Conquering Hidden Stress – Something that affects your health the most could be what you’re told about the least. New evidence from the American Heart Association (AHA) points to hidden stress that’s kept a lid on how long and well we live for thousands of generations. The good news is that something can finally be done about it with a holistic approach.
“Stress“ often refers to emotional or physical stress. In a striking example of a different type, the AHA reported major new heart disease risks from exposure to low levels of toxic metals(1). A parallel study in the clinical journal The Lancet (2) calculated that impacts on children’s IQ and heart disease may cause more deaths than cholesterol or smoking(3). Around the same time, Consumer Reports revealed that popular baby foods, snacks, and chocolates contain high levels of lead, cadmium, or arsenic(4).
Despite this data, in 2023 the FDA quietly withdrew its planned regulations limiting heavy metals in food(5). Alarmed, the state of California passed a law requiring baby food manufacturers to report on heavy metal content in baby food(6). Nonetheless, the level of these metals in baby food remains largely unregulated.
An ages-old threat restricts well-being and longevity
Why is stress from these metals “hidden”?
Heavy metals are in soil, drinking water, and airborne particles that we breathe. They were formed along with the Earth itself, and we’ve been contaminated by them since humanity first walked the planet. Tissues of ancient, mummified bodies contain these metals. Today, industrial society exposes us to more, because they’re very good at making things work.
This low contamination level went largely undetected until about 100 years ago, when studies began showing that it provokes chronic inflammation – a precursor to many diseases. The metals also mutate DNA and can lead to cancers. They interfere with brain function that can manifest as reduced IQ or dementia. These all occur at exposure levels that are hard to detect. You don’t notice the damage for years: it remains hidden until you start to get sick. Worse yet, the metals build up over time starting from birth.
Testing — You don’t find what you’re not looking for
AHA scientists also reported that most healthcare providers don’t accurately know metal levels in their patients, because standard blood tests don’t detect metals in tissue or bone, where most metals gather. As a result, metals testing usually shows an ‘acceptable’ range for most people. To get an accurate reading, another test is required. It’s available, but not widely used.
Impacts of low metals levels confirmed by clinical studies
The first evidence-based clue about health impacts of these low levels came during a ten-year National Institutes of Health clinical trial where all causes of death in diabetic heart patients were reduced by 41% with a therapy that had been widely practiced globally for decades but never tested in a clinical trial(7). Study supervisors concluded that the therapy was working by removing toxic metals from those patients.
In a later 2017 clinical study using the same therapy, removal of metals from patients was measured. In a medical first, amputations were prevented in heart patients as the metals were flushed out non-invasively, and blocked arteries were re-opened. A clinical trial to confirm those results is nearing completion in 2024. The therapy proved much less costly than conventional surgery(8).
Holistic Solutions — Prevention and Nutrition
Here’s what you can do to reduce your exposure to these metals:
- Many standard air filters protect machinery, but not your lungs. Install HEPA filters in your house, office, and vehicle air conditioning and heating systems. These filters are available from service companies or hardware stores and can be verified by checking Consumer Reports.
- After wildfire smoke events, change or wash filters.
- Install filters that remove heavy metals at drinking water taps. Check Consumer Reports to see which are best.
- Take your shoes off when entering your home. Heavy metals from tracked-in dust come off your footwear and build up indoors.
- Buy certified toxic metal-free clothing and building materials.
Nutrition:
- Buy certified organic foods, including baby foods that are certified free of heavy metals.
- Wash fresh foods to remove residues from pesticides, fertilizers, and contaminated irrigation water.
- Foods such as broccoli sprouts, cruciferous vegetables, curcumin/coriander and others help your body to remove metals. Be certain that the spices are from a certified organic source!
For more information:
Heavy metals are just one type of hidden stress. Learn about these and others, as well as what’s being done about them in Douglas Mulhall’s book, Discovering the Nature of Longevity: Restoring the heart and body by targeting hidden stress. The book comes recommended by the American Institute of Stress, with a Foreword by Dr. Gervasio Lamas, Columbia University’s Chief of Cardiology and chief author of the AHA Statement on toxic metals.
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NOTES 1. Lamas, Gervasio A., et al. “Contaminant Metals as Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.” Journal of the American Heart Association (2023): e029852. 2. Larsen, Bjorn, and Ernesto Sánchez-Triana. “Global health burden and cost of lead exposure in children and adults: a health impact and economic modelling analysis.” The Lancet Planetary Health 7.10 (2023): e831-e840. 3. Lead poisoning causes far more death, IQ loss than thought: study, AFP, 12/09/23 4 Kevin Loria A Third of Chocolate Products Are High in Heavy Metals, CR’s Tests Find, Consumer Reports online, October 25, 2023, 5. Celine Castronuovo et al, Deadlines for Baby Food Metal Policy Vanish as Lawmakers Object, Bloomberg Law, March 23, 2023. 6. Kevin Loria, Baby Foods Sold in California Will Have to Adhere to Strict New Rules for Lead and Other Heavy Metals, Consumer Reports online October 10,2023 7. Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy in Critical Limb Ischemia (TACT3a). https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03982693?cond=critical%20limb%20ischemia&term=metals&rank=1 8. Ruben Porudominsky, M. D., et al. “Preliminary cost estimates of edetate disodium infusions for critical limb ischemia in patients with diabetes mellitus.” Vascular Disease Management 17.7 (2020).
About the author: Douglas Mulhall’s latest book Discovering the Nature of Longevity: Restoring the heart and body by targeting hidden stress, explores prevention and therapies for heavy metals contamination. It is recommended by the American Institute of Stress and carries a Foreword by the Chief author of the American Heart Association statement on toxic heavy metals. He co-develops award-winning certifications and standards for products globally and is a registered ISO expert on a global standard for declaring the contents of products.
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