Why Heavy Metals Take The Place Of Depleted Minerals
As our bodies have become minerally depleted over time, toxins have become viable and life-saving replacement parts through evolutionary adaptations.
Our body’s intelligence shines through, as it has learned to adapt to toxic metals in a biological system.
As a result, heavy metals have become the pinch hitters for the body’s minerals by performing a percentage of the minerals’ functions when they have been displaced.
The toxic metals trying to enter the interior of the cells have been placed on the no-fly list, either to be ejected out or never to be allowed inside the cell to begin with.
The cells become compromised when similar pairs of metals from the same column on the table are identical enough to the original part.
There may be similarities in size, binding capacity, and valance that allow these metals access to the cell but just different enough to wreak havoc.
This is where cadmium and zinc are caught in a biological crossfire.
Cadmium sits directly under Zinc, making Cd a bit heavier and larger but a lot more toxic.
In fact, Cadmium is so similar to Zn that it is often an impurity substituted into a zinc ore.
Cadmium can fit perfectly into the parking space (enzyme binding site) of what was originally Zinc’s parking spot.
However, Cd can only achieve roughly 20-30% of what Zinc can.
When Cd does stick to the binding site and imitates Zn’s chemistry, it has changed from toxic to useful; thus, reflecting a biological adaptation for the greater good of survival.
For example, one of the oldest zinc enzymes is carbonic anhydrase that adds an extra oxygen onto CO2.
This makes it more dissolvable in water in order to turn carbon dioxide, a greater acid, into a lesser acid called carbonic acid.
Once carbonic acid is formed, the body can safely evict it out through the lungs and/or kidneys.
Similarly, Zinc will hold water still, so its oxygen can be added to CO2.
Funny how Cd can do the exact same thing by using its binding stickiness to get the job done when Zn is deficient or displaced.
So yes, removing carbon dioxide is a must for our survival, and yes, Cadmium can do that job successfully in this case.
But what about the other 200 enzymatic functions of Zinc that Cd cannot do?
This is why we must come in with the preferred minerals before we start aggressively chelating heavy metals out of the system.
If we do not get the Zn up to speed when we are aggressively removing Cadmium or other heavy metals, we will crash and burn.
This is why caution should always be emphasized on a detoxification program.
And if you decide to embark on a mineral balancing journey, always work with a trained eye so that you are safely eliminating toxins and can be told when and how to adjust your program.