Mercury issues... results after stopping IH?

So... I'm not sure if this means anything, but once I stopped taking many supplements under the top 6 (specifically ALA & ALC), my skin and hair began improving. Mostly my skin though.

Which makes me wonder... I have about six amalgam fillings. And then I read in some places that taking ALA & ALC with mercury in your body, and a constant source of new mercury such as fillings, is very dangerous.

I dunno, maybe a warning should be put on the main dosing next to ALC & ALA for those with amalgam fillings.

I could be just crazy tho?

sgtiger: From what I've read, you should never ever take ALA or any other chelating substance (ie DMSA, DMPS) while you still have amalgam fillings. This could leak mercury all through your body and do a lot of damage.

sgtiger wrote:So... I'm not sure if this means anything, but once I stopped taking many supplements under the top 6 (specifically ALA & ALC), my skin and hair began improving. Mostly my skin though.

Which makes me wonder... I have about six amalgam fillings. And then I read in some places that taking ALA & ALC with mercury in your body, and a constant source of new mercury such as fillings, is very dangerous.

I dunno, maybe a warning should be put on the main dosing next to ALC & ALA for those with amalgam fillings.

I could be just crazy tho?

Warren, Sgtiger- What is amalgam fillings? I have a mouthful of fillings i need remove and im probably going to very soon.

youngbalder - Amalgams are mercury fillings. If you get them removed, it's critically important to find a dentist who specializes in the removal using the most careful methods possible. If it's done wrong, and most dentists perform it incorrectly it will cause residual problems for years.

So should people with mercury fillings avoid ALA? Surely that rules out most people from taking ALA??

Can you use Lipoic acid if you have Mercury fillings? The answer is yes.

Should you use lipoic acid during post removal of Amalgams or during DMPS or DMSA? Then answer is no.

The real problem is with mercury amalgam removal. It is virtually impossible to avoid residual contamination during removal and there will be a time when mercury is free flowing. During that post removal period, lipoic acid should be avoided for a time. Read this piece below for a similar point of view.

http://www.alternative-doctor.com/dentistry/merchelation.htm

CS - Do you have mercury fillings? Is it best advised to leave alone and chelate with ALA?

jobey - It's difficult to answer. What I can tell you is that removal is very tricky. Most dentists do not use the correct method and even when the safest procedures for removal or performed, there is a residual effect that can leach all kinds of mercury through the tissues. For some months following this procedure is when you would want to be abstain from lipoic acid. If you do not get them removed, lipoic acid is safe.

If fillings are desired avoid mercury and use something else instead.

I recently read some of Andy Cutler's views on this subject. He said that supplementing with ALA whilst having amalgam fillings will result in mercury being drawn from the fillings and other tissues and being deposited in the brain. Is this likely in your view?

jobey - My view is that lipoic acid is protective against mercury present in brain tissue. There are other detoxification agents such as NAC, and cysteine that present a danger in terms of mercury transport. It hasn't been proven yet that lipoic acid removes mercury from the brain, but there is only evidence that it protects against mercury already present in brain tissue.

If mercury in the brain is a concern, I would recommend the use of Humifulvate. This is by far the most safe, effective and inexpensive way to removal mercury from the brain.

Toxicology. 2007 May 20;234(3):145-56. Epub 2007 Mar 1.

The role of thiols, dithiols, nutritional factors and interacting ligands in the toxicology of mercury.
Rooney JP.

Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland. jrooney@rcsi.ie

Mercury has been a known as a toxic substance for centuries. Whilst the clinical features of acute mercury poisoning have been well described, chronic low dose exposure to mercury remains poorly characterised and its potential role in various chronic disease states remains controversial. Low molecular weight thiols, i.e. sulfhydryl containing molecules such as cysteine, are emerging as important factors in the transport and distribution of mercury throughout the body due to the phenomenon of "Molecular Mimicry" and its role in the molecular transport of mercury. Chelation agents such as the dithiols sodium 2,3-dimercaptopropanesulfate (DMPS) and meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) are the treatments of choice for mercury toxicity. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), a disulfide, and its metabolite dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), a dithiol, have also been shown to have chelation properties when used in an appropriate manner. Whilst N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) and glutathione (GSH) have been recommended in the treatment of mercury toxicity in the past, an examination of available evidence suggests these agents may in fact be counterproductive. Zinc and selenium have also been shown to exert protective effects against mercury toxicity, most likely mediated by induction of the metal binding proteins metallothionein and selenoprotein-P. Evidence suggests however that the co-administration of selenium and dithiol chelation agents during treatment may also be counter-productive. Finally, the issue of diagnostic testing for chronic, historical or low dose mercury poisoning is considered including an analysis of the influence of ligand interactions and nutritional factors upon the accuracy of "chelation challenge" tests.

Below is an earlier review on lipoic acid and mercury along with other mercury treatments.

http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/7/6/456.pdf

Great link CS!

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If you're worried about mercury/amalgams, I'd highly recommend getting enough selenium as Selenomethionine for prevention.

