By: Gizelle Erickson, LCMY, CRP, CHLC<\/span><\/p>\n Life and Death ~ Contained in the Apple<\/span><\/p>\n And Other Issues \u201cInsignificant\u201d Metal Exposure Could be Causing<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While the forensic world is hard at work debating whether or not Actress Brittney Murphy and her husband were murdered with an overdose of toxic heavy metals, you may be surprised to find the concerns lying closer to home… or in your child’s playground… or drinking water. While it may not be killing you, it may be setting off a chain of events that will deteriorate your health in subtle ways and it may never be connected back to the actual source or cause.<\/span><\/p>\n Metal is literally what our world revolves around. It is the center of the earth and as we spin, it works its way through the various layers to eventually reach the surface. It is common in our environment and is necessary for the proper functioning of our bodies. \u00a0<\/span>However, too much of a good thing can cause some pretty nasty side effects.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When Volcanoes spew molten lava and ash into the air our atmosphere is deluged with metal substances… and what goes up, must come down…<\/span><\/p>\n We, in our vast intelligence, have figured out many ways to make metal work for us. Can’t you just feel your chest puffing up with pride? I mean after all, we could be still sitting around in a cave wondering how to eat that mammoth with our fingers \u2013 how uncivilized! However, we may have, at times, been (and continue to be) a little ignorant of the consequences of manipulating nature. Our bodies are so efficient that we only need the smallest trace of certain metals to achieve optimum function. The creative process of extracting and inventing new uses for metal can expose it to our environment in sometimes lethal doses, if not just plain old unhealthy.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n For the most part, the United States does not have extremely high statistics of metal poisoning. But when it happens, it can often go misdiagnosed because the symptoms are often attributed to another cause. Often its not a highly dramatic exposure that would lead to life threatening acute issues, but more of a low-level overexposure, causing a slow breakdown of several body systems. You may receive treatments to relieve the symptoms, but unless the mysterious cause is found, you will have a difficult time restoring your health.<\/span><\/p>\n What are some of the signs that you may have been, or are being, overexposed to metals? Reduced mental and central nervous function, lower energy levels, issues with lungs, kidneys or liver. \u00a0<\/span>Eventually, the physical wear down will effect your muscle response and neurological degeneration \u00a0<\/span>could \u00a0<\/span>occur.\u00a0 <\/span>These \u00a0<\/span>signs \u00a0<\/span>mimic \u00a0<\/span>diseases \u00a0<\/span>like \u00a0<\/span>Alzheimer’s, \u00a0<\/span>Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis. \u00a0<\/span>Sometimes, you may just have a raised immune response that you would see as an allergy suddenly developing with no real cause. \u00a0<\/span>Some cancers have been linked to long term over-exposure to metal. \u00a0<\/span>The good news is that if you suspect that over-exposure to metal is contributing to your health issues, it will effect changes in your blood that our Naturopathic Doctors can see. A little consult with one of them could go a long way toward better long-term health.<\/span><\/p>\n How does over-exposure occur (besides the obvious, buying toys manufactured in China)? We can absorb it or ingest it through our food, our water, our air, and our skin. It amazed me, as I began this research, just how prevalent metal is, and how readily it becomes a part of us. It can be in dust, fumes and vapors, which is responsible for many of the adult exposures from the workplace. Although there is a host of metals that can prove to be harmful to our systems, I cannot take the room in this one article to list them all. Let’s just take a look at a few of the metals that we need to be aware of.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ARSENIC<\/span><\/p>\n Naturally found in some of our food (apple seeds, for instance), arsenic is something your body is equipped to handle on on low level basis. Some research shows that organic arsenic is a factor in the growth process, aids in the viability of a pregnancy and has a stabilizing on joints and tendons, as well as some benefit to the heart.<\/span><\/p>\n We can absorb arsenic through our skin, breathe it in through our lungs and ingest it through our food. Much of the arsenic we are exposed to is a by-product from the smelting of copper, zinc and lead. It is also used in the manufacturing of glass. \u00a0<\/span>Arsine gas is created in the use of pesticides that contain arsenic and released into the air. Arsenic is used in paint, fungicides, and to treat wood, so much of the exposure can come to children on playground or park equipment that is older.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Maybe the Queen in Snow White had it right.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Immediate symptoms of arsenic poisoning are sore throat (if you have breathed it in), red skin (if you have touched it), or severe abdominal pain, vomiting and\u00a0 <\/span>diarrhea (if you have ingested it). Over time, other symptoms can build such as loss of appetite, fever, irritation of the mucus membranes, and irregular heartbeat. Continuation of exposure can lead \u00a0<\/span>to changes in the nervous system that feel like numbness or tingling, a burning sensation, or muscle tenderness in the hands or feet. This is usually gradual and happens over a period of years. You may see changes on the skin, such as darkening of pigmentation, or excess skin on the palms or soles of your feet. Sometimes you can see white bands of arsenic deposits across the bed of the fingernails.<\/span><\/p>\n LEAD<\/span><\/p>\n There has definitely been a lot more awareness of lead poisoning in the last couple of decades. If your home was built before 1940 there may be exposure from painted surfaces that are weathering, flaking, chalking and dust being formed; or pipes, drains and soldering materials. Today lead is used in batteries, cable covering, ammunition and fuel additives, as well as crystal glass production, PVC plastics and pesticides. Printing ink, gasoline, fertilizer, and fuel additives also contain lead. Lead poisoning is one of the top 4 types of toxic injury to the kidneys.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Children are at higher risk than adults for lead poisoning due to the tendency to chew on things that might be painted with lead based paint<\/span><\/p>\n You are more likely to be exposed to lead in workplaces that use lead in the manufacturing process; printers, gas stations, farming, welders. If you get your water from a municipal source, be sure to have your water tested from the tap, as much of the lead exposure from pipes within your home will not be detected at the municipal site.<\/span><\/p>\n Symptoms of over-exposure include abdominal pain, convulsions, hypertension, kidney dysfunction, loss of appetite, fatigue and sleeplessness. Other signs include headaches, numbness, and vertigo. Over time, you may develop arthritis, allergies, autism, hyperactivity, mood swings, nausea, lack of appetite and even seizures.<\/span><\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n MERCURY<\/span><\/p>\n Mercury exists in three forms; elemental, organic and inorganic. It occurs naturally as the earth’s crust is degassed through volcanic eruptions. It is also produced through mining operations and paper industries. It has been used in paint as a fungicide and, although now banned as an ingredient, cant still be absorbed or released through things such as playground equipment that may have been painted before the ban. It is still used in thermometers and medications, including some childhood vaccines. Inhalation is the most typical type of exposure as mercury gets caught in the atmosphere, gets dispersed through wind and returns to earth in rainfall.<\/span><\/p>\n From there is contaminates our lakes and rivers, getting into our food supply through the fish we eat from these waters and getting readily absorbed by our gastrointestinal tract. At that point it will target our brains and our kidneys. Fish is so good for you! Especially fatty fish like salmon, cod or bass that are high in omega-3. Some studies have suggested that eating fish once a week will cut your risk of heart attack IN HALF. But what if the fish is full of mercury (which incidentally, stays stuck in fatty tissues)?? The best fish to eat are those that are wild, line caught fish. Always ask where your fish comes from and how it is caught if buying it fresh. If buying it in a can, look for \u201cwild-caught\u201d on the label. If you are an angler yourself, you can check that status of the contamination of fish in your area at the government web site, www.epa.gov <\/a>or contact your local state department.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bhakticlinic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Metals-Img-1-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Metals")
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