Heavy Metals Part 3: 4 Critical Considerations Before You Detox Metals!

Once testing has been done and you are reasonably sure you are dealing with heavy metals, get them out ASAP, right? No! STOP! Do not pass go!  There are four critical things to consider and to deal with BEFORE detoxifying metals from the body or you can make matters worse!

• address mineral and nutrient levels
• check out the teeth
• control any yeast issues (notice I don't say "eliminate" yeast issues)
• make sure the elimination pathways of the body are open and working
• cleanse the liver

Address mineral & nutrient levels

Mineral and nutrient deficiencies are present if a child is autistic. This is important when it comes time to think about detoxifying metals because the body will not detox metals as effectively while it is severely deficient in minerals and other nutrients. Also, depending on the method of detoxifying metals, it can also pull out minerals. For a child already deficient in minerals, pulling more minerals out of the body can be detrimental. Supplementing with trace minerals for a few or several months before beginning to detox metals can make a big difference in the process.

Check Out The Teeth

If amalgam "silver" fillings are present in the teeth, it can be a wise idea to have them removed. Amalgams are about 50% mercury and they can "leak". If you are going to choose to do something to pull metals out of the body, still having them in there while you are pulling metals could cause additional metals to be pulled out and into the body, creating additional toxicity. If you choose to remove them, don't just go to any dentist and get them taken out. Go to one specifically trained in SAFE amalgam removal where they have specialized equipment that allows you to breath without breathing in mercury vapor that is released during drilling, a rubber dam so no mercury can go down your throat, and other safety measures. 

Experts opinions are divided as to the wisdom of having them removed. One side says it's absolutely necessary, while the other side says, they have a limited life anyway, 12-15 years on average, so when they fall out or begin leaking and need to be replaced, just replace them with a resin filling at that time.

Control Yeast Issues

I say control yeast issues rather than eliminate yeast issues, because yeast and metals go together and until the metals are brought down to an acceptable level, yeast will be an issue in the body. (I'm speaking of pathogenic over growths of yeast, not the necessary beneficial acceptable levels of yeast our bodies need to be healthy.) Yeast binds to metal, so as metal is pulled out of the body, yeast will be "freed" up to set up camp elsewhere and wreck havoc, making the host (you or your child) miserable. If yeast levels aren't under control before starting to pull metal and even more yeast becomes present to cause harm, problems can be compounded.

Open the Body's Elimination Pathways

What in the world are elimination pathways? They are all the ways the body can excrete or get rid of junk. The body has four main elimination pathways: lungs, skin, bowels (liver), and urine (kidneys). If these pathways are blocked the junk stays IN the body, recirculates, and has to be stored somewhere. Now, apply that to doing a metal detox where you are pulling metals out of tissues where they have been stored...but they can't get out of the body. They get deposited somewhere else, causing worse problems than existed before the detox. Some type of fun sweaty movement is great to help the lungs and skin. Drinking plenty of PURE (filtered) water to help out the kidneys and making sure the bowels are moving at least once, preferably twice per day. If it does not empty frequently enough, the metals waiting for elimination will be reabsorbed in the large intestine and recirculated into the body. 

Cleanse the Liver

Metals and allergies nearly always point to a congested liver. The liver is a key player in being able to detox the metals toward the body's garbage chute once they've made it to the blood. If the liver is congested the metals won't be able to leave the body, but will recirculate, be deposited somewhere else within the body and once again, instead of improving health by detoxing metals, it compounds the health problems. 

I've used a variety of herbs and herbal preparations to do this for Jordan and myself.  A simple one or two week liver cleanse isn't exactly going to do the trick either, this could take several weeks. For Jordan, we had to cleanse, then rest and let his body reestablish balance, then cleanse some more, progressively being able to cleanse longer and deeper. These weren't long cycles for us - a day on a few days off and gradually extending and flipping that to a week or two on, a few days off.

For more on heavy metals see:
Heavy Metals & Autism Part 1 - Signs & Symptoms
Heavy Metals Part 2 - Testing