Are you overloaded with a toxic fire starter that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease? You’d be hard-pressed to find a doctor who hasn’t seen the studies linking yes, tap water with this disease.

But while the subject is often talked about behind closed doors, few doctors would ever come right out and say that our most common source of drinking water may be toxic to our brains. Instead, they’ll say publicly that we need more studies.

More studies? What more do you need to know? In fact, one study showed that drinking water that contains a high concentration of aluminum may increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 250 percent! And we already know that autopsies done on people who had Alzheimer’s actually show higher than normal levels of aluminum in their brains.

These are astonishing findings, and I find them hard to just sweep under the carpet, because aluminum isn’t just in your drinking water—it’s in antiperspirants, baking powder, and antacids to name a few places. No one can deny that aluminum is prevalent in our environment and is permeating our bodies. And the longer you live, the more chance you have of accumulating dangerously high levels of it—upping your risk for one of the scariest diseases you could ever be faced with.

Tips to Reduce Your Exposure to Aluminum:

· Drink filtered water. I recommend purchasing a reverse osmosis water filter for your home. Such filters do the best job of removing most contaminants from your drinking water (Otherwise, your body will filter them for you!) Another interesting product I use is the Wellness Filter, which not only removes contaminants, but also mineralizes the water and confers additional long term health support from dozens of valuable trace minerals. ( Visit www.WellnessFilter.com)

· Cook with aluminum-free cookware. There are many good brands to choose from. I actually use Revere Ware—which is not very fancy but is the same kind my mother used when I was a kid.

· Don’t use antiperspirants that contain aluminum. Period. There are many natural deodorants and antiperspirants.

· I like the products from Tom’s of Maine and Weleda, which are widely available.

· Avoid processed foods. Aluminum is added to items like baking powder, food coloring, and self-rising flour.

· Avoid eating anything wrapped in aluminum foil, especially those little snack cheeses!

· Eat cilantro, nature’s very own chelating agent. In order to help prevent the long-term build-up of heavy metals—and to lower your chances of getting Alzheimer’s—include it in your diet at least several times a month, ramping it up to daily use for two weeks at a time three to four times a year.

· For extra benefit, add some daily chlorella (a fresh-water algae and an excellent detoxifier.) Take 1,200 mg in three divided doses during the day when you are also eating cilantro.

Aluminum accumulates in the brain because it is able to cross the blood-brain barrier—which is no easy task. This barrier is formed by a tightly knit group of cells that are ordinarily able to prevent most molecules from moving through and into the brain. Unfortunately, aluminum is quite successful at crossing that barrier.

Once it’s nestled in, it promotes the formation of free radicals, which, in turn, causes oxidative stress. These free radicals wreak havoc on the delicate membranes that surround our brain cells, which is where the action is when it comes to healthy brain functioning.

Free radicals promote inflammation, and your brain is no less susceptible to this than any other organ. The ravaging effects that chronic inflammation has on tissues, nerves, and healthy brain function pave the way to Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, a brain with Alzheimer’s is essentially a brain on fire.

But the damage doesn’t stop there. When aluminum gets into your brain, it also promotes the formation and clumping of amyloid plaque, which is made up of a certain type of protein, called beta amyloid, we all have in our bodies. This plaque accumulates much faster in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients than in normally aging brains. Once there, it slowly damages brain cells, especially in the hippocampus, the area responsible for memory.

There’s also a much steeper decline (more than in normally aging brains) in acetylcholine—an important neurotransmitter for cholinergic neurons, which helps brain cells to communicate with one another and preserves memory function. It’s possible that aluminum may be linked to this decline, as it interferes with cholinergic activity.

Doctors and scientists continue to argue over whether aluminum is a true cause of Alzheimer’s disease or simply a toxic but innocent bystander. I expect the truth is as follows: This extremely sticky heavy metal has known disruptive effects on the human brain. It was not mined for human use until recently, so it is new to the human body. Aluminum doesn’t belong in your body, much less in your brain. Along with other factors, it plays a significant causal role in Alzheimer’s disease. Some scientists and doctors say, “Prove to me that aluminum is harmful.” I say, “No. You prove to me, given all we know, that aluminum isn’t harmful.”

When it comes to aluminum, you have to do one of two things depending on your situation: either avoid exposing yourself to it in the first place or get rid of it if it’s already in your system.

What to eat (or not to eat) to reduce aluminum intake

Inevitably, even if you follow all these precautions to a T, a little bit of the substance is going to enter your system. That’s why boosting your intake of foods rich in magnesium, zinc, and selenium is such a good idea.

Magnesium competes with aluminum for absorption, which means that your body is less likely to absorb so much of the latter. Some of the best food sources of magnesium are halibut, almonds, cashews, soybeans, and spinach.

Zinc and selenium are powerful because they protect against heavy metal poisoning in your tissues. The best sources of zinc include cooked oysters, red meat, beans, pumpkin seeds, and other nuts. Eating a handful of nuts per day gives you 15 mg of zinc. The richest source of selenium is the Brazil nut. As few as two per day will do the job—but don’t overdo it because eating a bowl of Brazil nuts could result in selenium toxicity. Other sources include wheat germ, beef, cod, turkey, and Swiss chard.

Levels of the mineral silica decrease with age in our bodies. It helps prevent the absorption of aluminum. Foods high in silica are mainly high fiber foods such as unrefined whole grains, string beans, turnips, cucumbers, nuts, seeds, and alfalfa sprouts. When you peel the skin of a fruit or vegetable, you reduce the amount of silica in that food. Organic foods properly washed with skins intact will supply the maximum amount of silica your body needs.

Include healthy foods with antioxidants and trace minerals in your diet. Stick with the following: unprocessed whole grains, lots of fruits and vegetables; healthy fats from olive oil, avocados, cold-water fish like salmon, herring, sardines, moderate amounts of dairy products, and meat from natural sources (without added hormones or antibiotics). Foods like these protect your brain, your heart, and your whole body. They also slow down the aging process.

Avoid packaged junk full of trans fats (usually labeled as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils). The body doesn’t know what to do with these lethal, man-made fats. They incorporate themselves into your cell membranes, including your brain cells, wrecking everything. Just say no!

Don’t forget supplements

After you take care of the basics through food, I recommend you try a combination of supplements. Though the list of all the beneficial ones that you could take would make a great memory test, I’ve simplified it by narrowing it down to the top seven key vitamins and some overall brain-support supplements. You should be able to find all of these at your grocery, health-food store, or vitamin shop.

My top recommendations are the following: