William J. Walsh Pfeiffer Treatment Center 1. Introduction Several dozen metallic elements have an important influence on human biochemistry and brain chemistry. The most important nutrient metals include zinc, copper, calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium, lithium, cobalt, manganese, and phosphorus and the electrolytes sodium and potassium. In addition, toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury can disrupt brain chemistry and human functioning.
Serious problems can result if abnormal levels of any of the above metals are present.
The body has several mechanisms which regulate and control these metal concentrations and cope with fluctuations in dietary intake. For example, proper calcium levels are critically important for heart functioning, skeletal structure, and the calcium energy pump. Divalent metals such as copper, zinc, and manganese would be very toxic to cells in elemental or ionic form. The various metals in the body compete with each other for participation in chemical reactions and can displace each other depending on local concentration and their relative position in the chemical activity series. Thus, an overload or deficiency of one metal can alter the concentration and functioning of other metals.