The importance of mercury detoxification when treating Lyme Disease

[Guest guest]

The importance of mercury detoxification when treating Lyme Disease

 

 

http://www.chroniclymedisease.com/mercury-and-lyme-disease

 

Although the liver grabs toxins out of circulation from the blood and processes

them for elimination, some toxins can become so tightly bound to tissues

throughout the body that they never even enter circulation. In addition, some

toxins can have such a severely damaging effect on the liver that when they are

in the bloodstream, the liver is unable to process them for elimination. In

serious cases, these toxins can accumulate in and suffocate the liver, leading

to liver damage or even death.

 

An example of this type of stubborn toxin is the heavy metal mercury. Although

mercury is a fat-soluble toxin similar to the toxin produced by Lyme Disease

bacteria, special therapies and procedures are necessary to deal with mercury

poisoning because of the metal’s dangerous and problematic characteristics. For

this reason, and because mercury poisoning can seriously complicate Lyme Disease

treatment, a special section on mercury and its detoxification is included

here. 

 

Mercury is one of the most harmful toxins on the planet and is a catalyst to

infection. It is directly immunosuppressive. Although conventional medicine has

yet to acknowledge its full potential for harm, mercury is one of the most

common, dangerous toxins to accumulate in the body. Mercury poisoning is a BIG

problem, not a small one. Once mercury is in the body it is difficult to remove

because it binds very strongly to human tissues.

 

All people (sick or healthy) are exposed to this toxin. Some exposure occurs

naturally because mercury is a part of our environment, some occurs through

direct contact with mercury products (such as mercury amalgam dental fillings or

thimerosal-containing vaccinations), and some occurs via inadvertent contact

with mercury-contaminated locations or objects. Even someone careful to avoid

such products and contaminated areas will find that mercury is present

everywhere in the environment: in the air, water, food, all around us. 

 

So, mercury toxicity is not always a question of whether or not you were exposed

to mercury—we all have been to one degree or another. It is more a question of

how well your body eliminates the mercury it comes in contact with on a daily

basis. Some people have the genetic ability to easily detoxify mercury and

eliminate it from the body, while others are genetically susceptible to its

accumulation even from low-level, everyday exposure. 

 

Mercury and Lyme Disease: partners in the destruction of your health

 

Mercury should be given utmost respect and requires entirely different

approaches for removal than do other fat-soluble toxins. Mercury detoxification

is a subject that deserves great attention in its own right, and it cannot be

overlooked as part of a book on Lyme Disease therapies because the two

conditions are often linked. Although not everyone with Lyme Disease has mercury

toxicity, evidence has repeatedly shown that having Lyme Disease increases the

probability of becoming mercury-toxic. This is the case even when a significant

mercury exposure has not been identified¯as we have said, mercury is in our

everyday environment so a singular point of exposure is not necessary to

accumulate mercury in the body. 

 

Why does mercury toxicity often accompany Lyme Disease? Below we will examine

possible reasons why Lyme Disease and mercury poisoning frequently go

hand-in-hand. We’ll also see how the two illnesses adversely impact each other.

 

Mercury catalyzes infections and severely weakens the immune system, so it is

not a big leap to accept that people with mercury poisoning would be more

susceptible to chronic infections like Lyme Disease. Conversely, Lyme Disease

weakens the body’s ability to detoxify poisons, so it is not inconceivable to

imagine that people with Lyme Disease are more susceptible to accumulating

mercury (even from minuscule exposure). But in people with both Lyme Disease and

mercury poisoning, which came first? Did the mercury come first, eventually

allowing the Lyme infection to thrive, or did the infection come first,

weakening the body enough to cause dysfunction in the mercury detoxification

process? If mercury toxicity did come first, why did the person become

mercury-toxic? 

 

Here are a few possible scenarios that explain how and why mercury toxicity and

Lyme Disease are often companions:

1.     A person who does not have Lyme Disease may have a genetic susceptibility

to becoming mercury-toxic because of a deficiency in liver function. Should this

individual be exposed to mercury and become toxic, a suppressed immune system

will inevitably follow, and infections will become established with greater

ease. Therefore, if exposed to the Lyme bacteria, the individual would be more

likely to develop full blown, chronic Lyme Disease than would someone not

mercury-toxic.

2.     Or, the converse may happen: A completely healthy person, with no genetic

predisposition to becoming mercury-toxic, may acquire Lyme Disease. The

infection might weaken the body and its mercury detoxification abilities. The

body would then no longer be capable of removing the mercury to which it is

exposed on a daily basis. 

3.     Another possibility is based on the fact that, as part of its life cycle

and survival mechanism, the Lyme Disease organism itself accumulates and

sequesters mercury. Many researchers have observed that some infective

organisms, once established inside the human body, store or use mercury to

create a living environment, a niche within the body, inside which the body’s

defenses are compromised and weakened due to the presence of this heavy metal.

Because mercury is an immunosuppressant, it is feasible that the Lyme Disease

spirochete sequesters mercury in the body as a tool for continued survival in

the host environment. The spirochete would do this by grabbing onto minuscule

amounts of mercury circulating in the body due to regular (small) daily mercury

exposure. After time, the Lyme Disease organisms would store up more than just a

minuscule amount. Significantly increased body burden of mercury would result.

4.     Yet another scenario exists when an individual is unknowingly exposed to

a large amount of mercury (such as mercury from an old thermometer or use of

old, banned mercury products). This might cause mercury toxicity (even without a

genetic predisposition) and thus allow a chronic Lyme infection to become more

easily established due to the immunosuppressive effects of mercury poisoning. 

Individuals who discover that they have both chronic Lyme Disease and mercury

toxicity find it nearly impossible to unravel the mystery of which came first.

Regardless of how it happens, mercury toxicity often accompanies chronic Lyme

Disease, so many Lyme Disease sufferers must undertake mercury detoxification.

Most people who have Lyme Disease complicated by mercury toxicity do not

experience significant improvement in their Lyme symptoms until the mercury is

removed.

 

Testing for and treating mercury toxicity

 

How do you know if you have mercury poisoning and how do you get rid of it? Such

topics are subject of great controversy. Dozens of books have been written about

testing for and treating mercury toxicity. Mercury “experts” vehemently shout

all kinds of contradictory information at each other on a regular basis.

 

Testing for mercury toxicity is one of the most complicated and controversial

aspects of dealing with mercury poisoning. Dozens of different testing methods

are advocated. Most of the more common methods do not provide truly useful

information about just how mercury-toxic someone is. Urine, stool, and blood

tests do not give an accurate indication of the total body burden of mercury,

because these methods measure only what are called “shallow” body pools of

mercury. 

 

One of the most reliable, painless and convenient methods is hair testing,

because it measures a much longer mercury excretion period. But even hair

testing is not completely accurate. Sometimes normal or low mercury levels in

the hair may not indicate that a person is mercury free, but instead the

converse: that the individual has been poisoned so severely that the body can no

longer eliminate mercury through the hair. Interpreting hair tests properly is a

skill most health care practitioners do not have. For these reasons, mercury

toxicity should not be ruled out even if one or several tests show safe levels.

People who suspect mercury poisoning but do not have positive mercury tests

might reasonably try a mercury removal program to see if their symptoms improve.

For more information on interpreting hair tests, see Andrew Cutler’s newest

book, Hair Test Interpretation: Finding Hidden Toxicities. 

 

Mercury detoxification treatment is no less complicated or controversial than

testing. Most techniques actually do more harm than good and result only in

worsening of symptoms and minimal mercury excretion. Mercury is very difficult

to eliminate from the body. Most substances and programs claiming to remove

mercury, if they do anything at all, actually just stir it up and redistribute

it to critical areas like the brain and liver where it can do serious damage.

Using a mercury removal protocol that has a high propensity for redistribution

is a very bad idea.

 

Eliminating mercury from the body is accomplished properly by a special type of

chelation therapy. Chelation therapy is a method of binding heavy metals for

removal from the bloodstream. Chelators are substances used during chelation

that circulate throughout the body, bind to mercury, and are then eliminated

along with the mercury they are attached to. In Greek, “chelate” means

“claw”—the process of mercury removal is so named because chelators

metaphorically claw out toxins from where they are bound in the body. There are

many different schools of thought and ideologies about how to properly

accomplish mercury chelation. Most methods are dangerous and incorrect. Below we

will examine three main problems occurring in most common mercury chelation

protocols and appropriate solutions for each. 

1.     The first problem that can render chelators nonproductive and dangerous

is that the chelator used does not bond strongly enough with mercury to remove

it. Instead, the mercury is merely dislodged from its resting places in the body

and sent into circulation, where it quickly bonds to tissues elsewhere. This is

called mercury redistribution. It can have seriously damaging effects and can

dramatically increase symptoms of toxicity. Body tissues themselves have a high

affinity for mercury. If the chelating agent used creates only a weak bond, the

mercury will be dropped by the chelator and grab onto other body tissues on the

way out of the body. An ideal mercury protocol minimizes redistribution.

