Natural Mercury Detoxification Paperback – January 15, 2004

Mercury in the body seems to have a half- life of about 90 days, meaning that, with the assistance of a healthy diet and a non- sedendary way of living, if you dont compound additional mercury, the existing mercury in the body may naturally be reduced to half in about 90 days (3 months), then again to half, i.e. a quarter of initial in another 90 days; this meaning that in about 9-12 months the person may be left with only a small portion of the initial amount of mercury that was present without any formal detox protocol.So, a person removing amalgam fillings today, may be - theoretically - mercury- free and whatever symptoms- free in about 9 months to 1 year.I beleive that hastening this body' s process in removing mercury too quickly, may do more damage than good, as it is the same way suggested in all kinds of detoxification publications, if the body does not take enough time to detoxify.With proper nutrition and balanced life as well as emotional support (both from family/ friends and professional counseling/ psychoanalysis if necessary), then the person may be mercury- free in a practical period of 2- 5 years. 5 years is not much in regard to any detox program undetaken and is actually the recommended amount of time for taking for clearing the body of heavy metals, etc, again the detox phase dependent on the age of the individual as well as stressors that may exist in life.Always taking into account not only perhaps any physical symptoms that may surface during toxicity, or detox, but also any emotional/ mental ones and treating the organism holistically, then the detox phase may progress quicker and more smoothly. In trying times, i.e. perhaps with mercury detox that may affect mental balance, and/ or if the detox phase taking too long, then it may be good the person see to read inspirational books, do stress- control/ relaxation exercises, as well as some prayer (for those religiously- inclined) for coping, or finding meaning in all of life' s situations.Some other publications note that an effective clearing of mercury, or other heavy metals may take up to 20-40 years, or even beyong, but this should not mean again that the person may seek to hasten this process in any way, because again it may turn counter-productive, or detrimental. Thus, as a last note, perhaps the best approach is the person to take a healthy & holistic approach to clearing mercury, or other heavy metals without concern any more for the actual time taken to complete the phase and to make sure he/ she just carries positive hopes for the best possible outcome.

NATURAL MERCURY DETOXIFICATION and MERCURY DETOXIFICATION SIMPLIFIED are the only two books that discuss the detoxification/elimination of mercury from the body using natural products. All the other books on Amazon are about using the Drug Chelators (DMSA, DMPS and EDTA). The first book discussed the natural products and the various protocols using them to eliminate mercury from the body. The new book covers all the products useful for eliminating mercury from the body. But instead of discussing the old incomplete protocols for eliminating mercury I instead discuss the new protocols that are being used to safely detoxify patients of mercury. MERCURY DETOXIFICATION SIMPLIFIED also has over 9 pages discussing the studies and other evidence supporting the opinion of some practitioners that the old drug chelators are obsolete and dangerous for many patients. The link to the new book is http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mercury+detoxification+simplified&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Amercury+detoxification+simplifiedIn MERCURY DETOXIFICATION SIMPLIFIED I discuss how to do a safe detoxification using Natural Chelators, intestinal binders and mobilizers. Some of the old protocols discussed in my prior book did not use all three types of products in an careful manner. As a result they cause detoxification symptoms because they use too large a quantity of mercury mobilizers at the beginning of the detoxification. What is worse is that some of the natural detox protocols don't use any natural chelators. They are just using mercury mobilizers and intestinal mercury binders. This may work with healthy people but the more mercury toxic a patient is the less effective these health food detox protocols are. I have written this updated book to address working with the sensitive patient who is usually made worse by most protocols to detoxify the body of mercury. I have also written this new book to discuss at length the disadvantages of using drug chelators like DMSA, DMPS and EDTA.CRITICISM of NATURAL MERCURY DETOXIFICATION seems to be primarily from people who firmly believe that the drug chelators (DMSA, DMPS and EDTA) are the only effective way of detoxing the body of mercury. But these drug chelators need to have the organs of detoxification (liver, kidneys and colon) working optimally to be able to eliminate the drug /mercury chelate from the body. If these organs of elimination are not functioning optimally the drug chelator mercury conjugate just circulates in the bloodstream causing damage to the body. Unfortunately the more mercury toxic a patient is the