By Dr. Matsen

Every week I see dozens of patients improve their chronic health problems by “eating alive” (as opposed to “eating too bad” or “eating too well”) and by correcting their intestinal flora imbalances (which usually means killing yeast overgrowth in the intestine).

However, I also see a few patients every week who don’t experience any improvement in their chronic health problems until they also eliminate toxic heavy metals, particularly mercury, from their bodies. Eating Alive II contains letters from two patients whose serious illnesses-terminal liver disease and schizophrenia-were reversed after they had removed mercury from their bodies. Recently, I’ve also seen the following health problems reversed in patients who have undergone mercury removal: fibromyalgia; psoriasis; arthritis; attention deficit disorder (ADD); hiatus hernia; eczema; asthma; and several cases of chronic fatigue.

Virtually everyone tests positive for mercury (see the lab tests in Eating Alive II , Chapter 1, pages 280 to 295), although mercury affects individuals in various ways and to different degrees. From my clinical experience, a general rule of thumb (another way of saying ‘imprecise’) is that the majority of people over 30 years of age acquired most of their mercury from amalgam dental fillings, while the majority of people under 30 years of age acquired most of their mercury from vaccinations. A similar vague rule of thumb is that those under 30 can remove most of their mercury in less than six months, while for those over 30, mercury removal can take six to 12 months or longer. Let’s look at some research to see if this general pattern can be corroborated.

“Silver” amalgam fillings were developed in the 1820s, and because they consisted of 50 percent mercury-a well-known toxic compound—they were banned in the US by the predominant dental association of the day, the American Society of Dental Surgeons. Any member caught using this toxic substance in their patients’ teeth was charged with malpractice and suspended from practice.

However, since amalgam fillings were less expensive and more convenient to use than gold fillings, some dentists experimented surreptitiously with amalgams and when the American Dental Association was formed in 1859, it permitted its dentists to use these mercury-containing fillings. The statement from that association has been that, “when mercury is combined with the metals used in dental amalgam, its toxic properties are made harmless.”

In 1926, a leading German chemist named Alfred Stock proved that the vapours emitted from mercury were readily absorbed and extremely toxic. If the mercury vapours were absorbed through the nose, the mercury could be passed along the nerves of smell into the pituitary gland. Ironically, combining other metals with mercury-as is done in the making of dental amalgam-creates a galvanic current, which can dramatically increase the release of mercury vapours from amalgam fillings.

Some of the other factors that increase the release of mercury are: chewing; grinding of teeth; hot foods and drinks; acidic foods and drinks; and, brushing, polishing, and drilling of teeth. Chewing gum or drinking very hot liquids can produce up to 100 times the normal levels of mercury exposure from amalgams. Gold or nickel near amalgam fillings can create a strong galvanic current, resulting in the release of even more mercury, especially if acidic or salty foods are consumed. If you have mercury amalgam fillings, you can test yourself for galvanic currents; just bite on a piece of aluminum foil and note what you feel.

The average amalgam filling weighs one gram and about one half of that is mercury. The average person over 30 years of age has 10 amalgam fillings for a total weight of five grams of mercury. Up to 50 percent of that mercury has vapourized within 10 years, and 80 percent by 20 years. Mercury vapour readily crosses the membranes of the lungs, and 80 percent of the vapours that reach the lungs enter the blood; the mercury vapour then binds to the sulfur compounds of hemoglobin, disrupting its oxygen-carrying capacity. The half-life of mercury in blood is 10 seconds; therefore, mercury doesn’t necessarily show in typical blood, hair and urine tests. So where did all that mercury end up after it disappeared out of your amalgam fillings?

A number of studies have shown that selenium binds to mercury and neutralizes it. For example, the high selenium content of albacore tuna makes canned albacore tuna safe for consumption, in spite of its high mercury content. Mercury is mined from cinnabar ore, which is a sulfur ore; thus, when mercury is loose in the body, it has a strong affinity for sulfur, to which it quickly binds.

Autopsy studies begun in 1987 at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm revealed that mercury accumulates in the brain and kidneys in direct proportion to the number of amalgam surfaces. Autopsies also showed that some dentists had extremely high levels of mercury in other organs. I quote from Magnus Nylander and Jan Weiner (Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1991, 48:729-734), “In conclusion, this study shows that exposure to mercury in the dental profession can give rise to a high accumulation of mercury in several organs, particularly in the thyroid (based on one case), the pituitary and the kidneys, but also in the occipital lobe. The highest concentrations were found in two retired dentists, who had not been professionally active for several years. The findings indicate a higher occupational exposure to mercury in previous days and that part of the accumulated mercury has very long biological half-time.”

Such research compelled Sweden to declare a nationwide ban of mercury in all forms, including amalgam fillings, in 1998, while most of the rest of the world continues to use mercury. However, the use of fluoride in the prevention of cavities, and the improvement in the more esthetically pleasing white composite fillings, had contributed to a gradual decrease in the use of mercury fillings in the late 1970s.

Recently, I had an experience that wasn’t mentioned in Eating Alive II. A four-year-old child had been diagnosed after birth with Cerebral Palsy; the parents were told that she was “retarded,” wouldn’t talk and may not walk. After following the Eating Alive Program—including having toxic heavy metals removed from her body—she is now walking, talking, and even doing basic addition. The diagnosis she was given will likely be changed from cerebral palsy to delayed developmental disorder. But how could she have accumulated metal in her body at such an early age?

After doing a bit of digging, I found a 1994 German autopsy study of aborted fetuses and infants who had died mostly as the result of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The study showed that, even several weeks after conception, the livers and kidneys of the aborted fetuses contained mercury if the mother had 10 or more mercury amalgam fillings. (European Journal of Pediatrics, 1994, 153:607-610.)

Interestingly enough, a study out of Sweden showed a recent decline in the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in that country, since the banning of mercury.

As I see more and more patients improve their chronic health problems by eliminating the mercury from their bodies, it reinforces my belief that striving for a mercury-free body is an integral part of the Eating Alive Program.

(References are given in Eating Alive II, Chapters 1 and 2.)