Kidney Cleanse

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A kidney cleanse is one of the easiest cleanses. Here’s a simple way to start eliminating toxins from your system.

Our bodies are amazing. We have an entire detox system built right into it. The liver, kidneys, lungs, lymphatic system and even the skin are all organs of detox, constantly processing, filtering and eliminating the various toxins that we come into contact with every day. Unfortunately the modern world is a chemical world. Toxins are everywhere, in the air we breath, in the water we drink, even in the soil where we grow our food. Watchdogs like the Environmental Working Group routinely publish reports that reveal the toxic potential of our day to day environment. This information creates quite a windfall for organic businesses, but for the average consumer it can be a little overwhelming.

Toxins are ubiquitous, and since chemical suits are largely unattractive and inconvenient we have to find other ways to reduce our toxic load. If you’re considering a detox program, the simplest way to begin is with a kidney cleanse. The kidneys help filter waste from the blood stream. They help regulate blood pressure and calcium levels and they play a part in keeping the body’s ph within normal ranges. Lowe back pain might give you some indication that your kidneys are in need of help, or you could develop kidney stones, but for the most part kidney disease is silent. You might not know you have a problem until it’s too late.

A .kidney cleanse starts with a healthy diet. You'll want to eliminate processed foods and stick to organic fruits, vegetables and meats for the duration of your cleanse. Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water and other liquids like pure fruit juices. Cranberry juice is a good choice. Sometimes this is all you really need to do to cleanse your kidneys, but if you want to do a more thorough cleanse try a juice fast for 3 to 7 days. This means that you'll avoid solid food and drink only juice and water for the length of your fast.If kidney stones are a concern there are some herbs you can add to your cleanse to give your body some help. Parsley, uva ursi, hydrangea, and dandelion leaf are good choices. These herbs act as diuretics and can help thoroughly flush your kidneys, and in fact the whole urinary tract. When purchasing herbs you should again choose organic products for the best support.

Do a kidney cleanse a couple of times a year to help remove toxins and keep your kidneys in proper working order.

Chelation For Heavy Metal Poisoning

Heavy metals are pervasive in the environment.  We can reduce our exposure to some degree, but it is impossible to avoid these substances entirely.  Fortunately there are some treatments that can reduce the body’s load of toxic metals.  If you are suffering from a laundry list of  symptoms but can’t find a diagnosis, have yourself tested for heavy metal toxicity.

Synthetic Chelation  Chelation (pronounced keylaytion) therapy is a process by which a synthetic amino acid is introduced into the body.  This amino acid EDTA (ethylene diamine tetracetic acid)  binds with the heavy metals in a patients blood stream and then carries them out through the urine and feces.  The chelate can be introduced to the body intravenously, orally, or by suppository.   This method is approved by the FDA for detox and is practiced by many physicians.  This method of chelation is absolutely effective, but there are those who believe that EDTA is harmful in it’s own right.  In addition to the toxic metals EDTA binds with some of the beneficial metals in the body causing them to be excreted as well.

Natural Chelation    Many natural substances are also effective for removing toxins from the body .   For example, amino-acids are an important component of the body’s natural chelation system, but as we age our cells become less effective at producing these agents.  It’s a good idea to supplement with these.  Many  other vitamins and minerals function in the same way.   Clay and water can also help to cleanse the body of toxins, but the clay must be absolutely pure.  These methods are gentler  and probably a better option for anyone who wants to detox over an extended period of time.   Natural chelation is usually an oral detox method that  can be an important part of a prevention and maintenance program.  

There are two other good alternatives.  Consider a detox body wrap.  This method draws out toxins that are stored in your fat cells.  You can find body wrap kits on the internet, but this treatment is also available at a lot of health spas.    Detox food pads also help draw toxins out of your body.  You apply the detox food pad to the bottoms of your feet before you go to sleep at night.  These are extremely effective.

Why Should You Cleanse?

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It's safe to say that the Industrial Revolution has been a mixed blessing at best. We all enjoy the comforts of modern life, but progress may be making us sick. We ingest pesticides and fertilizers with our food. The very air we breath is polluted by automobile exhaust and burning fossil fuels from manufacturing facilities. Our lakes and streams are full of toxins that find their way into our drinking water. We are poisoning ourselves with progress. It's virtually impossible to stay out of harms way in this modern world. More than 70,000 new chemical compounds have been invented and diffused throughout the atmosphere since 1950. Rarely are these compounds thoroughly tested to see what lasting effects they might have on us or our environment.

The Environmental Working Group determined in 2005 that even newborn babies test positive for 287 industrial chemicals. We all carry a soup of man made toxins in our body, and it's making us sick. Cancer was rare in the nineteen hundreds, but according to the American Cancer Society 1 in 3 will be afflicted with the disease today. Heart disease is on the rise, and in the modern world there are new and poorly understood ailments like fibromyalgia, autism, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The good news is that you can reduce your body's load to some degree. There are any number of ways to cleanse your body of toxins using safe gentle natural cleanse methods. Your diet is the first place to start. Drink healthy, filtered water. Probiotics are useful. These can help you make better use of the vitamins and minerals you do ingest. Modern agriculture has basically sanitized the topsoil of commercial agricultural enterprises. Years of monocultures, herbicides and pesticides have left the soil with little to offer in the way of minerals and vitamins. Organic foods are scientifically proven to be more nutritious than conventionally grown foods, but even organic foods can't provides 100 percent of what your body needs. High quality supplements are important. Vitamins and amino-acids are at the top of the list.

Heavy Metal Poisoning Facts

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Heavy  metals are metals that have a specific gravity five times higher than water.  Heavy metal poisoning occurs when these metals accumulate in the soft tissues of our bodies.  Arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, and iron are the elements most commonly associated with this kind of toxicity, but there are 19 others that can be poisonous at high levels.  Although aluminum is not considered a heavy metal it too can be toxic in large quantities.   Oddly enough some of these elements are necessary for optimum health, but only in trace amounts  Others have no physical benefits whatsoever.

Heavy  metal toxicity can occur from acute or prolonged exposure.  As we age  we repeatedly come into contact with these elements causing higher levels of the poisons in our body, and as we get older our bodies simply can’t negate the effects of toxicity anymore.  At this point a heavy metal cleanse is recommended.   Heavy metal exposure is known to be a hazard of certain occupations.  In modern industry many jobs entail daily exposure to heavy metals, but this is also an environmental problem.   As levels of heavy metals rise in our air, soil and drinking water more and more people are exposed.  The number of known cases rises every year.  Heavy metal poisoning has become a major public health concern.

These substances accumulate in our bodies and interfere with our normal physiological functions.  Heavy metals are harmful to the heart, liver, kidneys, and brain.   They also displace minerals in our body that are vital to biological function.  They disrupt our bodies at the most basic cellular level.   Symptoms associated with long term exposure will develop and worsen over time.   They mimic the progression of other chronic illnesses.  Sadly it is not common to test for metal toxicity unless there is a known acute exposure.  A patient who presents for a particular set of symptoms could have to suffer through numerous other treatments before a doctor finally checks for these toxins.  The real tragedy of this is that there are numerous options, ranging from chelation therapy to a heavy metal cleanse.

There is nothing we can do to avoid exposure.  Heavy metals are pervasive in the environment.  Leaded gasoline, lead paint, fertilizers, rat poison and lead plumbing all contribute to the problem.  Your best defense is to read the labels of products you buy .  If heavy metals are present look for a safer product.  Educate yourself about the symptoms of heavy metal poisoning.  Your doctor might not look for it. And if you’ve ever been exposed to these toxins tell your doctor.  Without a thorough history your doctor can’t find the proper treatment.

Symptoms Of Heavy Metal Poisoning

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The symptoms of heavy metal poisoning can be vague.  They often resemble the symptoms of other chronic illnesses making it difficult to diagnose.  One of the strongest indicators is a past history of exposure, but heavy metal poisoning can occur even when there is no such history.  There is a common cluster of symptoms to look for if you feel you might have metal poisoning.

