Dr. McGuire is president of the Dental Wellness Institute, founder of the International Association of Mercury Free Dentists (IAMFD) (source)
We have been told for years that mercury in “small amounts” doesn’t pose a risk. That amalgam fillings aren’t harmful or that fish with high mercury levels is “ok to consume”. However, compelling evidence demonstrates that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
You should check for mercury poisoning if you suspect your symptoms are associated with it, and if any of the following apply:
You eat large fish deemed to be loaded with mercury such as orange roughy, shark, swordfish and even yellowfin tuna. (Source EWG)
You have been exposed to liquid mercury at work, in war or in a lab.
You still have amalgam fillings
If you answer yes to at least two of these statements this article will shed some light.
Why Is Mercury So Dangerous?
Mercury is very strongly attracted to the following four amino acids:cysteine, cystine, methionine and taurine. By binding with them, it forms toxic compounds (mercaptides), and depletes the availability of these four amino acids for building protein, and for other essential metabolic functions.
Mercury can also interfere with the base groups out of which our DNA is formed, with cellular membrane transport systems, and even with the placenta through its “grabbing” effects on sulfhydryls.
Mercury disrupts the absorption and distribution of many key nutrients including calcium, zinc, trace minerals selenium, and rubidium, plus Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Disruption of these pathways can cause severe psychiatric symptoms as well as debilitation of the immune response. [1]
Mercury is the most poisonous, non-radioactive, naturally occurring substance on our planet. There is no safe level of mercury because even one atom of it in your body is doing some harm to it.
There is no debate about the toxicity of mercury and every knowledgeable scientist and health professional understands how poisonous mercury is. Yet even today the American Dental Association (ADA) and pro-amalgam dentists who support its insane, logic-defying position, continue to say that the mercury released from these fillings is not a health hazard. [1]
The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that there is no safe level of mercury. That means that no amount of mercury is safe, not even one atom. Even if enough mercury hasn’t accumulated to manifest a symptom directly or indirectly related to chronic mercury poisoning, it doesn’t mean you are not being poisoned by it. The straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back wasn’t the last straw, it was the sum total of the weight of all of the straws.
The fact is that mercury can directly or indirectly cause, contribute to, or make worse every health issue we will ever deal with.
Chronic mercury poisoning from amalgam fillings takes time to accumulate and express a related symptom. Because mercury is found in every cell of the body, and there are trillions of cells, it may take years for enough mercury to accumulate for a symptom to appear.
Chronic mercury poisoning is not a disease but an accumulative problem and during the period of time, it is accumulating it is poisoning you every step along the way. [2]
Here’s a great video from Dr. Mark Hyman. Mercury – How to Get this Lethal Poison Out of Your Body
How Are We Exposed To Mercury
The three modern “faces” of mercury are our perceptions of risk from the exposure of billions of people to methyl mercury in fish, mercury vapor from amalgam tooth fillings, and ethyl mercury in the form of thimerosal added as an antiseptic to widely used vaccines.
In this article, I review human exposure to and the toxicology of each of these three species of mercury. Mechanisms of action are discussed where possible. Key gaps in our current knowledge are identified from the points of view both of risk assessment and of mechanisms of action. [1]
The Latest Connection Between Amalgam Fillings And Mercury In the Blood
The Department of Prosthodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa, determined the exposure to mercury from dental amalgam by comparison of blood levels of mercury before and after removal of all amalgams from ten subjects.
Baseline concentrations of mercury in whole blood were measured weekly for four to 18 weeks (median = 6.6 weeks) prior to removal. All amalgams were removed in a single appointment.
The subjects had an average of 14 surfaces of amalgam, seven of which were occlusal surfaces. Weekly blood sampling was continued for five to 18 weeks (median = 7.6 weeks) after the amalgams were removed.
The mean baseline concentration of total mercury in whole blood of the ten subjects was 2.18 (SD = 0.90) ng Hg/mL before the amalgams were removed. The baseline mercury levels were related to the number of amalgam surfaces. The linear correlation coefficient was 0.724 with a number of occlusal surfaces, and 0.433 with total number of surfaces.
