Dr. GEORGIOU'S NATURAL MEDICINE NEWSLETTER!
CONTENTS: MERCURY AMALGAMS: A 21st CENTURY KILLER 21ST CENTURY MEDICINE - PLACING NEUROTOXINS IN PEOPLE'S MOUTHS!
I have never been able to understand the logic of placing a deadly neurotoxin into the mouth of an adult, and much worse a vulnerable child.
If you ask any intelligent man they will tell you that mercury is deadly poisonous, and that you may die from just small amounts. Yet, it is placed into people's mouths daily as amalgam and used as fillings by dentists.
Dental amalgam is composed of approximately 46% to 56% metallic mercury with varying amounts of silver, copper, zinc, tin and other trace metals depending on the manufacturing source. A large dental amalgam may contain more than 750 mg of metallic mercury.
After placement of a mercury/silver dental amalgam, there is a persistent, low-level release of elemental mercury vapor into the body for many years thereafter. Scientific research has proven that the corrosion of dental amalgams by chewing, exposure to oxygen in breathed air, food acids and the electrolytic effect of minerals in saliva (called "oral galvanism"), causes the continual release of metallic mercury vapor into the body 24 hours a day. The uptake of inorganic mercury in swallowed saliva exceeds known standards of exposure by 10 to 100 times. Studies have shown that a single 0.4 cm2 occlusal amalgam can release 15 mcg of mercury vapor per day. Human autopsy research has validated the statistical correlation between the number of dental amalgam fillings and CNS mercury levels.
WARNINGS OF HEALTH RISKS
The United States Public Health Service has ruled that chronic exposure to mercury from dental amalgams is not without risk to the general population (USPHS, ATSDR; Toxicological Profile for Mercury: Update TP-93/10; page 125). Moreover, in 1991, the World Health Organization confirmed that dental amalgam is the greatest source of mercury vapor in the non-industrially exposed population, significantly exceeding that from food or air.
As reported in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, "When (mercury) amalgams were introduced into the U.S. in 1833 by two French entrepreneurs, the Crawcour brothers, its use was denounced by a substantial number of American dentists. 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 British Dental Association (BDA) issued a fact file on mercury, stating:
"About 3% of the population are estimated to suffer from mercury sensitivity." This is considered as epidemic proportions, as when a disease reaches 0.4 per cent of the population, it is considered to have reached epidemic proportions.
DANGERS TO HEALTH
Nevertheless, current research suggests that mercury vapor from fillings may be one of the predominant underlying causes of a broad spectrum of conditions, ranging from gum disease, migraine, headaches, poor memory, depression, anxiety, mental lethargy, chronic fatigue, growth, allergies such as eczema and asthma, and sensitivity reactions to food and inhalants, to rheumatism, arthritis, backache, kidney disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders.
According to Dr. Michael Ziff and his research associates, a widely respected dental authority on mercury toxicity, "...mercury is so toxic to the human organism that there can be cell death or irreversible chemical damage long before clinically observable symptoms appear indicating that something is wrong."
AMALGAM REMOVAL RESULTS IN HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS
Studies have demonstrated that the removal of dental mercury amalgam fillings can result in definitive and significant improvements in overall health status. The Foundation for Toxic-Free Dentistry compiled data on 1,569 patients from six different sources. Of particular interest in the FTFD analysis report is the fact that 14% of patients experienced some form of allergic symptomology and that 89% reported that their condition had improved or was entirely eliminated after removal of their silver/mercury dental amalgam fillings.
Systemic mercury toxicity appears to have a direct causal relationship to the development of allergic sensitivity to foods, chemicals and other environmental factors. Extrapolating the FTFD data to the approximately 140 million individuals with mercury dental amalgams in the U.S, there would be about 19.6 million people (14%) with mercury amalgam-related allergies, and, 89% or about 17.4 million people would experience the amelioration or disappearance of their allergies by simply having their silver/ mercury dental amalgam fillings replaced with non-mercury, hypoallergenic composite dental fillings.
