Heavy Metal Management. Beyond Metabolism

The term heavy metal metabolism is generally used for discussing the body's handling of heavy metals. The more appropriate term is heavy metal management, which goes beyond heavy metal metabolism, because the most critical part with heavy metals is removal, Metabolism conveys the circumstance that the heavy metal is processed by the body in a fashion to diminish its toxic effect, usually through an enzymatic process. Often times though with heavy metals, and ofcourse although I generally focus on Gd, it applies to all heavy metals, removal is the most important thing,

A major form of handling heavy metals is not to process it enzymatically, but for the body to store it in such a fashion to minimize its toxic effect > hence management is the more all encompassing and correct view of what is taking place.

So with Gd from a GBCA we expect our body to engage in Gadolinium Management. Much of that management involves storage of Gd in such a fashion to minimize its potential harmful effects. That is why, in all of us who have received a GBCA injection, our immune system has managed a fair amount of what has been left behind by corralling it in storage reservoirs that should have the least impact on the survival of the host: skin and bones.

Richard Semelka, MD