My story represents what science calls anecdotal evidence. Anecdotal evidence is proof of nothing more than the events themselves occurred. According to the strictest definitions of controlled scientific interpretation, there may or may not be any cause and effect relationships between any of the events, it may all be simple coincidence. Anecdotal evidence is useful as a clue, the basis for a hypothesis.

A hypothesis requires rigorous, double blind, repeatable experimentation to demonstrate irrefutable scientific proof. For my case this is not really possible since I'm a sample of one, which can never be statistically significant.

At this point I am totally unwilling to have the poison mercury reinserted into my mouth to prove cause. I cannot allow myself to become emaciated and chronically ill again. Those who love me, love me too much to willingly allow such a thing.

My experiences may apply to people beyond myself who are suffering CFS. My experiences do not necessarily apply to anyone else who suffers CFS.

My Suggestions, Your Decisions

I've written these web pages for you to use as a clue. These writings are but a single reference point to consider when forming a hypothesis about your own health problems. You have to take responsibility for your own health. No one else has as much at stake as you do. You must ultimately decide for yourself what is best for you. Questioning and second guessing your health care providers proposed treatments for your body is your right !

If the provider is unwilling to deal with you intellectually, then find someone who will ! You live and die with their experiments, successes and failures ! Don't give up your right to exercise choice !

Here are the indicators I suggest looking at in forming your own hypothesis about how chronic mercury poisoning may be affecting your health:

• Have you ever had mercury amalgam fillings in your teeth ? (also known as silver fillings)
• Does your history of chronic illness include a sequence of events where dental work involving mercury amalgam fillings precedes the development of symptoms ?
• Do you have mercury amalgam fillings and other metals such as gold in your mouth ?
• Do you have mercury amalgam underneath a gold crown ?
• Do you have root fillings that were sealed with N2 or other cements containing phenylmercury as an antibacterial agent ?
• Have you ever worked in a dentist office or dental lab ?
• Have you had surgery for cancer where a mercury chloride solution was used as "peritoneal lavage", to clean the wound ? Have you ever been injected with blood or vaccines preserved with thimiserol, and ethylmercury compound ?
• Can you think of any other ways you may have been exposed to mercury?, for example: a broken thermometer ? or calomel skin lotion from Mexico ? or frequently eating seafood or fish from a volcanic, industrial or mining area ?
• Do you suffer chronic yeast infections in your gut ? Also known as chronic Candida albicans ?
• Do you suffer other more obvious forms of metal allergy such as sensitivity to nickel jewelry ?
• Do you have persistent skin rashes and skin flaking that do not seem to stem from microbial infection ?
• Do you have reddened pads of the foot and/or hands ?

If you can answer a definitive no to all of these questions, then my experiences probably don't apply to your health problems.

If the answer to some of these questions is yes or maybe, and you have CFS or some other chronic illness of mysterious origins, then it's worth your time and effort to look further into the question of mercury as a root cause of your illness.

Nutrition is essential in recovering from mercury poisoning.

CFS Nutrition sells supplement programs that support your bodys natural ability to detoxify and excrete mercury.

Finding a Qualified MD and Clinic

Your first step is to find an MD or ND and clinic with experience in treating chronic mercury poisoning. Your concern is low level mercury exposure, demonstrating as any amount above a normal body burden, and a mysteriously activated immune system.

Industrial, acute mercury exposure is in the 10 to 100 X normal body burden. Acute mercury exposure is easy for the average MD to spot, if they look. At acute levels of exposure the metal can show up in significant quantities in blood, urine, hair, and just about anywhere else that can be analyzed. Acute mercury exposure will cause immediate poisoning symptoms in many more people than will chronic levels. There is no scientific data to show that current blood and urine levels are good indicators of the accumulation level in the body. Blood , urine and hair are only good indicators of acute and current mercury exposures. Since the condition seems to be immune mediated, your goal is to remove all mercury exposure.

From what I've read, your nerve cells are a favorite site for inorganic mercury. Do you remember having "jitters" after being treated by the dentist ?

Until proven otherwise, assume your current MD has little or no knowledge or experience with chronic mercury poisoning and it's effective diagnosis and treatment. You are likely to find your MD skeptical or even scoffing at the notion that your illness might have a toxicology root cause such as mercury poisoning.

Hair tests are one sided. They can prove the existence of a mercury buildup, they cannot disprove it. If a hair test doesn't show mercury, that doesn't necessarily mean mercury isn't your problem.

Some of the most severely poisoned people have lost the ability to excrete mercury through their hair. My MD believes a DMPS mercury "challenge" to be the most reliable and complete diagnostic test for mercury body burden. Scientific studies have validated the DMPS mercury "challenge" assertion. Eventually the MELISA® test for metal allergy will be available in the USA. Read about this important new diagnostic tool at CFS Nutrition.