SIGNS TO LOOK FOR
The earliest symptoms of organic mercury exposure may include forgetfulness;
inability to concentrate and focus attention; cognitive decline; irritability; outbursts of anger; depression; apathy and indifference; headache; and, fatigue. Later manifestations consist of progressive loss of memory; emotional instability; general CNS dysfunction; in coordination; numbness and tingling of the lips, hands and feet; muscular weakness progressing to paralysis; dim or restricted vision; hearing loss; speech disorders; kidney damage; immune dysfunction; and, dermatitis. There is growing scientific evidence that long-term exposure to dental mercury amalgam causes Alzheimer's disease and/or senile dementia.
HORMONAL IMBALANCES
Some research has focused on particular problems among women exposed to mercury. One study showed that such women experienced disturbances in the menstrual cycle such as excessive blood flow, irregular periods, premenstrual tension (PMS) and painful menstruation (Pediatr Akush Ginekol, 1971; 33: 56-8). Another showed a higher than expected incidence of spontaneous abortion and premature labor (cordon A, "Pregnancy in Female Dentists-A Mercury Hazard", presented at the International Conference of Mercury Hazards in Dental Practice, Glasgow, 1981) in women exposed to mercury compared with controls. Their rate of failure of ovulation was also nearly double that of the controls (Akush Ginekol, 1974; 13: 20).
Tests were carried out at the University of Heidelberg on women who had hormonal irregularities and amalgam fillings and who had difficulty in conceiving. At the same time, blood samples were investigated for levels of pesticide contamination. The women tested showed higher levels of urine mercury when given a test that measures the amount of mercury excreted through a chelating agent.
The most common problem by far was mercury contamination, which correlated with the number of amalgam fillings. After removing the fillings, nutritional support and treatment of other environmental contamination burdens, 70 per cent of the women became pregnant without the aid of hormonal therapy (Gynakologie, 1992; 14: 593-602).
Further tests carried out at the University of Heidelberg involved 132 women with amalgam fillings who had abnormal hair growth or hair loss. Nearly half-49 per cent-of these women showed significantly elevated mercury levels. After removal of their fillings, the symptoms disappeared in 68 per cent of cases (Klin Labor, 1992; 38: 469-76).
But it is not only women who suffer infertility problems caused by mercury. It has been estimated that about 50 per cent of infertility problems are associated with defective male sperm motility (Pharmacol Toxicol, 1988; 69:440-4). Research has directly pointed to mercury. Workers who are occupationally exposed to mercury vapor have been found to have a significant reduction in fertility rate (Am J Industr Med, 1985; 7:171-86).
MERCURY AND THE HEART
Heart attacks were practically unknown in the nineteenth century-a time when the general diet was high in fat and dairy products.
There is no full explanation for the substantial increase in heart disease, but the suspect factors are mainly diet, stress, smoking and general lifestyle.
Increasing evidence points to amalgam fillings as one major contributory factor. A series of studies carried out at Washington University (Proc Soc Exper Biol Med, 1965; 120: 805-8; Proc Soc Exper Biol Med, 1967; 124:485-90; Am J Physiol, 1970; 219: 755-61; Am J Physiol, 1971; 220: 808-11) demonstrated that mercury causes hypertension by contracting smooth muscle in arterial walls. Inorganic mercury caused blood vessel constriction and subsequent hypertension within minutes of exposure-organic mercury did not.
The work was subsequently confirmed by researchers at Harvard Medical School (Am J Physiol, 1975; 229: 8-12).
In 1974, the National Institute of Health, part of the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, published a 333-page account of research in the Soviet Union on the effects of chronic exposure to mercury and its compounds (Cardiotoxic Effects of Mercury, DHEW (NIH) Publication No 74-473, 1974, pp 109-34, 199-210). They reported that mercury affected the function of the heart in a variety of ways, including the ability of heart muscle to contract, and its electrical conductivity and regulation of cardiac activity.
The Soviet researchers also found that mercury produced functional changes in cardiac activity and in heart muscle, and that it accumulated in heart muscle and valves. The damage was evident from ECG changes and through histological studies. They found that heart function was influenced by the effect of mercury on hormones from the pituitary gland.
In 1983, work carried out at the medical school at Lodz in Poland (Thromb Res, 1983; 30: 579-85) found that various mercury compounds in low concentrations accelerated blood clotting.
