In 2008, I had my amalgam fillings removed, followed by two intravenous DMPS chelation treatments one month apart (see story here). Both treatments left me bedridden for three weeks, and I decided to just forget about heavy metals for awhile. I was desperate to regain my health and continued researching chronic fatigue syndrome/fibromyalgia. During the ensuing months and years, I completed extensive bowel, liver and parasite cleanses, but saw little overall improvement.
In August, 2014 I was already well into Stephen Buhner’s Herbal Lyme Protocol. I switched over to the Wahls Paleo Diet, started making green smoothies for breakfast and began to feel better. I felt lighter, brighter and had more energy. It was a subtle but noticeably steady improvement. The Wahls Paleo Diet suggests eating 3 cups of sulfur-rich vegetables, 3 cups of greens and 3 cups of colored vegetables per day. Looking back, I realize that not only was I getting much-needed vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes; I was also chelating heavy metals slowly and easily from my system. This was my natural answer to DMPS.
It wasn’t until later that I realized what had transpired. I am grateful to have found something this effective and gentle. Nature has all of the most powerful medicines to restore us when we have crossed over into poor diet, toxic overload and bad lifestyle choices. The body is a self-healing system. It decides when to let go of toxins and heavy metals, when to take care of infections, healing itself in the order that it sees fit. I was finally giving it the super nutrition and detoxification that it needed to self-heal. It was so amazing to experience going from a housebound state to walking many miles per day in just a few months’ time.
Here are the foods that are known to chelate heavy metals as well as nourish the body. This is the best chelating medicine I know of, with many other side-benefits as well.
Sulfur rich foods – Onions and garlic are helpful for eliminating the heavy metal lead. Cauliflower, eggs, Brussels sprouts and cabbage are also sulfur-rich, and beneficial for removing heavy metals.
I eat onions and garlic on a daily basis. They are easy to incorporate into so many dishes. I love eating raw purple onion in my salads.
Sea Vegetables – Seaweed contains many valuable minerals and trace elements including calcium, copper, chromium, iron, iodine, lithium, manganese, magnesium, potassium, selenium, silicon, sulfur, vanadium and zinc. It also provides B group vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6,B9) and vitamins A,C, E, and K. Other useful compounds include alginates, which are very helpful in increasing the elimination of solvents, plastics, heavy metals and even radioactivity in the body.[1]
I took 10 kelp tablets for a total of (2.25mg) of iodine for the first year on Dr. Wahls’ Paleo Diet. It was a simple way to incorporate much-needed iodine into my daily routine. I continue to take 6 capsules daily for a total of 1.35 mg of iodine as a maintenance dose now that I am in remission. Most people today are iodine deficient. This is contributing to thyroid disorders. I was hypothyroid for most of my adult life. Iodine is extremely important for those battling chronic infections.
Cilantro – This is a powerful and affordable option for removal of toxic metals. The chemical compounds found in cilantro bind to toxic metals and remove them from tissues. Many report a reduction in symptoms associated with heavy metal toxicity after frequent use of cilantro in the diet over and extended period of time.[2]
I use cilantro often in pico de gallo – a raw salad dish consisting of cilantro, onions, tomato, jalapeno peppers and lime juice. This is probably my favorite way to incorporate lots of cilantro into my weekly diet. It is a beautiful addition to so many different meals (and parasites hate peppers and onions). I have never used a cilantro tincture, as I always prefer the real whole food form.
Chlorella – Chlorella, spirulina, and wheatgrass are great foods packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These and other chlorophyll-dense superfoods remove metal toxins that build up in organs, increase oxygen levels, repair damaged tissue, and boost the immune system. Their ability to remove toxic metals from organs assists the body’s efforts to remove heavy metal buildup.[3]
I have used chlorella off and on over the years. Somehow, I am not naturally drawn to this supplement. Many have reported that it has helped them immensely and should be considered for heavy metal detox.
Complete Amino acids – Animal protein sources contain all the amino acids the human body needs. Vegetarians must take special care to combine grains and legumes to obtain complete proteins.
We buy our beef, chicken and eggs from local organic farmers. In this way, we are assured of a clean source of proteins. I eat about 16 oz of animal protein per day. We include organ meats once per week and wild caught fish once per week. When in Mexico, I eat much less red meat and more readily available fish.
Pectin – Phyllis Balch reports in her Prescription for Natural Healing that pectin is good for diabetics, removes toxins and heavy metals, lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of gallstones. Pectin is found in apples, bananas, the rinds of citrus fruits (lemons, oranges and grapefruit), carrots, beets, cabbage and okra.[4]
I eat apples often and still believe that an “apple per day will keep the doctor away.” I also eat my fair share of carrots, beets, cabbage and oranges.
I am now in remission from Lyme disease and other co-infections since November 2014. I will continue to use food as medicine for the rest of my life. I feel stronger as the months go by and am in the rebuilding phase of my healing journey. Eating the above foods along with lots of sweating in a hot climate and drinking plenty of water have reduced my heavy metal load considerably. I test for heavy metals twice per year via hair tissue mineral analysis.
Blessings and Best of Health!
Brenda♥
Everything that I have done to recover my health is available here for free on my blog. If you would like a little extra help, I offer nutritional therapy consultations and hair tissue mineral analysis for a fee. Please go to this page for a list of my rates and to book an appointment for health coaching
References
- Wahls, Terry, MD. The Wahls Protocol: How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine. Penguin Group, 2014. P. 171.
- Group, Dr. Edward, DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM. The Health Benefits of Cilantro. Global Healing Center, 2012.
- Group, Dr. Edward, DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM. The Top 5 Herbs for the Pineal Gland. Global Healing Center, 2015.
- Balch, Phyllis, CNC. Prescription for Natural Healing, 5th Edition: A Practical A-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs and Food Supplements. Penguin Group, 2010
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Hi Brenda ….
Along with lyme and co’s, I have a thyroid goiter and nodules but my hormones were all decent even by functional med standard. Long story short, has your thyroid healed? Was there anything in particular aside from diet and adding seaweed that helped? I am on WP diet as well.
Also, what kelp tablets do you take? Can you recommend? Also, what is your daily dosage? I read ten per day but wanted to be clear bc that seems like a lot.
I can’t thank you enough for this blog. It’s just awesome. It’s such a huge help to me. I’ve hit a wall and been sick four years. Made some gains but just stuck in this debilitated state and can’t take it anymore. I appreciate your help more than you know.
I would say that my thyroid has healed. No more stubborn weight issues, feeling cold all the time, hair loss, fatigue, dry skin or constipation. I took 10 of the Country Life Norwegian Kelp which contains 2250 iodine. Now I take 6 per day. Research iodine deficiency and Dr. David Brownstein. Many are using very high doses of Lugol’s but I prefer the seaweed.
I hope you will become unstuck in your recovery. I was stuck many times before I regained my health. I’m happy you like the blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me.
Blessings!
At the risk of driving you crazy bc I’ve asked you SOOO many questions (SORRY!!), did you regularly test your iodine levels? I have tested my iodine levels a few times via a 24 hour urine test and it was always in a the normal range or high normal. So, my practitioner always said don’t do iodine bc it can exacerbate autoimmune issues apparently. Can you speak to this at all, or have you had any experiences with testing normal with iodine and yet still benefitting from the kelp?
Again, THANK YOU!
Hi Snowgirl – I never had my iodine tested. I began supplementing as per Dr Terry Wahls recommendation of adding seaweed into the diet. Iodine is a potent anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic, anti-viral and anti- cancer agent. I had severe hypothyroid symptoms which have all gone away now. The Japanese consume very high amounts of seaweed with no issues. Research iodine deficiency and see what you can come up with.
I am unsure of using Lugol’s as I prefer using food based mineral additives whenever possible.
Please know that you are not driving me crazy with your questions. I am happy to help based on my own experience.
You are very welcome!
