Heavy Metals

 I first heard of heavy metal toxicity working at the Children's Hospital in Winnipeg over 50 years ago. At that time many young children were coming in with lead poisoning as we still used to paint our cribs and walls with paint that had lead in it. The treatment at that time was intravenous EDTA.  We no longer use lead in paint especially not on cribs.  I believe EDTA is still used as a chelating agent for lead and other heavy metal poisoning

Next big area of heavy metal use was in the amalgam filling in dentistry.  Now many people are carefully removing these filling preferably by dentists who know the way to detox the mercury from their systems.  It's a big industry now, helping people remove mercury from their mouths.

We are finding out that our oceans are polluted with mercury and other heavy metals and many people are questioning the safety of eating the harvest coming from the seas. The industrial age has created all kinds of toxicity. Slowly our awareness is growing of the dangers of many of these chemicals or xenobiotics. This is the definition of xenobiotic that I found on google: Xenobiotic is a term used to describe chemical substances that are foreign to animal life and thus includes such examples as plant constituents, drugs, (including injections) pesticides, cosmetics, flavourings, fragrances, food additives, industrial chemicals and environmental pollutants. 

From an Ayurvedic perspective these chemicals are known as GARAVISHA. Mostly the ancients texts speak of AMA  (undigested food that clogs channels or circulation - physical and vibrational) AMAVISHA - old fermented AMA that is hot and inflammatory like free radicles. And then Garavisha which is also hot and penetrating but acts slowly and contributes to chronic conditions.

When detoxing Garavisha - you have to be very careful how that is done as if you do not do it properly and carefully it can damage the channels of elimination as it is hot.  It must done slowly.  When moving these toxins out they must be bound to something as they are moved out through the bowels and urinary tract systems.  It would be highly recommended to work with someone who knows the procedures and to do it with patience.

And at the same time I would say that anything in the parsley family - coriander seeds and leaves and other types of parsley help to bind and carry things out through the urinary tract.  Also they support and strengthen the urinary system.  The kidneys are such delicate structures with many fine capillaries that are easily damaged.  One of my favourite teas - coriander, fennel, marshmallow root and mints - is a great way to hydrate and carry toxins out through the kidneys.  )See previous blog for recipe and how to make it.  Also you may buy a specially formulated tea by Vaidya Mishra - Garavisha tea by clicking on this link https://www.chandika.com/sva-garavisha-tea/?afmc=10o

If you suspect that you might have some heavy metal toxicity happening. A good place to start is with the hydrating tea.  Also use Coriander Chutney a couple of times a week. I will post the recipe separately.

Other very good binders for hot toxins are barely, arrowroot, tapioca and some more exotic veggies such as Okra and Lauki.  Introducing these into our diets can slowly help to eliminate these toxins. Again the operative word here is SLOWLY.  Remember that the food you eat today takes 30 days to work its way through all the tissues to the finest product OJAS ( hormones and neurotransmitters)