Wellness Junkie

This week, I finished my 10th round of the heavy metal chelation therapy that I started this past spring.  I’m planning to re-test next week and see if I need to do more but in this space where I’m celebrating making it through and hopeful about what’s next, I wanted to jot down some insights.   To re-cap, last spring I tested high for lead and mercury and then embarked on my heavy metal chelation journey.

Briefly, I’ll go over a couple of definitions.  Chelation Therapy is the administration of chelation agents to remove heavy metals from the body. Chelation therapy has a long history of use in clinical toxicology. Poison centers around the world are using this form of metal detoxification.  A “round” for my protocol was 5 days of taking the chelation drug DMSA and then 9 days of taking supplements to build my body back up.  Unfortunately, when the chelation medicine pulls out metals such as lead and mercury, they are also pulling out good things that we need like calcium and magnesium.  So you need to adjust after each treatment and replenish. So, a round = 14 days.  10 rounds = 5+ months.  Doctors tailor the protocol to meet your needs and I would definitely recommend doing chelation therapy under the supervision of a qualified doctor.

While I do not have my re-test results yet, I do think I’ve learned a few things that have helped me and my family get through this process and I wanted to share with you.  I think you may find these insights helpful whether you’re going through chelation or some other sort of detox or cleansing regimen.

• #1 Detoxifying is HARD WORK and needs nearly your FULL ATTENTION:  I’m not sure how anybody goes through an intense detox like chelation while working full-time or while trying to go about life as usual.  I feel very blessed to be able to focus on the chelation process and work just part-time.  While you may have good, energetic days especially during the supplementation process, you will likely need a nap every day.  At least I have.
• #2 Detoxifying is HARD WORK:  No, that’s not a misprint.  It deserves repeating.  Try to really listen to your body during the chelation or detox process and give in to what your body needs which will most likely and most often be rest.  Quiet that inner critic that bases  your worth on how many boxes got checked off your list and instead focus on the big important task:  taking care of yourself.  There’s no guilt in that.
• #3 Go the extra mile or two:  Chelation therapy is expensive in terms of dollars, time and toll on your body and family.  With that said, you want to stack your deck for success by doing everything that your doctor recommends.  My doctor recommended colon therapy (colonics) after each round and a magnesium and b-vitamin injection also after each round.  I believe these two things cost roughly an extra $80 each round.  Again, it’s not cheap — but I’m banking on the hope that I don’t have to do much more of this.  Now back to the ick factor.  Google colon therapy and you’ll get the idea of what’s involved.  But it makes sense; you want to rid your body of both the toxic medicine and the toxins moving about your system.  I will say that yes, it’s uncomfortable, but the benefits to your digestive health far outweigh the ick factor.  More on this in a future post.  The injections are painful but the energy boost you enjoy afterwards eclipses the pain.
• #4 Be choosy and  mindful about what you eat:  A couple of things happen when you’re going through chelation.  You’re exhausted on the days that you’re chelating and playing catch-up on the days that you’re not.  But somewhere in the process, if you haven’t already done this, you begin to change WHAT YOU PUT INTO YOUR BODY.  I was already eating fairly healthy, but during this process, we moved even more in the direction of a clean, whole foods and mostly plant-based diet.  I’m not saying that that’s a must — but the more you directly feel the impact of what you eat and how you feel…those subtle changes will happen.  It gets back to the point that you’re doing all of this work to feel better and enjoy better health, you might as well ride that momentum train forward…why not?  You’ll only feel better.
• #5 Adjust your expectation for activity & exercise:  I did a lot of gentle yoga, hanging on my inversion table and short spurts of cardio and strength training exercises in my living room.  Only now that I’m wrapping up round 10, am I visiting the gym more frequently.  Remember, your body is going through the equivalent of a 80 hour work week on the inside, trying to rid itself of the toxins stored over years.  Give yourself a break, already.
• #6  Keep a journal:  I know it may sound cliche, but write down how you’re feeling throughout the process.  Whenever your body goes through a detoxification, it’s not just the physical stuff that’s being cleansed.  You’ll notice emotions, old hurts, regrets, disappointments come up throughout this process.  Write them out and think through why you’re feeling this and how you can move through that emotion and not get stuck there.  In yoga class, I encourage students to acknowledge the emotions that come up – positive and negative ones – and release them.  Lastly, journal on the good days too.  Document how you had tons of energy today and enjoyed a long chat with a friend or a neighborhood walk with the dog.  Write down those small victories so that you can re-read them when it’s a rougher day.