Is it really MS?

I was looking for side effects of DMSA and came upon this website. http://www.flcv.com/indexd.html. I found it had a lot of info on it that I've been through before, but it's good to read through it again.

I also bumped into a website last night that dropped me on another website with a symptoms list for MS. I have had, and still have, several of the symptoms on that list. I was saddened to see how many people were signed up for this particular website support group who have been diagnosed with MS. I have to imagine 95% of them have been misdiagnosed with MS. I am beginning to believe that MS is not exactly the correct name- it should be named HMT (Heavy Metal Toxicity). Like I mentioned before, my maternal grandfather died of 'MS'. I unfortunately have not been able to find out from family whether or not he possibly could have been mercury poisoned because they didn't know his dental health nor what kind of metals he was exposed to in his line of work (dairy man). My guess is that he was exposed in some form or another. And my guess is that it wasn't 'MS' that took his life, but the heavy metals in his body destroying his nervous system.

I have to imagine, if I didn't figure out what was wrong with me and take necessary action a couple of years ago, I would be diagnosed with MS today, with no real answers as to why and how. I feel absolutely terrible for these people who get that diagnosis without their doctors ever figuring out the cause and being able to give them some better form of life back. What saddens me even more is that the MS Society won't even look at heavy metals as a possible cause. I find anywhere I can post or reply to posts on health websites about the terrible things mercury does to the body now, and I hope to someday start a support group that will help pay for individuals to get the mercury poison out of their teeth. I know of several individuals already that could use the financial support, and I only wish I could help them.

Testing x3

Sparky and I decided just recently that he and the kids should be tested for heavy metals too, so this last weekend all three of them took the toxic element screening. We'll find out in a month if they are affected by toxic metals as well. It will be really interesting to know, because if they are all affected, then we have something to work with - something that all of us do or eat that's causing the high numbers. If it's just me, then it will be pretty perplexing since the kids and I are together and do a lot of the same things and eat a lot of the same things 90% of the time.

The DMSA chelation is going as expected. My first three days were pretty bad - extreme headaches, fatigue, etc. My fourth day was slightly better, but ended in another 'thyroid storm' * in the middle of the night. I have four and a half more weeks to go of chelation.

Even though I have had to address other toxic metals along with mercury, my hope is that those who stop by and read my story would be convicted to stand up to your dentist the next time he or she wants to place amalgam fillings in your teeth. It's a long lonely road when you don't feel well, and even though you think you may never go through what I have, I thought those same things, too. Yet it happened, and I have missed a lot over the last four years because of it. I especially missed special times with my children when I couldn't sit still long enough or it hurt me physically to cuddle with them, or my headaches were too intense to spend time with them, or my chest hurt too badly to read to them. I spent hours crying with my husband rather than spending time enjoying being with him. I haven't felt the confidence to drive in almost two years, causing me to be dependent on others, and stuck at home every day not being able to run errands or do fun field trips with the kids, putting a burden on Sparky because then he had/has to chauffeur me around in the evenings and weekends. I am not asking for sympathy. I know others suffer even more than me, but I want anyone who will read what I have to say to understand this poison can alter your life like you never expected. Please consider my story and be informed.

*discussed in an earlier post

Test Results II

I got my test results this week from the toxic element screening. It was encouraging because things are happening, yet a little discouraging, because I still have more chelation to do. Most of my numbers came down some but not enough, and I did guess that before finding out the results because of how I've been feeling. I will be starting another round of DMSA chelation for six weeks starting next week, and then I retest in three months. I am not looking forward to it because this time the chelation falls right over Christmas. The last round wasn't too kind to me and I did not feel well throughout. My hope is, this time will be different and as the numbers fall even further I may actually start feeling better. I'll post the numbers below, as well as the previous test numbers so they can be compared. In red is above the 'permissible' limit. DL meant not detectable. You may notice that gallium was off the chart in test #1, but undetectable in test #2. Gallium is used for medical purposes, and also used in composite fillings. What little I have learned about it is that it's not typically toxic, so I'm guessing having it that high had not much effect on me, plus it was probably the residual that had made it into my body after having my dental work done. You may also notice that platinum jumped into the above allowable range. It was explained to me that it was high due to the presence of DMSA (for chelation) in my body, and "elemental platinum has very low toxicity except for those who have dermal sensitivity" (Genova Diagnostics).

Element/ test #1/ test #2/ RR (what it should be under)
Lead/ 22.2/ 11.5 /1.4
Mercury / 1.74/ 1.19 / 2.19
Aluminum/ 4.0/ 5.9 / 22.3
Antimony / .136/ .079/ .149
Arsenic / 17/ 17 / 50
Barium / 4.5 / 3.4/ 6.7
Cadmium/ .33 /.15/ .64
Cesium/ 6.0/ 6.2 / 10.5
Gallium / .107/ dl/ .028
Nickel/ 2.31 / dl/ 3.88
Platinum/ dl/ .035/ .033
Rubidium / 1,456/ 1,580/ 2,263
Thallium / .486/ .289 / .298
Tin / .95 / .47/ 2.04
Tungsten / .049/ dl/ .211

I also started physical therapy this week to retrain my vision to correct the off-balance and dizzy feelings I have constantly. I have about 30 minutes of exercises to do twice a day. The physical therapist said it will take some time to retrain my vision. As promising as it might be, I'm still a little perplexed that the NP did not order any testing to find the cause of the off-balance/dizziness but went right to PT instead.

I guess overall things are going in the right direction, and I am somewhat encouraged. I am not getting excited about anything yet, however, because I don't like getting excited about something and then to be let down when it doesn't happen. I am hoping and praying that I will feel improvement after these next six weeks, but I am waiting to feel the results before I celebrate.

Info I've been waiting to see...

Sparky stumbled upon some websites today that I often have wondered about. Do cell phones cause mercury to be released from your amalgam fillings? Here are two different websites for your perusal.
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/11/17/cellphones-are-dangerous-not-dangerous-leaky-fillings-edition/
http://www.ansijournals.com/pjbs/2008/1142-1146.pdf

I'm of course amalgam free now, so I'm not so concerned about me, although I find I like to text more than call, so that keeps my phone away from my ear as much anyway.

Waiting...

The toxic element test is done, and my appointment to get the results is set for early December. Now it's just the waiting. I just hope that the DMSA did its job and that the results will be promising.

Things have settled down a little bit for me since I've been off the chelation, but not a whole lot. I'm still experiencing severe headaches almost daily, and I've not been able to shake the off-balance or dizzy feelings and the extreme fatigue. I did have my eustachian tubes adjusted chiropractically and that seemed to help get rid of the off-balance and dizziness for about a day, and then it must have gone back to being twisted, causing those symptoms to return.

I also had what my doctor thinks to be a thyroid storm last week, but the info I found online says that it can be caused only in hyperthyroid patients, so I'm a little confused. I have hypothyroidism. My 'thyroid storm' did fit most of the symptoms found in the above link, but I did not go to the E.R., nor was it life threatening, as I am still here. It was still a bit unnerving, and I find myself concerned that I'll have another episode someday, and that it could be life threatening the next time around.

I hate still not feeling well. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. I hate the off-balance and dizzy feelings. I hate the extreme fatigue. I hate the headaches. I hate not being able to drive and be a 'normal' mom to my kids and 'normal' wife to my husband. I have hope that I will get some sense of normalcy back in my life some day. I just hope and pray it's sooner than later.

Next toxic element test

Tomorrow I will be taking my next toxic element test. I'm a little apprehensive, but at the same time a little excited. If you've kept up with my blog, you'll know that the last six weeks on DMSA hasn't been that great. Tomorrow I need to take 4 times the amount than what I was taking on any particular day during chelation - all at one time. It does concern me a little that I could feel as bad (or worse), than I did over the last six weeks. But, I am a little excited because after the last test I had three awesome days of feeling almost 95% well. Needless to say, I'm a little torn. Regardless of the outcome, I need to do it. We need to know if this protocol is working to rid my body of the toxic metals that have made a home there.

Almost done...

I have one week left of DMSA chelation. I then will be taking another toxic element test, as I mentioned in my previous post. We're hoping to find that the chelation worked, but we won't know for about a month - it takes that long for the results to come back.

The detoxification is going okay. I've had symptoms reappear that once were gone, and other ones are exacerbated. I've had horrendous headaches, the irritability comes and goes, I'm fatigued beyond what anyone could imagine, and I've been so off-balanced I feel like I'm drunk. Those are the main ones, but there are others as well. In a way, I was prepared for the symptoms I had at the time I started chelation to get worse, but I never expected symptoms to return. It's been difficult at best to relive the last 3 1/2 years all over again.

