What are Heavy Metals and How to Avoid Them
When a holistic health practitioner talks about heavy metals, they won’t include Metallica, Iron Maiden or Black Sabbath.
No, instead we rock out to metals like copper, iron, lead, mercury, aluminum, fluoride and cadmium. Fun times.
Research shows that at high levels, all heavy metals are dangerous. There’s not much dispute about that, but there are still good metals that our bodies need (like copper, iron, and zinc). It’s the dangerous metals that we need to seriously worry about because, you may not know it, but you are exposed to them almost daily.
Heavy metals can be found in things like food, water and commercial products, including household cleaners, cookware, personal care products and cosmetics.
Here are some heavy metals to watch out for and where you can find them:
Aluminum
Found in: baby formula (yikes!), deodorant, cookware, shampoo.
Linked to: Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Cadmium
Found in: ceramics, cigarettes, evaporated milk, fertilizers, silver polish, and refined wheat flower.
Linked to: bone and immune system disorders.
Lead
Found in: canned food, colored newsprint, some ceramic dishes, paint and pipes in older homes.
Linked to: dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, learning disabilities, seizures, and many other health issues.
Mercury
Found in: silver dental fillings, fish, and immunizations.
Linked to: neurological and psychological disorders, as well as heart arrhythmias, headaches and blurred vision.
So the question now is how to avoid and get rid of heavy metals in your system. It’s not as hard as you think. Here are some tips:
- Eat foods that are non-processed or organic
- Use glass or ceramic cookware
- Avoid cosmetics or personal products that contain aluminum
- Purchase natural or green household cleaners
- Use only BPA-free canned goods
- Avoid conventional insecticides and herbicides
- Have a trained biological dentist remove your silver amalgam fillings and replace them with composite
- Use bentonite clay to detoxify your body – you can put it i your bath and you actually drink it!
- A tablespoon of coconut oil in your favorite smoothie grabs the metals and flushes them out over time.
- Cleanse heavy metal toxins from your body using a Heavy Metal Cleanse (it will also replenish nutrients)
Ridding your body from heavy metals will also help with other health issues you may have, but didn’t know the cause. Such as fatigue, digestive issues, depression, and female reproductive problems. Heavy metals are slow to detox, so developing an on-going plan is important for optimal health.
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