Complete protocol for heavy metal detoxification (20 sources + protocol

A comprehensive and simple guide to heavy metal detox

Every single day we are exposed to substances that we cannot see. But that silently harm our health and our body, such as heavy metals, for example. Substances like arsenic, aluminium, mercury and cadmium. They are all around us : in the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and even in everyday products like some cookware, cosmetics and dental filling.

Those toxic elements don’t just pass through the body and leave no harm on us. As a matter of fact, they tend to accumulate in some of our organs, in our brain, our liver, our bones and can silently contribute to conditions like chronic fatigue, brain fog, liver issues and even play a key role in the etiology of some neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer, ALS. Some scientist like William Walsh Phd, pointed that heavy metals could even be a main factor in the emergence of autism in some children.

The problem is that the majority of people don’t even realize that they have been affected. Many people in this situation don’t know how to proceed and what to do when they face a potential intoxication. Unfortunately, the conventional medical community pays little to none attention to those issues. If you go to your medical doctor and ask about a protocol for heavy metal detoxification, he or she is likely to pause and then to stare at you with an interrogative glance. The use of EDTA and of other chelators is still regarded as quackery by the medical establishment, and very few MDs are willing to go into that route. This is a real problem is our current world.

In this article, you will learn about :

• what are the main forms and the most dangerous types of heavy metals

• Where they tend to hide in the body and to accumulate

• How To detoxify them safely with targeted nutrients (Vitamin C, NAC, selenium, etc).

• A deep-dive into the role of metallethionine, which are a class a protein in charge of heavy metal detoxification. Work of William Walsh.

• Detailed protocol of detoxification

First, we are going to try to learn about which are the most harmful types of heavy metals. We will not go into details but simply give a broad overview of their compositions and explain how they can impact some of the body’s organs.

As you can see, many of these heavy metals can be found in every day food and elements. The most concerning elements is likely to be cadmium and mercury. Mercury is particularly neurotoxic to people.

Now, we are going to describe where those metals tend to accumulate in the body. We will do an extended version with a focus on the liver. The thing is that heavy metals are not just floating aimlessly in the body and in the bloodstream. As a matter of fact, they tend to lodge themselves in some organs of the body, disrupting vital functions at the cellular level. Let's take a look. The diagram above can help you to understand the harm that those substances cause.

Mercury appears to be especially neurotoxic. It tends to accumulate in the brain, where it can interfere with neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin. This is the main cause behind some behavioral problems that are known to be caused by mercury accumulation within the body. It also settles in the kidneys and in the liver, two of the most important detox organs of the body.

Then you have lead, which tends to accumulate in the teeth and in the mouth. Some of the dentals fillings used by dentists during the late 20th century might be to blame for the epidemic of lead intoxication within the population. We highly encourage the reader to take a look at the work of Dr. Hal Huggins, a former dentist from Colorado Springs who pointed out this fact a long time ago. He specifically published a book about mercury : It's All in Your Head: The Link Between Mercury Amalgams and Illness (1993). I think that he talked a bit about lead, but I’m not really sure of this. The major problem with lead is that it can compete with calcium in some parts of the body, especially the bones. It can also accumulates in the brain, which can cause some strange and weird symptoms.

Cadmium is especially toxic to the pancreas, and cause a lot of pancreatic cancers. In my country, France, the medical authorities start to take cadmium as a real public enemy and issued several papers establishing the link between cadmium and the growing number of pancreatic cancer among young adults. They especially studied the composition of popular cereals that people (especially children) are exposed to, and found a striking correlation with cadmium concentration. However, as they noted, the problem is also rooted in the soils and cannot totally be handled by the food distribution system. A point of view I only partially adhere to.

This issue of heavy metals is still very poorly addressed by the medical world, and is rarely taught in schools.