My last visit to the ND found that my kidneys are having some trouble with all of the work they have to do to filter out the extra barrage of toxins moving through them. It wasn't surprising to hear. Even though I tried nutritionally getting my kidneys prepared, it still is a big process to filter through more than they have ever before. I plan on giving them an extra nutritional boost during the next month while we wait for the test results just in case we do another round of DMSA. I don't need my kidneys failing!

I am dealing with one of those nasty headaches today. Nothing is touching it, and it's very aggravating. It just makes me want to crawl into bed and not come back out until I'm healthy again! Unfortunately that is not an option.

Oral Chelation...

I haven't had much time to do any more research lately since Peanut and Doshi started their fall quarter of homeschool at the end of August and it's a lot more hands on this year (which takes a majority of my time) and leaves no time for looking things up. It also is one of the reasons why I haven't been here lately and I apologize to those of you who have tried keeping up with me this way. I'll try to be better!

Follow up from the Heavy Metal testing results: Today I started DMSA chelation (key-lay shun). I take 500 mg. of DMSA 3 times a week for six weeks. Then I'll be taking another toxic element test afterwards to see if and how much heavy metals were removed from my system. I'm thankful that I'm finally to this stage. This is what I feel I've been needing since I came to the realization that it could be mercury causing my problems. I originally didn't want to be taking DMSA or DMPS because I've read many negative things on them, but I know that this is a much faster way of detoxing the metals out. The food-only method was working, it was just going to take a long time. Taking DMSA was not my idea; it was the protocol given by a naturopath doctor at the clinic where I saw the NP. My ND, Dr. S, is willing to go this method and see what happens. I am a little concerned about the side effects I have read about regarding DMSA, but I think it is worth trying. I'm trying to keep an open mind about this, because I don't want to get my hopes up and it might not help at all. I believe, with the test results from the first toxic element test and all of the research I've done, it will help. I also have proof in the daily journals that I keep for Dr. S that I had three great days immediately following the high dosage of DMSA following that first toxic element test that tells me that we're on the right track. Boy, I sure hope so.

Test Results...

Monday we got the results back from the Heavy Metal testing as well as to see how my thyroid was doing. It wasn't good news, but not surprising because of the symptoms I have gone through and still have. It was a real eye opener to see what's been making me ill.

Here is the breakdown from highest to lowest heavy metal, meaning what I am most toxic with to the least:

Gallium: .107 reference range (rr) .028
Lead: 22.2 rr 1.4
Thallium: .486 rr .298
Antimony: .136 rr .149
Mercury: 1.72 rr 2.19
Barium: 4.5 rr 6.7
Ribidium: 1,456 rr 2,263
Nickel: 2.31 rr 3.88
Cesium: 6.0 rr 10.5
Cadmium: .33 rr .64
Tin: .95 rr 2.04
Arsenic: 17 rr 50
Tungsten: .049 rr .211
Aluminum: 4.0 rr 22.3

In red are the metals that are above the permissible limit. I'm positive had I taken the test 6 months ago, mercury would have been fairly high as well. Between having the last of the amalgams removed and the detoxing I did over the summer, I am sure I got rid of a lot already.

According to the thyroid test results, my thyroid is now being suppressed by the Armour thyroid I have been taking since January. The nurse practitioner I talked with on Monday is encouraging either half a dose or quitting it altogether. I have not heard word back yet from Dr. S as to his thoughts on it, so at this point I have continued taking it at normal dose.

On one hand I am relieved to know that there really is a cause for the way I've felt over the last three years, but on the other hand I'm quite perplexed as to where I was exposed to these elements that are in the high category. I only expected to see mercury high, not lead, gallium, or thallium. And if so, how long have I been toxic? I don't know if I'll ever know the answer to it.

What next you ask? I am waiting back to hear from either the NP or Dr. S after they were supposed to have a consult either yesterday or today. The NP was also going to speak with their naturopath on staff at the clinic and see what his suggestions are. The NP mentioned IV chelation...scary stuff to me. It just tells me that there's no fooling around with this and it's not something to be taken lightly. I haven't taken any of this lightly the last three years- don't get me wrong. I know how serious heavy metal poisoning can be. I've researched it lengthily. For the first time throughout this whole ordeal I finally feel like someone believes me when I say I don't feel well! It's a relief...the next steps are just unfamiliar territory, and it's making me a bit nervous. At the same time I am excited that I will finally get somewhere with the detox that I wasn't able to accomplish on my own.

Why her, why me, why you?

I apologize for not being in here in a while. August has been a busy month so far, and I actually am sitting at a picnic table at 10:30 p.m. at night 3 1/2 hours away from my home as I write this. My husband and kids and I are camping at a KOA this week. It's been good to get away from home for awhile, and my symptoms actually seemed to have not been so bad. I still have headaches going on and times of off-balance and dizziness, and some fatigue, too, but they seem minimal enough that I can enjoy this time with my family.

One week from now I'll be getting the results back from the heavy metals test. It will be really good to know the answer to the question I've had for almost three years now. Am I mercury toxic, and how much? As you know already if you've kept up with my blog, I believe I am. And I believe Monday will prove it.

The anti-candida diet has been going well. It's been over two months since I started it. I haven't felt any improvement from it yet, probably because I'm not moving much mercury out right now, and yeast grows to offset what the mercury does to the body. I have, however, lost twenty pounds thanks to not eating grains or sugars. I have liked that aspect of it, but I'm quite bored with the lack of variety in meats and veggies.

I wanted to share something I experienced two weekends ago, at my mom's family reunion, because I believe it has something to do with mercury. My cousin, who has adult-onset epilepsy, had a seizure. I was there through the whole thing and witnessed something that I couldn't comprehend. Why did my cousin, who all through her childhood never had a problem, and it was only during her twenties that she began having these seizures? What happened to her body that is causing this to happen? When we got home from the weekend, I googled epilepsy, seizures, and mercury. I wasn't surprised to see there was a connection. I did talk with my cousin a little about her amalgams (and she does have them), and she was receptive to what I had to share. I don't know if she will research it out on her own or if she'll have anything done, but she wants her life back - I could see it in her eyes after my aunt told her she had had a seizure.

How many more lives must mercury ruin before dentists and the ADA come to their senses and stop the use of amalgam fillings?!?!?!

The Heavy Metal Challenge Test...

I did the heavy metals test, the next day, on Wednesday. It went well considering. I had to take 23 DMSA pills to get started, which was a little disconcerting to me, but it turned out fine. The only side effect that I noticed that could have been attributed to it was that I was extremely cold in my hands, feet, and nose that afternoon and evening. I must have warmed up sometime overnight, because then my body basal temperature rose to 98.5 by the next morning!

By Saturday, the off-balance and dizzy feeling I've been complaining about for over a year was almost non-existent. I was pretty happy about that, but then I chose to help my husband paint our master bathroom that evening before we put new flooring in. We used paint that probably contains mercury as a preservative so now I've probably undone everything that the DMSA was correcting.

The test results will be back in about a month. I've already got a follow-up appointment set up with the NP to go over them as well as other tests from my check-up. I can't believe it takes that long to figure out a test, but oh well. It will be nice to see how badly I've been affected by mercury as well as other heavy metals, because I know I have. It's just to what extent is what I'm wanting to be able to take back to Dr. S since he was beginning to seem unsure that mercury was the culprit. This test won't give an accurate picture of how badly I've been affected since it was urine only, but it will give enough to prove that I can feel good about continuing the heavy metal detox protocol.

High dose of DMSA?

I wanted to post this website for perusal. I found it very helpful, and even checked out the chlorella link and found a lot of great information.

My appointment yesterday went well. I talked with the NP about my concerns, and she suggested I take a heavy metal challenge test. It is a 6-hour urine test, and I am supposed to take DMSA at the beginning of it. Her nurse calculated the amount I should take very high, and I've been in communication with Dr. S as to what his thoughts are on this and if he thinks it might be too much. As I write, we are still waiting for the NP to return my call so that I can ask her what I should expect for the 72 hours following taking it. According to one website I read, there will be some pain involved at high levels, so I am a bit nervous about it. Once I do the test and send it in, it's supposed to take up to a month to get the results, so I'll be waiting a while longer to know if I am truly mercury toxic. Hopefully we can figure out if the dosage will be okay and the side effects minimal soon.