How did you determine 10 kelp tablets was proper dose? I am re-reading my Wahls book and she says eat fresh 2.5 oz, dried flakes 1 tsp, or powdered seaweed 1/4 tsp per day (work up to that amt). I wondered how the kelp tablets compare to these guidelines. How much is 1 kelp tablet … Is it 1/4 tsp of powdered form? Confused! Thanks so much!! I just got my kelp tablets today and ready to get started!
Hi Snowgirl – By all means follow Dr. Wahls suggestions. The Country Life caps that I take are very small and the 10 per day worked very well for me. I now take less. Maybe 6 per day. Start with what you are comfortable with. It is sometimes difficult to transfer capsules into ounces. The kelp tablets contain 225 mcg of iodine. I probably got my dosgae at the time from Dr. Wilson’s articles. He suggests 6 caps per day. Since the Country Life caps are so small I added in 4 extra.
http://www.drlwilson.com/articles/IODINE.htm
Snowgirl much of what I have done was by trial and error. My dosage may not be the right one for you based on weight and level of toxicity. Iodine pushes out flourine, chlorine and bromine. These are very prevalent today. I had been on many flouride based anti-depressants for many years and felt that I needed a good amount to push these toxins out. Looking at the dosage again I don’t feel that for me it was or is excessive at all.
Blessings!
Hi Brenda, sorry to be writing so much lately. Just am feeling so crappy lately. I was wondering when you were sick what were the only 5 foods you could eat? I am going to start a very detailed elimination diet. I believe I am allergic to so many things now that I have cleaned myself out. I always said if I didn’t have to eat I would feel great. Actually, I did a 15 day water fast once and never felt hungry but relieved because my gut didn’t hurt.
I took a long walk yesterday, I have energy, but am so sick in my gut, ribs, which exhaust me to no end. I get frustrated as what to cook and tired of the food preparation doing this myself. Last night we just ordered Mexican food because I couldn’t cook and today am in terrible pain. I believe night shades give me terrible problems. Bad oils….. I really don’t know so doing an elimination diet.
I am also in the middle of pulling out loads of Aluminum which my Naturopath said he couldn’t believe how high he couldn’t give me a dose. I believe this is from all the vaccines I had to take as a nurse. The only this that seems to help me is Ioderal…..takes away my rib pain, but I also know its knocking out the Bromide and Fluroide of receptor sites.
Anyway, could you tell me what your symptoms were while taking metals out, and why do you think you could only handle 5 foods? Which foods are the easiest to digest and still give you energy to not loose more weight. I think these metals are a BIG part of my illness.
I have been eating lots of garlic, onions, cruciferous vegetables until the cows come home. I believe that is why everything is out of my gut now and into my lungs, ribs, and brain.
Thanks so much, hurting lots today and feeling very discouraged !!!
Renee
Hi Renee- I am so sorry you are having a rough time. I went through horrible periods. My worst was during parasite cleansing and all the way into the 5th month of Buhner’s. I was always able to eat bone broth and a soup that I made with lots of vegetables. You might want to ease up on the herbs, garlic, onions and cruciferous vegetables. These can be very detoxifying.
Whenever I felt really bad I would take up to a week off of the herbs and just do enemas with activated charcoal at night. I don’t know if you have tried red root but it really helped to clear the lymph. It is ok to take longer breaks and support your body with love and gentleness. It is better to clear the toxic load before continuing on. Green smoothies really helped my ability to detox. Digestive enzymes or betaine hcl helped me a lot with digestion.
Hang in there! I went through some really rough periods.
B
Hi there, Thanks for all this immensely helpful info. I just wanted to follow up on your heavy metal levels. You said you test every 6 months – can you tell me your levels were after DMPS compared to 6 months of nutritional balancing? What practitioner did you work with for the nutritional balancing? Your response is very much appreciated!!!
I am a hair tissue mineral practitioner and so I do my own hair tests. I am in Mexico presently and do not have all of those tests with me. I have been doing the nutritional balancing program for about 4 years now. It is not a quick fix but my health and energy are amazing.