General
Information for Folks with
Amalgam fillings and Fibromyalgia
Amalgam fillings and Fibromyalgia
Are you tired of feeling sick?
Are you (or a loved one)1 tired of trying to explain symptoms to doctors that
are vague and sometimes
change on a daily basis? Are you tired of going through all kinds of tests that
show only negative results? Are you tired of trying medications and homeopathic
remedies and not getting better? Have you been diagnosed with an auto immune deficiency disease such as Fibromyalgia2, a disease that appears to have no cause and
that the medical profession labels ‘incurable’?
ARE YOU
TIRED OF PEOPLE TELLING YOU TO GET ENOUGH SLEEP WHEN YOU SLEEP TWICE AS MUCH AS
YOU EVER DID IN YOUR LIFE? ARE YOU TIRED OF PEOPLE TELLING YOU TO EXERCISE WHEN
YOU CAN BARELY GET OUT OF BED AND EVERY MUSCLE IN YOUR BODY FEELS LIKE IT WAS
PUMMELLED WITH A BALL PEEN HAMMER?
What is Fibromyalgia (FM)?3 If you have the diagnosis, you know
what FM is. This time, set aside your outrage, disappointment or other bad
feelings about being diagnosed with this debilitating disorder and put on your
thinking caps.
Let’s figure this out.
There is controversy
about the classification, diagnosis and treatment of FM.
WHY?
The term "fibromyalgia" derives from latin and greek. ‘Fibro’
means "fibrous tissues", ‘myo’ means muscle and ‘algos’
means pain. Thus the term literally means 'muscle and fibrous connective tissue pain'. FM is estimated to affect 2–8% of the population however
it is underdiagnosed as up to 75% of people with related symptoms have not been
diagnosed. FM is a new disease – originating
in the 19th Century (1800s).
[Amalgam
fillings, which are made with toxic mercury were first
introduced in the mid 1800s]
Definition: FM is a medical condition characterized by chronic
widespread pain and heightened pain response. Other
symptoms include extreme fatigue and yet sleep problems are
common. Some people also report restless legs syndrome, bowel or bladder problems, numbness and tingling throughout the body and sensitivity to noise, lights, temperature or other
things in the environment (i.e., allergies). Many people experience cognitive dysfunction (known as
"fibrofog"), characterized by impaired concentration, problems
with short and long-term memory, short-term memory consolidation, impaired
speed of performance, inability to multi-task, cognitive overload, and diminished attention span. FM is often associated with psychiatric illness including depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder and high anxiety. Many sufferers also experience face and jaw pain. Many people with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus may also have FM. Although FM is not fatal, it does not go away. Symptoms come and go but there is no degeneration of the muscles, fibers or connective tissue.
[1]
Throughout this information sheet, substitute ‘or a loved one’ for ‘you’ as it
applies to your situation.
[2]
These include Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Autism, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Alzheimer’s
disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), etc. Other
diseases linked to mercury include attention deficit disorder (ADD and ADHD),
heart disease, etc.
[3]
Adapted from Wikipedia
[Could it be that mercury is causing the
dysfunction on a cellular level?
Not damaging whole tissue but slowly changing
how your molecules and cells perform?]
[Why do so many FM sufferers have facial
pain, teeth pain,
metallic taste in the mouth, jaw dysfunction?
Is it because mercury
is attacking them at its closest mark?]
[Why do so many FM sufferers have fibro-fog?
Is it because mercury, being volatile, seeps into the brain?
Keep reading to
find out how mercury does this]
Cause: The cause of FM is
unknown; however, it is believed to involve
a combination of genetic and environmental factors, with half the risk
attributed to each.
[How can such a
debilitating disease exist without a cause?]
Diagnoses: There is no specific diagnostic test. Diagnosis involves first ruling out other potential causes and
verifying that a set number of symptoms are present. In most cases, lab tests
will come back normal. The formal diagnoses is made if there is a history of widespread
pain on both sides of the body lasting 3 or more months.
[How can a diagnosis be made without a positive test? Did your medical team test
(appropriately) for the presence of mercury or other toxins?]
Treatment: The treatment of fibromyalgia can be difficult. Current treatment
approaches focus on management of symptoms to improve quality of life, using integrated pharmacological and
non-pharmacological approaches. Recommendations often include getting
enough sleep, exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet. Cognitive behavioral therapy is recommended. Some medications may be used
but evidence of their effectiveness is weak.
