- Last updated on:
- April 17, 2023
Do you keep miscarrying despite progesterone levels being right and avoiding early scans? Is you man’s sperm count or quality low? Then you guys may be suffering with metal toxicity. Although chelation protocols with supplements are usually very rough on the body and require a lot of commitment, homeopathy is a lot more gentle and as effective.
That metal toxicity causes infertility and miscarriages is not new information but it is just not very widespread knowledge. It is thought to be more of an issue in developing countries, while it is especially in the west where couples are exposed to heavy metals constantly!
- Mercury used to be in your vaccines
- Mercury is in your silver / amalgam dental fillings
- Aluminium is in your deodorant
- Aluminium is in your food
- Arsenic & lead are in your water
- Cadmium, aluminium, mercury & lead are in your cigarettes (but you shouldn’t be smoking anyway!)
…and I could go on. There is almost no escaping because the metals are in our drugs (including contraceptives), food, the cities we live in, cosmetics, and even our favorite coffees! Especially if you are working with heavy metals (dentists, glass blowers, jewelers, painters, steel welders) your alarm bells should be going off.
The problem with metal toxicity
Our bodies are not made to process heavy metals. So when we are exposed to them, they try to deal with it the best they can and stuff the metals somewhere in organs like the liver, kidneys or brain, so they can do as little harm as possible. If the levels of the metals go up though, they start to get in the way more and more. As a result they start to disrupt basic processes such as mineral transport. If we can’t get our Calcium or Magnesium or Sodium or you name it to the right place at the right time, it is not strange that we get sick, our hormonal systems are off balance and can’t get or stay pregnant.
The effect of metal toxicity on fertility
When it comes to fertility, sperm will then be of abnormal shape (abnormal sperm morphology), not move properly (low motility), or be produced in low quantities. Try to get pregnant with that!
Even when you do fall pregnant, the embryo may never have a chance and properly developing if it was fertilized by poor quality sperm, especially if the egg was not of great quality either.
Missed abortions or early miscarriages can therefore be reason to think of metal toxicity.
Do you have metal toxicity?
Apart from poor quality or quantity of semen and recurring missed abortions or miscarriages, there can be a few other give-away symptoms of metal toxicity:
- Frequent headaches
- Recurring mouth ulcers, gingivitis, and recurring tooth infections
- General recurring infections that are hard to clear
- Chronic constipation
- Brain fog and poor memory
- General fatigue
- Night sweats
- Waking at 3 pm (when the liver, our detoxer, is most active)
- In children often behavioral and developmental problems make think of metal toxicity
A couple of these more general symptoms can also be indications of adrenal fatigue or hypothyroidism, so the more specific symptoms your are the more they suggest metal toxicity. However, if you have the more general ones (and even if you know you have adrenal fatigue or hypothyroidism) and know you have been exposed to (a lot) of metals, getting tested is worthwhile.
The way that I test my patients for metal toxicity is through hair mineral testing. As said, your body will store metals in the tissue to make them as harmless as possible.
That means it is unlikely that the heavy metals will show up in blood tests until the levels are so high that you have already become so violently ill to have been hospitalized!
Through hair mineral testing however, we can see something in the mineral transport. You will initially not likely see (a lot) of metals in the test results because they are hidden in organs. The only way to see if metals are disrupting the body, therefore, is by looking at the ratio’s between the minerals in the hair to see if mineral transport is disrupted or not. It is for example not uncommon to see the body is dumping calcium in the hair with mercury toxicity. A lot of practitioners will unfortunately see that result and think their patient has too much calcium. In reality they are however likely lacking it because it is not put to use but thrown out!
Detoxing homeopathically
If I see the mineral transport is indeed disturbed (I use Andrew Cutler’s method to determine that), I will start a couple on a metal detox. A first detox is usually about 8 weeks depending on the reaction. Occasionally I will suggest to repeat a short detox later on. I don’t use chelation protocols which are tough on the body and require a lot of commitment.
Homeopathic remedies are just as effective and a lot more gentle.
Often I will only prescribe a supplement or two to support the body in getting rid of the metals.
On a hair test before detoxing usually few metals show up. Shortly after the detox however, the metals will show up on a hair test which means the body is getting the metals out of the organs and out of the body.
TTC while detoxing heavy metals
While I always encourage couples to keep trying to conceive while on treatment, the metal detox is the only period I will ask to abstain. But 8 weeks is manageable right? Especially, if it means you fall pregnant straight after that like Miriam and Joe did!
Detoxing heavy metals is often part of the fertility treatment that I provide but I also teach how to detox heavy metals homeopathically yourself on my program the Fertility Reclaim.