poorer the functioning of these organs of elimination. Therefore the sicker a patient is the less effective these drug chelators are and the more problems they create.SECONDLY there is the problem of definitions. From a chemists viewpoint if something doesn't have a thiol/sulphydrel groups its not a chelator. So by this scientific definition NDF, Metal Free, etc aren't chelators. If I had called them blood mercury binders then I could have avoided most of the criticism from these scientifically trained readers. Most of these critics are not adressing the research studies posted on the websites of the manufacturers of these products showing that they work to dramatically increase the elimination of mercury from the body. But rather criticizing me for mislabeling them as chelators. But the problem is there is a lot of loose use of the term "chelators" in the health food industry. Every thing from chelated minerals to herbalists and natural health practitioners who talk about cilantro and chlorella being mercury chelators. So the term chelator was already being used loosely and incorrectly before I wrote my book. But I don't consider cilantro and chlorella to be chelators because they cause a mobilization of mercury ions from tissue storage sites into the blood. But they do not bind these mercury ions tightly enough to prevent them from relocating to the brain and nervous system which causes mercury toxicity symptoms. I consider a chelator to be a substance that can enter the bloodstream and bind mercury ions and prevent or reduce mercury toxicity symptoms. I clarify this in my second book. I do agree with the critics that the common holistic health practice of trying to detoxify mercury in patients with chlorella and cilantro is dangerous and ill advised. That is why I strongly recommended that they be used with the products I have chosen to call natural chelators (NDF plus, Metal Free, PCA-RX, etc).THIRDLY Careful reading of the criticism of this book posted here on Amazon indicates that these critics are unfamiliar with these natural chelators having never used them and consider them to be similar to chlorella and cilantro in their effect on the body. Their criticism is not based on having any experience with the products discussed in this book.FOURTHLY Many of the natural detox protocols do not use what I am calling natural chelators. Despite the credentials and fame of the creators of these protocols, my research and study of mercury detoxification over the last 10 years has lead me to the conclusion that these protocols without natural chelators are not safe. My new book was necessary to clearly indicate how a safe detox should be done in my opinion.FIFTHLY If the critics had not criticized this book I would not have realized the deficiencies in it and might never have written my new book. So I encourage the reader to write a review that includes any questions they might have.DMSANATURAL MERCURY DETOXIFICATION greatest deficiency is the lack of discussion of the issue of Drug chelators like DMSA, DMPS and EDTA. These products are drugs and have known side effects. Unfortunately there are no simple inexpensive tests to use to determine whom these drugs will injure and who will be able to tolerate them. It is truly scary how many practitioners hand out these drugs without any warnings, lab tests for kidney/liver function,immune system function or subsequent supervision. Leo Cashman of DAMS,Intl thinks that as many as 40% of the people who take these drug chelators like DMSA have an adverse reaction to them. What is not clear is how much of this is due to allergic to chemicals, drugs toxicity or reactions to the huge amounts of mercury they mobilize into the bloodstream. No matter what the cause there are a huge number of people calling Leo Cashman every day to discuss their adverse reactions. Part of the problem is their doctor did not warn them about the possibility of adverse reactions and even when the patient reports these adverse reactions the doctor is inclined to dismiss the patients symptoms because they have wrongly been lead to believe that there have to be symptoms in the process of getting the mercury out of the body. They believe the old no pain no gain theory. For example I met the mother of a young woman who was having terrible reactions of fatigue and nausea and vomiting to DMSA a Drug chelator prescribed by her doctor. Her holistic doctor told her to keep using it, that her symptoms were due to the mercury coming out. I of course asked about her daily water intake. It was a pint not the 2 qt it should be for her weight. A few more questions determined that the fresh salmon she ate 2-3 times a day was the most likely source of her high blood mercury levels that her doctor was aggressively treating. The doctor had not asked about her usual water intake. If he had he would have emphasized how that small quantity of water was totally insufficient to flush the mercury stirred up by the Drug chelator out of the body. That if she didn't drink the prescribed quantity of water the drug chelator could not help her but would harm her. Furthermore the practitioner had not asked about fish intake and was treating without having identified or eliminated the source of mercury