Environmental contamination and exposure to heavy metals is at an all time high. Our environment is becoming increasingly toxic and as a result so is our bodies. With the ever increasing concerns about polluted water, food contaminants and increased industrial waste production, our environmental exposure to heavy metals are growing exponentially. Heavy metals are taken into the body via inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption.In a recent study it has been estimated that a hot 10 minute shower is equivalent to absorbing the toxic contents of the water and is proportional to drinking 8 glasses of that same water. What about all the time, effort, and energy you expend trying to make sure you consume only clean 'drinking' water? The same care should be taken to ensure we are properly eliminating, both from our bodies and our environment, these hazardous heavy metals.Heavy metals disrupt a vast array of metabolic processes. Heavy metals can directly influence behavior by impairing mental and neurological function, influencing neurotransmitter production and utilization, and altering numerous metabolic body processes. Most Heavy Metals are readily transferred across the placenta, found in breast milk, and are well known to have serious detrimental effects on behavior, intellect and the developing nervous system in children. Heavy metals in the walls of coronary arteries seem to decrease levels of nitric oxide, a compound that is important in preventing vascular blockages. Heavy metal overload in the adrenal glands reduce the production of hormones, which cause early aging, stress, decreased sex drive and cause aggravation of menopausal symptoms. Heavy metals can also increase the acidity of the blood. The body reacts by leaching calcium from the bones to help buffer the pH of blood. This is why calcium supplementation alone is not effective for the prevention of osteoporosis. For obvious reasons, removing metals from the body safely has been a concern of physicians for many years. Much of the damage produced by toxic metals stems from the production of free radicals they cause. There is little hope for antioxidant supplements to do their job if the body is burdened with Heavy Metals. The added burden from Heavy Metals and the free radicals they produce ultimately lead to low grade inflammation. Low grade inflammation has been implicated as a complicating factor contributing to hardening of the artery walls with progressive blockage leading to atherosclerotic plaques, arteriosclerosis, and coronary heart disease.By now, you may be realizing that heavy metal toxicity can be an underlying contributing factor to many common ailments and debilitating diseases. It must be realized that heavy metal toxicity is a summative process that can compound exponentially over time. In 1974 the World Health Organization (WHO) claimed that Heavy Metals reduce the efficacy of medical treatment by up to 60%. It has been stated that 90 % of all chronic and serious illnesses could be prevented if we were able to eliminate the 600 most dangerous environmental toxins (Dr. J. Higgensen, Head of Cancer Research, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland). Weather you are concerned with a specific health condition such as osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, debilitating neurological conditions, or any other 'unexplained' or compromising condition, or you are simply concerned with maximizing your bodies potential, a thorough evaluation and subsequent detoxification of toxic heavy metals is an important component of any health restoration or maintenance program.If you think heavy metals may be playing a role in your health, speak to a qualified practitioner about heavy metal chelation therapy today.