Heavy Metals & Lyme Disease
The Link between Heavy Metals and Lyme Disease
Lyme disease weakens the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to heavy metal toxicity. Additionally, the presence of heavy metals can impair the body's ability to fight infections, including Lyme disease. It's crucial to understand the potential connection between the two to effectively manage symptoms and enhance recovery.
Heavy metal toxicity is abundant and virtually unavoidable in our world today and, like mold, it can slow the body down and prevent it from properly healing.
What does heavy metal toxicity mean for people also trying to heal from Lyme disease? Heavy metals in the body can begin to interfere with other treatments owing to the fact that heavy metals, once built up, will start to form protective layers. This not only prevents and protects the heavy metals themselves, but also other bad guys that may be floating around in your body (ie. Lyme bacteria).
How Heavy Metal Toxicity Occurs
Sources of Heavy Metal Exposure: Heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic, are present in various environmental sources. They can be found in contaminated water, air pollution, dental fillings, certain foods (e.g., seafood), household products, and even some medications. Prolonged exposure to these sources can lead to the accumulation of heavy metals in the body.
Heavy Metals Impact on Lyme Disease Symptoms: Heavy metals can exacerbate Lyme disease symptoms by causing oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune system dysfunction. Additionally, they can impair detoxification pathways, making it more challenging for the body to eliminate toxins.
The symptoms for both heavy metal toxicity and chronic toxicity are pretty vague—similar,
in fact, to those for Lyme disease. The most common symptoms are vomiting, nausea,
convulsions, cramping, headaches, breathing problems, impaired motor and cognitive skills,
sweating and more. Some chronic symptoms include depression,
fatigue, achy joints, digestive problems, blood sugar issues, menstrual problems, etc.
(Image and more info found here.)
Testing for Heavy Metals
Testing for heavy metal toxicity can be a simple process. The most common way to test would be via blood, hair, or urine sample. In rare cases, nail samples would be tested. Rarer still, a tissue biopsy would be taken and tested. If heavy metals is a concern, the option to additionally test your living environment (which can also be done for mold) should be considered.
Treatment for heavy metal toxicity consists largely of reducing exposure, detoxification, supplements and/or therapies such as chelation therapy (with aid of a doctor). Chelation therapy is the procedure of administering chelating agents into the bloodstream to bind the heavy metals and remove them from the body. Other natural methods can be used as well.
Ways to reduce exposure to heavy metals:
Be aware of what types of materials the products you use to cook with are made of (ie. Cast iron is good, waxes are bad).
Always check that cosmetics, deodorants, toothpastes and other personal care products are made using safe ingredients. A good rule of thumb, if you can’t pronounce it you should look it up.
Avoid all forms of smoking, including E-cigarette’s.
Only use safe cleaning products.
Eat organic, local, fermented and raw foods.
Even check with your Dentist about what type of metals were used in fillings
Ways to Detoxify heavy metals with Lyme Disease:
Foods and herbs like wild Maine blueberries, cilantro,
lemon (in water) and some types of seaweed and algae are natural detoxifiers.
What is Chelation Treatment for Heavy Metals?
“Chelation therapy is a standard treatment to combat and detoxify against the effects of heavy metals.
It does two main things:
Removes heavy metals from the body and
Removes calcification/plaque in the arteries.
It is an FDA-approved prescription treatment for lead poisoning. People use this therapy as an alternative when conventional treatments and medications are not available or have not worked,” according to healthydirections.com.
Healthydirections.com also says, “Chelation therapy uses Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA), a synthetic amino acid. It also uses Dimercaptosuccinic Acid and Dimercaprol. These are referred to as chelating agents. Injected intravenously, EDTA binds to heavy metals and minerals in the body. The body then eliminates these harmful metals through the kidneys and then the urine.” Check out their full article here.
PROS:
Heavy metal toxicity can be a silent enemy in your fight against Lyme and the moment you begin to fight it you’ll start to feel better.
By riding your body of harsh toxins, you’ll be much more able to rid your body of Lyme and coinfections.
CONS:
Treatments may not be covered by insurance.
You will need to work closely with a medical professional to get the proper tests, to understand the results and then properly treat.
Even detoxifying and reducing exposure can become expensive as ‘safe’ products are often more expensive than the usual brands.
Learn more about Ionic footbaths and their connection to heavy metals.
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Heavy Metals and Lyme Disease FAQ’s
What is the relationship between heavy metals and Lyme disease?
Heavy metals in the body can begin to interfere with other treatments owing to the fact that heavy metals, once built up, will start to form protective layers. This not only prevents and protects the heavy metals themselves, but also other bad guys that may be floating around in your body (ie. Lyme bacteria).
How does heavy metal toxicity occur in the body?
Heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic, are present in various environmental sources. They can be found in contaminated water, air pollution, dental fillings, certain foods (e.g., seafood), household products, and even some medications. Prolonged exposure to these sources can lead to the accumulation of heavy metals in the body.
What are the symptoms of heavy metal toxicity in individuals with Lyme disease?
The symptoms for both heavy metal toxicity and chronic toxicity are pretty vague—similar, in fact, to those for Lyme disease. The most common symptoms are vomiting, nausea, convulsions, cramping, headaches, breathing problems, impaired motor and cognitive skills, sweating and more. Some chronic symptoms include depression, fatigue, achy joints, digestive problems, blood sugar issues, menstrual problems, etc. It can also drastically reduce the body’s ability to detox.
What are some strategies to reduce exposure to heavy metals?
Be aware of what types of materials the products you use to cook with are made of (ie. Cast iron is good, waxes are bad).
Always check that cosmetics, deodorants, toothpastes and other personal care products are made using safe ingredients. A good rule of thumb, if you can’t pronounce it you should look it up.
Avoid all forms of smoking, including E-cigarette’s.
Only use safe cleaning products.
Eat organic, local, fermented and raw foods.
Even check with your Dentist about what type of metals were used in fillings
How can detoxification help individuals with Lyme disease and heavy metal toxicity?
Detoxification helps to remove both heavy metals and Lyme Disease toxins from the body, increasing your ability to heal and feel better.
What is chelation therapy?
“Chelation therapy is a standard treatment to combat and detoxify against the effects of heavy metals.
It does two main things:
Removes heavy metals from the body and
Removes calcification/plaque in the arteries.
It is an FDA-approved prescription treatment for lead poisoning. People use this therapy as an alternative when conventional treatments and medications are not available or have not worked,” according to healthydirections.com.
Is chelation therapy appropriate for everyone with heavy metal toxicity and Lyme disease?
Chelation has proven to be a great method for ridding the body of both heavy metals and Lyme Disease toxins, but as with all information, we recommend speaking with your health care provider to see if chelation is right for you.
Are there natural alternatives to chelation therapy for detoxification?
Foods and herbs like wild Maine blueberries, cilantro, lemon (in water) and some types of seaweed and algae are natural detoxifiers.