Could You Have Heavy Metal Poisoning and Not Know It?
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With all of the toxins in our world today, heavy metal toxicity seems to be an epidemic. This post is our story about how we learned that we seemed to have heavy metal poisoning and what we did about it.
One thing I never really thought I would deal with is Heavy Metal Poisoning.
We've dealt with a bunch of health issues in our family from autism to candida to thyroid disease to adrenal fatigue.
Just the concept of heavy metal toxicity sounds alarmist, doesn't it?
I almost can't believe myself that I am writing that title.
But then–life has a way of teaching us lessons that we really didn't want to learn.
Metal poisoning is one of them for me.
I Was Wrong
In my younger, more naive days, I used to think things like:
- life threatening food allergies were all in someone's head
- autism and Asperger's were just being over-diagnosed
- heavy metal poisoning or chronic fatigue was an excuse for someone who just was feeling tired and didn't eat well or something and really had something else wrong with them
It's hard for me to admit that, but it's true.
There's something about those younger, full of energy years that makes one think that these things just aren't real.
But they are.
I found out the hard way when they hit our home.
But heavy metal toxicity? That's just a little too weird to be true, right?
Well, I'm going to share with you just a little bit today about our path with heavy metals, with more to come.
When my oldest son was born, we knew he was very sensitive. His poor little body was covered (literally) with horrible eczema at 3 months.
I went to great lengths to continue to breastfeed, including doing trials to figure out what he was allergic to and adjusting my diet accordingly.
But when his health took another big downturn at age 6, we knew our work with him needed to go beyond food elimination.
Heavy Metal Toxicity in Our Family: The Beginning
My son was super anxious and had obsessive behaviors that were almost impossible to handle.
Basically, we were trapped in our home for a year. And mom went into overdrive trying to figure out what was wrong with him.
Finally, we arrived at a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome (a form of autism) for my son, and I ended up with candida and adrenal burnout.
That's when the visits with alternative practitioners and the heavy metal questions began.
There's a lot of info about heavy metals and health issues on the internet.
Some of them are fascinating.
Did you know, for example, that:
- Babies with autism have less mercury in their hair than neuro-typical babies. This seems to be due to the fact that babies with autism don't detox the mercury so it stays in their bodies (source).
- Aluminum is used in medicine in many ways, typically as a preservative
Anyway, we worked with a number of practitioners, and over and over, the issue of mercury and metal toxicity came up.
Possible Results of Heavy Metal Toxicity
According to the CDC and WHO, there are many reasons to be concerned about exposure to heavy metals. Following are some possible health concerns that can result:
- reproductive issues like miscarriage, stillbirth, etc. (source)
- learning disabilities (source)
- decreased birth height and weight (source and source)
- and more
Honestly, I really didn't want to talk about metals, mostly because I didn't know what to do about it and I wasn't too keen on the chelation protocols that I'd read about and the risk factors involved with them. I never felt good about using an IV or suppositories to yank the metals out of my or my son's bodies.
Well, something really bizarre happened to me that changed my mind completely about metal toxicity and made me realize that I really needed to do something about it.
Our Heavy Metal Poisoning Evidence
When I was starting my health path, I started talking with a man who had overcome mercury poisoning. I considered doing chelation therapy but was concerned about the health problems that I had heard could be connected to this.
He recommended several immune-boosting supplements as well as liquid zeolite (a supplement that makes a small cage to trap toxins and heavy metals and release them in your urine) to remove toxins and metals from my body.
So, on his recommendation, I tried some of these things in addition to purified liquid zeolite drops in my water as a detox supplement.
What happened to me was very interesting.
This might qualify as the current expression “TMI” for “too much information”, but in the interest of sharing what I think is important health information with my readers, here goes.
I first tried a normal dose of zeolite in each glass of water, but it was too much for me, apparently. I had fatigue that was like a cloud in my brain.
So, assuming I was having a Herxheimer reaction/die-off (detox symptoms such as flu-like symptoms, fatigue, headache, or uneasiness, that occur when toxins are flooding your body faster than you can deal with them), I cut back to 1 drop per glass of water.
I tolerated that dose. And my urine smelled.
Like metal. For over 2 months.
Now I had to rethink what I originally thought about heavy metal poisoning.
My husband started taking the liquid zeolite as well.
As for his urine–well–he now describes it as “glow-in-the-dark Mountain Dew” (not that we ever drink that stuff, mind you.
At that point, I was introduced to a Nutritional Balancing practitioner whom I mentioned in my post on Adrenal Fatigue.
We didn't get much progress with this method or this practitioner, but this particular situation was very interesting.