This issue of heavy metals have been addressed by the alternative medical world and by some biochemist in the 20st century. It was described very early in the history of biochemistry and in the history of nutrition. I especially think about the book The Healing Factor : Vitamin C against diseases, published by Irwin Stone in the 1970s. Irwin Stone was a biochemist from California who put a patent on ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) as a food preservative and became financially independent because of that. He therefore dedicated his life to popularize this vitamin among the American public. His book The Healing Factor really goes into details about the role of vitamin C to protect the body against oxidative stress. The book includes a whole chapter on heavy metals and explains how ascorbic acid can help prevent and reverse the damage done by those exogenous toxins.

Linus Pauling got really interested in this subject and started to study this vitamin. His main idea was to promote the use of targeted antioxidants within the populations. Despite their efforts, this work has remained marginal within American medicine and is still largely ignored nowadays. We highly recommend the reader to consult this book.

The storage of heavy metals :

One of the most overlooked storage sites of heavy metals is the liver. As you know, the liver is one of the body’s most important detoxification hub. It processes many elements you want to excrete from your body : drugs, pesticides and all the exogenous toxins. However, when the liver becomes overloaded with toxins such as lead, mercury and cadmium, its ability to detoxify breaks down. This is why I included this large diagram.

The main problem with heavy metals is that they can interfere and deeply mess with some natural processes of the body. For example, they can bind to some enzymes, and directly impair some detox reactions. This phenomenon is extremely problematic as it can trigger an “artificial toxic overload” of the liver, making it impossible to excrete other toxins from the body.

They can also deplete glutathione directly, which is the main antioxidant of the body. This element is essential for your liver to detoxify. Over time, this toxic load can result in symptoms of chronic fatigue, brain fog and hormonal imbalances. All of those symptoms can appear without any obvious signs of liver disease which can very troublesome for people and even for doctors. This is why supporting the liver is especially essential in any efficacious detoxification program. In the next section, we are gonna look at exactly that.

The problem is that when people hear the word “detox”, they often think about extreme juicing or quick-fix cleansing that can be sold online by some “doctors”. But the thing is that true detoxification, especially when it comes to heavy metals, is not about depriving your body from nutrients but rather from supporting your body’s natural defense system with the right nutrients. Basically to give the body what it needs to heal properly over time.

The body has already some built-in mechanism to fight and to eliminate the toxins. The problem is that those systems are often overwhelmed or undernourished, especially in the presence of heavy metals. So take a look at the most effective nutrients for detoxification.

Which nutrients to use : from biochemistry to healing

Glutathione :

First of all, you have glutathione, often considered as being the “master antioxidant” of the body. Glutathione is chemically labelled as “GSH”. It is the body’s primary tool to neutralize and escort heavy metals out of the body. It works by chelating (biding) metals like mercury, arsenic and cadmium, preparing them for excretion via bile and urine.

The thing is that heavy metals themselves deplete glutathione, creating a sort of vicious cycle of oxidative stress and impaired detox. This is why boosting glutathione is essential to implement a detox. One should use NAC : N-acetyl-cysteine, which is the direct precursor of glutathione in the body. You also have Alpha-Lipoic-Acid, which helps to recycle the antioxidants of the body. Or you can use liposomal glutathione, which is particularly effective in detoxifying at the cellular level.

Selenium : a mineral with an affinity with mercury

Then you have selenium, a trace mineral and powerful antioxidant, which is especially good at neutralizing the toxins, especially when they originate from mercury intoxication. In fact, selenium can directly bind to mercury, forming a stable complex that reduces its toxicity. Selenium is one of the very few nutrients that can eventually be toxic when taken in large amounts, but anything between 100 to 300mcg is safe.

Selenium helps to regenerate glutathione via the enzyme glutathione peroxidase. Its top sources include Brazil nuts (just 1-2 per day), selenomethionine supplements and also wild caught sea-food.

Zinc is also a crucial element to take into account in your heavy metals detox program. It is often very overlooked in the process, yet it remains essential.

Zinc directly competes with toxic metals like cadmium and lead for cellular entry, and is able to directly block their absorption. More importantly, zinc is a critical co-factor for the formation of metallethionin proteins, which are the body’s most powerful proteins against heavy metals. Zinc also supports immune function and gut integrity - both crucial during detox.

An ideal daily intake ranges between 15-30mg, preferably balanced with copper if taken long-term.