Removing your mercury amalgam fillings alone will not make you well. The mercury causing chronic illness has already escaped from the fillings and accumulated in the body. The fillings represent a leaking reservoir of mercury contributing to current and future chronic mercury exposure. For some, removing this further mercury exposure is enough for their body to recover. Many others have lost the ability to excrete mercury efficiently and will take a long time to recover without some form of chelation.

To become well, a mercury toxic person will need to consider eliminating their sources of mercury exposure. The sick person will need to remove all of their mercury amalgam fillings. Equally important is that the amalgam removal be as free from further mercury contamination of the body as possible.

A person will also need to remove the mercury accumulated in their body. Chelation treatment is crucial to recovery in a reasonable length of time. A note of caution: If you have porphyria or reactions to sulfa drugs, DMPS is sulfa based. A friend has had a severe reaction to DMPS for this reason. Be sure and bring up the question of sulfa sensitivity when you go in for treatment.

Other chelators are available, including DMSA, and the over the counter amino acid NAC. If you have limited finances for amalgam removal, then you should consider the in's and out's of amalgam removal.

A person needs to continue the battle with chronic yeast overgrowth since they are a source of mercury methylization. Once the mercury is all gone, your body will be able to fight the yeast quite easily, and they will no longer be such a problem.

My MD views DMPS chelation as futile until all the mercury fillings are removed. Some contend it is even dangerous due to the mercury potential remaining in the fillings. The DMPS may motivate the mercury to leave the fillings faster, resulting in an even worse body contamination than before treatment. I'm not so sure. The covalent bonds of mercury amalgams do require some energy to break. The electro-chemical oxidation process present in the mouth are already doing the job. Certainly taking nutrition is a wise step in getting your body back into it's natural excretion capabilities even if you continue to have amalgam in your mouth.

The Cost of Treatment

The financial aspects of treatment for reversing chronic mercury poisoning are staggering. The price tag for my filling replacements was in the neighborhood of $14,000. The cost of each chelation treatment was around $200. Including MD appointments and lab tests, gives a grand total in the $15,000 range.

I confess that in many of my circumstances I have been more fortunate than some others with CFS. Though debilitated, I struggled to continue functioning at work, and remained employed. Consequently, I've continued to have a steady income and excellent health benefits. By managing insurance coverage and taxes, I've only had to pay about 25% of treatment costs out of pocket. Coming up with that $3500 was the best financial move in my entire life. What value health ? I now know to treasure it beyond measure.

Among those of you not as fortunate, I realize the financial barriers for this treatment are every bit as high as the lack of certainty that mercury is the root cause.

I don't recommend that anyone run out and remove all their fillings willy nilly. If you choose this path, you first have to hook up with a competent MD and clinic that can give the full DMPS chelation treatment. You also have to be sure that you have a dentist that can remove the mercury amalgam safely. Once you have all this, you have to decide for yourself whether mercury is a likely cause in your case. Only you can take the leap of faith required in deciding that this treatment will produce a cure for you. Be warned though, DMPS chelation is not for everyone.

Even if you don't see mercury from dental fillings as the root cause to your CFS, you should consider losing the mercury fillings anyway. My reasoning is that people with CFS have diminished resources to fight illness and mercury is a known immune compromiser, depleting the body of glutathione.

Candida lives in everyone to some degree and will methylize all mercury that confronts it as part of it's own defense to the poison. There is likely an inability for a CFS persons body to keep up the excretion rate required to remove even a small amount of methyl mercury deriving from dental mercury.

Mercury release from your fillings is a proven negative health factor you can take steps to absolutely eliminate. Once the mercury is removed as a health stress, your body can focus all it's resources on whatever else is making you ill.

Where You Can Find Treatment

NW Center For Environmental Medicine (NWCEM) in Portland, OR is the clinic where the first MD to treat me for metal toxicity is now located. Dr. Richard C. Heitsch who operates out of the clinic. These people can diagnose and treat you in the greater Portland, OR metropolitan area. (There has been a lot of controversy regarding the safety of DMPS as a sway to treat people with mercury poisoning. It worked great for me, but more and more reports are coming my way of people suffering severe adverse reactiuons to DMPS treatment. I cannot wholeheartedly endorse DMPS even though that is the way I was personally treated. with success. NWCEM uses EDTA chelation, known to unclog arteries as well as remove heavy metals. They also provide vitamin Iand mineral V therapy, which may be the most important starting point for people who's metabolism has been altered by heavy metals.)

NWCEM may be able to refer you to medical care that is competent in treating chronic mercury poisoning in other geographies. Their phone number is (503) 256-9666. Please ask for Kim when seeking an out of state referral.

You can also reach them by e-mail. info@nwcem.

Be patient. With chronic mercury poisoning you can't get well all at once. There is scientific data to show that an intense, "quickie" chelation treatment isn't going to produce a cure in a short period of time. Some people have experienced severe complications from trying to remove their mercury body burden too fast. Whether you go for drug chelation or even homeopathy, in my view rebuilding nutritional status is essential.