TOXIC METALS AND THEIR
REMOVAL WITH THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
by Dr. Lawrence Wilson
© March 2023, LD Wilson Consultants, Inc.
All
information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment,
prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Toxic Metal Concepts
Introduction To The
Minerals
Toxic Metal Dangers
Modern Diets And
Toxic Metals
II. Sources And Symptoms Of
Toxic Metals
Individual Minerals
– Their Sources And Symptoms
General Food Sources
Airborne Sources
Congenital Toxic
Metals
Environmental
Sources
The Rogues And Toxic
Metals
III. Detecting Toxic Metals
And Other Topics
Ideal Human Hair
Values For The Common Toxic Metals
Other
Lifestyle-Related Toxic Metal Indicators
Aging And Toxic
Metals
Genetics, Gene
Expression And Toxic Metals
IV. How To Remove Toxic
Metals
V. Summary – Chart Of
Sources And Symptoms of Toxic Metals
References
Definition. Toxic metals are a
fairly large group of minerals that have no known function in the body. In addition, they are known to be
harmful to plant, animal and human bodies.
Development programs. A
key aspect of all development programs we set up is to remove ALL toxic metals
and toxic chemicals from the body.
Development requires thorough detoxification. Chelation, antagonist therapy and
other standard methods are not adequate.
The programs we set
up use over 20 methods to remove toxic metals. These are discussed in Section IV of this article.
High exposure. Toxic metals have
always been present on earth.
However, mankind today is exposed to the highest levels of these metals
in recorded history. This is
mainly due to their industrial use for the past 300 years, the burning of
fossil fuels without scrubbers, and improper incineration of waste materials
worldwide.
Toxic metals are now
everywhere, and affect everyone on planet earth. They have become a major cause of illness, aging and even
genetic defects.
In addition, the Rogues, the name we give to a group of beings that seek
to control planet earth, bring a tremendous amount of arsenic and other toxic
metals to earth.
Not taught much. The study of toxic
metals is often considered a part of the study of toxicology. This subject matter is not widely
taught today in high schools, colleges or medical schools.
For this reason,
this important cause of disease is given little attention in society or in
conventional mainstream medicine.
Fortunately, environmental science is beginning to pay more attention to
toxic metals and their relationship to the health of all living things on
planet earth.
This article focuses
on the extent of toxic metal problems, sources of toxic metals, symptoms, and
how to remove them safely and deeply.
TOXIC METAL CONCEPTS
This article presents
the following principles or concepts about toxic metals. I will only mention them briefly here,
because they are explained later in the article.
1. Congenital toxic metals. ALL
babies born today anywhere in the world have too many toxic metals. This occurs because toxic metals are
widely distributed in the air, drinking water, food and elsewhere.
Also, all the toxic
metals pass easily across the placenta from pregnant mothers and deposit in the
tissues of their unborn babies.
This is a very serious problem that few talk about. However, it is obvious if one does hair
mineral testing on newborns and young children.
2. Preferred minerals.
The body takes the best minerals it can find from food, water and
sometimes elsewhere. Even the
highly toxic ones can sustain life, to a degree. However, our bodies definitely prefer the ideal or nutrient
minerals in enzymes and elsewhere, if they can get them.
For example, the
body prefers zinc for over 50 critical enzymes. However, if zinc becomes deficient, which it is in most soil
and in most of our food today, or if exposure to cadmium, lead or mercury is
sufficiently high, the body will use the toxic metals in place of zinc.
Cadmium, in particular, is located just below zinc in the periodic table of
the elements, so its outer atomic structure is very similar to that of
zinc. As a result, cadmium ÒfitsÓ
well into zinc binding sites and can easily replace zinc in critical enzymes
such as RNA transferase, carboxypeptidase,
alcohol dehydrogenase and many others of great
importance in the body.
An analogy is to
imagine taking an automobile journey.
If one is far away from a repair shop when a key part such as the fan
belt breaks, if one had a spare piece of rope, one could tie it around the
pulleys and continue the trip slowly.
The rope would not
function nearly as well as the original part, but would allow one to keep
going. This is how toxic metals can function positively in the body, at
times.
Many people limp
along on grossly deficient diets, and many today are born deficient in the
vital minerals and too high in toxic metals due to imbalances in their mothers.
Their fatigue and
other symptoms are due to the presence of incorrect Òreplacement partsÓ in
their biological engine compartments.
Depending on where toxic metals accumulate, the resulting effects may be
given names such as hypothyroidism, diabetes or cancer. The idea of preferred minerals is discussed in a
theoretical context in the article on this website entitled The Theory of Nutritional Balancing Science.
This is critical to
understand. It means that toxic
metals can have an adaptive function to sustain life in the face of vital
mineral deficiences.
Nutritional
balancing programs replace less preferred minerals with more preferred
minerals. This therapy concept is
not well-known.
3. Stress and toxic metals.
Stress depletes vital minerals faster. This leads to deficiencies of these minerals. This, in turn, causes the body to
absorb more toxic metals.
In this way, stress
is a direct cause of toxic metal excess, which in turn contributes or causes
many health conditions, aging, disabilities and death.
4. Mineral antagonisms.
Eating plenty of nutrient minerals actually antagonizes, or prevents the
absorption of the toxic metals.
Deficient diets, however, always result in toxic metal accumulation and
poisoning because there are fewer vital minerals in refined food to compete
with the toxic metals for absorption and utilization inside the body.
5. The anthropomorphic concept.
All minerals, including the toxic metals, have very specific qualities
that affect our bodies, and even our personalities, when we have a lot of the
mineral inside us.
For example, cadmium
is a very hard toxic metal. Inside
the body, it hardens the arteries and other tissues, and it even hardens a
personÕs personality.
6. The poor eliminator concept. A key to solving toxic metal problems is understanding that many people cannot eliminate toxic
metals very well. This fact is often
overlooked when doctors try to correct toxic metal poisoning.
The worst problem is
not necessarily the presence of a toxic metal, but rather an inability to
eliminate toxic metals. Hair
mineral testing has very specific individual mineral indicators for poor
ability to eliminate these metals.
