Should You Be Concerned About Heavy Metals?

Short answer? If you are buying conventional foods, drinks, and cosmetics, drinking unfiltered water, or living in an older home or near an industrial plant, then yes.

Heavy metals are naturally found on the Earth, but that doesn’t mean all of them are safe. That said, they are widely used in manufacturing, medicine, cosmetics, food, and agriculture, and we are exposed to them every day, usually at so-called “safe” levels.

You are eating and drinking them, breathing them in, and absorbing them through your skin, but should you be concerned about the impact of heavy metals on your health? Our bodies do use certain metals (such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, and zinc), but this article is about the heavy metals that are toxic to our health.

Heavy metal exposure has cumulative effects, meaning you might not feel the impact from it until many years later. Toxicity occurs when levels of a heavy metal become too high. Children under the age of 10 are most susceptible to the toxic effects.

These heavy metals are associated with several negative health impacts, including neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity, organ and cellular damage, immune system suppression, and increased risk of chronic diseases. Typically, heavy metal effects are worse in people with unhealthy diets and lifestyles.

Keep reading to learn more.

The Worst Heavy Metals

The most common metals the human body can absorb in toxic amounts are:

• Arsenic (contaminated water and foods, from pesticide usage)

• Cadmium (soil, water, insecticides, contaminated foods such as rice and grains, and cigarette smoking)

• Chromium (food, water, and products containing chromium, such as stainless steel, chrome plating, paints, dyes, wood preservatives, and some dietary supplements)

• Lead (leaded gas, insecticides, as well as lead pipes and lead paint in older homes)

• Mercury (some seafoods, such as swordfish, shark, and tuna, as well as ultra-processed foods containing vegetable oils, food coloring, corn syrups, and preservatives; also, cosmetics and dental amalgam fillings)

• Thallium (pharmaceuticals, rat poison, and industrial settings with coal combustion, exhaust fumes, semiconductor manufacturing)

Disgustingly, wastewater sewage sludge, a byproduct of community sewage treatment (and known as Biosolids), is often sold to companies and consumers as a fertilizer for food crops; sadly, this “fertilizer” can contain heavy metals such as lead, copper, and mercury, as well as other toxic ingredients, including antibiotics and forever chemicals (PFAs).

Symptoms of Heavy Metal Poisoning

The vast majority of people who are diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning are people who are exposed to them daily, such as people working in manufacturing and conventional farming, but it is extremely important to investigate because daily exposure can also come from living in an older home, eating conventional foods, and drinking contaminated water.

One of the problems of heavy metal exposure is that the symptoms are somewhat generic and can be explained by many other factors. That said, here are some of the most common symptoms:

• Brain fog/confusion

• Fatigue

• Joint pain

• Nausea/stomach cramps

• Headaches/migraines

• Blurry vision

• Digestive issues

• Skin rashes/irritations

• Mental health conditions (anxiety, depression)

• Numbness/tingling in arms and legs

• Mood changes/unease/tiredness/on-edge

Offsetting Heavy Metal Exposure

The most important thing you can do is make diet and lifestyle changes. Consider moving and changing jobs if your exposure is related to those situations. Avoid conventionally-produced foods as well as certain seafoods and use a high-quality water filtration system (regardless of where your water comes from), such as the one we use (Berkey).

While our bodies do naturally detox metals and other harmful contaminants, the process becomes much less efficient when we are struggling with our health, and we know the majority of the population is metabolically unhealthy.

In terms of helping remove heavy metals from your system, consider these four options. The first three are safe and natural, while the third can only be done under medical supervision:

Nutritional Support: A strategy to heal through foods. Focus on supplementing your diet with spirulina, chlorella, cilantro, seaweed, garlic, artichokes, leafy greens, beets, turmeric, broccoli, ginger, and apple cider vinegar.

Supplemental Support: Using supplements to boost glutathione (including vitamin C), as well as supplementing with milk thistle, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), modified citrus pectin, and alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), can be effective for mitigating the toxic effects of these heavy metals through their antioxidant and chelating properties.

Sweat Detox: Sweating is a fantastic way to help your body eliminate heavy metals, as well as other toxins, and is extremely beneficial for overall health. One of the best tools for sweating it out is through high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or hot yoga. Another option is sweating the toxins out using an infrared sauna. Remember to hydrate!

Chelation Therapy: A medical procedure that involves the administration of chelating agents, typically through an intravenous (IV) drip, to remove heavy metals from the body. The chelating medications bind to the metal molecules in the bloodstream, then are filtered out through the kidneys, leaving the body via your urine.

Final Thoughts About Heavy Metals

Heavy metal toxicity is fairly rare, and the symptoms of it overlap with many other serious health conditions, including exposure to toxic mold or Lyme disease.

If you are experiencing some of these symptoms, you should also ask your doctor about checking you for gut imbalance, hormonal imbalance, or a thyroid issue.

While our food, water, and air should be safe, we know there are massive gaps in what is considered safe.

My final recommendations for preventing as much heavy metal exposure as possible include:

1. Eating the highest quality fresh or frozen real foods, ideally grown locally and regeneratively and organically. This includes meats, eggs, dairy, veggies, nuts, seeds, and fruits. Avoid most convenience and ultra-processed foods and sweeteners.

2. Incorporate into your diet the nutritional support foods mentioned earlier in the article.

3. Eliminate all or most of the plastic used in your kitchen. Switch the plastic for glass or metal utensils, cutting boards, pans, and containers for storing food and drinks. Never reheat food in the microwave using plastic containers. (See my article, Tips for Creating a Wellness Kitchen.)

4. Use a high-quality water filter on all drinking water, especially if using a community water system.

5. Stop smoking cigarettes and avoid secondhand smoke.

6. Sweat it out at least a few times a week through intense aerobic exercises and/or an infrared sauna.

7. Eliminate the use of toxic fragrances and chemicals in your home, including air fresheners, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, fabric softeners, and perfumes/colognes.

8. Use cosmetics that are free of heavy metals. The worst personal care product offenders that contain heavy metals include lipstick, concealer, blush, sunscreen, whitening toothpaste, eyeliner, and nail polish.

A great source for learning more about the problems with our conventional food system is the informative book, Unsafe at Any Meal: What the FDA Does Not Want You to Know About the Foods You Eat, by Dr. Renee Joy Dufault, an FDA whistleblower. (Read my review of the book here.)

Additional Heavy Metal Resources

• Could Your Mysterious Health Issues Be Heavy Metal Poisoning Symptoms?

• Are You Experiencing Heavy Metal Toxicity Symptoms?

• What Are The Symptoms Of Heavy Metal Toxicity?

• What Is the Heavy Metal Detox Diet?

• 10 Foods That Naturally Detox Heavy Metals in Your Body

• Alpha-Lipoic Acid, as an Effective Agent Against Toxic Elements: A Review

• 11 Heavy Metal Detox Supplements That Actually Work

• 10 Natural Ways to Increase Your Glutathione Levels

• The Science Behind Sweating and Toxin Removal

• 13 Strategies to Limit Your Heavy Metal Exposure