Heavy Metal Toxicity (HMT)

It's been a while since I've posted. I am still working through the detox, and things are going pretty slowly. I am going to a yearly check-up today (that's 3 years late!) with a nurse practitioner that I went to before I started exclusively going to Dr. S. I plan on talking to her today about my remaining symptoms and if I should have some testing done to see if it's anything else going on that needs heavier treatment. There was some concern by Dr. S that heavy metals aren't the cause of my remaining symptoms since I should be starting to feel better by now according to him, so it's also going to be an appointment to prove my point that it is HMT, with candida stemming from it, and I won't get better until we address it a lot more heartily. He thinks I might have a growth on my pituitary gland. I did read up on it, and it could possibly be true, but I also saw that it was connected with mercury toxicity. Since he does not have the facilities available to him to do any testing, I've opted to ask my NP to do the checking.

I decided it's also been a while since I updated my symptoms list. I thought I would do that again to show that a couple more symptoms have 'fallen' off the list, or have gone from occasional to rarely.

This is what was going on in May:
-head and neck pain/achiness
-frequent muscle aches/pain
-vision disturbances (off-balance feeling)
-dizzy spells(vertigo?)
-chronic fatigue
-occasional irritability (feels like finger nails across a chalkboard x3)
-neck sensitivity
-occasional indigestion
-poor short term memory (longterm has gotten very good)
-occasional brain fog/inability to concentrate
-motion sickness
-occasional skin eruptions
-bad breath
-zinc deficiency
-anemia

This is what's going on now:
-head and neck pain/achiness
-vision disturbances (off-balance feeling)
-dizzy spells(vertigo?)
-chronic fatigue
-neck sensitivity
-occasional indigestion
-poor short term memory (longterm has gotten very good)
-occasional brain fog/inability to concentrate
-rare skin eruptions
-rare irritability (feels like finger nails across a chalkboard x3)
-zinc deficiency?
-anemia?

One positive I'm finding on the candida diet is that I've lost almost 15 pounds. It doesn't really feel like it's helping in anything else, but probably because the metals are coming out slowly.

Recovery in Sight!

I thought I'd share a website I found today called the Klinghardt Protocol. I was intrigued to see that all of the research I've done and the protocol I set up for myself falls in line with what this doctor explained here. That makes me extremely confident I can beat this thing and someday regain my health. It's amazing just to be able to have an explanation for every 'bad' symptom that pops up, and rejoice that I am getting rid of these terrible toxins! I just need to be careful that I don't go overboard and try to detox too quickly, because I could really hurt myself. I am trying just a few things each week, and starting to add more things as I am comfortable. Whew is all I can say. I am relieved to know that I am on the right track, and will continue pressing on.

FDA, ADA Conspiracy to Poison Children with Toxic Mercury Fillings Exposed in Groundbreaking Lawsuit!

http://www.naturalnews.com/023367.html

Gotta go through the bad before you get to the better...

Since my last post I have been doing a lot of detox. I have felt pretty terrible, but I am keeping a good attitude about it as much as possible because I know the reasons why I'm feeling so badly.

I have been taking probiotics, taking my usual Sunrider products, eating cultured veggies, cilantro, onions, and garlic daily, and I've taken one epsom salt bath. I am now totally on the candida diet, eating only meats and vegetables, and have for two weeks now. I also purchased and have been using a neti pot daily and finding some relief from the stuffiness I was having in my nasal passages. All of my symptoms have come back stronger due to the die off of the yeast in my system, however. When the yeast has died off enough I should feel some relief, but it will continue to build again as long as I have the heavy metals so abundant in my system. I will be continuing with the above protocol, and hoping to soon add chlorophyll (cleanses the blood) and spirulina which will help with detoxing the metals out. Like I've said before, it will be a slower process than using DMPS, but I am just not comfortable with using any chemicals, and neither is my ND.

I recently bought the Body Ecology Diet book from Donna Gates. I have just finished reading it. It's got a lot of great information. I don't know how closely I can follow her suggestions, but I am very interested in a lot of the recipes, and am eating cultured veggies and bought the Coco-biotic already.

It makes me disgruntled to know how bad sugar and processed foods have really screwed up our digestive systems. For anyone looking for better alternatives to sugar, stevia, xylitol, and lakanto are great choices. I have used stevia and xylitol, but have not tried lakanto. Both stevia and xylitol have healthful benefits as well as being a great substitute...stevia helps with the blood and heart, and xylitol is great (and far better for you than the rat poison flouride!) for your teeth. If you are looking for a gum that doesn't contain sugar or the bad sweeteners like splenda or nutrasweet, I found Spry gum just recently (made with xylitol), and my whole family loves the flavors. You can possibly find it locally in the natural foods sections of your grocery store, but I found all flavors online by typing "Spry" into google.

Thank you for the advice!

Thank you to the anonymous person who commented on my last post! I got my act together and talked to my doctor, and we decided to treat me for candida and start working on natural chelation methods immediately. I started on the candida diet last week, and to keep me encouraged, I try to search for different things on candida every day just to keep me focused. Today I found this website and was encouraged again that I'm on the right track with the mercury issue. It is obvious by looking at the symptoms on this page that this is what I'm dealing with since I still struggle with about 90% of what's on this list.

Late last week I devised a recipe for soup containing chicken, celery, carrots, cilantro, and onion. When I warm it up I'm going to add miso to it, making it into more of an Asian type soup. The main part of this soup's chelation benefit for me is going to be the cilantro. Its ability to expel mercury from the tissues in the body has been found to be phenomenal. I read one person's experience with cilantro, and she claimed that she had made an extract out of cilantro and drank a small amount of it. Here is what she said:

"In 1995, I was bitten all up and down my leg by a lady spider. I was paralyzed for nearly a year by the bacterial neurotoxin and have since that time shown more of the classic symptoms of sensitivity to metal poisoning. I thus decided to try the first batch of cilantro on myself. The results were dramatic: my brain felt like it was "spewing." Sorry, I can't find a better word. On a purely physical level, I felt tingling sensations. In my dreams, I saw spurting, like an ink jet printer. My hair started to feel like it was coated with something awful and the smell was ghastly.

The tingling sensations lasted about five days and then subsided markedly. However, I had some muscle cramps so decided to add trace minerals and seaweed to my regime. I was also extremely careful to drink a lot of fluids, including my own delicious tea that I made to support lymphatic drainage. During the first two weeks, my skin felt like it was coated with slime. I took baths in Epsom salts and found an oil slick on the surface of the water and residue on the tub that looked like gray sand, exactly what yet another dentist told me to expect. He said his wife actually had little dots percolating up through her skin that looked like tiny beads."

I found it rather intriguing to hear her mention a "spewing" sensation, since I had the same feeling about nine months ago when I started drinking Fortune Delight again after taking a long break from it.

I am still not doing 'well', but I now have a different attitude about it again, and I'm not getting down on myself for not being better yet. I knew better, but I had forgotten all that I have learned about the detoxification period and the lows I should have been expecting to feel, so thanks again, anonymous person, for sharing a ray of sunshine!

Not going anywhere very fast...

Today I'm in a funk. It is the 6 week mark since I had my amalgams removed, and I'm feeling a little down about the progress I've made. I was hoping I'd notice some big differences in how I've felt by now, but there has been pretty much next to nothing in either direction overall. I have been struggling with more fatigue as of late, more than I've had in quite a while. It's been tough. I tried spending time with my family this last weekend going to a classic car show about an hour from our home. I only lasted 4 1/2 hours, which sadly, in comparison to last year, was terrible. Last year we were there the entire three days and I was nowhere as fatigued as I was in the one day this year. It was frustrating and a bit mind-boggling. I expected this summer to be difficult, but I guess part of me was telling my brain that I was going to feel good instantaneously after the amalgams were gone...a thought that should have never crossed my mind.

I am trying to prepare myself mentally for stronger levels of detoxification now that the 6-week mark has passed, but I'm having trouble wrapping myself around the thoughts of feeling worse for a while. So far where we live it's been a cooler spring, but the days have been beautiful and enjoyable. To have to think of spending these days being more miserable after being miserable for over 3 years is hard to look forward to. The only thing that keeps me on track is the hope that I will be symptom free at the end of all of this. I'll be able to have fun with my family and go for walks and bike rides and even drive again. And feel good through all of it.

I know I've not talked about this before, but I wanted to share how my mind has been affected by this illness. I believe the mercury has caused my brain to do strange things, especially causing me to be an over-emotional wreck. I get worried about things I shouldn't have to be worried about. I especially worry that I will never drive again...something I enjoyed doing up until 2 years ago when the off-balance and dizzy feelings got worse. I get anxious for no reason - something that I never had problems with before. My brain sends signals to different parts of my body, and my nerve endings produce pains and aches I never used to have, nor signals anything wrong with me. My short term memory is absolutely terrible, and I have to go back and read what I've written several times just to remember what I was talking about. Sometimes all Sparky (my husband) has to do is walk in the door after a long day at work and look at me and I cry for no reason. My head gets migrating aches and pains and sometimes they get so bad I think the pain will shut my brain down and I'll pass out and not wake up. I occasionally get heart palpitations that feels like my heart doesn't know when to beat and causes me to feel anxiousness, too.

I've read enough personal stories of others who have suffered with mercury toxicity to know that I'm on the right track when I say I believe it's mercury, even though there is a part of me that worries it's something more. Mercury is poison enough to cause me to blame it for all of this, since I had so much available to my body for so long.

I'm hoping that I'll have more positive news the next time I check in. I would love some encouragement from anyone out there who's detoxing from mercury toxicity and who's felt symptoms like me, or for that matter, just plain encouragement from anyone!

Four weeks of metal free...

As of yesterday, it's been four weeks since my last amalgam (and metal crowns) were taken out. It's not been a cakewalk, but the side effects have been in the right direction. I am finding that some days are better than others, but overall I'm slowly making progress. I haven't done a whole lot in the way of detox yet, I have another two weeks to go before I really should start anything.

I have tried the detox foot pads two nights so far, but not two nights in a row yet. Both mornings the pads have been filled with a gooey dark substance and my feet have been dry, so I'm not sure what I think of it yet. I think the proof will be when I can wear them several nights in a row and if they start lightening in color with each day. I may have to be doing it for awhile though, if they do work, just because of the amount of toxins in my body.

My biggest symptoms that are still plaguing me are the off-balance and dizzy feelings I have. I can't even sit without feeling like I'm going to fall off a chair, and walking is a concentrated effort not to veer to the left. I know my equilibrium is off, but I don't know how the mercury has affected it and how to concentrate on getting rid of that issue. I'm hoping that once I start really detoxing I'll find some relief. It's really frustrating, because it is that problem that keeps me from doing a LOT of things, including driving. I also still feel a lot of fatigue most days. Some days of course are better, but I am still finding that I have to push myself to do even simple things most days.

I saw Dr. S last week and he concluded that the pain and achiness I was feeling in my legs was being caused by my pelvic muscles deteriorating and the pelvic bone starting to loosen up and open up outwards. He was hoping that strengthening the muscles in that area would pull the bone back in and also take care of the pain, and so far it has.

Even though this update doesn't sound too enthusiastic or positive, I feel optimistic that once I really start detoxing I should see continuing improvement at a faster rate.

FINALLY! FDA Admits Mercury fillings are bad!

Mercury Fillings May Harm Some: U.S. FDA

Yes, folks, the FDA is finally admitting that amalgam (mercury) fillings are bad...for some groups. Okay, so if they're bad for these groups, why not for everyone? We'll get to that later. Right now I want to share that I knew this was coming a year ago. Dr. C told me that the FDA was going to be putting this warning out...A YEAR AGO. It took them this long to get it into dentist's offices. A year of letting people from these age groups and genders continue using these terrible poisonous fillings.

So now what?

Why is it not safe for pregnant women, children, and unborn babies, but yet safe for the rest of us? For those of you who have been following my blog, you should know the answer to that. If you don't know the answer, I request that you go back and read all of my entries. Then if you still don't know, please do some research for yourself. Go to a search engine and type in "dental amalgam toxicity". You'll find tons of information. If that's not enough, email me (th.happycamper@gmail.com), and we'll talk. I can guarantee that after all of this, you WILL know the answer, and you'll be livid, because your dentist did not warn you of the dangers of putting amalgams in your teeth. I don't think I can stress enough that it's a terrible, terrible poison, and it's destroying our bodies!

A little bit of detox goes a long way...

Last night I decided I was going to take a hot bath (sweat therapy) to help release some of the toxins in my body, and hopefully mostly my head since it was feeling very bogged down. After a good dry brushing, I hopped into the tub and spent a few minutes adjusting to the heat. Within about ten minutes, I could feel the perspiration start. I laid a washcloth across my forehead and settled in. After an hour and a half and three washcloth changes on my forehead later as well as several others to dry the rest of my face, the water cooled enough that I wasn't sweating anymore. I got out and went directly to the shower to wash the sweat out of my hair. I felt a little energized, weak, but energized, and my face was smooth and soft. Within an hour, however, I had a sharp pain begin in my left temple area that pretty much wiped me out for the rest of the night. I still have the head pain this morning, just not as intense. Otherwise, I do have short bits of feeling some energy as I sit here, almost like a rush, but only lasts for a minute or so and then my head starts hurting again. I imagine I'll be going back and forth between the two for awhile.

I can definitely tell you the head pain is NOT comfortable by any means, but it IS comforting to know that the bath was doing its job. I don't even want to think about how many toxins I left in that water or landed in the washcloths, but I'm thankful it means there's less in my body.

Yesterday I decided that I am going to try the detox foot patches. I read up on them and saw both pros and cons. The pros were from people who actually tried them, and the cons were from those who pretty much just wanted to give their opinion even though they have never put them on their feet. I figured I would just try it for myself since it's not something I ingest and it's all herbal ingredients. I purchased some Kinoki brand from ebay, and they should be here next week. I can't wait to try them just to see what happens and if I notice any difference. I don't expect them to be the only answer to my detox by any means, and I think the people who have dissed them (from what I've read) are people who expected them to do it all. For me it will only be a part of what I do, and if I get positive results it will just be one more thing in my arsenal that helped. If not, I got them for under $10, so I won't be out much and can say I tried them.

I just realized that I never mentioned again the cultured veggies I ordered awhile back. They did come in, a couple weeks later than anticipated, but I did get to try them. I have only tried them once to see if I like the taste, but since then my family has been a little busy and I actually haven't eaten them with a meal like I'm supposed to. So, the verdict is still out on it. As for the taste, they were okay. I still have a strong dislike of bitter-tasting foods, so it will take me a bit to get used to them, but I think overall they weren't bad. I imagine eating them with other foods will help a lot. I'll try to remember to post again about them after I've had them a few times.

An Encouraging Story...

I decided to do a little more reading this evening on more stories of people with mercury toxicity. This is Carol's story, one that is very encouraging. Do you have a story about your own struggle with being mercury poisoned? I would love to know about it, and how you are doing. Please share!

I also may have shared this website before, but it doesn't hurt to repeat because it's got great info.

8th day...

Today is day 8 since the last crown revision. I am feeling fatigued, off-balance, and dizzy, and have been having sharp pains in my lower right side when I sit. I just feel blah, and want to sleep for a week.

I'm sure the skeptics who will read my blog will say no, it wasn't the amalgams and I better go find out what else is wrong, but I do beg to differ. I am taking the slow detox method because I knew the symptoms of mercury poisoning would continue after the amalgams were gone. If you check in a month from now, you'll probably find that my symptoms are only slowly diminishing, or maybe even have gotten worse. It's to be expected. I've had amalgam seething through my body for over twenty years...it's going to take longer than a week or a month or even a year to get rid of it all. Because I'm choosing to do it naturally and slowly, it will take me even longer. Today I read a story from Russ Tanner of his struggles with amalgam toxicity and how he fared. He took the quicker route to detox and did well. With how sensitive I've become to everything I just know it's not an option for me, though, and so I will feel badly for a while longer than Russ did. His story is encouraging, however, and I understood his battle to feel well since I am battling, too. I encourage you to read his story when you have time. It's worth it.

Great informative website and an update...

Today an article in the news about a young man with health issues prompted me to see if there might be a link to his illness and possible mercury toxicity. I came across this website that was very informative and again was very helpful for me to read as I struggle some with the after-effects of having the last three crowns replaced. I then decided I should see what others have experienced after amalgam removal, and found this site...it had some videos (the third one is a must see) and links to things that helped this person. I found it quite interesting.

Since I last posted two days ago, I've still been feeling pretty rough. I've had some pretty strong headaches as well as feeling weak overall and very fatigued (I've also been experiencing chest pain due to indigestion from my stomach rolling up, but that is a separate issue). Thankfully I know that it's supposed to be doing all of this, no matter how bad it feels. The hardest part is just making it through it.

It's finally over....

The dentist appointment yesterday went well, as expected, but not as hoped for.