I originally had a great article on the subject but I can't find it right now. Here's a good link for some basic information on the relationship though

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In scientific jargon, selenium has an unusually high "binding affinity" for mercury. In layman's terms, this means that when the two elements are found together, they tend to connect, forming a new substance. This makes it difficult for the human body to absorb the mercury separately. So when mercury "binds" to selenium, it's no longer free to "bind" to anything else -- like brain tissue.

The research world is still developing explanations for exactly how selenium cancels out mercury's potentially toxic effects, but most scientists accept one of two competing theories.

The conventional idea describes selenium as a sort of "mercury magnet." Under this theory, once selenium is digested it can locate and neutralize mercury molecules. In one study, Japanese researchers found that adding selenium to the diets of birds "gave complete protection" from large amounts of mercury. Research carried out by scientists in Scotland and the Philippines has concluded that the relationship between mercury and selenium is one of "toxicological antagonism." And in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency describes selenium as an element that is "antagonistic to the toxic effects of mercury."

The more recent selenium hypothesis holds that mercury takes a more active role in the relationship. Under this theory, when mercury enters the body it seeks out selenium and takes it out of circulation, preventing the body from creating enzymes that depend on selenium to perform their functions. Enzymes are special proteins that control the various steps in chemical reactions that make life possible. Without enough selenium-based enzymes, the functions of the brain and other organs can be affected.

While this might sound scary, problems can only occur if we don't get enough selenium to counteract the trace amounts of mercury in the fish we eat. And fish are so rich in selenium that this is not likely to happen. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has measured selenium levels in more than 1,000 commonly consumed foods, and 16 of the 25 best sources of dietary selenium are ocean fish. University of North Dakota environmental scientist Dr. Nicholas Ralston is an expert on the relationship between selenium and mercury. Here's how he describes it:
Think of dietary selenium as if it were your income and dietary mercury as if it were a bill that you need to pay. Just as we all need a certain amount of money to cover living expenses such as food and rent, we all need a certain amount of selenium ... Only one major study has shown negative effects from exposure to mercury from seafood, and that seafood was pilot whale meat. Pilot whale meat is unusual in that it contains more mercury than selenium. When you eat pilot whale meat, it's like getting a bill for $400 and a check for less than $100. If that happens too much, you go bankrupt. On the other hand, if you eat ocean fish, it's like getting a check in the mail for $500 and getting a bill for $25. The more that happens, the happier you are.

http://www.mercuryfacts.org/fselenium.cfm

BTW, here is a good link regarding Cutler's information for those interested

http://onibasu.com/wiki/Cutler_protocol#Treating_lead

jdp710 - That's an amazing point about selenium. All the evidence in cancer for example, shows that low Selenium in soil shows higher cancer rates in those regions. Since Candida is cancer and since mercury helps Candida flourish, that could be an important connection.

I'm glad you mentioned about the selenium and mercury factor. This adds more weight to this article here, which I originally intended to write in a blog, but I didn't since I thought it might have been too controversial.

This is from Robert Ferguson of the Center for Science and Public Policy.

Quoting from Robert Ferguson:

"In Japan, 87 percent of the population exceeds the EPA [mercury levels]. In Hong Kong, Chinese children have mean mercury hair levels [almost twice those of the EPA limits]. These children, like those of every high fish-consuming nation, seriously outperform U.S. children from grades 4-12 on international standardized tests for math and science. One key reason could be because they eat lots of fish!"

Ferguson said: "Study after study shows no adverse effects on children from maternal fish consumption as high as 12-14 meals per week. Only benefits have been reported, such as superior eyesight, higher child mental development scores, less hyperactivity, good heart and brain function and improved intelligence at 4 years of age."

The reality is that mercury poisoning isn't easy to get, and you're not going to get it from food, yet your dentist is a more likely source.

Mercury is abundant on the Earth, and it's certainly nothing to be afraid of. We live in a veritable sea of mercury, most of it naturally produced by nature, like volcanic eruptions, forest fires, and especially the oceans. The oceans alone contain millions of tons of mercury that have been there for billions, millions, or thousands of years (depending on your religion).

If you take a moment to look at the history of mercury for the past few thousand years, you will quickly realize that there is no problem. History indicates that methylmercury (MeHg) has been with us since "the beginning." That includes being present in fish and in people. Micro-traces of the potentially toxic form of mercury have likely been in fish tissue naturally since fish have existed. Studies examining mercury levels in tissue samples from fish from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans dating as far back as the 1880s have found no trends of increase.

Let's go back a little further than this mere 150 years. In AD 400, there was evidence of "high" levels of mercury in human tissue. And Alaskan mummies dated from AD 1445 had mercury levels twice as high as pregnant women in Alaska today.

Thats good info guys, thanks for posting! I am currently considering getting my amalgam fillings removed, however, i plan to do this over a period of months.....possibly a year to minimise disruption to my body.

CausticSymmetry, yup, that would definitely be pretty controversial, lol.


BTW, aren't the selenium levels in our crops lower today than they were in previous decades ...

jobey,

Make sure you find a competent dentist to remove the amalgams.

Definitely do your due diligence in finding the right one.


BTW, here's a good portion of Andy Cutler's book for those interested

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZG9glNfif5YC&pg=PA17&lpg=PP1&dq=almalgam+illness&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html