Heavy Metals: Some are Necessary to Good Health

Heavy metals are a frequent topic among natural health advocates and functional medicine doctors. Heavy metals occur in both food and water, and you may face exposure in other ways as well.

Overexposure to heavy metals can result in significant stress on the body leading to serious symptoms. You are right to be concerned, but there are other factors to consider such as dosing, carbon bonding, ph, oxidation state, and sourcing.

The concerns regarding heavy metals

The fear surrounding heavy metals is understandable, although it tends to be overly broad. Our bodies need some heavy metals in various ratios and forms in order to function properly. For instance, we need some iron and zinc for overall health. Any metal is also a mineral, and the human body needs essential bioavailable minerals to maintain good health.

When you ingest a plant-based, organically-bound heavy metal that has been altered through a microbial process, it isn’t necessarily toxic. How your body processes it, and whether it is organic or inorganic, has an impact on how the metal will affect your body.

Classification and types of heavy metals

Metals come in different forms, typically organic or inorganic, and essential or nonessential. These classifications do not denote whether a metal is safe or unsafe. We need to look at a metal further to determine its toxicity.