I just returned from my heavy metal chelation therapy re-certification conference. This year the focus was on the link between the heavy metal burden in the body and cardiovascular disease. Two weeks prior to that I had been in California at one of my Functional Medicine certification modules on autoimmunity and inflammation. Both of these conferences spoke a lot about the connection between the teeth and the rest of the body.
Dr. Michael Margolis is a dentist, as well as a doctor of integrative medicine. He gave an amazing lecture about 5 primary meridians in the body and how they pass through the mouth; and more specifically through individual teeth. Did you know that if you have a root canal, crown or a history of old or current decay in a tooth, there is a corresponding body part that could be affected? This was news to me! I have ordered a meridian tooth chart to put on my office wall so you can see this if you are interested. For example, if there is a filling in the 7th tooth on your upper teeth, you may have trouble with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. Menstrual issues, problems with conception and PMS can be worsened if your 8th tooth is not healthy. This is just more evidence that each and every part of your body is part of a whole system that must function in harmony. If one area of the body has an issue, you can bet that another part will be trying to compensate to maintain homeostasis.
Another dental pearl: Make sure your dentist uses digital 3D x-rays and provides you with homeopathic radiation treatment drops afterwards. Remember that you are in charge of your own health. It is up to you to request what you want for yourself. I am guilty of refusing x-rays to avoid the radiation exposure, but in all honesty, the dentist cannot help you to achieve your best dental health without them.
Now a few words about mercury and dental amalgams…
There are 3 types of mercury:
- Elemental mercury: used in your silver fillings. It is found in nature as a salt and is mined and processed to release elemental mercury for industrial and medical use.
- Organic mercury: this is the mercury found in fish and other food sources.
- Inorganic mercury: this is a chemically bonded mercury that is found in red tattoo dye, photography, skin bleaching creams, paints, preserving biological specimens and in treating syphilis.
Mercury in all of its forms is highly poisonous, readily absorbed by the body, and extremely volatile in the air. In fact, 2,500 years ago, the Greeks used mercury as a murder weapon. They would pour liquid mercury into a victim’s ear, where is paralyzed the brain and caused immediate death. The next victim was usually fairly cooperative after witnessing mercury in action.
Symptoms of mercury poisoning are too many to be listed. I will list a few, but the take home message is that so many of the symptoms I hear of from my patients could be attributed to this or other heavy metals.
Symptoms of ACUTE mercury poisoning (rare these days):
- Tightness in the chest
- Chest pain
- Nausea
- Acute fatigue
- Severe cough
- Excessive salivation
- Diarrhea
- Shortness of breath
- Tremors
- Chills
- Severe abdominal pain
- Head aches
Symptoms of CHRONIC mercury toxicity (very common in this day and age unfortunately):
- Central Nervous System
o Irritability
o Anxiety
o Restlessness
o Exaggerated response to stimulation
o Emotional instability
§ Lack of self-control
§ Fits of anger with violent, irrational behavior
o Loss of self-confidence
o Indecision
o Easily embarrassed and shyness
o Loss of memory
o ALS
o Inability to concentrate
o Insomnia
o Depression
o Ataxia
o Tremors
o Multiple sclerosis
- Head, Neck, Oral Cavity Disorders:
o Bleeding gums
o Bone loss
o Loosening of teeth
o Excessive salivation
o Foul breath
o Burning sensation of lips and face
o Metallic taste
o Tissue pigmentation
o Leukoplakia
o Sores in the mouth
o Ulceration of gums
o Vertigo
o Ringing in the ears
o Hearing difficulties
o Speech and visual impairment
- Gastrointestinal Effects:
o Food sensitivities (especially to milk and eggs)
o Abdominal cramps
o Colitis
o Diverticulitis
o Chronic diarrhea and/or constipation
- Immunologic:
o Repeated infections
§ Viral
§ Yeast
§ Microbial
o Cancer
o Autoimmune disease
§ Arthritis
§ Lupus
§ Multiple sclerosis
§ Scleroderma
§ ALS
§ Hypothyroidism
- Systemic Effects
o Chronic head aches
o Allergies
o Dermatitis
o Thyroid disturbances
o Unexplained pain
o Unexplained numbness and tingling
o Anemia
o Kidney disease
o Adrenal disease
o General fatigue
o Loss of appetite with or without weight loss
o Hypoglycemia
- Cardiovascular Effects
o Abnormal heart rhythm
o Abnormal EKG findings
o Elevated serum triglycerides and/or cholesterol
o High blood pressure or low blood pressure
Here’s why your dentist isn’t telling you any of this: The American Dental Association won’t let them! The ADA continues to deny that mercury is a problem, even though they call it a hazardous material and give explicit instructions to dentists about how it should be disposed of and stored. The ADA refutes a 1985 study that was done on sheep that were given mercury fillings. The findings were that a mercury vapor is CONTINUOUSLY released while chewing and brushing and grinding. The ADA stated only this,
“sheep do not chew food like human beings, they grind their food, and therefore the study is not valid”. Well, I myself use a night guard for tooth grinding… humans do grind their teeth, if not their food. You can see the continuous release of plumes of mercury vapor in the following video clip link. I urge you to check it out!