I mentioned my husband's urine color to her and she replied that cadmium is bright yellow, but she said that it was uncommon for cadmium to be released this easily.
However, months later when we had my whole family's hair tested, guess what came up on my husband's hair test?
That's right: CADMIUM!
I was a believer. The metals were there and they needed to come out. We literally had heavy metal toxicity. I was shocked!
I'll share more later about zeolite, what it is and how I use it now. Also, I'll share about other metals that have impacted our family.
Metal toxicity, along with many other toxic concerns, is a huge problem in today's world.
Detoxing from Heavy Metals
The CDC discusses the chelation of heavy metals if there is a toxicity issue (source). However, this should be done with caution as there can be a removal of minerals as well that can lead to health complications (source).
There are many things that have been used to support the body in excreting heavy metals including:
- antioxidants
- taurine
- NAC
- lipoic acid
- liposomal glutathione
- EDTA
- DMSA
- sweating (source)
Current Thoughts on Heavy Metal Detox
There are so many different thoughts on how to detox from Heavy Metals. Some sources think that it's not important to do so; that your liver, etc just naturally do this for you.
Some natural practitioners do IV chelation (I have a lot of concerns about that) and others use prescription meds. Most mainstream sources would say that one doesn't need to do this unless facing a very serious situation.
Personally, I have tried a variety of zeolites on and off to basically continue to keep toxins out of my body. Some say that Diatomaceous Earth can be used for this.
There are other ways that one might consider addressing heavy metals in the body including some food sources (source).
Natural vs Synthetic/Man-made Zeolite
I get questions now and then about what brand of zeolite to use.
TRS is one very popular brand, but that one is synthetic.
Think about that. In what situation would you prefer to use something synthetic rather than natural in your body?
There is a study using synthetic zeolite on chickens and the results were not encouraging–reduced chicken weight and reduced bone ash, egg weight, egg production, and more. We aren’t chickens, but natural is typically better (source).
In addition, I have heard about and personally communicated with people whose kids have regressed and even gotten much worse after using TRS zeolite.
I've heard recently that another zeolite on the market is synthetic as well. So it's important to do your research!
What I'm Doing Now
Since publishing this post I have continued to work on my health.
I didn't do a follow-up post to this since things changed and I didn't feel my practitioner at the time could handle other issues that showed up. I needed other answers.
I have looked at many zeolite companies and products and have spent many hours on the phone with CEOs, owners, and other officers of zeolite companies. It's been exhausting but also very eye-opening.
I've even encountered massive lies, lack of ethics about products, concentrations, educational background (seriously, who lies about this?), and more. It's not an easy industry to navigate.
Where to Get Zeolite
Omica
This liquid zeolite is great and much higher quality than the others on the market since they have ingredients in it that work synergistically and there is a lot of zeolite in there, as you can see by the color of the product. Think about it: if a liquid zeolite is clear, how much zeolite (which is basically a clay-like substance) can there really be in there?
Using my link gets a 10% discount.
Anovite
This product has clinoptilolite zeolite along with other ingredients that work synergistically with the zeolite to help your body remove toxins. I really like this product. The combination of active ingredients is unique and highly beneficial.
It's free to sign up to get wholesale pricing and there's no monthly autoship required. We use their colostrum daily and love it.
Another Option for Detoxing Heavy Metals
Chlorella is another substance that's used by many to address heavy metals.
This is the brand that we use and trust. Code WNM gets 10% off your order and most of the time they have discounts if you purchase 3 or more and those deals are stackable.
I plan to make a list of all the therapies and supplements that have helped us and are supporting us going forward. You can read more about our health journey and stay in touch by signing up for updates here or subscribe here.
So–have you thought about heavy metal toxicity before?
What are your thoughts?
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654245/
https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/MMG/MMGDetails.aspx?mmgid=1203&toxid=22#:~:text=Chelation%20therapy%20should%20be%20considered,or%20during%20ongoing%20lead%20exposure.
Hello Adrienne, I went ahead and ordered the Omica Zeolite and just started taking it yesterday. I started with just one drop, not the full dose, just to see how it would go and I feel so wiped out. I realize that can be a normal part of detoxing (and I am specifically trying to detox mercury after having amalgam fillings safely removed a while ago). I suppose I could dilute one drop in a glass of water and sip on it throughout the day to space it out. I’m just wondering if you can share some of your experience with using it. I don’t see a lot of info on Omica’s site about using it – just a recommended dose. Other zeolite companies seem to recommend upping the dose when symptoms start. Did you do this and if so, did it help your symptoms? I understand that you’re not a doctor or giving medical advice – just wondering what your own experience was and if you played around with the dosing?
Thank you again for your time!
