Metal Toxicity. How Heavy Metals get into the body?

When you think of the toxins that ravage your body, you think of the hundreds of toxins that can get into everything from your lungs to your skin. However, did you know that one of the major categories of toxins you can acquire are heavy metals, but how do they get into your body?


How Do Heavy Metals Get Into Your Body?

There is a range of sources from which you can contract heavy metals into your body. Every day we are exposed to these metals through different environmental, dietary, and industrial sources.

Simply breathing, something we cannot stop doing as humans, takes in heavy metals such as copper, iron, or zinc. These metals can also get into our bodies through food and water, but how do we know if you’re a victim of heavy metal poisoning? Let’s take a look at some of the symptoms of metal toxicity.


Possible Nerve Damage

Too much copper in your body can be extremely toxic. Your body can only rid itself of copper so fast. When you have a buildup of too much copper, whether it be through contaminated water or various drugs, you’re actually killing your liver cells and increasing your risk of liver damage, heart failure, or death.


Cancer and Other Diseases

Taking in too much iron could increase your risk of cancer. Your body only needs enough iron to combat harmful bacteria. However, getting too much iron can have the opposite effect on the body. An overload of iron can not only increase your risk of cancer, but give you liver and heart problems as well.


Nausea and Vomiting

Zinc toxicity could lead to intense nausea or vomiting. These symptoms happen pretty quickly as well. It’s your body’s natural defense to let you know that you’ve consumed too much. Some might not be able to handle even a single zinc supplement as well. Even a low dose of zinc has been found to induce vomiting.


Abdominal Pain

When you think of detoxifying your body, you think of how much it affects your digestive system. When heavy metals get into your gut it could cause issues with your gut’s microbiome.

Abdominal pain can encompass pain in almost all of your major organs from your liver to your kidneys. Most of the time, abdominal pain is caused by inflammation and one of the only ways to reduce the inflammation is by taking an anti-inflammatory found in certain detox routines.


Diarrhea

When heavy metals ravage your system, it doesn’t just cause abdominal pain such as cramping, but it can cause issues in your colon as well such as diarrhea. When you consume heavy metals or other contaminants it can cause loose feces that can cause even more cramping or even bloody stools. 

If you don’t take care of diarrhea it can cause dehydration because of all the fluids, you are losing.

This is especially true if you’re not already drinking enough water in the first place. Water is one of the best ways to help your body detoxify.


How Do You Detox From Heavy Metals?

There are a number of options to try when trying to detox your body from heavy metals. A lot of these detoxification tips can also help remove other toxins from your body as well.


Selenium

Selenium, mostly found in garlic, has been found as an effective treatment against heavy metals. This is especially helpful against lead which can cause nausea and vomiting or even worse, anemia, if not removed from your body through a proper detox routine.


Probiotics

Probiotics can help remove certain heavy metals consumed from food and water. Imagine using healthy bacteria to fight against toxic poisoning? Probiotics can help remove arsenic from your body which can lead to diarrhea or heart arrhythmia to more serious issues such as diabetes and cancer.


Lemon Water

While certain water is an unfortunate source of heavy metals, adding lemon to filtered water helps reduce the number of heavy metals in your body. Drinking lemon in your water helps the water attach itself to certain toxins and flush it out of your body.

Drinking lemon water can help remove cadmium, a heavy metal that can cause lung inflammation or even lung cancer.

Detox Supplements

If you’re going to go the route of detoxifying yourself from heavy metals, then you might need assistance from natural detox supplements. When you’re choosing detox supplements to help boost your body’s natural ability to detoxify itself, you want to make sure these products have natural ingredients. These natural ingredients don’t look to replace your body’s detoxifying ability but only seeks to help boost it.

If you feel you’re suffering from heavy metal toxicity, then look into a healthy and natural detox routine. After checking with your doctor to make sure you have no underlying health issues, then it’s time to pick up a detox routine and rid your body of these toxins.

*This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.