[Why do
you think FM is hard to treat? Because we don’t know the cause. We are just
treating symptoms and the symptoms vary across individuals. Mercury attacks
your specific vulnerabilities – to learn how keep reading this blog.]
What if we DID know the cause?
Then, we could learn how to treat it.
What if the cause is a build-up of poison in your brain and body beyond
what you can tolerate?
Read on to Learn More
Do you have fillings in your teeth that are either black, gray
or silver-colored? Any filling in your mouth that is either
black, gray or silver is a filling that contains 40 - 70% mercury. Your
dentist may refer to these as ‘amalgam’ or ‘silver’ fillings, however they are
less than 20% silver. The fillings are called amalgams by some dentists because
amalgam means ‘mixture of metals’. The metals used to make amalgam fillings are
mercury, copper, tin, silver and zinc – in that order. Others may use the term ‘silver’
fillings because of their color. Although it is misleading, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
still allows the use of the term ‘silver fillings’ to refer to amalgam fillings.
Mercury comes in many forms but in all of its
forms, it is poisonous. Mercury is more toxic than lead, because it is a
liquid at room temperature that constantly emits mercury vapor1 (just as water continually vaporizes at room temperature). All other metals,
including lead are a solid material at room temperature. They cannot hurt you
if you do not touch them. Mercury
escapes into the air that you breathe – and therefore, it can hurt you.
Mercury atoms, and compounds formed with mercury in your mouth, are being
absorbed into your body and into your brain 24/7. Chewing, brushing and
grinding your teeth substantially increase the amount of mercury that is
released from your fillings into your mouth by 10-fold1. You cannot see, smell or taste mercury as
it is vaporizing so you aren’t aware that it is happening. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
considers the amalgam, removed from teeth, toxic waste. If you have amalgams in
your mouth when you die, they are considered toxic waste.
[1]
Scientific evidence was published as early as 1979 to support the fact that
mercury vaporized in your mouth however the American Dental Association
denounced this until recently: fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DentalProducts/DentalAmalgam/ucm171094.htm
What does Mercury do in my
brain and body? Some of it is exhaled and some of it is excreted.
But, as more and more mercury accumulates within your body, you become less
able to excrete it and it becomes locked up in your organs, particularly your
liver, your kidney and your brain. Mercury will cling (bind) to almost anything,
but it is strongly attracted to a specific chemical substance present in
abundance in the molecules that make up your tissues and organs. The chemical substance
it seeks out is called a sulfhydryl bond, which is a short
name for a bond between sulfur and hydrogen (S-H) 1.
S-H bonds are important in all of the cellular processes that occur within your
body that keep you alive and healthy. When mercury clings to the S-H bond it doesn’t stop all of those natural
cellular processes that keep you healthy from occurring, it just interferes
with them, gets in the way - so your
body has to work harder to keep things working properly. Think of dirt accumulating on a bicycle chain
– at first the chain works pretty well, but as more dirt accumulates it
eventually gets harder and harder to pedal.
Why would a Dentist
put mercury in my mouth?
That’s a long story2, –
but it is fueled by the same things that fuels many of the bad decisions that we
make as a society: Money and Fear. In the 1800’s amalgam fillings became
popular because the alternatives were excruciatingly painful, expensive and
didn’t work very well. Two of the most commonly used alternatives were either
losing the tooth (“Ouch and Hey, I needed that!”) or using other metals to fill
the cavity. Other metals, being solids at room temperature, have to be heated
to high temperatures before pouring the melted substance into a cavity. Mercury
is a liquid at room temperature and so it can be mixed with other metals to
form a paste that can be placed into a cavity at a much lower temperature. Its toxic properties were minimized in the
mid-1800s because amalgam fillings were a huge moneymaker and people liked the
fact that they did not have to have their teeth pulled or have hot (Ouch
again!) metal dripped into their mouths. Since the mid-1800s, although better
and safer materials have been developed, amalgam fillings continue to be used
by many dentists. To make a long story short, ignorance, greed and fear of litigation underlie the continued use of
mercury when mercury-free materials are currently available. Imagine the
‘floodgates of litigation’ that would be opened if the American Dental Association (ADA) announced that mercury in amalgam
fillings can lead to poor health3. Instead the ADA denounces dentists who remove
mercury fillings on the basis that it could improve health4,
and stand by their statement, “Since amalgam has been used for more than 150
years, literally billions of amalgam fillings have been successfully used to
restore decayed teeth”5. Is
that the kind of scientific evidence you need to feel confident in the use of
mercury in your body? Just because we have been doing something for 150 years
does not mean it is the best way to do it. Back in the day, I would have been
riding a horse to work but for more than 100 years there exists better methods,
so I drive a car. The ADA and the FDA have recently announced that yes,
amalgams do continually emit mercury vapor in your mouth, that yes, mercury
amalgam dumped into the dentist’s drains and trash is hazardous to the
environment – because it ends up in the food chain, but no, mercury vapor
escaping from your amalgams into your brain and body are not dangerous. Huh? What
is wrong with this picture? Most likely your dentist is not knowingly poisoning
you. Your dentists and health care professionals think that mercury is safe
because they, like you, trust the FDA and the
ADA – but in this case, they shouldn’t.
