Cadmium
Cadmium is a trace metal that is very toxic to humans, and the hair analysis provides an excellent indication of body burden. Cadmium is so toxic to the human body, it has no metabolic function in the body at all. Like lead, cadmium accumulates inside the body, and replaces the body’s stores of zinc in the liver and kidneys.
Cigarette smokers usually have high levels of cadmium in their body tissues, but cadmium also affects those with hypertension, atherosclerosis, lung issues, anemia, and back pain. Cadmium also affects the kidneys, lungs, testes, bones, and urinary tract.
Below is a list of some common sources of cadmium:
* Dental alloys
* Batteries
* Cadmium vapor lamps
* Candy
* Ceramics
* Cereals, refined
* Cigarette smoke
* Cisterns
* Coffee and tea
* Colas
* Copper refineries
* Hair treatments
* Electroplating
* Fertilizers, phosphate
* Fungicides
* Grains, refined
* Incineration of tires, rubber, plastics
* Iron roofs
* Kidney
* Marijuana
* Marine hardware
* Milk, evaporated
* Oil, motor
* Oysters
* Paint pigments
* Pesticides
* Pipes, galvanized
* Plastics, polyvinyl
* Processed foods
* Rubber carpet backing
* Rust-proofing
* Silver polish
* Solders
* Tools
* Vending machine soft drinks
* Water, city, softened, and well
* Welding material
Elevated levels of cadmium create the following symptoms:
* Hypertension or high blood pressure
* Dulled sense of smell
* Anemia
* Joint soreness
* Hair loss
* Dry scaly skin
* Loss of appetite
* Decreased production of T-cells and, therefore, a weakened immune system
* Kidney disease and liver damage
* Emphysema
* Cancer
* Shortened lifespan
“Cadmium was once an unusual metal found in human tissues, but with the increase in cigarette and marijuana use among younger and younger people in modern society, cadmium is now more prolifically found in human hair samples than ever before.”
– Dr. Janet Starr Hull, PhD., CN