Heavy metals are materials with relatively high densities, thus the name. Iron, copper, silver, gold, lead, tin, cadmium, manganese, mercury, zinc—the list is huge, and this is barely scratching the surface. Basically, heavy metals are present in almost every aspect of modern life: your cell phone has them, your car is made of a great deal of them, and every battery you’ve ever used consisted of a good portion of heavy metals.
Moreover, many heavy metals such as iron, copper and magnesium are trace elements that play a vital role in hundreds of physiological processes in your body. You need them for a good, strong health, and this is a fact.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEAVY METAL TOXICITY BY ELEMENT
Mercury poisoning symptoms: Profuse sweating, fast heart rate, high blood pressure, loss of skin derivatives (hair, nails), redness of the face (especially nose, cheeks and lips), paresthesia (an itching or burning feeling on the skin), mood swings, weakness, muscle twitching, anemia.
Lead poisoning symptoms: Unusual taste sensations in the mouth, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, insomnia, muscle weakness and seizures, headache, joint and muscle pain, paleness of the skin, local and generalized seizures, impaired memory and concentration.
Arsenic poisoning symptoms: Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea with traces of blood, headache, confusion, drowsiness, fatigue, white spots on the nails, night blindness, muscle cramps, blood in the urine.
Cadmium poisoning symptoms: Cough, a feeling of pain and dryness in the nose and throat, headache, fatigue, fever, elevated blood pressure, pain in the muscles and joints, dizziness, abdominal pain, dental caries, impaired cognitive functions.
Manganese poisoning symptoms: Mood swings, irritability, impaired cognitive functions, insomnia, decreased libido, muscular weakness, difficulty in walking, inability to perform fine motor movements.
Iron poisoning symptoms: Abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting (sometimes with blood), diarrhea, low blood pressure (up to the point of shock), jaundice (look out for liver failure), confusion.
LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF HEAVY METAL TOXICITY
- Delay in development in children
- Damage to the nervous system, kidneys, and liver
- Autoimmune diseases
- Cancer (especially from cadmium, chromium, and arsenic)
- Gross skin pigmentation
- Chronic diseases of the respiratory system
- Impairment of cognitive functions: memory, concentration, as well as other brain functions
