Mercury Removal

By Michael Biamonte, C.C.N.

The removal of toxic metals from the human body is a very tricky endeavor. Toxic metals can aggravate or cause certain medical conditions particularly yeast infections, viral conditions, anemias, arthritis, and headaches. This is very well documented and there exist thousands upon thousands of papers in the medical literature to this effect so this fact will not be belabored here. Suffice to say that every major and minor illness or condition can be linked to either chronic or acute toxic metal exposure.

Toxic metals can cause symptoms both on their way into your body or on their way out of your body. This means that while you are being exposed to the metals from whatever the source they can initiate or aggravate your illness or symptoms.

It also means that when you begin a program to remove these metals that are stored in your tissues they can aggravate your symptoms.

Metals that enter your system are quickly “stashed away” by your body in tissues and fat cells where they will do little harm. If you do nutritional or medical program to remove them, metals will come out of storage sites in your tissues they will re-enter your circulation. They can act in the same manner as if they were first entering your body. Metals travel throughout acting as an irritant to your system.

They are then collected by liver from the blood stream, and excreted into your intestines for elimination into stool. Once in your stool they are to be excreted in the stool. However they often are reabsorbed back into your blood where they can begin the cycle of symptoms and toxicity again.

Your body interacts with metals and visa versa. Bacteria and yeast convert elemental mercury into the more toxic methyl mercury.

Elemental mercury escapes from dental fillings and is well absorbed through the lungs. It can store in the brain and nervous system. It is primarily eliminated through the kidneys where it can cause damage.

Inorganic Mercury is used in laxatives and antiparasitics, but also comes from fish. It stores in the kidneys. It is excreted through the kidneys and the bowels. It has limited ability to store in the brain.

Methyl Mercury is the most dangerous. Yeast and bacteria can convert elemental mercury from “silver fillings” into this type. It absorbs into the brain. It can cause hormone imbalance, allergies, depressed immunity, chronic fatigue, thyroid problems, skin problems, etc, etc. etc.

Precise programs are needed to fully eliminate toxic metals. Simple I.V. chelation (chelation means to “bind to and pull out”) will not fully remove metals nor will Dmsa-Dmps (oral chelation) programs. This is because toxic metals displace nutrient minerals like calcium, zinc etc from your body. They seek to replace those good minerals in your cells. Therefore full elimination cannot take place until you have replaced the bad mineral with good mineral.

To remove metals effectively one must have the following;

A substance that will bind the metals within the intestinal tract so that the metal do not reabsorb back into your body and that will prevent the metals from being absorbed by yeasts and fungi in the intestinal tract.
A substance that can chelate the metals out of the tissue.
Nutrients that can antagonize replace and drive the metals out of the tissue and the bone. These would be the key nutrients that normally protect you from that specific metal.
Nutrients that allow the metals to freely pass from the liver through the colon and out of the body.

Toxic Metal Testing

This is an area of tremendous confusion. Here is a brief description of each type of test;

