Detox Binders: Zeolite
It’s no secret that the industrial introduced heavy metals into our lives. Not only in the products being produced, but by pollution into the air, water and soil. Heavy metal toxicity is a real concern in our lives although it can be difficult to detect symptoms because they could easily be symptoms of other common ailments. Stomach pain, fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety joint pain, mood disorders, loss of appetite, sleep disruption, poor complexion, lack of coordination, hearing and speech impairment, tingling in hands and feet.
We have a special needs daughter, who has long struggled with seizures. She takes three heavy hitter medications to keep those seizures at bay. For her entire life she has struggled with behavior, sleep and appetite issues. We’ve tried all the medications throughout the years and none of them ever did anything. I eventually did away with any medication that was not for seizure control thinking, this is who she is and her chromosome abnormality and nonverbal is to blame for the problems. But as I’ve been diving deeper and deeper into the holistic world, I’ve noticed that her ailments align with heavy metal toxicity. Luckily zeolite mixes into water tastelessly. I’ve been able to give her a glass of zeolite water every evening. It’s still early in the detox, so I will come back and edit this opinion when we’ve done it long enough for a proper review.
Angel is not the only one who has started on the detox journey. The whole house, even the dog has started drinking zeolite water. Here’s why:
What is Zeolite?
Zeolite is a rare natural mineral found where volcanic material meets alkaline water. The rare mineral is formed with a negative charge. Most of the elements on earth or positive charged. Fun fact: the reason we feel so relaxed at the oceanside is because the salt water is negative charge and helps to balance our hyper positive charged being.
How does it work?
Well, what does that mean? The negative charge attracts the positive charge like a magnet. As the zeolite is in your body, it has a special attraction for those positively charged heavy metals. The zeolite itself is shaped like honeycomb, so it attracts those metals and then absorbs them into the honeycomb structure. Your body then flushes the zeolite (via urine and sweat) along with the heavy metals they absorbed.
How do I incorporate it into my supplements?
Zeolite is readily available in two forms: liquid and powder. We chose to use the powder, but I’ll get into that further on.
First of all, if your product comes with dosage instructions, follow those instructions and not mine. If you purchase the powder in the link, there are no instructions so this is what we do
Do no let the powder come in contact with metal. Use a plastic, ceramic or wood spoon to measure and scoop. I have these wooden spoons in my apothecary, so I use them.
Mix approx 1 tsp of the powder into distilled water in a glass (glass only)
Drink your zeolite water an on empty stomach: 2 hours after eating. And wait to eat 30 minutes after drinking. (Different sources suggest to drink your zeolite water with meals. After ready dosage suggestions from several sources I decided that we would have at least one zeolite dose a day on an empty stomach)
Start with 1 tsp a day, eventually increase to 1 1/2 tsp and finally to 2 tsp. Do this slowly, there is not reason to rush your body acclimation.
Consider cycling your binders. For example, take zeolite every day for 3 months, then use chlorella or humic and fulvic acid for 3 months.
Domestic Pets
Your pets are drinking the same water you do, breathing the same air you do and most likely eating processed pet food. There has been a sharp influx of pets with cancer over the last several decades and I for one often wonder if they are affected by the environment the way we are. I went to several zeolite producers to websites and look specifically for pet safety. From what I’ve found, I would say that if you are going to do a heavy metal detox, you can definitely do one for your dog or cat. Put 1 tsp of powder in their water dish, refill with water as needed. Every three or four days wash the bowl and start with another tsp.
In the Chicken Coop
Are you using lime in your coop? If you are it’s probably because you are keeping pests away and helping to keep the odor down. Zeolite is a similar option. just keep in mind that breathing zeolite dust can cause respiratory problems, so if you do use it Sprinkle it on the coop floor with a healthy layer of bedding on top to keep it from floating the air.
Household uses
Zeolite can be used as a deodorizer and shows to be especially effective for pet messes. Sprinkle the powder on the mess and let it absorb the moisture. When it’s dry sweep or vacuum up. For stinky laundry, sprinkle powder in the washing machine between layers of clothing, wash like normal.
Correcting Garden Soil
If you have concerns of heavy metals in your garden areas, I would encourage you to have it tested to be sure. You don’t want to be growing your consumable veggies in contaminated soil. Avoid growing food near older structures that may have paint (even under several layers) that would have been lead based. If you want to error on the side of caution, then mix some zeolite with your compost when tilling and preparing your garden beds. Oregon State University offers a good resource for heavy metals in the garden area.
Reputable Resources
This study into heavy metals has really taken me all over the scientific community and unfortunately right up to locked doors that require access through chemistry companies or affiliation. There is a lot of interesting information out there but also a lot of vague information. I did find this journal submission to be incredibly interesting regarding zeolite or clinoptilolite
In agreement with the scientific evidence presented in the literature so far, it can be generally stated that clinoptilolite-based materials, including the so-called activated materials, may be regarded as safe for in vivo consumption. A variety of highly positive effects on animal and human health were documented thus far for clinoptilolite-based materials. Due to clinoptilolite’s remarkable ion-exchange and adsorption properties and consequent detoxifying effects, it has proven useful in the elimination of a variety of contaminants from the body or in amelioration of the intestinal status. An indirect systemic detoxification effect attributed to clinoptilolite-based material supplementation in the diet of both animals and humans was documented in other organs as well, e.g., liver. However, the observed positive systemic mechanisms are still not completely understood. We hypothesize that they may be at least partially attributed to the restoration of the human homeostasis due to local detoxification properties within the intestine, the release of dissolved silica forms from the clinoptilolite tuff that enter from the intestine into the blood -Kraljević Pavelić S, Simović Medica J, Gumbarević D, Filošević A, Pržulj N, Pavelić K. Critical Review on Zeolite Clinoptilolite Safety and Medical Applications in vivo. Front Pharmacol. 2018 Nov 27;9:1350. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01350. PMID: 30538633; PMCID: PMC6277462.
Of course I made a printable for your material medica (holistic healing journal). Just click on the picture below for the PDF version.
