Are heavy metals slowly poisoning you too?

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I'm wondering what the lead poisoning I absorbed has done to my mind when I worked in an industry that contributed. Have I lost the spark, will I ever get it back properly, are crucial neurotransmitters displaced for my brain to function properly again. As I looked back on my self destructive journal from 97-03 with 500 pages of ramblings I wondered, I wish I knew.

When I get into these moments of good then I fade out again.

Personally I suspect mental health starts from here...

Heavy Metal Poisoning

The presence of toxic metals in our systems is highly significant for they are capable of causing serious health problems through interfering with normal biological functioning. Although they can be found in high concentrations in the body, a number of these heavy metals (aluminum, beryllium, cadmium, lead and mercury) have no known biological function. Others (arsenic, copper, iron and nickel) are thought to be essential at low concentrations, but are toxic at high levels. Generally speaking, heavy metals disrupt metabolic function in two basic ways:

1. First, they accumulate and thereby disrupt function in vital organs and glands such as the heart, brain, kidneys, bone, liver, etc.

2. Second, they displace vital nutritional minerals from where they should be in the body to provide biological function. For example, enzymes are catalysts for virtually every biochemical reaction in all life-sustaining processes of metabolism. But instead of calcium being present in an enzyme reaction, lead or cadmium may be there in its place. Toxic metals can't fulfill the same role as the nutritional minerals, thus their presence becomes critically disruptive to enzyme activity.

Because their impact is at such a foundational level, heavy metals can be causal factors in literally any health problem.

Stealth pathogens
Today we are seeing more and more cryptic lingering infections due to so-called "stealth pathogens". In the 60s we used to talk of the "smouldering virus" but it is now abundantly clear that bacteria are also to blame and so the broader term is preferred. Notable are cytomegalovirus (CMV), Chlamydia pneumoniae, Epstein-Barr and Borrelia bugdorferi (Lyme disease). But there are others and probably plenty more waiting to be discovered.

A good doctor today, when confronted with any kind of chronic disease, must think of stealth pathogens. That in turn implies terrain problems. And terrain means pollution, possibly pesticides and chemicals, but more probably heavy metal overload.

It goes without saying that cleaning up the metallosis is more important than treating the pathogen or the disease, though this is alien to the modern drug-based medical canon!

Persistence in the environment
One of the problems with metals is their environmental persistence. Once mined and brought into the ecology, they last almost indefinitely.
Also, we face the usually-ignored problem of potentiation, which means two relatively small doses of two different substances may have a dramatically enhanced effect when present together. For instance it is not widely known that the presence of lead (which is everywhere) makes mercury 100 times more toxic.

Makes me wonder.

 

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LEAD
ash, auto exhaust, battery manufacturing, bone meal, canned fruit and juice, car batteries, cigarette smoke, coal combustion, colored inks, congenital intoxication, cosmetics, eating utensils, electroplating, household dust, glass production, hair dyes, industrial emissions, lead pipes, lead-glazed earthenware pottery, liver, mascara, metal polish, milk, newsprint, organ meats, paint, pencils, pesticides, produce near roads, putty, rain water, pvc containers, refineries, smelters, snow, tin cans with lead solder sealing (such as juices, vegetables), tobacco, toothpaste, toys, water (city / well), wine

EFFECTS: abdominal pain, adrenal insufficiency, allergies, anemia, anorexia, anxiety, arthritis (rheumatoid and osteo), attention deficit disorder, autism, back pain, behavioral disorders, blindness, cardiovascular disease, cartilage destruction, coordination loss, concentration loss, constipation, convulsions, deafness, depression, dyslexia, emotional instability, encephalitis, epilepsy, fatigue, gout, hallucinations, headaches, hostility, hyperactivity, hypertension, hypothyroid, impotence, immune suppression, decreased IQ, indigestion, infertility, insomnia, irritability, joint pain, kidney disorders, learning disability, liver dysfunction, loss of will, memory loss (long term), menstrual problems, mood swings, muscle aches, muscle weakness, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, myelopathy (spinal cord pathology), nausea, nephritis, nightmares, numbness, Parkinson's disease, peripheral neuropathies, psychosis, psychomotor dysfunction, pyorrhea, renal dysfunction, restlessness, retardation, schizophrenia, seizures, sterility, stillbirths, sudden infant death syndrome, tingling, tooth decay, vertigo, unintentional weight loss