7. Toxic forms of vital minerals. A confusing fact is that nutrient
minerals such as chromium, manganese, iron, copper, potassium and even calcium
and others can be in a form that is highly toxic to the body. In other words, nutrient minerals can be
in a form that makes them act like toxic metals for the body.
In most cases, the
body cannot convert the toxic (oxide or other) form into a usable form. Instead, the body must eliminate the
toxic forms of these minerals to restore health.
This can be very
confusing for both practitioners and clients. For example, it may appear on a test as if one is
eliminating a nutrient mineral. In
reality, one is just eliminating a toxic form of a nutrient mineral that is damaging
the body.
8. Developmental versus toxic minerals. Toxic metals slow or stop what is
called on this website development. This is a
very special type of healing of the body.
It is critical to
replace the toxic metals with what we call the spiritual minerals such as zinc and
selenium, in order to promote development. We call the latter spiritual minerals because they are
needed for advanced brain activity.
This topic is discussed in a separate article entitled Introduction To Development on this
website.
9. All neurotoxic. All of the toxic metals affect the
nervous system of a human being or animal. This is important to recall.
Before discussing toxic metals, let
us briefly discuss minerals, in general.
INTRODUCTION TO THE MINERALS
Minerals are the
building blocks of our bodies.
They are required for body structure, fluid balance, protein
structures and to produce hormones.
Minerals also act as co-factors, catalysts and inhibitors of all our bodyÕs enzymes. Everything in our bodies are made of
about 50 minerals, also called chemical elements.
Having the right
minerals is a great a key to the health of every body system and function.
Mineral classification.
Minerals are classified into four groups:
1. Macrominerals. These are found in large quantity in
our bodies. They include calcium,
magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus and sulfur. The first four are sometimes called the electrolytes,
because they are common in the blood.
2. Required trace minerals.
These include iron, copper, zinc, manganese, chromium, selenium, boron,
silicon, iodine, vanadium, lithium, molybdenum, cobalt, germanium and perhaps a
few others.
3. Possibly required trace minerals.
Less is known about these.
They may include rubidium, tin, niobium, gold, silver and others.
4. Toxic metals. The most well-studied include aluminum, antimony, barium, beryllium,
bismuth, bromine, cadmium, chlorine, fluoride, lead, mercury nickel, and
uranium. However, there are a
dozen or more others.
This article will
only discuss the more common toxic metals. However, a complete nutritional balancing program will
remove many others such as germanium, gadolinium (used in MRI scans as a
contrast medium), thallium, and others.
This is a distinct advantage of this program over others that target
only one or two toxic metals.
The categories of
minerals above sometimes overlap slightly because assessing minerals that are
required by humans is not a clear cut science. Some of them may be needed in minuscule
amounts, for example.
Also, some forms of
the required minerals can be highly toxic. Examples are some forms of copper, iron, manganese, hexavalent chromium, selenium and others. Too much of even the
most needed minerals can also become toxic.
TOXIC METAL DANGERS
General dangers:
Easy exposure. Today mankind is
exposed to the highest levels in recorded history of lead, mercury, arsenic,
aluminum, copper, nickel, tin, antimony, bromine, bismuth and vanadium, among
others. The levels are up to
several thousand times higher than in primitive man. In my clinical experience, for this reason
everyone has excessive amounts of some or all of the toxic metals.
Persistent in the
environment. Toxic metals are
also persistent .
The late Henry Schroeder, MD, who was a world authority on minerals,
wrote:
ÒMost organic
substances are degradable by natural processes. (However), no metal is degradableÉthey are here to stay for
a long timeÓ.
Persistent and
cumulative in the body.
Toxic metals also tend to persist or remain in our bodies for
years. We can remove some of them
if we are healthy, but many also accumulate.
This is the reason
why nutritional balancing program include what some consider ÒdrasticÓ measures
to help eliminate them such as coffee enemas, sauna therapy and certain
supplements.
Specific types of damage:
Depositing in tissues.
Toxic metals may also simply deposit in many sites, causing local
irritation and other toxic effects.
Causing infection.
Some toxic metals support development of fungal, bacterial and viral
infections that are difficult or impossible to eradicate until this cause is
removed.
Damaging biosynthesis. Minerals
are very involved in the production of all chemicals in our bodies from DNA and
RNA. They are needed as raw
materials for body chemicals, for enzymes that participate in the synthesis of
all of our chemicals, and for more.
Toxic metals interfere, block, replace, and poison many aspects of
biosynthesis.
Weakening body structures.
For example, lead, fluoride, aluminum and other toxic metals that find
their way into the bones weaken the bones.
General enzyme
damage. Toxic metals replace
nutrient minerals in enzyme binding sites. When this occurs, the metals inhibit, overstimulate
or otherwise alter thousands of enzymes.
An affected enzyme
may operate at 5% of normal activity. This may contribute to many health
conditions. Toxic metals may also
replace other substances in other tissue structures. These
tissues, such as the arteries, joints, bones and muscles, are weakened by the
replacement process.
Other. Toxic metals upset
digestion, alter gland activity, change the metabolic rate, and damage organs
such as the kidneys and liver. In
addition, all are neurotoxic. This means they damage the brain and
nervous system.
In fact, we find
that many mental and emotional health disorders involve excess toxic metals in
the body and brain. I hope that
someday this fact will be recognized in the fields of psychology and
psychiatry. There is a small group
of doctors known as orthomolecular psychiatrists who are aware of this, but
they are yet very few in number.
MODERN DIETS AND TOXIC METALS
The danger
of toxic metals is greatly aggravated today by the low mineral content of most
of our food supply. An abundance of
vital minerals protects against toxic metals. Vital minerals compete with toxic metals for absorption and
utilization in enzymes and other tissue structures.
However, when food
is low in essential minerals, the body absorbs and makes use of more toxic
metals. To continue the analogy
from the previous section of this article, we are not stocking up sufficiently
on factory parts, so we must use the greatly inferior replacement parts –
toxic metals. Causes for the low
mineral content of almost all agricultural products are primarily:
1. Hybrid crops are
bred for production or disease resistance, rather than superior nutrition.
