It has reached the point where babies are being born with toxins in their systems due to the toxic load passed on by their mothers. A 2004 study by the Environmental Working Group revealed that blood samples from newborns contained an average of 287 toxins including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides, and chemicals found in non-stick cookware, Dr. Joseph Mercola points out.

The threat of toxic metals is real. McDonald’s recalled some 12 million Shrek Forever After drinking glasses after dangerous levels of cadmium were found in the decorative paint.

Warning Signs of Metal Toxicity

Aside from cadmium, other metals like aluminum, arsenic, lead, and mercury can also accumulate in soft tissues of your body. Symptoms of acute metal toxicity include difficulty in breathing, convulsions and cramping, headaches, impaired cognitive, language and motor skills, nausea, sweating, and vomiting.

On the other hand, the indicators of toxic build-up due to chronic toxic metal exposure are much more subtle, largely because the symptoms are so “common,” such as:

• Aching joints
• Depression
• Digestive problems
• Fatigue
• Impaired ability to properly assimilate and use fats
• Impaired blood sugar regulation
• Problems with the female reproductive system such as infertility, menstrual difficulties, miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension and premature birth

Toxic metal exposure can also cause more serious conditions including abnormal heart rhythm, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, damage to blood vessels, and neurological diseases.

How You Can Reduce Your Toxic Metal Exposure

Dr. Mercola believes that you can greatly limit your exposure to toxic metals dramatically. Eliminate accumulated toxins and restore health by following these guidelines:

1. Use safe cookware made from ceramic, glass, cast iron, or enamel-coated cast iron. Don’t use aluminum and non-stick cookware, as both are known for their toxic dangers. Likewise, stainless steel can expose you to carcinogenic nickel.
2. Eat according to your Nutritional Type. Your body will use toxic metals as “stand-ins” if you are deficient in essential minerals. For example, calcium is replaced by lead; zinc is replaced by cadmium; magnesium is replaced by aluminum; and manganese is replaced by nickel.
3. Avoid eating out at restaurants as they are required to use stainless steel pots and vats.
4. Avoid stainless steel thermoses – glass-lined types are best.
5. Stop using cosmetics with aluminum bases, mineral powders that contain bismuth, and aluminum-laden antiperspirants. Aluminum has been shown to increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 300 percent, Dr. Mercola warns.
6. Avoid vaccinations that inject mercury or aluminum directly into your bloodstream.
7. Avoid dental amalgam fillings. If you have dental amalgam fillings, have them removed.
8. Avoid stainless steel orthodontics such as braces and palate wideners.
9. Avoid costume jewelry if you are sensitive to metals.
10. Quit smoking. Second hand smoke also causes cadmium poisoning.
11. When buying natural herbal remedies, make sure you get them from a reputable source with strict quality testing. Some colloidal silvers can lead to silver poisoning. Folk remedies can be high in arsenic, lead, and mercury–either due to alleged medicinal properties or through accidental contamination.
12. Avoid conventional household cleaning products.
13. Avoid conventional insecticides and herbicides.

Known for his successful practice of integrative medicine, Dietrich Klinghardt, MS, PhD sorts through the material and reveals some of the “toxic causes” leading to autism, which currently afflicts 1 out of 150 infants.

“Dr. Klinghardt helps make the picture become much clearer,” shares top natural health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola, who considers Klinghardt one of his primary mentors and a pioneer in natural medicine.

“One commonality among most people with autism is that their pathways of detoxification have become overwhelmed by both man-made and microbial toxins,” Dr. Mercola reveals, sharing some of Dr. Klinghardt’s recent findings on what possibly makes autism happen:

• Autoimmune disease
  A precondition that “should be looked into,” according to Dr. Klinghardt,  are a greater rate of autoimmune diseases – food allergies, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, to name a few – in parents of autistic children, especially mothers.
• Gene mutations
  “Children with autism tend to have more gene expressions that are inefficient for detoxification,” quotes Dr. Mercola from Dr. Klinghardt’s findings, adding that these “mutations” tend to be unpredictable.
• Lyme disease and chronic infections
  Extremely common in autistic children are chronic infections such as Lyme disease, which may even be causing the gene mutations. “Typically, the child gets the disease not from a tick bite but from their mother, who may be a silent carrier of the illness,” Dr. Mercola says, adding what Dr. Klinghardt discovered: 4 out of 5 children with autism who came to his office tested positive for Lyme disease. “Children with autism not only have overwhelmed detoxification pathways and often heavy metal toxicity, but, according to Dr. Klinghardt, they also have a silent, daily toxin production in their body caused by toxic microbes,” Dr. Mercola explains further.
• Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from cellphones
  When toxic microbes in your body are exposed to EMFs, says Dr. Mercola, they think they are being attacked. In turn, they produce more biotoxins to prolong their survival.
  Dr. Mercola quotes from Dr. Klinghardt that this increase in EMF exposure not only causes autism, but also “helps explain the avalanche of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.”

And don’t forget about mercury, adds Dr. Mercola, especially delving on vaccines as toxic, mercury-containing offenders.