There is too much at stake for these institutions to admit that billions of poisonous
mercury-containing fillings currently exist in our mouths.
[1]
Mercury binds to a multitude of substances but is has a high affinity for
sulfhydryl and selenium bonds.
[2]
More of this story can be found in Chapter 3 of Dr. James. Hardy’s book, Mercury-free
where he describes the history of amalgam and how it came into general
practice.
[3]
Dr. James Hardy’s terminology in his book, Mercury-free
[4]
American Dental Association Code of Ethics, November 2016.
[5] Journal
of the American Dental Association (April, 1990)
If people are getting sick, shouldn’t this
be enough for the FDA and ADA to amend their previous statements about mercury
being safe? You would think. But
even though both life experience and scientific experiments show that any
exposure to mercury is dangerous, few controlled studies1 can
definitively link mercury exposure to illness. Some studies show a link, some
don’t. The ADA and FDA focus on the trials that don’t. Recently, previously
published data have been re-examined showing that genetic make-up plays a role2.
What amount of mercury is safe?
So, what amount of mercury is safe?
How much of a toxic substance that is vaporizing in your mouth
and lodging itself in your brain do you feel comfortable with?
What symptoms are associated with mercury toxicity?
The symptoms are numerous, varied and broad and are very similar to the
symptoms associated with other heavy metal poisoning. Because your brain is
a close and easy target, early symptoms tend to be neurological (emotional instability, brain fog, tremors,
fatigue). Symptoms can vary based on
your exposure to mercury through other avenues and your exposure to other heavy
metals. I suggest you conduct a mental inventory of your life including your
dental history to determine when your symptoms began or if/when they worsened.
For me and many others, there was a connection between amalgam placement (or
unsafe removal) and symptoms. If your
heavy-metal exposure started prior to having amalgam fillings your symptoms
could have been exacerbated by the fillings.
A
separate sheet is included in this packet that lists common symptoms.
[1] A
controlled trial is prospective and contains comparison groups. It is the gold
standard scientific test of a hypothesis.
[2] If
genetics underlie an effect, it could be washed out if not controlled for.
[3] Hg
(y axis) is the chemical symbol for mercury. 3 samples were taken at each
timepoint. Reprinted from Krauss et al 1997 in a study of over 20,000 people.
[4] There is a direct correlation between the
number of amalgam fillings in a mother’s mouth and mercury levels in her infant
– mercury passes from Mom to the unborn baby through the placenta and through
Mom’s breast milk to the infant.
What alternative materials are available?
The most common alternative materials are called composites but other
options are available. Composites are made out of nontoxic materials that
do not vaporize in your mouth. They look and feel like teeth. They are not
poured into a cavity but rather are bonded directly to the tooth – reducing the
probability of decay forming between the tooth and the material. The picture to the right shows what teeth with
look like with amalgams (top) and after removal and replacement with composite
material (bottom). The important thing to know is... You have a Choice ! ! !
Check out the 'You have a Choice' Post that provides information on the
different materials that are available.
Is there a test to see if I have mercury in
my brain and body?
Body fluids such as blood and
urine are used to test for illness. However, no matter what your health care
providers tell you, normal blood
and urine tests cannot be used to diagnose chronic (slow and ongoing) mercury
toxicity. That is because the sicker you are the harder it is for your body to
release mercury into your blood or urine, it remains in your organs. This
is not always understood by all members of the health profession for a variety
of reasons.
