Heart Disease Linked to Mercury-Contaminated Fish 12-14-02

[Guest guest]

Since I can't handle flax seed oil or seeds, I depend on

salmon--daily--for my omega 3 oils. I have worried about the

mercury question--even though I had my mercury fillings removed

years ago--but recently learned that cilantro (also called

coriender or Chinese parsley) is the one food that will leach

mercury (also alumimi, and lead) out of the body. I hope this is

true. Anyone have further info?

 

Claire

[Guest guest]

http://www.mercola.com/2002/dec/14/mercury_fish.htm

 

Heart Disease Linked to Mercury-Contaminated Fish

 

 

E-mail to a friend

 

Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids believed to lower the risk

of heart disease, however a new study questions whether consuming fish

contaminated with mercury may actually increase the risk of heart disease as

well as reduce other potentially healthy benefits.

 

A previous study found a link between heart disease and

increased mercury levels in men who ate contaminated fish. The new study, which

involved 684 men who had previously had a heart attack and 724 men who had not,

investigated this further. Levels of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA were measured

from fat tissue and mercury levels were measured from toenail clippings.

 

It was found that men who had had a heart attack had 15

percent higher mercury levels than men who had no history of heart disease.

Also, men with the highest mercury levels were more than twice as likely to have

had a heart attack as compared with men with the lowest mercury levels,

according to the study.

 

After mercury levels were adjusted for, it was found that the

higher a man’s DHA levels, the lower his risk of having a heart attack. The

study points out that this furthers the accepted notion of the protective

benefits of consuming fish.

 

However, researchers point out that pregnant women, or those

who may become pregnant, are currently advised by the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration to not consume fish with high mercury levels such as shark,

swordfish and mackerel. They study suggests that this advice may also benefit

the general adult population.

 

The New England Journal of Medicine November 28,

2002;347:1735-1736, 1747-1754, 1755-1760

 

 

-----------------------------

DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:

E-mail to a friend

 

Further compelling evidence to heed the mercury warnings I

have posted for some time now.

 

Although omega-3 fat with DHA and EPA fatty acids, naturally

found in fish, is one of the most important elements of high-quality nutrition

-- and sorely lacking in the American diet -- our culture has long since passed

the point where it is healthy to obtain omega-3 from most commercially available

fish. I now highly recommend routinely consuming fish oil/cod liver oil,

instead, as they are purified of mercury and other toxins.

 

Mercury is rampant in the waterways of the world, and, as the

article expresses, mercury is not just in the fat of the fish -- it is in all of

the tissues.

 

Clinically, I use hair analysis on most of my patients as a

way to determine mercury levels. While many view this as a controversial test,

very few would deny its utility as a sensitive screen for heavy metal exposure.

A person's mercury level in their hair is almost always related to their

consumption of fish.

 

There are exceptions, of course, as there are other

environmental exposures to mercury. I recently tested a dentist who was not

eating fish but was still actively removing mercury amalgams, and he had very

high mercury levels in his system. This is not typical, though, as the mercury

measured in the hair analysis is usually related to mercury exposure in the last

three months, and most mercury from a person's amalgams is low level and will

not exceed that consumed in fish.

 

Nonetheless, the mercury from amalgams is still a problem as

it accumulates over time, but it rarely shows up in the hair unless you have had

amalgams removed in the three months prior to the hair analysis and a large

mercury exposure resulted from the removal.

 

It is a tragedy that we have virtually devastated fish,

previously one of the healthiest foods on the planet, with mercury toxicity. We

have polluted the environment with hundreds of millions of tons of mercury by

burning coal for electricity. The mercury eventually finds its way into the

waterways where it is bio-accumulated to very high levels in most fish.

Generally the larger the fish, the more mercury it contains. In fact, some

mercury levels in fish have been unbelievably high.

 

Tragedy is an understatement.

 

Some fish have less mercury than others, but nearly all fish

are contaminated with mercury. I have done thousands of hair mineral analyses on

patients and can confidently state this as truth. Patients who don't eat any

fish are the only ones who have immeasurable levels of mercury in their hair. In

my experience, anyone eating fish has mercury in their system, and it is nearly

always in direct proportion to the frequency of their fish consumption.

 

So here is my recommendation:

 

Avoid eating all fish, unless you know the fish has been

tested and shown not to contai harmful levels of mercury and other toxins.

 

Almost all fish has mercury that will absolutely compromise

your health. The one apparent exception are very small fish like sardines or

anchovies that haven't been in the ocean long enough to accumulate much mercury.

Presently, I am also searching the market for safe sources of other fish,

perhaps those caught from more pristine water sources that may still exist.

 

We all need the omega-3 fats found in fish -- in the case of

most Americans, in fact, omega-3 is desperately needed -- but you should get

them from a clean source. Most fish oil supplements, like the Carlson brand of

fish oil/cod liver oil that I highly recommend and offer on this site, go

through a molecular distillation process to clean out the mercury. The Carlson

brand is also routinely tested using standard international protocols in an

independent, FDA registered laboratory; this testing not only ensures freedom

from detectable levels of mercury, but also cadmium, lead, PCBs and 28 other

contaminants. If you are using a brand besides Carlson, you should definitely

contact the manufacturer to confirm they go through this process and testing.

 

Another reason I specifically recommend Carlson fish oil/cod

liver oil is that I have seen clear and often substantial improvements in my

patients who use it. For instance, the Carlson brand has helped them get high

cholesterol back to appropriate levels, and it has also shown particularly

positive benefits in those with rheumatoid arthritis, Raynaud's and Scleroderma.

Meanwhile, the Costco brand of fish oil I now advise against, but at one time

recommended for its low cost, did not show these same results; indeed, many

patients who switched from Carlson to Costco fish oil showed a relapse in their

original improvements. I do not yet know what to attribute this to in the Costco

brand, but I now strongly suggest you use caution when choosing your brand of

fish oil/cod liver oil.

 

You can find the Carlson fish oil/cod liver oil in my

" Recommended Products " section; your local health food store may also carry

Carlson, and usually they are very helpful in recommending any other trustworthy

brands.

 

Related Articles:

 

Why You Should Stop Eating Fish

 

Why the FDA is Not Telling You to Avoid Fish

 

Mercury In Your Fish

 

Danger -- Higher Mercury Levels in Fish Are Slowly Killing

You

 

FDA Negligent On Mercury in Fish

 

 

-----------------------------

 

 

©Copyright 1997-2002 Dr. Joseph Mercola. . This

content may be copied in full, with copyright; contact; creation; and

information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a

not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from

Dr. Mercola is required.

 

 

Disclaimer - Newsletters are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola.

They are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified

health care professional and they are not intended as medical advice. They are

intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and

experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make

your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with

a qualified health care professional.

 

 

 

 

§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§*§

 

§ - PULSE ON WORLD HEALTH CONSPIRACIES! §

 

Subscribe:......... -

 

[Guest guest]

Hello Clair

Heart Disease Linked to Mercury-Contaminated Fish 12-14-02

 

>Since I can't handle flax seed oil or seeds, I depend on

>salmon--daily--for my omega 3 oils. I have worried about the

>mercury question--even though I had my mercury fillings removed

>years ago--but recently learned that cilantro (also called

>coriender or Chinese parsley) is the one food that will leach

>mercury (also alumimi, and lead) out of the body. I hope this is

>true. Anyone have further info?

>Claire

>

I've eaten alot of deep water fish in the last 2 1/2 years on a rvaf (raw

veg and animal food) diet. My favorites are tuna, swordfish, cod, haddock,

just about any fish as far as that goes.. and have had at least 9 tetnus

shots as well as all the immunizations that you get in the military and

small pox as well, and a mouth full of fillings. I had most of them replaced

6 yrs ago with mostly fixed bridges before I knew there is a proper

procedure in removing mercury fillings, so i've had my fair share of mercury

exposure. I even remember carrying around a slipery coin for some time when

in high school (covered with mercury). I did do a oral chelation formula for

about 4 months before starting the rvaf diet . Since then I have used the

royalrife " method " as well as using ALA alpha-lipoic acid . I haven't used

the andy cutler protocol which used ala in high doses as well as other

substances. I had a hair analysis after doing a royal rife mercury chelation

in june and results showed a very high level of aluminum, mercury and iron

in my hair. I also alternate between cilantro and parsley in my daily veggie

juces, when I use cilentro in my juce I usually add some kind of raw fat

with it like raw cream or EVOO. below is an exerp from the royalrife site

Regards Charles

PS: I do this 3 times a year

http://www.royalrife.com/mercury.html

 

Here is a recipe for mercury chelation that was sent to me by a lady in

Kennewick Washington. It appears to work for other metals also. Alpha lipoic

acid can also be considered for mercury and other heavy metals chelation.

 

This is from an article found in the newsletter " Alternative "

dated June, 1998. A Dr. Yoshiaki Omura discovered

almost by accident that the leaves of the coriander plant can

accelerate the excretion of mercury, lead and aluminum from the

body. He performed a study in which three amalgam fillings were

removed from an individual using all the precautions available to

prevent absorption of the mercury from the amalgam. Significant

amounts were later found in the individual's lungs, kidneys,

endocrine organs, liver and heart. There was no mercury in these

tissues prior to the amalgam removal.

 

Remarkably, without the help of any chelation agents, cilantro

was able to remove the mercury in two to three weeks. (Acupunct

Electrother Res 96;21(2):133-60)

 

Recipe for Cilantro Pesto (Make that " Chelation Pesto " )

 

1 Clove garlic

1/2 cup almonds, cashews, or other nuts

1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons lemon juice

6 tablespoons olive oil

 

Put the cilantro and olive oil in blender and process until the

cilantro is chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and process

to a lumpy paste. (You may need to add a touch of hot water and

scrape the sides of the blender.) You can change the consistency

by altering the amount of olive oil and lemon juice, but keep the

3:1 ratio of oil to juice. (It freezes well, so you can make

several batches at once.

 

He recommends a couple of teaspoons a day for two to three weeks

once or twice a year.

 

Index

 

 

 

_______________

MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*.

http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus

[Guest guest]

Hi Charles,

 

Thanks for your post. It seems you meant to be encouraging about the use of

cilantro, but I got confused reading this part:

 

<<I had a hair analysis after doing a royal rife mercury chelation

in june and results showed a very high level of aluminum, mercury and iron

in my hair. I also alternate between cilantro and parsley in my daily veggie

juces, when I use cilentro in my juce I usually add some kind of raw fat

with it like raw cream or EVOO.>

 

The royalrife website advocates the cilantro chelation, but after doing it you

still had " a very high level " of the toxic metals in your hair. Wouldn't this

mean the chelation hadn't worked? Or is there something I'm missing here?

 

I've been adding cilantro to my daily juicing, not just for the chelation

benefit but because I like the zip it adds to my juice. Do you know of any

problem is using it on an on-going basis. Since parsley is an herb, I think, and

herbs are not meant to be used continuously, I wonder about this.

 

Can you also tell me a little more about eating raw fish? The salmon I eat is

wild and frozen, but once I defrost it, I'm not yet at the point --emotionally

-- of simply eating it like that so I place it in a counter-top oven for a short

time at " Keep warm " which is below 200 degrees--just enough to warm it and give

a slight solidity to the outside. I add a little olive oil before eating, but I

can't say I really enjoy it that way and I'm wondering just how you manage. Is

it an aquired taste?

 

Claire

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hello Clair, comments inserted below.

> " Claire West " <clairewest1

>Heart Disease Linked to Mercury-Contaminated Fish 12-14-02

>Hi Charles,

>

>Thanks for your post. It seems you meant to be encouraging about the use of

>cilantro, but I got confused reading this part:

>

><<I had a hair analysis after doing a royal rife mercury chelation

>in june and results showed a very high level of aluminum, mercury and iron

>in my hair.

*** The hair I used is from the nap of the neck so it gives you an idea what

is going on in the last 3 months.

>

>The royalrife website advocates the cilantro chelation, but after doing it

>you still had " a very high level " of the toxic metals in your hair.

>Wouldn't this mean the chelation hadn't worked? Or is there something I'm

>missing here?

*** Well I had that opinion when I first started to inform myself about the

various forms of chelation, IV, oral and now there's a suppository out that

claims to be effective as well, all of the commercal products contain EDTA,

some of the better products contain N-acetyl cysteine which is considered a

good chelation substance if I remember correctly.There are many places on

the web that sell chelation formulas, Dr. Gary Gordon is well known, I

bought mine from Vibrant Life which is a site that has tons of free info on

chelation including IV, oral and suppository's. Both are commercal! After

going RAW I wanted to use as natural of a substance as possible. However

when you " chelate " which means to grab there is no gurantee that everything

you chelate will be moved out of the body, much of it is

excreated/eleminated and some is just redistributed, thats why it is an

ongoing process.

 

>I've been adding cilantro to my daily juicing, not just for the chelation

>benefit but because I like the zip it adds to my juice. Do you know of any

>problem is using it on an on-going basis. Since parsley is an herb, I

>think, and herbs are not meant to be used continuously, I wonder about

>this.

***I juce every day but I don't use either one on a continual basis. If

either appeal to me I buy them,and when they don't taste good to me in juce

I use in a salad and don't buy any for a while.

 

>Can you also tell me a little more about eating raw fish? The salmon I eat

>is wild and frozen, but once I defrost it, I'm not yet at the point

>--emotionally -- of simply eating it like that so I place it in a

>counter-top oven for a short time at " Keep warm " which is below 200

>degrees--just enough to warm it and give a slight solidity to the outside.

>I add a little olive oil before eating, but I can't say I really enjoy it

>that way and I'm wondering just how you manage. Is it an aquired taste?

>Claire

***Sure no problem, when I first started RAF (raw animal foods)I ate alot of

fish because it was the easiest for me to find. I live on the east coast and

near a fishermans co-op and the fish are very fresh in the supermarkets as

well but it took me some time to find grass fed beef and lamb

(locally)although I did find raw cow and goats milk in a short time. Back to

the fish, I usually just added lemon or lime juce before I would eat the

fish, after about 9 months I started adding the juce to the fish about 8

hours before I would eat it and tasted like baked fish to me, sort of like

cevesh? sp? raw salsas and sauces can be made to add a little flavor. There

are a couple that I belong to one is RVAF and the other is

paleogroup. I believe some may be members of this group as well.

hope i answered some of your questions.. regards Charles

>

 

 

_______________

Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online

http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963