The top crown #14 was worked on first. Dr. C said that it did have amalgam, and it was decaying around the edges. It also had a fairly large filling that he had to clean out, so he's hoping that it will settle down nicely and will be okay for me. The other two crowns had some interesting (and gross!) things going on. The bigger one, #19, did not have amalgam that Dr. C could tell, but it was so corroded and full of black sediment he had no idea what was used for the binder. At one point he even needed to change his gloves because the sediment got on them and wouldn't come off and he didn't want to contaminate anything else. The third crown, #20, was a porcelain over gold crown (the others were porcelain over precious metal). He did not see any amalgam there, but there was a fair amount of decayed matter in there as well. I got to see the crowns, and they were NASTY, and smelled something horrific. To think, I've had them in my mouth for probably 10-15 years or more! EWWWWWWW!!!!

Today I am feeling pretty terrible, and not what I had hoped for at all. With what we found underneath the crowns, though, I am not surprised, just very bummed that I immediately went into detox mode. I took a 2 1/2 hour nap this morning because my head hurt so bad and I was more dizzy and off-balance than normal, and I just feel weak. The nap didn't seem to help a whole lot because I still feel pretty bad. I'm guessing it will take a little while for my system to get out the extra stuff that was introduced yesterday when the crowns were opened up. Dr. C used a dental dam and all of the precautions with lots of water and a positive air flow for me, but it still doesn't have a 100% guarantee of what goes into the bloodstream from the tooth itself, plus Dr. C had to give 4 novacaine shots on the bottom to try to get me numb. It never really happened and he had to drill with me feeling it because I refused to take anymore. The epinephrine in the novacaine was causing issues...I would start shaking uncontrollably and my heart would start pounding heavily with each shot.

So, it's done...I am amalgam free finally, and very relieved. I'm disappointed that I feel so lousy, but it was to be expected. Now the detoxing begins...I'll keep you posted.

Today is the big day!

Today I get the last three crowns out...I am quite excited and nervous at the same time. I've been waiting for this day since the first day I realized it could be my amalgams over two years ago. It's taken a long time to get this far, and I can't believe it is finally here. As I mentioned in my previous post, I go with some apprehension. I want today to be the day that my health immediately shows improvement. I know it's a tall order, and I may not notice a thing...or it could change my life instantly and I'll lose the headaches, the dizziness and off-balance feelings, and gain energy like I've never had.

Since this is my last revision, I want to share where I've been and where I am at now, so that I can compare again in a few months.

Here is where I was at in December:
-severe head and neck pain/achiness
-unexplained weight gain
-muscle aches/pain
-vision disturbances (off-balance feeling)
-dizzy spells(vertigo?)
-chronic fatigue
-hair loss
-occasional irritability (feels like finger nails across a chalkboard x3)
-occasional sensory overload (''feel'' words/sounds/sensitive to touch)
-frequent chills/cold (body temp below normal)
-neck sensitivity
-occasional indigestion
-occasional nausea
-poor memory
-brain fog/inability to concentrate
-mood swings
-motion sickness
-skin eruptions
-bad breath
-occasional extreme thirst, dry throat
-zinc deficiency
-anemia

Here's where I am now:
-head and neck pain/achiness
-frequent muscle aches/pain
-vision disturbances (off-balance feeling)
-dizzy spells(vertigo?)
-chronic fatigue
-occasional irritability (feels like finger nails across a chalkboard x3)
-neck sensitivity
-occasional indigestion
-poor short term memory (longterm has gotten very good)
-occasional brain fog/inability to concentrate
-motion sickness
-occasional skin eruptions
-bad breath
-zinc deficiency
-anemia

The list has gotten smaller, so I am very happy about that. To me that means that having the other amalgams removed has made a difference. I think just knowing that gives me more hope that the rest could very well disappear after today...maybe not right away, but as I detox and get the rest of the mercury out of my system.

As I reflect today on the last three years and how hard it's been...some days I wasn't even sure I'd make it...but I have learned so much. In that way I am thankful for the experience, because now I can know somewhat how it feels when people are going through rough times, and maybe even have some answers for people I encounter who have unexplained health issues and want to know what's going on with their bodies. I know I've said it several times in previous posts, but I know of so many who will only stop by here once and read maybe only one or two posts and move on, so I'm going to say it again. PLEASE DO NOT LET YOUR DENTIST PUT AMALGAM (silver) FILLINGS IN YOUR TEETH OR IN YOUR CHILDREN'S TEETH! IT'S MERCURY AND MERCURY IS POISON. IT WILL HARM YOU.

I had someone ask me the other day how I'm being affected by mercury so profoundly when others are not. I told this person that it could be a combination of things, genetic makeup, the amount of amalgam I had in my mouth, a previously poor diet...I don't know. I do know, however, that over 90% of the population is affected by mercury. Whether it be from fillings or vaccinations or food we eat (fish in particular), every person who has had some exposure to mercury does have or will have a reaction to it. It may be minor, or it could be major as in my case, but they will be affected. Mercury loves the brain, the liver, and the thyroid. It can affect so many other places in the body, too, and just knowing that can explain so many maladies. I posted a list at the beginning of my blog that has symptoms on it that have been helped by amalgam removal. If you have any of those symptoms on that list and you have amalgam fillings (or get flu shots regularly), you could be reacting to the mercury in your body. Please educate yourself and be specific with your dentist. Let him or her know that you know the dangers of amalgam and don't want them in your mouth.

Well I think that is enough said for today. I will post again soon to share how the dentist visit went.

Seven days and counting...

It's seven days today to my final revision. I'm getting really excited, but at the same time I'm nervous. I'm nervous because I've put so much stock into mercury being the cause for all of my symptoms, and I just don't want to be wrong. I want to be better when all is said and done, and not have to go through any more pain or suffering. I'm 99% sure mercury is the cause. I have to say I'm pretty confident, but it's that 1% of me that doesn't want to believe it is that's making me count these days with apprehension. With all of the research I've done and all of the people I've read about who have been helped by amalgam removal, I want to be in that number...I'm so tired of being sick and tired all of the time.

I did have roughly about a week of great days, and then I think I overdid it and went crazy and weeded my flowerbed one evening. By the next day I was in a lot of pain in my shoulders, neck, and head. Since then I've had a pretty much non-stop headache, even though I've had both my chiropractor and my doctor adjust me. Yesterday (Mother's Day of all days!) I woke up with a migraine that wouldn't quit. I was nauseous and dizzy and my head hurt something awful. I headed back to bed for a four and a half hour nap. When I woke up, my headache was 'normal' again, and the nausea was gone, but the dizziness has stayed at the stronger rate it was at. Even today I've noticed that the dizziness has been unrelenting, along with the headache. I can only hope that getting rid of the last amalgam will stop this insanity going on in my body.

WOW! And I'm not even done yet!

I apologize for not posting for a while. I've been busy because I've actually had almost a week so far of good days and taking advantage of it.

A week ago I went to the dentist so that he could replace some old composites that had been failing. I didn't think much of it since they were composites, and shouldn't have been causing any problems, but apparently I was reacting to these old composites in some way. The moment that Dr. C drilled them out, I could tell there were some slight changes in the way I felt. The day after, I felt energetic almost all day and the day after was even better. The third day I felt a little more fatigued in the afternoon, but overall it was a good day. I even packed those days tight with busy-ness and pushed myself harder than I had in a long time. The next day I still felt good, and pushed myself even more. About the only thing I felt during these days was some fatigue in the early evening, and a continued off-balance/dizzy feeling all day, but overall they've been great days compared to how I've usually been feeling.

The day for my final revision is getting closer, too, and I'm so excited. If I had this much change from some composite replacements that weren't supposed to be a drain on my system, I am so hoping for complete recovery once the three crowns have been changed out. I don't want to get my hopes up too high, but this last week has been so encouraging. I can't even begin to explain the difference I've been feeling and how wonderful it's been. I almost feel like a different person. 11 days and counting!!!

Counting the days...

3 weeks from today is the 'big' day! Oh, I'm SOOOOO looking forward to it. Just the feeling of knowing that there are no more amalgams feeding the rest of my body with mercury is going to be major. A huge burden is going to be lifted off from me in more ways than one. I'm even getting excited about the detoxification process. It will be difficult at best to get through it....I expect many days of feeling even worse than I do now as the healthy things I will be doing will be clearing out the toxins from my body. I will know as I do that though, that I'll be healing. My body will be able to start functioning like the good Lord designed it.

