May 26, 2022 - EyeClarity Blog
Today, with toxins in our water supply, foods, and air, our immune systems are being challenged. Aside from being exposed to these heavy metals through your outer environment, it is important to know that old mercury dental fillings, cooking utensils, household products, contaminated water, and farmed fish are other sources of heavy metal exposure.
Some of the more common toxins are mercury, copper, aluminum, and lead. Many people (unknowingly) have a buildup of heavy metals in their blood stream, which can cause such symptoms as headaches, sleep problems, digestive issues, anxiety, hypertension, depression, memory issues, kidney problems, muscle weakness, anemia, impaired fertility, tinnitus, and light sensitivity.
Below is a summary of five tests that I have used to learn more about an individual’s biochemistry and toxicity levels. Please note, while these are the tests that most often provide me with the information I am seeking, other tests and systems are also effective and helpful. As one of my teachers once said to me: “There are many ways up the mountain. Choose one that works and take that path.”
Stool Analysis
These tests measure GI function, including analyses of digestion, absorption, bacterial balance, yeast and parasites. We recommend a stool analysis for patients with diffuse and non-specific GI-related symptoms, such as indigestion, dysbiosis, constipation, and diarrhea.
Urine Analysis
I use a urine analysis called a Cellular Energy Profile which evaluates fourteen organic acids that play a pivotal role in the generation of cell energy. The test can reveal metabolic distress associated with generalized pain and fatigue, which may arise in response to toxic exposure, nutrient imbalances, digestive dysfunction, and other causes. The profile also analyzes mitochondrial dysfunction and acquired errors of organic acid metals.
Blood Analysis
Conventional blood tests look at levels of HDL, LDL, lipid fractionation, total cholesterol ratios, triglycerides, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine, fibrinogen, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and include relative risk indices and metabolic syndrome alerts. Together, these markers provide a thorough assessment of cardiovascular health status.
Dark Field Microscopic Blood Analysis
Dark Field Microscopy evaluates the properties of individual blood cells, indicating nutritional conditions that can affect a person’s health. Compared to standard blood tests, this analysis is able to detect nutritional disorders earlier, when the problem is in its infancy. By monitoring the blood’s condition, a health professional can assist in “balancing” the blood by recommending life-enhancing dietary and lifestyle modifications. Although it is not FDA approved, I have found this test to be invaluable for diagnosing heavy metal toxicities, poor metabolism, candida, and endocrine imbalances.
Hair Analysis
Elemental Hair Analysis provides a reading of the mineral deposition in the hair over a 2-3 month period. This sensitive test gives a snapshot of what the body is doing at the cell level and can reveal imbalances long before they would show up in a regular blood test. While it only assesses the mineral content of the hair, the test results allow one to infer what is occurring in other areas of the body. The test is simple and non-invasive. Hair analysis is considered a screening test. A screening test by definition is not intended to be diagnostic of any disease or condition.
Compensations And Adaptations
Biochemical diagnostic testing does a great job of revealing a person’s overall health picture. The next step is considering the wide range of factors that can play a role in creating the picture, and these can be as varied as a high-sugar diet, weak adrenal glands, and fearfulness dating from childhood trauma. In any case, my approach is always based on holistic principles and often starts with nutrition. Is the person’s diet conducive to health and healing? And often more important, are they able to absorb the nutrition in their food?
Whether I am looking at children with learning problems, adults with deteriorating vision, or people with other health concerns, we can almost always find ways to improve both their diets and their ability to absorb the nutrition in their food. Many other adaptations may be useful as well, depending on the individual’s situation.
When I look at lab results, I am learning about the ways a person has adapted to, and compensated for, the stresses they have faced. As I consider the most appropriate treatment, I look at multiple factors, including the person’s heredity, upbringing, lifestyle, diet, attitudes, body chemistry, and health and disease status.
I might use a hair test to ascertain the person’s mineral levels. When we have low levels of a certain mineral, our bodies adapt or compensate by increasing levels of another mineral to maintain homeostasis. This can become a continuous ‘balancing act’ as our bodies attempt to cope with internal and external stressors as well as possible. But each adaptation to stress reduces energy levels. The goal of nutritional balancing is to reduce the adaptations the body must make, freeing energy for healing.
Ok, now that you have a baseline on heavy metals in your body, one of the protocols I use to help chelate these toxins out of the body is medicinal essential oils.
Here are my top four, and briefly, what they address:
- Grapefruit helps cleanse the liver and stimulates the lymph system. It is a natural detoxification agent which is a potent antimicrobial agent.
- Cedarwood Atlas has a gentle stimulating effect which helps breakdown and eliminate toxins in the body. It also has natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic qualities.
- Fennel is a purifier of the bloodstream and cleanses the kidneys and other organs, helps the body get rid of heavy metals, uric acid, and other toxic substances.
- Cilantro is a major detoxifier of heavy metals and provides the body with antioxidants to get rid of free radicals.
The next question is how to use these?
- Diffusing the essential oils creates negative ions which freshen the air and inhibit bacterial growth, and also increases oxygen flow through the respiratory system, promoting detoxification. I would recommend using any one of the 4 in a diffuser while you work during the day. Use a new oil each day to purify the air in your environment.
- Topical application—the skin is an organ of the body where toxins can be released via our perspiration. Because of the oxygenating properties of the oils, when you apply a few drops on the skin, toxins are pushed out of the body. Do a test patch to make sure the oils don’t irritate your skin. A safe place to apply them are on the soles of your feet. Layering 2-3 drops of these 4 oils, twice a day, is a great protocol to excrete toxins out of the body.
- Internally- Essential oils are made in capsule form and can be ingested. Please check with your doctor before using this method.
Final points: I recommend adding folate, Vitamins B 12 B 6, and sulfur containing foods like collards, kale, garlic, and onions—these will enhance liver function. It’s also great to do more cardio exercise to induce sweating.
Exposure to heavy metals is inevitable in our environment. Using essential oils is an effective, gentle way to help your body return to balance and harmony.