An underrated health hack most people don’t consider is a heavy metal detox. Cleansing your body by detoxing heavy metals that have accumulated can lead to a boost in energy as well as other health benefits. If you have noticed a lack of energy, frequent headaches, and some other ailments and decided it was time to dig deeper, you’re in the right place. Bionox encourages everyone to embrace the idea of “motivating wellness” and to take charge of their own health with natural remedies that are backed by science.
In this article, you will find out what you need to know about heavy metals and how to detox them from your body. I will go over how they enter your body, symptoms of exposure and accumulation, and which natural remedies you can use to remove these heavy metals from your body.
The Basics Of Heavy Metals
Cleansing your body from heavy metals takes time and consistency. Each heavy metal has a different half-life. Half-life means the time it takes for half of a substance to undergo a process. In terms of removing toxic metals, the half-life is the time it takes for half the atoms that make up the metal to break down. The longer the half-life, the longer it takes your body to get rid of the metal. For the most toxic of heavy metals, you are looking at several months to a couple of years. This will depend on the level of contamination and your overall health.
How Do You Get Heavy Metals In Your Body?
Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements. These metals reside within the earth’s crust. Furthermore, heavy metals are also found in the environment. This is due to man-made industries and pollution. Because of factories and mining waste, heavy metals are found in the soil, water, and air. Also, heavy metals are found in many of our food sources. These sources include fish, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products. The most common ways heavy metals get into your body are through drinking water and diet. However, other methods of exposure include:
- Skin Contact
- Air Pollution
- Workplace Hazards
- Fertilizers
- Pesticides
- Landfills
How Do You Remove Heavy Metals From Your Body?
Your body has a natural detox system consisting of several organs working together to remove harmful toxins. These organs are the liver, kidneys, lymph nodes, and intestines (GI tract). So any effort to cleanse your body should take organ support for these organs into consideration.
What Are The Symptoms To Look Out For?
If you are dealing with any of these symptoms listed below, it might be an indication of heavy metal exposure and/or accumulation.
- High Blood Pressure
- Sleeping Problems
- Digestion Problems
- Chronic Fatigue
- Lack of Energy
- Frequent Headaches
- Skin Problems
- Memory Loss
- Difficulty Concentrating
- Muscle Pain
- Joint Pain
This list is not exhaustive, but these are several common symptoms to look for.
What Are The Long-Term Effects Of Exposure?
Once heavy metals enter your body, they cause damage to the liver, kidneys, brain, nervous system, and many other areas. They also allow for various diseases to take hold. The worst-case scenario is cancer, and heavy metals contribute to the development of many forms of cancer. Listed below are several diseases that heavy metals trigger.
- Liver Cancer
- Intestinal Cancer
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Chronic Inflammation
- Adrenal Fatigue
- Skin Cancer
- Fibromyalgia
Gauging The Toxicity Of Heavy Metals
There are between 30-40 heavy metals, depending on the source of information. However, there are 23 that are of concern to us. Out of those 23 heavy metals, we need a few in small concentrations for various body functions. Examples of heavy metals that benefit us in small doses are copper, cobalt, nickel, and iron. The metals that are most toxic to humans are arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium. So now that we know the basics of heavy metals, it’s time to look at the natural remedies for detoxing from heavy metals.
Natural Remedies For Detoxing From Heavy Metals
As a starting point, it is important to realize complete avoidance is impossible in the modern world, so the focus is to minimize exposure and promote cleansing for the inevitable exposure. Adding the following natural remedies to your detox regimen will help your body flush heavy metals and other harmful toxins.
1. Garlic
This vegetable is not only a great flavor addition to most meals but contains sulfur. Sulfur is a great way to help the body detox from heavy metals such as arsenic. Garlic also contains antioxidants that help reduce inflammation issues brought on by heavy metal accumulation. An easy way to incorporate more garlic into your diet is to add it to your meals as a flavor enhancer. You can dice garlic and add it to various types of meat, soups, stews, and spreads. Furthermore, you can use organic garlic powder as a spice for various recipes.
2. Onion
Onion works the same way as garlic, containing various sulfur compounds that research shows help the body detoxify from heavy metals. Furthermore, onion is useful like garlic in many ways as a flavor enhancer. Onions are great to chop and dice. They are great eaten fried or sauteéd. Also, you can add diced onions to soups and stews, or skillet fry onions with garlic and different types of meat. Pairing onions with garlic is common, and both will work to help the body flush out toxins thanks to the sulfur compounds they both contain.
3. Spirulina
This algae is a common ingredient in most green powder supplements on the market today, and for good reason. Spirulina contains chlorophyll and other chelating agents that pull heavy metals out of the blood and help the body detoxify from them. Spirulina also acts as organ support, helping the liver, brain, and nervous system get rid of heavy metals that have accumulated there.
4. Probiotics
If you’re looking for something that will detoxify your body from heavy metals via improving gut health, this is what you need. Probiotics help the good bacteria in your gut do their job, which can reduce inflammation and alleviate symptoms such as bloating, indigestion, and upset stomach. These also help the gut detoxify from heavy metals that may have accumulated there. Since the GI tract helps us get rid of toxins, keeping it healthy should be a priority. You can get probiotics from foods such as yogurt and kefir.
5. Wild Blueberries
Like with any food option, you want to go for wild and/or organic when possible. This will help you limit exposure to pesticides that can contain heavy metals. Blueberries contain a plethora of antioxidants that reduce inflammation. Furthermore, blueberries help your lymph nodes and brain remove heavy metals. Blueberries are a delicious food you can add to any smoothie or fruit bowl. You can also add blueberries to cereal, oatmeal, and salads as a side.
6. Milk Thistle
This herb is incredibly popular as a liver detoxifier. Milk thistle contains silymarin, a compound with antioxidant properties that is very bioavailable. Silybin can inhibit toxins from binding to cell membrane receptors. A healthy daily dose is up to 300mg daily. It can be found as a capsule supplement or as a tea. (PRO TIP: Add honey to give it a sweeter flavor if you go for the tea option).
7. Grapefruit
Grapefruit, as well as any fruit/vegetable high in vitamin C, works wonders as an antioxidant. A daily dosage of approximately 3000mg will help reduce inflammation and destroy free radicals created by heavy metal accumulation and oxidative stress. You can eat grapefruit as it is or add it to salads for a citrus flavor (PRO TIP: a light sprinkle of sugar tastes amazing on grapefruit).
8. Dandelion
This edible plant can aid blood circulation as well as help the body detoxify from heavy metals. The root of the dandelion is particularly helpful to the liver and the brain. Dandelion is also known to be beneficial for the spleen and prostate. The leaves of a dandelion can be added to salads as they have a bitter taste, but are somewhat peppery like Arugula. The blossoms can be eaten on salads as well or simply used as a garnish if you do not want to eat them. Dandelion root can be boiled and drank as a tea or consumed in capsule form.
9. Cilantro
This herb is well known as a natural chelating agent, binding to heavy metals to make them easier to be flushed out in urine and feces. It is a common herb that can be added to plenty of types of meat and types of pasta as a flavor enhancer. Cilantro is particularly common in Hispanic and Mediterranean dishes, so there is no shortage of recipes you can add cilantro to.
10. Dulse Seaweed
This seaweed can bind to heavy metals such as mercury and lead. Similar to some heavy metals, this seaweed can cross the blood-brain barrier. This seaweed is super helpful for removing mercury from the body. If you need to detoxify from heavy metals that do not like to leave, dulse seaweed is a great natural remedy to have. You can find supplements in powder and capsule form online.
Final Thoughts On Detoxing From Heavy Metals
There are numerous natural remedies available online and in stores. However, if you want to know for sure if you need to detox from heavy metals, you have to get tested. Doctors can test your hair, saliva, and blood for traces of heavy metal accumulation. Once you know for sure, you can implement these natural remedies into your routine and start detoxing from heavy metals.