www.iaomt.org and then click on the “Smoking Teeth=Poison Gas link in the video library on the right hand side of the front page.
There are over 4,000 university studies, peer reviewed and governmental studies, that show the environmental and human dangers associated with mercury exposure. So the ADA is telling us that the only safe place to store mercury is in the mouths of human beings.
Please find a good biological dentist that has been trained to remove your amalgams. Because the ADA continues to stand behind mercury, most dentists are NOT properly trained to do the work. Remember that when you disturb encapsulated metals in the body, the toxin is re-released in your system. The same holds true for medical providers. The American Medical Association is slow to realize the dangers of the heavy metal burden on the body. The EPA has chosen “safe levels” so that they do not have to undergo the billions of dollars that would be necessary to make our environment a safe one. The AMA stands behind those levels. If you have not been exposed to a heavy metal in the last two weeks, your blood levels will not reflect the exposure. However, blood serum levels do not reveal the truth. Heavy metals find places in the body to build up, like the soft tissue of the bones. The bad news about this is that as we age, our bones “turn over”. New cells are born as the old ones die. This process releases the old tissue of the bones into the body so it can be excreted through the organs of detoxification. This creates problems for a liver, kidneys, and colon who are already struggling with filtering the other poor choices we have made in our lives, like a diet high in sugar and fat, alcohol, caffeine, and medications/street drugs. Studies have shown that when mercury and other heavy metals are re-released into the blood stream, they have an adverse effect on the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the GI system, the immune system, and more. This is a common cause of age related memory issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
So what is the answer?
Chelation is the removal of these metals from the tissues in which they have been encapsulated. Please only allow a certified medical provider guide you through this process. Chelation done too quickly can cause adrenal and thyroid problems, as well as a host of other issues.
Make sure your medical provider tests you for your levels of metals using hair mineral analysis and urine provocation testing.
ALWAYS have your mercury amalgams removed BEFORE you begin chelation therapy. Again, make sure your dentist has been properly trained to do this safely. www.naturaldentist.com is the website for Jessica Saepoff, DDS in Issaquah. She is someone I feel confident recommending.
You have options when you are chelating. You must have them presented before embarking on this very challenging medical therapy. Make sure your medical provider explains your options to you.
You will need to do supplemental therapy with diet, sweating, supplements, and life style changes to be successful at chelation. Make sure your expectations include self-care interventions too.
The time line for successful chelation can be years long. Make sure you are in it for the long haul. You can do a little, take a break and come back to it later.
The more toxic our environment becomes, the more you will be hearing about chelation therapy. Please don’t wait until you have a disease process that makes it difficult for your body to tolerate detoxing. You can go to Fern Life Center in Issaquah, WA or go to www.fernlifecenter.com for more information about Keesha Ewers, ARNP and her functional and ayurvedic medical approach to health.
Here’s to your health!
