Mercury is a heavy metal which has had a variety of uses throughout history, signs of its use being found in a number of ancient civilisations. However, perhaps the most controversial use is that in the dental amalgam. In the mid-nineteenth century, the mercury-silver-tin-copper-cadmium mix started to prove irresistible to dentists as a dental amalgam. The reasons for this were easy; it was extremely simple to use, formed a powerful repair and was inexpensive to acquire.
Toxicity factor
There was just one problem – that the toxicity. This was known at the time and the American Society of Dental Surgeons (ASDS) announced using dental amalgam as’malpractise’ and promised expulsion from the society. As a lot of dentists chose to use the mercury formula, the ASDS collapsed and, in the midst of widespread worry concerning the consequences of using these fillings, the American Dental Association appeared up to soothe public fears regarding its usage. This has led to consistent and outright denials of any threat faced by the general public in regard to these amalgams.
Throughout the past century, these denials have been contested and, lately, even the AMA has admitted that mercury vapour is indeed released by amalgams (although they still insist that the levels of this toxic vapour aren’t high enough to cause injury ). This, like many other arguments concerning public health, has been debated. The line taken by political institutions and chemical firms still fit the conventional mould of reassuring the public until vulnerability or flow of concealed facts compels a change of policy. The patterns can be viewed in regard to aspartame, DHT, PCBs, fluoridation.
Example
An example focusing more on mercury was offered in the shape of Gulf War Syndrome. This notorious syndrome came to light after UK and US soldiers who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War became ill following the battle, and leads to a wide assortment of ailments, such as immunological and neurological problems, in addition to skin, respiratory and digestive issues. The collective Governments continued to dispute the findings of different organisations, although all of the groups which were susceptible to this syndrome had received the mercury-containing thimerosal preservative in vaccines.
This has been suggested by some as evidence that Mercury is the cause of Gulf War Syndrome. It’s the very likely candidate, although I believe that this immunological disease is quite probably what happens to vulnerable soldiers that are exposed to 17 vaccines (eg. Mercury-containing additives such as thimerosal. The inhabitants of soldiers where no GWS exists had a considerably lower vaccination count. Mercury can cause serious problems in an assortment of ways. The cause of this is the way it enters the human body and bonds with many different biological structures, and consequently interrupting, slowing and inhibiting normal function of the human body.
Research
Studies indicate that mercury from amalgams is consumed in vapour through the gums and in the lungs, and is deposited in the heart, liver, brain, kidneys and important endocrine glands. There are a lot of kinds of mercury to know about, the distinction being in what the germ is secured to. These can be classified under two significant types, 1 type being inorganic mercury, another organic. Whilst inorganic (non-methylated) mercury is the standard form of mercury found widely in the environment, in thermometers and the form absorbed into the body via the vapour released from amalgams, there’s a good deal more danger introduced to the body by natural mercury.
This is mercury in a salt form (eg mercuric chloride, mercuric iodide) or mercury that’s been methylated in the intestines. This methylation occurs in unbalanced guts, where there’s an excess of bad bacteria. This is where ill health can cause further ill health; after in the torso, this methyl mercury is far more able to move through cell membranes and bond into a range of cells, slowing, inhibiting and disrupting vital functions.
Organic mercury
It’s for this reason that organic mercury is thought to be far more toxic than inorganic mercury. It’s primarily the natural form of mercury that will bond with many kinds of body tissue; the phospholipid layer of cells, compromising the permeability of these cells and consequently their ability to communicate and respond to hormonal messages; hormones such as insulin, meaning that the beta cells in the pancreas must produce longer to do the exact same task; haemoglobin, which could lead to the symptoms of anaemia; thyroxin, the hormone made by the thyroid gland that’s essential for adequate metabolic rate; all of neurotransmitters, enzymes and hormones are possible pray to this bonding of this heavy metal.
Due to the range of methods by which mercury can cause damaging symptoms and varying degrees of sensitivity in different people, there’s absolutely no set pattern to mercury toxicity. One thing is beyond doubt – that the effects of mercury in the body are equally quantifiable and real. A 1984 study showed that presence of amalgams decreased T-cell amounts by 55.3%, severely compromising the immune system. This disturbance of the natural amount of T-cells has grave consequences since it disrupts the delicate balance of B and T cells (both kinds of lymphocyte, a category of white blood cell) which may have dire consequences.
T-cells
For instance, T4 cells – also known as T-helper cells – indicate antigens, singling them out to identify them to the B-cells, which make antibodies that neutralise them. If these are low, your immune system won’t respond satisfactorily to invasion from foreign microbes. However, if the activity of the T4 cells isn’t opposed by that of the T8 cells (that calm the activity of this B-cells), then the immune system can get over-active. This leads to allergic reaction to environmental or dietary elements, or even in auto-immune reactions; this is where the immune system starts to attack its own cells (type I diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis are classic cases of autoimmune ailments ).
