How Mercury Destroys the Body, Mind & Soul
An In-depth Report on the
Effects of Mercury Poisoning Toxicity
by Dr. Thomas Nissen |
MERCURY: What kinds of symptoms does mercury cause?
Symptoms
of mercury toxicity are many and varied, since mercury
can both reach and affect nearly every cell in the body! Systemic (overall)
effects can occur for this reason. The particular symptoms you experience
first depend on your own genetic weakest links and on other toxic suppressors.
The answers to the following questions below address the type of symptoms
that can occur. |
How does mercury
toxicity affect the reproductive system?
Reproductive effects
can occur, such as infertility, miscarriage and prematurity. Mercury lowers
zinc levels, which then lowers progesterone levels. Progesterone is needed to
bring a pregnancy to term. Birth defects, especially involving the brain and
learning ability, can be caused by mercury, as the metal can pass through
both the placental barrier and the blood-brain barrier contrary to prior
belief. Low libido (sex drive) and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are examples
of a downward spiral of problems whose root cause is mercury toxicity.
Lowered progesterone
levels can lead to infertility. PMS and infertility are common among many
young female dental workers due at least in part to their mercury exposure.
Male dental workers also suffer from infertility. Mercury lowers zinc levels,
which in turn leads to lower testosterone (male hormone) levels.
Can babies absorb mercury from their mothers?
Mercury can cross the
placental barrier, which screens out many harmful substances. This has been
shown in both human and animal studies. Mercury is in fact, stored in the
fetus before the mother. Mercury will also be transmitted to the infant via
breast milk. Mercury from amalgam is stored in the breast milk and in the
fetus at levels up to eight times that in the mother’s tissues.
How is the immune system affected?
It has been shown that
mercury rapidly depletes the immune system. Mercury has been shown to induce
auto-immune diseases. Mercury can cause an increase in the number and
severity of allergies.
What other types of symptoms are caused by mercury?
Candida (yeast)
overgrowth that is difficult to get rid of is also associated with mercury in
the mouth. Mercury acts as an antibiotic, and, like medicinal antibiotics, it
kills the friendly bacteria which help control yeast overgrowth.
Any of these symptoms
can affect almost anyone with amalgam fillings. Some people, however, are
especially sensitive, or allergic.
Replacement reactions,
also called fight for site, occur when mercury (usually with a +2 charge)
grabs the biological spaces which should be filled by necessary minerals.
Symptoms that can be caused by a deficiency of minerals displaced by mercury
include:
Some digestive
problems can be caused by parasite or bacterial infection such as
helicobacter secondary to immune system suppression by mercury. Mercury, in
effect, opens the door like the Trojan horse so that undesirables can come
in.
Mercury combines with
bile and can cause bile from the gallbladder to become more alkaline,
providing a favorable environment for parasites. These parasites can plug up
the hepatic or bile duct so that needed digestive and other enzymes from the
gallbladder, liver, and pancreas are not released. Gallbladder function then
suffers.
Mercury acts as an
antibiotic, and was used in some medicines until safer alternatives came
along for this purpose. In the body mercury also acts as an antibiotic, and
like medicinal antibiotics it kills off the beneficial bacteria which repel
parasites and aid in digestion.
Yeast overgrowth with
its attendant symptoms of fatigue, sweets cravings and vaginal infections is
often traced to the antibiotic effect of dental mercury. Suspect this as a
root cause when yeast is a continuing problem in spite of repeated treatment.
The symptom (yeast overgrowth) will not likely go away until the root cause
(mercury) is dealt with. The effect of dental mercury on normal gut flora is
well documented.
Thyroid problems or mercury toxicity?
Endocrine problems
such as low body temperature often improve rapidly when amalgam is removed, a
sure sign that the amalgam was causing the problem in the first place. Normal
body temperature is about 98.6 F orally.
People reacting to
amalgam components often have a temperature range of 96.2 to 97.6 degrees,
which can rise to 98.2 in as little as one day after amalgam removal and to
98.6 soon afterward. A low body temperature is a sign of low thyroid
function, and many people have mistakenly been given thyroid hormone to
remedy a symptom caused by amalgam fillings.
Synthetic thyroid
hormone (thyroxin) can shut down the natural feedback cycle of the pituitary
gland and its production of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). This shutdown
then adversely affects the rest of the endocrine system. It would be far
better to correct the cause of the apparent thyroid malfunction by removing
the fillings that are responsible for the low body temperature, rather than
prescribing supplemental thyroid hormone.
What are the mental
symptoms of mercury toxicity?
Since mercury is so
soluble, it can be easily absorbed through the roof of the mouth, which is
less than an inch from the posterior pituitary gland. Mental symptoms of
toxicity affecting the posterior pituitary include:
Depression, Timidity,
Rage, Phobias, Anxiety, Lowered libido, Indecisiveness, Lack of self
confidence, Compulsions, Mood swings
Mercury tends to
accumulate in all tisues, but especially in the brain. Within the brain,
mercury is stored prefentially in the pituitary gland and hypothalamus.
Accumulation in the
brain leads to mental and nervous system effects such as brain fog,
depression, vision difficulties, and others as listed above. Mental effects
are among the most common due to mercury's special affinity for the brain.
Mercury inhibits the effects of certain neurotransmitters:
Inhibition of these
neurotransmitters by mercury can account in part for the feelings of
depression and loss of motivation.
Other mental/neurological symptoms include:
How does mercury cause fatigue and lack of energy?
Mercury binds to nitrogen
and sulfur in proteins, oxygen from the lungs, sulfur from the liver's
detoxification systems, and selenium from the colon. Lower levels of body
tissue oxygen due to mercury's binding it may lead to:
Mercury binds with
hemoglobin, which is responsible for oxygen transport to the tissues. This
results in less oxygen reaching the tissues. The body attempts to compensate
for this by increasing the amount of hemoglobin in the blood.
A normal or increased hemoglobin (oxygen carrying) level combined with symptoms usually associated with low hemoglobin such as anemia are often indicative of mercury toxicity. Copper is also required to prevent anemia, and mercury can compete for copper's binding sites. A lowered hematocrit (red blood cell count) can be indicative of lowered blood copper levels.
The terms hematocrit
and hemoglobin, found routinely on blood test printouts, can be confusing. If
blood is compared to a train carrying oxygen to where it is needed,
hematocrit is a measure of the number of boxcars on the train (red blood
cells), while hemoglobin is a measure of the carrying capacity of each
boxcar, or red blood cell.
Other mineral levels
can be lowered by mercury's tendency to fight for site. A deficiency of any
of these minerals can lead to fatigue and other symptoms:
Cobalt, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium are all required for energy.
These mineral
deficiencies may be primarily due to dietary deficiencies. However,
deficiencies may also be secondary. The mineral may be in the body but cannot
get to where it is needed because mercury has blocked the way. This is like
putting a too-large battery in a toy - it won't fit in the slot made for a
smaller battery, both denying power to the toy and blocking the slot from
receiving the correct size battery.
Fatigue associated
with mercury toxicity can be due to several of mercury's effects, including
reducing adrenaline and neurotransmitter effects, reducing oxygen to tissues,
and interfering with coenzyme A, which converts sugar to energy.
How can mercury increase the toxicity of other poisons?
Mercuric ion (Hg+2)
binds to sulfhydryl groups (-SH) in proteins and disulfide groups (-SS) in
amino acids. These sulfur containing groups have an important detoxification
function in the body. Increased toxicity from chemicals and metals other than
mercury can result from mercury binding these sulfur groups and preventing
them from detoxifying the chemicals.
Mercury binding the
bile lowers the ability of the body to absorb fat, leading to increased
absorption of toxic oil-soluble chemicals such as solvents and pesticides
like a dry sponge.
Selenium is an
antioxidant which binds in place of oxygen and which protects against free
radical damage from chemicals which can lead to cancer. Mercury can bind to
selenium, making it useless for this protective purpose.
What else can mercury do?
Mercurous ion (Hg+1)
pushes out Na+1 (sodium), K+1 (potassium), and Li+1 (lithium). Sodium and
potassium are part of the cellular sodium/potassium pump which causes muscle
movement. Interference with sodium and potassium can lead to muscle weakness
for this reason. Leg and muscle cramps may be due to potassium deficiency.
Lithium is sometimes
given as lithium carbonate to patients suffering from bipolar depression
(manic depressive illness) since lack of lithium is one of the causes of the
disease. Lack of lithium may itself be caused by mercury preventing lithium
from working as it should in the brain.
Mercury is like the 200 pound bully attacking a 7 pound baby; the small baby doesn't have much of a chance. 200 and 7 are the molecular weights of mercury (the bully) and lithium (the baby) respectively. If you have been diagnosed with bipolar depression, maybe what you need is less mercury, not more lithium pills.
Mercury fights for
binding sites in the kidney, another organ for which it has a special
affinity. A mineral and electrolyte balance is needed in order for the kidney
to perform its functions, and a poorly functioning kidney can lead to edema
(fluid buildup in the body). These minerals are prevented from entering into
their reactions when mercury is there to interfere.
Suppression of potassium by mercury also affects the kidneys which takes you from making adrenaline to maintaining electrolyte balance, and the lowered adrenaline level can lead to lower energy.
Detoxification systems
such as metallothionein, cytochrome P-450, and bile are adversely affected by
mercury. Metallothionein binds toxic metals in the body to prepare them for
excretion. Mercury ties up this material so it cannot clear out other metals
such as lead, cadmium, and aluminum.
Mercury from amalgam
binds to -SH (sulfhydryl) groups, which are used in almost every enzymatic
process in the body. Mercury therefore has the potential to disturb all
metabolic processes.
Some people appear to
be allergic to whatever food they eat. No matter what they eat, at least one
thing in common is ingested - mercury (or nickel). Mercury released from
amalgam during chewing may be the cause of most of the symptoms which seem to
be caused by the food.
If a mercury vapor test, described later in this chapter, is done, it may show a low to moderate level of mercury initially, but a sharply increased level after chewing gum. This is also what happens when food is chewed. Such a test result combined with apparent allergy to most food points to mercury as a probable culprit. Nickel, which may also be contributing to the problem, is in stainless steel posts and braces. |
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