Toxic metals can affect your health in many ways. Toxic metals can affect your nervous system (altering neurotransmitters and linked to autism and alzheimers); kidney function (leading to hypertension, decreased detoxification, hormone imbalances); hormonal systems (disrupting function of the thyroid, pituitary, thymus, adrenal glands, gynaecological balance and fertility) and immune function (leading to autoimmune issues, allergies, and skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, scleroderma). The 2 most common heavy metal toxicities are Lead and Mercury. Below is a list of toxic metals and the various conditions they have been associated with.
Aluminum: incoordination, poor memory, depression, tremors, impaired cognition, lung and bladder cancer, behavioral difficulties, colic, liver dysfunction, Alzheimer’s
Antimony: respiratory tract problems, cardiac depression, skin problems, menstrual irregularities, spontaneous abortion
Arsenic: skin, liver lung, kidney and bladder cancer; hormone imbalances, liver deterioration, skin afflictions, gastrointestinal distress, malaise, muscle weakness, cardiovascular disease, garlic breath, altered sensations of hands and feet.
Beryllium: cancer
Bismuth: stomatitis, salivation, pathological fracture (osteoporosis), encephalopathy.
Cadmium: leg cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, joint pain, kidney stones, yellow teeth, dry skin, hair loss
Gold: kidney problems
Lead: has been linked to various developmental and behavioural disorders in children such as lower IQ, poor growth, ADHD and autism. Lead toxicity is also linked to fatigue, headaches, poor memory, attention deficit, decreased coordination, peripheral neuropathy (loss of feeling in extremities), anemia, lowered sperm count, hormonal imbalances, and hypertension.
Mercury: is linked to irritability, excitability, anxiety, restlessness, depression, insomnia, delirium, kidney toxicity, gastric pain, gingivitis, thyroid problems, neurotoxicity, tremors, autism, hypertension, autoimmune dysfunction.
Nickel: lung and nasal sinus cancer
Uranium: lung cancer
We are exposed to toxic metals on a continual basis through-out our lives. Common exposures come from our diet, drinking water, occupation, cigarettes, cookware, vaccines, dental amalgams, lead based paint, leaded fuels, cosmetics. We can assess the overall accumulation of toxic metals in the body by doing a urine toxic metals test. This test allows us to assess your exposure and retention of 20 different toxic metals including mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium. Using this test we are able to differentiate between your current toxic metals exposure (on a daily basis) and the accumulation of toxic metals over your lifetime. It involves a urine collection with and without a chelating agent. The chelator mobilizes the stores of toxic metals in the body and eliminates it through the urine, thus representing the overall accumulation of toxic metals in the body.
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