was Breast Implant Illness (which is a trend right now) but instead of jumping on the bandwagon like everyone else.. I took a deeper look at my GUT and BLOODWORK and was able to heal myself without undergoing a crazy procedure. 

I experienced symptoms like: fatigue, brain fog, fainting spells, cystic acne, chronic bloating, chronic tiredness, irregular bowel movements (they were black because my liver was affected), migraines, vertigo + dizzy spells (which is why I had to stop competing), and mental health issues like debilitating anxiety and depression.

Heavy metal poisoning completely destroyed my life. That's why I created my program. That's why I am dedicated to helping other people deal with it.

We can never truly be NON TOXIC, but we can take small steps to healing through a LOW TOXIC approach. If you would like to learn more about functional medicine and the process of healing your body from within, explore the links below!

Click to Book a Call! It's Time to Heal Your Body From the Inside Out!

Resources:

1. Metals and Neurodegeneration: Chen P, Miah MR, Aschner M. Metals and Neurodegeneration. F1000Res. 2016 Mar 17;5:F1000 Faculty Rev-366. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.7431.1. PMID: 27006759; PMCID: PMC4798150.

2. A Review of Metal Exposure and Its Effects on Bone Health: Rodríguez J, Mandalunis PM. A Review of Metal Exposure and Its Effects on Bone Health. J Toxicol. 2018 Dec 23;2018:4854152. doi: 10.1155/2018/4854152. PMID: 30675155; PMCID: PMC6323513.

3. Intestinal Microbiome and Metal Toxicity: Assefa S, Köhler G. Intestinal Microbiome and Metal Toxicity. Curr Opin Toxicol. 2020 Feb;19:21-27. doi: 10.1016/j.cotox.2019.09.009. Epub 2019 Sep 30. PMID: 32864518; PMCID: PMC7450720.

4. Shao M, Zhu Y. Long-term metal exposure changes gut microbiota of residents surrounding a mining and smelting area. Sci Rep. 2020 Mar 10;10(1):4453. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-61143-7. PMID: 32157109; PMCID: PMC7064573.

5. Article from Oxford Academic on Occupational Exposure to Heavy Metals, and DNA damage.

6. Heavy Metals in Baby Food: Harvard Medical School