5 ways to remove heavy metals from your body

Life is precious. Valuable. Irreplaceable. You only get one life. We all know these platitudes: make the most of every moment, life isn't a dress rehearsal, and so on. But what most of us fail to recognise is the importance of quality of life. We get caught up in the busyness of our day-to-day routines and don't prioritise doing the things that we know - or may not yet know - will help us to improve the quality of our lives now and in the years to come. We try to extend our lives through medical intervention but fail to improve our quality of life through our lifestyle choices.

There are many, many things in the world today that are very toxic for our bodies. And we can't avoid them all. We can choose to eat organic food and drink filtered water, clean with natural products, and live a smoke, alcohol and drug free (sad-free!) life, but the reality is, there are many things we are exposed to everyday that are toxic, and unfortunately, beyond our control. However, we can choose to reduce our exposure to environmental toxins and help our bodies detoxify by making small changes to our day-to-day routines. These small changes will make a big difference to your quality of life. 

Brooke's little friend reaching for a beautiful butterfly

We've all been exposed to heavy metals in some form, maybe from the tap water you drink or from the amalgam fillings in your mouth. These heavy metals are absorbed into your body, into your soft tissues, and wreak havoc on your health and your quality of life. Here are 5 ways to remove heavy metals from your body:

1. Eat more greens

Dark green leafy vegetables are the most nutrient-dense food that you can eat! Think kale, swiss chard, spinach, watercress, chicory and collard greens, not to mention green herbs, like parsley and cilantro (or coriander as we know it to be Down Under). Greens have the highest amount of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals, of all the food on the earth. In fact, the chlorophyll molecule found in greens is very similar to the structure of the heme molecule of human blood. Hence, chlorophyll acts as an internal cleansing agent in the disguise of dark green leafy vegetables! Cilantro, or coriander, is an essential miracle-working green for the removal of heavy metals from the body. Yes, eat more greens! The easiest way? Green smoothies!

2. Eat less fish

Sadly, due to the polluted state of our precious planet, the fish we are consuming is now contaminated with heavy metals. My recommendation is to either eat less fish, and make more educated choices, or stop eating fish altogether. You can read more about this topic here: http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2013/05/28/the-shocking-truth-about-fish/. Where else can you get those much needed Omega-3s? Eat flaxseeds, hemp seeds or chia seeds!

3. Remove amalgam fillings 

Amalgam fillings = mercury poisoning. Amalgam fillings contain at least 50% mercury. Mercury is a heavy metal. You can be assured that if it is in your mouth, then it has been absorbed into your body. Many dentists will deny the harmful effects of amalgam fillings. But, they do have their profession to protect! I say, you have your body to protect! Health problems associated with a low-level mercury poisoning range from thyroid abnormalities to infertility to kidney damage to brain tumours. If you have amalgam fillings ask your dentist to remove and replace them. If you live in Melbourne here is a holistic dentist you can go to: http://www.holisticoncollins.com.

4. Try pelotherapy

Pelotherapy is also known as mineral clay therapy. Pelotherapy is the use of clay from the earth for therapeutic purposes. Clay can be used to remove heavy metals from your body. Clay can be ingested in order to cleanse and purify the body. The toxins, i.e. heavy metals, in your body will bind to the clay and then your body will eliminate the clay along with the toxins. Pretty cool, huh?! Clay can also be used externally to remove the impurities from your skin. I use a pure, superfine green clay on my skin to assist the external cleansing process. Along with my plant-based diet this has been a key part of my skin healing from recurrent adult acne. This superfine green clay, known as the Montmorillonite type, can also be used for the internal cleansing process, as well as a white clay, known as Kaolinite. If edible clay is of interest to you check out Healing with Clay by Paschale Maddison and The Clay Cure by Ran Knishinsky. 

5. Colonics & enemas

I kid you not, coffee enemas are a passionate topic of conversation between my twin sister and I. So much so that I gave her the best birthday present ever this year; I gave her a portable enema kit! The reality is that our bodies remove waste through our bowels. And we can assist this process with the aid of colonics and enemas. Our bodies are designed to eliminate waste and toxins in this way. Next week, we will explore this topic more, so stay tuned, for we will be delving into the ins and outs of colonics and enemas... no pun intended!