Hi there, Olivia. I have a few thoughts.
I’ve seen those recommendations and they might make sense but I haven’t dug into it enough and haven’t wrapped my mind around the concept. Typically when one is feeling bad w/ doing detox it means that the detox pathways aren’t open and the liver needs support. In fact it can be dangerous to push things too hard so while zeolite is regularly recognized as a gentle detox I don’t know that taking more is the right idea. However, supporting the liver has helped me a lot over the years in many situations and I wish I had known more about that when I did the candida diet. I was sooo sick! Here’s my story: https://wholenewmom.com/candida-die-off/
If you aren’t supporting your liver you could start there. Lots of options and depends if you like powders or tinctures or both but here are a few ideas:
1- liver tincture. I really like this one because it has chanca piedra which is a super herb for the liver.
2 – castor oil pack – https://wholenewmom.com/what-are-castor-oil-packs-and-why-you-need-them/
The company I linked to above has a good castor oil pack and there’s another pack mentioned in that post but of course if you bought the pack and tincture you’d be on your way for free shipping at Rowe Casa and they have a good reasonable castor oil blend too and a liver tea. My link and code WNM get 20% off your first order.
I personally have used castor oil and herbs and also a glutathione patch on my liver which is something else we could talk about if you’d like, but hopefully this information is helpful.
There is a post on my site about one woman’s issues with mercury but it doesn’t include information about liver support so in my opinion it’s missing a big issue there. It’s basically just her story about what happened to her.
Let me know what you think.
Hi again. I just had a talk with someone who knows a lot about zeolite and detox and he agrees with me on this subject that if you feel bad, it can just be too much for one’s system and more support is what seems to make sense as opposed to pushing the Herx reaction more.
I just had another thought. People have sometimes put one drop in a glass of water and drunk some throughout the day. Or maybe 2 days putting half the glass in the fridge.
Hope that helps.
Thank you for your thoughts! I have been taking a liver support tincture (with milk thistle, etc.) and have done castor oil on the abdomen (just a small amount with heat). So I’ll have to try it on the liver. I think what you are saying makes sense about making sure everything is supported first. I also know I have MTHFR as well so I’m sure that makes things a bit harder. I’m going to back off the zeolite for now and work on just the support and then try to add it back in slowly. It’s hard to be patient but I realize that something that’s been in my body for years is going to take time to safely get rid of.
You are so welcome. My experience is this, but first know that MTHFR is just the tip of the iceberg in a way when it comes to detox. There are a lot of other SNPs that affect things. I’m no expert and it can get murky but lots of people have that but other things can be going on as well. The main thing (w/o complicating it too much) is that you need to work on a lot of things but you can do it simply like we are doing. I got all tangled up in testing and practitioners and it was driving me/us crazy and was very pricey.
Did you see my comment about the water? I think that could be a help for you to divide it in 1/2 or 1/3.
I personally take a lot of liver support and do the castor oil some and sometimes we use the patches too. You sound a bit like my oldest who has a lot of trouble w/ detox. I do as well but he has more. However, we have both come a long way and things we could only tolerate a little we can now tolerate a lot. I’m inspired by your comments that I really need to start doing videos and/or group calls to share our experiences more.
Have you heard about hydrogen water? Check this out. This is what our geneticist said was the most important thing for everyone and he specializes in people like us. https://shop.wholenewmom.com/product/molecular-hydrogen-supplement/
It’s on sale through tomorrow.
As a side note, I’m also working with a few people to coach through all of this so for now that’s an option as well. I don’t know if/ how long I will be doing this but it’s another option.
Take care!
hi I have had candida since very young probable age 2 maybe. I am 68 now. I tried a lot of stuff and it seems to get immune to whatever I try and come back worse. I can’t sleep and my hair comes out I don’t know what to do please answer soon
Gosh I’m so so sorry. What are you using? There are a lot of ways to support overall health that I have done over the years. Are you doing anything to support your liver and remove toxins?
Hi Adrienne. I just had my Dr. appt., (Naturopathic Physician) and she said that zeolites don’t really remove much. (I have some, but haven’t taken it for awhile) I’m getting two home tests for heavy metals and for mycotoxins..(Rx’s) This because the metformin is doing nothing for my blood sugar, and she says there is something else going on.
Now I just need info on herbs that help protect against UTI’s (new Rx for blood sugar, which causes them…yay!!!)
I’ll let you know how things come out.
Hi Carol – I’m sorry to hear that you are having struggles. Most of the time we all have “something else going on” because our bodies are complex and everything is connected.