Substances that are not proven to be appropriate chelators (even though they are

quite popular) include cilantro, chlorella, and MSM, to name a few. These

substances are not ideal mercury removal agents. Nor are many of the “mercury

detoxification”

herbal preparations sold in health food stores and by various healthcare

practitioners. In some cases, these substances and products can be very

dangerous and often do more harm than good. Such substances and products

typically create a strong enough bond to move mercury around in the body and

cause mercury redistribution, but not a strong enough bond to actually usher

mercury out of the body.

 

This article is an excerpt taken from the above book.

2.     DMSA (dimercaptosuccinic acid), DMPS (dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonic acid),

and ALA (alpha lipoic acid) are three effective, appropriate mercury chelators

that create a bond strong enough to successfully usher mercury out of the body

and not just redistribute it. These substances have a long, established track

record, and also have a great amount of supporting research. DMPS and DMSA are

water soluble, while ALA is fat soluble. In a mercury removal program, both a

water soluble and a fat soluble chelator should be used.

 

DMPS is a better choice than DMSA. DMPS or DMSA (DMPS is preferred) can be

combined with ALA as part of a comprehensive mercury treatment plan. Oral DMPS

capsules are much safer and more effective than the commonly administered

IV/injected form of DMPS, reasons for which will be explained over the next

several paragraphs. Oral chelators are always preferred over IV chelators. Oral

DMPS capsules are fairly difficult to locate but can be purchased with a

prescription in compounded form from The Falls Pharmacy, Snoqualmie, WA,

www.thefallspharmacy.com, (877) 392-7948. The Falls Pharmacy offers mail order

prescription fulfillment. DMPS dosing should be approximately 10mg-30mg, every

eight hours, as described in the book Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and Treatment

written by Andrew Cutler, Ph.D. This book also provides instructions for

combining DMPS or DMSA with ALA to build a comprehensive mercury treatment plan.

More information about this book will be

provided in a few pages. 

3.     Another problem commonly encountered in an inept mercury removal program

is that the chelator is not dosed with sufficient frequency to ensure that a

consistent supply of it is available in the blood to “sop up” the mercury

knocked loose by the last dose of chelator. Because even proper chelating agents

(DMSA, DMPS, and ALA) do not create perfect bonds with mercury, they sometimes

drop the mercury on its way out of the body. Thus it is essential to have a

constant, fresh supply of chelator in the blood to pick up the dropped mercury

and carry it the rest of the way out. Proper mercury chelating substances have a

short half-life in the blood which necessitates frequent dosing (sometimes

requiring middle-of-the-night doses) to maintain blood levels. A valid chelation

schedule requires dosing several times per day. Improper and inappropriate

dosing schedules include:

a.     Schedules in which a large dose of chelator is taken infrequently, such

as a DMPS injection or IV once every week or month.

b.     Schedules in which a full dose of chelator is taken only daily or every

other day. 

c.     Schedules in which mercury chelators are taken on an irregular basis,

such that there is no consistent dosing pattern.

3.     Even if a proper chelating agent is used on an appropriately frequent

schedule, a mistake often made is using too large a dose. It is not uncommon for

mercury chelation protocols to use doses that are 10 times higher than they

should be. The reason for using very low doses of chelator is that the

eliminatory system of the body can handle only a small amount of mercury at a

time. Mercury is highly toxic, and as you remove it you must ensure that the

body has to deal with it in very small portions. If you take large doses of a

chelator, lots of mercury gets mobilized, but only a small amount gets excreted.

The rest gets redistributed and attaches to other tissue in the body, causing

damage and increased symptoms. Larger doses do not get the mercury out faster,

they simply make you more miserable during the process. A proper chelation

protocol uses a small dose of chelating substance so that the amount of mercury

knocked loose is easily handled

by the eliminatory system instead of being simply redistributed throughout the

body.

To summarize, productive and beneficial chelation protocols use small doses of

proper chelators taken frequently. Dangerous protocols use large doses of

inappropriate chelators taken infrequently. Productive chelation campaigns

result in mercury removal and symptom improvement. Improper, dangerous protocols

result in mercury redistribution and damage to the body with very little mercury

removal or symptom improvement.

 

These principles of mercury chelation were discovered by Andrew Cutler, Ph.D.

His book, Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and Treatment, is the source from which to

learn more about how to safely remove mercury from the body. Cutler’s approach

to mercury testing and removal relies on sound science and has been used

successfully by dozens of Lyme Disease sufferers. The book explains exactly how

to remove mercury safely. I personally used Dr. Cutler’s methods to successfully

cure my own severe mercury poisoning after several other popular mercury

programs failed to heal me. My hair test mercury levels were the highest my

health care practitioner had ever seen. 

 

The methods described in Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and Treatment are not only

effective in removing mercury from the body and reducing side effects during the

process, but are also fairly affordable and can be used at home with minimal

help from a physician. Anyone considering mercury detoxification should read Dr.

Cutler's book before decisions are made. Even your trusted alternative medicine

doctor, whom you see for all your needs, is probably wrong about mercury

chelation. Mercury chelation is one of the riskiest and most complicated medical

therapies you can undertake. Mistakes can cause serious suffering and sometimes

permanent damage. 

 

Although the methods described in Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and Treatment will

help remove mercury from the body, the process can take months or years. Anyone

embarking on a mercury detoxification program needs to know what to do, and what

it feels like, in the meantime. 

 

Concurrent mercury toxicity and Lyme Disease

 

Lyme Disease sufferers need to be aware that having mercury poisoning and Lyme

Disease at the same time can be a confusing, frustrating, scary experience. As

mentioned before, there is evidence that the Lyme Disease organism intentionally

stores and sequesters mercury. This activity results in increased mercury

concentrations in and near Lyme Disease colonies in the body—mercury and Lyme

Disease are together in close quarters. For anyone afflicted with both mercury

toxicity and Lyme Disease, the experience can be a frightening roller coaster

ride. The following factors contribute to this experience:

1.     Mercury symptoms can be very similar to Lyme Disease symptoms. Because

the Lyme Disease bacteria and mercury typically occupy the same places in the

body, the symptoms of each are very difficult to distinguish. Someone with Lyme

Disease may not be aware that they have mercury poisoning and thus assume that

all of their symptoms are Lyme Disease-related, when in reality, some are

mercury symptoms. A person who knows they have both mercury toxicity and Lyme

Disease finds that the next challenge is to separate the symptoms and determine

which are caused by which problem. 

2.     The confusion is compounded by the fact that as mercury chelators

mobilize mercury, the Lyme Disease organism reacts. The presence of mercury in

the living environment of the bacteria is advantageous to the bacteria. As the

mercury-rich environment is altered, the infection responds with self-protective

activities. This means that anyone undertaking chelation treatments will not

only experience the symptoms and side effects of mercury mobilization and

removal, they will also experience the effects of altered Lyme Disease symptoms.

To make matters even more complicated, when Lyme Disease organisms are being

killed or attacked, mercury symptoms may be altered as well. As you manipulate

the Lyme bacteria’s living environment and kill Lyme Disease organisms, mercury

is mobilized and released. Sometimes mercury is actually stored inside a

spirochete or bacterial colony itself.

3.     When that colony is disrupted or eradicated (with antibiotics or rife

machines or some other anti-Lyme treatment), mercury is released. This results

in an outbreak of both herx reaction symptoms and mercury mobilization symptoms.

In fact, many herx symptoms commonly experienced by Lyme Disease sufferers are

actually symptoms of mercury mobilization. Because dying Lyme Disease organisms

can release mercury, it is important to use a mercury detoxification protocol

while undertaking anti-Lyme therapy to sop up the mercury that is released

during the killing of Lyme Disease bacteria.

4.     Mercury is a very strong immunosuppressant, and its presence in the body

may mask inflammatory Lyme Disease symptoms. Lyme Disease patients may actually

feel that their Lyme Disease symptoms are better when they are mercury-poisoned

because the inflammatory response to Lyme Disease is reduced. When mercury is

removed from the body, an individual may experience increased Lyme Disease

symptoms and herx reactions because the immune system has begun to function

properly again.

These are just a few of the confusing elements involved in experiencing mercury

toxicity and Lyme Disease (and the treatment of both) simultaneously. Further

details are beyond the scope of this book, but by recognizing that the subject

can be very complicated and by treating it with respect, you have taken the

first step toward figuring out what is taking place in your body and what you

can do about it.

 

As a final point before closing this mercury discussion, it should be noted that

mercury chelators are not able to reach mercury stored inside Lyme Disease

organisms until the organisms are killed and the mercury is released into

circulation. Therefore, as long as there continues to be an active Lyme Disease

infection, it is also likely that additional mercury is sequestered throughout

the body. For this reason, mercury detoxification should not be considered to be

finished until all Lyme Disease bacteria are completely eradicated. A mercury

removal program is often needed for quite a long time, sometimes even years.

 

Lyme sufferers should consider carefully the possibility of mercury poisoning

and that any stagnation in their healing progress may be, at least partially, a

result of the presence of mercury in the body. It is essential first to find out

if mercury is a problem, and then decide how to get rid of it. Most cases of

Lyme Disease will not show satisfactory improvement (regardless of which

anti-Lyme therapies are used) unless mercury toxicity is addressed. Lyme Disease

and Rife Machines includes a helpful chart that provides additional mercury

detoxification resources, including contact information for a health-care

practitioner who is willing to work with Lyme Disease sufferers toward the task

of mercury detoxification.

 

Fish, mercury, and omega fatty acids

 

Seafood is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. It has served as a

staple food for numerous cultures around the world. It is rich in many important

nutrients, the most important of which are omega fatty acids, which play an

important role in numerous body functions. Of particular note is the crucial

role omega fatty acids play in modulating inflammatory processes, strengthening

the immune system, maintaining brain and nerve health, and healing or reversing

toxic/chemical imbalances in the brain that can lead to a plethora of

psychiatric symptoms.

 

Because Lyme Disease has deleterious effects on all of the organs and body

systems mentioned above, omega fatty acids are critical in the recovery process.

Not only do they facilitate deep healing in the body, they also provide

relatively fast symptom reduction and increased energy. Omega fatty acids can

reduce depression, promote brain healing, and bolster the immune system in

fighting Lyme Disease.

 

Unfortunately, getting your omega fatty acids from fish has become a dangerous

game of Russian roulette due to the fact that a large percentage of commercially

available fish is contaminated with the toxic heavy metal mercury. Although some

types and sources of fish have a lower risk of being contaminated with mercury,

it can be difficult or impossible to tell which fish is safe and which is

contaminated. Even a small amount of mercury can cause serious, long-term damage

and increased symptoms. As we have seen earlier in this chapter, mercury itself

causes major damage inside the body and even worse, it helps Lyme Disease

bacteria survive and proliferate. The potential damaging effects of mercury

poisoning are just too serious to ignore. Regrettably, the best course of action

is simply to avoid fish consumption until recovery has been fully achieved. In

some cases, maintaining a state of recovery may require forgoing fish

consumption for the rest of your

life.

 

An additional reason to avoid fish is that most fish has very high Vitamin D

levels. As you can see by reading Chapter 2, Vitamin D can be very damaging to

the Lyme Disease healing process.

 

The problem with avoiding fish in your diet (other than the obvious fact that

you will simply miss it!) is that it can be difficult to consume adequate

quantities of omega fatty acids without eating fish. There is, however, a

workable solution. Flax seed oil, which is derived from the flax plant (also

known as linseed) and is a completely vegetarian product, is rich in omega-3,

omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids, and can be used in the diet as a substitute

for fish. Flax seed oil can be purchased at most health food stores and some

grocery stores. It must be kept refrigerated. It has a strong taste and can be

consumed alone but is more palatable when used as part of a recipe (note,

though, that flax oil cannot be heated). One tablespoon of flax seed oil per day

provides ample supply of omega fatty acids. One way to get your daily dose of

flax seed oil is to use one tablespoon of it mixed with lemon juice as a salad

dressing. Flax seed oil does not replace

all the nutrients in fish, but it does supply the important omega fatty acids.

 

In addition to fish, it can be important to avoid other sources of marine

mercury. Glucosamine chondroitin is one supplement that may be contaminated with

mercury because it is made from shellfish shells. If you look around you can

find safe, vegetarian glucosamine chondroitin supplements without seafood

ingredients. Chitosan and chitosan oligosaccharide supplements, which were

discussed in my first book, are also derived from the shells of shrimp and other

sea crustaceans, and may carry the risk of mercury contamination. Chlorella, a

popular supplement for mercury removal (which in my research is still unproven

for this purpose) may also be contaminated.

 

One Lyme Disease sufferer recently told me that he knows of several brands of

Omega fatty acids which claim to be heavy-metal free. If these supplements are

indeed clean, they may be appropriate for use. The difficulty, I believe, is in

verifying the veracity of such claims.

 

As a precautionary note, Dr. James Schaller has observed that in some

individuals, omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids can increase inflammation; so, be

alert for this possible side effect.