The Use of Binders to Help Detox from Mold and Heavy Metals
Learn how to use activated charcoal, chlorella, pectin, zeolite and more to help heal from the inside out once and for all.
I’m working with a client on dual-detox for mold and heavy metals.
As part of that protocol, I’m recommending binders - maybe you’ve heard of them.
Let’s get to know them a bit more as empowered and educated health warriors.
You know, things like activated charcoal and chlorella, bentonite clay, pectin, and zeolite.
These are so very helpful when we think about binding toxins, metals, mycotoxins, chemicals, etc that the body has been exposed to. Why?
Because they are highly ABSORBENT, soaking up their surroundings and pulling fluids together which help in formation of a bolus ready for excretion - essentially, binders soak up and absorb some of the things we’re trying to remove from the body with a targeted therapeutic. They also help by prompting the removal of biofilms in the gut as well as in an acute poisoning emergency, but I won’t go down those tertiary rabbit holes today.
We’ll stick to basic foundations of common binders for help with heavy metals and mold.
Think heavy metals like aluminum, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead, (and many others) as well as mycotoxins like the dozens of dangerous molds that can cause extreme health issues. It’s likely you’re most familiar with activated charcoal, which you can find at your local grocer supplement shelf. You may have also heard about pectin with reference to “fruit pectin.”
Let’s get to know each of these a bit more:
Pectin - Commercially produced pectin is a white-to-light-brown powder, produced from citrus fruits for use as an edible gelling agent, especially in jams and jellies, dessert fillings, medications, and sweets; and as a food stabilizer in fruit juices and milk drinks, and as a source of dietary fiber.
Zeolite - any of a large group of minerals consisting of hydrated aluminosilicates of sodium, potassium, calcium, and barium. Touted as the world’s best heavy metal detoxifier and a great choice for general detox. Imagine the combination of lava and water, solidifying molten lava by cooling with water.
I’m also a fan of Humic and Fulvic Acids and Shilajit if you’re familiar with these.
Chlorella - a common single-celled green alga of both terrestrial and aquatic habitats, frequently turning stagnant water an opaque green. Chlorella has uses as a food source because it is high in protein and other essential nutrients. Mass-production methods are now being used to cultivate it in large man-made circular ponds. It is commonly used as a superfood and can be found as an ingredient in certain smoothies and health products and supplements.
Bentonite Clay - Bentonite usually forms from the weathering of volcanic ash in seawater, or by hydrothermal circulation through the porosity of volcanic ash beds, which converts the volcanic glass present in the ash into clay minerals. People have been using calcium bentonite clay for centuries as a way to detoxify the body and to improve digestion, improve skin tone, and more.
Activated Charcoal - Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, is a form of carbon commonly used to filter contaminants from water and air, among many other uses. We see its use in both supplemental form for oral digestion and environmental use with high-quality home water and air filters.
Binders help us soak up those body burden toxins to help us poop them out like the body naturally wants to do with our created design for 1) Digestion, 2) Absorption, 3) Assimilation, 4) Elimination.
Binders help us ELIMINATE certain substances we have digested, absorbed, and improperly assimilated.
Your Neighbor’s RoundUp Weed Killer - and the pesticides sprayed at the nearest farm to where you live and work (yayyyy for glyphosate)
Your childhood vaccines packed with mercury and aluminum. (and those found within our scheduled vaccines for women and children today)
Heavy metals found in the ocean which can bioaccumulate in certain fish like tuna, swordfish, sushi, and others
Mycotoxins like the mold spores that have riddled your family with post-nasal-drip for years and left you desperate for answers to your chronic health
Lead paint that still exists in some homes today and was prevalent in the past use of paint for children’s toys - yummmmm
Heavy metals from whatever nearest metal refinery, smelters, coal-fired plants, gas stations, or industrial wastes you may be exposed to (factory workers are notoriously exposed to high levels of metals in the air they breathe)
The rice cereal puffs and formulas used for babies that has been laced with arsenic and cadmium in the past
The toxic chemicals found in everyday household products from aerosols, perfumes, BPA, PFOAS, fragrances, cosmetics, and more.
Shall I go on?
Let’s not….
Okay, so now that we know a little bit more about binders and why we might want to take them, you’ll likely be wondering 1) where can I buy some that I can trust and 2) when should I take them? I’ll get to share some of the products I use with clients below, but first..
When is the best time for us to take our binders?
Typical recommendations suggest at least 30-60 min apart from evening / bedtime supplements that someone might be using such as commonly employed magnesium mineral for sleep support. If you didn’t already know, your body is doing most of its cleaning, restoring, and repairing while you sleep, which means you're releasing toxins at a higher rate throughout the night, which means we need the proper mechanisms for healthy toxin accumulation for healthy release in that “early morning glory bowel movement.”
And if you have never heard of that before, you’re welcome. YES, ideally we would have a phenomenal stool release in the morning within the first hour or two after waking up which 1) tells us about the function of different organ systems in the body and 2) proper excretion of anything we were trying to push into blood and lymph overnight.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), every organ system in the body functions along a particular circadian clock. In TCM there is an organ body clock and within the hours of 11pm-3am specifically, the body is prioritizing cellular repair and restorative self-cleansing. This is the prime time for the liver and gallbladder to release bile and detox the blood, promote peristalsis, and preparing the digestive system for a release of those waste products during that ideal “early morning glory bowel movement.”
1-3am is the time of the Liver and a time when the body should be asleep. During this time, toxins are released from the body and fresh new blood is made.
So if you wake up at 3 AM, when Liver energy peaks, you may be suffering from Liver Qi stagnation, which could be related to an unhealthy diet, excess alcohol consumption, unresolved anger or high levels of stress.
Without the use of binders, your body is prone to “enterohepatic recirculation.” This happens when toxins are not “bound” for excretion through the bowels and instead go through continuous cycles of processing by your liver, reabsorption by your intestines, and then recirculation by your liver. This repeated process puts a massive amount of strain on your body as it works to detoxify itself. - Dr. Jill Carnahan
So tying all this together now, I have to comment on the potential “bound up emotions” that can reside inside us as well.
Unresolved anger, frustration, hostility, food and drink habits taxing the liver and more influences can all affect how feel psychologically, emotionally, and within the realms of the functioning of our internal medicine, our natural healing abilities. It is remarkably important to prioritize both sides of the one’s healing journey, both the physical and mental/emotional/spiritual.
Holding grudges from 3rd grade or festering on the frustrations of your day before you go to sleep will NOT help you heal and recover to feel at your absolute best. So, it’s likely you could take all the activated charcoal in the world to help with detoxing heavy metals and mold for instance…. but if we cannot dive deep into the metaphysical healings of past “T”raumas, broken relationships, or current microstressors, then we will never achieve the awakened vitality and full body-and-mind cleansing we hope for.
Additional Tools for Detox Support:
Sweat (infrared sauna, salt saunas, etc.)
Good, Clean Hydration
Glutathione
Glutathione is an antioxidant in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacteria and archaea. Glutathione is capable of preventing damage to important cellular components caused by sources such as reactive oxygen species, free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides, and heavy metals.Use of chelators like Cilantro, Kale, Oregano, Basil, Sage, Garlic, Ginger, and Lemon, Beets, Coffee, Fulvic and Humic acids, Shilajit, etc.
Final Thoughts
Binders play a key role in the optimal healing process for someone burdened by mold and heavy metals. They work by absorbing or soaking up some of the unwanted materials inside the body to prepare for healthy excretion. Binders play the role of pulling out body toxins within the 3 phases of “push-pull-poop” as we like to call. Some of the more common binders include activate charcoal, bentonite clay, chlorella, zeolite, and pectin.
As always, I would recommend working with a qualified health professional (as always) when exploring different plans, protocols, and selecting any array of supplementation that may be helpful for you.
As a holistic health professional working with clients 1-1, I do a deep dive into someone’s individual needs and assess dozens of details that I take into consideration when helping equip and empower their health journey.
If you’re suffering and you’re okay with your own suffering then that’s on you. If you’re thriving, then great! Share you story with others so we can learn. Comment below what’s worked so well for you.
Interested in looking for more 1-1 support for health and wellness coaching, holistic health hints and tips, supplement strategies and a whole lot more, schedule a relaxed chat with me to start taking your life in a healthier direction.
For example, when we’re talking about mold and heavy metal detox, here are some of the fam favorites:
Charcoal Plus Binder - purchase here (combined charcoal, zeolite, chlorella)
Metal-X-Synergy™ - purchase here (push+pull) to prepare for excretion
Liposomal Glutathione - purchase here (I personally use this regularly)
Complete Mineral Complex - purchase here (for replenishing nutrients)
All-in-one Detoxification Support Packets - purchase here
Collagen Complete - purchase here
If you follow the links above for the online shopping cart, use code “DETOX” at checkout to receive 16% off your purchase. [offer ends 07/01/2023]
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Binders help us soak up those body burden toxins to help us poop them out like the body naturally wants to do with our created design for 1) Digestion, 2) Absorption, 3) Assimilation, 4) Elimination.
Binders help us ELIMINATE certain substances we have digested, absorbed, and improperly assimilated.