Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Niacin
Niacin -- one of my favorite nutrients.
Read here about the "niacin flush" and how beneficial it is.
There is a "niacin summary page" you can visit for lots more data.
Read here the history of Niacin:
Consequences of Eugenics The Contested Etiology of Pellagra -- Niacin The Cure
The most important role niacin can play in your life is to help get rid of toxins.
It does this by causing the small blood vessels, after taking niacin, to increase in size. When this happens you will "flush." That is, many of those small blood vessels (capillaries) are near the surfact of the body, in the skin. So, when they enlarge in size, more blood moves through them (causing the cleansing action) and the skin will typically get red (flush) and often itchy.
This is a very beneficial action for the body, but many ignorant scientists mistake this action for a "toxic" reaction from niacin and wrongly warn people to avoid using niacin.
The quantity of niacin which will cause this flush varies. If you have not been taking niacin at all, then usually 100 mg to 200 mg, in one dose, will do the job. It would be foolish, at that time, to take more. After a day or so on the same dosage, you'll find that that dosage no longer causes the flush and you have to increase the dosage -- perhaps to 300 mg.
Then, with the slightly larger dose you can get the flush again. Each time it will wear off and you will have to increase the dosage.
Years ago I went through a cleansing action, using niacin, and eventually got up to 5,000 mg per day -- with no flush.
Those scientists who start a person off with 3,000 mg of niacin are foolish. Then, when they repeat that dosage every day for weeks, they don't observe that the flush discontinues after several days -- no matter how much niacin you get, for these purposes it is only the flush that is useful and the flush requires constantly increasing dosages.
Niacin, when used this way, must be accompanied by all the other "regular" vitamins in proper balance.
Niacin, alone, brings down cholesterol levels and blood pressure. It is far safer and of course much cheaper than the drug company's "solutions," such as Mevacor and others. These drugs can cost $500 or more per year and have adverse side effects they don't tell you about.
Niacin is a very safe vitamin to use. Yes, it causes a flush, but the flush is exactly the effect you want.
http://www.oralchelation.com/ingred/niacin.htm
Read here about the "niacin flush" and how beneficial it is.
There is a "niacin summary page" you can visit for lots more data.
Read here the history of Niacin:
Consequences of Eugenics The Contested Etiology of Pellagra -- Niacin The Cure
The most important role niacin can play in your life is to help get rid of toxins.
It does this by causing the small blood vessels, after taking niacin, to increase in size. When this happens you will "flush." That is, many of those small blood vessels (capillaries) are near the surfact of the body, in the skin. So, when they enlarge in size, more blood moves through them (causing the cleansing action) and the skin will typically get red (flush) and often itchy.
This is a very beneficial action for the body, but many ignorant scientists mistake this action for a "toxic" reaction from niacin and wrongly warn people to avoid using niacin.
The quantity of niacin which will cause this flush varies. If you have not been taking niacin at all, then usually 100 mg to 200 mg, in one dose, will do the job. It would be foolish, at that time, to take more. After a day or so on the same dosage, you'll find that that dosage no longer causes the flush and you have to increase the dosage -- perhaps to 300 mg.
Then, with the slightly larger dose you can get the flush again. Each time it will wear off and you will have to increase the dosage.
Years ago I went through a cleansing action, using niacin, and eventually got up to 5,000 mg per day -- with no flush.
Those scientists who start a person off with 3,000 mg of niacin are foolish. Then, when they repeat that dosage every day for weeks, they don't observe that the flush discontinues after several days -- no matter how much niacin you get, for these purposes it is only the flush that is useful and the flush requires constantly increasing dosages.
Niacin, when used this way, must be accompanied by all the other "regular" vitamins in proper balance.
Niacin, alone, brings down cholesterol levels and blood pressure. It is far safer and of course much cheaper than the drug company's "solutions," such as Mevacor and others. These drugs can cost $500 or more per year and have adverse side effects they don't tell you about.
Niacin is a very safe vitamin to use. Yes, it causes a flush, but the flush is exactly the effect you want.
http://www.oralchelation.com/ingred/niacin.htm
The Niacin Flush
It is well known that niacin is the safest way of reducing cholesterol counts -- without any other medication. It's also very inexpensive. However, you should know that high cholesterol readings are NOT a risk factor for heart disease. A great majority of doctors will tell you this, but it is not true. If you want to lower it anyway? Niacin will do that very safely. The number one selling drug in America today, Lipitor, at $8 billion per year, is a worthless fraud. Niacin would to a better job, but it still not necessary. Click Here to read my detailed report on cholesterol.
First, what you have experienced is the very well known "niacin flush." It is a very healthy action of niacin, as you'll see as you read.
You get this action from niacin, but NOT from niacinamide. Niacinamide was deliberately created to eliminate those factors in this B3 vitamin which cause the flush. While there are certain benefits from niacinamide, the real winner here is B3, the niacin.
Niacin has the property of causing the small blood vessels to increase in size. These are the capillaries. Now, capillaries are often so small that the blood cells pass through them in single file. It is the capillaries that take care of the vast majority of all the cells in the body. You have large arteries near the heart, and they get smaller and smaller as they extend from the heart. But, at the end of every well-sized artery is a very large network of capillaries.
They all start from the heart -- but at the end of the line they are tiny, tiny capillaries.
Now, there are many miles of the small capillaries in your body -- a vast network which gets within a small fraction of an inch of EVERY cell in the body. It is the capillaries which nourish the cells and which carry away the toxins.
Now, add into this equation the fact that most of the toxins in the body are stored in fat cells. These fat cells can hold on to toxins for years, never letting it go until some "event" (like sweating or exercise). Then, the fat cells give up their toxins and they start leaking out into the surrounding tissues. You can have a slow-leak batch of fat cells that are poisoning you constantly. Much of the disease that plagues mankind certainly comes from the constant slow leak of toxins from these fat cells.
These fat cells, like the millions of others, are all within a fraction of an inch of some capillary, but IF that capillary is clogged (as most
often they are), and if the blood cells move through them only one cell at a time (single file), then you can see that there is not much chance for those toxins to be cleaned up by the flow of blood.
If you could find something that would increase the size of these capillaries, and not cause any harmful or adverse reaction, you can see how beneficial this would be.
In fact, niacin does this -- it causes these miles of tiny capillaries to increase in size.
It is the INCREASE in size, partly, which causes your skin to get red.
While there are miles of these capillaries all through your body, it is near the surface of your body where the arteries are NOT! So, as all the large surface of your body, your skin, is nourished by these small capillaries, and as the capillaries get larger, you can naturally see how the skin would show that increase in blood by getting red!
But, there is something else going on. I don't know of very many researchers who have told this story in terms that the average person can understand.
There is another substance to learn a bit about -- it is a hormone called "histamine." You know of this substance when you buy "anti-histamine" medicines. Without getting into a long story on that, the "anti-histamine" substances are meant to reduce the action of histamine -- this is usually not good!
What does histamine do in the body?
Well, first it can be produced by EVERY cell in the body. And, it is nature's warning signal.
Whenever a cell is in danger (as, for instance, from a mosquito bite!), the cells that are in danger emit histamine. That wonderful hormone has the ability to send a message to those places in the body which change the blood flow -- to send more blood (water) to that area to provide the nutrients needed to heal the problem, and to carry away the toxins.
So, when a mosquito bites you, the area around the bite itches and swells. That is the action of histamine coming to the rescue -- bringing extra blood to supply nutrients to the cells that have been poisoned by the mosquito bite, and to carry away the poison.
When a cell is completely overwhelmed (as when it is loaded with toxins) it is in such apathy that it can't even release histamine -- in other words, it is so sick that it can't even call for help.
Now, take a look at those cells near the capillaries. They are often loaded with toxins and there is never enough blood flowing near them to take the toxins away.
Now, put some niacin in your body!
The capillaries increase in size. How much? I don't know exactly, but often at least double in size. Now, you have two blood cells going through the capillary, side-by-side.
The chances that this increased blood flow can take away some of those toxins is at least double what it had been.
As those poor cells start coming back to life -- getting rid of toxins, they rise UP to the level where they can send out calls for help.
They send out small quantities of the hormone, histamine.
Histamine causes an itchy feeling anywhere it goes. It also causes the body to send more water (blood) to that area, but what YOU experience is the red skin and the itchy reaction from histamine.
If you take niacin and DON'T have a flush, it could be that your capillaries are too far gone to be helped, or more likely, you don't have a lot of toxins ready to be removed just then.
So, you should seek the niacin flush. It does a great deal of good for your body -- increasing blood flow, taking nutrients to areas that are starved, and taking AWAY some of those toxins that cause illness, tiredness and disease.
There's more.
I have actually published MORE than 100 scientific studies about niacin. Click Here to go to the Niacin Technical page, from which you can click to many other pages where niacin studies are shown.
Niacin is a vitamin that has a "getting used to" level. In other words, the first time you take niacin you may have the flush. If you keep taking the same amount each day, you will have the flush, maybe, on the second or third day, but by the fourth day you won't have any flush.
Then is when you should deliberately increase your niacin dose. There is a critically valuable detoxification method based on this increasing dose of niacin -- click here.
If you start with 50 mg per day, you probably won't have a flush -- too small.
If you start with 100 mg, you will probably have that flush. If you keep taking 100 mg of niacin every day, then after one or two days, you won't have the flush. Then, you could increase the dosage to 200 mg.
It is not always predictable. You talk of taking large doses for several days, and then taking only 500 mg and getting a dramatic flush. There are other factors besides food and exercise, but they'll wait for another day.
Etc.
I took gradually increasing amounts over a long period until I got up to 5,000 mg of niacin per day -- and of course had no flush what-so-ever after a couple days at 5,000 mg!
There is much more I could tell you about niacin -- let me give you a small clue!
When you are experiencing that niacin flush some day, go to a private area, take off your clothing, and observe the pattern of "flush" on your body. It will probably NOT be even! When you've done that, and convince me to tell you more, I'll give you some even more startling information about the niacin flush.
But, there is more I can tell you about niacin.
When I was designing the Super Life Glow formula I knew that I wanted to increase the amount of niacin in it. The regular "Life Glow Plus" that I designed has 100 mg of niacin in the recommended daily dose. Many people have the niacin flush when they first take Life Glow Plus.
But, when I was designing Super Life Glow, I wanted to be more sure that people WOULD get that flush -- so I increased the quantity of niacin to 200 mg per day.
Then some miracle of science happened.
As I was taking my 30 capsules of Super Life Glow every day, I had the flush. No surprise, but what was startling was that I continued to have that flush day after day.
In fact, I continued to get that niacin flush even some months after starting the 30 capsules of Super Life Glow -- and I was taking the same dosage every day -- 30 capsules containing 200 mg of niacin. I would even get a flush taking FIVE of those Super Life Glow capsules -- far less niacin than anyone can explain as still being able to cause the flush.
I think I know why this is happening and it is an even more fantastic health benefit from using the Super Life Glow. I won't tell all of this because I'll bet you a couple nickels that there is no other product in the world which is able to produce a constant, day after day, niacin flush with the same quantity of niacin.
I've done it with Super Life Glow, and for now it will be my secret!
You can, of course, simply take niacin every day, separate from anything else (there are some warnings I should give you on that, though), and increase the dosage so that you continue getting a flush.
The warning? You should never take an "unbalanced" set of vitamins. Don't take lots of niacin without taking all the other vitamins which should be taken in proportion. You can study the 43 ingredients in Life Glow Plus, or the 53 ingredients in Super Life Glow, figure out the proportions among these ingredients and then judge whether you are getting the proper proportions. Click here to see the amazing list of ingredients in Super Life Glow.
So, if you want a niacin flush, every day, try Super Life Glow. It's expensive, but there is nothing like it on the planet!
Now a few more comments about Jeffrey's question.
Yes, the itch and redness can be very dramatic sometimes. And, hardly anything will reduce that experience except time. You should
not jump around a lot with a large dose one day and then no niacin for a few days. If you do that, your body will lose its "tolerance" to the niacin and you'll have a big reaction on the day when you take a large quantity.
Normally if you take, say, 100 mg and get the flush, the flush will not be very dramatic. Then increase gradually.
Also, whether or not you get the flush, and how much of a flush, depends on what food you have eaten when. It also depends on whether you've done some exercise before taking the niacin. Sitting in a sauna can be a helpful factor, too.
I'll bet you've never found this much information about niacin anywhere!
Thanks, Jeffery, for giving me the opportunity to write about niacin.
Oh, Jeffery, knock off that aspirin. It is bad news. The "research" that "proved" it was helpful to the heart? Fraud! Maybe I'll write about that some day!
Karl Loren
http://www.oralchelation.com/faq/answers24.htm
First, what you have experienced is the very well known "niacin flush." It is a very healthy action of niacin, as you'll see as you read.
You get this action from niacin, but NOT from niacinamide. Niacinamide was deliberately created to eliminate those factors in this B3 vitamin which cause the flush. While there are certain benefits from niacinamide, the real winner here is B3, the niacin.
Niacin has the property of causing the small blood vessels to increase in size. These are the capillaries. Now, capillaries are often so small that the blood cells pass through them in single file. It is the capillaries that take care of the vast majority of all the cells in the body. You have large arteries near the heart, and they get smaller and smaller as they extend from the heart. But, at the end of every well-sized artery is a very large network of capillaries.
They all start from the heart -- but at the end of the line they are tiny, tiny capillaries.
 | Just take an arbitrary number for the number of living cells in your body -- perhaps one billion. The exact number is not critical for this purpose. Now, the question is: "How many of those billion cells are within a fraction of an inch away from one of the large arteries so that they can get rid of toxins directly into that artery, and to get nutrients from that artery?" I don't know, but I'll guess that it is less than 20% of all those cells. |
Now, there are many miles of the small capillaries in your body -- a vast network which gets within a small fraction of an inch of EVERY cell in the body. It is the capillaries which nourish the cells and which carry away the toxins.
Now, add into this equation the fact that most of the toxins in the body are stored in fat cells. These fat cells can hold on to toxins for years, never letting it go until some "event" (like sweating or exercise). Then, the fat cells give up their toxins and they start leaking out into the surrounding tissues. You can have a slow-leak batch of fat cells that are poisoning you constantly. Much of the disease that plagues mankind certainly comes from the constant slow leak of toxins from these fat cells.
These fat cells, like the millions of others, are all within a fraction of an inch of some capillary, but IF that capillary is clogged (as most
often they are), and if the blood cells move through them only one cell at a time (single file), then you can see that there is not much chance for those toxins to be cleaned up by the flow of blood.If you could find something that would increase the size of these capillaries, and not cause any harmful or adverse reaction, you can see how beneficial this would be.
In fact, niacin does this -- it causes these miles of tiny capillaries to increase in size.
It is the INCREASE in size, partly, which causes your skin to get red.
While there are miles of these capillaries all through your body, it is near the surface of your body where the arteries are NOT! So, as all the large surface of your body, your skin, is nourished by these small capillaries, and as the capillaries get larger, you can naturally see how the skin would show that increase in blood by getting red!
But, there is something else going on. I don't know of very many researchers who have told this story in terms that the average person can understand.
There is another substance to learn a bit about -- it is a hormone called "histamine." You know of this substance when you buy "anti-histamine" medicines. Without getting into a long story on that, the "anti-histamine" substances are meant to reduce the action of histamine -- this is usually not good!
What does histamine do in the body?
Well, first it can be produced by EVERY cell in the body. And, it is nature's warning signal.
Whenever a cell is in danger (as, for instance, from a mosquito bite!), the cells that are in danger emit histamine. That wonderful hormone has the ability to send a message to those places in the body which change the blood flow -- to send more blood (water) to that area to provide the nutrients needed to heal the problem, and to carry away the toxins.
So, when a mosquito bites you, the area around the bite itches and swells. That is the action of histamine coming to the rescue -- bringing extra blood to supply nutrients to the cells that have been poisoned by the mosquito bite, and to carry away the poison.When a cell is completely overwhelmed (as when it is loaded with toxins) it is in such apathy that it can't even release histamine -- in other words, it is so sick that it can't even call for help.
Now, take a look at those cells near the capillaries. They are often loaded with toxins and there is never enough blood flowing near them to take the toxins away.
Now, put some niacin in your body!
The capillaries increase in size. How much? I don't know exactly, but often at least double in size. Now, you have two blood cells going through the capillary, side-by-side.
The chances that this increased blood flow can take away some of those toxins is at least double what it had been.
As those poor cells start coming back to life -- getting rid of toxins, they rise UP to the level where they can send out calls for help.
They send out small quantities of the hormone, histamine.
Histamine causes an itchy feeling anywhere it goes. It also causes the body to send more water (blood) to that area, but what YOU experience is the red skin and the itchy reaction from histamine.
If you take niacin and DON'T have a flush, it could be that your capillaries are too far gone to be helped, or more likely, you don't have a lot of toxins ready to be removed just then.
So, you should seek the niacin flush. It does a great deal of good for your body -- increasing blood flow, taking nutrients to areas that are starved, and taking AWAY some of those toxins that cause illness, tiredness and disease.
There's more.
I have actually published MORE than 100 scientific studies about niacin. Click Here to go to the Niacin Technical page, from which you can click to many other pages where niacin studies are shown.
Niacin is a vitamin that has a "getting used to" level. In other words, the first time you take niacin you may have the flush. If you keep taking the same amount each day, you will have the flush, maybe, on the second or third day, but by the fourth day you won't have any flush.
Then is when you should deliberately increase your niacin dose. There is a critically valuable detoxification method based on this increasing dose of niacin -- click here.
If you start with 50 mg per day, you probably won't have a flush -- too small.
If you start with 100 mg, you will probably have that flush. If you keep taking 100 mg of niacin every day, then after one or two days, you won't have the flush. Then, you could increase the dosage to 200 mg.
It is not always predictable. You talk of taking large doses for several days, and then taking only 500 mg and getting a dramatic flush. There are other factors besides food and exercise, but they'll wait for another day.
Etc.
I took gradually increasing amounts over a long period until I got up to 5,000 mg of niacin per day -- and of course had no flush what-so-ever after a couple days at 5,000 mg!
There is much more I could tell you about niacin -- let me give you a small clue!
When you are experiencing that niacin flush some day, go to a private area, take off your clothing, and observe the pattern of "flush" on your body. It will probably NOT be even! When you've done that, and convince me to tell you more, I'll give you some even more startling information about the niacin flush.
But, there is more I can tell you about niacin.
When I was designing the Super Life Glow formula I knew that I wanted to increase the amount of niacin in it. The regular "Life Glow Plus" that I designed has 100 mg of niacin in the recommended daily dose. Many people have the niacin flush when they first take Life Glow Plus.
But, when I was designing Super Life Glow, I wanted to be more sure that people WOULD get that flush -- so I increased the quantity of niacin to 200 mg per day.
Then some miracle of science happened.
As I was taking my 30 capsules of Super Life Glow every day, I had the flush. No surprise, but what was startling was that I continued to have that flush day after day.
In fact, I continued to get that niacin flush even some months after starting the 30 capsules of Super Life Glow -- and I was taking the same dosage every day -- 30 capsules containing 200 mg of niacin. I would even get a flush taking FIVE of those Super Life Glow capsules -- far less niacin than anyone can explain as still being able to cause the flush.
I think I know why this is happening and it is an even more fantastic health benefit from using the Super Life Glow. I won't tell all of this because I'll bet you a couple nickels that there is no other product in the world which is able to produce a constant, day after day, niacin flush with the same quantity of niacin.
I've done it with Super Life Glow, and for now it will be my secret!
You can, of course, simply take niacin every day, separate from anything else (there are some warnings I should give you on that, though), and increase the dosage so that you continue getting a flush.
The warning? You should never take an "unbalanced" set of vitamins. Don't take lots of niacin without taking all the other vitamins which should be taken in proportion. You can study the 43 ingredients in Life Glow Plus, or the 53 ingredients in Super Life Glow, figure out the proportions among these ingredients and then judge whether you are getting the proper proportions. Click here to see the amazing list of ingredients in Super Life Glow.
So, if you want a niacin flush, every day, try Super Life Glow. It's expensive, but there is nothing like it on the planet!
Now a few more comments about Jeffrey's question.
Yes, the itch and redness can be very dramatic sometimes. And, hardly anything will reduce that experience except time. You should
not jump around a lot with a large dose one day and then no niacin for a few days. If you do that, your body will lose its "tolerance" to the niacin and you'll have a big reaction on the day when you take a large quantity.Normally if you take, say, 100 mg and get the flush, the flush will not be very dramatic. Then increase gradually.
Also, whether or not you get the flush, and how much of a flush, depends on what food you have eaten when. It also depends on whether you've done some exercise before taking the niacin. Sitting in a sauna can be a helpful factor, too.
I'll bet you've never found this much information about niacin anywhere!
Thanks, Jeffery, for giving me the opportunity to write about niacin.
Oh, Jeffery, knock off that aspirin. It is bad news. The "research" that "proved" it was helpful to the heart? Fraud! Maybe I'll write about that some day!
Karl Loren
http://www.oralchelation.com/faq/answers24.htm
EDTA
considered extremely safe and there are no health warnings against the usual use of EDTA.
The usual use of EDTA would be to dissolve some in water and spray this water on the vegetables and fruits in your supermarket. The fruit, leaves, etc., tend to turn brown from oxidation. It is sometimes called "rusting." When you spray EDTA onto these fruits and vegetables, the EDTA grabs the iron that might be on the leaves, etc., and holds them so they can't then combine with oxygen and create that rusty color. So, EDTA is what is often used to keep the leaves green, and the fruits so fresh looking.
EDTA has been used for many decades, with complete approval by the FDA, to remove lead metal poisoning. In fact, there is literally no other method of getting rid of lead in the body than EDTA. Back 50 years ago it was ONLY given in the oral form. In other words, people with lead poisoning would simply take a few EDTA tablets, and very soon the lead was dumped into the urine, and the toilet -- and the body was free from the toxic lead that caused so much illness and death.
The major source of lead in those days was lead in the gasoline, then into the air you breathe, and also in the paints being used. The "solution" for lead poisoning was simple -- with EDTA tablets, but the government didn't like that idea and wanted to remove the lead from the gasoline and from paint. In order to make sure that there was enough pressure on those who had to act, the government forced the makers of EDTA tablets to quit -- and the medical recommendations for oral EDTA disappeared. In their place you began to find intravenous EDTA. That worked fine, but it was harder and much more expensive, so fewer people would do it.
Thus, there was not effective pressure to remove the lead from our air and gasoline, because, otherwise, there would be many people dieing from lead toxicity -- not knowing about IV EDTA, or not being able to afford it.
This IV EDTA industry has now gotten so large that they start criticizing oral EDTA as worthless. They have mostly forgotten the history and roots of oral EDTA. I have many research studies showing that oral EDTA DOES work.
EDTA used intravenously grabs onto metals in much the same way as Cysteine. EDTA, intravenous, has about a one hour period of time in the body before it gets channeled to the kidneys for elimination -- much the same as Cysteine. Since Cysteine is a natural amino acid, it can stay in the body, working to chelate, longer then EDTA. Both, however, are good chelating substances. NAC does the same.
With EDTA there is more stress on the kidneys than with Cysteine -- because the body tries to get rid of all the EDTA in about one hour.
When you take EDTA orally, only about 5% of it is absorbed into the blood stream. This fact has given rise to the false claim, from the IV chelation doctors who don't know their own history, that oral EDTA is worthless. That is a false claim. It is easy to disprove.
You get a urine test for metals before taking chelation (either IV or oral) then start the chelation treatment. After only a few days on chelation, get another urine test for metals. The urine will now contain as much as FIFTY TIMES more metal than before -- obviously the body is dumping the metal whether the EDTA is taken intravenously or orally.
Part of the answer is that oral EDTA attracts metals from inside the body, to move toward the colon, pass through the intestinal wall, and get bound to the EDTA -- then it goes out in the stool, into the toilet. Other mechanisms allow the metals to be eliminated through the urine. When EDTA is taken orally there is little or no stress on the kidneys, and the EDTA has the extra advantage of handling any metals that happen to be in the very food being eaten -- so they never get a chance to pass into the body.
EDTA, Cysteine and N Acetyl Cysteine are powerful chelating substances. They are the modern miracle of medicine because they remove the metals which are the source of a tremendous increase in the number and activity of free radicals.
Free radicals are the SOLE cause of all heart disease and cancer.
I have thousands of pages of studies on my 12 web sites, showing scientific studies of increased blood flow, reduced incidence of cancer and other health benefits.
EDTA is NOT a drug. It is not quite a vitamin, since it is an "artificial" amino acid, but the patent on it ran out long ago and there is no profit left in making it -- so you won't see much promotion of it. IV chelation has, unfortunately, gotten into a price war among the doctors -- so they can't charge what this treatment is really worth. IV doctors normally charge about $100 per treatment, and that is far less than it is worth.
Oral chelation is, of course, a fantastic health bargain since it delivers so much benefit at such a low cost.
http://www.oralchelation.com/faq/answers51.htm
OTHER THINGS AS CHELATION AGENTS (or detox treatments)
see also the section on sulfur, cysteine, NAC, thiols, etc.)
1498 saunas for mercury; nickel detox
33666 will boosting MT in kids with autism lead to recovery?
27969 rebuttal to study about MT protein; correcting MT protein does not treat autism.
36574 bioresonance sound waves (as method of mercury detox)
36237 effect of selenium on mercury, in the body (use as chelator)
35330 selenium & zinc (not chelators)
32695 HBOT (as treatment for mercury toxicity)
938 EDTA
2517 EDTA
2414 cilantro, vitamin C (as chelators)
2583 rebuttal about specific paper about cilantro
2771 vitamin C doesn't detox mercury (but some physicians think it does)
2897 vitamin C does not chelate mercury
2771 vitamin C (as a chelator)
2353 vitamin C & electrolytes don't remove mercury
2658 dangers of "bad" protocols; chlorella; also Klinghardt
2794 Tyler mercury detox product
2788 Tyler mercury detox product
2697 Penicillamine (as a chelator) [response to 2696]
2656 D-pennicillin and D-pennicillamine (as chelators)
32934 wheatgrass juice (not chelator)
32637 garlic (not chelator)
32636 product NDF
2372 homeopathic detox?
34003 product HUMET for chelation
32631 product Metal Free by Body Revolution; connections between autism, gut problems, and chelation
55969 metal free
31557 Ambrotose (as chelator) (farther down in long post) (*this post is duplicated-- looking for one that is mostly about Ambrotose)
2840 melatonin does not chelate mercury
CHELATION DOSE SCHEDULES, DOSAGES, CYCLE LENGTH
1145 how to use ALA
1651 basic chelation schedule to try out
1860 ALA only-- dosage and schedule
32943 DMPS dosage
36195 ratio of DMSA to ALA
921 general about chelation agents, dose, good & bad schedules
2164 dose of DMSA & ALA; splitting pills up
1934 how long can "on" part of cycle be extended?
1869 length of "on" period as related to degree of toxicity
2785 are one-day cycles okay? (with no overnight)
1594 risks in using "bad" protocols; DMPS vs. DMSA; how do we know that mercury stays in the brain?; purpose of the BBB
34169 how do you know if dose used is too high?
34005 are breaks from chelation needed?
33779 is it okay to do 1 day cycles?
1639 ALA-- length of "on" cycle; transdermal patches; being observant and trying things
1663 transdermal chelation; DMSO
1010 personal experience with how much the "every 3 to 4 hours" schedule sucks
2778 dose of ALA and DMSA; metabolism of ALA is probably linear; amount of mercury removed is not linear as dose goes up
KEEPING A STEADY LEVEL OF CHELATORS; "BAD" DOSE SCHEDULES
36193 need for steady blood level of DMSA; relationship of dose to mercury excretion; longer cycles are okay
2518 ALA: importance of dose schedule
1846 DMSA-- 8 hours vs 4 hours
34733 how mercury redistribution causes problems on "bad" protocols; why does redistribution mean "worse" distribution?
747 DMSA, DMSA schedule, & determining schedules for chelators
827 proper and improper chelation schedules
864 good & bad chelation schedules
399 explanation of keeping steady blood level and how to determine the proper timing for doses of a given chelator
33447 how high a dose (DMSA) is okay; is dose or frequency more important? side effects on higher doses (DMSA); observation & experiment; dumb things he tried -- NOTE THAT THE 22 mg/LB MENTIONED IN THIS POST IS INCORRECT (but it is otherwise an excellent detailed post, so I'm using it anyhow.) Retraction of error can be found in post 33495
392 unsafety of 8 hr dose schedule for DMSA
52843 development (history) of the DAN protocol
53055 his protocol vs. the DAN protocol -- comparisons, explanation of differences; also some history of DAN protocol; also danger of IV glutathione
803 effects of bad protocols DMSA/DMPS
1453 typical symptoms from "bad" dose schedule
1574 using "bad" protocol with DMSA/DMPS vs doing nothing
2252 chelation schedules: side effects with too short a chelation period, or doses too far apart
1244 redistribution of mercury on "bad" protocols; length of "on" period; his personal regime of chelators and supplements
1247 is it okay to skip night doses? how short can the "on" period be?
2783 don't skip middle-of-night doses
1736 DMPS IV chelation
1740 DMPS IV chelation
2458 DMPS injection risks; DMPS worshippers vs AMA worshippers; suppression of data
26959 DMPS injection vs. DMPS orally; negative effects from DMPS injections; Dr. Klinghardt
34318 what can be done AFTER a bad reaction to DMPS injections?
DURING CHELATION: SIDE EFFECTS, RISKS, BEHAVIORS, TESTING
35324 amount of mercury in urine during chelation may not be meaningful
35144 what tests are necessary during chelation?
19250 common excretion pattern where lots of mercury is excreted then little, then lots
2715 when to collect urine (to test excretion)
32945 recommendation to treat yeast while continuing chelating
32639 chelators do not feed yeast much
53180 treating yeast and gut bugs; using preventive treatments for gut bugs; some specific treatments for various bugs.
32632 connections between autism, gut problems, and chelation; ALA and gut issues; product Metal Free by Body Revolution
1838 risks; getting it "wrong", going on
2476 importance of observing effects on your kid
1705 side effects of ALA vs DMSA+ALA; how long cycles?
1534 DMSA & neutropenia (rare side effect)
2460 effects of DMSA using "bad" schedule; possible side effects of DMSA (neutropenia)
431 what chelation feels like (including to him)
946 side effects of chelation - when to reduce dosage
1972 body warmth as side effect of DMSA
1258 taking fiber during chelation (rebuttal)
1311 taking fiber during chelation
32762 why is child hyper after chelation?
2822 smelly poop while chelating is common
2855 ALA can lead to frequent urination; this can be a sign of too high a dose
2945 slight declines in progress between cycles and how progress becomes more "permanent" over time
METALS DON'T DETOX IN SOME SPECIFIC ORDER
2050 do metals chelate out in a certain order?
2085 why metals do NOT chelate out in a certain order
2086 do metals chelate out in some order?
2096 why don't metals come out in some order? [response to post 2093]
CHELATION PROGRESS AND NON-PROGRESS-- when to stop
32516 ALA: dose; signs that tell you chelation is working; how soon to expect these signs
510 how long to chelate
512 how long to chelate; chelation & regression; when to stop
1168 when to stop
36581 no relevant tests for chelation progress
36238 if chelation doesn't help, go back to diagnostic steps
35319 if absence of side effects AND no improvement, revisit diagnosis again
33491 how do we know how "far along" we are in chelating? can you calculate based on vaccines used?
CHEMISTRY OF (AND USE OF): SULFUR, CYSTEINE, NAC, THIOLS, ETC.
(this includes some supplements)
32942 sulfur: some kids have too much, some too little; what to do if LOW sulfur
25890 sulfur, sulfate, thiols; too many thiols can stir up mercury ("bad")
2777 what are thiols? mitochondrial problems and mercury toxicity, and improvement with chelation
36183 list of sulfur foods (looks incomplete)
30019 sulfur foods, comprehensive detox profile test results, sulfate
22243 limiting sulfur foods and sulfur supplements for high sulfur child; combination of high sulfur and low sulfate
2794 trial of high sulfur diet and low sulfur diet
57707 plasma cysteine & plasma sulfate results: how to treat all possible combinations of results for these 2 things
57332 Glutathione IVs not recommended even if low cysteine; in some cases of low cysteine it does not help to supplement with sulfury supplements; what else to use
32641 NAC, methionine: when do these cause redistribution of mercury?
32946 DMSA doesn't affect sulfur levels
2912 ALA effects on mercury, extracellular cysteine, intracellular glutathione; NAC effect on glutathione; inappropriate use of ALA
33448 sulfate (in epsom salts) vs. sulfur
32515 why do epsom salt baths help (oxidized sulfur); what to do if low cysteine
402 chemical bonding of sulfur, mercury, chlorella, ALA
1091 chemistry of NAC, thiols, sulfur, & chelation agents.
1106 rebuttal of Pangborn on cysteine
2011 cysteine damage -- Pfeiffer & heavy metals
2032 cysteine
1880 cysteine does not remove mercury
32640 cysteine: not a chelator; how to test level; okay to chelate without testing for it
1997 cysteine, NAC, etc.
2005 cysteine [comments he is responding to are in post 2004]
32936 cysteine, glutathione: comments on abstract "Methylmercury inhibits cysteine uptake in cultured primary astrocytes, but not in neurons
2470 glutathione, mercury, thiol, cysteine, yeast
36199 glutathione (not a chelator)
2494 glutathione
2024 glutathione; anti-oxidants
31557 glutathione only useful for SOME kids (farther down in long post); also counting rules, amino acid tests, probiotics, sulfur foods, plasma cysteine test
36153 chemical structure of glutathione; rebuttal to Kirkman's description of glutathione as having 3 biologically active sulfur tripeptides
26204 rebuttal to study; plasma cysteine, glutathione, dietary intake of sulfur foods
25970 glutathione can stir up metals; thiols
31557 glutathione stirs mercury around, has negative effects; especially bad for high sulfur people (*post also listed under Ambrotose)
57321 IV glutathione -- why this can be harmful, even to LOW thiol kids.
36198 IV glutathione
35451 IV glutathione vs. oral vs. other supplements
SUPPLEMENTS, FOOD ISSUES, DRUGS
(see also the section on sulfur, cysteine, NAC, thiols, etc.)
41465 recommended supplements for chelation
35449 recommended supplements for chelation
32782 recommended supplements for chelation
32642 recommended supplements for chelation
33298 minimum set of supplements to use for VERY sensitive kid
2798 do not stop giving minerals-- supplement minerals all the time (on and off)
2803 various forms of vitamin C
2694 how to do IV's (vitamin C, etc.)
2017 need to take vitamins frequently; vitamin C for cataracts
1636 taking supplements 3 or 4 times a day
1266 niacin
685 hydrogenated fats induce autistic symptoms in (specific) child and fibro symptoms in (specific) adult
34737 hydrogenated fats
807 selenium
32454 where to buy selenometionin
35458 effects of zinc and selenium on mercury in the body
1792 detox and liver
930 MSM
1683 thyroid supplementation
1499 ox bile supplement
1504 ox bile vs milk thistle
1511 enzyme dysfunction
2343 porphyra-zyme
1542 epsom salt baths vs MSM
2410 melatonin (for insomnia)
2412 melatonin: taking melatonin doesn't inhibit body's melatonin production
34326 melatonin
2429 homeopathic drainers
2497 SAMe
35450 chewable vitamins
34171 what are mixed carotenes? how much to give?
35164 beta carotene and liver phase 1 metabolism
33724 oral B12 vs. B12 injections
32655 lithium (supplement)
43287Lithium supplementation
35353 why EFA help mercury toxic kids
34847 supplements to help heal gut
34840 EFA: fish oil vs. flaxseed oil?
34830 EFA: why flaxseed rather than borage or fish oil?
2742 organic meats; food additives (especially in meat and fish); his getting sick from antibiotics in meat
OTHER HEALTH ISSUES; OTHER TESTING ISSUES; OTHER TREATMENTS
538 medical tests; how, why, avoiding excessive blood draws
1719 labs
1224 vision therapy and vision screening
2088 behavioral optometrists
1248 multiple chemical sensitivities
916 Parkinson's disease
1993 reactivity to chlorine in swimming pools
1782 MS
1700 giardia
1741 salt cravings
2114 NAET (an allergy treatment)
2223 creatinine levels (on tests)
32415 acetone breath
33717 low amonia levels
33725 high ketones (on urine test)
2563 sulfa drugs; how the liver marks toxins; slow phase 2 acetylation
2628 hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT)
AMALGAM REPLACEMENT, DENTAL ISSUES
1023 supplements during amalgam replacement
1114 amalgam replacement safety
907 how to help someone w/ amalgams in place (without replacement)
2014 porcelain (dental material)
1925 composite (white) fillings
1963 porcelain in molars
2320 amalgam content; amalgam replacement
36242 pain in teeth after amalgam replacement due to bite misalignment
33804 what to do about current exposure due to amalgam filling breaking apart in mouth; how to dispose of the amalgam pieces
33048 xrays not needed during amalgam replacement
2683 currents & order of amalgam replacements
2593 braces
DOCTORS, MEDICINE, SCIENCE, RESEARCH
386 doctors and taking personal responsibility
853 doctors
857 doctors
882 doctors
1593 lack of knowledgeable chelation doctors
34001 how different types of doctors tend to approach mercury poisoning; taking responsibility yourself
21647 what science is
688 science, religion, and real observation
858 interpreting studies
2408 his saying things in an abrasive way; medical system; evaluating information from various sources; pragmatic use of information
899 HMOs etc.
34369 trying to work with HMOs and hostility
1455 medical religion
2227 hospitals, politics
33665 medical ethics; evil; freedom of speech (as regards medicine)
33092 doctors, medical liscensure, medical training
32519 suppression of free speech in medicine; licensure and harmful medical practices
32726 IOM report on thimerosal
53182 problems with vaccination; lack of useful information on vaccination in current situation
33055 trying things out to help your kid; doctors attitudes & American Academy of Pediatrics
32938 Dr. Stephen Edelson (Atlanta GA)
MISCELLANEOUS
22425 the need to take care of the PARENTS
748 importance of treating parents
1890 kreb's cycle
2364 no mother guilt
HIMSELF
406 his credentials
931 his credentials
1646 how he does chelation (on himself)
1583 he is not a health care professional
54910 he is not an M.D. and does not give medical advice.
34844 does he do phone consultations?
OBSCURE REBUTTALS & CONTROVERSIES
These are probably only worthwhile if you ALREADY have some concern about a given controversy or accusation.
647 about Ray Saarela, the amalgam list, and rebuttal about Vanessa Strange (on DMPS backfire website)
2239 quackwatch
http://home.earthlink.net/~moriam/ANDY_INDEX.html#other_chelation_agents
1498 saunas for mercury; nickel detox
33666 will boosting MT in kids with autism lead to recovery?
27969 rebuttal to study about MT protein; correcting MT protein does not treat autism.
36574 bioresonance sound waves (as method of mercury detox)
36237 effect of selenium on mercury, in the body (use as chelator)
35330 selenium & zinc (not chelators)
32695 HBOT (as treatment for mercury toxicity)
938 EDTA
2517 EDTA
2414 cilantro, vitamin C (as chelators)
2583 rebuttal about specific paper about cilantro
2771 vitamin C doesn't detox mercury (but some physicians think it does)
2897 vitamin C does not chelate mercury
2771 vitamin C (as a chelator)
2353 vitamin C & electrolytes don't remove mercury
2658 dangers of "bad" protocols; chlorella; also Klinghardt
2794 Tyler mercury detox product
2788 Tyler mercury detox product
2697 Penicillamine (as a chelator) [response to 2696]
2656 D-pennicillin and D-pennicillamine (as chelators)
32934 wheatgrass juice (not chelator)
32637 garlic (not chelator)
32636 product NDF
2372 homeopathic detox?
34003 product HUMET for chelation
32631 product Metal Free by Body Revolution; connections between autism, gut problems, and chelation
55969 metal free
31557 Ambrotose (as chelator) (farther down in long post) (*this post is duplicated-- looking for one that is mostly about Ambrotose)
2840 melatonin does not chelate mercury
CHELATION DOSE SCHEDULES, DOSAGES, CYCLE LENGTH
1145 how to use ALA
1651 basic chelation schedule to try out
1860 ALA only-- dosage and schedule
32943 DMPS dosage
36195 ratio of DMSA to ALA
921 general about chelation agents, dose, good & bad schedules
2164 dose of DMSA & ALA; splitting pills up
1934 how long can "on" part of cycle be extended?
1869 length of "on" period as related to degree of toxicity
2785 are one-day cycles okay? (with no overnight)
1594 risks in using "bad" protocols; DMPS vs. DMSA; how do we know that mercury stays in the brain?; purpose of the BBB
34169 how do you know if dose used is too high?
34005 are breaks from chelation needed?
33779 is it okay to do 1 day cycles?
1639 ALA-- length of "on" cycle; transdermal patches; being observant and trying things
1663 transdermal chelation; DMSO
1010 personal experience with how much the "every 3 to 4 hours" schedule sucks
2778 dose of ALA and DMSA; metabolism of ALA is probably linear; amount of mercury removed is not linear as dose goes up
KEEPING A STEADY LEVEL OF CHELATORS; "BAD" DOSE SCHEDULES
36193 need for steady blood level of DMSA; relationship of dose to mercury excretion; longer cycles are okay
2518 ALA: importance of dose schedule
1846 DMSA-- 8 hours vs 4 hours
34733 how mercury redistribution causes problems on "bad" protocols; why does redistribution mean "worse" distribution?
747 DMSA, DMSA schedule, & determining schedules for chelators
827 proper and improper chelation schedules
864 good & bad chelation schedules
399 explanation of keeping steady blood level and how to determine the proper timing for doses of a given chelator
33447 how high a dose (DMSA) is okay; is dose or frequency more important? side effects on higher doses (DMSA); observation & experiment; dumb things he tried -- NOTE THAT THE 22 mg/LB MENTIONED IN THIS POST IS INCORRECT (but it is otherwise an excellent detailed post, so I'm using it anyhow.) Retraction of error can be found in post 33495
392 unsafety of 8 hr dose schedule for DMSA
52843 development (history) of the DAN protocol
53055 his protocol vs. the DAN protocol -- comparisons, explanation of differences; also some history of DAN protocol; also danger of IV glutathione
803 effects of bad protocols DMSA/DMPS
1453 typical symptoms from "bad" dose schedule
1574 using "bad" protocol with DMSA/DMPS vs doing nothing
2252 chelation schedules: side effects with too short a chelation period, or doses too far apart
1244 redistribution of mercury on "bad" protocols; length of "on" period; his personal regime of chelators and supplements
1247 is it okay to skip night doses? how short can the "on" period be?
2783 don't skip middle-of-night doses
1736 DMPS IV chelation
1740 DMPS IV chelation
2458 DMPS injection risks; DMPS worshippers vs AMA worshippers; suppression of data
26959 DMPS injection vs. DMPS orally; negative effects from DMPS injections; Dr. Klinghardt
34318 what can be done AFTER a bad reaction to DMPS injections?
DURING CHELATION: SIDE EFFECTS, RISKS, BEHAVIORS, TESTING
35324 amount of mercury in urine during chelation may not be meaningful
35144 what tests are necessary during chelation?
19250 common excretion pattern where lots of mercury is excreted then little, then lots
2715 when to collect urine (to test excretion)
32945 recommendation to treat yeast while continuing chelating
32639 chelators do not feed yeast much
53180 treating yeast and gut bugs; using preventive treatments for gut bugs; some specific treatments for various bugs.
32632 connections between autism, gut problems, and chelation; ALA and gut issues; product Metal Free by Body Revolution
1838 risks; getting it "wrong", going on
2476 importance of observing effects on your kid
1705 side effects of ALA vs DMSA+ALA; how long cycles?
1534 DMSA & neutropenia (rare side effect)
2460 effects of DMSA using "bad" schedule; possible side effects of DMSA (neutropenia)
431 what chelation feels like (including to him)
946 side effects of chelation - when to reduce dosage
1972 body warmth as side effect of DMSA
1258 taking fiber during chelation (rebuttal)
1311 taking fiber during chelation
32762 why is child hyper after chelation?
2822 smelly poop while chelating is common
2855 ALA can lead to frequent urination; this can be a sign of too high a dose
2945 slight declines in progress between cycles and how progress becomes more "permanent" over time
METALS DON'T DETOX IN SOME SPECIFIC ORDER
2050 do metals chelate out in a certain order?
2085 why metals do NOT chelate out in a certain order
2086 do metals chelate out in some order?
2096 why don't metals come out in some order? [response to post 2093]
CHELATION PROGRESS AND NON-PROGRESS-- when to stop
32516 ALA: dose; signs that tell you chelation is working; how soon to expect these signs
510 how long to chelate
512 how long to chelate; chelation & regression; when to stop
1168 when to stop
36581 no relevant tests for chelation progress
36238 if chelation doesn't help, go back to diagnostic steps
35319 if absence of side effects AND no improvement, revisit diagnosis again
33491 how do we know how "far along" we are in chelating? can you calculate based on vaccines used?
CHEMISTRY OF (AND USE OF): SULFUR, CYSTEINE, NAC, THIOLS, ETC.
(this includes some supplements)
32942 sulfur: some kids have too much, some too little; what to do if LOW sulfur
25890 sulfur, sulfate, thiols; too many thiols can stir up mercury ("bad")
2777 what are thiols? mitochondrial problems and mercury toxicity, and improvement with chelation
36183 list of sulfur foods (looks incomplete)
30019 sulfur foods, comprehensive detox profile test results, sulfate
22243 limiting sulfur foods and sulfur supplements for high sulfur child; combination of high sulfur and low sulfate
2794 trial of high sulfur diet and low sulfur diet
57707 plasma cysteine & plasma sulfate results: how to treat all possible combinations of results for these 2 things
57332 Glutathione IVs not recommended even if low cysteine; in some cases of low cysteine it does not help to supplement with sulfury supplements; what else to use
32641 NAC, methionine: when do these cause redistribution of mercury?
32946 DMSA doesn't affect sulfur levels
2912 ALA effects on mercury, extracellular cysteine, intracellular glutathione; NAC effect on glutathione; inappropriate use of ALA
33448 sulfate (in epsom salts) vs. sulfur
32515 why do epsom salt baths help (oxidized sulfur); what to do if low cysteine
402 chemical bonding of sulfur, mercury, chlorella, ALA
1091 chemistry of NAC, thiols, sulfur, & chelation agents.
1106 rebuttal of Pangborn on cysteine
2011 cysteine damage -- Pfeiffer & heavy metals
2032 cysteine
1880 cysteine does not remove mercury
32640 cysteine: not a chelator; how to test level; okay to chelate without testing for it
1997 cysteine, NAC, etc.
2005 cysteine [comments he is responding to are in post 2004]
32936 cysteine, glutathione: comments on abstract "Methylmercury inhibits cysteine uptake in cultured primary astrocytes, but not in neurons
2470 glutathione, mercury, thiol, cysteine, yeast
36199 glutathione (not a chelator)
2494 glutathione
2024 glutathione; anti-oxidants
31557 glutathione only useful for SOME kids (farther down in long post); also counting rules, amino acid tests, probiotics, sulfur foods, plasma cysteine test
36153 chemical structure of glutathione; rebuttal to Kirkman's description of glutathione as having 3 biologically active sulfur tripeptides
26204 rebuttal to study; plasma cysteine, glutathione, dietary intake of sulfur foods
25970 glutathione can stir up metals; thiols
31557 glutathione stirs mercury around, has negative effects; especially bad for high sulfur people (*post also listed under Ambrotose)
57321 IV glutathione -- why this can be harmful, even to LOW thiol kids.
36198 IV glutathione
35451 IV glutathione vs. oral vs. other supplements
SUPPLEMENTS, FOOD ISSUES, DRUGS
(see also the section on sulfur, cysteine, NAC, thiols, etc.)
41465 recommended supplements for chelation
35449 recommended supplements for chelation
32782 recommended supplements for chelation
32642 recommended supplements for chelation
33298 minimum set of supplements to use for VERY sensitive kid
2798 do not stop giving minerals-- supplement minerals all the time (on and off)
2803 various forms of vitamin C
2694 how to do IV's (vitamin C, etc.)
2017 need to take vitamins frequently; vitamin C for cataracts
1636 taking supplements 3 or 4 times a day
1266 niacin
685 hydrogenated fats induce autistic symptoms in (specific) child and fibro symptoms in (specific) adult
34737 hydrogenated fats
807 selenium
32454 where to buy selenometionin
35458 effects of zinc and selenium on mercury in the body
1792 detox and liver
930 MSM
1683 thyroid supplementation
1499 ox bile supplement
1504 ox bile vs milk thistle
1511 enzyme dysfunction
2343 porphyra-zyme
1542 epsom salt baths vs MSM
2410 melatonin (for insomnia)
2412 melatonin: taking melatonin doesn't inhibit body's melatonin production
34326 melatonin
2429 homeopathic drainers
2497 SAMe
35450 chewable vitamins
34171 what are mixed carotenes? how much to give?
35164 beta carotene and liver phase 1 metabolism
33724 oral B12 vs. B12 injections
32655 lithium (supplement)
43287Lithium supplementation
35353 why EFA help mercury toxic kids
34847 supplements to help heal gut
34840 EFA: fish oil vs. flaxseed oil?
34830 EFA: why flaxseed rather than borage or fish oil?
2742 organic meats; food additives (especially in meat and fish); his getting sick from antibiotics in meat
OTHER HEALTH ISSUES; OTHER TESTING ISSUES; OTHER TREATMENTS
538 medical tests; how, why, avoiding excessive blood draws
1719 labs
1224 vision therapy and vision screening
2088 behavioral optometrists
1248 multiple chemical sensitivities
916 Parkinson's disease
1993 reactivity to chlorine in swimming pools
1782 MS
1700 giardia
1741 salt cravings
2114 NAET (an allergy treatment)
2223 creatinine levels (on tests)
32415 acetone breath
33717 low amonia levels
33725 high ketones (on urine test)
2563 sulfa drugs; how the liver marks toxins; slow phase 2 acetylation
2628 hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT)
AMALGAM REPLACEMENT, DENTAL ISSUES
1023 supplements during amalgam replacement
1114 amalgam replacement safety
907 how to help someone w/ amalgams in place (without replacement)
2014 porcelain (dental material)
1925 composite (white) fillings
1963 porcelain in molars
2320 amalgam content; amalgam replacement
36242 pain in teeth after amalgam replacement due to bite misalignment
33804 what to do about current exposure due to amalgam filling breaking apart in mouth; how to dispose of the amalgam pieces
33048 xrays not needed during amalgam replacement
2683 currents & order of amalgam replacements
2593 braces
DOCTORS, MEDICINE, SCIENCE, RESEARCH
386 doctors and taking personal responsibility
853 doctors
857 doctors
882 doctors
1593 lack of knowledgeable chelation doctors
34001 how different types of doctors tend to approach mercury poisoning; taking responsibility yourself
21647 what science is
688 science, religion, and real observation
858 interpreting studies
2408 his saying things in an abrasive way; medical system; evaluating information from various sources; pragmatic use of information
899 HMOs etc.
34369 trying to work with HMOs and hostility
1455 medical religion
2227 hospitals, politics
33665 medical ethics; evil; freedom of speech (as regards medicine)
33092 doctors, medical liscensure, medical training
32519 suppression of free speech in medicine; licensure and harmful medical practices
32726 IOM report on thimerosal
53182 problems with vaccination; lack of useful information on vaccination in current situation
33055 trying things out to help your kid; doctors attitudes & American Academy of Pediatrics
32938 Dr. Stephen Edelson (Atlanta GA)
MISCELLANEOUS
22425 the need to take care of the PARENTS
748 importance of treating parents
1890 kreb's cycle
2364 no mother guilt
HIMSELF
406 his credentials
931 his credentials
1646 how he does chelation (on himself)
1583 he is not a health care professional
54910 he is not an M.D. and does not give medical advice.
34844 does he do phone consultations?
OBSCURE REBUTTALS & CONTROVERSIES
These are probably only worthwhile if you ALREADY have some concern about a given controversy or accusation.
647 about Ray Saarela, the amalgam list, and rebuttal about Vanessa Strange (on DMPS backfire website)
2239 quackwatch
http://home.earthlink.net/~moriam/ANDY_INDEX.html#other_chelation_agents
symptoms that can be caused by mercury toxicity
Here is a list of symptoms that can be caused by mercury toxicity, and which are particularly associated with it. (Of course, there are other causes of these symptoms as well).
Central Nervous System
Skin / Hair / Nails
Central Nervous System
Anxiety
- Depression
- Irritability
- Panic attacks
- Lack of self-control and fits of anger
- Loss of self confidence
- Indecision, shyness, or timidity
- Being easily embarrassed
- Impatience
- Loss of memory, particularly short-term memory / forgetfulness
- Decline in intellect
- Inability to concentrate
- Fearfulness
- Restlessness
- Lack of motivation / extreme procrastination
- Exaggerated response to stimulation
- Emotional instability / moodiness
- Inability to select words to convey meaning
- Obsessive or compulsive behavior
- Lethargy
- Withdrawal
- Suicidal tendencies
- Numbness and tingling of hands, feet, fingers, toes, or lips
- Fine tremors / trembling of hands, feet, lips, eyelids, or tongue
- Dizziness, acute or chronic vertigo
- Poor balance
- Decreased sense of smell / taste
- Loss of coordination
- Different effects depending on gender: men more frequently become quietly depressive and withdrawn; women tend to become anxious, shy, fearful, and tense
- Bleeding gums
- Loose teeth
- Canker sores / ulceration of the gums, tongue, or palate
- Metallic taste
- Excessive salivation
- Bad breath (halitosis)
- Burning / tingling sensation in mouth, lips, face
- Swollen tongue / inflammation of the mouth
- Coated tongue
- Dark spots on gums
- Bone loss around teeth
- Chronic tonsillitis
- Food sensitivities, especially to milk and eggs
- Abdominal cramps
- Weak appetite
- Chronic constipation / diarrhea
- Malabsorption
- Leaky gut
- Gastroenteritis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines)
- Frequent or recurring nausea
- Frequent or recurring heartburn / reflux
- Cold, clammy skin, especially hands and feet
- Low body temperature
- Excessive perspiration
- Hypoglycemia
- Hypothyroidism
- Hypoadrenalism
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Constant fatigue
- Showers cause fatigue
- Fertility problems
- Diminished sex drive
- Menstrual cycle problems / Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS)
- Night sweats
- Biological clock disturbances -- waking up late and staying up late
- Weight loss
- Excessive urination / frequent urination during the night
- Tender, sore muscles
- Joint pain / swelling / stiffness
- Muscle cramps / twitching
- Low-back pain
- Muscle weakness
- Candida or other yeast infections
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Repeated infections / suppressed immune function
- Heart racing (tachycardia) / palpitations / irregular heartrate
- Feeble or irregular pulse (arrhythmia)
- Pain and/or pressure in chest (angina)
- Elevated homocysteine
- Anemia
- Changes in blood pressure
- Clotting problems, leading to easy bleeding and bruising
- Sinusitis
- Rhinitis / nasal congestion
- Unusually persistent cough
- Intermittent blurred distance / vision disturbances
- Reduced peripheral vision / tunnel vision
- Bulging eyes (proptosis)
- Photophobic (pain / sensitivity to bright light)
- Difficulty focusing on close objects (convergence difficulties)
- Swollen lymph nodes in neck (or elsewhere in body)
- Tinnitus (ringing in ears)
- Hearing loss
- Unexplained pain in ear canals
Skin / Hair / Nails
- Dry skin
- Male / female hair loss
- Dryer, thinner, duller, slower-growing hair
- Dermatitis
- Eczema / psoriasis
- Unexplained sores on skin
- Unexplained rashes
- Excessive itching
- Flushing or reddening of the skin, particularly on the face and neck
- Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gerhrig's Disease)
- Ankylosing Spondylitis (arthritis / inflammation of the spine)
- Arthritis
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism
- Autoimmune disease (e.g., Sjogren's syndrome, Graves disease, Myasthenia Gravis, etc.)
- Candida / yeast-overgrowth syndrome
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
- Colitis
- Crohn's disease
- Fibromyalgia (FM)
- Gastritis
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Kidney disease
- Learning disabilities
- Manic-Depressive Disorder
- Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) / Environmental Illness (EI)
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Panic disorders
- Parkinson's Disease
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) / juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA)
- Schizophrenia spectrum disorders
- Scleroderma
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Chelating out of darkness - go with EDTA and you are done in ONE MONTH
About a month after I had my amalgams removed, I started making some serious gains. Namely, for the first time since I had started taking narcotic painkillers nearly two years earlier, I was finally able to start reducing my use of them. I always knew that when the pain decreased, I would be able to quit using them. I never liked them -- they didn't provide steady pain relief, and they caused side effects. Believe it or not, the Tylenol portion of the pain-killer actually increased my pain before the narcotic part (hydrocodone) would kick in and take away the pain, roughly 30 minutes after taking it. I react to many, many medications, even at extremely low doses, which is fairly common for people with fibromyalgia.
Well, this was a very exciting development, as it was a clear marker of change -- I would not be able to reduce my use of the painkillers if the pain I was using them to control wasn't decreasing. Then, within about a month of starting chelation, I was able to stop using painkillers altogether. Yep, after two years of daily narcotic painkiller use, I was done. And I never went back. It was great not to have to go through each day with my thinking ability affected by a drug -- I felt more "alive", more aware of the little details of day-in day-out life, and more like my old self. While I wasn't pain-free, my pain was reduced to a level I could tolerate and deal with without the drugs.
There are many theories and opinions on how to chelate properly. The theories that always made the most sense to me involve a dosing schedule that keeps blood levels of the chemical chelator as steady as possible around-the-clock. Otherwise, without steady levels of chelator available, when the "half-life" of the chelator has passed (i.e., the time required for half the amount of the chelator to be eliminated from the body or to be converted to another substance), the portion of the toxic metal that didn't make it out of the body would begin to be re-released back into the blood stream and body. This phenomena is known as "resettling", and it is akin to being re-poisoned in a way, because your tissues are being exposed to mercury (and other metals) in a new toxic event. And, unfortunately, there is no way to avoid it. First of all, there is no way to keep the chelator at exactly even levels throughout a chelation cycle, and second, you would not want to chelate every day continuously. Because chelators remove the toxic metals out the body's liver/bowel or kidney/bladder routes, this toxic outpouring is extremely hard on those organs and they need time to repair and recover. Thus, it is important to take rest periods between chelation cycles. Second, in a way that will be described in further detail in an additional post (because it is so important), a large part of the chelation process occurs not when actually taking the chelators, but when on rest periods, when the body shifts stores of mercury in deeper tissues and organs to more superficial tissues due to concentration gradient differences.
When you chelate, you stir up, or "mobilize", mercury and other toxic metals from the various places it is stored in your body. Because the chemical chelators have a stronger affinity for the mercury than do the proteins in your body, the chelators can bind to the mercury and pull it away from its tight bonds with your organs and other tissues (recall that the word "chelation" originated from the Greek word for "claw"). But, unfortunately, only a portion of the mobilized mercury will then actually be excreted by your body, through the aforementioned routes. This probably reflects, in part, the extreme toxicity of these substances to your excretory organs. The rest of the mercury will be redistributed among the tissues of your body as the chelator begins to be used up. In the words of mercury-detox authority Detriech K. Klinghardt, MD, PhD:
There is a difference between mobilizing and detoxing. Mobilization means stirring [mercury] up in its hiding place. Mobilization may lead to excretion. It also may lead to redistribution. The body had done the best it could by storing [mercury] wherever it stored it. By mobilizing, we tell the body that we know better where to put it. We don't.
Detoxifying or detoxing means mobilizing and moving it out of the body. There are not true detoxifying agents. All we have is mobilizing agents. The body has to do the excreting with the help of the proper agents. The body is not always able to do this! Often perpetuating factors are present that disable the body's mechanisms to detox. (D. Klinghardt, "Mercury Detoxification Perpetuating Factors, Problems, and Obstacles").
So, as you can see, chelation is a difficult, challenging process fraught with ups and downs. Maybe someday we'll have super-detox drugs or other mechanisms that can not only strip the mercury away from our own tissues, but also assure that nearly 100% of that mobilized mercury then gets out. When those drugs are invented, chelation will be an easy straightforward proposition that will lead directly to improved health. This is not how it works today.
While using the DMSA, I kept improving: reduced muscle pain, increased mental clarity, less anxiety, improved eyesight, increased energy, less allergy-type problems, improved sense of well-being, etc. I was doing cycles of 3 days "on" (taking small amounts of the DMSA every 4 hours or so, around the clock, for those 3 days), and then taking 4 to 11 days "off" of the DMSA. But, about a month after starting the DMSA, I started developing some troubling side effects. For example, the front of my neck started feeling uncomfortable and hurting. When I wore any T-shirt that contacted the front of my neck, it became very bothersome and I would keep adjusting it so it wasn't resting on the front of my neck. I went and saw an internist, who did basic bloodwork and X-rays to rule out any more serious causes (e.g., lymphoma, thyroid disease). Once he ruled out those possibilities, he basically said that he didn't really know, but we could run more sophisticated diagnostic tests if I wanted. However, he had a strong suspicion that it was more likely related to my fibromyalgia than anything else. We didn't discuss the chelation.
Unfortunately, this problem wasn't going away. And, to say it was annoying or uncomfortable would be a big understatement. Who knew that the front of one's neck, which probably 99% of people are never even aware of, could be such a continuous source of pain and discomfort? I mean, it hardly seems like the most sensitive part of the body. I knew the problem was likely from mercury since it developed while mobilizing mercury with DMSA, and that the doctor was right, it probably was a fibromyalgia-type reaction in the muscles of my neck to that mercury. But, as I continued to try to chelate it out with the DMSA, it just kept getting worse. I was quickly becoming very discouraged by this turn of events. I'm not sure why my neck was a resettling point for the mobilized mercury -- perhaps because it was draining from my head where I have a ton of it because of the fillings? -- or why it wasn't clearing out from my neck. I was very, very dispirited by the fact that, after finally finding something that could make me feel better, it also simultaneously seemed to be hurting me.
I tried to soldier on like this for 4-5 months. The DMSA chelation went from being helpful, to plateauing, to causing me to regress and go downhill. Chelation became so painful and problematic that I was forced to admit to myself that I was not going to be able to continue. I also think that the redistribution effects of the mercury were causing some mental depressive-type effects, as I was seriously down during this period.
Luckily, I had a friend who was highly mercury toxic, and who was also chelating at the same time. She suggested a different type of mercury chelator, 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1- sulfonate (DMPS). I had heard of DMPS, which is commonly administered by intravenous (IV) injection. There is a certain amount of anti-DMPS lore on the Internet, like the infamous site DMPSbackfire.com, which had always scared me away from DMPS. But, at this point, I didn't care and didn't have anything to lose, so I located a practitioner (naturopathic physician) who administered DMPS IV's. I queried him about side effects or problems with DMPS, but he had never had any. I also did a lot of research. It turns out that DMPS is a more potent mercury chelator than DMSA -- in fact, it is the most potent mercury chelator we have today. For example, in one study on rabbits acutely poisoned with mercury and then treated with various chelating agents, "DMPS was the most efficient chelator, removing 86 percent of the mercury in three hours, with DMSA being the next-most efficient, removing 65 percent of the mercury." (Patrick L., "Mercury Toxicity and Antioxidants: Part 1: Role of Glutathione and Alpha-Lipoic Acid in the Treatment of Mercury Toxicity," Altern Med Rev., 7(6):456-471, Dec. 2002). (I italicized acutely because, believe me, DMPS cannot remove 86% of mercury from chronic exposure in three hours!)
Actually, I think that it is DMPS' effectiveness that leads to the supposed increased side effects seen with this drug. I have obtained the original DMPS manufacturer's (Heyl of Berlin, Germany) "scientific monograph" on DMPS, and I can definitely say that it is a well-studied and well-researched drug, particularly in Europe. DMPS was originally developed in the former Soviet Union in 1958, where it was used for industrial workers injured by exposure to heavy metals, but it was not available outside that country until 1978. This was because DMPS had potential use as an antidote to the chemical weapon Lewisite (ah, the good ol' Cold War). In 1978, Heyl announced its synthesis and distribution to the western world. Since then, DMPS has been widely used as a chelating agent for both diagnostic and treatment purposes, and it is used extensively in Europe and on a more limited basis in North America as a treatment for mercury, arsenic, and lead toxicity. It is a registered drug in Germany where, due to its long record of safety, it is available without a prescription.
Overall, I think DMPS has several advantages over DMSA, the principal advantage being that it is a much more effective mercury chelator -- it has made all the difference in the world in my own recovery. Actually, many doctors believe that, when used properly, DMPS actually has less side effects than DMSA, and from my 1.5 years of experience with both types of chelators, I would definitely agree with this. Other advantages include the fact that DMPS appears to remain in the body for a longer period of time than DMSA. Also, DMPS acts more quickly than DMSA, probably because its distribution is both extracellular (outside of cells) and intracellular (within cells), where DMSA appears to be distributed only extracellularly. And, DMPS is available for intravenous and intramuscular use, as well as in oral form, where DMSA is only available in oral form. Furthermore, DMSA appears to cause more yeast problems than DMPS, possibly in part because more DMSA remains in the gut than DMPS (only about 20% of an oral dose of DMSA is absorbed from the GI tract -- the other 80% travels through the GI system unabsorbed -- versus about 50% for oral DMPS). This may draw more mercury into the gut, and thus increase the presence of yeast (causing a yeast "flare-up") due to the sequestering effects of yeast described previously. Also, a higher percentage of DMPS appears to be excreted through the kidneys than with DMSA, which presents certain advantages over the liver/bowel route, such as avoiding the "enterohepatic reuptake loop."
(The enterohepatic reuptake loop refers to the fact that while large amounts of bile acids are secreted into the small intestine every day, only relatively small quantities are lost from the body. Bile, containing bile acids, is a thick, yellowish digestive fluid produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder that helps eliminate cholesterol from the body, helps the body digest fats, and transports many waste products and toxins (including mercury). Approximately 95% of the bile acids delivered to the upper part of the small intestine are absorbed back into the blood stream in the lower part of the small intestine, so not too much of the mercury that is attached to glutathione or cysteine (detoxification) molecules in bile actually makes it out of the body).
And finally, DMSA appears to deplete cysteine. This is bad because cysteine is a sulfur amino acid that is a precursor to glutathione, the body's cells' main antioxidant and detoxification mechanism. Thus, DMSA may lead to further depletion of cysteine and glutathione stores, which are often already low in metal toxic patients. I think this may be part of the reason why I actually started going downhill while using DMSA.
Anyway, while it may sound like I'm completely against DMSA, this is not the case. Because everyone is biochemically different from each other, I am sure there are many people who can tolerate DMSA just fine, and for whom it will be effective. It was definitely somewhat effective for me, but, simply put, there was a night-and-day difference in my recovery between DMSA and DMPS. More specifically, if it weren't for DMPS (over the DMSA), I would not be writing this blog today because I would not have made the recovery that I did. And, I think that DMPS is the closest thing we have to a "silver bullet" for treating mercury toxicity (although, it is actually far from a panacea). If you get beyond the lore, DMPS should be able to make substantial waves in the world by legitimizing mercury toxicity as a cause of illness, because these illnesses can now be cured or substantially improved.
Thus, I was not surprised at all in the past year when I started hearing that the biggest gains ever recorded in treating autism were being made by the use of DMPS. (I've got a lot to say about autism, which I predict will soon be proven to be largely caused by the mercury preservative in vaccines, thimerosal. In addition to the efforts of the indefatigable parents of autistic children who have pushed this issue despite fierce political, legal, and medical resistance, I think NY Times writer David Kirby's new book, Evidence of Harm (released April 1, 2005), will ultimately be the proverbial crack in the dam that unleashes the flood on this issue).
The leading research group looking at nutritional, genetic, and chemical factors involved in autism -- DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) -- has long held the view that DMSA is the appropriate chelator of choice for autistic kids. But, Dr. Rashid Buttar of North Carolina was not having any luck treating his own autistic son with DMSA. Yet, he had successfully treated numerous adult patients with intravenous DMPS -- but, giving an IV wasn't a viable option for small children. And, according to Dr. Buttar, the oral form of DMPS causes gut problems in autistic children, such as absorption difficulties and yeast issues. So, Dr. Buttar formulated the DMPS for transdermal delivery -- a cream that seeps through the skin and is absorbed directly into the body, skipping the GI system. He calls this formulation TD-DMPS. Apparently, unlike DMSA, this treatment protocol worked -- five months after initiating treatment with the TD-DMPS, Dr. Buttar's son started to speak with such rapid progression that his speech therapist commented she had never seen such rapid progress. Apparently, today, Dr. Buttar's son is even ahead of his normal peers in math and verbal skills, etc.
Dr. Buttar also has conducted a study on 31 autistic children using the TD-DMPS protocol, and has reported that, currently, 22 of those children have been completely "cured" of autism (i.e., no more autistic symptoms). This is remarkable in that no other treatment protocol has used the c-word as even a possible outcome of treatment. Dr. Buttar presented this information to Congress in a presentation on May 6, 2004. This outcome also was part of a story on chelation in the Feb. 15, 2005 edition of the Wall Street Journal: "A Radical Approach to Autism: Some Physicians, Families Tout Metal-Stripping Drugs, But Benefits Are Unproved." Dr. Buttar has stated that, in his son's case, the DMPS was 10 times more effective than DMSA at removing mercury.
One of the DMSA proponents' main arguments for using DMSA over DMPS is that DMSA is thought to cross the blood-brain barrier, where DMPS is generally believed not to do so. (The blood-brain barrier is a barrier that protects the brain from harmful substances in the blood stream, while still supplying the brain with the required nutrients for proper function). Thus, it is thought, DMSA can chelate mercury out of the brain, where so much of the mercury goes and causes problems, while DMPS cannot. Of course, this has a flip-side problem: when the body levels of mercury are high, there is some possibility that the DMSA will transport mercury into, not out of, the brain. (Recall my "brain-lock" when I took the DMSA shortly after amalgam removal). Anyhow, based on my own experience, I want to set the record straight: there is no question that DMPS helps pull mercury from the brain, and, for me anyway, much more effectively than DMSA. How do I know? Well, some of the mental symptoms I've been dealing with got much worse -- "flared up" -- after my second DMPS IV, and then, over the course of my treatment, have gotten much, much better and even largely disappeared. In fact, the improvement of these symptoms (e.g., anxiety, irritability, compulsiveness, irrational fear, depression, etc.) has been far and away the best thing to come from this whole saga. This improvement despite DMPS' inability to cross the blood-brain barrier is easily explained through the law of osmosis. If the connective tissue and vascular system (i.e., the portions of the body accessible to the DMPS) are free of heavy metals, but the brain and nervous system have a high heavy metal burden, then given enough time, the heavy metals will shift from the brain into the other tissues where the body can excrete them.
OK, that's my tour of the basics of the chemical chelators for mercury. But, who cares about the science and statistics of it all if it doesn't work... luckily, I can say the use of DMPS has turned my life around. I have been using DMPS for about a year, both orally and intravenously, and from the first dose, I knew this was going to make a big difference. Within two IV's, that nagging neck pain started getting better. And there was no looking back from there. Here are some of the improvements I have experienced:
(1) my muscles are working a lot better -- they're stronger and more flexible; (2) I'm not as cold, both in my core and in my hands and feet -- my thyroid seems to be working better; (3) my short-term memory and cognitive ability are hugely improved; (4) my joints work much better -- far less popping and "loose" feelings; (5) my hair is thicker, stronger, and growing back (slowly) in some of the places I lost it; (6) I have far less allergies / pain from allergies; (7) my low back feels so very much better than it used to -- it's not pain-free, but, generally, it rarely hurts; (8) my fatigue is almost entirely gone now -- it's been a slow process, but I'm back to basically full energy; (9) I'm much more calm / less anxious; (10) my heartbeat is "steadier"; (11) my outlook / sense of optimism is way up; (12) my sense of well-being is way up; (13) my blurry vision is gone; (14) my fibromyalgia / whole-body pain is probably 85-90% gone; (15) my body feels much, much more relaxed than it did before; (16) my nasal / eye pain is gone; (17) my appetite has stabilized -- no more hypoglycemia, huge hunger attacks, etc.; (18) I have excellent exercise capability -- amazing strength and endurance, and I can get my heart rate up way higher than I could previously; (19) my chronic sinusitis is substantially better; (20) my seborrheic dermatitis is nearly gone after over 15 years; (21) my skin is more "supple" -- it has more color, tans much easier (while I was sick, it would burn quickly), and looks more moist; (22) I have an easier time swallowing; (23) I tolerate alcohol much better; (24) my cravings for sugar are down, although this increases or decreases depending on when I am chelating; (25) I have more self-confidence and self-esteem; (26) I enjoy socializing with other people more; (27) I no longer get eye pain while looking at a computer screen (from ultraviolet light?); (28) I tolerate all types of foods better (i.e., less food allergies); (29) I am able to wear contacts much more comfortably, presumably because my eyes are much less dry; (30) I have more motivation to get things done; (31) my carpal tunnel symptoms are gone; (32) while not gone, my floaters are much lighter and, somehow, much more mentally tolerable; (33) I no longer have an eye twitch in my left eyelid; (34) I no longer get headaches -- at all; (35) I rarely ever have a sore throat; (36) I no longer have reflux at all; (37) I no longer have restless legs syndrome (RLS); (38) my blood pressure is totally normal again; and (39) my TMJ problems are gone.
So, to say I've made a miraculous recovery would almost be, well... an understatement. Basically, I've either recovered or hugely improved from numerous incurable chronic diseases that are plaguing our world today. I want to get the message out there: there is hope, and maybe a cure. Since I had no idea what to expect when chelating, it is hard to believe that these improvements are merely due to the placebo effect, as I had no preconception that many of these things could be caused by mercury poisoning and therefore could be improved.
Hands down, the most significant change I've experienced is the improved mental / emotional functioning that I've mentioned. What's particularly interesting is that I've rolled back not only all of the mental anxiety, irritability, and depression (not to mention cognitive dysfunction) I've experienced over the past seven years, but actually from long before that time. And I had no idea that could happen, or that I was suffering neurotoxicity-induced anxiety before I was officially sick. I'm referring to the time when I had my first fillings placed, when I was 18. My years in college were difficult in many ways, which I had just attributed to the stress of a new environment and my personality. Well, it turns out that some of that worry, perfectionism, compulsive tendencies, fear, irritability, etc. were not just my personality, but rather symptoms of a disease -- and now, mostly gone. If I had written down what changes I expected to occur from chelating before I started, there's no way I could have predicted I would feel as calm, relaxed, healthy, happy, sharp, and resilient as I do today.
Since mercury is a neurotoxin, it seems fairly plausible that micromercurialism is ramping up people's anxieties and irritability, or driving certain vulnerable people to depressive states. This seems especially likely based on what I have personally experienced, and what others I know have experienced, after removing mercury. A psychologist I know once told me that, "if the cure to anxiety and depression are ever discovered, 99% of us [psychologists] will be out of business." (We weren't discussing mercury or toxicity issues). First of all, that's a very eye-opening statement on life in contemporary America, but second, the huge implications are obvious.
I cannot say that I'm a-ok today. My recovery is still in process, and I'm still struggling with the up-down process that is chelation. I'm not sure if there are things that will never fully recover because permanent damage has occurred, although, to be honest, I really don't worry about this that much. Also, I swear I'm learning new stuff every day. For example, chelation had recently plateaued for me again, and I had been struggling to understand why. Finally, after a few months, I think I got it and I'm now making huge gains again. I will post my information on this soon, but I have to say it once again flies in the face of what 95% of the alternative practitioners are saying, or failing to say. This is why getting better through detoxing today is a lot like frontier medicine in the Wild West, and everyone is on their own. (I think a lot of the advice out there is actually making people worse and hurting them).
So, I hope that this catalog of my seven year odyssey -- from good, normal health, through the depths of disease and dysfunction, and now back again (and then some) -- has been helpful to you, or at least interesting. Looking back over what I've written, I'm amazed myself at what I've been through. But when you're trying to deal with the daily grind of coping and survival, it's just one foot in front of the other, so you don't really get a chance to see the forest for the trees. However, if you happen to be able to find a mountain, you can climb it and see the whole forest for what it really is. Here's to adding a little bit of altitude!
April 29, 2005 in Chelating Out of the Darkness | Permalink
Well, this was a very exciting development, as it was a clear marker of change -- I would not be able to reduce my use of the painkillers if the pain I was using them to control wasn't decreasing. Then, within about a month of starting chelation, I was able to stop using painkillers altogether. Yep, after two years of daily narcotic painkiller use, I was done. And I never went back. It was great not to have to go through each day with my thinking ability affected by a drug -- I felt more "alive", more aware of the little details of day-in day-out life, and more like my old self. While I wasn't pain-free, my pain was reduced to a level I could tolerate and deal with without the drugs.
There are many theories and opinions on how to chelate properly. The theories that always made the most sense to me involve a dosing schedule that keeps blood levels of the chemical chelator as steady as possible around-the-clock. Otherwise, without steady levels of chelator available, when the "half-life" of the chelator has passed (i.e., the time required for half the amount of the chelator to be eliminated from the body or to be converted to another substance), the portion of the toxic metal that didn't make it out of the body would begin to be re-released back into the blood stream and body. This phenomena is known as "resettling", and it is akin to being re-poisoned in a way, because your tissues are being exposed to mercury (and other metals) in a new toxic event. And, unfortunately, there is no way to avoid it. First of all, there is no way to keep the chelator at exactly even levels throughout a chelation cycle, and second, you would not want to chelate every day continuously. Because chelators remove the toxic metals out the body's liver/bowel or kidney/bladder routes, this toxic outpouring is extremely hard on those organs and they need time to repair and recover. Thus, it is important to take rest periods between chelation cycles. Second, in a way that will be described in further detail in an additional post (because it is so important), a large part of the chelation process occurs not when actually taking the chelators, but when on rest periods, when the body shifts stores of mercury in deeper tissues and organs to more superficial tissues due to concentration gradient differences.
When you chelate, you stir up, or "mobilize", mercury and other toxic metals from the various places it is stored in your body. Because the chemical chelators have a stronger affinity for the mercury than do the proteins in your body, the chelators can bind to the mercury and pull it away from its tight bonds with your organs and other tissues (recall that the word "chelation" originated from the Greek word for "claw"). But, unfortunately, only a portion of the mobilized mercury will then actually be excreted by your body, through the aforementioned routes. This probably reflects, in part, the extreme toxicity of these substances to your excretory organs. The rest of the mercury will be redistributed among the tissues of your body as the chelator begins to be used up. In the words of mercury-detox authority Detriech K. Klinghardt, MD, PhD:
There is a difference between mobilizing and detoxing. Mobilization means stirring [mercury] up in its hiding place. Mobilization may lead to excretion. It also may lead to redistribution. The body had done the best it could by storing [mercury] wherever it stored it. By mobilizing, we tell the body that we know better where to put it. We don't.
Detoxifying or detoxing means mobilizing and moving it out of the body. There are not true detoxifying agents. All we have is mobilizing agents. The body has to do the excreting with the help of the proper agents. The body is not always able to do this! Often perpetuating factors are present that disable the body's mechanisms to detox. (D. Klinghardt, "Mercury Detoxification Perpetuating Factors, Problems, and Obstacles").
So, as you can see, chelation is a difficult, challenging process fraught with ups and downs. Maybe someday we'll have super-detox drugs or other mechanisms that can not only strip the mercury away from our own tissues, but also assure that nearly 100% of that mobilized mercury then gets out. When those drugs are invented, chelation will be an easy straightforward proposition that will lead directly to improved health. This is not how it works today.
While using the DMSA, I kept improving: reduced muscle pain, increased mental clarity, less anxiety, improved eyesight, increased energy, less allergy-type problems, improved sense of well-being, etc. I was doing cycles of 3 days "on" (taking small amounts of the DMSA every 4 hours or so, around the clock, for those 3 days), and then taking 4 to 11 days "off" of the DMSA. But, about a month after starting the DMSA, I started developing some troubling side effects. For example, the front of my neck started feeling uncomfortable and hurting. When I wore any T-shirt that contacted the front of my neck, it became very bothersome and I would keep adjusting it so it wasn't resting on the front of my neck. I went and saw an internist, who did basic bloodwork and X-rays to rule out any more serious causes (e.g., lymphoma, thyroid disease). Once he ruled out those possibilities, he basically said that he didn't really know, but we could run more sophisticated diagnostic tests if I wanted. However, he had a strong suspicion that it was more likely related to my fibromyalgia than anything else. We didn't discuss the chelation.
Unfortunately, this problem wasn't going away. And, to say it was annoying or uncomfortable would be a big understatement. Who knew that the front of one's neck, which probably 99% of people are never even aware of, could be such a continuous source of pain and discomfort? I mean, it hardly seems like the most sensitive part of the body. I knew the problem was likely from mercury since it developed while mobilizing mercury with DMSA, and that the doctor was right, it probably was a fibromyalgia-type reaction in the muscles of my neck to that mercury. But, as I continued to try to chelate it out with the DMSA, it just kept getting worse. I was quickly becoming very discouraged by this turn of events. I'm not sure why my neck was a resettling point for the mobilized mercury -- perhaps because it was draining from my head where I have a ton of it because of the fillings? -- or why it wasn't clearing out from my neck. I was very, very dispirited by the fact that, after finally finding something that could make me feel better, it also simultaneously seemed to be hurting me.
I tried to soldier on like this for 4-5 months. The DMSA chelation went from being helpful, to plateauing, to causing me to regress and go downhill. Chelation became so painful and problematic that I was forced to admit to myself that I was not going to be able to continue. I also think that the redistribution effects of the mercury were causing some mental depressive-type effects, as I was seriously down during this period.
Luckily, I had a friend who was highly mercury toxic, and who was also chelating at the same time. She suggested a different type of mercury chelator, 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1- sulfonate (DMPS). I had heard of DMPS, which is commonly administered by intravenous (IV) injection. There is a certain amount of anti-DMPS lore on the Internet, like the infamous site DMPSbackfire.com, which had always scared me away from DMPS. But, at this point, I didn't care and didn't have anything to lose, so I located a practitioner (naturopathic physician) who administered DMPS IV's. I queried him about side effects or problems with DMPS, but he had never had any. I also did a lot of research. It turns out that DMPS is a more potent mercury chelator than DMSA -- in fact, it is the most potent mercury chelator we have today. For example, in one study on rabbits acutely poisoned with mercury and then treated with various chelating agents, "DMPS was the most efficient chelator, removing 86 percent of the mercury in three hours, with DMSA being the next-most efficient, removing 65 percent of the mercury." (Patrick L., "Mercury Toxicity and Antioxidants: Part 1: Role of Glutathione and Alpha-Lipoic Acid in the Treatment of Mercury Toxicity," Altern Med Rev., 7(6):456-471, Dec. 2002). (I italicized acutely because, believe me, DMPS cannot remove 86% of mercury from chronic exposure in three hours!)
Actually, I think that it is DMPS' effectiveness that leads to the supposed increased side effects seen with this drug. I have obtained the original DMPS manufacturer's (Heyl of Berlin, Germany) "scientific monograph" on DMPS, and I can definitely say that it is a well-studied and well-researched drug, particularly in Europe. DMPS was originally developed in the former Soviet Union in 1958, where it was used for industrial workers injured by exposure to heavy metals, but it was not available outside that country until 1978. This was because DMPS had potential use as an antidote to the chemical weapon Lewisite (ah, the good ol' Cold War). In 1978, Heyl announced its synthesis and distribution to the western world. Since then, DMPS has been widely used as a chelating agent for both diagnostic and treatment purposes, and it is used extensively in Europe and on a more limited basis in North America as a treatment for mercury, arsenic, and lead toxicity. It is a registered drug in Germany where, due to its long record of safety, it is available without a prescription.
Overall, I think DMPS has several advantages over DMSA, the principal advantage being that it is a much more effective mercury chelator -- it has made all the difference in the world in my own recovery. Actually, many doctors believe that, when used properly, DMPS actually has less side effects than DMSA, and from my 1.5 years of experience with both types of chelators, I would definitely agree with this. Other advantages include the fact that DMPS appears to remain in the body for a longer period of time than DMSA. Also, DMPS acts more quickly than DMSA, probably because its distribution is both extracellular (outside of cells) and intracellular (within cells), where DMSA appears to be distributed only extracellularly. And, DMPS is available for intravenous and intramuscular use, as well as in oral form, where DMSA is only available in oral form. Furthermore, DMSA appears to cause more yeast problems than DMPS, possibly in part because more DMSA remains in the gut than DMPS (only about 20% of an oral dose of DMSA is absorbed from the GI tract -- the other 80% travels through the GI system unabsorbed -- versus about 50% for oral DMPS). This may draw more mercury into the gut, and thus increase the presence of yeast (causing a yeast "flare-up") due to the sequestering effects of yeast described previously. Also, a higher percentage of DMPS appears to be excreted through the kidneys than with DMSA, which presents certain advantages over the liver/bowel route, such as avoiding the "enterohepatic reuptake loop."
(The enterohepatic reuptake loop refers to the fact that while large amounts of bile acids are secreted into the small intestine every day, only relatively small quantities are lost from the body. Bile, containing bile acids, is a thick, yellowish digestive fluid produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder that helps eliminate cholesterol from the body, helps the body digest fats, and transports many waste products and toxins (including mercury). Approximately 95% of the bile acids delivered to the upper part of the small intestine are absorbed back into the blood stream in the lower part of the small intestine, so not too much of the mercury that is attached to glutathione or cysteine (detoxification) molecules in bile actually makes it out of the body).
And finally, DMSA appears to deplete cysteine. This is bad because cysteine is a sulfur amino acid that is a precursor to glutathione, the body's cells' main antioxidant and detoxification mechanism. Thus, DMSA may lead to further depletion of cysteine and glutathione stores, which are often already low in metal toxic patients. I think this may be part of the reason why I actually started going downhill while using DMSA.
Anyway, while it may sound like I'm completely against DMSA, this is not the case. Because everyone is biochemically different from each other, I am sure there are many people who can tolerate DMSA just fine, and for whom it will be effective. It was definitely somewhat effective for me, but, simply put, there was a night-and-day difference in my recovery between DMSA and DMPS. More specifically, if it weren't for DMPS (over the DMSA), I would not be writing this blog today because I would not have made the recovery that I did. And, I think that DMPS is the closest thing we have to a "silver bullet" for treating mercury toxicity (although, it is actually far from a panacea). If you get beyond the lore, DMPS should be able to make substantial waves in the world by legitimizing mercury toxicity as a cause of illness, because these illnesses can now be cured or substantially improved.
Thus, I was not surprised at all in the past year when I started hearing that the biggest gains ever recorded in treating autism were being made by the use of DMPS. (I've got a lot to say about autism, which I predict will soon be proven to be largely caused by the mercury preservative in vaccines, thimerosal. In addition to the efforts of the indefatigable parents of autistic children who have pushed this issue despite fierce political, legal, and medical resistance, I think NY Times writer David Kirby's new book, Evidence of Harm (released April 1, 2005), will ultimately be the proverbial crack in the dam that unleashes the flood on this issue).
The leading research group looking at nutritional, genetic, and chemical factors involved in autism -- DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) -- has long held the view that DMSA is the appropriate chelator of choice for autistic kids. But, Dr. Rashid Buttar of North Carolina was not having any luck treating his own autistic son with DMSA. Yet, he had successfully treated numerous adult patients with intravenous DMPS -- but, giving an IV wasn't a viable option for small children. And, according to Dr. Buttar, the oral form of DMPS causes gut problems in autistic children, such as absorption difficulties and yeast issues. So, Dr. Buttar formulated the DMPS for transdermal delivery -- a cream that seeps through the skin and is absorbed directly into the body, skipping the GI system. He calls this formulation TD-DMPS. Apparently, unlike DMSA, this treatment protocol worked -- five months after initiating treatment with the TD-DMPS, Dr. Buttar's son started to speak with such rapid progression that his speech therapist commented she had never seen such rapid progress. Apparently, today, Dr. Buttar's son is even ahead of his normal peers in math and verbal skills, etc.
Dr. Buttar also has conducted a study on 31 autistic children using the TD-DMPS protocol, and has reported that, currently, 22 of those children have been completely "cured" of autism (i.e., no more autistic symptoms). This is remarkable in that no other treatment protocol has used the c-word as even a possible outcome of treatment. Dr. Buttar presented this information to Congress in a presentation on May 6, 2004. This outcome also was part of a story on chelation in the Feb. 15, 2005 edition of the Wall Street Journal: "A Radical Approach to Autism: Some Physicians, Families Tout Metal-Stripping Drugs, But Benefits Are Unproved." Dr. Buttar has stated that, in his son's case, the DMPS was 10 times more effective than DMSA at removing mercury.
One of the DMSA proponents' main arguments for using DMSA over DMPS is that DMSA is thought to cross the blood-brain barrier, where DMPS is generally believed not to do so. (The blood-brain barrier is a barrier that protects the brain from harmful substances in the blood stream, while still supplying the brain with the required nutrients for proper function). Thus, it is thought, DMSA can chelate mercury out of the brain, where so much of the mercury goes and causes problems, while DMPS cannot. Of course, this has a flip-side problem: when the body levels of mercury are high, there is some possibility that the DMSA will transport mercury into, not out of, the brain. (Recall my "brain-lock" when I took the DMSA shortly after amalgam removal). Anyhow, based on my own experience, I want to set the record straight: there is no question that DMPS helps pull mercury from the brain, and, for me anyway, much more effectively than DMSA. How do I know? Well, some of the mental symptoms I've been dealing with got much worse -- "flared up" -- after my second DMPS IV, and then, over the course of my treatment, have gotten much, much better and even largely disappeared. In fact, the improvement of these symptoms (e.g., anxiety, irritability, compulsiveness, irrational fear, depression, etc.) has been far and away the best thing to come from this whole saga. This improvement despite DMPS' inability to cross the blood-brain barrier is easily explained through the law of osmosis. If the connective tissue and vascular system (i.e., the portions of the body accessible to the DMPS) are free of heavy metals, but the brain and nervous system have a high heavy metal burden, then given enough time, the heavy metals will shift from the brain into the other tissues where the body can excrete them.
OK, that's my tour of the basics of the chemical chelators for mercury. But, who cares about the science and statistics of it all if it doesn't work... luckily, I can say the use of DMPS has turned my life around. I have been using DMPS for about a year, both orally and intravenously, and from the first dose, I knew this was going to make a big difference. Within two IV's, that nagging neck pain started getting better. And there was no looking back from there. Here are some of the improvements I have experienced:
(1) my muscles are working a lot better -- they're stronger and more flexible; (2) I'm not as cold, both in my core and in my hands and feet -- my thyroid seems to be working better; (3) my short-term memory and cognitive ability are hugely improved; (4) my joints work much better -- far less popping and "loose" feelings; (5) my hair is thicker, stronger, and growing back (slowly) in some of the places I lost it; (6) I have far less allergies / pain from allergies; (7) my low back feels so very much better than it used to -- it's not pain-free, but, generally, it rarely hurts; (8) my fatigue is almost entirely gone now -- it's been a slow process, but I'm back to basically full energy; (9) I'm much more calm / less anxious; (10) my heartbeat is "steadier"; (11) my outlook / sense of optimism is way up; (12) my sense of well-being is way up; (13) my blurry vision is gone; (14) my fibromyalgia / whole-body pain is probably 85-90% gone; (15) my body feels much, much more relaxed than it did before; (16) my nasal / eye pain is gone; (17) my appetite has stabilized -- no more hypoglycemia, huge hunger attacks, etc.; (18) I have excellent exercise capability -- amazing strength and endurance, and I can get my heart rate up way higher than I could previously; (19) my chronic sinusitis is substantially better; (20) my seborrheic dermatitis is nearly gone after over 15 years; (21) my skin is more "supple" -- it has more color, tans much easier (while I was sick, it would burn quickly), and looks more moist; (22) I have an easier time swallowing; (23) I tolerate alcohol much better; (24) my cravings for sugar are down, although this increases or decreases depending on when I am chelating; (25) I have more self-confidence and self-esteem; (26) I enjoy socializing with other people more; (27) I no longer get eye pain while looking at a computer screen (from ultraviolet light?); (28) I tolerate all types of foods better (i.e., less food allergies); (29) I am able to wear contacts much more comfortably, presumably because my eyes are much less dry; (30) I have more motivation to get things done; (31) my carpal tunnel symptoms are gone; (32) while not gone, my floaters are much lighter and, somehow, much more mentally tolerable; (33) I no longer have an eye twitch in my left eyelid; (34) I no longer get headaches -- at all; (35) I rarely ever have a sore throat; (36) I no longer have reflux at all; (37) I no longer have restless legs syndrome (RLS); (38) my blood pressure is totally normal again; and (39) my TMJ problems are gone.
So, to say I've made a miraculous recovery would almost be, well... an understatement. Basically, I've either recovered or hugely improved from numerous incurable chronic diseases that are plaguing our world today. I want to get the message out there: there is hope, and maybe a cure. Since I had no idea what to expect when chelating, it is hard to believe that these improvements are merely due to the placebo effect, as I had no preconception that many of these things could be caused by mercury poisoning and therefore could be improved.
Hands down, the most significant change I've experienced is the improved mental / emotional functioning that I've mentioned. What's particularly interesting is that I've rolled back not only all of the mental anxiety, irritability, and depression (not to mention cognitive dysfunction) I've experienced over the past seven years, but actually from long before that time. And I had no idea that could happen, or that I was suffering neurotoxicity-induced anxiety before I was officially sick. I'm referring to the time when I had my first fillings placed, when I was 18. My years in college were difficult in many ways, which I had just attributed to the stress of a new environment and my personality. Well, it turns out that some of that worry, perfectionism, compulsive tendencies, fear, irritability, etc. were not just my personality, but rather symptoms of a disease -- and now, mostly gone. If I had written down what changes I expected to occur from chelating before I started, there's no way I could have predicted I would feel as calm, relaxed, healthy, happy, sharp, and resilient as I do today.
Since mercury is a neurotoxin, it seems fairly plausible that micromercurialism is ramping up people's anxieties and irritability, or driving certain vulnerable people to depressive states. This seems especially likely based on what I have personally experienced, and what others I know have experienced, after removing mercury. A psychologist I know once told me that, "if the cure to anxiety and depression are ever discovered, 99% of us [psychologists] will be out of business." (We weren't discussing mercury or toxicity issues). First of all, that's a very eye-opening statement on life in contemporary America, but second, the huge implications are obvious.
I cannot say that I'm a-ok today. My recovery is still in process, and I'm still struggling with the up-down process that is chelation. I'm not sure if there are things that will never fully recover because permanent damage has occurred, although, to be honest, I really don't worry about this that much. Also, I swear I'm learning new stuff every day. For example, chelation had recently plateaued for me again, and I had been struggling to understand why. Finally, after a few months, I think I got it and I'm now making huge gains again. I will post my information on this soon, but I have to say it once again flies in the face of what 95% of the alternative practitioners are saying, or failing to say. This is why getting better through detoxing today is a lot like frontier medicine in the Wild West, and everyone is on their own. (I think a lot of the advice out there is actually making people worse and hurting them).
So, I hope that this catalog of my seven year odyssey -- from good, normal health, through the depths of disease and dysfunction, and now back again (and then some) -- has been helpful to you, or at least interesting. Looking back over what I've written, I'm amazed myself at what I've been through. But when you're trying to deal with the daily grind of coping and survival, it's just one foot in front of the other, so you don't really get a chance to see the forest for the trees. However, if you happen to be able to find a mountain, you can climb it and see the whole forest for what it really is. Here's to adding a little bit of altitude!
April 29, 2005 in Chelating Out of the Darkness | Permalink
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