Most people do not know that lead is very similar to calcium chemically. When the body burden of lead becomes more than the liver and kidneys can eliminate, the body begins to store the lead that it cannot eliminate through the urine feces and sweat. Because of the similar structure of lead and calcium the body stores lead in the bone.
As women come into perimenopause the metabolic requirement for calcium rises. As the media has explained women need to increase calcium intake during these years so that bone loss does not lead to weak bones that break easily. What the media does not explain is that bone loss and remineralization are happening all the time no matter what. Calcium is needed for muscle contraction and many other basic processes. Bone is constantly broken down and re-deposited, it just occurs more frequently during the perimenopausal and post-menopausal years. If you have lead stored in your bones you may be re-circulating lead rather than calcium. This tells the body to break down even more bone to get the levels of calcium needed for proper metabolic function.
If you have had lead exposure in the past from living in a house built before 1970, or sitting in traffic prior to reduction of lead in gasoline, or lived in a house that is within 5 miles of a major highway, or drinking out of lead crystal or ceramic, etc. you may be experiencing symptoms of lead intolerance as your bone demineralizes. These symptoms include many menopausal symptoms such as; depression, anemia, hearing loss, joint pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, menstrual irregularities, muscle weakness, cramps, fatigue, irritability, nervousness, headaches, loss of libido, decreased thyroid function, and anxiety.
Let’s say that your bone is like the bank – lead is counterfeit money and calcium is real money. Let’s say you have $100 in the bank and 10% of your money is counterfeit. If you want to buy a meal for $10 then you need to get $11 out of the bank to buy your $10 meal because the grocery store will not take counterfeit money. You should also pull out a bit extra to pay for your release from jail if you accidentally use the counterfeit money. In the same way- your body needs a certain amount of calcium to walk up the stairs. If 10% of what is pulled out of your bone is lead then you will have to take out even more calcium to get what you need to get upstairs plus even more calcium to help repair the damage (jail) that the lead has caused while it was re-circulating through your system.
Chelation (pronounced : KEY-LAY-SHUN) is a treatment that binds heavy metals in the body. Once these metals are bound they are not easily recycled into the system. They can then be eliminated in the urine, sweat and feces. As these metals are eliminated highly absorbable calcium can be introduced to increase bone deposition. Recommended reading to learn more about Chelation – Forty Something Forever; A Consumer’s Guide to Chelation Therapy By Harold and Arline Brecher
Dr. Michele Raithel NMD