Hair mineral testing; Hair is used as one of the tissues of choice by the Environmental Protection Agency in determining toxic metal exposure. A 1980 report from the E.P.A. stated that human hair could be effectively used for biological monitoring of the highest priority toxic metals. This report confirmed the findings of other studies in the U.S. and abroad, which concluded that human hair might be a more appropriate tissue than blood or urine for studying community exposure to some trace elements. For mercury hair is excellent at diagnosing “Methyl mercury” but not ‘elemental mercury”
Urinary Challenges; this type of test requires that you provide an initial 24 hour urine sample for testing. Then you will be asked to take a substance, usually DMSA or DMPS and the take another 24 hour urine sample to see if the “substance” was able to “stir up” mercury that was hiding. This is better for elemental and organic mercury but not the most dangerous, which is methyl mercury.
Fecal Metal testing; fecal analysis is the surest method to measure metal exposure. About 80% of all mercury is found in feces Most of the amalgam spokesmen support their arguments on research based upon analysis of blood and urine, where it is difficult to reveal high concentrations. But in feces we find substantial concentrations of for example mercury and silver from persons with amalgam fillings. Fecal metal testing can also be done using a challenge.The Swedish dentist Christer Malmström, a well known expert in amalgam research, has during a number of years performed analyses at Biospectron and state:“Biospectron’s feces analysis is the most essential test to determine exposure from heavy metals like mercury lead and silver. The test is irreplaceable when to find causes when sanitized people don’t get healthy after sanitation.”“Numbness, fibromyalgi, allergies, chronicle tiredness, Crohn’s disease, eczema, autoimmune diseases, multiple scleros, electricity sensitivity, rheumatic diseases, bruises, bad memory, prolonged fever, candida, diarrhea, sensitivity to light and noise etc. This is some of the usual “diagnoses” amalgam poisoned have received. But, in contrary to other chronicle diseases it is possible to recover from amalgam poisoning.”
The feces analysis do not only measure high exposure from amalgam, but from water supply, water purifiers, food, tins, medicine etc.

This analysis is favorable to:
- confirm a suspected metal exposure
- minimize the metal exposure during amalgam removal
- find possible causes when removal of amalgam fillings do not result in satisfactory health
- control how removal procedure has succeeded
Blood test; Blood generally reflects recent exposure to elemental or inorganic forms. There are certain blood tests that can infer you may have high mercury, but they can also be influenced by other factors. A blood test, on its own, is a poor indicator of mercury or metal status.

USE BOTH HAIR AND FECAL TESTS

The best approach is to use hair for Elemental mercury and fecal tests for Methyl mercury. In this way you can see if you have these two types, see the level of protective minerals in your body and check the rate of excretion through the bowel and liver.

DMPS and DMSA Controversy

The truth here is that both are effective if used correctly.

DMSA

Dmsa can remove mercury from the brain where DMPS can’t. DMPS causes a loss of zinc and copper, which can create deficiency states. Dmsa is more effective at removing mercury from the bones, blood liver, brain, spleen, lungs, skin etc then DMPS. Some people do not tolerate DMPS well. Those with MS, ALS or damage to the central nervous system. Vegetarians should not take DMPS unless they consume large amounts of protein with it.

However DMPS causes less bad reactions and is more effective in removing mercury from the kidneys. DMPS is safer and easier to use with AUTISTIC children. When using DMSA in Austic children you MUST give it with other nutrients to insure it works correctly. Many doctors are not aware of this or do not want to give “too many pills”, so this makes DMPS the better choice.

There are many valid synergists that assist DMPS and DMSA in removing mercury. Substances like zinc, vitamin c, selenium, cilantro, chlorophyll (chlorella), garlic, l-histadine etc. These are very important to a metal detox program. It lies it the skill and within the knowledge of the doctor to assemble which ones should be used together. One must test the patient for deficiencies and imbalance of these substances. One also must keep in mind 4 groups stated above;

A substance that will bind the metals within the intestinal tract so that the metal do not reabsorb back into your body and that will prevent the metals from being absorbed by yeasts and fungi in the intestinal tract.
A substance that can chelate the metals out of the tissue.
Nutrients that can antagonize replace and drive the metals out of the tissue and the bone. These would be the key nutrients that normally protect you from that specific metal.
Nutrients that allow the metals to freely pass from the liver through the colon and out of the body.

Reference:
H.L. “Sam” Queen. “The Basic 100”

Dr.Dietrich Klinghardt, “Heavey Metals and Chronic Dieases” Feb 2000

Dr. Steve Schwartz “Is your Mouth Toxic Time Bomb?’

Michael Biamonte holds a Doctorate of Nutripathy, and is a New York State certified Clinical Nutritionist. He is a professional member of the International and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists,The American College of Nutrition and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Clinical Nutrition Certification Board. He is listed in “The Directory of Distinguished Americans” for his research in Nutrition and Physiology.

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