These auto-immune conditions are possible since the antibodies have an in-built flexibility with respect to what they strike to allow them to cope effectively with viruses which are constantly changing their form – sadly, when an imbalance occurs between the level of antibodies and the quantity of invading antigens (eg. Problems with mercury often appear to take some time to have an impact on a person. This can be explained by the composition of the alloy and how it interacts with the body. As stated previously, there are two types of mercury, the inorganic as well as the dangerous organic form. Someone may not show sensitivity to the presence of the inorganic form of mercury (the kind that flows from amalgams) however, when coupled with Hydrogen Sulphide gas (H2S) in the intestines, it can be methylated by a particular enzyme, Thiolmethl Transferase (THT).
Bad bacteria
The key thing to be aware of here is that H2S is simply produced by bad bacteria or fungi in the gut, so a compromised digestive function could be an outcome of mercury toxicity. Ironically, how mercury compromises the immune system was associated with a disturbance in the normal balance of intestinal flora. Probiotics (and prebiotics) are therefore an essential supplemental step for anybody using a dental amalgam, as is any measure that maintains good digestion (adequate excellent food, wholesome stress patterns). Whilst we are aware that mercury is toxic and we understand a variety of methods by which it damages the human body, the absence of governmental approval and the absence of pharmaceutical interest in this problem means we’re left with an incomplete model when trying to construct a time-line of mercury-related symptoms which a person can expect to encounter.
Certainly, what doesn’t help in any efforts to ascertain the effects of heavy metal toxicity is the incessant demand for the medical community to tag dysfunction as a particular illness, and treat it as such. Although this version of categorizing patients into convenient boxes makes the job of prescribing medication a less invasive process, it fails to recognise that disorder is a complicated process which reflects the orderly conditions within the individual. Chronic fatigue conditions such as lupus erythematosus and fibromyalgia are perfect examples of the medical malady; this are considered acquired diseases in their own right and little, if any, consideration is given to the incorporated participation of the immune system, hormonal imbalance, adrenal dysfunction, liver and kidney overload, heavy metal toxicity in the person.
Immune system
A strong immune system, adequately supported by adequate levels of anti-oxidants, zinc, iodine, vitamin D, etc, can cope with eliminating toxic compounds far better than a suppressed immune system and the susceptibility of the individual reflects this too. The impacts of the genetic/nutritional variables were well shown in Gulf War Syndrome. Depending upon the degree and type of stress experienced by a person at any given time, the workload of a particular gland will be vary greatly and this plays a huge part in the reaction an individual can generate into a challenge to his/her homeostasis.
Clearly, very low-level sensitivity could surely fall beneath the radar, and really most people may struggle to differentiate the difference between tiredness brought on by waking up 20 minutes too early and a very slight imbalance in haemoglobin levels. As I see in testing for allergies, a person may have sensitivities to some elements but not to other people, whilst his neighbour reveals sensitivity to a completely different assortment of chemicals. With this in mind, I don’t have any doubt concerning the possible reactions that some people can experience when subjected to other heavy metals, such as aluminum, lead, and arsenic.
Aluminium
Aluminum has been shown to promote many diseases including breast cancer and anaemia in addition to being heavily implicated as well as the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease and degradation of potassium levels in the body. All anti-perspirant deodorants and Teflon pans contain aluminum, but it may also be found in kitchen foil, cheap table salt, antacid and painkilling concoctions – obviously we’re more in danger of aluminum exposure that many metals. Significantly, aluminum has been shown to increase the harm reeked by mercury in the nervous systemnevertheless, the authorities don’t consider this synergy is analyzing safe exposure levels.
Arsenic
It can lead to nausea and vomiting, a disturbance in blood cell production, and a variety of broad issues, from internal bleeding from the GI tract into skin cancer. Arsenic exposure isn’t especially high in the UK, though there are still numerous possible angles for vulnerability; it is used as a treatment for disease in cows, in fireworks, in timber treatment agents, in photocopier drum coatings and in metal alloy, amongst other items.
Cadmium
It is just another toxic metal that we aren’t routinely exposed to. Cadmium damages DNA directly but may also cause other problems from liver, kidney and lung problems to neurological damage. Cadmium is used is battery production and in heavy industry like mining and burning coal; it’s also present in tobacco smoke. So are we all influenced to some degree by heavy metal toxicity? A more appropriate question may be if there’s anyone who’s not influenced by heavy metal poisoning. What’s definitely relevant is that the health of the nation continues to decrease, despite medical advances and an increase in funds for health care, and there’ll inevitably be several reasons for this irregularity.
Conclusion
I see heavy metal poisoning among many pieces of this puzzle. Mercury, aluminium and other heavy metals do harm the human body, and they’re a problem to the people at large. However, as emphasized at various points in this guide, the routine that heavy metal toxicity follows is one where symptoms present hand-in-hand with malfunction of different bodily systems (eg. This, together with the industry’s lack of openness to examine the matter, ensures that it remains impossible to accurately calculate the seriousness of heavy metal toxicity throughout the populace. Meanwhile, the trick to preventing problems obviously lies in staying as healthy as possible and preventing exposure wherever possible and, if you believe exposure may have occurred, taking action by supporting the liver and the immune system.