The other day my 14 year old daughter, Sivanna, decided that she wanted to make a hot chocolate station in our kitchen. This would include hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, snacks and of course festive cups to drink the hot chocolate out of.
So she went ahead and made her hot chocolate area and it was a cute idea. She asked about getting some Christmas mugs or cups to put in the collection. I then remembered that I had donated the ones we had last year to charity. Something just did not feel right about these mugs.
Speed ahead to today. I opened my email this morning to see an email from Tamara Rubin “Lead Safe Mama” whom I follow because of my work with heavy metals and health.
Sure enough she has a whole article on the tops of Christmas cups and decorations called:
“Hello! I’m here to ruin Christmas for you! Do you know how toxic your Christmas decorations are?”
Unfortunately heavy metals are with us to stay. Unlike biodegradable materials, heavy metals never break down so we must learn how to navigate our world with these metals in it and do our best to avoid them at all costs!
The best tool that I have found for testing for heavy metals in the body and brain and well as for indicators or nutrient deficiencies is hair mineral analysis testing. You can learn more about that here if you are interested:
It seems that not a day goes by and I am presented with information around heavy metals and the havoc they wreak!
This morning I ran across this article about Heavy Metals and ADHD. It is from:
and is titled: “Heavy Metals’ Effect on Susceptibility to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Implication of Lead, Cadmium, and Antimony”
I will post the link at the bottom of this post for your reference.
Here is an Abstract from the study but in simple terms those with ADHD were tested and high levels of heavy metals were present.
Abstract:
Background: Heavy metals are known to be harmful for neurodevelopment and they may correlate to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we aim to explore the relationships between multiple heavy metals (manganese, lead, cadmium, mercury, antimony, and bismuth), neurocognitive function, and ADHD symptoms. Methods: We recruited 29 patients with ADHD inattentive type (ADHD-I), 47 patients with ADHD hyperactivity/impulsivity type (ADHD-H/I), and 46 healthy control children. Urine samples were obtained to measure the levels of the aforementioned heavy metals in each child. Participants’ cognitive function and clinical symptoms were assessed, respectively. Results: We found ADHD-H/I patients demonstrated the highest antimony levels (p = 0.028), and ADHD-I patients demonstrated the highest cadmium levels (p = 0.034). Antimony levels were positively correlated with the severity of ADHD symptoms that were rated by teachers, and cadmium levels were negatively correlated with the Full Scale Intelligence Quotient. Lead levels were negatively correlated with most indices of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), but positively correlated with inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Lead, cadmium and antimony were associated with susceptibility to ADHD and symptom severity in school-age children. Eliminating exposure to heavy metals may help to prevent neurodevelopmental disorders in children.
The question becomes what do we do about this? The first thing I recommend is testing for the presence of heavy metals in the body and brain and the testing I use as a Board Certified Nutritionist, is Hair Mineral Analysis.
Hair Mineral Analysis is a screening test to measure the levels of up to 60 essential minerals and toxic metals. With correct testing and interpretation, one can construct a comprehensive metabolic profile of the human body and in turn develop a protocol for helping to remove these heavy metals from the body and balance nutrients.
If you would like more info about the Hair Mineral Analysis testing, you can find it here:
Once results are received it is much easier to come up with a game plan based on variables such as nutrient deficiencies present, types of heavy metals and the overall toxic load.
It is unfortunate that we have to deal with so many toxic intruders and outside pathogens that can interfere with optimal health; however, luckily, when we identify them, we can work at elimination and also use nutritional intervention to offset various deficiencies etc.
As always, I hope that you found this helpful and feel free to reach out with any questions you might have for me. I am always happy to help.
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