General
Information for Millennials
with Health
Issues
Are
you tired of feeling sick?
You chock it all
up to not getting enough sleep, or stress….
but is that Really the case?
Mercury
Toxicity – What is it? Mercury comes in many forms but in all of its
forms, it is poisonous. Mercury has been
named by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the Top 10 most
hazardous substances. For most people mercury is the most
significant toxicant in the body. You have heard of anti-oxidants, and how good
they are for you? Well mercury turns anti-oxidants into oxidants, which are bad
for you. In so doing, mercury impairs the body’s response to toxicants in
general, including mercury itself. A
build-up of mercury in your body (mercury toxicity) can cause or contribute to
most chronic illnesses. Mercury
toxicity should be suspected if you are experiencing multiple health problems
or vague symptoms.
What does Mercury do in my
brain and body? Some of it is excreted in urine and feces. 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 kidneys and your brain[3]. 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) [4].
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. If you
already have a pre-existing health issue, mercury can interfere with your
efforts at trying to stay healthy. If you have a genetic make-up that
predisposes you to certain illness, for example if you have close relatives
with major depression, mercury can trigger that illness in you. If you are
completely healthy, slow and chronic mercury release into your brain and body
can take that away from you. Maybe tomorrow… maybe in 10 or 20 years.
[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]
Please contact me at inquiries@franklinbrainimaging.com
to receive a list of the references providing the scientific evidence to
support any of the statements made in this document. There is also a reference
list on the blog site.
[4]
Mercury binds to a multitude of substances but is has a high affinity for
sulfhydryl (and selenohydryl) bonds.
How did
mercury get in my body? For
most people, the major sources of mercury exposure are from dental amalgam
fillings and from eating fish. If you were born prior to 2004, you received
mercury in your childhood vaccines, which is highly toxic to infants. Another
highly overlooked exposure is from the mercury
in your mother’s fillings and her diet that pass directly through the placenta
to you, as a fetus, which is a highly vulnerable developmental period,
especially for the brain.
Dental Amalgam Dental
amalgam is described in Information Sheets for those with amalgams (see other posts and or Info Sheet 1.a and 1.b). However, it is
important to note that the mercury vapor released from amalgam during pregnancy
and nursing is transported to the developing fetus and child – a crucial time
of brain development.
Vaccines One
of the most controversial aspects surrounding vaccines is their mercury
content. Prior to about 2004, many childhood vaccines contained a
mercury-containing preservative called thimerosal. Childhood exposure to thimerosal rose sharply
in the US during the 1990s as new vaccines were added to the childhood vaccine
schedule set by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The concept
of Mercury Toxicity is highly controversial and political because most likely, the
mercury accumulating in your brain and body came from services you received
from Health Care Professionals. The fear of litigation looms large in the minds
of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and their lobbyists, which includes
groups such as the American Dental Association (ADA).
What amount
of mercury is safe?
Infants subjected to the CDC vaccine
schedule prior to 2004 typically received close to 200 micrograms of mercury in
the first six months of life, which even if averaged over 6 months, is well
above the daily dose set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)[1]. However, there may be no threshold that precludes adverse
neuropsychological effects in children whose
brains are rapidly developing. Further, the standards for determining how much
mercury is safe have been re-evaluated and made stricter over the years.
So, what amount of
mercury is safe?
How
much of a toxic substance that is accumulating in your organs
and
lodging itself in your brain do you feel comfortable with?
[1] In 1999, the US Public Health Service called
for the elimination of thimerosal from childhood vaccines. However, it took
several years to transition to reduced-thimerosal and then thimerosal-free
alternatives. Also, during the
period in which thimerosal began to be phased out of pediatric vaccines, the mercury-containing
flu vaccine became an important exposure source for fetuses and children.
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. Neurological symptoms include 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/medical
history to determine when your symptoms began or if/when they worsened. Sometimes
there is a connection with a recent exposure. For example, have you been to the
dentist lately? Mercury vapor levels within dentist’s offices who place amalgam
(‘silver’) fillings are off the charts! Sometimes there is no obvious link
between recent exposure and symptoms. Your body just slowly reached the limit
where it could no longer rid itself of the accumulating toxins.
A separate sheet is included in this packet (and on the blog)
that lists common symptoms.
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 Porphyrin[1]
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 have amalgam fillings
(see Image), it is imperative that you read the Information Sheet for Amalgam Symptom
Suffers (1.b. or the amalgam posts).
[1]
Greek word for purple
Keep
in mind that as of 2016, some childhood vaccines and flu shots still use Thimerosal. What
can you do? Ask
your medical professional to see the package insert before receiving flu or
vaccine injections[1].
Detoxification
protocol Your brain and body have been
fighting off the effects of mercury toxicity since birth[2].
These efforts at detoxification have used up hormones, enzymes, and other
molecules necessary for good health. Mercury toxicity affects everyone
differently so 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.
Check out the Sample Detoxification Post
Check out the Sample Detoxification Post
You should also use 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 agent[3].
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 mercury 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.
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!
We
do have the power to take care of
ourselves
and our loved ones
[1]
Over half of all animal vaccines also contain thimerosal – ask to see the
package insert and change vets if your vet won’t consider a thimerosal-free
vaccine.
[2]
Fetuses don’t have the capabilities to fight off toxins.
Disclaimer:
I have a PhD in Neuroscience and
my field of study is Addiction. I am not a medical professional. I have nothing
to gain by providing you this information to examine whether you may have
mercury toxicity. My motivation is that I care about people, including you. 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.
Suggested Reading: Mercury
Poisoning: The Undiagnosed Epidemic (2013) by David Hammond.
This well-referenced book provides “the science and case histories showing the
role of mercury in diseases such as Alzheimer’s autism, ADHD, allergies and
chronic fatigue syndrome and how to eliminate mercury from your body”. Mr.
Hammond describes mercury’s power to cause acute and chronic toxicity, which
manifests in an astonishing variety of symptoms. He conveys how the commercial importance of
mercury has led to widespread exposures, some of which may be hidden. Hammond
describes the role of mercury in individual chronic illnesses, as documented in
the scientific literature. This is the
go-to book for practitioners and patients who seek to understand complex
illnesses that may have a mercury component.
"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
Some
of the Information provided was extracted from an article in Townsend Letter
January 2017 written by Sara Russell PhD, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and
Kristen Homme, MPP, PMH.
I wish you all good things in your
quest
for
knowledge and optimal health
Prepared
by Teresa R. Franklin, Ph.D.
teresafr55@gmail.com
Blog:
mercury4dummies.blogspot.com
Comments
Post a Comment