“Carefully review the vaccination issue, including the conventional vaccination schedule. Know that in most U.S. states, you have the right to opt out of vaccines,” he says.

In the article of Tim O’Shea titled “Autism and Mercury” and excerpted from The Sanctity of Human Blood,  American children by age 2 are seen to have received 237 micrograms of mercury through vaccines alone. This “far exceeds” current EPA safe levels of 0.1 mcg/kg per day.

Thus Dr. Mercola pushes for a multi-faceted approach to treating autism, which includes the following:

1. Having informed choices on vaccines
2. Eating according to Nutritional Type
3. Avoiding pasteurized milk
4. Completely eliminating sugars, juice, soda, French fries and wheat from diet
5. Getting proper sun exposure
6. Addressing emotional stresses through tools such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

Nevertheless, it’s still relevant information. Among the chemicals tested, the CDC highlighted six of the most widespread and potentially dangerous substances, including:

1. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) – Commonly known as flame retardants, PBDEs are widely used to reduce the risk of fire in all sorts of goods, like electronics and upholstery. PBDEs accumulate in human fat, and some studies show they may be harmful to your kidneys, liver and neurological system. The states of California, Maine and Washington have restricted the use of certain PBDEs.
2. Bisphenol A (BPA) – Found in many plastics, the lining of cans and even in the coating of many sales receipts, it’s not surprising that this chemical was found in more than 90 percent of Americans tested. BPA can influence fetal growth in a way that increases the risk of breast cancer. But this is just one of the many and growing concerns about this chemical.
3. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other perfluorinated chemicals – These are used to create heat-resistant and non-stick coatings on cookware (Teflon), as well as grease-resistant food packaging and stain-resistant clothing. PFOA has been tagged as a likely carcinogen and studies have associated perfluorinated chemicals to infertility in women, and to liver, immune system, developmental and reproductive problems in lab animals.
4. Acrylamide – Cooking carbohydrates at high temperatures (French fries) and roasting of coffee produces acrylamide, which is also a byproduct of tobacco smoke. High-level exposure to acrylamide is believed to cause cancer and neurological problems in lab animals and workers, respectively.
5. Mercury – Contaminated fish continues to be the main source of mercury, a potent neurotoxin that can lead to permanent brain damage to fetuses and young children.
6. MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) – A gasoline additive no longer used in the U.S., MTBE is still present in the bodies of many Americans because it has contaminated many drinking water supplies. The health risks associated with MTBE are not well defined but studies have linked it to potential damage to the neurological and reproductive systems.

Dr. Mercola offers simple advice on how to avoid these offenders. Don’t sleep with the enemy. PBDEs could be lurking in your mattress. Since you can spend a lot of time in bed, look for for 100 percent wool, toxin-free mattresses, or those that use Kevlar instead of chemicals for fire-proofing.

Choose glass containers – this will help reduce your family’s exposure to BPA. Use only glass bottles and dishes. Store food and drinks in glass containers. Buy natural fabric toys instead of plastic. Don’t heat food or drinks in a plastic container or covered with plastic wrap. Avoid bottled water and make sure your plastic kitchenware is in good shape.

Avoid Teflon cookware and go for glass or ceramic cookware instead.

Say goodbye to fries and chips – these are two of the absolute worst foods you can put in your mouth or feed your family. Not only are they loaded with carcinogenic acrylamide, they also contain dangerous trans fats, the worst kind of fat you can consume.

Be careful with the fish you consume. The government says that about 75 percent of all human exposure to mercury comes from eating fish, 40 percent of which is attributed to contaminated Pacific tuna. There are a few safe alternatives like wild Alaskan red salmon. Eating smaller fish like anchovies or sardines, reduce the risk of contamination because of their small size. Avoid mercury-containing vaccines and dental fillings as well.

If you want to ensure that your baby gets the best possible start, living healthy should be one of your biggest priorities. Those nine months are crucial for your child’s bright future.

Here are Dr. Joseph Mercola’s simplest and most practical healthy pregnancy tips gathered from over three decades of experience in health care:

• Get healthy daily doses of omega-3 fats – Dr. Mercola believes that getting adequate levels of omega-3 fats are the single most important dietary influence on prenatal health. Omega-3 and its derivative, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), are critical to a child’s development. Deficiency of this essential fat can cause unexplained emotional, learning, and immune system disorders, and increases the risk of a child being born prematurely. Omega-3s also help mothers deal with depression during pregnancy.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels – Vitamin D has been shown to influence over 2,000 genes in your body. It is believed that about 85 percent of Americans are deficient of this important nutrient, and that getting enough vitamin D through healthy sun exposure can decrease your cancer risk by 50 percent.
• Get regular exercise – Unless your doctor has told you otherwise, exercise should be a part of your health routine while you’re pregnant. Studies show that exercise decreases the possibility of premature birth. Women who exercised at the same rate throughout their pregnancies were shown to have larger placentas than their more sedentary peers. The volume of the placenta is an indicator of its ability to transport oxygen and nutrients to your baby.
• Eat for vitality and health – “Eating for two” during pregnancy is a very misleading statement because obesity can wreak havoc on your health, cause complications throughout your pregnancy and affect your unborn child, Dr. Mercola warns. It’s important to your health and to your baby’s to keep your weight within reasonable parameters. Eat a well-balanced diet consisting of adequate protein, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables (preferably fresh and organic). Green leafy vegetables are rich in folic acid, which helps reduce the chance of your child being born with brain and spinal cord defects. Raw eggs are another important food for pregnancy because they are a rich source of protein, carotenoids and choline.
• Avoid vaccinations – You should avoid all vaccinations while you are pregnant, as well as having your baby get any shots after birth. Vaccines contain mercury, which, even in low concentrations, has been associated with impaired energy production, impaired brain cell function and increased free radical production in the brain.
• Remove your mercury amalgams – It would be best to remove your mercury amalgam “silver” fillings BEFORE you become pregnant, but if you’re already pregnant, it is probably best not to remove your fillings until after you deliver.
• Minimize your exposure to chemicals inside and outside your home – Studies show that pesticide exposure increases the risk of autism, reproductive abnormalities, childhood learning disabilities and miscarriages. Common household chemicals like aerosol, bleach, carpet cleaner, etc., can also harm you and your baby. Use only the safest cosmetics because over time, toxins in your personal care products can affect you and your child’s nervous and reproductive systems, and cause other health issues so it’s best to look for natural and organic products.
• Avoid exposure to phthalates and BPA – These two chemicals have been linked to birth defects, shortened pregnancy and for being “gender-benders” – substances which cause male humans and male animals to take on female characteristics. Phthalates are added to many products, including food containers, hair spray, insect repellent, moisturizers and nail polish while BPA is also used in food containers, baby bottles and soda can linings.
• Treat severe gum disease – Numerous studies reveal that pregnant women who suffer from gum disease are more likely to have premature birth. Animal studies also shown that periodontal infections impair fetal growth.
• Get enough sleep – Along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, sleep also plays an important role in your overall health. If you lack sleep, your baby’s wellbeing will also suffer.

A new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study, however, provides proof that mercury contamination through fish is indeed a cause for concern.

USGS scientists detected mercury contamination in every fish sampled in nearly 300 streams across the country, with more than 25 percent of the sampled fish found to contain mercury levels which exceed the accepted level established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Also, more than two-thirds of the samples exceeded the EPA level of concern for fish-eating mammals.
Mercury is a global pollutant associated with brain, central nervous system (CNS), immune, kidney, lung and psychological damage. It is especially dangerous to the CNS because it binds firmly to the structures in this system and has a half-life of between 15 to 30 years.

Mercury poisoning usually involves a disturbed sensation, impairment of the senses and lack of coordination. It has also been linked to extreme fatigue, fertility problems, memory and vision loss, impaired blood pressure regulation, and neuro-muscular dysfunction.

Babies and women of child-bearing age are the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of consuming mercury-contaminated fish. Mercury exposure can cause blindness, cerebral palsy, deafness and mental retardation to fetuses and infants. In low doses, mercury can still impair a child’s development, resulting to shortened attention span and learning disabilities.

A 2005 report from the Centers for Disease Control showed that one in 17 women of child-bearing age have mercury levels (above 5.8 micrograms per liter) that could harm a developing fetus.

Mercury finds its way into bodies of water through the water cycle. For the most part, mercury in the environment comes from coal-fired power plants. The smoke from the burning coals releases mercury into the air, which is transferred to water once it rains. Cement kilns and some types of mining also release mercury into the atmosphere.

Once it reaches the bodies of water, the inorganic mercury is transformed by bacteria to an organic form called methylmercury. This process is called methylation and it greatly increases the toxicity and bioaccumulation potential of mercury.

The larger the fish, the higher the levels of mercury they are likely to be contaminated with.  According to the National Resources Defense Council, the bodies of predatory fish such as large tuna, mackerel, sharks and swordfish can contain mercury levels that are 10,000 times higher than those of their surrounding environment!

Ideally, fish is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat and is an excellent source of omega-3 fats. But because the threat of mercury contamination is very real, you should be careful with the type of fish you’re consuming and serving your family. Dr. Mercola warns. Aside from the fish mentioned above, you should also avoid halibut, largemouth bass, marlin, pike, sea bass, walleye and white croaker, unless lab tests show that they come from a clean source.

The wild red salmon from the pristine waters of Alaska is one of the few remaining mercury-free choices in the U.S., and is the only fish Mercola eats. Smaller fish, like anchovies and sardines, are also an option because they are less likely to be contaminated.

Less fish consumption may lead to a deficiency of animal-based omega-3 fats but fortunately, this problem is easily remedied by taking safe fish oil or krill oil supplement.

If you can’t avoid eating fish, you can take a mercury chelator, like chlorella, to help minimize the risks. Dr. Mercola is currently working on a deal with the inventor of the newest mercury chelator, which is at least 100 times more effective than any existing ones, so the product can be made available next year. You can also visit GotMercury.org to use the online mercury calculator, which helps you make healthier seafood choices.