2. Superphosphate
fertilizers produce higher yields by stimulating growth, but the crops grown
this way do not provide nearly as many trace elements. They are used on both commercial and
organic crops.
We do not replace
all the trace minerals on our agricultural fields today. Instead, human and animal manures are
often flushed into the rivers and oceans, where they do not belong and are
often pollutants.
4. Toxic pesticides
used on commercial farms damage soil microorganisms needed to help plants
absorb minerals from the soil.
5. After harvesting
crops, food refining and processing almost always reduce the mineral content of
our food. Whole wheat
flour, when milled to make white flour, loses 40% of its chromium, 86% of its
manganese, 89% of its cobalt, 78% of its zinc and 48% of its molybdenum.
Refining cane into
sugar causes even greater losses.
EDTA may be added to frozen foods to retain their color. However, this chelating agent removes
minerals that otherwise would cause the surface minerals to ÔtarnishÕ, discoloring
the vegetables.
As a result of the
above, the term 'empty calories' aptly describes most of our food today, even
some natural foods. Newer genetically-modified crops are even worse.
Please eat only
whole, natural foods. Organically
grown is almost always better.
However, it can vary and many organic foods are still hybridized
varieties.
II. SOURCES AND
SYMPTOMS OF TOXIC METALS
For a more complete
list of sources for each of the major toxic metals organized by the metal, see
the Reference Guide at the end of this article.
ALUMINUM
Aluminum is called
the soft in the head
mineral because it is associated with memory loss and dementia. Aluminum is a soft metal and a
dangerous one. It is very common
in the environment, and almost everyone shows some aluminum toxicity on their hair tests.
Among the most
important sources are:
1. Anti-perspirants. Modern anti-perspirants
all contain toxic aluminum compounds.
The deodorant stones and deodorant crystals are no better, even though
they are ÒnaturalÓ. Use an
old-fashioned deodorant instead, or spray some dilute hydrogen peroxide or some
liquid soap like Dr. BronnerÕs soap under your arms
instead.
2. Tap water. Towns and cities in many nations routinely add aluminum to their
tap water as a flocculating agent (to remove dirt particles). This is a horrible practice.
3. Table salt. A lot of table
salt contains added aluminum as an anti-caking agent and should never be
eaten! Natural sea salt is much
better.
4. Food cans, cookware or aluminum foil. Beverages in aluminum cans or food
cooked in aluminum may contain elevated levels of aluminum. Some cans are coated on the inside, and
this is better.
5. Other.
Aluminum is also found in some
baking powders, and some cosmetics such as blush. Peppermint, spearmint and wintergreen teas are naturally
high in aluminum. For more details
about aluminum, read Aluminum and Aluminum, Iron and Manganese – The Amigos
on this website.
ARSENIC
I call arsenic the slow death
mineral. Its symptoms are vague,
and it was used to kill people because it is colorless and tasteless, so it was
added to food and slowly killed people.
Today, arsenic is
still a common toxin. It may
legally be added to chicken feed (Roxsarone)
according to the corrupt US Food And Drug Administration (the FDA) and the
somewhat corrupt US Department of Agriculture (USDA). I believe Europe has banned arsenic in chicken feed.
Arsenic can get into
commercial eggs, all pig products such as pork, ham, bacon and lard, and into
most US drinking water supplies as it leaches into the soil from farming and
livestock operations.
Organic chicken and
eggs should be better. Avoid all
pig products due to parasite problems, even if well-cooked,
and to avoid the arsenic.
Arsenic is used in
pesticides and, as a result, may be found in commercial wines, beers, fruits,
vegetables, rice and other foods.
Once again, organically grown should be better. Recently, rice grown in China has been found to be quite contaminated with arsenic. For much more on this topic, read Arsenic Toxicity And The USDA/FDA Cover-up and Arsenic on this website.
BROMINE
Among the many food
sources of bromine are breads and clear-colored soda pop. These include Mountain Dew, Crystal
Light, Sprite and others. A long
list is found in the article mentioned in the next paragraph.
Bromine can damage
the thyroid gland and replace iodine in all body tissues. This is quite serious. It should not be
allowed to be added to our foods.
Read Bromine for more details.
CADMIUM
We call cadmium the macho mineral, and it is one of the violent
elements. Cadmium toughens the tissues
and hardens the arteries.
It also hardens the
personality. Like lead, it is an
older male mineral that is associated with macho behavior, violence and
horror. The concept that when we
ingest or are exposed to a toxic metal, our bodies and our minds take on the
qualities of the mineral is called the anthropomorphic quality of minerals. It means that each mineral – both
the vital minerals and the toxic metals – have human-like qualities such
as hardness, softness, or malleability, and they influence us.
Interestingly,
cadmium helps people to Òbe toughÓ and take risks. For example, many modern city women have high cadmium that
allows them to function in male-oriented jobs such as being company executives. Cadmium helps them and others, such as
prostitutes, to act more tough and to handle lots of
stress.
Military men and
women, and police often have more cadmium, as it helps them handle their very
difficult jobs, at times, and take risks.
Unfortunately, it is also a deadly toxic metal associated with heart
disease, cancers of all kind, kidney disease, diabetes and other serious health
problems.
People who have
orgasms more than once a week tend to accumulate more cadmium, probably because
cadmium replaces zinc in the male testicles, and even in womenÕs ovaries. Male and female sexual fluids are rich
in zinc and some cadmium.
Cadmium is
widespread in the air, as it is used in brake linings of cars. It is also used in metal plating as it is a very hard substance.
Tobacco cigarette,
marijuana and CBD oil or cannabis oil contain cadmium. This is one reason people like
marijuana, as cadmium boosts the sodium level. They donÕt realize they are poisoning themselves –
usually permanently – by using it.
Cadmium is also used as a catalyst in some hydrogenated products such as
commercial peanut butter and margarine.
Please avoid these horrible food items. For much more about cadmium, read Cadmium
on this website.
LEAD
Lead is called the horror
mineral because it is associated with violence, lowered IQ, attention deficit
disorder, hyperactivity, and many other neurological problems. Lead is a widely distributed toxic
metal due to its many uses in industry.