There is something called a Urine
Challenge Test (or Provocation Test) that
will help identify your mercury load. This test compares a sample of your
normal urine with a sample of your urine after you take a substance called a
chelator. A chelator is something you can take
orally that seeks out, finds and captures
mercury so it can be excreted in the urine. More information about this test
can be found at: https://www.holisticmd.org/mercury-toxicity/provocation-testing/.
There is another test that
examines a molecule that mercury affects. This has been shown to be the most
effective within individuals who are sick and have difficulty excreting heavy
metals from their bodies. It is called the Urine Porphyrin1 Profile Analysis Test. The following website explains what is being
tested and why, offers the test for $129, and includes a doctor’s report: http://labtestsplus.com/product/porphyrins-profile/.
Alternatively, and preferably, a knowledgeable and sympathetic (to your cause)
health care professional can perform the test AND interpret the results.
What can I do to stop mercury
from accumulating in my brain and body? It bears repeating that your doctors and
dentists have been biased by the FDA and ADA statements. They have not been
given ALL of the available information. They have only been provided with the
information that supports the claim that mercury can’t hurt you. You must find
a doctor or naturopath who will listen to you, run the tests and offer you an intelligent
diagnosis. Get your tests done, review your results, then decide your next
course of action.
If you decide to get
your amalgams removed, safe removal is crucial. If
you are mercury toxic it is extremely dangerous to your health to have your
amalgams removed without proper procedures in place to protect you from further
exposure to mercury.
You must find a mercury-free
dentist who is sympathetic and knowledgeable about safe removal in
mercury-affected individuals. A protocol
for safe removal, published by IAOMT
(International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology), called SMART (Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique) is
available at https://iaomt/safe-removal-amalgam-fillings/. Your mercury-free
dentist may use this protocol or one they have developed themselves that
adheres to the same principles of keeping you safe.
To find a mercury-free dentist near you
visit:
http://www.talkinternational.com/holistic-biological-mercury-free-dentists-directory/#!directory/map
Keep in mind that
many dentists are mercury-safe but do not advertise themselves as mercury-free
as they would be denounced by the ADA1 so if you don’t see a mercury-free
dentist in your area on the lists provided, call the closest one to you and ask
them to recommend someone. Check all of the lists provided because different
doctors are listed on different lists. Unfortunately, I could not find a
comprehensive list – the dentist has to pay a fee to be on a list and
established dentists don’t need to advertise. You can also call dental offices directly. They
can answer questions that you pose to them but they cannot instigate the
conversation (the ADA is a powerful organization, need I say more?). Make
sure to enquire whether they use amalgam AT ALL in their practice (other than
to remove it). Staff at dental offices that are not mercury-free don’t really
understand that you aren’t just looking for mercury-free options you are
looking for an office that does not support the use of amalgam fillings under
any circumstance. Why? Because just
walking in to a dental office that places amalgam fillings puts you at risk –
as it is continually vaporizing, it is even present in the air in the waiting
room.
Detoxification protocol
Your
brain and body have been fighting off the effects of amalgam fillings since the
day they were placed. This detoxification has depleted you of hormones,
enzymes, and other molecules necessary for good health. Mercury toxicity
affects everyone differently so before your amalgam restorations are removed,
blood testing should be performed to determine what deficiencies you may have.
Based on the blood test results your health professional can evaluate what
nutritional and hormonal supplements are needed to prepare you for removal.
It could take several months to remove your
amalgams depending on how many you have – this is not an overnight process or
one to be taken lightly. During this time,
you will need to continue taking nutritional supplements. After removal, the
healing process speeds up so there will be an even greater demand for the
hormones and enzymes that were depleted. Therefore, nutritional and hormonal supplements should be taken before, during and
after amalgam removal. Your mercury-free dentist will have a Detoxification
Protocol for you to follow. After removal s/he will add supplements that
will ‘pull out’ the mercury that is hiding in your organs, bind to it and help you excrete it. These
supplements are called chelators that will seek out, find and capture the
mercury so it can be excreted (think of Pacman only this Pac only gobbles metal).
An example of a
chelator is MSM, which is a Sulfur-containing
agent1.
