Psychiatric Disturbances:

• Antisocial behavior, social deficit, social withdrawal: Mercury
• Repetitive, stereotyped behaviors; OCD-typical behaviors: Mercury
• Depression, mood swings, flat affect; impaired facial recognition: Arsenic, Copper, Lead, Mercury
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder: Mercury, Lead
• Schizoid tendencies; hallucinations; delirium: Mercury
• Irritability, aggressive behaviors, temper tantrums: Lead, Mercury
• Suicidal Behaviors: Copper, Mercury
• Sleep difficulties / disturbances: Lead, Mercury, Thallium
• Chronic fatigue (CFS); weakness, malaise: Aluminum, Arsenic, Cadmium, Copper, Lead, Mercury, Thallium
• Anorexia; symptoms reflecting eating disorders, loss of appetite/weight:
  Arsenic, Lead, Mercury
• Anxiety; nervous tendencies: Thallium
• Attention problems (ADHD), lacks eye contact, impaired visual fixation: Lead, Mercury

Speech and Language Deficits:

• Speech disorders: Aluminum, Mercury
• Loss of speech, developmental problems with language: Mercury
• Speech comprehension deficits: Mercury
• Dysarthria; articulation problems; slurred speech, unintelligible speech: Mercury

Cognitive Impairments:

• Mental retardation, borderline intelligence: Arsenic, Lead, Mercury
• Uneven performance on IQ scores, low IQ scores: Copper, Lead
• Poor concentration, attention deficits (ADHD, response inhibition: Aluminum, Lead
• Poor memory (short term, verbal, and auditory): Aluminum, Lead
• Difficulties understanding abstract ideas; difficulty carrying out complex commands:
• X metals
• Dementia; pre-senile and senile dementia: Aluminum
• Stupor: Aluminum, Arsenic
• Impaired reaction time; lower performance on timed tests: Lead

 

Sensory Abnormalities:

• Abnormal Sensations in the mouth and extremities: Arsenic
• Hearing loss, difficulty hearing: Arsenic, Lead, Mercury
• Abnormal touch sensations; diminished touch sensations, aversion to touch: Arsenic
• Blurred vision; sensitivity to light: Arsenic, Mercury

 

Motor Disorders:

• Choreiform movements, myoclonal jerks, unusual postures: Copper, Mercury
• Difficulty walking, swallowing, talking: Copper, Mercury
• Flapping, circling, rocking, toe walking: Mercury
• Problems with intentional movements or imitation: Mercury
• Abnormal, gait/posture; incoordination, loss of balance; problems sitting, lying, crawling and walking: Mercury
• Decreased locomotor activity: Aluminum, Arsenic
• Convulsion; seizure: Aluminum, Arsenic, Copper, Lead, Mercury, Thallium

 

Physiological Impairment, Brain and Central Nervous System:

• Neurofibrillary tangles: Aluminum
• Neuritis, retrobulbar neuritis; neuropathy: Aluminum, Arsenic, Lead, Thallium
• Encephalopathy: Aluminum, Arsenic, Lead, Thallium
• Cerebrovascular disease: X metals
• Alterations in nerve conduction velocity: Lead
• Alterations in the spinal cord: Thallium
• Accumulates in CNS structures: Aluminum, Mercury
• Abnormal EEGs: Arsenic, Lead
• Autonomic disturbances: Copper, Lead, Mercury, Thallium

 

Peripheral Nervous System:

• Peripheral neuropathy: Arsenic, Mercury
• Alterations in peripheral nerves: Arsenic
• Loss of feeling/ numbness in the extremities; paresthesia: Arsenic, Mercury, Thallium

 

Gastrointestinal Tract:

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; loss of appetite: Arsenic, Mercury
• Abdominal pain, stomach cramps; burning of the throat of the mouth: Arsenic, Copper, Lead, Mercury, Thallium
• Esophagitis; gastroenteritis; colitis: Arsenic, Mercury, Thallium
• Cancers (colon, pancreatic, stomach, or rectal): Arsenic

 

Renal and Hepatic Impairment:

• Hepatotoxicity; Liver dysfunction, damage: Arsenic, Copper, Thallium
• Cirrhosis of the liver; hepatitis: Copper
• Kidney disease; kidney failure: Arsenic, Lead, Mercury
• Renal toxicity; tubular proteinosis: Arsenic, Copper, Lead
• Kidney Damage, histological alterations: Arsenic, Lead

 

Cardiovascular System:

• Blood vessel damage: Arsenic
• Anemia; decreased red blood cell count: Arsenic, Copper
• Hypertension; increased heart rate (tachycardia): Arsenic, Copper, Lead, Thallium
• Electrocardiac disorders, Peripheral vascular disease; cardiovascular disease, vascular collapse: Arsenic, Lead

 

Respiratory System:

• Pulmonary Fibrosis: Aluminum, Arsenic
• Pulmonary edema: X metals
• Pneumonia, laryngitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis: Aluminum, Arsenic, Mercury
• Restrictive airway disorders, asthmatic conditions, pneumoconiosis: Arsenic, Aluminum
• Nasal ulcers, perforation of the nasal septum: X metals

 

Immune System:

• Increased incidences of asthma, autoimmune-like symptoms, & allergies: X metals
• Inhibition of lymphocytes, T-cells, monocytes X metals
• Immunosuppression: Lead
• Decreased white blood cell count: Arsenic, Thallium

 

Reproductive System:

• Genital abnormalities: Aluminum, Thallium
• Disturbances in menstrual cycle; menstrual pains: Copper, Mercury
• Birth defects; premature births; Spontaneous abortion: Arsenic, Lead, Mercury
• Reproductive dysfunction: Arsenic, Aluminum

 

Other Physical Disturbances:

• Hypotonia or hypertonia; decreased muscular strength: X metal
• Rashes, contact dermatitis; eczema, itchy/irritating skin: Aluminum, Arsenic, Copper, Mercury
• Muscle pain; headache; acrodynia; colic: Arsenic, Copper, Lead, Thallium
• Alopecia (hair loss) - Thallium

Reference: Published in the August issue of Alternative & Complimentary Therapies (a magazine for doctors) and Published in Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients.