Heavy Metal Detoxification

Heavy metals are persistent in the environment. They have the documented potential to cause serious health consequences for many of your organs and systems, including your liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. Integrative medicine interventions can decrease the buildup and increase the excretion of toxic heavy metals. If you’d like to rid your system of heavy metals, make an appointment with Dr. Jessica Cho of Wellness at Century City.

Heavy metal toxicity may damage various parts of the body, including your:

• Lungs
• Central nervous system
• Cardiovascular system
• Gastrointestinal system
• Kidneys
• Liver
• Bones
• Endocrine glands

What puts me at risk for toxic metal exposure?

Many factors in the environment can expose you to heavy metals, such as lead and mercury. These include:

• Lead-containing plumbing, lead-based paints, and foods grown in lead-rich soil
• Eating fish or shellfish contaminated with methylmercury (such as shark, swordfish, and mackerel)
• Breathing contaminated workplace air
• Release of mercury vapors from dental amalgam fillings
• Cadmium exposure from tobacco smoke or foods containing cadmium, such as grains, legumes, fish, and leafy greens
• Contact with cadmium from household products

What are symptoms of possible heavy metal contamination?

Heavy metal toxicity may look a lot like symptoms of other ailments, and thus it may not be immediately considered as the cause. The symptoms include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Brain fog
• Infertility, especially abnormal sperm tests
• Weight gain or abdominal pain
• Central nervous system dysfunction
• Heart problems
• Anemia

How is heavy metal contamination diagnosed?

Dr. Cho assesses and documents your symptoms and does a thorough analysis of your health history. To evaluate your levels of heavy metals, she may run a urine test, and do a hair and nail analysis.

How is heavy metal contamination treated?

Based on your situation, Dr. Cho provides customized interventions to help detoxify your system. She may suggest chelation therapy, which enhances the elimination of metals from the body.

She recommends you choose mercury-free composite material for fillings, and replace existing mercury amalgam dental fillings. It’s also important to maintain nutrient sufficiency to ensure you’re getting enough trace minerals, and limit consumption of high-mercury fish to a maximum of one serving per week.

What is chelation therapy?

Chelation therapy is a chemical process used to rid your body of heavy metals. Dr. Cho customizes the therapy according to your specific condition and needs. It may include:

• Glutathione IV therapy
• Selenium, vitamin C, folate, alpha-lipoic acid, blue-green algae, garlic, and N-AcetylCysteine
• An oral medicationknown as DMPS that addresses arsenic, cadmium, and mercury toxicity
• Succimer, or DMSA, another oral medication that addresses mild-to-moderate lead, arsenic, and mercury toxicity
• Calcium-disodium EDTA for lead encephalopathy and lead poisoning