Subject: Metals in Our Bodies

Mercury Metal Madness ~ It's Effect On Our Bodies

In our society, we are burdened with many toxins. Heavy metals are one of the important categories of these toxins, which we find in our environment. One of the worst heavy metals and most deadly of these pollutants is mercury. Whatever the concentration of mercury is in your body, it is toxic.

It can be absorbed by ingestion of inorganic mercury salts or by inhalation of metallic mercury vapor. Mercury is generally mined from the bowels of the earth and dispersed on the surface through its many industrial uses as well as by fish, birds, and mammals.

It poisons the body by blocking metabolic pathways and damages our cells. It is deposited in our tissues where, if not removed, may remain for a lifetime. While mercury is found in most tissues and organs, it has a larger predisposition to certain tissues including the nervous system.

Sources that impact humans are multiple. Metallic mercury is used in dental amalgam fillings, thermometers, electrical switching, gauges, and pumps. Elemental mercury can be ingested from consuming the mercury particles from these sources as well as contaminated fish or fungicides used on seeds and fruits.

Some dental amalgams contain as high as 50% mercury. When we bite down with great pressure, we squeeze mercury vapor from our amalgams. The vapor is highly absorbable through our tissues and consequently very toxic. Metallic mercury vapor easily crosses the blood-brain barrier - that protective shield which guards the brain from injury from toxic agents.

We also breathe in mercury vapors from our atmosphere, which is frequently polluted with industrial wastes.

The food chain mechanism explains the large amount of mercury in the flesh of fish. Industrial pollution has contaminated our bodies of water (lakes, rivers, streams, and oceans). This mercury is consumed by small fish, which are then eaten by larger fish until ultimately that fish is loaded with the mercury. It may roam the waters for years, accumulating more mercury in its tissues for as long as 10 to 30 years before it is consumed by a human.

There are two forms of poisoning, acute and chronic. While the acute aspect is very serious, necessitating immediate medical action, it is more rare. What is primarily seen in our society is chronic mercury poisoning, sometimes the result of years of mercury accumulation in our bodies.

The chronic effects of mercury vary from neurological system damage to organ damage as well as sensorial, emotional and psychological systems. Some of the most common symptoms include: inability to concentrate, short-term and long-term memory loss, depression, irritability, attention deficit, headaches, numbness of extremities, vision, hearing, taste, loss of smell, abdominal cramps, chest pain, allergies, irregular breathing, anorexia, fatigue, loss of appetite, dizziness, ringing of the ears, tremors, and convulsions just to name a portion of the conditions.

In some instances certain diseases are said to be linked to mercury poisoning. These include multiple sclerosis, ADHD, Alzheimer's disease, and/or senile dementia.

History reveals several examples of mercury poisoning. Miners working in a mercury mine in Phoenix were said to behave in a dreamy manner. Obviously, the mercury vapors, which they were inhaling daily, severely depressed their central nervous system. Even revisiting a famous fairytale "Alice in Wonderland" is provocative. During her travels, Alice encountered an individual who was described as "mad as a hatter." This came from the fact that years ago hat makers used to block top hats by rubbing mercury on the felt in order to stiffen it. They became psychotic due to repeated mercury exposure.

I must point out here that I have found the level of sensitivity to mercury varies greatly from person to person. I have treated patients who have had significant exposure to mercury and show little signs of toxicity, while others have serious medical problems including the necessity for admission to a hospital from very small exposure. However, I believe that if you continue to accumulate mercury in your tissues, it will eventually catch up with you. It is important to note that certain organs or glands are prone to selectively absorb mercury. An example of this is the thyroid gland, which usually becomes dysfunctional.

We can determine the presence of mercury in the body by evaluating the urine. The body eliminates only 1% of your body's mercury load daily, which means that unless you remove mercury by therapeutic means, you will undoubtedly be unable to keep abreast of your accidental intake and continue to accumulate greater amounts of mercury.

Other than your urinary system, there are other elimination mechanisms that the body has. Mercury and other toxins may be eliminated from your bowels, through the lungs and through the largest organ in the body, your skin, by the function of perspiration.

So knowing all these facts, how can we accelerate the elimination of mercury from our bodies and free ourselves from mercury poisoning? First of all, we must reduce our risk by avoiding the contamination of mercury.

Never allow mercury/silver amalgams to be placed in your teeth. And if you already have these fillings, have them removed. Replace them with a non-metallic composite material. If they are properly bonded with a laser, they could be stronger than the original tooth.

Reduce your intake of fish, particularly inland freshwater, coastal and bottom feeders. Choose fish that historically contain lower levels of mercury, such as cod, mackerel, sardines, halibut, and red fish.

Avoid using mercury thermometers and certain medications that contain mercury, such as Mercurochrome and vaccinations with added themerosal as a preservative.

For high levels of mercury, there are drugs that remove it from the body. For intravenous or intramuscular drugs, there are Dimercaprol, DMPS (2.3 - Dimercapto - 1 - Propananesulfonic Acid) and EDTA chelation.

For those of you who are serious about eliminating mercury from your body, first have your silver/mercury-amalgam fillings removed. Seek out a dentist who is aware and educated as to the caution and importance of safely removing mercury from your teeth. If your dentist balks and makes excuses, it is probably because he is still placing mercury fillings in his patients' mouths. Then, you must seek a more enlightened dentist. I would certainly recommend this before beginning a powerful intravenous removal of the mercury from your tissues.

For those who wish rapid removal of mercury by chelation, the latest procedure is the administration of calcium EDTA, which removes large amounts of mercury as well as cadmium, nickel and lead from your body. Unlike Edetate calcium disodium EDTA, calcium EDTA easily removes mercury. When recommending this procedure to patients, I have found a resistance of some physicians to administer this product. I am pleased to state, however, that after giving an in-service to the physicians and staff at Young Life Clinic, they are administering this product with good results. They are finding significant amounts of mercury discharged and excreted in the patients' urine.

A good oral drug is DMSA, which accelerates elimination of mercury from the brain, liver, and kidneys. Its commercial names are Chemet and Succimer.

Chlorophyll & cilantro liquids not only absorbs the mercury lodged in your intestinal lining, but also crosses the blood-brain barrier and removes mercury from your brain.

I also recommend thiamin (B1). Mercury causes a rapid turnover of thiamin. Also magnesium, zinc, calcium, and selenium are essential for mercury poisoning. One of the most protective products for our body is Glutathione. Take this daily with plenty of Vitamins C and E.

Foods that are protective and nourishing that prevent or repair mercury toxicity are garlic, cilantro, eggs, seeds, nuts, and avocados. Remember that drinking plenty of fluids, particularly pure water, assists in the elimination of all toxins from your body.

I would also recommend the use of a Health MateTM, a far-infrared sauna, in order to accelerate the elimination of mercury and other toxins from the body by way of perspiration.

Let's all be more aware of the hazards of mercury so we are able to assist our families and friends to have better health.

Resources: Mercury Detoxification by Mitchell A. Fleisher, M.D., Townsend Letter, May 2001.

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