Toxins: Sources and Symptoms

One of the most misunderstood pieces of a hair mineral analysis is the “toxic metal” analysis. This article will hopefully help you understand how a hair mineral analysis analyzes toxic metals and what that means to you as a client.

On a report there are NINE toxic metals that I analysis. They are iron, copper, manganese, lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, and nickel. Everyone has lots of toxins in their body since it is impossible to completely avoid exposure due to the toxic environment that we live in. Below is information that can help you see where exposure exists and eliminate your exposure to toxins as much as possible.

Review the “sources” of each toxin in the information below. Make a list of the sources that you are currently exposed to, as well as note where the exposure you comes from, so you can eliminate and/or reduce your exposure.

Toxic Metals: Sources and Symptoms

All the toxic metals can be passed from mother to child via the placenta

Aluminum:    

Sources: Table salt (aluminum is added to this mineral deficient product as an anti-caking agent), antiperspirants (including “natural crystal” and “deodorant stones”), tap water (aluminum causes dirt to settle out of the water), a drying agent added to cocoa, and baking powder, most cosmetics use aluminum as a base, all prepared foods made with tap water, uncoated aluminum cookware, foods cooked or stored in aluminum foil, aluminum cans, antacids (Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids and many others), and many dry animal feeds are contaminated with aluminum.

Early symptoms: Flatulence, headaches, dryness of skin and mucous membranes, tendency for burning pain in head (sometimes) relieved after eating, loss of memory and mental confusion, some dementias, and reduced sweating.

Advanced symptoms: Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, anemia, colitis, dental cavities, kidney and liver dysfunction, neuromuscular disorders, and Parkinson’s disease.

Arsenic:

Sources: Pesticide residues, drinking water, some fish, and other foods such as beer and table salt, paints, pigments, cosmetics, fungicides, pesticides, glassmaking, insecticides, rat poison, tanning leather and chemicals used to preserve wood.

Symptoms: Anorexia, weakness, diarrhea, edema, keratosis, impaired healing, dermatitis, hair loss, sore throat, kidney damage, goiter, headache, vertigo, muscle spasms, stupor, fever, pallor, jaundice, abdominal pain, and herpes.

Cadmium:

Sources: Cigarette and marijuana smoke, tap water, food grown on cadmium contaminated soil, refined and processed foods, processed meats, cola drinks, instant coffee, occupational exposure: battery manufacture, semiconductors, and dental materials. Air pollution: incineration of rubber tires and plastic and paints. Large fish such as tuna, cod and haddock.

Symptoms: Tends to harden and inflame the arteries leading to arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, impaired circulation, hypertension, heart failure. Other symptoms include; cancer, hypoglycemia, diabetes, mental illness, bone pain, osteoporosis, tendon problems, damages all body organs, loss of sense of taste, wound healing delayed, migraine headaches, psoriasis, and kidney failure.

Copper:

Sources: Vegetarian diets, chocolate, avocado, some nuts, organ meats such as liver and kidneys, wheat germ and bran, copper water pipes, copper sulfate added to drinking water, compounds added to swimming pools, mineral supplements (especially prenatal vitamins), copper cookware, birth control pills, copper intrauterine devices, stress, and weakened adrenal glands.

Physical symptoms: Acne, adrenal insufficiency, allergies, alopecia, anemia, anorexia, arthritis, autism, connective tissue problems of all kinds, hair and nail conditions, epilepsy or seizures, elevated cholesterol, cancer, diabetes, estrogen imbalance, fatigue, migraine headaches, hyperthyroidism, infections, inflammation, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, myocardial infarction, nausea, premenstrual tension, scoliosis, all skin conditions, tooth decay, and urinary tract infections.

Mental emotional symptoms: Copper is often present in most cases of anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, fears, mind racing, mood swings, panic attacks, schizophrenia, and feelings of spaciness.

Fluoride:

Sources: Fluoridated drinking water, mouth wash, toothpaste, fluoride treatments done in the dental office, fruit juices and all foods processed with tap water.

Symptoms: Hypothyroidism, hip and other fractures, brown discoloration and brittleness of teeth, birth defects, lowered IQ, cancer, neuromuscular conditions, and bone diseases.

Iron:

Sources:  Red meats, white flour products, vitamin/mineral supplements (especially pre-natal vitamins), organ meats, kelp, Irish moss, and green vegetables (although the iron is not utilized as well from vegetables).

Symptoms of deficiency: Fatigue, weakness, brittle, or ridged nails, decreased resistance, slow oxidation, pallor, low blood pressure, anemia, and dizziness.

Symptoms of excess: Anger, liver disease, cancer, iron deposits in organs, diabetes, arthritis, cirrhosis of the liver, schizophrenia, emotional problems, high blood pressure, myasthenia gravis, hemochromatosis, and hemosiderosis.

Lead:

Sources: Lead arsenate and other pesticides, tap water (especially from wells with lead soldered pipes or other contaminates), some hair dyes and lipsticks, leaded glazes on ceramic plates from other nations, manufacture of batteries, mine smelting industries, cigarette smoke, food cans soldered with lead, lead based paints, and colored inks.

Symptoms: Lead has over 100 symptoms. Abnormal brain function, blindness, convulsions, deafness, dyslexia, encephalitis, epilepsy, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, vertigo, arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, colic, constipation, weight loss, spontaneous abortions, infertility, hypothyroidism, cancer, diabetes, hypoglycemia, anxiety, poor concentration, mood swings, nightmares, psychotic behavior, and alopecia.

Mercury:

Sources: All fish, dental amalgams, medications, diuretics, preparation H, contact lens solution, occupational exposure to felt, adhesives, fabric softener, and manufactures of paper.

Symptoms: Affects many organs and systems of the body. Neuromuscular diseases such as multiple sclerosis, most mental illnesses, hair loss, ataxia, birth defects, depression, dizziness, hearing loss, insomnia, migraine headaches, mood swings, nervousness, numbness and tingling in arms and legs, pain in limbs, rashes, tremors, vision loss, and muscle weakness.

Nickel:

Sources:  Rooibos tea or red teas, metallic dental braces (very important), hydrogenated vegetable oils, contaminated alcoholic beverages, margarines and imitation whip cream, commercial peanut butter, nickel-plated jewelry, kelp (if contaminated), unrefined grains and cereals, oysters, all teas, herring, nickel plating on metallic objects, cigarette smoking, manufacture of steel, batteries – machine parts – wires, electrical parts, lifting steel weight or handling anything made of steel.

Symptoms:  Many symptoms are related to nickel toxicity including kidney dysfunction, heart attack, cancer (oral, intestinal and lung), skin problems, nausea, vomiting, hemorrhages, malaise, low blood pressure, muscle tremors, tetany, and paralysis.

Manganese:

Sources: Water, gasoline fumes and exposure to welding.

Symptoms:  Anorexia, neurological symptoms, ataxia, schizophrenia (often unemotional type behavior, unlike copper-based schizophrenia), criminal behavior, iron deficiency and Parkinson’s-like symptoms.

This should help you understand how and why you are toxic, even if you feel well. It allows us to understand how babies are born with toxicity since toxins are passed to the fetus through the placenta. It is no surprise that many infants are born ill, and children are becoming ill at earlier ages than ever before. We live in a very toxic world, and it is much more toxic than it was a decade ago.

When a report shows very little toxic activity it does NOT mean that the client does not have that toxin. Rather is means that the toxin is NOT being eliminated and is being stored in tissues, cells, and organs of the body where when left “unattended” can do a lot of harm to the body.

When an initial report shows a lot of toxicity it is safe to assume that the body has been overloaded to the point it can no longer contain or “store” the toxin and therefore it is spilling out of the body.  This is like a closet that is so full the door finally breaks open and everything begins to fall out. This can mean there has been excessive past exposure, or that there is ongoing exposure to that toxin.

Whether very little toxins are present or large amounts of toxins are showing, every client enters the program with toxicity. The purpose of the program is to give EACH client what he or she needs to begin to balance the body so the body can naturally detox, eventually find a balanced oxidation rate, and discover homeostasis. A retest allows me to see how the body is clearing metals and what needs to be adjusted to continue moving a client towards homeostasis.

On a retest, when toxic metals are elevated on a retest this is good news – assuming the client is following a Mineral Balancing Program. This means the metal is dumping, or being eliminated, from the body. Following your program lets the body “naturally” detox and remove metals. How, and when, the body detoxes is up to everyone’s body’s own wisdom. No chelating agents or unsafe detoxification methods are used on the program as this can often force toxins to dislodge when they are not ready to be moved. These toxins move from one place to another and create more illness, rather than promote healing.

On your program, metals will be dumped in “spurts”. It is like tackling a big job such as cleaning out a very large closet that hasn’t been cleaned in years. It takes long time to get the job done, even years, but the body becomes stronger and healthier as the process continues. Eventually the program is designed to keep the body healthy and functioning properly by getting the body to a healthy state where it can eventually eliminate “most” toxins as they are introduced rather than store them in tissues and organs where they can cause disease.

Remember I am looking for the nine primary toxic metals in the body and there are over 200 metals AND chemicals that will be eliminated on the program too! 

It is important to understand that toxins are rampart, whether they are in low or high levels on the first report. The first test is not nearly as “telling” as the retests – where we see the results of the program! What is important is having the analysis done and receiving your program so you can start the cleansing and healing process.

Remember that you can expect to see fluctuations in the metals as they are eliminated and continue to be eliminated over time. The retests, recommended three to four times a year, are a great source of feedback. They allow me to make all necessary adjustments to your program and keep you on the road to healing.

Your program will help you REMOVE the sources of disease and illness, and future disease and illness, by giving your body the ability to eliminate toxins, one of the major the sources of all illness. I am not here to give you a quick fix or “temporary” remedy that may make you feel better for the short term. If you cut a weed off at the ground level, it grows back. The only way to really get rid of the weed is to remove it from the root. My program is designed to do the same.

If you want to find true wellness, you must give the body the opportunity it needs to heal and be patient. As Hippocrates said: “Healing is not only a matter of time, but a matter of opportunity.” 

Contact me today if you want to learn more about how a Mineral Balancing Program can place you on the road to wellness or visit the Services Store to purchase your Hair Analysis and Mineral Balancing program.

The entire contents of this website/article are based upon the opinions of Doreen McCafferty NLC, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Doreen McCafferty, NLC and her community. Doreen McCafferty encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before using products based on this content. All information in this article is for educational purposes only and not designed to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.