Dec. 31, 2012 on the cusp of a new year. 2 weeks ago I had my last two mercury amalgams removed. ***Celebration***!  Immediately I felt an improvement in my overall energy levels and muscle strength. The following day walked about 40 minutes easily, with no muscle weakness or dis-coordination, no asthma, no exhaustion (for years have had exercise intolerance, all those symptoms plus swelling of muscles, with pain, also in the joints, with intense activity such as a brisk 20-minute walk).

Three weeks prior to that I had a single filling removed, being unwilling to risk a longer procedure to take out the two my dental toxicologist would normally take out at once, due to the bad experience of anesthetic overdose in the session before that; I was extremely anxious being in the dental chair again. I am never comfortable in that situation, always tense, this was probably the worst ever. I use my deep relaxation training such as diaphragmatic breathing, and 'energy medicine' tools to help myself relax (Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Body Talk).

When I was a child my family had a dentist who did not believe in using freezing for children. We had our teeth drilled with no anesthetic. I would be sitting in the waiting room anticipating my turn as I listened to my brother in there ahead of me, screaming. Not good memories, and a lifelong aversion to dentistry!

So now I have completed this year-long course of removal of mercury and other toxic metals from 11 teeth (4 others having already been de-mercuried during the previous ten years). Big sigh of relief. Now the serious detox can begin.

I have read and heard contradicting opinions as to whether to do intensive detoxification of body tissues while mercury is still present in the teeth. After reviewing it all I chose to wait until after mercury is out of teeth to do deep detox.

I've been doing gentle homeopathic and herbal treatments to support organ function (so liver and kidney, e.g., can do their natural detoxifying jobs) and some detox after amalgam-removals which exposed me to mercury during drilling. Apart from that I've used Dr. McGuire's list of supplements to develop a personal supplements routine. Previous posts have gone into this in detail.

It is *very important* not to just jump into supplementation without researching every item and getting expert advice (not the 'expert' at the health food store, or 'nutritional consultant', but a Naturopathic doctor or physician or pharmacist - I've used all three, plus draw on my own health sciences degree, B. Sc. N., to evaluate the huge amount of information available). Despite that, I learned the hard way:  when an Environmental Physician prescribed a multi-element supplement I trusted it without looking at every item in detail. I was so sick and exhausted I just never took the time to go through the list of ingredients until I began to research mercury poisoning in 2011. Four years had passed before I discovered some of the contents were allergens contributing to chronic ear problems, depression, and other symptoms.

My dentist, certified by Dr. McGuire, and studying Naturopathy, recommends using supplements on a schedule of 3 weeks on, 1 week off, to avoid habituation which would lessen effectiveness. I have not been doing that, so will begin to take breaks as recommended.

I am now on my fourth round of a 3-week detox using an herb which is controversial because of its liver and kidney damaging potential if inappropriately used. I am supervised by a Clinical Herbalist and follow her directions exactly. It clears my mind wonderfully, and my mercury symptoms are significantly less. I no longer am losing my balance several times a week, have not fallen since the summer; muscles are stronger, no longer have days when it is hard to just lift my arms or get up from the sofa; no more cramping or spasms (unless exposed to chemicals I'm sensitive to). In several months have had no further episodes of being unable to comprehend someone's speech or being unable to speak myself (terrifying!), just trouble with vocabulary and slight stuttering sometimes. My memory is better, can converse comfortably and remember what people have just said to me, recall things like who-was-that-actress-in-that-film, or what did I eat for breakfast. Less spaced-out and forgetful. All-in-all the brain is obviously doing better. Thank God.

Many, many reasons to be thankful, I start this new year with great gratitude and high hopes. May you all have a blessed and happy year.

Boy, time sure flies. It is November already. For months I have been feeling too overwhelmed  to continue my research into mercury to any great extent, or add to my blog. 'Denial' I suppose. I started working with a helper this week to try to get over this paralysis.

When amalgams are removed, mercury vapour is released by the drilling, so even with measures to minimize absorption (oral dam, vacuum, separate air supply, room air filters) some mercury is added to the body load. After amalgam removals  symptoms arise right away, such as lots of hair falling out of my scalp, muscle cramps/twitches/spasms, edema in legs and feet, mental fog, irritability.

Since last November (2011) I have been on an accelerated program of removal of the eleven remaining amalgams in my mouth, having had four removed in the previous ten years. My prior dentist's old school thinking was to take amalgams out "when ready" - old and worn. At that point the mercury has been leaking out for many years. The correct attitude is to get all amalgams out as soon as possible because it is poisoning the body as long as it remains, and because even once out it takes many years to clear from tissues (half life of fifteenyears - see item #6 on this website), so get them out and let the body start to recover.