MERCURY
adhesives, air conditioner filters, algaecides, antiseptics, battery manufacturing, body powders, broken thermometers, burning newspapers and building materials, calomel lotions, cereals, congenital intoxication, cosmetics, dental amalgams, diuretics, fabric softeners, felt, floor waxes, fungicides, germicides, grains, industrial waste, insecticides, laxatives, lumber, manufacture of paper and chlorine, medications, mercurochrome, paints, paper products, pesticides, photoengraving, polluted water, Preparation H, psoriasis ointment, seafoods (especially tuna and swordfish), sewage disposal, skin lightening creams, soft contact lens solution, suppositories, tanning leather, tattooing, water (contaminated), wood preservatives

EFFECTS: adrenal dysfunction, allergy, alopecia, anorexia, anxiety, birth defects, blushing, brain damage, cataracts, cerebral palsy, poor coordination / jerky movements, deafness, depression, dermatitis, discouragement, dizziness, drowsiness, eczema, emotional disturbances, excess saliva, fatigue, gum bleeding and soreness, headaches (band type), hearing loss, hyperactivity, hypothyroidism, forgetfulness, immune dysfunction, insomnia, irritability, joint pain, kidney damage, loss of self-control, memory loss, mental retardation, metallic taste, migraines, nervousness, nerve fiber degeneration, numbness, pain in limbs, rashes, retinitis, schizophrenia, shyness, speech disorders, suicidal tendencies, tingling, tremors (eyelids, lips, tongue, fingers, extremities), vision loss, weakness

Brings this out there, as a consideration to mental health issues.

You know I was reminded today when I was working with the mailing center during training that their chart showed dangers substances and one of them was mercury. On the list mercury featured in 3 of 9 of their dangerous chemicals and goods section. Which was pretty interesting. Then the speaker spoke about it for some time, like what to do when your light bulb breaks and stuff. And it got me to wonder if the airport Manuel considers mercury such a dangerous health risk then where is the logic in having thimerosal in vaccines, amalgams/silver in fillings, are light bulbs and fluorescent light in homes such a bright idea after all. Of course there is fish too. And look at the rest of the uses makes you wonder what is the price of convenience.

I don't think I started the thread here but I figured I should. Its important for people to know these things, the cause and effect of a strangely progressive yet wasteful world I suppose is a fine line between pleasure and pain.

 

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NRDC: Mercury Contamination in Fish - Consumer Guide to Mercury in Fish

LEAST MERCURY
Enjoy these fish:
Anchovies
Butterfish
Catfish
Clam
Crab (Domestic)
Crawfish/Crayfish
Croaker (Atlantic)
Flounder
Haddock (Atlantic)
Hake
Herring
Mackerel (N. Atlantic, Chub)
Mullet
Oyster
Perch (Ocean)
Plaice
Pollock
Salmon (Canned)
Salmon (Fresh)
Sardine
Scallop
Shad (American)
Shrimp
Sole (Pacific)
Squid (Calamari)
Tilapia
Trout (Freshwater)
Whitefish
Whiting

MODERATE MERCURY
Eat six servings or less per month:
Bass (Striped, Black)
Carp
Cod (Alaskan)
Croaker (White Pacific)
Halibut (Atlantic)
Halibut (Pacific)
Jacksmelt
(Silverside)
Lobster
Mahi Mahi
Monkfish
Perch (Freshwater)
Sablefish
Skate
Snapper
Tuna (Canned
chunk light)
Tuna (Skipjack)
Weakfish (Sea Trout)

HIGH MERCURY
Eat three servings or less per month:
Bluefish
Grouper
Mackerel (Spanish, Gulf)
Sea Bass (Chilean)
Tuna (Canned Albacore)
Tuna (Yellowfin)

HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid eating:
Mackerel (King)
Marlin
Orange Roughy
Shark
Swordfish
Tilefish
Tuna
(Bigeye, Ahi)

 

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That's pretty cool to know too.

 

[skylights]

thimersol doesn't cause autism, before anyone even dares bring that one up.

MERCURY [...] cosmetics, soft contact lens solution, tattooing

well. fuck.

though i feel like i have to point out, that pretty much everything is slowly poisoning us. heavy metals, radiation, plastics, air pollution, sun exposure, water pollution, etc. it's a curious balance, because those who say we should return to nature... well, we would be much worse off in nature. our average lifespan would probably be around 30. now we're approaching the late 80s and 90s. not that we shouldn't work on preventing these things. but, we have gained more ground than lost.

and not to downplay your case, synapse. are you sure you've lost the spark? you can go to a specialist and see if there is a lot of metal in your system, and work on stopping and reversing any damage. the brain is rather plastic in many ways, though, and neurotransmitters can be mediated with psychotropic drugs.

the fish list is good. even better if you combine it with the seafood watch lists.