Pesticides used on fruits,
vegetables and many other foods may contain lead, among other toxic
metals. Lead was added to gasoline
until the 1970s in the USA and elsewhere.
Now gasoline contains a highly toxic form of manganese, instead.
Old house paint,
current paint used on ships of all sizes, a few hair dyes, lubricants,
medications, cosmetics such as lipstick and others, inks, and perhaps other
products may contain lead. Glazes used on cookware in some nations still contains lead
that can come off onto the food.
Entire books have
been written about lead toxicity, which causes hundreds of symptoms from anemia
to death. For much more detail
about lead, read Lead on this website.
MERCURY
Mercury may be
called the mad hatters
mineral. People who made raccoon
skin hats in the mid 1800s in America and Europe developed mercury toxicity
after a few years from rubbing mercury on felt to soften it. Many became mentally and emotionally
deranged after a few years of working in the hat factories.
Dental fillings. ÒSilverÓ dental
amalgam fillings are usually about half mercury. I would have them replaced if you have them, as the mercury
will slowly leach out of them and into your body.
Fish and seafood. These are universally contaminated with mercury
on planet earth. It is really a
tragedy, since otherwise it is a great food. Mercury is found today in ALL FISH, bar none. Even small fish, which used to be safe,
are not any more.
As
a result, the only fish I suggest eating are sardines and occasionally other
tiny fish such as anchovies or smelt.
Skinless and boneless sardines have the least mercury. For details of why, read Sardines on this site.
We strongly suggest avoiding all other fish. Anyone who eats fish other than
sardines and perhaps other tiny fish, even once a week, demonstrates high
mercury on a hair mineral test.
Large fish concentrate mercury a million times or more. The federal government recently issued
a warning that pregnant and lactating women should avoid tuna, shark, king
mackerel, halibut, ahi, mahi
mahi, and other large fish.
Avoid all shellfish. Shellfish are often
even more toxic than other fish.
For some reason, their bodies often accumulate cadmium and lead, in
addition to mercury. Most shellfish
are caught in coastal waters, which are the most contaminated. Please avoid all shellfish, forever, as
the problem is just getting worse in most nations of the world.
Once again, this is
sad to have to say, but mineral tests reveal the problem to anyone willing to
check my assertion. This is why
many people are ÒallergicÓ to them.
This is a mild term. They
are really poisoned by them.
Seaweed. Another food that is
often contaminated with mercury is seaweed. This includes all types of sea vegetables. Sushi, for example, is quite toxic due
to the seaweed and often the fish, which are large fish. Today, eating sushi can land you in the
hospital.
The only sea
vegetable we recommend is kelp. It
contains some mercury, but is high in alginates that bind to the mercury and
prevent most mercury absorption.
Salt. Some doctors donÕt
advise eating salt because it comes from the sea and may contain some
mercury. However, we find that
natural sea salt is needed and not that high in mercury.
NOTE: A recent
finding is that Mellow White Miso by Cold Mountain
can help detoxify mercury. For
more detail about mercury, read Mercury.
NICKEL
This is called the depression and
suicide mineral, as it is associated with these feelings and
symptoms. Nickel is another
hardener, used to plate inexpensive jewelry, in coins, and as a plating
material for bathroom fixtures and many other metallic items.
Most orthodontic braces sadly contain
nickel today. It is also found in
some metal crowns and dental wires used in bridges and elsewhere in
dentistry. Be very careful about
this because nickel can contribute to cancer and other health problems.
Nickel is found in rooibos tea or red tea. It is also used as a catalyst to make ALL hydrogenated oil
products such as commercial peanut butter, ALL margarines, and vegetable
shortening. For much more detail
about nickel, read Nickel on this website.
FLUORIDE
Fluoride is
sometimes called a cancer
mineral. It is highly toxic. In fact, it is sold as rat poison. The research about its toxicity and
horror for the human body is very clear scientifically, but this
is suppressed by most public health authorities in the USA and Great Britain.
The biggest source is
fluoride added to drinking water supplies. Adding fluoride to drinking water not only does not stop
cavities in the teeth. It is
totally insane, because fluoride compounds added to drinking water are
extremely toxic.
Most of the world
has stopped this awful practice except for parts of America and Great
Britain. More and more American
cities and towns are voting it out.
If your town still has it, organize to get rid of it. Several excellent websites and
organizations are there to help.
Fluorides have found
their way into ground water supplies, and thus into the food chain. For this reason, fluoride levels in
foods processed with water may be very high, especially baby foods and
reconstituted vegetable and fruit juices.
Please never consume these, and never feed them to your children. Also, do not give babies and children
fluoride tablets or fluoride treatments at the dentistÕs office.
Health authorities who recommend fluoridating the water, or any fluorides, are
extremely ignorant, in my experience.
I have debated dentists and public health officials on this issue. Their real level of knowledge of the
medical literature on fluorides is lacking.
Recommendation for
fluoride also rarely, if ever, take into account the already toxic amount of fluorides
people are already getting in natural foods, foods processed with fluoridated
water, and fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwashes. The combination adds up to overload, in all cases.
Hydrofluosilicic acid, the chemical
often used to fluoridate drinking water, is a smokestack waste that contains
lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, benzene and radioactive waste
material. For much more on this
horror, please read Fluoridation Of The Water on
this site.
CHLORINE
Everyone assumes
chlorine is safe, since it is used to purify most all drinking water around the
world. It is not safe,
however. It is a very toxic
mineral associated with heart disease and dementia, among other health
conditions.
Purification of
water supplies with ozone is much better.
I strongly suggest that everyone drink either spring water, which has
little to no chlorine in it, or drink carbon-only filtered tap or other water.
Carbon will remove
most chlorine from water. A carbon
block filter is best. Just
remember to change the filter every few months so it will keep working.
Note that carbon and carbon block filters do not remove most toxic metals from
water. Only distillation and
reverse osmosis remove most toxic metals. However,
these produce a mineral-free water that is not good to
drink for this reason, and for other reasons, as well.
