Increasing levels of pollution across the world mean that our bodies have become saturated with toxins like never before.
What’s particularly concerning is that some of the most harmful of these impurities are hard-to-rid metals. Seeping into our body through our food, water, air, and even our medicines, the level of damaging heavy metals present in our body has rocketed in the last century.
Consistent evidence shows that our exposure to damaging heavy metals like mercury or lead can result in serious health conditions developing. For these reasons, looking at purging heavy metals form our system forms the first part of the ‘H’ in my complete health plan – the F.I.G.H.T program.
Here we’ll look at what we can do to rid the harmful accumulation of metals that get deposited into our body each and every day.
Commonly-found heavy metals that are present in our environment and therefore our bodies are mercury and lead.
These prolific metals are consistently found in our atmospheres – delivered through emissions from coal-burning power stations and industrial processes at large. Measures are being taken to reduce mercury use in products like medicines, cosmetics, thermometers and electrical equipment, but it’s a toxic metal that’s very widely-used in industry. Why this is so concerning is that substantial links have been established between mercury and the contraction of many neurological and physiological conditions. It’s also been linked to kidney damage, tremors, balance problems, and even depression.
Lead is another substance that’s found in everything from buildings, to toothpaste, to our water supply, to cosmetics. Regardless of how lead gets into our bodies; it’s highly toxic and detrimentally affects the nervous system and every organ in the body. The catalogue of damage lead can do to all aspects of our health is extensive. This includes, but is not limited to: kidney damage, blood poisoning, and immune system weakness. The effect of lead on cardiovascular health is neatly exemplified by the fact that men with above-average levels of lead in their bones are six times more likely to die from heart disease.
There are also the congenital problems it can cause – conditions like learning difficulties and delayed puberty. A study commissioned by The Environmental Working Group shows that umbilical cord blood contains over 200 toxins and twice the level of mercury than is found in the mother. This shows that accumulation in the body is hard to get rid of and passed on from mother to child.
Other harmful metals that we’re routinely exposed to included arsenic and aluminum. These are found in meats like chicken (through chicken feed) and cosmetic products like antiperspirants. Arsenic is known to be associated with type 2 diabetes, and aluminum has been associated with Alzheimer’s disease and ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (commonly referred to as motor neurone disease).
When combined, heavy metals; especially the combination of lead and mercury, have a synergistic effect that means their toxicity is multiplied. Ridding the body of harmful heavy metals has now become absolutely necessary if we want to do all we can to avoid these serious conditions.
Getting toxic metals from our system takes time. However, there are simple steps we can take to detoxify gradually.
In the F.I.G.H.T program I’ve developed, there are a number of accessible supplements and easy steps that don’t require more acute techniques like intravenous (IV) chelation therapy. Although therapy like IV chelation takes the immediate levels of metals in the body down, a long-term approach is advised – metals can take time to be fully purged from the body. This is why I’ve developed and recommended certain supplements for the purpose:
Beyond Chelation Improved (BCI) contains Calcium EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid to give it its full name – a key player in removing metals form the body in chelation therapy), garlic, malic acid, and other detoxifying nutrients. In just nine tablets, a first line of heavy metal detoxification can take place in your body.
ZeoGold is a powerful zeolite (cleanser and purifier) which also helps to increase the body’s level of glutathione – known as the master antioxidant – critical for detoxification within the cell.
Beyond Fiber provides prebiotic inulin. While detoxing, sometimes useful intestinal bacteria can be removed alongside the harmful toxins, so it’s important to support the gastrointestinal tract during this cleansing process. Prebiotic inulin helps detoxification and balances beneficial flora in the gut.
Beyond Clean is a gentle bath powder that works as you go about your daily bathing routine. Containing EDTA (a metal removing agent) this powder helps the body to detoxify heavy metals effortlessly through the skin.
There’s also one other effective way to assist the body rid itself of heavy metals, chemicals and other toxins – regular exercise. Anything that makes us sweat assists the body in the detoxification of heavy metals, chemicals, and other hazardous toxins.
Ridding the body of harmful toxins and metals is easily achieved by regularly detoxing with the correct supplements, eating more organic food – especially fruit and vegetables, and doing regular exercise. It’s a process that takes time but has long-term benefits and goes some way to putting your body and mind out of the way of risk of serious metal-toxicity related conditions.