Here are some studies that might be of help: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7395894/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8944421/
Yeah, I don’t have UTI’s, I get a constant, never ending vag. yeast infection due to the sugar leaving my body via urine. it’s what happened just before I was diagnosed with T2 Diabetes. Doctor said the diabetes caused the yeast infection. I never had a yeast infection until then, and 2 weeks after I started the new medication to remove the sugar from my body, the yeast infection began. (metformin does NOT REMOVE SUGAR from your body, only from the blood, making it a vicious cycle of putting it back in the blood, removing it………..
For Pauline: yeast infections are because you have too much sugar in your body. Stop all sugar, including hidden sugars in prepared foods, and lower your carbs by A LOT. Carbs convert to sugar in the body. Be careful as constant yeast infection can be caused by type 2 diabetes. You should get tested.
Can you tell me what the hair test is called? My primary and surgeon can’t find it. I have my implant removed and tissues were black. I’ve been sick for a long time. Any help would be appreciated.
HTMA testing – I have mixed feelings about it, but it can be helpful. I’ve done so many things since the writing of this post and am doing a lot better now. You can read more here: wholenewmom.com/about-me/
I hope to share more of all the things that have helped us, but we did way more than address metals and minerals. Hang in there. If you’d like more info you can email. Thanks.
Hey Steve,
Sorry to hear how sick you are. Hair tests work if your body is able to detox but if not then a hair test will show a false negative.
Finding a practitioner that uses an avatar computerized muscle testing system or similar will help to see what’s going on.
Once you do that, you can then formulate a plan to detox. I have managed to stop the progression of ALS and have even had some increase in strength in my ankles. I was diagnosed 2 years ago and they gave me 2-5 years to live. I am still walking and have lost very little functionality.
Once you find a practitioner, the best way that I have found to detox heavy metals is using an infrared sauna with niacin (very specific protocol). I did chelation for 8 months which was working but it went sooooo very slow and cost me $8000. Then I eliminated 80% of my metals in just 3 weeks on the niacin sauna protocol (hubbard’s protocol that they used to detox firefighters after 9/11). The only thing is you need your liver/gallbladder functioning well and you need to be having 3-4 bowel movements a day plus you need your lymph drainage clear.
If you get all those things working, you can detox %80 heavy metals in just 3-4 weeks.
You can contact me direct for help if your interested.
Hi Karl – I have heard about that protocol – how did your practitioner determine how well your liver / gall bladder were working as well as they lymph drainage issue?
He used his computer muscle testing system. Before each protocol I do I get myself checked to make sure my organs are functioning properly. If they are off a little, my practitioner (with his machine) can determine if glutathione will help to restore the liver (for example). This last time he determined that both glutathione and R-ALA woul restore it as both the liver and gallbladder were overwhelmed with processing toxins.
He also uses his machine to check lymph drainage. To keep lymph drainage open especially during a heavy detox program you should avoid gluten grains and all forms of dairy (not just cow). To keep my lymph clear I use a machine by action lymphatics based in Illinois. It is expensive but it works well (about 5kUSD).
The niacin sauna protocol is awesome!!
Thanks for sharing that. What is the computer system? I have experience with quite a few of those and have mixed feelings about their efficacy but I sure am glad to hear you are doing better.
My thinking is that some of the things they “reveal” already make sense and some of them have made really poor recommendations to me (like recommending things that I’m highly allergic to) – glut and R ALA would help anyone’s liver in my understanding is another example. I guess what I mean is isn’t that like saying that a computer told someone that milk thistle, beet, and artichoke will help someone’s liver –does that make sense?
I just looked up the AL system–Interesting. I might reach out – I know that PEMF helps w/ lymph action and so does an infrared sauna and so does dry brushing and jumping up and down….so I’m curious about the supposed advantages of what you are referring to. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hi Adrienne,
The computer muscle testing system that my naturopath uses is an Avatar system and works well IMO. The problem is that you have to be a pretty skilled/experienced practitioner to use it effectively. The system can be used to check your liver (for example). If your liver is not in the ideal range, the practitioner can then add supplements and check how those supplements will affect your liver all while you are sitting there. I have been a patient at his clinic for over 2 years and although I was very skeptical at first, I have become a believer. Another comment is that there are many reasons why the liver goes down. It could be stress, unforgiveness of others and self, toxin overload due to mobilizing to many toxins, diet issues etc. Milk thistle R-ALA or glutathione are not the answer to all liver issues. A lot of people struggling with chronic illness take so many supplements and a lot of the time they are just throwing their money away.
As far as a practitioner recommending things based on a system like the avatar that are allergic to you. I believe that you then need to find a new practitioner. The avatar system can be used to check any supplement or food to see if you are allergic. There should be no reason why a practitioner using a similar system would do that (unless they run out of time or do not have the experience…or maybe they don’t care enough).