Another important
source of toxic chlorine is the residue found in bleached flour and any
products such as bread, pastry, cookies and more made with bleached white
flour. Chlorine is used to bleach
the flour.
COPPER
Copper is not a
toxic metal. However, it often
accumulates in toxic forms in the body, and causes many health problems. This problem is extremely common today.
Copper mainly
accumulates in the nervous system and in the female organs. For example, copper toxicity is
associated with migraine headaches, premenstrual syndrome, depression, anxiety,
panic attacks, some schizophrenias and seizures.
Copper also can
replace selenium in various tissues.
This can impair the conversion of T4 to T3, contributing to thyroid
imbalances that are very common.
For much more about copper, please read Copper Toxicity Syndrome on this
website.
IRON
Iron is a vital
mineral. However, acquired iron
toxicity is extremely common. This
is what we find on hair mineral tests.
This is not the same
as the genetic disease hemochromatosis. The toxicity has a different
cause. The iron is in a toxic form,
often in an oxide form that is very irritating and pro-inflammatory.
Sources include
eating red meat more than about twice or three times weekly or eating more than
4-5 ounce portions of it. Other
sources are taking iron pills or mineral supplements containing iron.
Another important
source is Òiron-enrichedÓ foods such as breads and most other products made
with white flour. Some herbs such
as black cohosh are high in iron, as is some drinking
water. Iron can give drinking
water a slight yellowish color.
Holding on to anger can increase iron in the body. Many babies today are born with too
much toxic iron, just as they are born with too much of many toxic substances.
Holistic doctors often give
anti-oxidants to help reduce the inflammation.
However, a much
better solution is to remove the toxic iron. Nutritional balancing programs do this, in all cases. However, other nutritional, herbal or
medical programs cannot do this very well, in my experience. For much more about iron, please read Iron, Iron, Manganese and
Aluminum, Iron, and Iron
Personality Types on this website.
URANIUM
The main sources of
uranium are air polluted with radioactive particles from A-bomb tests, nuclear
power plant emissions, nuclear plant accidents such as the Fukishima
disaster recently in Japan, and perhaps some foods contaminated with uranium
from the same sources.
Uranium is
radioactive, as is radon gas found in some homes. It can damage the lungs and other organs,
it damages DNA, and is associated with higher levels of cancer and other
diseases.
General Food Sources.
Food grown near highways or downwind of industrial plants may contain lead
and other toxic amounts of metals.
Even organic home gardens may be contaminated if, for example, old house
paint containing lead leaches lead into the soil.
Sprays and
insecticides still often contain lead, arsenic, mercury and other toxic metals.
Refining of food often
contaminates the food with aluminum, as it is found in water supplies
everywhere and it may be used in some food refining processes.
Also, some food
refining removes the protective zinc, chromium and manganese from food and
leaves the toxic metals in some cases, such as cadmium. This makes white flour even more toxic,
as with white sugar, and is another reason to totally avoid these foods.
Airborne Sources of
Toxic Metals. Most toxic metals
are effectively absorbed by inhalation. Auto, ship and aircraft exhaust, industrial smoke and
products from incinerators are among the airborne sources of toxic metals and
other chemicals.
Mercury and
coal-fired power plants. Burning coal can
release mercury, lead and cadmium among other metals. Iranian and Venezuelan oil are high in vanadium. Coal plants should have scrubbers, as
they do in the United States.
However, India and China, in particular, often do not have scrubbers on
their power plants. They may not
realize the damage their plants are causing to the entire world due to
pollution of the air, water and food supplies.
Uranium exposure is largely from airborne sources such as nuclear
bomb tests and accidents at nuclear power plants. All nuclear power plants also emit some low-level radiation,
as does uranium refining and medical use of nuclear material. X-rays, CT scans, PET scans and dental
x-rays also add to our burden of ionizing radiation today. Fortunately, some of this can be
removed with a nutritional balancing program.
Incineration can be clean.
Older methods of incineration of electronic parts, plastics,
treated fabrics, batteries and even diapers release all the toxic metals into
the air. The use of scrubbers and
newer methods of very high temperature incineration are much better.
Cadmium and mercury
in papers. Cigarette and marijuana smoke are high in
cadmium, and cadmium is found in cigarette and joint rolling paper. It helps keep the drugs burning. Pesticides used on these crops may
contain lead, arsenic and other toxic metals.
Medications and
toxic metals. Many prescription
and over-the-counter drugs contain toxic metals. Cipro (fluoquinolone
antibiotics) and anti-depressants such as Prozac (fluoxetine)
are fluoride-containing drugs, for example.
Thimerosal, a
mercury-containing preservative, is still used in many vaccines, including most
flu shots, even when doctors deny it, I am told. Independent evaluation of a large study that is part of the
Centers For Disease Control Vaccine Safety Datalink
concluded that:
ÒChildren are 27
times as likely to develop autism after exposure to three thimerisol-containing
vaccines than those who receive thimerisol-free
versionsÓ .
Thiazide diuretics contain
mercury. These include Maxzide, Diazide and many
others. Antacids such as Ryopan, Gaviscon, Maalox, Mylanta
and many others are very high in aluminum.
Direct Skin Contact As A Source Of Toxic Metals. Almost all anti-perspirants and many cosmetics contain aluminum. Dental amalgams contain mercury, copper
and other metals. Dental bridges
and other appliances often contain nickel.
Prostheses and pins
used to hold bones together may contain nickel and other toxic metals, although
most are titanium and stainless steel, which are much better.
Copper intra-uterine
devices (IUDs)
release lots of copper into the body. This can cause depression, and other problems for some
women.
Soaps, body lotions
and creams often contain toxic compounds.
A few hair dyes and commercial high-end lipsticks contain lead. Selsun Blue shampoo
contains selenium that is quite toxic.
Head N Shoulders shampoo is much safer and contains zinc, but not
selenium.
Household lawn and
garden chemicals may contain lead, arsenic and other compounds. Mercury treated seeds and
arsenic-treated wood are other common sources of toxic metals.
Occupational exposure to toxic metals is important for
many occupations today. Among the
worst are plumbers, electricians, auto mechanics, printers, ironworkers, and
other metal workers.