Sulfur is an important nutrient required by our body and taking MSM is a
natural way to get more of it. Also, MSM binds to Hg and draws it into the
urine to be excreted. To learn more about this supplement see http://www.msm-info.com/. I warn you – the link
contains a lot of medical/scientific information but if you can wade through
it, it might be worth it Depending on how sick you are, you may need to make other
life changes that will help you get better. Following a healthy lifestyle is
important during detoxification.
If you do decide to get
your amalgams removed, you may also want to consider detoxing your brain and
body of any accumulated mercury.
Check out the Sample
Detoxification Protocol Post
Detoxification Protocol Post
Note that the sicker you are, and the
longer you have been sick, the harder it is to remove the mercury and regain
health (think of that bicycle chain). For some, symptoms are irreversible,
especially some of the neurological symptoms. However, stories abound,
including my own in which symptoms CAN be erased or minimized and good health
restored. Sometimes with healthcare choices we have to gather as much information
as possible, weigh the risks and benefits and then decide the next course of
action.
If all of this
sounds tough, it is - but if you are
motivated to get better, and I know you are -
You can Do this!
You can Do this!
Mercury-free This Information Sheet is just a brief summary
of some things you should know about the amalgam fillings in your mouth. If you
have questions it is more than likely that they could be answered by reading
Dr. James Hardy’s book, Mercury-free. Dr. Hardy is a practicing Dentist (Health
Centered Dentistry www.mercury-free.com) who questioned the use of mercury during his
dental schooling. That didn’t go over well with his professors so he decided to
do his own research. In an easy-to-read book, he describes how he discovered the truth about amalgams in Chapter 1.
Chapter 2 is a compilation of letters from individuals who went from sickness
to health upon becoming mercury-free. Chapter 3 describes the history of how
amalgam came into use and why it is still being used today. Chapter 4 describes the link between
mercury and a multitude of diseases, it provides the mechanism of action, it provides the
evidence. Chapter 5 describes how unnatural levels of mercury
pollute our environment and are poisoning us in ways we never even knew of. Without knowing – I have been
contributing to the mercury pollution of our world in several ways. I bet you
are too. Chapter 6 summarizes the book, explains what you can do, and what to
do if you make the choice to become mercury-free. This book was published in
1996 but sadly, things have not changed much – except, since that time a wealth
of evidence has accumulated that should have caused the ADA and the FDA to
reverse their outdated claims that amalgam fillings are safe.
Sure, at one time, amalgam was
the best solution for saving teeth – but those days are over!
Several factions and groups have
attempted to sue the FDA for continuing to support the use of amalgam fillings,
the use of which was never formally proposed to the FDA (it was ‘grandfathered’
in). A lawsuit is currently ongoing. If any of you have ever attempted to fight
authority – you know why we have not yet won our fight. Greed, fueled by money
and power are tough to beat. Nevertheless,
we do have the power to take
care of ourselves and our loved ones.
If you plan on taking any steps to rid yourself of mercury I urge you
to read Mercury-free by James Hardy prior to any other actions. If you can’t obtain a copy of the book,
please let me know and I will assist you.
Disclaimer:
I have a PhD in
Neuroscience and my field of study is Addiction. I am not a Dentist or a
medical professional. I have nothing to gain by providing you this information
to examine whether you should get your amalgams removed. My motivation is that
I care about people, including you. I also have nothing to gain by strongly
suggesting that you read Dr. Hardy’s book. But you should read it before either
dismissing this or moving forward with removal. Why? Because you should have all of the knowledge you
can to achieve the one thing that matters most in life – Your GOOD HEALTH and that
of your loved ones. Keep reading all that you can– but please be careful of the
internet. Remember that $dollars$
fuel our world and once a need has been established, scammers hop on the band
wagon. Another very useful book is The Poison in your Teeth by Tom
Mcguire, DDS! My take is that it is more complex than Dr. Hardy’s book and may
be difficult to read for folks without medical or scientific training. He also
refers you to his website throughout the book to buy his products.
I
wish you all good things in your quest
for knowledge and optimal health
"All truth passes
through three stages: first it is ridiculed, second it is violently
opposed, and third it is
accepted as self-evident." Arthur
Schopenhauer
Prepared by Teresa R. Franklin, Ph.D.
Email: teresafr55@gmail.com
Blog: http://mercury4dummies.blogspot.com/
Comments
Post a Comment