Environmental Toxins And Your Body
By Caroline Hoeffgen, COO, BCHC, JD | Reviewed by Dr. Rev. Isabel Sharkar, NMD | Published Nov 2019
RIDING YOUR BODY OF ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS
How are our bodies supposed to keep up with this influx of environmental toxins we are bombarded with each day? The concoction of air and water pollution, plastics, industrial cleaning agents, food additives and genetically modified food are making our bodies work overtime. Lucky for us all, environmental medicine is an emerging field that takes a close look at how toxins in our environment affect our bodies physiologically. Heavy metals like mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium have been linked to neurological, hormonal and immunological health problems.
HEAVY METALS AND CHELATION THERAPY
According to the ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry), urine heavy metal testing provides the best estimates of the current body burden of chronic mercury poisoning. Elemental and inorganic mercury are mainly excreted in the urine. Urine heavy metal testing includes a pre-challenge (unprovoked) and post-challenge (provoked) urine collection. If levels are high on an unprovoked test it means there is a current exposure to heavy metals. Whereas the provoked urine test reveals whether there are past or chronic exposures to heavy metals.Chelation therapy is a good way to bind heavy metals and excrete them out of the body. The three most common chelators used in chelation therapy are calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (CaEDTA), dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), and 2,3-dimercapto-1-propane sulfonic acid (DMPS). Each binds to heavy metals and excretes them in the urine. A good chelator will have greater affinity for the metal to be bound, low toxicity, water solubility and rapid elimination from the body.Toxic heavy metals are present in every day things we come in contact with like aluminum cans and foil, metal cookware, old paint, and even pesticide and herbicide sprayed food. This immense burden on our immune system from toxic heavy metals leaves us vulnerable to dis-ease. Heavy metals are also neurotoxic and can lead to memory loss, brain fog, fatigue, and depression. They cause overall inflammation in the body and serve a source of food for bacteria, viruses, parasites and other pathogens. As a result the waste of these pathogens is also neurotoxic and can take its toll on the central nervous system leading to autoimmune disorders and cognitive impairments.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
There are many ways to detox heavy metals out of the body, chelation being one of them. Detoxing has to be a default in your life, not something you reach for once in a blue moon. Other cultures incorporate detoxing into their lifestyle as second nature. Spirulina, chlorella, cilantro, barley grass juice extract powder, wild blueberries, and Atlantic dulse are some natural foods that bind to heavy metals. Minimize your heavy metal exposure, fast, sweat through exercise and infrared sauna, replace your amalgams, remove all metal from your mouth, drink lots of spring water and flush toxins out.
Medical Disclaimer
This content is provided by Indigo Integrative Health Clinic for educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment recommendation, and does not establish a provider-patient relationship. Individual health conditions vary — information presented here may not apply to your specific situation. Always consult a qualified, licensed healthcare provider before making decisions about your health, medications, supplements, or treatment plan.
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