After some amalgam removals I felt immediate improvements in energy levels and mental clarity. Here is an interesting meridian chart connecting specific teeth with different parts of the body.

At least two of my teeth were cracked from amalgam expanding and contracting, allowing mercury to exit - no doubt explaining why saliva on my facial skin caused a rash. Some amalgams were so corroded they looked like orange peel,  indicating large amounts of mercury had been released.

I am now down to three, in the lower right quadrant; three quadrants are mercury-free! Yay! I feel the difference in my face - less tension, less sinus irritation, no longer living in "sinusitis hell" although sinuses do get inflamed when exposed to fragrances and chemicals, this is the Environmental Illness/Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.

I use homeopathic remedies ( "Nat Mir" and Dr. Reckeweig #49 -I'm not endorsing this site, just giving a link that shows what is in this sinus treatment - mercury formulations most notably) and nasal saline rinses (yogic "jala neti" (again, not a site endorsement, just a link that shows what it is) - essential, minimum twice a day) to prevent sinusitis. Too many exposures to fragrances or chemicals knocks out my immune system, like the past two weeks - chills and fever followed excessive exposures, acute sinusitis became a throat and chest infection; I kept those minimal using goldenseal and lungwort herbs along with homeopathy, Reiki self treatment, rest, extra vitamin C. I continue to take the supplements established earlier in the year: vitamin B, C, D, omega 3 oil, sulfur, trace minerals, calcium-magnesium, coQ10, recently adding grapeseed extract for antioxidation.

This week to my arsenal of detox tools I added lymph massage with immediate results in urinary and stool elimination; people say I look brighter, I feel it.

In August I had two amalgams removed at one time. One took the dentist longer than expected to clean out. The 'freezing' wore off. At two previous visits this happened, freezing wearing off mid-procedure, after about 45 minutes. At the last visit it happened twice and in total the dentist gave me six needles instead of the usual two. I overdosed on it, had severe double vision that took an hour to resolve and extremely high blood pressure (around 200/130) that took a couple of hours to come down. It was not fun.

Now I will only allow one filling at a time to be removed so a short period of anesthesia ("freezing") will suffice. I will use a Body Talk technique to help myself relax in the dental chair, never easy.

Yesterday I visited a friend about to undergo mastectomy for breast cancer; I am reminded to be grateful for what I do have and not indulge in self pity. A breast lump recently turned up and was found to be benign - mercury may predispose to cancers. My herbalist cancelled the astragulus she had me on as it can contribute to tumour growth.

I am grateful for friends and family, for beautiful fall weather and a warm, dry bed with electrical service, unlike the poor people in the New York area after hurricane Sandy swamped them, then a wintry snowstorm. Many good things to focus on - like guitar lessons I just started and really enjoy. Happy! Life goes on.

The morning after:  2 amalgams replaced yesterday. Jaw still a bit sore. Puffy cheek back to normal. Mercury symptoms:  slight insomnia (trouble getting to sleep despite tiredness), a nightmare (my father back from the dead!), muscles twitching a little on one leg (had an Epsom bath - 2 cups in a tub then rinsed off, after procedure to reduce this), joint pain at elbows and wrists, slight sinusitis, sore muscles all over, fatigue, one hallucination of a table moving. R&R today; a nice cloudy, rainy day for that.

The left side of my mouth is now free of mercury. Which means I can chew on that side mostly, to lessen releases of mercury from stimulating the still 6 remaining fillings on the right side. My dentist says that will not do any harm to my 'bite', to chew on one side only.

I have some catching up to do here. Have been taking a breather from mercury studies for a while, was getting too stressed out about it, plus some other life stressors, needed a vacation from worries. Mental and physical tension is one of mercury's effects (e.g., grinding teeth, biting nails, snappy temper, impatience), I am learning the trick is to be aware of it and balance it with pleasurable and relaxing measures.

What's been happening:

Ontario Poison Centre toxicologist offered no assistance at all to deal with chronic mercury toxicity, because my blood and urine levels of mercury are not high as happens in acute poisoning. With chronic low level exposures as from amalgams and the tainted Bi Yan Pian I used for eight years, the mercury is in the tissues, not circulating in blood where it can be measured. It is slowly released through stools and urine mainly. People poisoned from eating a lot of fish can have blood levels of 500-1000 measurement units, mine is only 9, "normal" is 3 or 4.

The physician in town who does recognize Chronic Mercury Toxicity wants $300 for an assessment and will not talk to me before then. Their office claims to be able to treat people sensitive to chelators (I have reacted badly to several - chlorella, NAC, ALA, EDTA) then do chelation after that. I do not feel comfortable with allopathic chelators at this point, my system is too toxic and sensitive, there are dangers to those procedures because they are potent and pull out other metals besides mercury; the body needs those metals to survive. It's a delicate balancing act to provide replacement necessary metals, such as zinc, copper, selenium, while extracting the mercury.