After removal of the amalgams, nine of the ten subjects exhibited a statistically significant decrease in blood mercury at the 95% level of confidence. The mean decrease in mercury was 1.13 (SD = 0.60) ng Hg/mL. The half-time for elimination of mercury from blood after amalgam removal was 30.2 (SD = 5.8) days. Removal of the amalgams provided an additional exposure of 1.46 (SD = 1.17) ng Hg/mL that was rapidly cleared from the blood with a half-time of 2.9 days. The daily intake of mercury from amalgam in the subjects was estimated to be at least 1.3 micrograms. [2]
What Are The Symptoms of Mercury Poisoning
Symptoms can occur in many ways. Unfortunately in mercury, symptoms can look like many disease states. When levels are building up, there could be a variety of symptoms that a physician may interpret as another illness. Only when the physician can’t find a real cause or gets a toxicologist involved will they do blood tests and say, “Yes, this is probably due to mercury exposure.” [1]
At least 100 symptoms directly or indirectly result from chronic mercury poisoning. The number and severity of symptoms depend on a variety of factors, such as;
- how many fillings you have;
- how long you’ve had them;
- how they are stimulated; and
- how often they are stimulated.
In addition, because mercury is classified as a neurotoxin it can also cause or contribute to emotional and psychological issues, such as depression, anxiety, mood swings and memory loss. Symptoms that worsen over time may signal the development of a disease.
The image below is a partial list of the more common symptoms directly related to chronic mercury toxicity. But keep in mind that because mercury can indirectly cause harm by depleting essential antioxidants, such as glutathione and alpha lipoic acid that are needed to remove it and deal with other harmful toxins and free radicals, it can indirectly be contributing to even more symptoms and diseases than are listed here.
Head, Neck, Oral Cavity Disorders
- chronic headaches
- allergies
- severe dermatitis
- unexplained reactivity
- thyroid disturbance
- subnormal body temperature
- cold, clammy skin, especially hands and feet
- excessive perspiration, w/frequent night sweats
- unexplained sensory symptoms, including pain
- unexplained numbness or burning sensations
- unexplained anemia-G-6-PD deficiency
- Chronic kidney disease-nephrotic syndrome-receiving renal dialysis-kidney infection
- adrenal disease
- general fatigue
- loss of appetite/with or without weight loss (source & full list here)
Here is the original article and huge list of symptoms of Mercury Poisoning Mercury Poisoned. Check out her website, where she has amazing research and information on this topic.
You can find more information on mercury poisoning and get the rest of the article and table of symptoms from its original source Dentalwellnessfor4 by Tom McGuire, DDS, is a leading authority on mercury detoxification, mercury amalgam fillings, chronic mercury poisoning and holistic dental wellness.
How Do You Test For Mercury Poisoning?
There are a couple of ways to test for mercury poisoning:
1. . You can have a blood test to detect the presence of methyl mercury. Other forms of mercury (metallic and inorganic) can also be detected in the blood, but the amount present will decrease by half about every 3 days as the mercury moves into organs such as the brain and kidneys. Therefore, blood testing must be done within days of suspected exposure. [1]
2. Hair testing may be useful to detect methyl mercury exposures that occurred several months previously, but hair testing is relatively complex and is not used frequently. Although not routinely ordered tests, mercury has been shown to be present in nails, breast milk, stool, and breath.
Lastly, if you have amalgam fillings like I do (in the process of safely removing them) by a certified Holistic- Biological Dentist. You can find in your your area at International Association of Mercury Free Dentists (IAMFD) founded by Dr. Tom Mc. Guire DDS or you can also visit the the International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology .
Tip: He may ask about your mercury levels (like mine did) so have the test ready just in case.
Do you think you or someone you know may be experiencing mercury poisoning? What steps did you take to detox?
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To your best health,
Keep this going please, great job!
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Keep it up!