In 1990, Siblerud (SRI Total Environ, 1990; 99: 23-35) compared subjects with and without amalgam. They found that those with amalgam had significantly higher blood pressure, lower heart rate and lower hemoglobin counts. They also had a greater incidence of chest pains, tachycardia, anaemia and fatigue, and became tired easily and awoke feeling tired. The researchers concluded that: "The data suggest that inorganic mercury poisoning from dental amalgam does affect the cardiovascular system".
MERCURY AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
In 1984, David Eggleston, Associate Professor at the Department of Restorative Dentistry, published a preliminary report, which demonstrated the ability of amalgam and nickel to affect the total percentages of T cells (J Prost Dent, 1984; 51: 617-23)-those cells, which help killer cells to recognize foreign invaders. Two cases involving dental amalgam, and one involving nickel, were presented. The results were similar in all cases. In one of Eggleston's 21-year-old patients who had six amalgam fillings, 47 per cent of lymphocytes were T lymphocytes with amalgam fillings. After removal of these fillings, 73 per cent of lymphocytes were T lymphocytes-an increase of 55.3 per cent.
When four amalgam fillings were again placed in the patient, the T lymphocyte count dropped to 55 per cent-a decrease of 24.7 per cent. When the patient's amalgam fillings were replaced with gold, the T lymphocyte count rose from to 72 per cent-an increase of 30.9 per cent.
The most recent research (Int J Occup Med Tox, 1995; 4) involving 34 patients with CNS disorders indicated intoxication from dental amalgam.
Tests showed pathological findings in 88 per cent of these patients, of whom 60 per cent showed an immune reaction to mercuric chloride. These findings support the view that chronic low-level exposure to mercury can compromise or weaken the immune system and adversely affect the defense mechanisms of the body.
CHRONIC FATIGUE AND ME
Mercury may contribute to chronic fatigue conditions and, in some cases, play a predominant role. Chronic fatigue is one of the main presenting symptoms of mercury toxicity, and practitioners expect the condition to improve when fillings are removed. Patients who are severely ill, and often bedridden and test positive to mercury find that symptoms improve to a varying degree when amalgam fillings are removed, but are not cured unless mercury is the predominant factor.
In one instance, a 42-year-old GP had been housebound for four years with severe chronic fatigue syndrome (ME). She could only leave home for short journeys using a wheelchair, and had great difficulty in climbing stairs.
She had 13 amalgam fillings and tested positive to mercury on a lymphocyte response test. Besides ME symptoms, she also complained of other symptoms such as burning mouth, blurred vision, nausea, constant low-grade diarrhea, muscle pain, depression, tension, irritability, poor memory, low blood pressure, asthma, sinus pain, aching joints and allergies to a range of chemicals.
The patient had all her amalgam fillings removed and, three months later, reported that her physical and mental energy had improved and that her nausea was completely cleared. She was also enjoying her food for the first time in years. The day after her final fillings were removed, her husband gave her some soup. She was amazed that it was the same soup her husband had given her the day before, which she had found tasteless. She also reported that her muddle-headedness and lack of concentration had improved, and that she felt much more relaxed. Two years later, the patient confirmed that her improvement had continued.
Whether mercury was the initial cause of her chronic fatigue is a matter of conjecture. What this case illustrates is that even though, in some cases,
mercury may not be the predominant causative factor, it can exacerbate an existing condition.
BACTERIAL RESISTANCE TO ANTIBIOTICS
A survey of 356 patients who had not recently been exposed to antibiotics showed a high prevalence of mercury resistant bacteria. They were also significantly more likely to concurrently have resistance to two or more antibiotics (Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1988; 32: 1801-6).
These findings prompted a three-university collaborative investigation in primates (Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1993; 37:825-34). This showed that a large proportion of common oral and intestinal bacteria became resistant to mercury two weeks after receiving amalgam fillings. Nearly all the mercury-resistant bacteria were resistant to one or more antibiotics such as tetracycline, ampicillin, streptomycin and erythromycin. As in the human study, the monkeys had not had recent exposure to antibiotics, demonstrating that the bacteria had become antibiotic-resistant due to exposure to mercury from dental amalgam.
In both studies, the proportion of mercury and antibiotic-resistant bacteria declined markedly during the two months after amalgam removal.
