Heavy metals are everywhere. They can be found even in food and drinking water. High amounts of heavy metals can be harmful to health, affecting organ functions. Most of the time, people don’t know they have heavy metal toxicity until they start feeling sick or show indicative signs and symptoms. But how do you effectively get rid of lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and other toxic substances that enter your body? 

In this article, you’ll learn the most innovative ways to treat heavy metal poisoning. 

What’s Heavy Metal Poisoning? 

This condition involves high levels of toxic metals in the body that causes acute and chronic signs and symptoms. The acute signs and symptoms include confusion, nausea, vomiting, and loss of consciousness. The patient may also complain of abdominal pain, tingling sensation, and diarrhea. Chronic heavy metal toxicity may result in lung irritation, liver damage, brain problems, kidney damage, and behavioral changes. 

You might be at risk of heavy metal poisoning if you’re working in a factory that uses heavy metals. Old houses may have lead paint dust that can be inhaled causing lead poisoning. Also, eating fish in an area with too high mercury levels may cause this problem. Some herbal medicines also contain heavy metals. Of course, if you reside in an area with heavy metal contaminated drinking water, you’re at risk of heavy metal toxicity. 

Now that you know what heavy metal toxicity is, it’s time to learn the different innovative ways to treat this medical condition. 

Chelation Therapy 

Doctors usually evaluate for heavy metal toxicity with a simple blood test, called heavy metal toxicity test or heavy metals panel using a small blood sample. Once confirmed, the doctor can prescribe chelation therapy. 

When it comes to how chelation therapy works, the heavy metal removal method involves introducing synthetic, organic, or naturally occurring chemicals into the body. Chelating agents circulate through the bloodstream, binding heavy metals. Chelators gather heavy metals in the body, forming a compound filtered through the kidneys. The compound is then released through urine. 

Not all chelation therapies you see in the market are the same. So, it’s crucial to choose high-quality chelates from reputable sources for effective and safe use. You can check Chelation Health Products to know more about the treatment and what product will best suit you. 

Here are the things you should know about chelation therapy: 

• Removes Heavy Metals: Chelation therapy is commonly used in removing lead, aluminum, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic toxic metals that deposit into body tissues for a prolonged period.   

• Naturally Occurring Chelates: The naturally occurring chelates include magnesium in plants’ chlorophyll molecules, garlic, vitamin C, iron, cobalt in vitamin B-12, and natural enzymes.  

• Synthetic Chelates: They include the chelating agent Ethylene Diamine Tetra-Acetic Acid or EDTA, binding to calcium and iron ions. Oral EDTA was used in the past, but it resulted in poor gastrointestinal absorption and caused stomach upset. Injectable EDTA was only effective in removing certain metals. 

• Innovative Solution: The innovative solution was the discovery of suppository EDTA. It’s a safe, inexpensive, and effective way to remove heavy metals in the body, readily absorbed into the bloodstream via the veins in the anal mucosa. Because it stays longer in the blood (up to four days), this heavy metal poisoning treatment is widely used in this digital era.  

Hydrogels 

What are hydrogels? These substances absorb and hold water in large quantities. When put in an aqueous medium, the polymers of hydrogels swell. The biomedical applications of hydrogels are very promising, making them an innovative way to treat heavy metal poisoning. 

The hydrogel raw materials are highly biocompatible with non-toxic chemical behavior to the biological environment. Hence, hydrogels are now being used even in the medical field, including tissue engineering, drug delivery practices, and heavy metal removal.  

Hydrogels can be used to remove dyes and heavy metal ions that pose a threat to general public health and the environment. Various industries use hydrogels to remove heavy metals from water. 

Heavy Metal Detox Diet 

Foods can be sources of heavy metals, but they can also be used to combat the ill effects of toxic substances. One of the recommended innovative solutions to help remove heavy metals in the body is a heavy metal detox diet. 

A heavy metal detox diet consists of certain foods that help detoxify the body and eliminate heavy metals. They bind to heavy metals and get rid of them via the digestive process. High amounts of vitamins and minerals protect against heavy metal exposure. 

Check these good-to-know things about the heavy metal detox diet:  

• Heavy Metal Detox Foods: If you or a family member has been tested and positive for heavy metals, heavy metal detox foods can be consumed along with other conventional heavy metal poisoning treatments. Some of these foods include tomatoes, garlic, curry, cilantro, green tea, wild blueberries, and spirulina.  

• Probiotics: They’re also considered heavy metal detox agents. Probiotics contain good bacteria, helping in proper digestion and giving an added layer of protection against heavy metal exposure. Rich probiotic dietary sources include yogurt, pickles, and fermented probiotic drinks. Probiotics come as supplements. In a recent study, yogurt containing probiotic bacteria successfully protect pregnant women and children against heavy metal exposure. 

• Foods To Avoid: The foods you need to avoid in a heavy metal detox diet include brown rice (may contain arsenic), fish (may contain mercury), non-organic foods, and alcohol. 

Choosing The Best Treatment for Heavy Metal Toxicity 

When choosing the best treatment for heavy metal poisoning, it’s crucial to determine the best-proven solution. Consult your doctor for proper assessment of heavy metal poisoning signs and appropriate intervention. More innovative ways will be discovered in the future, upgrading heavy metal poisoning treatment. 

Conclusion 

The innovative ways to treat heavy metal poisoning include chelation therapy, which involves giving the patient a metal-binding substance or chelator to eliminate toxic metals from the body. Hydrogels have promising biomedical applications, including removing heavy metals in water and improved drug delivery practices, including heavy poisoning treatments. 

A heavy metal detox diet can help treat heavy metal poisoning in adjunct to conventional methods. This diet includes certain foods and probiotics with protective properties against toxic substances that invade the body’s tissues.