If you think it sounds alarming, you'd be right.
Losing your train of thought. Crumbling under the pain of achy muscles and joints. Searching for words and drawing blanks. Feeling drained an hour after getting out of bed. Forgetting almost everything if it's not written down.And that's not even the half of it.
In my case, it's mercury toxicity.
I've been detoxing for (what feels like so much longer than) two months now. I figured it's a good time to share my experience in case you or someone you know is going through something similar. Perspective is a great thing.Step 1: Wake up after a good 8-hour night's sleep.
Even though I feel like I pulled an all-nighter when I wake up, getting eight or more hours of z's is crucial to the healing process. It often seems like it's doing nothing when I get out of bed feeling achy, spent, and "foggy," but sleep is priority numero uno while detoxing.Step 2: Make fresh meals filled with chelating agents and selenium.
It's important that I make food from scratch three times a day. Time-consuming? Yes. Frustrating sometimes? Yes. Necessary for healing? You betcha!Each meal, I try to include selenium-rich produce like:
(source)
- Mushrooms (esp. shiitake and white button)
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Spinach
- Asparagus
- Brazil nuts
Unfortunately, other high-selenium options are fish, cheese, and animal meat. Those don't work for me as a vegan, and fishies are the most likely cause of my mercury poisoning in the first place.
On top of those things, I incorporate as much of the powerful chelating agent, cilantro, as possible. The days I eat the most cilantro are highly correlated with intense body aches and brain fog. I'm sure that means it's working, but it bites the big one.
Step 3: Take yo' vitamins!
I'm working with a great doctor right now who prescribed these vitamins and supplements to help eliminate mercury in my body.
- Betain Plus: 15 minutes before each meal
- Vital Trace Minerals: 2x's/day (with meals)
- Calcium Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite: 2x's/day (with meals)
- Methyl B12 Plus: 3x's/day (with meals)
- Vitality C: 1 scoop per day
Step 4: Reduce stress whenever and wherever possible.
It's surprisingly hard to do. Here are some things that have been helping me:
- Avoid driving, especially during rush hour traffic times.
- When I start feeling overwhelmed, meditate or take an 18-minute nap.
- Don't spend time with energy vampires (you know, those people who live to complain, dump their problems on you, etc.)
- Replace intense workouts with light to moderate exercise.
- Resist the urge to cram a million things into one day. Spread out errands and tasks and take it easy. (Productivity junkies can relate to how difficult this one is.)
- Skip caffeine and alcohol whenever possible.
- Read, journal, and write blog posts when stress starts creeping in.
Step 5: Apply castor oil packs.
To stimulate and improve liver function, my naturopathic doctor recommended I start doing a castor oil pack for 20+ minutes, 5 times a week. Although I haven't noticed any good or bad things happening, it's supposed to help with detoxification, so I'm remaining diligent about it.Step 6 (my personal favorite): Take daily Epsom salt baths.
Yasss. I never used to be a bath-taking gal, but I sure am now. I excitedly await nightly bath time each and every day because I feel immensely better afterward. The combination of Epsom salt, baking soda, and essential oils literally suck the symptoms right from my body. Relaxed mind. Pain-free body. Reduced food reactions. Clearer skin. It's divine. Here's my recipe:
- 2 handfuls Epsom salt (super scientific, I know; pretty sure that's about 1.5 cups)
- 1 handful baking soda (a little less than a cup)
- 6-8 drops of essential oils (I like lavender, geranium, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil)
Step 7: Get some lovin' from your sidekick therapy husky.
I can always count on Laska for a daily dose of cuteness and cuddles.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
And hope to feel better the next morning. And these are my days as of late...living the ol' mercury detox life.C'est la vie, I suppose. When life hands you lemons, say thank you because they're quite detoxifying.
