How many of us are walking around with mercury toxicity affecting our body, completely unaware of it? The vast majority of us, I have come to realize. Mercury toxicity is indeed pandemic at this point. And even worse, it is often undetectable. Blood and hair tests only turn up positive if mercury is freely moving around the bloodstream. In most cases, it is not.
Over the past few months alone, I have seen case after case where mercury has turned out to be the key underlying cause of a wide variety of health conditions. I have spent the last few weeks compiling a list of all the conditions I have seen that, through Nutrition Response Testing, have tested as mercury being the causative agent. This blog is to inform people of common sources of mercury, what kinds of trouble it can cause, and lists some natural remedies for mercury toxicity.
Common Sources of Mercury Exposure
1. Leaky Dental Amalgams – this is a common and particularly toxic form of mercury poisoning. Amalgams, or “silver fillings” as they are euphemistically called, have been used to fill cavities for over 150 years. These amalgams leech into the body over time. They vaporize a small amount when they are exposed to heat (hot tea for instance), or get ground down with chewing hard foods. Little by little the mercury gets sucked into the body and accumulates, usually in fatty organs, or in the nervous system. The thyroid, pancreas, and adrenal glands have receptors that hook right on to mercury.
These days, more and more dentists are using resin, or composite, fillings, for cavities which are mercury free. They may cost a bit more, but are definitely worth it. Many people also choose to have their current mercury amalgams replaced with composites. The problem with this is that inevitably some mercury is released into the body in the removal process. My advice on amalgam removal is to start on a mercury detox regimen before, during, and after having mercury fillings replaced.
2. Fish – some fish are very high in mercury. Mercury has been dumped into the ocean mainly by the coal industry for decades. While advisories are generally given for pregnant women not to eat these fish, from what I have tested, these common fish should be avoided by everyone: tuna (ahi and canned), mackerel, marlin, halibut, swordfish and chilean sea bass. Just like us, the older and bigger the fish, the more mercury has accumulated in it.
3. High Fructose Corn Syrup – mercury is used in the process of making high fructose corn syrup. While the amount of detectable mercury in products with high fructose corn syrup is very small, it adds up over time. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of high fructose corn syrup. Children consume even more.
4. Vaccines – vaccines often contain thimerosal, an ingredient that contains mercury, to preserve the biological components of the vaccine. While thimerosal has been steadily removed from children’s vaccines over the past decade, many travelers vaccines still do contain it. Last year, I saw a case of a woman who developed Guillen Barre, a type of paralysis, soon after getting a travelers vaccine with thimerosal.
5. In utero/ chromosomal damage – mercury can easily pass in utero to a fetus. Babies are very sensitive to mercury, and can suffer from a whole myriad of problems. Autism, asthma, allergies, developmental disabilities, and much more. People used to think mercury in vaccines were the main cause of autism, which is not completely off the mark, however, what is overlooked is the amount of mercury passed from mother to fetus. Also mercury toxicity on either parent’s side can cause chromosomal abnormalities that can result in birth defects.
What Kind of Health Problems can Mercury Cause?
From the cases I have seen with Nutrition Response Testing, I have found that mercury can cause anything. I will just list some to give an idea:
Thyroid Disorders: Many cases of hypothyroidism test out as having mercury as a key factor. The thyroid is very receptive to mercury, possibly because it is hungry for iodine, also a metal. These receptors are a vacuum for mercury. Once latched on, the mercury blocks the receptors from accepting as much iodine, and the thyoid is unable to function at an optimal level. This often results in clinical or subclinical hypothyroidism, where thyroid function is depressed enough to create symptoms like fatigue, mild depression, constipation, weight gain, and other thyroid imbalances.
Neck, Back, and Nerve Pain: Mercury commonly lodges in the spinal cord and nervous system, resulting in localized pain. Most of the time, people just assume the pain is from their posture or from a musculoskeletal issue. If that were the case, however, changing postural habits as well as bodywork or physical therapy would alleviate the pain. When it does not, mercury is often the underlying problem.
Chronic Yeast Infections and other Yeast Related Problems: Yeast is attracted to mercury, and when there is mercury around, no anti-yeast diet will kill off yeast for good. Yeast can also create other problems, such as digestive difficulties, sugar cravings, weight gain, and much more. Anytime a person presents with a yeast -related problem, I test for mercury, as it is usually just underneath it.
Chronic insomnia, Bipolar, Anxiety: Mercury is very often involved, especially in cases of bipolar disorder. Mercury attaches very easily to the nervous system and brain. It also lodges in the adrenal glands easily, which disrupts stress hormone production.
Alzheimer’s, Senility, Neurological Disorders, Autism, Learning Difficulties, Hearing Loss: Again, mercury loves the nervous system. It can directly affect brain function, or bring about a local weakening of the immune system, which can then allow any kind of pathogen to come in and inflame the area, causing lowered function.
Asthma and Allergies: One would not suspect mercury here, however, more and more, I have seen that mercury localized in a certain area , such as the lungs, or sinuses, will reduce the immune system and allow pathogens in. This inflames the area, creating an autoimmune response. Very often the cause of asthma or allergies is in children is mercury toxicity in the respiratory tract.
Infertility and Miscarriages: Mercury can build up in the uterus and ovaries and create menstrual disruptions or a propensity for miscarriages. It can affect the testes and sperm production as well. Mercury is the first thing I suspect with teenage girls who have irregular or delayed onset menarche.
Frequent Infections: Mercury depresses the immune system to the point that a person may catch infections easily, or make infections that should be short-lived linger or become chronic.
Chronic Fatigue, Mononucleosis: Again, just a depressed immune and hormonal system, very often due to mercury.
Chronic Digestive Disturbances: Sometimes due to mercury in an organ, which in turn reduces the immune system, and creates localized infections.
Diabetes: No, diabetes is not only diet dependent. I have now seen several cases where the pancreas is impaired by mercury (the pancreas is another organ that attracts metals; the ones it needs are zinc and other trace minerals, but if mercury is in the vicinity, it will latch on easily). This alters insulin release and glucose transport.
Weight Gain: Generally the result of mercury in the thyroid, pancreas, and/or adrenal glands, all of which control hormone levels related to body mass.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. I am just listing what I have seen so far, but I am sure there is much much more.
What Are Natural Remedies for Mercury Toxicity?
First, we can stop as much incoming mercury as we can. Avoid all high in mercury fish. Replace our dental amalgams. Avoid high fructose corn syrup. Next we can work to detox as much mercury from our systems as we can. Different supplements are better for different situations. These might include specific enzymes, or chlorella, or homeopathics. General cleanses and detoxes usually do not work for mercury. In addition, it is important to detox mercury safely, as it can get caught on the way out of the body; in the liver, gall bladder, intestines, and kidneys. This is where Nutrition Response Testing works well, for testing which supplements actually work in what situation, and to make sure the drainage pathways are open to excrete mercury fully.
I recommend every woman detox from mercury pre-pregnancy. As well as anyone with chronic health conditions, most likely their condition will improve dramatically. How long does it take, and what does it entail? This depends on how high the levels are and where they are located, but generally I suggest a few months of detox supplementation.
As a general rule of thumb for maintenance, I advise people to include seaweed in their diet, as seaweed tends to latch on to heavy metals and sweep them out of the body. They are also high in trace minerals. When there is a good amount of trace minerals in the body, mercury has fewer receptor sites to latch on to. I also recommend exercise, as this increases circulation and can sometimes bump mercury off of fat cells and into the general circulation, from where it may be excreted. And finally, I recommend coming in for periodic Nutrition Response Testing check ups, where we can make sure that in fact mercury is no longer a detrimental factor in your health.
