The Low- Down on Heavy Metals
By Dr. Nicloa McFadzean, N.D.
Heavy metal toxicity is an issue that exists alongside many other health conditions and diagnoses. Many of my autistic-spectrum patients have heavy metal toxicity, many of my Lyme disease patients have heavy metal toxicity, but I would bet that many people without any official diagnosis have high levels of heavy metals in their bodies that may be affecting their neurological function. With the pollution surrounding us today, heavy metals are a part of the environment.
SYMPTOMS OF CONTAMINATION
Heavy metal toxicity can cause everything from joint pain to brain fog to fatigue to memory loss to inability to focus/ concentrate. Metals such as mercury, lead and aluminum are known neurotoxins, and can be highly problematic in other issues such as autism, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, Parkinsons, and any illness with neurological involvement. Assessing heavy metal load and remedying high levels is one of the best things a woman can do before conception also.
SOURCES OF CONTAMINATION
There are a few key sources of heavy metals in the body. Mercury has come through vaccines (via thimerisol which is used as a preservative), amalgam fillings (which leech significant amounts into the body for many years) and through the air (coal-burning power plants produce high levels of mercury). As mercury is pumped into the oceans as industrial waste, fish are contaminated, and that is another significant source. I can attest to that as after eating quite a bit of seafood for one year, my mercury levels jumped up from 0.9 in March 2009 to a scary 37 in November 2009 on a lab test, where the normal level is less than 4. If you think it’s kinda of scary that your doctor has such high mercury levels, you would be correct in thinking that - it scared me too ... but rest assured I knew what to do about it and it’s now sorted!!
Lead is the other heavy metal that often shows elevation. In the past there was lead in petrol (aka gas for you Americans), paints, pipes and so on. Even though many of those sources have been eradicated today, high lead levels still present themselves. The San Diego drinking water was once sent off for evaluation and came back high in lead, so tap water might be one possible source. Older homes might still have lead-based paint and pipes, another potential source. Again, food, water and air are not quite what they used to be.
SOLUTIONS
Fortunately, there are good testing methodologies we can use to assess the damage, and good protocols to remedy it. My favorite supplements to take along with a chelation (metal detox) program are Toxi-HMF by BioGenesis, which contains liver support as well as binders/ fibers such as apple pectin and bentonite clay. Making sure the bowels are working well is key when doing chelation therapy as you want to make sure the mobilized metals are being swept out rather than sitting dormant in the intestines where they might be reabsorbed. So an extra tablespoon a day of ground flax seeds in a smoothie is a good idea. Multiple mineral formulas are essential - there are many good ones around. And of course, my favorite ... glutathione! Glutathione is great for helping the body detox heavy metals.
The testing procedure costs around $100 - isn’t it worth finding out if you have toxic metals limiting your health or recovery from chronic illness?
For an appointment with Dr. Nicola call (619) 546 4065.
RestorMedicine
1111 Fort Stockton Drive,
Suite H
San Diego CA 92103
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
About Dr. Nicola
Dr. Nicola is owner and founder of RestorMedicine with offices in San Diego, CA and Greenwich, CT. Her areas of specialty include Lyme disease, autistic-spectrum disorders, pre-conception health care, hormone imbalance and eating disorders. She is a referral doctor for Defeat Autism Now! and is an outreach physician for Great Plains Laboratory. She is a consultant for New Beginnings Nutritionals, and is on the Scientific Advisory Board for Hyperbaric Oxygen Centers, Inc. She is a member of the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS), the California Naturopathic Doctors Association (CNDA) and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP).
Dr. Nicola is the author of The Lyme Diet: Nutritional Strategies for Healing From Lyme Disease and was a chapter contributor to Connie Strasheim’s book Insights into Lyme Disease Treatment: 13 Lyme-literate Practitioners Share Their Healing Strategies.