These studies confirm earlier work carried out in Japan (Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1997; 11: 999-1003; Appl Environ Microbiol, 1977; 33: 975 6; Nature, 1977; 266: 165-7), which showed that strands of DNA could transfer the bacterial resistance to antibiotics and mercury to other bacteria. The mercury-resistant bacteria constantly recirculate the mercury as vapour-exacerbating the increase of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Thus, the situation cannot improve until the source of the mercury is removed.
In a recent paper (Sci Prog, 1997; 80: 103-6), a team from the Eastman Dental Institute pointed out: "It must be remembered that oral streptococci are a major cause of infective endocarditis with a high mortality". The general systemic consequences of the inability of antibiotics to contain or eliminate these resistant bacteria, commonly called 'superbugs', are an escalating and serious problem. The role of mercury in their growth should not be ignored.
Research has shown that mercury from dental amalgam fillings:
1. Increases mercury-resistant bacteria, resulting in the constant recycling of mercury in the body;
2. Increases antibiotic resistance in bacteria-the superbugs-with obviously more serious consequences;
3. That bacteria are capable, via DNA strands, of transferring their resistance to other neighboring bacteria; and
4. Mercury in the body and antibiotic resistant bacteria markedly decline after removal of mercury amalgam fillings.
If you have a health condition, have undergone conventional medical investigation to exclude life-threatening and other dis-eases, and have not responded to treatment, you should have an experienced practitioner:
Take a full medical and dental history
Check your dental status (fillings, crowns, implants, dentures - even amalgam tattoos or posts and pins
Carry out a test to measure each metallic filling for electrical activity, which will indicate the amount of mercury vapour released from fillings and the possible systemic effects of having a 'battery' in the mouth
~ Consider a provocation urine test. This uses the known mercury chelator 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) to leech mercury out of your system to be excreted in the urine. Urine is taken before and after swallowing this chelator, and compared for mercury content. This test is an indicator of mercury body burden and requires careful interpretation by an experienced practitioner
Have a blood test-the metal-specific memory T -cell test (MSMT) that determines your immunological reactions to dental and associated metals, and measures lymphocyte response to other heavy metals
Other laboratory tests include hair analysis and a sweat test for dental metals
Other tests to give you an indication of amalgam toxicity include electroacupuncture evaluation (where an EAV practitioner assesses problems in the meridians which run across individual teeth), kinesiology, faeces measurement, a complete blood count and various body biochemistry tests.
BEFORE YOU HAVE YOUR FILLINGS REMOVED
Get advice on an individualized programme of vitamin/ mineral supplementation and detoxification programme, and start it two months before your amalgams are removed.
Consume a fresh, organic whole food diet. Avoid foods which are salty, sour or eaten at a high temperature, and snacks between meals-all of which increase mercury vapour.
Take antioxidants and free-radical scavengers to help bind and excrete mercury, including a good multivitamin supplement and extra selenium (50-200 micrograms), vitamin C powder, seaweed and homoeopathic dental amalgam, a tried-and-tested way to remove mercury from the system.
Constipation, if present, must be treated, as mercury may be retained in the faeces and recirculated
Take charcoal half an hour prior to treatment to mop up any mercury vapour which has evaded other precautionary procedures and been swallowed.
Get tested for your reaction to composite (white) fillings by sucking a sample of the proposed restorative material for two hours, repeating the procedure two days later, then monitoring and reporting reactions.
Find a dentist experienced in removing amalgam fillings and discuss the protocol beforehand. He/she should be familiar with removing them in a predetermined sequence depending on ammeter or voltmeter measurements.
AFTER TREATMENT
Embark on an extensive detox programme for a number of months with supplements, detox measures such as saunas and steam, and lymphatic drainage.
Consider taking a chelator such as DMSA to flush mercury out of your system.
You can also use Life Glow Plus, offered on these web sites.
Dr. George J Georgiou, Ph.D.
Naturopath - Clinical Nutritionist - Herbalist - Homeopath - Iridologist -
Electro-Acupuncturist - Clinical Psychologist - Clinical Sexologist
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug
Administration. These products and/or advice are not intended to diagnose,
treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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