exposure. Clearly this was an unskilled practitioner but it is common for practitioners to not realize that people need to hear instructions several times to become convinced of the importance of following them. If the young woman had read this book she would have noticed that in several places I mention the importance of adequate water intake for the organs of elimination to function optimally. I think a well-informed patient is better able to understand the importance of various aspect of a detoxification protocol and therefore comply with the instructions.Many people have had adverse effects from old style Drug chelator and some experts in the detox field consider most of them to be obsolete. Many of these drug chelators were not designed for chelating mercury. They were designed for lead or other toxic metals. Last time I checked DMSA was FDA approved for lead but not for mercury. There is new evidence that DMSA forms only a very weak bond with mercury, so weak that it should not be considered a true chelator of mercury. The shape of the chelator determines how strongly it bonds or grabs onto a molecule of mercury. Think of a wrench that is designed for a half-inch bolt. When you put it onto a half inch bolt it has a good fit and will tend to not fall off easily. But try to work on that half inch bolt with a larger size wrench and it will be very difficult to work on it because it keeps falling off. The old drug chelators don't have the right size to get a good grip on mercury. As a result they can lose the mercury to a sulfur containing compound in the blood. This dropping of the mercury in the blood stream leaves the mercury ion where it can migrate to the brain and nervous system causing significant damage. In my new book I cite scientific studies that conclude that DMSA and DMPS are not effective chelators.NATURAL MERCURY DETOXIFICATIO briefly discusses most of the factors relating to mercury and its detoxification. Its strong point is discussing the basics of detoxification, the many products available to accomplish this, and many of the different approaches to doing mercury detoxification. The sources of this information are clearly footnoted so readers can go to the sources, both book and internet, if they want more information on any particular detox approach.In a nut shell when doing a detoxification you want to reduce blood mercury levels especially at the beginning of a detoxification. How do you tell what blood mercury levels are? If you have any symptoms of mercury detox, which include foggy thinking, fatigue, metallic taste in mouth, etc etc etc then blood mercury levels are too high. The most effective ways of reducing blood mercury levels are by taking Natural chelators. NDF PLUS, Metal Free, and PCA-RX are natural chelators. However most of these natural chelators have some mercury mobilizers in their formula. So at the start of a detox program they can cause a small increase in blood mercury levels. Why? Because the body has so much mercury in it that's its like having a closet stuffed to the gills. So when you open the door (taking a mobilizer) to the closet the mercury comes spilling out into the blood stream in disproportionately large amounts. Therefore at the start of a detox program I prefer to use a natural chelator that doesn't have any mobilizers in them. (I discuss this more fully in Mercury Detox Simplified) A significant point made in the book is the importance of avoiding too large an intake of mercury mobilizers that cause a release of large quantities of mercury from tissue storage sites raising blood mercury levels to dangerous levels and causing detox symptoms. Most health food store products promoted to help mercury toxicity contain mostly mobilizers like cilantro and Chlorella. Chlorella is both a mobilizer and intestinal binder of mercury. This book is opposed to the use of these popular but overly simplistic approaches at the start of a mercury detox, although they are less problematic for people in average health. Symptoms are an indication that mercury levels in the blood are high enough to damage the brain and nervous system. It is inferred that a detox that causes symptoms is dangerous and should not be used.The problem is that taking even the recommended dose of a product that contains mobilizers and natural chelators can cause various symptoms like devastating fatigue from the mercury released and incorrectly conclude that the natural chelator doesn't agree with them. Being too aggressive at the start of a detox will make most people feel worse and cause them to give up, which is a big mistake. Don't take any products containing mobilizers for the first month or two. Even NDF can be too strong at the start of a detox program. NDF Plus is gentler and better tolerated in half or even one quarter drop doses at the start of a detoxification.Chemical sensitivityIn addition many mercury-toxic people have chemical sensitivities and have environmental illness caused by chemicals. It is obvious to the author that these people need to avoid chemical/Drugs and use natural chelators. An important way that mercury damages the body is through dramatically reducing the detoxification ability of the liver and kidneys. This reduces the body's ability to detoxify chemicals, which would make these chemically sensitive people more vulnerable to the side effects of Drug chelators. When Drug chelators are used, any responsible doctor will do periodic liver and kidney function tests to make sure the body is holding up under the stress of the drug chelator. There are various protocols for the use of Drug chelators, such as 3 days on and 3 days off. This gives the body time to recuperate and prevents a breakdown of the body and additional health problems. The skilled practitioners who use Drug chelators usually closely monitor the patient, do muscle testing and have the patient on a significant daily supplement intake (that can cost $300+ a month) to reduce toxic effects. However these skilled practitioners are few and far between and even under their care there can be negative reactions to Drug chelators. Many holistic practitioners like Dr Deb Baker consider that the disadvantages of DMSA and DMPS outweigh the benefits. Natural chelators can get the job done with less wear and tear on the body. And the extra time is not significant given that most people need to be on a maintenance detox program to keep their health improvements for many years.Muscle testingSome practitioners of muscle testing find that if the body is muscle tested for natural chelators first, the body will never test positive for Drug chelators.New Drug ChelatorsA great deal of time and money has gone into creating new chelators for a good reason, which is the problems many people have with the old Drug chelators.The other major deficiency of this book was not discussing some of the disadvantages of detox protocols that were developed before the natural non toxic chelators like NDF Plus, Metal Free, ACZ nanao, PCA RX, PectaClear (Pectasol Chelation Complex) etc were widely available. Before these products were made available there was no way one could make a detox reaction go away in 10-30 minutes like sub-lingual use of these natural chelators can. So we need to realize that there have been advances since some of the old protocols were created. The old protocols were honest attempts to create the best detox protocol available given the products available at the time. But the new products now available has made all of these old protocols obsolete. The ability of these new natural chelator products to get rid of symptoms caused by a mercury mobilizer is proof that they bind mercury in the blood stream. This prevents the mercury from affecting the brain and nervous system and therefore eliminates the symptoms. If they didnt work the symptoms would not go away. The people who say the natural chelators don't work haven't tried them in the appropriate dosage. If these natural chelators that contain mobilizers are used in large doses they will cause an increase in detox symptoms rather than a reduction in symptoms. ACZ nano and PetaClear contain no mobilizers and are the best products at the start of a detoxification program in sensitive patients. Their ability to improve the functioning of the organs of detoxification makes their use a no brainer.Prevalence of Drug chelator useUnfortunately there are lots of Holistic practitioners have been using drug chealtors for years and are resistant to the use of newer better products and try to claim these new products don't work. It's a lot like being loyal to an old brand even when a better product comes along.Despite the web sites discussing their usage for the last 10 years most dentists and Holistic doctors don't know about the natural chelators discussed in this book. They are still using old style drug chelators for challenge tests to determine mercury toxicity and using drug chelators for treatment of mercury toxicity. DMPSbackfire .com gives the stories of people who have been seriously injured by these old style drug chelators. So do you feel lucky? What is acceptable risk? If it only harms one in 50 would you feel okay about taking the chance, even when there is an absolutely safe way of doing it with natural chelators? What if it was one in 10? Some practitioner's find that a small number of the people using DMSA get worse rather than better. That the side effects are more serious and more of a health challenge than the mercury toxicity they were trying to treat. My new book discusses how one DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor determines which patients he will use drug chelators on and which ones he wont.ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid)Actually ALA increases the production of glutathione. Any effects to detoxify mercury are due to the increased amount of glutathione and not to any direct effects of ALA. But taking it by itself is not as effective as using it in a comprehensive program. ALA is primarily a great antioxident that helps to quench the free radical activity that mercury causes in the body. It is this inflamation that reduces glutathione production. Dental Mercury Detox by Ziff also down played the importance of ALA calling it an important antioxidant compound. Something that could protect the brain from low levels of mercury.So how can we explain some peoples fantastic results with ALA? Inflammation is common in mercury toxic people. ALA is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. Taking ALA could stop the inflammation, which would allow the body to start making glutathione normally again and allow the body to start to eliminate mercury. In addition sulfation is an important part of phase ll liver detoxification, which can be activated by sulfur containing nutrients like ALA. So if someone had inflammation and a sulfur deficiency taking ALA would be very effective. In contrast other people are cysteine deficient and without it their body will not be able to make glutathione no matter how much ALA they take. Glutathione is made of three amino acids and cysteine is the one that is most commonly deficient. So taking N-Acetyl cysteine is more effective at increasing glutathione production than taking ALA in people who are deficient in this amino acid. So as I stated in my book everyone is different with different nutritional deficiencies and biochemical imbalances and therefore they respond differently to various detox programs. What about taking ALA without a natural chelator? Interestingly Dr Klinghardt is opposed to the use of ALA at the start of a detox, probably wanting to strengthen the organs of detox before introducing ALA. Just having more glutathione production could cause blood mercury levels to rise if the liver is not functioning properly to eliminate the mercury from the bloodstream.Choice of detox protocolI also believe that people with poor liver function would do better on protocols that do not depend on liver clearance of mercury. Detox programs with NDF plus mostly eliminate mercury through the urine and is thus more suited for people with poor liver function.Being too aggressive or in a hurry to detoxify mercury is a big mistake and one can easily do more harm than good in many cases.NDF plusI have found that NDF is well absorbed and effective at anytime, even after a meal if it is held sub-lingual in the mouth for at least 3 minutes without swallowing. This sub-lingual dosing enables me to use it throughout the day as needed. Initially I skipped breakfast so as to not interfere with the absorption of NDF put into 10 ounces of water in my digestive tract. Now I swallow my 10 oz of water, take 1 drop of NDF sub-lingual, wait 5 minutes and have breakfast. Every 60-90 minutes thereafter I take another drop or two of NDF sub-sublingualy as needed. NDF plus has less ability to mobilize mercury and should be used in preference to regular NDF. I like regular NDF once the blood mercury levels have been reduced after a few months of detox.Cinguatera and red tide shellfish poisoningI have also found that NDF can neutralize the toxins from cinguatera and red tide shellfish poisoning thereby reducing the duration and severity of the reaction. It seems to neutralize the neurotoxins causing the symptoms. Creating diarrhea to clear the intestinal tract of the shellfish eaten before any more of the neurotoxin is absorbed is a first priority.HomeopathyMy homeopath recommended I take the homeopathic remedies at bedtime. I now strongly prefer taking them first thing in the morning or to set the alarm for 4-5 am. That way one is awake as the detox symptoms gradually begin 3-6 hours after taking the homeopathic. When awake one can take NDF or other natural chelators to control symptoms as needed.AutismThe author knows of an Autistic 2 yr old that had been Autistic for only 6 months following the new low mercury MMR vaccination. The parents experimented with a hundred to one dilution of NDF. One drop a day of the diluted mixture caused a dramatic increase in the smell of #1 and #2 and fatigue from walking. The child had a strong constitution so the NDF probably triggered a resumption of normal liver detoxification that may have been suppressed by the chemical preservatives in the vaccine. In addition to detox symptoms there was a dramatic response of a reduction in autistic symptoms. Dosage was increased to 2 diluted drops a day. The child started to shake his head rather than turn his back if he did not want food. He started to crawl into his mothers lap rather than preferring to play alone, and he started jumping up and down in his crib saying mommy. In 12 weeks there was so much improvement that the diagnosis was changed to speech delayed. It is possible that the diluted NDF stimulated detoxification but was not curative. Continued daily intake is required to prevent the return of Autistic symptoms in this child. This indicates that the child is dependent on daily stimulation for his body to detoxify normally. The NDF website had testimonials of many children who have been helped by NDF usage until the FDA made them take them down.METHANOLI have discovered that when fruit and vegetables are pasteurized during the canning/bottling process the normal methanol/pectin bond is broken. Thus as these foods sit on the shelf the quantity of free methanol increases. This free methanol is converted into formaldehyde in the body (just like artificial sweeteners) causing mental impairment. This could be the missing link in treating Autism. I discuss this subject in my latest book How To Get Healthy available late Sept 2013 on amazon. See While Science Sleepscom for the full story on methanol. There is a book on Amazon about this huge danger.Recently it