Workers need to wear
gloves, masks and take other precautions when handling inks, metals and other
toxic materials.
CONGENITAL TOXIC METALS
This is an extremely important and preventable tragedy. It is a vital topic that deserves a
separate article. I will just
briefly introduce the subject.
Today, all children
are born with some toxic metals acquired in utero. All the toxic metals pass through the
placenta from mother to child.
This is seen clearly when reviewing mineral analyses of infants. These are babies who have never been
exposed to food, yet their bodies are high in many toxic metals.
The only explanation
is that these infants receive exposures in utero
during gestation. This is a very
sad situation, as many children are born with two strikes against them, so to speak. They are far more prone to autism, ADD,
ADHD, infections, developmental delays and more. For more information about this critical topic, see the
articles on this website about childrenÕs health.
This tragedy can be
largely prevented if all young women would go on a nutritional balancing
program before they become pregnant to reduce their load of toxic metals. It does not matter how healthy a woman
appears to be. Most all young
women today have too many toxic metals in the body that are passed on to their
children.
I am always pleased
when a teenage girl or young woman decides to improve her health before
becoming pregnant. It makes an
amazing difference for her and her baby.
One can clean up the metals to a degree during pregnancy, but it is best
to begin now!
The problem of
congenital toxic metals is especially important because standard prenatal care
is horribly lacking in Western nations.
For more details, please read How To
Have Healthy Children on this site.
Toxic
metals are not easy to detect. In
fact, detecting all the toxic metals is impossible, as far as I know, because
they accumulate deep within body tissues and organs. Here are comments on the various methods of detection,
including tests of the blood, urine, hair, feces, liver biopsy tests, and other
methods such as electrical machines and applied kinesiology.
Blood tests. The problem with blood tests is that the body quickly removes
toxic metals from the blood and moves them into the tissues. So blood tests must be done soon
after an exposure, usually within days or weeks at the most, or they are
practically useless.
Blood tests are helpful
for an acute exposure, such as eating a food contaminated with lead and doing a
test soon after. However, this
entire article is mainly about chronic toxic metal poisoning.
Urine and feces challenge tests. These are done by first administering a chelation
drug that binds to and removes toxic metals. Examples are EDTA or DMPS, for example. Then one collects a 24-hour urine, or a
feces sample to see what comes out of the body.
This test does not
detect most toxic metals. The
reason is that the chelating drugs mainly circulate in the blood. So they tend to miss most toxic metals
that are stored in the tissues or incorporated into enzymes in the brain,
heart, liver, kidneys and elsewhere.
Liver or other
biopsies. This method is more
accurate and is used, at times, to detect iron poisoning and copper poisoning,
for example. However, liver
biopsies are costly, invasive and somewhat dangerous. For this reason, liver biopsies are not used often.
Electrical machines. Electroacupuncture devices, radionic
machines and other machines can detect some toxic metals. However, I have not found them accurate
or reliable. They are also
sometimes dependent upon the skill of the operator, which further decreases
their reliability and accuracy.
Applied kinesiology.
This method, also called muscle testing, is variable in its reliability
and extremely dependent upon the operator or practitioner. It also does not quantify the amount of
metals present. I would not depend
upon it.
HAIR MINERAL ANALYSIS FOR TOXIC METAL DETECTION
I specialize in the
use of the this test. For this reason, this is a longer section of the article.
The hair test
measures toxic metals deposited in the hair and skin. It is better than some other methods, but I do not use the
test primarily to detect toxic metals.
I find that no test
is that accurate. Fortunately, if
a person follow a complete nutritional balancing program, all the toxic metals
come out of the body, so figuring out which are present is not too important.
Why hair? Hair accumulates
toxic metals because hair is an excretory tissue. This means that anything that goes into the hair will be
removed from the body. So the body
often unloads poisons by shunting them into the hair and skin.
The hair mineral test
is also unique in that it is a biopsy type of test that gives a snapshot of the
inside of the body cells. None of
the other methods do this so directly.
Government opinion
on hair testing. The United States
Environmental Protection Agency or EPA reviewed over 400 studies of the use of
hair for toxic metal detection and concluded that:
ÒHair is a
meaningful and representative tissue for (biological monitoring for) antimony,
arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, vanadium and perhaps
selenium and tin.Ò
The author of a
study of lead toxicity in Massachusetts school children, Dr. R. Tuthill, concluded:
ÒScalp hair should
be considered a useful clinical and epidemiological approach for the measurement
of chronic low-level lead exposure in children.Ó
Reading the levels of the toxic metals on a hair analysis report
is not sufficient to glean all the information from the test. Here is how to do it better:
1. The hair
must be washed at home within 48 hours or less before sampling. Any ordinary shampoo may be used. If one has a water softener, then it is
best to wash the hair twice before sampling it, using unsoftened
tap water, reverse osmosis water, distilled or spring water.
2. The hair sample must not be washed at the laboratory at all. The reason is that washing the hair
always erratically removes some of its minerals. For this reason, I only suggest using Analytical Research
Laboratories for hair testing.
Most other labs wash the hair.
3. Look for elevated levels of toxic metals. However, MOST LABORATORIES HAVE THEIR
ACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF TOXIC METALS SET TOO HIGH. One must use the acceptable levels that are listed in the section below.
4. The amigos. These are toxic
forms of iron, manganese and aluminum.
The interpretation rule is that if any one of these are
elevated, the other two are elevated in the body as well.
Elevated aluminum is
any reading above 0.04 mg% or 0.4 ppm. Elevated iron is any reading above 2
mg% or 20 ppm.
Elevated manganese is any reading above 0.04 mg% or 0.4 ppm. Read more
about this interesting situation in The Amigos
Or Oxidants– Iron, Manganese and Aluminum.
5. Poor eliminator patterns. An
excellent indicator of hidden toxic metals in the body is the presence of a
poor eliminator pattern. For the
exact criteria for these patterns, read Poor
Eliminator Pattern.
6. Hidden copper toxicity. The hair copper level is a very poor indicator
of copper toxicity. Instead, look
for hidden
copper indicators, which include:
- Copper greater than 2.5 mg% or 25 ppm.
