At 3:09 PM +0100 18/8/04, Ozzie wrote:

>others with interest. Looking back, I think it's possible I may have
>some mercury-related problems too!...
>I have IBS, greatly improved by paleo but still a problem

After a couple of off-list discussions, I'm starting to wonder if
I'm actually just suffering from a deficiency in some minerals.

I have a severe gluten intolerance which is probably Celiac but I
have never bothered to get an official diagnosis. When Celiac
damages the intestine it reduces the ability of the gut to absorb
nutrients. Deficiencies of selenium, iodine and molybdenum can
lead to some of my symptoms.

So I'm thinking that perhaps some good mineral supplements might
help me.

But since one of the symptoms of whatever ailment I'm suffering is
a frustrating inability to make a decision and to stick with it,
I'm going to forge ahead with my mercury detox.

I have gone back to my original dentist who originally refused to
remove my amalgams because he thought it was an unnecessary treatment
which would only further degrade my teeth. Under a bit of pressure
he has agreed to do the work, and at a fraction of the cost of the
other dentist I got a quote from! So I'm off to the dentist in just
a few hours for most of the work with the balance being done next week.

I should be able to start the detox the following weekend.

Re: William's comments about quickly dismissing herbal remedies:
I have seen a few different people suffering from Candidiasis and
I'll relate two different types of treatment.

Two of them wanted a "natural remedy" so they changed their diet and
started taking a variety of the (expensive!) anti-yeast supplements.
These two people have now been on this treatment for a couple of
years and while they have seen a great improvement, their symptoms
flare up regularly and they still lead a pretty uncomfortable life.

Another two people decided to treat their Candidiasis with drugs
and probiotics. They changed their diet and bombed the yeast with
flucanzole every two weeks and followed up with courses of nystatin
in between. This continued for about 6-8 weeks until "die-off"
symptoms no longer occurred. Following treatment probiotics were
used to re-populate their gut with healthy organisms. These two
people have been completely over their illness for years now with
no return of symptoms.

The lesson I chose to learn from these experiences is that there are
natural illnesses which the body can heal itself given supplements,
time and the right outlook. But there are also illnesses which are
caused by abuse of technology and which the body either cannot recover
from without technological assistance or the recovery speed is very
slow.

In my case my illness whatever's causing it is having an extremely
detrimental effect on my life so I'm taking what I perceive to be
the quickest cure.

In any case, the drugs I'm using are pretty harmless. I wouldn't
be going down the path of attempting to "cure" my possible mercury
poisoning using these drugs or even natural remedies if the cure
was likely to make me sicker.


>Anyway, I think I may try a proper mercury detox as maybe the mercury
>from my previous fillings is still lingering, especially in the brain
>- Richard, are you going to just do what it says in the website you
>posted the link for (above) or do you have other info?

I'm planning to start by taking DMSA as recommended... starting four
days following removal of amalgam fillings, dosage from 15-70 mg as
tolerated every 3 hours including overnight. This should remove the
mercury from the bloodstream and organs but won't get into the brain
and nervous system. I have purchased (mail order from VRP in the US)
two bottles of DMSA and I plan to use it all up. If I had my time
over I would probably order DMPS instead but use it in the same way.

Then after a month or two I'll start taking ALA as recommended...
dosage from 15-70 mg as tolerated every 3 hours including overnight.
This should start leeching the mercury from the brain and nervous
system at which stage I should be able to start detecting some
improvement in symptoms.

Both DMSA/DMPS and ALA are taken on a 3 days on, 4 days off or
3 days on, 11 days off cycle as tolerated.

I trawled through the Yahoo Group archive to compile a list of vitamin
and mineral supplements. I couldn't find a list of supplements on that
site (or any other... I guess you're supposed to buy the book!) I shall
include my list of supplements below.


> Some of the warnings in that web-page scare me a bit!

Indeed! It's best to read through all the available material and make
up your own mind whether or not you're comfortable with this treatment.
And consult an MD if you need further help. And here's an article
about ALA and mercury:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FDN/is_6_7/ai_96416600

The worst side effect of DMSA is that it can kill off neutrophylls
(a white blood cell and one of the body's first lines of defence)
which can lead to increased bacterial infections. If this happens
the recommendation is to stop taking DMSA and continue with the
ALA treatment!

ALA is a common ingredient of antioxidant supplements and is widely
available through health food stores. A side effect of ALA is that
it helps break down sugars in the bloodstream which may be of interest
to low-carbers!

Apparently (apart from the neutrophyll possibility) the worst side
effect of the "Andy detox" program comes from the interruption to
sleep which is a result of having to take the pills on a three-hourly
schedule.

I figure that even if I don't have mercury poisoning the DMSA will
remove all the other heavy metals (lead, cadmium and arsenic) from
my system which can't be a bad thing. And the course of vitamin and
mineral supplements and antioxidants won't do any harm (except to
my bank balance!).


>Also, what is the full name of the supplements mentioned (DMSA, ALS, DMPS)?

ALA: alpha lipoic acid
DMSA: dimercaptosuccinic acid
DMPS: 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid


>Are you going to do this on your own, and how will you know when to stop?

Yes, all by myself because I can't find an MD who will take me seriously.
I would like to have the support of urine and blood tests... perhaps I'll
get a full blood work-up done after a month or two to track progress.

I'll stop the DMSA when I run out of pills. I'll continue the ALA for
at least a year or until I stop seeing any improvement in symptoms.


Here's the list of supplements I distilled the archives of the Yahoo
group. I was unable to find dosages for some items in which case I'm
just going to take the RDA or a bit more. The advised doses all vary
according to body weight - I'm 63 kg or 140 lbs.

Vitamin A - at least 5 RDAs or 5000 mcg per day
Vitamin B Complex - ?dose? 4 times per day
Vitamin C 700-2800 mg per dose, 4 times per day
Vitamin E 50-100 mg per day
Mixed Carotenes - ?dose?
Lypocene (optional) - ?dose?
Milk Thistle Extract 20-80 mg 4 times per day
EFAs - flax seed oil 2-4 tbsp per day
Magnesium 300 mg 4 times per day - reduce if it causes diarrhoea
Zinc 35 to 70 mg per day
Calcium (optional) 700 to 2800 mg 4 times per day with meals
Molybdenum (optional) 700 to 2800 mcg per day
Selenium (best in selenomethionine form) 100 mcg per day
Chromium (optional) 250+ mcg per day

Copper - should ingest no more than 5 mcg of copper per pound of person
per day from all sources (including diet and supplements). Especially
avoid supplements containing readily available copper.


 ...R.