Tag: mercury poisoining

First off, let me preface this by saying I LOVE SUSHI and tend to eat a lot of tuna especially.

General concern about the levels of mercury in our water and food are coming up more and more so you can imagine my interest to see the article about toxicity levels in my weekly Goop in-box edition . Goop asked Dr. Alejandro Junger, a Cardiologist and detoxification expert (they claim to trust him with their  lives &  love his very easy-to-implement program, Clean),  just how concerned we should be.  And more importantly, they asked him how we can help our bodies unload toxic heavy metals.

 IS MERCURY POISONING A REAL THREAT?

Mercury is an extremely toxic element and heavy metal that is increasingly affecting the health of millions of people. It’s a major problem today because our exposure to it is rising, from the air we breathe to the food we eat. One of the primary ways we are exposed to mercury is by eating large fish such as tuna, shark, and swordfish. The bottom line is that we want to reduce our exposure to mercury as much as possible.

One of the biggest challenges is that most practitioners and researchers are not aware of the latest science that shows elevated levels of mercury can take a serious toll on our health. Exposure to this heavy metal has been linked to increased incidents of chronic fatigue syndrome, autoimmune conditions, ADHD, autism, as well as memory loss, irritability and blurred vision. Even if you don’t have one of the ailments listed above, mercury exposure could still be having an effect on your health. When I see a lingering health issue that hasn’t been cleared after significant lifestyle, cleansing, and dietary changes, I look to see if mercury is one of the causes.

DOES MERCURY EXPOSURE JUST COME FROM FISH?  WHAT ARE ALL THE SOURCES?

There are different types of mercury, but most of our immediate exposure comes from just a few major sources:

Fish that are high in methylmercury, also known as organic mercury. Typical examples are the big fish mentioned above, like tuna, swordfish, shark, etc. Mercury amalgam—also known as inorganic mercury—dental fillings. We can also be exposed to mercury through drinking water (especially private water systems like wells that are often untested and municipal systems), occupational exposures, and by coal heating in homes.Most of the mercury tht finds its way into the environment is from coal-fired power plants, artisanal gold mining, and processing plants that make plastics and chlorine. The mercury is sent into the air, then rained down on lakes, into soil, and carried off by rivers. It all eventually makes its way to our oceans where the organic compound is then accumulated into the fatty tissue of fish. Finally, it ends up on our plates.

When we eat high-mercury fish, the mercury is distributed throughout our body but primarily takes hold in the kidneys and brain. Once there, the mercury can cause slow havoc to a variety of organs especially the heart, brain, and gut.

In pregnant mothers, mercury is transferred to the fetus through the placenta causing increased risks of poor neurological performance, language skills, and verbal memory.

New cases of mercury poisoning have also been connected to certain skin lightening face creams. I recommend that people check if their products are free from toxic chemicals at the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database.

Another source of concern by people is the use of thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative used in vaccine preparations. Except for some influenza vaccines, it is not being used in most vaccines.

What a major drag it would be to not be able to eat my favourite sushi anymore.  Let’s try to clean up our act ASAP!  Anyone??

Source: Goop.com & emedicinehealth.com