Metals and chemicals — what are the dangers of heavy metals and chemicals and other toxicological agents, and what are the consequences to our health?
Toxicology is the study of the adverse effects of chemical, physical, or biological agents on people, animals, and the environment. The world-wide web, with its colossal number of references to the harmful effects of chemicals and metals on the human body, gives an indication of the potential risks to our health. Minimising exposure, once you understand the risks, is an ideal place to start, but what about the presence of metals and chemicals already firmly lodged in the organs and tissues of the body?
Firstly, which substances are toxic? Almost all chemicals and metals can be toxic, under certain conditions. Some are outright poisonous, such as lead, or mercury. Others, such as copper, are needed in small amounts, so although beneficial, would be toxic if ingested by the kilo!
Toxins can be absorbed in numerous ways: inhalation, ingestion, and absorption via the skin and mucous membranes. Inhalation of gases, vapours and dusts leads to absorption into the bloodstream via the lungs, whilst ingestion results in absorption into the bloodstream through the gastro-intestinal tract (and young children may be particularly vulnerable since they tend to put their fingers, or objects into their mouths). Some chemicals and metals can be absorbed directly through the skin. It is obvious that some occupations carry a greater risk than others, although exposure within the workplace ought to be tightly controlled.
Acute exposure is usually short-term. Chronic exposure tends to be long-term - though at low concentrations - and this would be the type of exposure associated with occupation, for example a car mechanic or a dental nurse. Over time, toxins would build up, particularly where ingestion rates exceed excretion rates.
Although we tend to think of toxins as being in the workplace, there are many toxins and chemicals within most homes. These can be items such as: cleaning products, air fresheners, perfumes . . . even tap water, with its cocktail of heavy metals, chemicals, hormones, chemotherapy agents, antibiotics and other pharmaceutical agents!
Different bodies respond in different ways. The way in which we each metabolise and excrete toxins is different, and can be dependent on age, health, genetic traits, diet, medication, and life-style. Children can be affected more than adults because their body mass is so much less, and, since they are still developing, the earlier the ingestion, the more marked the long-term effect.
How do you know whether you have been exposed? The answer is very simple: you will have been. You may not be aware though! Today’s world is so toxic, that hazardous substances are more or less ubiquitous. You may recognize that you are at increased risk, for example if your work involves working with petroleum products, but even those who seem not to be in an ‘at risk’ group, will not be free of their fair share of heavy metals and toxins.
Any area of the body can be affected, and so any organ, system, or pathway can be disrupted and fail to operate optimally. Thus begins the downward spiral to disease. The body operates as an integrated system, and it does have excellent homeostatic mechanisms, which try at all times to compensate when things start to go awry. For example, if we start to get too warm, the blood vessels near the surface of the skin dilate, and we become flushed in order to lose heat and return the body to the correct temperature.
But, if these homeostatic mechanisms are working flat out to try to keep the body in balance, we have less energy left over for other tasks. Not only that, once specific organs begin to struggle, symptoms of specific illnesses, diseases or conditions begin to manifest.
So far we have not considered the effect that toxicity has on the presence of pathogens (bacteria, viruses, funguses, parasites and worms). The more toxins there are in the body, the more pathogens there are likely to be. This is not co-incidental. Heavy metals tend to affect most systems in the body, but they are the primary immuno-toxicants. If the immune system is not up to scratch, how do we fight off these microscopic invaders? There is a reciprocal arrangement between the energy resources of both the immune and endocrine systems. If the immune system needs buoying up, the endocrine system comes to the rescue, but in doing so, functions less well in terms of hormone production, resulting in imbalances. Many of the chemicals in the environment are toxic to the endocrine system, and conversely, a toxic endocrine system needs to plug into the energy supply of the immune system, leaving the way open for pathogens to take hold.
The pharmacological concoction present in tap water also carries a risk. As a race we are becoming sicker, and are being prescribed more and more medication, which ultimately finds its way into the water.
The more toxic we are, the more toxic we become! Each day there are less and less reserves both to fight off invaders, and to metabolise and excrete toxins. A healthy immune system doesn’t just kill pathogens, it recognizes toxins and pathogens to be incompatible with life; the same is true of malignant cells, which we all produce on a daily basis.
The FCT testing algorithm aims to detect which toxins and pathogens are present, and in which organs and tissues they have become lodged. FCT homeopathic remedies then stimulate the body to excrete the toxins by opening up excretory pathways, and forcing the body to recognize these toxins as life-threatening. The body knows exactly how to respond, once it recognizes the danger that they pose, and once the pathways are functioning well enough heavy metals, other metals and chemicals leave the body. As toxicity reduces, the immune system and endocrine system improve. Further remedies are used to cause the body to recognize any unwanted pathogenic invaders.
In the absence of toxins and pathogens, our bodies have plenty of energy left over for other tasks which present on a daily basis, and with a healthy immune system, and a balanced hormonal system, our sense of well-being is restored.
The symptoms of heavy metal poisoning can include mental confusion, pain in muscles and joints, chronic fatigue, severe headaches, gastrointestinal problems and food intolerances. The long-term effects can be life-threatening.
Academic research