I need to know more about it before trying anything so strong as DMPS, (Dimercaptopropanesulfonic acid (pronounced dye-mer-cap-toe-pro-pain-sull-fon-ic acid) - chelating agent,  that binds to metal) which allopaths claim is the only way to get Hg out of  brain tissues. One of my sisters did the DMPS challenge recently and tolerated it alright. It means getting an intravenous dose which pulls Hg out of tissues; urine is measured for Hg before and after, tells how much mercury is in tissues. After you follow a detox program lasting months or years, you do that again to see how well it worked, how much less Hg is left in tissues).

I have decided for now to go a gentler route. Saw a Clinical Herbalist, she assessed me and prescribed, after testing my pulse reaction to them, astragalus and schizandra berries, to begin with. Started with a small amount of each, gradually increasing for a couple of weeks, now on a reduced maintenance dose for a month, half an inch of astragulus bark and a teaspoon and a half schizandra. The astragalus is boiled in a litre of water for 5 minutes, then berries added and all steeped for four hours or overnight, drunk thru the day before 7 p.m. (after which time organs need to rest, no heavy meals after then either. I used to eat late at night, this change is improving my diabetic blood sugars). It is not to detox mercury specifically but to strengthen organ function so the liver, kidney etc all can do better what they normally do, clean out toxins. Altho I have a university degree in health sciences, there is never an end to understanding our marvellous bodies and how we interact with the world. I am learning a lot from "alternative" health systems like ayurveda, yoga, herbology, qi gong, energy medicine.

Dr. Tom McGuire, of the International Association of Oral Medicine and Toxicology - mercury-free dentists, which my dentist belongs to,  supports the view that chelation should wait until after amalgams are out of the mouth, to avoid pulling mercury out of fillings and into circulation. Once fillings are replaced with safer materials, then a mercury detox is done. There are myriad approaches and conflicting opinions as to how best to go about that, this is what I must research between now and the end of the year when my amalgams are gone (whoopee!). Until then I do only homeopathic detox and supportive measures.

I just took the last of 4 powders prepared by my Hielkunst homeopathist (one before dental procedure, one after, one later that day, one the morning after). Then I take a daily "heavy metals detox" remedy and a "drainage" (to help lymph drain toxins) remedy daily for a couple of weeks, until I feel a "shift". These homeopathic shifts are impressive. This year I went from rarely feeling happy to now happy mood on a daily basis, thanks to homeopathy. I feel very blessed. Unable to support myself, on disability pension for many years, my family pays for health care not covered by provincial plan, which is most of what I do:

homeopathy (Hielkunst), reflexology, Psych K, Body Talk, yoga, Sat Nam Rasayan healing meditation, Spring Forest Qi Gong, Ayurvedic nutrition, supplements (vitamins B, C, D; omega 3 and Evening Primrose Oil, sulphur (MSM), coQ10, trace minerals, Calcium (citrate) -Magnesium 1:1 , "Bio XII" homeopathic biosalts).

It all adds up to thousands of dollars per year. Thank-you to my family angels!

My musical friends support me psychologically. It is so fun when we get together to sing and play guitar and piano, lifts my spirits and gives me something positive to look forward to every week. Thank-you music angels!

More re mercury symptoms:  hallucinations (stationery things look like they are moving) have occurred a couple of time in the last month; severe muscle spasms in my back, sometimes legs, chronic muscle weakness and fatigue, gets worse when exposed to phenols (scents); chronic sinusitis - much better now that I am off the Bi Yan Pian, no longer living in "sinus hell" like I was for years. Thank God.

Despite weakness, am strong enough to do my garden work this year, which I was not 2 years ago. Put a load of compost on my 10 x 20' community plot and turned it in, plus added a layer of topsoil. Did it over 3 trips, now just a little corner left to do. Planting weekend here in Eastern Ontario is the last weekend in May. Can't wait! Will grow lots of organic greens this year. Kale, chard, bok choy, spinach . . . yum.

Essential for detox is good nutrition, heaps of fresh fruits and vegetables, minimise white flour, sugar, processed foods. The bowel eliminates mercury so must flow smoothly - lots of water, fibre, gentle exercise (too much mobilises mercury), a ten minute walk is good and all I need to lower blood sugars, too.  I am a junk food junkie so have been slowly reducing these things by focusing on  F(fresh) U(unprocessed) N(nutritious) foods.  The unconscious mind, apparently, does not process negatives so "don't eat cake" translates to "EAT CAKE!" Instead, I simply say:  eat more greens! and don't obsess about the other stuff, but practice "messing with the habit" as I learned when quitting smoking - break the associations (e.g., always having a sandwich at lunch vs. now soup and salad more often),  eating consciously. Fun. Terry Wahls cured herself of MS with nine cups a day of greens, mixed veg's, fruit, quality lean protein. So I use a big bowl and fill it up. It's actually hard to do on a daily basis, I just keep 'hitting the reset button'.