has been discovered that high fructose corn syrup can contain mercury. It is necessary to read labels.In the 10 years since I wrote Natural Mercury Detoxification, the amount of mercury in our vegetables and air from coal-fired power plants in China and India has increased tremendously. I have had to double my daily maintenance dose of mercury mobilizers and natural chelators. I no longer believe that just taking a one or two chlorella tablets with every meal is sufficient maintenance for most people. I think a full teaspoon three times a day is a minimum to prevent the accumulation of mercury. I believe that the vast majority of so-called average people are gradually accumulating mercury in their body, even if they don't eat fish or have amalgam fillings in their teeth.One of the harshest critics of my book stated that chlorella is not a chelator. My book agrees and lists chlorella under intestinal mercury binders. NDF is not the same as chlorella and its price should signify this. I now am not in favor of using a significant amount of chlorella without also taking a natural chelator one-three hours later. Chlorella has nutritional factors that stimulate the production of glutathione, which causes increased blood mercury levels. But many people do not have good enough liver function to filter the mobilized mercury out of the blood and put it into the bile and get it to the intestinal tract. So more is mobilized than bound causing blood mercury levels to get too high resulting in symptoms. Therefore chlorella should be used with natural chelators by most people but not by itself.DENTAL issues. General anesthetic reduces the pain and allows the dentist to drill out the old amalgam filling faster and generate high heat that can kill the nerve in the tooth in the process, which will require thousands of dollars in additional expense on that tooth. Having a biological dentist do a little drilling and they prying out the pieces (chunking it out) may take longer and cost much more but results in less mercury exposure and fewer dead teeth. So if one has large or deep fillings going to a foreign country for cheap dental work may cost more in the long run, and thats without considering the problem of mercury exposure. The cost of proper removal of amalgam filling by a biological dentist ($500-1000) is much more than the cost from your local dentist($150-300). But the mercury you will absorb from the improper removal of one filling can cost $1500 dollars to get out of your body. Therefore the more expensive biological dentist is a bargain. A biological dentist with an elephants trunk suction in front of your face is the best way to go for amalgam removal. Think of amalgam removal as being as dangerous as dealing with an accident at a nuclear power plant.Sine around 1980 all gold crown alloys contains Platinum and significant amounts of toxic Palladium. Palladium is even more toxic to the nervous system than mercury. Your dentist may be told its pure gold and platinum but the dental lab may have used mostly palladium. It can be as high as 50% palladium. In addition most gold crowns have mercury containing amalgam as a base unless placed by a biological dentist. If you have a mouth full of crowns you usually have a major toxic metal problem. Most biological dentists for these and other reasons suggest non-metallic restorations, fillings, crown, etc.I wrote this book because I kept meeting people who had been damaged by mercury detox protocols by holistic doctors who used drug chelators. These people had been told that that was the only way to get the mercury out of the body. They were not correctly informed. I considered education of the patients to be the only way to protect them from harm because practitioners can get used to using inefficient outdated approaches even when better ways are available. I have written an updated book called Mercury Detoxification Simplified and it is available as of August 21 2014.

I read this book and the same author's book on lead detox. These are short, simple books and definitely recommended reads for people who are serious about getting/staying healthy. Packed full of good information.

answered a lot of questions and easy to read...

"A sincere attempt to gather all the disjoint and incomplete information" is not enough!It allures you at first with a clear coherent structure (what you unfortunately will not see in Andrew Cutler's books), but then you come across a number of incorrect or misleading statements. It claims that oral DMSA is toxic by referencing (irrelevant) research from IV DMPS, it advocates a proprietary chelation brand even though it contains cysteine a substance the author advises against everywhere else in the book, it does not distinguish between organic and inorganic Hg pathways - which is a huuuuge and very grave omission, if confuses ppm and ppb when discussing Hg urine concentrations ... The list goes on...The book is cheap, you can buy it if you are interested, but do not trust much of what it is saying before you read other sources on the subject.2 out of 5 for several interesting sections on the facts which I did not know before, such as toxicity of various dental procedures. For ideas about clinical management it's pretty worthless.