My pushiness on mercury amalgam is reported to be causing some to squander their precious few monetary resources on a fruitless solution.

I was told it is the opinion of several major CFS advocates that mercury as a cause, accounts for only a small portion of those ill. Since many of the suffers are destitute or near destitute, it is a terrible thing to falsely raise their hopes.

These false hopes lead people to waste large sums of money they can ill afford on amalgam replacements.

Further, I was told, there are numerous cases of people with CFS who removed mercury amalgams with no improvement in health.

The indictment above stings me because I intend to misguide no one. It hurts to have respected people in the organized CFS world think ill of me and this very important aspect of CFS etiology. Together we all have the same goals, get to the root of the problems, and help everyone possible get back to healthy normal lives.

As for opinions, well, everyone's got them, and are equally entitled to them, thank God! I begrudge no one their opinion. What we all need though, is more facts. Everyone should be able to agree on that point!

From it's beginning, this web site has been based on intellectually sound reasoning, and heartfelt personal sharing, driven by a deep compassion for others.

A goal in this present page is to review the core reasoning behind my purported extreme position, for you to inspect, understand, and criticize.

Another goal is to offer alternative courses of action, based on sound factual reasoning, and yes opinions, that might lead to mercury and CFS recovery without full scale, immediate, and expensive amalgam replacement.

A Hard Line on Amalgams - No Apologies

There is no question that mercury is poison, especially when it becomes transformed to methyl mercury by Candida albicans in the GI tack..

There is no question that mercury leaks into the body for the entire life of the amalgam filling.

There is compelling evidence that Candida albicans converts amalgam mercury into methyl mercury.

There is no doubt that people with CFS/CFIDS have diminished immune and toxin excretion capabilities.

You with CFS are ill equipped to be dealing with this toxic stress or poisoning from mercury escaping your amalgam fillings, then transformed by Candida albicans into methyl mercury. You of all people are at high risk to be poisoned by all new mercury released from your fillings.

My hypothesis that the effects of amalgam are a widespread and compelling cause for CFS are based on the following facts, inferences, and opinions:

• 98% of the US adult population 35-44 has mercury amalgam fillings according to WHO. CFS people are going to be experiencing amalgams in at least that same proportion.
• All fillings leak mercury toxin their entire time in the mouth, according to multiple studies.
• Candida albicans is present on and in everyone.
• At minimum, the methyl mercury toxin is a major molecular stress factor to your body, depleting your excretion and immune capabilities. Did that methyl mercury toxin stress turn into methyl mercury poisoning and cause your CFS ? or Did that methyl mercury toxin stress tear you down at the molecular level and along with something else cause CFS ? Does the difference really matter at this point ? You have the fillings, and you have CFS, and you likely have Candida albicans in your gut.
• Some claim 25 years as a biological half life for mercury in the brain. 50% of the mercury would still be there in 25 years without some form of chelation to help it leave sooner. I believe 25 years is just too long to wait! You may not be able to ever overcome CFS even with a decreasing mercury burden at this slow rate.
• The 25 year half life is optimistic because it assumes some excretion capability exists to eventually remove the mercury. Unlike radioactive isotopes, mercury does not decay and change atomically. Half life is a flawed description for mercury in the body. Mercury will always be mercury where ever it happens to be located. With mercury in the body, half life is referring to how long it takes the body to excrete it. Biological half life assumes an excretion capability you may not have. For some people a mercury half life just may not exist.

If you have CFS and the money, you are way ahead to have the fillings safely removed! But don't repeat the fallacies of others! You have got to detoxify and build yourself back up nutritionally. Removing fillings alone is not going to get the mercury out of your molecular systems. Removing fillings is not going to redevelop your toxin excretion mechanisms.

Safely removing the fillings is sound insurance that you will receive no more mercury in your blood stream or for Candida to transform into methyl mercury.

CFS, Mercury Amalgams, and No Money - Triage

Some amalgam situations are clearly worse than others. You have well aged amalgams that do not show signs of mechanical failure, and no other type of metal in your mouth. You do not grind your teeth. You have no budget for filling removal.

