Arsenic: many of us have too much of it in our body!
When you want a general blood and urine analysis to check your health status, do you also think about checking the level of heavy metals in your body? Did you know that a high level of arsenic, lead, mercury, aluminium, or cadmium for example, can provoke chronic diseases, immune system weaknesses or even cancer?
Lets talk about arsenic; when you hear about arsenic, you may think about this deadly poison that kills people, like you may have red in certain novels or saw in some movies, but you certainly don’t imagine that you have some of that in your body. Well it’s actually many time the case!
But what is arsenic?
It’s a natural element that can be found in rocks and soil, water, air, and in plants and animals. It can also be released into the environment from some agricultural and industrial sources. Due to natural geological contamination, high levels of arsenic can be found in drinking water that has come from deep drilled wells. Industrial processes such as mining, smelting and coal-fired power plants all contribute to the presence of arsenic in air, water and soil. Environmental contamination also occurs because it is used in agricultural pesticides and in chemicals for timber preservation.
Most arsenic compounds have no smell or taste, so usually you can’t tell if arsenic is in your air, food, or water. Humans are exposed mainly through food and water. People can also be exposed to higher levels of arsenic in some other ways. Very high doses have been used in murder or suicide attempts. Some jobs may expose workers to high levels over long periods of time when they breathe in or swallow dust that contains arsenic compounds.
However, food is usually the largest source except in areas where drinking water is naturally contaminated with arsenic.
- The highest levels of arsenic (in all forms) in foods can be found in seafood, rice, rice cereal (and other rice products), mushrooms, and poultry, although many other foods can contain low levels of arsenic.
In the gut, soluble arsenic compounds present in food are rapidly absorbed into the blood stream. Many arsenic compounds are quickly transformed and eliminated from the body via the urine. However, there are differences from one person to another in the ability to get rid of arsenic compounds.
What are the effects of arsenic on the human body?
- If a large amount of arsenic is swallowed by humans, in a form that is readily absorbed, it can cause rapid poisoning and death.
- Long-term exposure to high levels of arsenic in drinking water can cause thickening and pigment spots in the skin, and cancer of the skin, lungs, bladder or kidney.
- Long-term ingestion of arsenic can provoke several chronic deseases, emotional lability and memory loss.
- Exposure in the workplace – mainly via the air breathed in – can cause lung cancer. Smoking further increases the risk.
What to do in case of high level of arsenic?
- Our medical center offers acute laboratory blood and urine analysis for heavy metals. The results are ready within 4 days.
- After confirming your high level in arsenic, our internist specializing in prevention of diseases will provide you his exclusive natural detox perfusions. The number of sessions will depend on the level of arsenic in your body.
- Following the sessions, a new laboratory analysis will be performed to confirm the effect of our treatment.