I decided about a week ago to try cultured veggies, something that is really healthful for the body. I ordered them from a company called Immunitrition. My order should be here sometime this week. Finding this information couldn't have come at a better time, since it will be a great help in the healing process during the detox period. I have started showing signs of psoriasis, a condition that most of the times is brought on by toxic overload in the body. I could make my own veggies, but I haven't really been feeling well enough to do all the prep work.

Eating cultured vegetables was the way our ancestors stored and ate a lot of their vegetables before there were refrigerators. The vegetables produce the good bacteria our guts need during fermentation, so not only was it a smart way of preserving vegetables back then, but it was also one of the healthiest things they could do for their bodies. As the western diet changed with the invention of the refrigerator, slowly people stopped making cultured vegetables. During the World Wars when moms had to go to work while the dads were away at war, processed foods were introduced to help save time in the kitchen, pushing us even farther away from this tradition, and farther and farther away from the health benefits that the cultured veggies gave. With all the 'new' processed foods out there, dental problems have increased, leading to more and more need for cheap fillings. Amalgam fillings are cheap, easy to place, and dentists have been told they're safe. Well, I won't go into any more details, but I think you get the picture.

I am feeling pretty dizzy today, and last night I had sharp pain running from my neck up to my head on the left side, almost like a rubberband was being snapped from the neck up. I feel twinges of it today. I'm guessing that the top ligament is out again in my neck, along with a rib in my chest that my doctor tried to get back into place this weekend by adjusting a lot of other places in my back, arms, and legs. Thankfully I'll be seeing my chiropractor soon and she will most likely be able to settle it down for a while.

Two articles on autism and vaccines...

Here are some websites that also came with the Mercola newsletter:

Head of CDC Admits on CNN that Vaccines can Trigger Autism

U.S. Government Concedes That Mercury Causes Autism

In the second article, I was happy to see that someone else agrees with me with this statement:

Have Autism Rates Declined Since Thimerosal Was Removed From Vaccines?

Thimerosal was taken out of most childhood vaccines at the beginning of the decade. In 2006, studies of two government databases indicated that autism rates went up as thimerosal dosages increased, then began to decline as thimerosal was removed.

Yet, if you look at this Time magazine article, it says that autism rates have continued to climb since thimerosal was removed from vaccines in 2001. Why the discrepancy?

It could be due to the fact that in 2002 the U.S. government began recommending flu shots to children under 2 (and now recommends them for kids until they’re 18). Well, most flu shots still contain thimerosal, so many infants are still being exposed to mercury.

Children under the age of 2 are receiving flu shots - shots that have mercury in them!!! No one in my family will ever be getting a flu shot, regardless of the age. My children did get their vaccine shots as infants because I didn't know any better. I feel comfortable in even going as far to say that my youngest, Doshi, was showing a few minor symptoms of autism as an infant after he received the vaccines. Not enough that he would have been diagnosed, but I had suspicions that he just wasn't right. I even remember saying something to a family member about him when he was six months old and extremely inconsolable at a family gathering. He typically didn't like to be held, and he didn't like to be laying on his own. He became lactose intolerant at less than a year old and constipation was his middle name. He still doesn't have regular bowel movements years later. He didn't make much eye contact (still doesn't), and he seemed slow academically. I did however, work with his diet and made sure he was getting good nutrition. It seemed to help a lot. He also had a regular diet of Fortune Delight and I know that made a difference. Today he seems to be more of a normal kid, but I still see tendencies that make me question the vaccines. Plus just the fact that mercury DOES NOT belong in the body is another whole reason I include these articles.

Some Great Info...

I got this as part of a weekly newsletter from mercola.com. The article was interesting, but I posted this because of the information that Dr. Mercola writes under it. Good reading!

A Study...

I found this website interesting...it shows a before and after study of people who had dental amalgams removed and how their symptoms changed.

Counting the days to May 19th!

Another Dentist Who's Not Afraid! Yea!!

I found this website today and was pleasantly surprised to see how strong this dentist's views are on dental amalgam. I sure hope that the coming years will find more dentists like him! Along with the likes of Dr. Hal Huggins, he realizes the effects dental amalgams have on the body. I also noticed that he 'borrows' information from Dr. Ron King's website, a dentist that I have seen a few times over these last three years who has helped me immensely (if it had been my choice, I would have gone to Dr. King for all of my dental needs, but my lack of being able to drive limited the distance to a local dentist I could work with and find friends to bring me to. Thankfully, my dentist is a friend of Dr. King's and he has been an influence on him).

Here is another website which I found to be very educational. I can't stress enough how much I believe that mercury DOES NOT belong in our bodies in ANY form, especially dental amalgams. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, HAVE ANY (MORE) AMALGAM FILLINGS PUT IN YOUR TEETH, EVER! We need to stand strong together against the ADA and let them know we are not putting up with their lies and smoke screens any longer. If your dentist wants to place amalgam, PLEASE tell him or her NO...and let that be your final answer. Why take that risk with your health? I can tell you from my own experience, it's just not worth it.

Never Even Thought of It...

I was blown away today when I read about something I had never thought about. Read this paragraph from this website -

The environmental dangers of mercury fillings – from dental offices, from human waste, and from cremation – is alarming, and reason enough to end the use of amalgam.

Cremation...hmmmmm. Just think about the amount of toxins spewed out into the air with every cremated body. We don't live far from a funeral home that has a crematory onsite. Thankfully we live west of it and the prevailing winds blow east, but I can't even imagine the homes that are in the direct path of those winds - how many illnesses are being caused by having to breathe in the mercury from cremated dental fillings in those bodies!!!

I should probably also update since it's been awhile. I've come to the conclusion that this revision has had the same cleansing outcome like all the past revisions. My body just takes it hard. I've been having some pretty rough days, filled with headaches, off-balance feelings, dizziness, and extreme fatigue. I have already started counting down the hours to my last revision in May, but it still can't come soon enough. I think the hardest of the symptoms is the off-balance and dizzy feelings. It's hard to accomplish anything when I always feel like I'm going to fall.

No matter how bad I've felt through this all, I think my kids have suffered the most from this. They're going to remember their childhoods as always being stuck at home during the day when Dad was at work, and then be limited by what they could do or who they could see based on how I was feeling. It's been very limited these last three years. When we have done something, it's because I've really pushed myself to make it happen, but then I pay for it later on, once that event is over.

They're going to remember doctor appointments and dentist visits as a part of our normal everyday life. I don't think they'll be bitter. In fact, I think they'll understand more of what it is for someone to suffer in pain. They'll be able to empathize with a loved one or friend when they go through tough times. They'll also understand the importance of taking care of their health so they maybe will never have to go through the pain and suffering I have. They've also learned the dangers of putting amalgam fillings in our teeth. I know I've been blessed by having them home with me all day, and I know they will have learned much from this ordeal by the time it is over.

The Lies of the ADA...

I found an article today that I'd like to share from this website:

That the American Dental Association (ADA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been negligent in providing the public with accurate, truthful, up-to-date information about the potential health hazards of mercury, particularly silver/mercury dental amalgam fillings, has already been clearly documented. [15] The ADA has repeatedly denied that mercury amalgam fillings are associated with human illness, despite the plethora of scientific data arguing very strongly to the contrary. Moreover, the ADA has also systematically persecuted pioneering dentists, such as Hal Huggins, DDS, who conscientiously informed their patients about the potential health risks of chronic, dental mercury exposure. This is quite ironic and' disturbing given the history of mercury amalgam. As reported in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, "When (mercury) amalgams were introduced into the US in 1833 by two French entrepreneurs, the Orawcour brothers, its use was denounced by a substantial number of American denti sts. So strong was the opposition to amalgams, that the American Society of Dental Surgeons, founded in 1840, required its members to sign pledges promising not to use them...the common term for mercury in those years was "quick silver." The German pronunciation for quick" is "quack." Thus, those dentists who used mercury were called "quacks." This term has now come to mean anyone who is an "ignorant pretender to medical skills." Despite the efforts of a few researchers in this country and Europe to call attention to the dangers of mercury fillings, most notably a German chemist named Dr. Alfred Stock who published numerous articles prior to World War II, and Hal Huggins, a Colorado dentist who has spoken out against amalgams for the last 20 years, debate about the safety of mercury fillings remained muffled until recently. The amalgam safety debate was revived in this country initially by a 1989 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declaration that amalgams are a hazardous substance under the Superfund law, and, subsequently, by a December 1990 broadcast of the TV program "60 Minutes" that presented a devastating critique of amalgams." [16] Most, revealing of the ADA's current attitude toward the public welfare regarding amalgams is a legal brief filed with the court by attorneys for the ADA in a recent California civil lawsuit. In this legal case, the plaintiff claiming that he sustained injuries stemming from exposure to mercury dental amalgams, named as defendants his treating dentist, two amalgam manufacturers, an amalgam distributor and the American Dental Association. The ADA attorneys' argument was as follows: "The ADA owes no legal duty of care to protect the public from allegedly dangerous products used by dentists. The ADA did not manufacture, design, supply or install the mercury-containing amalgams. The ADA does not control those who do (a blatant falsehood with regard to US dentists). The ADA's only alleged involvement in the product was to provide information regarding its use. Dissemination of information relating to the practice of dentistry does not create a duty of care to protect the public from potential injury [filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Santa Clara, Case #718228]." [17] The bottom line is that the ADA does not see itself as responsible to the American public for telling the truth about the dangers of dental mercury amalgam.