The Action Lymphatics system works very well to keep the lymph clear. I have one and I tie the heads to the specific areas on my body while I sleep a couple nights a week. I also use it when reading or watching a movie. Exercise (including rebounding) is definitely the most cost effective way to clear the lymph (dry brushing and infrared sauna work pretty well) but diet is also key (avoid dairy and gluten grains). Doing something like the niacin sauna protocol (Hubbard’s protocol) will release so many toxins from fat cells and that will clog your lymph system very quickly. IF you have the AL system, you can keep your lymph clear no matter how many toxins are being released. I am not advocating for the AL system because I think it is very expensive and thankfully my neighbours own one and they lend it to me.
The last thing I’ll say is that if you have a chronic illness like ALS or another one with neurological issues you will lose the ability to exercise pretty quickly. There are many who recover from ALS (you have to ignore what the neurologists say) and they need to find ways to clear the lymph without exercise.
Sorry for the long winded monologue. Have a great day!!
Thanks so much for the info – what exactly is an Avatar system?
This particular practitioner was using Zyto – I don’t know what to think but I think this happens w/ others as well so I don’t have much faith in it.
Would love to try to zeolite
Many think it’s a good thing for everyone to take – you can try the ones in the post – do you need help?
Is is safe to use zeolite if u still have mercury fillings in some teeth?
Hi there! I have heard over and over that it’s not a problem but please do speak with a practitioner if you are concerned. I think that trying to think about it…if it removes bad stuff from you, then it should do that and if you are concerned about it removing things from a filling then it should remove them from your body too – does that make sense?
Hi Adrienne, this was a great post! I’m a lil behind the game and just finding out about zeolite! I have been researching a lot of info and companies as well. Pretty overwhelming!
What I’m wondering about the Omica brand is if you need to take both the powder and the liquid? From what I’ve read…..the different particle sizes go to different places in the body. The larger particles can work in the gut and the smaller work on more of a cellular level.
I’ve had eczema off and on my whole life. Stomach hasn’t been amazing since my 20’s. Now, I think I’ve discovered I’ve had a palm oil sensitivity which affects my skin and stomach.
I don’t feel horrible…..but just tired of not feeling amazing! ? I heard about zeolite from my niece who now no longer has gluten intolerance since taking it. I figured I try it with the palm oil since that is in almost everything!
The brand she used was $95/bottle….so I thought I’d research other brands.
I’ve only recently tried one brand, but have already had side effects. I’m thinking my detox pathways are not 100%.?
I’ve done a candida cleanse with a supplement that is supposed to get ALL the candida out so it doesn’t come back, but still have not passed the spit test. That’s where I’m thinking I may need to address the metals first. And….. now I am on this journey.
Thank you! ??
Hi there.
I’m with you — soooo overwhelming.
So I’m not an expert, but I have spoken with quite a few people in the industry including company owners, etc.
I don’t proclaim to have a corner on the truth, but here are some thoughts that I hope to expand upon in a post soon–so stay tuned! (You can subscribe on this page if you’d like wholenewmom.com/about-me/.)
I personally don’t think that you need to take both. I’m not sure what to make about the particle size. I have heard reasoning on both sides of that. I’m still sorting it out, but I have felt that the marketing in the industry contradicts itself and that a lot of the products out there are overpriced. I also wonder about some brand(s)? that have no preservatives but they are water based….doesn’t seem safe to me.
My current philosophy about overall health is that there is not one thing that you can do to address these issues. It’s important to support the body in many ways. As you mentioned, pathways are important which mean liver health. Also gut / brain and vagus nerve.
It doesn’t all have to be expensive, but it does cost something. People who sell these products are often making claims such as “this is the one thing that did it for me” but when you dig into it, most people need many things to support their body. We didn’t get problems overnight.
I would choose one product unless you want to try both to see what you think. But a reaction could be something else entirely.
I would be happy to talk about other things we are doing to support our health, which, as you can see on my About Page is much improved. My son and I aren’t even doing the same things entirely, but I hope that it gives others hope.
Oh in fact, a friend told me that she is now able to eat some gluten (from Europe) again by taking a colostrum that we are using. Again, it’s about overall health. Colostrum has lots of evidence based benefits. Worth checking into as well. I wil write more about this but you can see it on my Facebook page by searching or check it out here: wholenewmom.com/colostrum. I will share more in the future. It’s just one more tool and it’s a reasonable one :). (Hint – use the Join button b/c you can get wholesale prices so inexpensively that way).
Hope that helps some. There are answers….
Thank you so much!??
You are so welcome!