- Copper less than 1.5 mg% or 15 ppm.
- Calcium greater than about 65 mg% or 650 ppm.
- Potassium less than about 5 mg% or 50 ppm.
- Mercury greater than about 0.035 mg% or 0.35 ppm.
- Zinc less than 13 mg% or 130 ppm.
- Na/K ratio less than 2.0
- Four lows pattern.
- Zinc greater than 17 mg% or 170 ppm, in many cases.
- Phosphorus less than 12 mg% or 120 ppm, in most cases.
7. Mercury indicators.
Mercury is so widespread that almost everyone has too much. I do not pay too much attention to any
test for mercury because I know that:
a) Anyone who eats large or medium-sized fish has a lot.
b) Anyone with amalgam dental fillings has a lot.
c) Anyone who eats seafood or sushi has plenty.
d) Most, if not all babies today are born with it thanks to toxicity
in their mothers.
The hair or other
test results are often not as important as these dietary, lifestyle and
environmental factors.
8. Other general indicators of high toxic metals on a hair mineral
analysis. These include a very slow oxidation rate, fast oxidation in an
adult, three highs or four highs pattern, and sympathetic dominance pattern.
I realize this
includes almost everyone, and that is the truth. We know this because even those who show few toxic metals on
their initial hair mineral test often eliminate large quantities of toxic
metals during nutritional balancing programs. This shows itself on repeat hair mineral tests, and often
takes a number of years to be revealed.
In my own case, it
took eight years before cadmium showed up on my hair test, and about 20 years
before nickel showed up.
HIGH, LOW AND NORMAL HAIR LEVELS FOR THE TOXIC METALS
To
find the most recent normal and high levels of toxic metals that I use, please
go to: High, Ideal and Low Mineral Values on this
site.
AGING AND TOXIC METALS
The slow, or not so
slow, replacement of vital minerals with toxic metals is an important and
neglected cause of aging. It
causes deactivation of enzyme systems and the loss of organ and tissue
integrity. One could say it is the
essence of aging, from a purely mineral perspective.
Toxic metal
accumulation also feeds on itself.
As oneÕs energy production decreases with age, the body is less able to
eliminate toxic metals. This, in
turn, causes more metal accumulation.
Much could be said about this topic, and I refer the reader to the
article entitled Life Extension.
GENETICS, GENE EXPRESSION AND TOXIC METALS
Many birth defects
are due to faulty gene expression, and not DNA problems. Toxic metals are one cause.
For example, zinc is
required for several key enzymes in gene expression, such as RNA transferase and RNA polymerase. Not surprisingly, zinc deficiency is associated with
conditions such as neural tube defects.
Many toxic metals interfere with zinc metabolism.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs are
a fancy name for defective gene expression, even though the DNA is fine. Toxic metals at the cellular level can
cause these.
For
much more on the topic of genetics, please read Introduction
To Genetics, Genetic Testing and Genetic Defects on this website.
IV. SOLUTIONS TO
TOXIC METAL OVERLOAD
One should not fear
toxic metals. They cannot be
completely avoided, but one can minimize exposure with careful eating and a
healthful lifestyle.
Also, our bodies
have a lot of evolutionary experience with them and effective mechanisms to
eliminate them. These can be
supported and enhanced with a development program.
This method, which
does not involve chelation at all, uses at least 28 methods
together, at once, to remove ALL toxic metals safely and deeply. In my experience, it is more thorough,
safer and removes metals better than intravenous or any other type of chelation therapy.
Also, all chelating agents remove some beneficial minerals along with
the toxic ones. For more on why I
do not like chelation therapy, read Chelation Therapy.
For details about
the 28 methods of detoxification used with development programs, read Detoxification.
SYMPTOMS OF SOME
COMMON TOXIC METALS
SOURCES
Aluminum - cookware, beverages in aluminum cans, tap water, table salt,
baking powders, antacids, processed cheese, anti-perspirants,
bleached flour, vaccines and perhaps other medications, and occupational
exposure. Virtually everyone has
too much aluminum in their bodies.
Antimony – found in Flovent, an inhaler
used for asthma! Also used in
lead-acid batteries, Òlead-freeÓ solder, bullets, motor bearings, pewter, some
paints and glass, and some microelectronic circuits. It was formerly used in some anti-parasitic drugs.
Antimony is also
used in most fire retardants that are required on most furniture, mattresses,
cribs and other products. This is
severely increasing the prevalence of antimony toxicity in homes and offices.
Arsenic - pesticides, beer, table salt, tap water, paints, pigments,
cosmetics, glass and mirror manufacture, fungicides, insecticides, treated wood
and contaminated food.
Beryllium - air pollution (burning fossil fuels), manufacture of plastics,
electronics, steel alloys and volcanic ash.
Cadmium - cigarettes, (tobacco and marijuana), processed and refined foods,
large fish, shellfish, tap water, auto exhaust, plated containers, galvanized
pipes, air pollution from incineration and occupational exposure.
Copper - copper water pipes, copper added to tap water, pesticides,
swimming in pools, intra-uterine devices, vegetarian diets, dental amalgams, nutritional
supplements - especially prenatal vitamins, birth control pills, weak adrenal
glands and occupational exposure.
Lead - tap water, cigarette smoke, hair dyes, paints, inks, glazes,
pesticide residues and occupational exposure in battery manufacture and other
industries.
Mercury - dental amalgams, ALL fish (tiny fish are better), ALL shellfish,
sea vegetables, some medications such as thiazide
diuretics, air pollution, gold mining, and the manufacture of paper, chlorine,
adhesives, fabric softeners and waxes.
Most everyone has too much mercury in their
body today.
Nickel - hydrogenated oils (margarine, commercial peanut butter and
shortening), shellfish, air pollution, cigarette smoke, plating and
occupational exposure.
SYMPTOMS
Aluminum – AlzheimerÕs disease, amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis, anemia and other blood disorders, colic, fatigue, dental caries,
dementia dialactica, hypoparathyroidism,
kidney and liver dysfunctions, neuromuscular disorders, osteomalacia
and ParkinsonÕs disease.