Chronic migraines are one symptom.  They may or may not be accompanied by visual disturbances.  Some metals cause neurological symptoms like brain fog, memory loss, and loss of balance.

Metal toxicity is related to higher incidences of allergic reactions, particularly food allergies.  You might also experience gastrointestinal problems like constipation, diarrhea , heartburn, and stomach pain.

This kind of poisoning wears down the immune system thus making the body more susceptible to colds and viruses.  Heavy metal toxicity is also associated with some autoimmune disorders and increased incidences of asthma.

Look for muscle and tendon pain or just a general soreness in the soft tissues of the body.

Depression, mood swings, aggression , irritability and hallucinations may all be caused by metal toxicity.

If you have some cluster of these symptoms and no other illness is apparent you should consider testing for heavy metal toxicity.  There are several methods for testing.

Hair Test  The hair test is one option.  A small portion of hair is taken from around the nape of the neck and tested for metals.  It is believed that this test can detect toxins from as long as three months ago, but some people doubt the effectiveness of this one.

Home Kits  There are some home testing kits that are readily available on the internet.  These are easy to do and give quick results.  As an added benefit some of these tests can also be used to test water and food samples, giving you some peace of mind that your drinking water is not contaminated.

Blood, Fecal, and Urine tests  These tests work in similar ways.  A “provoking “  agent is introduced into the body.  The tests don’t actually measure the levels of heavy metals in you body, they only indicate how much of the provoking agent is being excreted.  Thereby indicating whether the body is able to adequately excrete toxins.

Once testing is completed the results will indicate what treatment is needed.  There are several viable solutions for heavy metal detox.  Your doctor can recommend the right product for you.

Common Types Of Heavy Metal Poisoning

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There are many sources of heavy metal toxins.  Mercury amalgam fillings, pesticides and rat poisons are just a few common products that contain heavy metals.  Industrial exposure is most common for adults, but children usually ingest toxins.  Here’s a rundown of the most common causes of  heavy metal poisoning.

Arsenic  According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Arsenic is the most common type of heavy metal poisoning for adults. Occupational Exposure can occur in the wood-working, glass making, or even the electronics industry.  Approximately 90% of the arsenic produced in America is used to preserve wood, but it is also widely used as a pesticide particularly for cotton.  Arsenic is also found in some pretty common household substances like laundry detergent, some sea food and even tap water.

Lead Lead is the leading cause of heavy metal toxicity for children.  Lead based paint is the culprit.  This type of paint was banned in 1978, but anything built before then is likely to have a lead based paint somewhere.  As the houses age and the paint deteriorates it becomes lead contaminated house dust.  If young children play in this environment and put their hands or their toys in their mouth they may be ingesting toxic lead dust.  Some candies imported from Mexico and toys imported from China may contain lead.  In production lead is used in batteries, ammunition, and fuel additives.

Mercury  Mercury is used in the thermometer and battery industries.  It is present in fish, fungicides and of course mercury amalgam fillings.  Amalgams in teeth are about 50% mercury.  Mercury was also used  in paint as a fungicide up until 1990, but the primary source of mercury contamination is polluted water.

Cadmium  Cadmium is used in batteries, paints and PVC plastics.  It is also widely used in the agricultural industry in fertilizers, insecticides, and fungicides.

Aluminum Aluminum is not a heavy metal, but there is some evidence to suggest that it is connected with Alzheimer’s disease.  Aluminum is present in cans, deodorants, antacids and buffered aspirin.  You might consider replacing your aluminum cookware with a steel or enamel coated product.  Try not to use aluminum fould.  Particularly with acidic foods.

These are only the most common sources of heavy metal poisoning.  All of these can be inhaled or ingested, but it is possible to absorb toxic amounts of heavy metals through the skin as well.  Symptoms vary and can resemble the symptoms of other chronic diseases.  If you‘ve been exposed to heavy metal toxins please tell you doctor.