Milk Thistle :

Last but not least, you have milk-thistle. It’s an herb that has been used for centuries as a liver tonic. It’s actually a very effective botanical that is sometimes used in the conventional medical settings, as it’s so good to increase the detox ability of the liver. Some studies have been done in the treatment of AUD (alcohol use disorder) and concluded to a relative efficacy of this nutraceutical.

Milk thistle also increases bile flow, which is essential for carrying toxins like mercury and cadmium out of the body through the digestive track. It can be taken as a tincture, capsule or even standardized extract - often in combination with other liver-supportive herbs.

In this part, we are going to talk about the work of William Walsh and the effect of heavy metals on the brain. He found out

In this last part, we are going to describe a comprehensive and complete protocol of detoxification, from test to total healing. The goal here is to implement a full and safe detox program, without overwhelming the body or causing side effects. That’s what everybody want to do. Detoxification should always been seen as a long process that can go on for weeks, if not months.

First step : tests

Before starting any detox program, it is essential to assess your toxic burden (the level of toxins that you have within your body). First you have to test. Using the hair analysis technique is good if a long time exposure is suspected. One can also test the intra-cellular glutathione and zinc test. However, it usually requires a muscle biopsy.

Second phase : mobilize the body - preparation phase

The goal of this step is to prepare the body and to support the main detox organs, such as the livers and the kidneys. One has to look for optimal hydration solution and make sure to drink at least 1.5 liter of water a day.

Example of protocol in the early phase :

Then we have the “mobilization phase”. The goal here is to mobilize the heavy metals and to directly excrete them from the body. We use both chelator agents (GSH) and nutrients that will help to flush out the heavy metals from the body.

There is a possibility to use liposomal glutathione, a very effective way to reach the cellular level right from the start. One can also use selenium if mercury is the heavy metal targeted.

Another indirect way to increase detox ability of the body is to promote methylation in a natural way, by using B6 and B9 (in the form of methyl-folate).

Laslty, there is the phase of drainage and elimination. The important element is here is to make sure one has sufficient bowel movements, in order to promote natural excretion of the toxins. It is also very important to do sufficient amount of exercise.

EDTA for Heavy Metal Detox – My Explanation

I often get asked about EDTA and how it works for heavy metal detox. So here’s a simple explanation. However, this techniques must not be used at home and cannot be done under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN)

EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) is a synthetic compound that binds to toxic metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. Once it binds to these metals, the body can eliminate them through urine. That’s what we call “chelation.”

Usually, EDTA is given through IV under medical supervision. There’s also an oral form, but it’s less effective because it doesn’t absorb well in the gut. EDTA is a very specific and unique substance, that has an extreme affinity for heavy metals in the body. By lowering the body’s metal burden, EDTA may reduce oxidative stress and help with symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, or even cardiovascular issues. The therapy is usually very effective.

But there’s a catch — EDTA doesn’t just remove toxic metals. It can also pull out good minerals like calcium, magnesium, and zinc. That’s why anyone doing this should monitor their minerals and supplement properly. Specialized clinics such as the Riordan Clinic do have an experience with this therapy.

EDTA is approved for lead poisoning, but many functional and integrative practitioners use it more broadly. As always, it's important to work with someone who knows what they’re doing.

MTHFR mutations and methylation : genetics traits preventing your body to detox properly.

Conclusion :

Heavy metal toxicity is an often-overlooked factor in chronic health conditions, including neurological, immune, and metabolic disorders. While our bodies have natural detoxification systems—primarily involving the liver, kidneys, and cellular antioxidants—these systems can become overwhelmed by excessive exposure to metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic. Effective detoxification requires a strategic approach: reducing exposure, supporting key nutrients like zinc, selenium, and glutathione, and, when appropriate, using chelating agents under medical supervision. As research continues to highlight the link between heavy metals and brain health, a personalized, science-based detoxification protocol can be a powerful tool for restoring balance and optimizing long-term well-being.

I would highly encourage the reader to continue on this subject by checking the work of people like Patrick Holford, Mark Hyman, and many others. There are a lot of clinics and resources out there that can help you to get better.

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