Don’t look now but heavy metal is threatening your health. Not the head banging kind floating invisibly across the airwaves (though prolonged listening may lead to some serious neck cramps). Instead we’re talking about the more insidious kind of toxic heavy metals inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through your skin — or even purposely implanted in your body.

Once absorbed into the body, heavy metals become embedded in soft tissue or bones. What makes heavy metal poisoning particularly scary is it not only can cause severe disease but it can even lead to irreversible damage to your DNA.

While there are treatments to help remove heavy metals from the body, it can take several difficult months to recover completely. Clearly the best line of defense is to recognize the danger and prevent heavy metal poisoning in the first place. Here are a few of the most common heavy metals to watch out for.

Mercury
Topping the list of dangerous heavy metals is the neurotoxin mercury. It has been associated with autism and many neurological disorders. Mercury is so hazardous that a tiny drop the size of one grain of sand would contaminate an entire swimming pool.

While an excellent source of nutrition, sadly most fish — both wild and farm-raised — is heavily contaminated with mercury today. As a result, fish are now the most significant source of mercury toxicity. Larger and older fish typically have higher concentrations, so avoid eating shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tile fish, and white albacore tuna. Haddock, tilapia, cod, pollock, salmon, and sole are better alternatives though intake should still be limited.

Another very significant source of mercury in the body are dental amalgams, or “silver fillings.” Don’t believe the lie the American Dental Association continues to publish that they are safe. A full 50% of these fillings consist of mercury. The materials themselves are shipped as hazardous waste to your dentist and treated like hazardous waste after removal. Good move, but should you use your mouth as a hazardous waste storage facility? Insist on your dentist using only non-mercury based fillings.

One more top source of mercury gets injected directly into your bloodstream with many vaccines. Thimerosal, a mercury based vaccine preservative, is used in many vaccines including a number of the H1N1 swine flu vaccines. Mercury is considered by many to be a factor in the skyrocketing incidents of childhood autism and neurological disorders. This is just one of many reasons to avoid vaccinations, or at least carefully weigh the risks before accepting them. Some vaccinations have thimerosal-free forms which should always be preferred.

Aluminum
Associated with osteoporosis, memory loss, and forgetfulness, aluminum is also found in levels as much as 4x higher than average in the brains of patients who have died from Alzheimer’s.

Aluminum is absorbed through the skin. One of the biggest culprits are underarm antiperspirants and deodorants containing aluminum. Switch to a baking soda based deodorant instead.

Many people ingest much more aluminum than they realize. Aluminum cookware, aluminum foil, soda cans and even some processed foods contain aluminum. It may also be present in your tap water. Minimize exposure by avoiding products with aluminum and have your water tested or drink purified water.

Lead
Once absorbed, lead often settles in the bones interfering with red blood cell production. Exposure can result in severe health problems including anemia, severe learning disabilities, behavioral problems and kidney disease.

Although lead-based paint has been outlawed for use in residences for over 30 years, millions of homes across the United States built before 1978 still have lead paint. Chips or dust from this paint can be ingested or inhaled causing lead poisoning.

Tap water is another common source of lead poisoning, particularly when the water travels through older pipes which have begun to break down. Again, test your tap water for the presence of lead or drink only purified water.

Maintain your built-in detoxification system
Your body was marvelously designed to cleanse itself of impurities. Just like any other system, you need to maintain your detoxification system in good working order for it to work properly. Here are some steps you can take to help your body naturally eliminate heavy metals and fight their harmful effects:

• Eat more protein which helps supply essential amino acids used by the liver to create glutathione, a key antioxidant and detoxifying molecule
• Eat your veggies, particularly dark colored ones like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and artichokes which also help build detoxifying molecules in the body; chlorella is a form of algae shown to have a very beneficial effect on removing toxins from the body, usually taken as a supplement
• Drink plenty of pure water — preferably purified by a water filter or recently bottled from a pure source — and eat more fiber, together which will help ensure normal bowel movements which are particularly important for removing heavy metals such as mercury
• Increase intake of antioxidants like Vitamin C and Vitamin E through diet or supplementation to counter some of the most harmful effects of heavy metal poisoning – the creation of numerous free radicals in your body which can damage your DNA and increase your chances of getting cancer
• Use heat therapy to sweat out toxins — a sauna works great or you can try localized heat such as with a far infrared heating pad which increases blood circulation throughout the body