More information...

I found this website today. Again, great information about mercury and all of the harmful things it can do.

Update on me: I haven't improved much since the last time I posted. The off-balance and dizzy feelings have not gone away, and the head aches and brain fog are making a huge comeback. I have been feeling like I'm walking around in a daze the last couple of days. It's been hard to concentrate on pretty much anything, and it seems like it takes me hours to get small tasks done.

A little more research...

I've been struggling quite a bit lately, due to the cleansing my body is going through from the last revision. Today is one of those days where I'm struggling to do anything besides sit at my computer and hold my head in my hands and wonder when the spinning and off-balance feelings will stop. I figured as long as I was here, I was going to do some more research and found this website. Here's a symptoms list I want to share with you from it, since it's MY symptom list. I have every single one of those symptoms!!

• Chronic pain throughout the muscles and tendons or any soft tissues of the body
• Chronic malaise – general feeling of discomfort, fatigue, and illness
• Brain fog – state of forgetfulness and confusion
• Chronic infections such as Candida
• Gastrointestinal complaints, such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, heartburn, and indigestion
• Food allergies
• Dizziness
• Migraines and/or headaches
• Visual disturbances
• Mood swings, depression, and/or anxiety
• Nervous system malfunctions – burning extremities, numbness, tingling, paralysis, and/or an electrifying feeling throughout the body

There isn't one of these that I don't have something from each entry if not all of it. It's both a relief to see and also very troubling. A relief that there is documentation once again of symptoms based on mercury toxicity due to amalgam fillings. Troubling that the ADA and the FDA are not admitting that people are being poisoned by something they are claiming to be safe.

Are you plagued with any of these symptoms and not sure why? Do you have amalgam fillings or been exposed to heavy metals at all? I'd sure like to hear about it. Would you please do me a favor after you've read this post and leave me a comment (or email me at th.happycamper@gmail.com)? I'd just like to know how many people I'm reaching and if I've helped anyone along the way.

I also came across a website the other day that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with amalgam fillings, but I found it beneficial for learning how to heal my body from all of the trauma it's been through. It's bodyecology.com. There are so many good things I can do for myself after the amalgam is gone (and even before) that I'm looking forward to the healing process and finally being well after all these years. Check out the website even if you don't think you're mercury toxic - you could learn alot about your digestive system! I signed up for the newsletter emails and got a great audio download that also explained a lot, and I think anyone who signs up for the newsletter gets the audio recording.

Autism, Mercury, and MSG

This website links MSG to autism. Here's an excerpt:

It is already known that children with higher levels of glutathione are better at chelating mercury (a suspected cause of autism) and removing it from the body. However, MSG, when injected into mice, has been proven to reduce these glutathione levels that are protective against mercury poisoning. Could the ever-increasing amounts of MSG in the diet of developed countries be putting children at unnecessary risk of mercury poisoning?

The website is full of a lot of information on MSG and aspartame. For those of you who don't know what MSG is, it is monosodium glutamate, used for adding flavor to processed American foods, and especially Chinese food. Food manufacturing companies have found all different sorts of ways to hide the fact that MSG is an ingredient in their products by calling them different names.

The reason why I include this information here is so that you can do your research - if you don't think you're mercury poisoned but still have many of the symptoms that mercury can cause, you need to consider maybe you're sensitive to MSG. We at the Happy Camper household have cut out as much MSG as possible and it's been that way for a while. Sparky has even started getting headaches from eating foods laden with the stuff.

Do any of these changes fit you?

I want to share an excerpt today from Andrew Hall Cutler's book "Amalgam Illness Diagnosis and Treatment".

What Mercury Poisoning Does to You

In an overall lifestyle sense, the fact that symptoms come and go leads to the victim having periods of weeks to years of being highly functional and productive, interspersed with periods of being nonproductive and having a hard time getting anything done. Life seems to progress in fits and starts. Great progress is made on projects which later get shelved for long periods. As the disease continues, the productive periods become shorter, fewer, and farther between.

There are emotional changes in mercury poisoning. Depression slowly sets in. Victims feel fatigued and listless. They lack motivation - even for crucial tasks. They lose interest in their surroundings and in their own life. They do not enjoy life, or experience happiness or joy. They experience constant fear e. g. of losing their job. They may be very tense. They feel hopeless. They have a sense of impending doom. Every small problem is discouraging. Minor difficulties seem overwhelming and insurmountable.

The altered emotional state of a mercury intoxicated person leads to impaired interpersonal relationships. They become increasingly irritable and sensitive, reacting strongly to relatively innocent remarks. They may not be able to take orders, instructions, or suggestions without losing their temper. They resent criticism and may interpret innocent remarks critically. They may have an exaggerated response to stimulation and become fearful or anxious and nervous. They may project their fears and anxieties onto others, making inappropriate criticisms or attacks. They become shy and avoid dealing with strangers. While timid, they may unexpectedly lose self control with strangers. They may wish to visit with friends and family extensively, often wishing to engage in long, repetitive conversations, then withdraw for prolonged periods of time. They withdraw more and more from social contacts.

Intelligence gradually deteriorates. Previously bright persons become dull and slow in thinking. They suffer from a progressive decline specifically affecting short term memory as well as the faculties for logical reasoning. Thus their ability to do things like balance the checkbook, do math, or play chess suffers. They lose the ability to concentrate. Memory problems may be more from distractability and inability to concentrate and pay enough attention to get things INTO their memory than an actual failure to remember things (thus they may complain of memory problems but do well on memory tests). They cease being motivated towards their work or other tasks. Thoughts become heavy, repetitive and pedantic. Creative thinking becomes progressively more difficult, eventually becoming impossible. They become unable to select the right words to convey their meaning, and make stylistic and grammatical errors. Their ability to express themselves declines progressively.

There is a distinctive cognitive symptom of being unable to think clearly without great effort. The best description for people who have not experienced it is of a hangover without pain. People who have experienced it will recognize the term "brain fog" as entirely descriptive.

As the victim's level of intoxication waxes and wanes they go through periods of life when they do or do not dream. Dreaming may be in black and white.

Early physical symptoms include dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), insomnia, daytime drowsiness, loss of appetite, a tendency towards diarrhea - often alternating with constipation, cold hands and feet, a tendency towards sweating (some people have the opposite symptom and do not sweat at all), flushing or reddening of the skin - particularly on the face and neck. Some people blush frequently, but others do not blush at all. Asthma is a symptom of chronic mercury poisoning. Digestive disturbances are also common.

The skin becomes dry, athlete's foot and toenail fungus progress, and the insides of the ankles, particularly behind the ankle bone and a bit above it become dry, itchy, flaky and peel. This often becomes painful and annoying enough to keep the victim up at night. Even after fungus and yeast infection has been eliminated hyperkeratosis, often with papular erythema and itching are common.

The hair becomes thinner, dryer, duller, less strongly colored, slower growing, and more brittle.

The biological clock is disturbed. Waking up late and staying up late is more common than being an "early bird." Try as they might, the mercury poisoned person simply cannot control their circadian rhythm.

Victims may become photophobic and find bright light uncomfortable and unpleasant. There may be visual disturbances, including alterations in color perception leading to reduced sensitivity to the color red, or color blindness. The ability to focus on distant objects may be sporadically impaired. Peripheral vision may be reduced in the most severe cases.

The hands and feet often become distinctly cold. This can occur suddenly and is most distinctive when combined with sweating. Later in more severe poisoning they may also tingle or lose feeling.

The effects of mercury on the mouth are receding, sometimes spongy gums that bleed easily and teeth that are 'loose' in their sockets and can be wiggled very slightly. It also causes excessive salivation and unusually bad breath.

Mercury interferes with the sense of smell which becomes less acute, and later with hearing, in which perception of sounds does not diminish as notably as the patient's ability to understand and interpret them - e. g. to understand speech directed at them even though they hear it clearly.