Antimony – Symptoms are usually chronic. Skin exposure can cause
dermatitis. Lung exposure causes
irritation and inflammation. Chronic
use of Flovent (a drug) appears to keep the
hair phosphorus level low. This
may indicate impairment of protein biosynthesis.
Arsenic - abdominal pain, abnormal ECG, anorexia,
dermatitis, diarrhea, edema, enzyme inhibitor, fever, fluid loss, goiter, hair loss,
headache, herpes, impaired healing, interferes with the uptake of folic
acid, inhibition of sulfhydryl enzyme systems,
jaundice, keratosis, kidney and liver damage, muscle
spasms, pallor, peripheral neuritis, sore throat, stomatitis,
stupor, vasodilation, vertigo, vitiligo
and weakness.
Beryllium
- adrenal
insufficiency, arthritis, bone spurs, bursitis, depression, fatigue,
osteoporosis and symptoms of slow metabolism.
Cadmium - hypertension, arthritis, diabetes, anemia, arteriosclerosis,
impaired bone healing, cancer, cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis, reduced
fertility, hyperlipidemia, hypoglycemia, headaches,
osteoporosis, kidney disease, schizophrenia and strokes.
Copper - acne, adrenal
hyperactivity and/or insufficiency, agoraphobia, allergies, hair loss, anemia,
anxiety, arthritis, autism, cancer, chronic candida albicans infection, depression, elevated cholesterol,
cystic fibrosis, depression, diabetes, dyslexia, elevated estrogen, failure to
thrive, fatigue, fears, fractures of the bones, headaches, heart attacks,
hyperactivity, hypertension, hypothyroidism, infections, inflammation,
insomnia, iron storage diseases, kidney and liver dysfunctions, decreased
libido, multiple sclerosis, nervousness, osteoporosis, panic attacks,
premenstrual syndrome, schizophrenia, strokes, tooth decay and vitamin C and
other vitamin deficiencies.
Lead - abdominal pain, adrenal insufficiency, anemia, arthritis,
arteriosclerosis, attention deficit, back problems, blindness, cancer,
constipation, convulsions, deafness, depression, diabetes, dyslexia, epilepsy, fatigue,
gout, impaired glycogen storage, hallucinations, hyperactivity, impotency,
infertility, inflammation, kidney dysfunction, learning disabilities,
diminished libido,
migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis, psychosis, thyroid
imbalances and tooth decay.
Mercury - adrenal gland dysfunction, alopecia, anorexia, ataxia, bipolar
disorder, birth defects, blushing, depression, dermatitis, discouragement,
dizziness, fatigue, headaches, hearing loss, hyperactivity, immune system
dysfunction, insomnia, kidney damage, loss of self-control, memory loss, mood
swings,
nervousness, numbness and tingling, pain in limbs, rashes,
excessive salivation, schizophrenia, thyroid dysfunction, timidity, tremors,
peripheral vision loss and muscle weakness.
Nickel - cancer (oral and intestinal), depression, heart attacks, hemorrhages,
kidney dysfunction, low blood pressure, malaise, muscle tremors and paralysis,
nausea, skin
problems, tetany and vomiting.
References
1. Schroeder, H., Trace elements and Man, The Devin-Adair
Company, CT, 1975.
2. Ibid, p. 154
3. Braunwald, E. et al, editors, HarrisonÕs
Principles of Internal Medicine, McGraw-Hill, Professional, 15th
edition, 2001.
4. Pfeiffer, C., Zinc and Other Micronutrients, Keats
Publishing, CT, 1978.
5. Kutsky, R., Handbook of
Vitamins, Minerals and Hormones, 2nd edition, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, NY, 1981.
6. Ibid., Schroeder, H., Trace Elements
and Man.
7. Hall, R.H., Food For Naught, The Decline in Nutrition,
Vintage Books, NY, 1974.
8. Anderson, M. and Jensen, B. Empty Harvest; Understanding the
Link Between Our Food, Our Immunity and Our Planet, Avery Penguin Putnam,
1993.
9. Price, W., Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, CA, 1949.
10. Stannard, J., Shim, Y.S., Kritsineli, M., Labropoulo, P.,Tsamtsouris, A., Fluoride levels
and fluoride contamination of fruit juices, J Clin Ped Dentistry, 1991;16(1).
11. From the warning label on hydrofluosilicic
acid, Cargill Corporation, FL.
12. Casdorph, H.R. and Walker, M.,
Toxic Metal
Syndrome, Avery Publishing, NY, 1995.
13.
National Autism Association,
Press Release, Feb. 9, 2004.
14. Eck, P. and Wilson, L., Toxic Metals in Human Health and Disease,
Eck Institute of Applied Nutrition and Bioenergetics, Ltd., AZ, 1989, p. xiv.
15. Shamberger, R.J., Validity of
hair mineral testing, Bio Trace Element Res, 2002, 87:1-28.
16. Muir, M., Current controversies in the diagnosis and
treatment of heavy metal toxicity, Alternative and Comp Ther., June 1997:170-178.
17. Environmental Protection Agency, Research and
Development, Toxic
Trace Metals in Human and Mammalian Hair, EPA-600, 4.79-049, August 1979,
p. 3.
18. Tuthill, R., Hair lead levels
related to childrenÕs classroom attention-deficit behavior, Arch Env Health, 1996, 51(3)214-220.
19. Ames, BN, Elson-Schwab, I., Silver, EA, High-dose
vitamin therapy stimulates variant enzymes with decreased coenzyme binding
affinity: relevance to genetic disease and polymorphisms, Am J Clin Nut.
April 2002;75(4):616-658.
20. 1993, J Applied Nut, 45(1). (article on trace
mineral content of organic foods versus commercial foods)
21. Mortensen, M.E. and Watson, P., Chelation
therapy for childhood lead poisoning: The changing scene in the 1990s, Clin Ped., 1993;32:284-291.
21. Committee on Drugs, American Academy of Pediatrics Treatment
guidelines for lead exposure in children, Pediatrics, 1995, 96:155-159.
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