Heavy metals
Journal
Heavy metals are everywhere, and now that I am surrounded, I should get tested. My diet is one primary source of heavy metals poisoning. The products I use daily, the air that I breathe, and food consumed on a daily basis pose significant harm. Yet, I cannot live without some necessities, like food. Metals are toxic, and even though our bodies eliminate them, they may build up with time, causing a health problem. The good news Is that some heavy metals have detox products that work. Hence, they can help me feel more energized and focused.
I used to have a nice lunchtime routine of eating particular food like sushi and then go to yoga classes. Although that may sound great, my health balance is not that okay. When I skip sushi, I recently noticed health improvement. The reason being, mercury in the sushi complicated my cell organelles, causing poor performance. Heavy metals are not only in sushi food but also in fish, brown rice, and leafy green vegetables. Another way I am exposed to heavy metal is through drinking water from lead pipes. About 30% of the plumbing in some states like the US have lead piping systems, lead service lines that can leach into the water. Bearing the fact that these elements are toxic, I must adopt strategies to reduce and limit consumption.
The first step towards limiting this issue is testing to know the baseline and find out how much metal I have in the system. While waiting for the results, I must get rid of toxins with an infrared sauna, drink a lot of fluid and take a lot of salt to replenish what body has lost during sweating. Using antioxidants supports like glutathione can help with enzymes that break down heavy metals. Also, exercising will enable break fat that holds the compounds.
Assignment- Literature Review
Heavy metals are chemical constituents with a specific measure of density that is more than of water. The most implicate don human poisoning are lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. However, not all heavy metal imposes harm on the human body as some like copper, iron, manganese, or zinc is needed in small amounts. Heavy metal enters the body via air, water, or oil and can be absorbed by the skin. Metallic elements are part of the environment, such that their presence is considered exceptional in ways that are difficult to eliminate. The impact created by these elements on human health is correctly an area of concern due to ambiguity in an exposure.
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Amadi, Offor, Frazzoli & Orisakwe show relevance in the topic by pointing intervention to the problem. In this document, the key strategy to manage metal toxicity is discussed hence satisfying the need for my main topic on heavy metal poisoning. Authors in this article infer that while the issue on metal toxicity remains to be a global burden, specifically the developing nations, intervention like Chelation therapy is a mainstay for treating the problem. Another approach cited is the use of natural antidotes, which, according to authors, is a cheap intervention.
Bathla & Jain (2016), as the second article talk about the toxicity of heavy metal. I choose this document because it is relevant in enlightening what heavy metals are, how they affect human health and the sources. The document is straightforward to the assignment topic as it includes coverage of the damage by heavy metals. In this document, the authors discuss the major elements that constitute heavy metals such as mercury, lead, selenium, and silicon.
The third peer-reviewed document is by Chouhan, Meena & Poonar, entitled, Effect of Heavy Metal Ions in Water on Human Health. The rationale for choosing this material is to support the idea of how heavy metal can harm human beings and emphasize one of the primary sources, which is water. Typically, humans cannot survive without water, and in fact, consumption in large volumes is recommended by health professionals. However, individuals may not be aware of the danger this healthy habit poses. The article aligns well with the topic to explain the effects of heavy metal from water.
The fourth article, Central nervous system (CNS) toxicity caused by metal poisoning: Brain as a target organ, talks about a human body part that is also vulnerable to heavy metals. In this document, the authors support research findings that heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, and lead can remain in the brain for a long-time causing neurotoxicity. I chose this article because it explains a health problem concerning an environmental issue, that most people never think of. The document is relevant to posit that mental health issues are a result of brain damage by metal compounds.
My last article is by Hezbullah, Sultana, Chakraborty & Patwary (2016), all who give an insight that contamination of food by heavy metal is a public issue concerning food safety. As such, I choose this document to help support the idea that metals, although helpful they might in people’s diet; there are extremes at which they raise food security concerns. In developing countries like Bangladesh, the threat is a common issue with the advancement in agriculture and the application of chemicals like fertilizers or pesticides.
Discussion of Each Article
In the first article, the authors point out that there are cheap and more natural ways to curb the issue of heavy metal toxicity. The use of chelation therapy is cited as the most adopted technique but has various drawbacks, causing the need to explore more natural alternatives. Unlike in other documents that point the danger with metal toxicity, this article support use of supplements and antidote like Phyto antioxidants.
The second article informs that heavy metal toxicity is a severe issue, and based on the number of cases supported by other literature work like article number four, people need to be informed of a proactive approach to the health issue. Like in the last document by Hezbullah and co-authors, by creating awareness of various ways of heavy metal consumption is a strategic effort to approach the problem. Thus, the second article is effective in discussing toxicity but fails to point out interventions.
Based on the experiment reported by the author in the third article, advanced toxicity has enhanced knowledge about how people are exposed to toxic metals. Water is cited as the primary source of heavy metals, and since a human cannot survive without water, this article’s work can be compared to the first one concerning the intervention to the problem.
The fourth document is about how the central nervous system is affected by heavy metals poisoning. Although authors have failed to discuss, the article, like the other articles, discloses crucial information on health impact. Authors assert that avoiding heavy metal is impossible, but steps can be taken to understand the threat of mental health. When comparing this document with the first one, I suggested using natural antidotes as an intervention on the metal toxicity can be effective.
The last document discusses the problem of heavy metal poisoning as food security. With the advancement in various state, especially in the agricultural sector, this document posits that heavy metal toxicity is a sounding alarm and advise that countries should take policy measure concerning food safety to protect people.
References
Amadi, C. N., Offor, S. J., Frazzoli, C., & Orisakwe, O. E. (2019). Natural antidotes and management of metal toxicity. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 1-21.
Bathla, S., & Jain, T. (2016). Heavy metals toxicity. Int. J. Health Sci. Res, 6, 361-368.
Chouhan, B., Meena, P., & Poonar, N. (2016). Effect of heavy metal ions in water on human health. Int J Sci Eng Res, 4, 2015-7.
Gilani, S. R., Batool, M., Zaidi, A., Raza, S., Mahmood, Z., Bhatti, A. A., & Durrani, A. I. (2015). Central nervous system (CNS) toxicity caused by metal poisoning: Brain as a target organ. Pakistan Journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 28(4).
Hezbullah, M., Sultana, S., Chakraborty, S. R., & Patwary, M. I. (2016). Heavy metal contamination of food in a developing country like Bangladesh: An emerging threat to food safety. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences, 8(1), 1-5.