Dental amalgams were first used by Su Kung in China in 659 BC. They are next noted in history in Europe in 1528 when a German doctor recommended them. In 1578 a dentist, Li Shihchen described a mixture of 100 parts mercury, 45 parts silver and 900 parts tine that he was using.
Mercury’s effect on the body
Dental amalgams have been controversial for many years. Just as the mercury used by hat makers in the 17th century to cure the felt they used in hat making caused the hat makers to go mad, mercury has many other toxic effects on the human body. Mercury exists in three different forms which have differing levels of toxicity: methyl mercury, elemental mercury, and inorganic and organic mercury.
Today’s dental amalgams consist of 50% elemental mercury that is combined with an alloy consisting of silver, copper and tin. Exposure to elemental mercury causes:
- Tremors, which are atypical body movements caused by something affecting the nervous system
- Severe emotional disturbances, including extreme nervousness, mood swings that mimic bipolar episodes, irritability, and withdrawal
- Nerve-related muscular difficulties such as muscle wasting, feebleness, and tics and twitching of the muscles
- Headaches of varying severity
- Touch and other sensory disturbances
- Alterations in the various neural responses in the body
- A noted deficit of cognitive functioning
- Possible kidney failure, respiratory failure and death.
According to holistic dentist, Dr. Tom McGuire, mercury is so poisonous there is no safe amount that can be in the human body. Even the World Health Organization has declared that there is no safe amount of mercury for the human body. This has made the job of companies that handle dental waste doubly difficult, as they must find safe ways to dispose of mercury waste.
Mercury from amalgam fillings bioaccumulates in the body. While one filling might not be disastrous for a person, a mouth full of amalgam fillings can cause mercury toxicity at varying levels.
What determines a person’s susceptibility to the hazards of mercury toxicity?
Although we are all subject to the hazards of mercury toxicity and we should all try removing mercury from our bodies, it impacts some of us more than others. Children born to mothers who have amalgam fillings have been shown to be born with the same percentage of mercury in their bodies as their mothers. This equates with a genetic predisposition to end up with more mercury in their bodies when they then get amalgam fillings.
The human body is a complex powerhouse that comes complete with its own detoxification system. In various people, this detoxification system can be super slow, regular or fast, depending on many factors:
- Age (very young or very old)
- Genetics
- Diets that are inadequate to provide needed nutrients
- The amount of enzymes, transport proteins, and antioxidants that are present in the person’s system.
- Chemical sensitivity
Mercury detoxification is possible
Mercury detoxification needs to be a very slow process or you can get very ill very quickly. It is important to have the mercury amalgams removed from your mouth and replaced with ceramic or other less toxic fillings. Do NOT do this all at once, because you will get sick from it. Stagger it out over a few months.
While you are awaiting the final removal of your amalgams, clean up your diet and this will help your detoxification of the mercury that is in your system. When your body is not over loaded with unhealthy foods it has to process, it has an increased ability to detoxify the mercury. For a healthier diet:
- Remove allergens
- Reduce or eliminate sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup from your diet (read labels and know that HFCS is the same ingredient, and it is in many processed and packaged foods)
- Reduce carbohydrates, moderate protein, and add beneficial fats.
If you have a mouth full of amalgams, you already have mercury toxicity, but with this plan you can remove much of the mercury from your body and get healthy.