Your case appears to be the one with the most hope for avoiding the radical filling removal step. You may have reached an extremely low release stage in the life of your fillings, and may only need to begin detoxification and nutrition to recover.

Continued CFS in you is supported by the mercury already within your bodies tissues and organs, and may only be slightly contributed to by the now presumed diminished rate of mercury release from your old fillings.

Nutritional detoxification for mercury has no downside as a health strategy for people with CFS. Such a program has hope to restore your immunities and molecular defenses whether you have mercury toxicity or not. If you do have mercury toxicity, an enhanced excretion rate will occur along with the rebuilding of your defense mechanisms.

As finances allow, replace the amalgams gradually at the cleanest dental surgery you can find. Go to someone with a proven acknowledgment and concern for mercury exposure. Under no circumstances allow the dentist to mix other metals along with amalgam in your mouth, or install new mercury amalgams!

Be sure that they don't shine your fillings, this will bring new mercury to the surface. Black is a good color for amalgams. Black means they have a slow rate of future mercury release.

Shiny New Amalgam Fillings- You are in the thick of mercury exposure. Fresh mercury toxin is stressing your body right now, and quite possibly poisoning you as it occurs. Until the outside margins of the amalgam corrode to a more stable black product without mercury, that fresh amalgam will be releasing a steady stream of mercury.

Release of the mercury occurs by interaction with the fluids, chemistry and electrical states of your mouth. Solid state reactions, and the evaporation of unalloyed mercury complete the fare. All of the mercury that makes it to your GI track is available for Candida to manufacture into methyl mercury.

The difference between mercury stress and poisoning is the following:

• Mercury Stress means your body is diverting important molecular defense resources such as glutathione towards excreting mercury before it can be bound up harmfully into your body. Your immune system and other molecular functions need that glutathione to keep you healthy in many other ways. Being depleted of important molecular resources is a big part of CFS. Diverting the resources leaves your body with less, or not enough, to deal with other challenges to it's well being. Challenges such as opportunistic viruses, yeast, bacteria, fungus, and other environmental toxins.
• Mercury Poisoning is when your body cannot excrete the mercury toxin before it chemically binds itself up in harmful or disruptive ways. If your excretion rate is high enough, this may never happen. If you already have CFS, the odds are clearly against you.

Mixed Metals in The Mouth - Regardless of your budget problems, you are in trouble. The rates of mercury exposure go way up, and I believe will persist at a higher rate much longer than if you just have amalgams.

Due to the differences in electrical potential between the metals; the conductivity of saliva, tooth and tissue; and the porous nature of amalgam, the entire filling has the ability to corrode out at a higher rate for a longer time.

You need to seriously look at all of your alternatives for cleanly removing the amalgam as soon as possible. You may not be able to get better until you do. You are at a high risk of continuing to get worse from continued mercury exposure and accumulation.

You should consider nutritional detoxification while you explore options. If you can't act on the teeth, who knows, you might improve anyway. You will be under continual mercury toxin stress and risk of poisoning as long as you have this situation in your mouth.

Amalgam Under a Metal Crown - If there is direct contact, you really have a problem. It is a very risky proposition regardless of the adhesive separating the amalgam from the crown.

Glass ionomer would appear to be the best insulating adhesive. Even ionomer will erode, eventually leading to direct contact with the gold. Zinc Phosphate (ZP) is a much more common cement, and will erode faster. ZP also seems to be reactive with the amalgam enhancing corrosion.

When there is direct contact between gold and amalgam, there are serious rates of amalgam corrosion and mercury release. J. Pleva's work would indicate that the entire amalgam could eventually give up all of it's mercury.

You need to seriously look at all of your alternatives for removing the amalgam. You are at a high risk of continuing to get worse.

You should consider nutritional detoxification while you explore options. If you can't act on the teeth, who knows, you might improve anyway. You will be under continual mercury toxin stress and risk of poisoning as long as you have this situation in your mouth.

Teeth Grinding - aka Bruxism

The surface corrosion layer is what protects the bulk of the filling from leaking more mercury at a faster rate. Grinding will polish off those corrosion products and allow the mercury bearing alloys continual access to the chemistry of the oral cavity.

Particles abraded by your grinding will still hold mercury that is then attacked by the hydrochloric acid in your stomach. The particles will give up more mercury ions there. All of the mercury traveling the GI track is available to Candida albicans for metabolizing into methyl mercury.

My friend David has demonstrated good results from wearing a mouth guard at night. But if you are a habitual grinder, you have a big problem. Not having the amalgams at all is the best. If you cannot afford the radical removal, then wear the guard however much it takes to prevent the grinding. Pursue the nutritional steps until you can afford the removals.

Mercury Detoxification - A Must!

If you have budget, and are in a hurry, then call the phone number in my main page. These people can perform DMPS chelation and IV vitamin replacement therapy. There is some risk with this approach due to the potential for adverse reactions to DMPS, needles etc..

There may be some risk in not taking this approach. DMPS is the most capable mercury chelator within my experience. If you can suffer it, the results are fantastic. I recommend all the nutritional approach and most effective yeast treatments identified in this web site be taken in concert with the DMPS protocols.

The complete effectiveness of the nutrition only chelation program is not completely proven out in my knowledge, even as an anecdote. Though I am now more confident based on my own experiences, that it will remove your mercury over time.

Some people question whether the NAC and GSH can clear the brain of mercury. I honestly don't know one way or the other!

My experience was to take the DMPS, and that definitely worked. I know others who are taking only the NAC nutrition approach right now. I will report on them in the future.

The NAC formula is quite impressive, and has now allowed me to cope for the longest time period between chelations, even though I am still under continuous mercury toxin stress.

Nutritional chelation alone, when there is no longer substantial mercury toxin stress going on, might be enough. In all cases include aggressive Candida measures. You can handle the stress of inorganic mercury much better than the methyl mercury formed by the yeast.

One other point on DMPS, it is not recommended by the MD's for people who still have amalgam in their mouth. They feel it is so powerful at pulling mercury it might actually leach the remaining fillings, exposing you further. On the other hand, I did it and got well in the face of this concern.

My nutrition page contains sound recommendations based on mainstream journal reports.

When you and your licensed practitioner get together, look at the high end of what is a reasonable quantity for you to take daily of the NAC, aminos, vitamin E, and vitamin B's.

The goal is to enhance glutathione (GSH) production at the cell level by this combination of precursors. GSH is a proven mercury and toxin excretor. GSH has demonstrated immune building properties.

NAC is an amino acid that is now starting to receive serious mainstream research attention due to it's high rate of conversion to GSH. NAC has been shown to be a cancer preventer, and capable of restoring neurological function in some.

No matter what you think about mercury poisoning in relationship to your own situation, a CFS/CFIDS person should consider adding the NAC based nutritional chelation. It will complete the vitamin and nutrient regimen you are following to rebuild your molecular processes and immune defenses.

You should consider saunas once you have the chelation vitamins going. With good excretion molecules in your body, the sweat pathway for removing toxins will take pressure off your liver and kidneys.

Sweat excretion removes the chance that the mercury your body excreted through the liver will come back GI absorption one more time. The excretion benefits of saunas are good for other toxins too, not just mercury.

Prevention, detoxification, yeast killing, and nutrition are the least expensive part of pursuing treatment for mercury toxicity from mercury amalgam fillings. If you have only old fillings, and none of the worse case situations mentioned above, it may be reasonable for you to just pursue these strategies. You may be able to recover while taking a less aggressive and more affordable approach to replacing the mercury fillings.

Mercury in all of medical history has been a sneaky, insidious, hidden hand behind chronic illness.

With near total exposure in the present generation of adults to mercury leaking amalgam dental fillings, it is impossible for me to not suspect it as a widespread cause or co-cause of CFS and other chronic illnesses with similar core symptoms.

If your chronic health problems include yeast overgrowth, and you bear mercury amalgam fillings, your problem is sure to be methyl mercury toxin stress and poisoning.

God Bless You All !

Jeff Clark