Victims often experience discomfort that feels like a "tight band around their head." They may also experience sharp points of discomfort in their ear canals at bedtime.

Mercury also interferes with the body's ability to regulate temperature. Victims may alternate between being hot and cold when the temperature isn't changing, or have to wear more clothes than other people, or have more difficulty than other people in staying comfortable while the temperature changes. Temperature disregulation also leads to 'night sweats.'

Five Days Later....

This is day #5 since I had work done on my teeth. They haven't been 'great' days, but they sure are showing improvement, which is a step in the right direction. I still have chest tightness and overwhelming fatigue at times most likely due to the detoxing effect, but as for the off-balance and dizzy feelings, it's been very minimal if non-existent. The headaches are also starting to fade. I'm trying not to get too excited yet (but have been very happy over the last two days with feeling better overall), since the pattern has been that the 7th, 14th, and 21st days have been marking points for tough days following revision, and I still have another day before I make it to day #7.

I saw Dr. S three days ago for treatment and we talked about a lot again. He seems to have changed his tune about the mercury being the problem once again (recently we talked and he felt it couldn't be still causing my symptoms) and now believes that the whole upper half of my body (from chest up) is dealing with toxicity. He said once I get the last 3 crowns done in May I will continue to show improvement and be 'well' in a year's time. I'm not sure what changed his mind, but I'm glad we're thinking the same again. Detox treatment will go a lot easier if he and I are in agreement.

Sparky (my better-half) and I are seriously considering buying an infrared sauna to help with the detox. I showed a brochure to Dr. S when I visited him and he was very happy about the idea and is considering getting one for himself. Infrared sauna is better for the body when detoxing than traditional saunas because infrared is far-cell reaching, and heats the inside of the body, making it able to detoxify at a cellular level. Traditional saunas heat the outside of the body and never really reach the inside.

Dr. S also wants me starting on exercise - mostly weight lifting right now. My muscles in my neck, shoulders, pecs, and arms have weakened, and he wants to get them strengthened and ready for some more aggressive workouts once the amalgam is gone. He also said yoga would be good, so I'm going to see what I can do to get a program going.

Because of what seems to be immediate and so far on-going relief of the off-balance and dizzy feelings as well as the headaches, I think I can say so far that one of the teeth I had worked on was causing these problems. I'm not sure which one...the decayed under the crown tooth, or the tooth with the titanium and whatever other piece it was buried in amalgam under a crown. Whichever one, I'm glad it's gone and I've been feeling some relief. I certainly didn't expect it yet, but I am certainly taking every good day for what it is. Can't wait to get these last ones taken care of...

Appointment update

The dental appointment went well. We had a couple of surprises that weren't expected, however. The first tooth that Dr. C worked on was tooth #7 (upper right side, 2nd from the front). It was a previously root canaled tooth. When Dr. C took the crown off, he did not find amalgam, but instead found decay. It was surprising since the tooth was supposedly well-sealed, meaning the dentist who put it on did not make sure that it was a sterile environment before completing the 'crowning'. That tooth was root canaled and crowned several years ago (more than 8). I wish I knew what dentist so I knew who to blame it on, but I only have a couple of guesses since that information is long gone. Dr. C said we caught the problem in time. Had we not, the tooth would have eventually failed, leaving nothing to work with. I'm still concerned about not re-treating or removing the root canaled teeth, but there still really isn't a viable option for replacement at this time.

The second tooth really threw Dr. C for a loop. This tooth was #29, lower right side, 3rd from the back. This tooth is partially root canaled (only 1 of 3 roots treated). The dentist who did this one not only used amalgam as the binder, but stuck 2 titanium pins (and a 3rd pin that was not identifiable) right in the middle of it. Dr. C said the 3rd pin looked like a piece of dental equipment that apparently was used instead of more titanium to cut corners. He said he had never seen anything like that done before. Again, I don't know what dentist did it, but I have my guesses. I've seen several dentists in my lifetime, but a couple stand out now as ones who, had I known better, I wouldn't have trusted for anything. Titanium can and does react with amalgam when in close proximity. Mine was of course touching, causing probably quite a bit of problems going on in that one tooth. I can't even imagine what the other three crowned teeth I haven't had worked on yet are hiding under them!

Dr. C also replaced an old composite filling that was failing, so now the whole right side of my mouth is completed and thoroughly amalgam free. I'm quite happy about that.

As I wrote yesterday about my body being forced into detox mode, I had barely left the dentist office and was already feeling effects. Since then, my chest has been tight and the air feels heavy. I have also noticed other tell-tale signs of detoxification (irritability, brain fog, overall feeling of illness, etc.). I was hoping this wasn't going to happen, but I am trying to look at it in the light of it's a good thing, because my body is getting rid of the poison...it just doesn't feel very good. I just hope the effects are short-lived.

My final revision appointment for the last three crowns will be all the way out to late May. I certainly wish it could be sooner, but that's all that Dr. C had available. I'm hoping there's a cancellation and they can bump it up sooner.

Here's just another reminder of the ills of having amalgam fillings...there is huge cost, not only financially to have them replaced later on, but cost to your health, your livelihood, and possibly your life. Amalgam is 50% mercury. Mercury is poison. IT DOES NOT BELONG IN YOUR BODY.

Dental visit thoughts...

Today I go in to have two of the last five crowns replaced. I'm excited that the day is finally here, but a little frustrated that it's not my last revision visit. I will still have three more crowns to replace in a future appointment, but I'm hoping that will be very soon.

I do have some apprehension about today's visit. I know that my body will go into detox mode today, caused by the 'missing' mercury no longer being supplied by the amalgam. In the past, after each amalgam removal, I've had some really low days. I am hoping this time will be better because my thyroid is a little more stable and my adrenals seem to be holding their own, as well as already having a lot less mercury running through my system than I did before when I had all the amalgam fillings. My last appointment to remove amalgam was seven months ago, so we'll have to see if that much time for my body to adjust will make a difference.

I'm trying so hard not to get my hopes up, but yet I want today to be the day that when Dr. C drills out the amalgam that my headaches will stop and the off-balance and dizzy feelings will go away. It's a real high hope, because with having three crowns still not changed out after today, I'll still have enough amalgam that puts me over the toxic limit. I also have four root canaled teeth that won't be addressed, and an occlusion (bite) that's been tinkered with so many times that my jaw muscles don't know what's 'home' anymore. That alone can cause problems in the skeletal makeup of the body.

As I was looking up some more information regarding toxicity, I found this website explaining the proper procedure for removing amalgam and thought it would be beneficial to post.

Mercury, mercury everywhere...

Lately I've been talking to a lot of people who are experiencing unexplained health problems. One common thing about these people are that they have amalgam fillings in their teeth. Doctors shake their heads at them after running tests and say "we can find nothing wrong with you" and pass them off to the next doctor.

Just last night I was visiting with a friend who's been having what seems to be neurological problems after having a gold crown placed amidst a mouthful of amalgam. She shared with me that she has been seeing doctor after doctor and no one can tell her what's wrong. I shudder to think how much electrical output is going on in her mouth with two different kinds of metal's electrons bouncing off from one another. I gave her the name of my dentist and encouraged her to consider having the crown replaced and/or the amalgams removed.

I also have two other friends, both of them suffer from fibromyalgia. One has several amalgam fillings, the other has had a root canal and I believe a crown on top of it. Their doctors have tried very hard to help them get relief to no avail.

There's a friend that lives out of state now but used to go to my church that suffers from MS. She had half of her amalgams removed and became violently ill. I haven't talked with her about the mercury ties, but my guess is that her dentist didn't use precautionary measures, and her body was detoxifying at a faster rate than she could handle. She chose not to finish getting the amalgams out and is still suffering greatly from the effects of MS.

I know several people who have thyroid issues, and every single one of them have at least one amalgam filling. I know others who've been diagnosed with cancer, and everytime I visit with them I see several amalgam fillings in their mouths just screaming out at me.

It saddens me so to think that every single person who has even one amalgam filling probably will suffer from at least one malady in their lifetime that their doctor can't explain. For some people who are very sensitive, that one filling could cost them their livelihood. For others, it will just be something simple but irritating like constant forgetfullness. When will it end?

Please, to everyone who reads this, NEVER, EVER let your dentist place another amalgam filling in your mouth (or a loved ones!!!), and don't be afraid to say no to your dentist. You have a right to what goes into your body, and your dentist does not have the last word. If he thinks he does, it's probably time to find a new one.