So, for today, how to Rest and Rejuvenate:  touch base with family and friends; lie in bed listening to favourite music; watch a favourite movie; draw; go for a walk; eat favourite nutritious foods like fruit salad, greens stir-fry. Meditate and pray, do Qi Gong and yoga, pranayam - breathing exercises. Rest my mind by letting go of worries about any thing, give my trust to the Spirit of the Universe to provide abundantly all that I need to survive and thrive, just for today. Gratitude.

Friday (2 days ago), family doctor called Ontario Poison Centre to report my poisoning via Bi Yan Pian, recalled by Health Canada last Sept. for having ten times the legal limit allowed for mercury (Chinese herbal remedy for sinusitis I used for 8 years, recommended by a  naturopathic nutritionist).

The Centre responder took down some basic info and said their toxicologist will get back to us.

Now the waiting. There is a lot of that in our medical system. Meanwhile: epsom baths 3x/week reduce muscle cramps and spasms, skin rashes, irritability, nervousness. After showering off the salts from a 12-minute bath (2 cups in a tub) I apply oil to my skin to nourish nerves (a Cayce remedy "Aura Glow") Continuing with supplements daily:  vitamins (B complex, C 1 G, more when sicker, D 3000 iu*),  minerals, omega 3, Evening Primrose oil, coQ10 100 mg, sulfur (MSM) 3x/day.

*vit D -was at 4000 iu/day (as prescribed by physician after blood levels tested a few years ago, was rock bottom then came up to normal on supplements, 2000 i.u. during summer, 4000 winter); reduced it recently after an episode of heart pounding (listed side effect on med sheet) altho I think that was from a blood pressure (B.P.) medicine, Coversyl, now weaned off, as I think it was the cause of angina Dec. 30. My B.P. I monitor by machine 2-3x daily, is back to normal now Bi Yan Pian has been stopped (since Nov., 2011).

I was taking selenium 100ucg/day but now believe dietary sources are sufficient, eat Brazil nuts now and then, will increase that to once a week, but selenium is common in everyday foods (as long as you do not live in areas like parts of China that have selenium-poor soil. Maybe post amalgam removals will increase intake for a couple of weeks.

May have found a physician to help me sort out detox protocols, am waiting to hear back, will post about that later.

As Terry Wahls describes, it is better to get nutrients from food not from pills. It is wonderful to have fresh, colourful foods easily available in my urban environment, just have to walk to the grocery store.

Looking into water filtration options now - another mountain of research to do. Many products, many levels of filtration, differing opinions on whether more pure water is healthy or too stripped of natural minerals. The flouride issue arises, happy to see many people are on board with getting rid of flouridation, totally unnecessary and toxic practice.

Being mercury toxic means tiring easily both physically and mentally. I feel wiped out after hours of trying to sort through all the pros and cons and arguments.

Happy to be able to turn it all off and head for a good night's sleep, which for the most part I usually have these days, a joyful blessing. If yours is not so, may you find rest wherever, however you can. I have read that one hour of meditation give the equivalent of four hours sleep.

Mercury combines with chemicals I'm exposed to and creates symptoms. Yesterday I had my guitar out for a few hours and reacted to its shellac. I bought it 21 months ago. I felt nothing while it was out of the case, but woke up 12 hours later, at 5 a.m. with typical mercury symptoms:

wakefulness, hyper/zoomy/agitated feeling, "high"/happy/elated emotional state, itchy scalp; after that 'up' phase came sneezing and nasal congestion, then a 'down' swing:  fatigue/sleepiness, depressed feeling, depleted.

I documented the sensations and feelings as they went thru me and quickly saw the pattern of upswing followed by downswing, all within an hour. Good to know, to recognize what is going on especially when it affects thinking and emotions.

Two of my homeopathic remedies helped, one for allergies, one for sinusitis.

Today still tired and sinusitis from that but enough energy to get out and enjoy the snow falling.

Yesterday a small amalgam removed, quick and easy. Wait 3 weeks then take another out. 6 left to go.

Mercury symptoms following extraction, one heart palpitation afterwards, fatigue. Went to bed early. Today:  blurry eyes in the morning, little bit of edema in legs and feet, some stammering speech, absent-mindedness, nothing major, feel good, happy, had a nice musical visit with a friend.

Grateful for good helpers all around.