Chelation UK

[Steven A Williams]

Hi all,
I am having my amalgam fillings removed next week. They are made of 50% mercury and which is known to be a potent neurotoxin. I therefore then need to remove all mercury from my system. The best way to do this is using chelation therapy. My dentist says he can't help me, and I have been to two GPs who say that chelation therapy isn't licensed in the UK, so they can't help me.
Does anyone know of the best way to get rid of the mercury from my system in the UK?
Thanks,
Steve

 

[lgelb]

Steven, you will find few people here who believe what you are doing is necessary. We have discussed this on other threads. The same would be true for spending time and money on chelation, which carries its own risks.

Best,
Laurie

 

[GregK]

Dude, just send your money to me! I'll swing a rubber chicken whle my grandchildren dance about.

Seriously, do a bit more research. Get a firsthand recommendation, none of this 'I read about...' bull.

 

[affected]

Best of luck mate, I'm so sorry you are being ripped off like this at a time when you should spend your money and time wisely.

Do you have a family? I'm wondering if the money you spend on this would be better spent on making great memories with them and ensuring they are going to be ok after?

Honestly I know the awful feeling of 'there must be something that can be done', I truly do as I've been there. We honestly say these things because we care.

 

[KimT]

Steve,

I've studied in a doctoral program in naturopathy. Please believe me that removing your fillings will probably release more mercury into your system than if you left them alone. Have you had a heavy metal test done that shows unhealthy levels of mercury in your body? Get a simple hair analysis and check your mercury levels.

You'd be better off to address any nutritional, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies and adopt a supplement and diet protocol that works to reduce inflammation. At least that has some science behind it.

 

[ShiftKicker]

I spoke to my dentist about this very thing when I was still searching for answers about what my symptoms might indicate. He informed me that the most exposure to mercury from fillings was during installation and removal- and that removal is not warranted unless the filling is broken down and causing pain or other issues. Having existing fillings did not mean a constant exposure to mercury. I would be concerned your removal of fillings might actually expose you to more than just leaving them in, as there are some pretty serious precautions a dentist must take to not only expose you, but themselves to mercury vapours. Here is a link to an NIH study that addresses some concerns.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3388771/

 

[Kristina1]

Chelating agents can have serious side effects, even death. They are indicated for acute heavy metal poisoning, only because in that situation the benefit outweighs the risk. I'm assuming your blood has been tested for heavy metals as part of the bloodwork to rule out other diagnoses besides ALS. If you don't have elevated mercury in your blood you aren't experiencing mercury poisoning. My son has autism and this discussion is very personal for us as children with autism have DIED due to being treated with chelation drugs, despite the fact that autism is not caused by mercury poisoning and these children had blood mercury levels in normal range. It outrages and devastates me as a parent to a beautiful child with autism. Chelation is no natural remedy, it is not some harmless alternative therapy. I would guess at BEST you would simply speed your progression by stressing your body with a chelating agent. There's a reason you cannot acquire it legally for your purposes.

 

[Diane H]

IGet a simple hair analysis and check your mercury levels..

Be careful with this. There are many scams in the hair analysis business. Hair analysis by labs that specialize in it is not reputable and commonly results in an attempt to get you to buy their "treatments". Real labs don't sell treatments. Have a real heavy metal screening ordered by a real physician and run by a real lab. The test is done by collecting all your urine for 24 hours while keeping it refrigerated and then delivering it to the lab. This test is part of process done in diagnosing ALS in order to rule out any heavy metal excess in the blood.

 

[KimT]

Be careful with this. There are many scams in the hair analysis business. Hair analysis by labs that specialize in it is not reputable and commonly results in an attempt to get you to buy their "treatments". Real labs don't sell treatments. Have a real heavy metal screening ordered by a real physician and run by a real lab. The test is done by collecting all your urine for 24 hours while keeping it refrigerated and then delivering it to the lab. This test is part of process done in diagnosing ALS in order to rule out any heavy metal excess in the blood.

I did the blood, urine, and hair analysis for heavy metals. My blood was run by Mayo and my urine and hair was run by a "real doctor", and included both heavy metals and essential minerals. The results of the toxic metals were the same in the hair as in the blood but the hair included many more. By the way, the doctor who ran my urine and hair was a local neurologist who believes in treating his patients holistically. He is the guy who discovered my free copper was too high and got it corrected so it is now in the normal range. The only thing Mayo Clinic told me was to stop taking B-12 (sublingual) because my levels were too high. Another "Center of Excellence" responded to my question about keto diet with "what's that?" Guess they've never treated epilepsy or MS.

 

[Steven A Williams]

Thank you all for your posts.
You all seem to know so much about this. Has everyone had their amalgams out and experienced everything they write about? Or are these just your opinions?
GregK, not sure what you mean by "I read about...' bull. I didn't write that.
For those that wrote in a friendlier style, I thank you.
Steve

 

[affected]

Steven I think it's clear by the replies here that none of our members have had their amalgams out for all the reasons stated.

Have you actually had full testing that showed high mercury levels that are of a concern and how can they be sure they won't increase your levels during the extraction?

 

[KimT]

I had mine replaced 15 years ago. I've also had friends who have had theirs replaced for various reasons. It was a lot to go through and it cost quite a bit.

 

[GregK]

Steven,

I meant to not take 2nd hand stories. "I heard about this guy..." never seems to pan out.

 

[lgelb]

Steven,
In the article I linked, this is Dr. Bedlack and his co-authors' statement about heavy metal toxicity/chelation for ALS:

In spite of intense study over many years, there is no consistent evidence that any heavy metal toxicity can cause ALS (188,189). It should not be surprising, then, that there is no evidence that chelation therapy is useful for the treatment of ALS. In fact, there is evidence to the contrary. One case report (190) described an ALS patient with elevated blood level and massive urinary excretion of mercury which did not respond to chelation treatment with DMSA. Another case report described a patient who developed bulbar onset ALS in the setting of chronic lead intoxication from drinking water. Again, treatment with DSMA was administered for six months and had no effect on clinical course (191). Finally, a study where 53 patients with ALS or SMA and a control group were given DMSA did not show a difference in the urinary excretion of lead and mercury between the 2 groups (192). A search of the World Wide Web reveals many other individual reports of patients who did not benefit from chelation therapy.
Risks

Chelation is generally felt to be a safe treatment when used properly. The use of sodium EDTA instead of calcium EDTA has resulted in severe hypocalcemia that lead to death in at least 3 reported patients (193). Another reported side effect is elevated creatinine reflecting potential kidney damage (187).

 

[Steven A Williams]

Thanks Tillie,
The first mercury test I have had showed that I have on average 25 times the normal amount. I am have some more tests to prove its accuracy.
Also thanks for your post Igelb. I have also read of many accounts of people who have had successful amalgam removal and chelation. We all know very well that there are alway stories on the internet that show any opinion that you want. So I may be wrong, and so may you. The 'no evidence' approach doesn't really cut it for me. As ALS is a 'no evidence' disease because there is 'no cure'. There will be 'no evidence' for so many routes one might take. If you do nothing, then you can expect nothing. For some reason, I find there are many people on forums that want to denigrate any course of action people want to take, in the hope they will help slow the progression of the disease. Perhaps somebody will chance on something. A balanced opinion, taking into account all options and opinions I think is the best way to go. Regardless, thank you for pointing to the other side of the coin. Much appreciated.
Have you had your amalgams removed?
Steve