Are amalgam fillings really safe?
by Dr. Schmitz
The controversy has been going on for over 150 years now: are amalgam fillings completely harmless to health? While some countries such as Japan and Russia impose severe restrictions on its use and others such as Denmark, Norway and Sweden have banned its use altogether, dental amalgam is still used in many European countries and the dental associations in place continue to advocate its use: no less than 125 tons of mercury are used by the dental profession every year. A 2006 study of 2,590 adults in the United States found that 72% were unaware of the presence of mercury in amalgam fillings and 92% would like to be informed of the presence of mercury before receiving a filling.Scientists agree that amalgam fillings release mercury on a daily basis, but some studies have concluded that exposure is 1-3µg per day (FDA), while others have estimated it to be as high as 27µg per day. The ecological burden of amalgam should not be underestimated either: the mercury placed in the mouth in Europe every year (125 tons) is a formidable pollutant, not only for the body, but also for the environment that it is bound to contaminate after the death of the person wearing the fillings, whether by natural decomposition or by cremation.
Amalgam advocates claim that it is durable, cheap and easy to use, while alternative methods are more expensive and have not been proven to be harmful to health, yet lack of evidence is not, as they suggest, evidence of absence. The real problem is probably economic and social, and it will certainly take a long time before attitudes change at the professional level.
The WHO estimates that 50% of mercury exposure in adults comes from amalgam and that this exposure can be multiplied by 5 after chewing gum. She also stated that "there may not be a minimum level of mercury below which there is no possibility of adverse effects. In other words, they admit that they don't know if the amalgams are safe.
A Swedish autopsy study showed that mercury levels in the brain and kidneys correlated strongly with the number of amalgam fillings. A study in Germany showed that urinary excretion was significantly higher in subjects with amalgam fillings. Research on monkeys has shown that mercury released from amalgam fillings is absorbed and accumulates in various organs such as the kidneys, lungs, liver, brain and exocrine glands. We must not lose sight of the fact that mercury sensitivity affects, according to studies carried out by JADA, 3% of the population and that the question of a patient's sensitivity to amalgam is not a question of statistics, it is individual.
The toxicological approach provides little information when it comes to linking the complaints presented with evidence of physiological effects of heavy metal exposure: there is no correlation between the concentrations measured and the syndromes presented by the patients. This is where the MELISA ®( Memory Lymphocyte Immuno S stimulation Array) test is going to be useful: it indeed allows an immunological detection of the antigenic receptors present on the external membranes of our cells. A study of 3162 patients in Sweden and Germany with amalgam fillings from 1991 to 1997 showed that 719 of them, or 23%, had a positive reaction to the MELISA test for allergic sensitivity to inorganic mercury, suggesting that this sensitivity is more widespread than previously thought.
Another problem caused by this type of filling is oral galvanism, that is, the formation of micro-batteries in the mouth with the presence of two different metals and an electrolyte (saliva). This galvanism can cause serious problems and increase the release of mercury in the mouth.
In the area of autoimmune diseases, several studies conducted at the University of Prague have shown that the removal of dental amalgams has a beneficial effect on the health of patients with these diseases.
A study conducted in 2005 by the University of Freiburg on the risk assessment of amalgam use came to the following conclusions: "Several studies concerning the safety of amalgam have glaring methodological errors......The removal of dental amalgam has led to a permanent improvement of various chronic complaints.... In summary, the available evidence suggests that amalgam is an unsuitable material for both medical and environmental reasons.
Nevertheless, amalgam removal is a risky procedure that requires specific precautions: the dentist must be aware of the danger, work under isolation (dental dam) with high velocity suction and under constant irrigation. This removal should ideally be accompanied by detoxification measures.
Detoxification through natural medicine.
Chlorella
The Chlorella is a freshwater algae capable of cleaning the body of heavy metals. The recommended dose: three times five tablets daily during meals and for several months.
The problem with chlorella treatment is that patients who are heavily intoxicated by heavy metals may have their symptoms greatly increased for one simple reason: when you take chlorella in small amounts, you stir up the mercury throughout your body. Chlorella mobilizes more mercury than it can evacuate. Therefore, you should then take approximately every ten days a dose of forty to fifty tablets over the course of the day.
Laminaria Japonica
The properties of algae have been known for thousands of years. Worldwide research has shown that brown seaweed Laminaria Japonica contains several active ingredients of the highest therapeutic value.
Laminaria japonica is both the best purified organic extract of the brown seaweed Laminaria Japonica and the most bio-available for 2 reasons:
1. The extraction is done at less than 80° C, which avoids the destruction of natural microelements.
2. Patented method of extraction that keeps only the central part of the seaweed, the richest in active principles, and removes the very fibrous and indigestible external part. The manufacture of 1 Kg of Laminaria Japonica requires 40 Kg of algae.
Among the active ingredients of Laminaria Japonica is alginate which is a powerful scavenger of heavy metals such as mercury, aluminum, cadmium (cigarette smoke), cobalt and radium as well as radioactive substances.
I consider Laminaria Japonica to be the best heavy metal chelator at present because it not only captures these toxins but promotes their elimination from the body.
Compared to chlorella, the treatment is faster, more effective and does not present these phenomena of temporary aggravation of symptoms.
In addition to treating heavy metal poisoning, Laminaria Japonica also treats radioactive pollution from X-rays, microwaves, high-voltage lines, televisions, computers, cell phones and their base stations, i.e., various sources of harmful radiation that generate free radicals in humans that cause cellular aging, birth defects, leukemia and cancer. The damage of these various pollutions can be largely mitigated by Laminaria Japonica which was in fact successfully used to treat the victims of the Chernobyl disaster.
The Laminaria Japonica should be taken on an empty stomach with a large glass of water, ideally in the morning on an empty stomach. It should be avoided in the evening because the product has an energetic effect that can affect the quality of sleep.
The product is very well tolerated and even large doses (12 capsules), taken at once in the morning on an empty stomach, do not cause nausea. On the contrary, Laminaria Japonica will be able to help people with gastric or intestinal problems.
The dose will depend mainly on the weight of the person: 6 capsules per day under 70 kg, 8 capsules per day between 70 and 80 kg, 10 capsules per day between 90 and 100 kg and 12 capsules per day over 100 kg.
The duration of treatment will depend primarily on the extent of intoxication but is often between 3 and 6 months.
The Laminaria Japonica is non-toxic, 100% natural and compatible with all medical treatments and dietary programs.
The health effects of mercury.
The symptoms of mercury poisoning evolve over time as mercury progressively accumulates in the body.
Initially, only minor health complaints such as increased sweating, excessive salivation, unexplained fatigue, insomnia, bad breath, vertigo, and headache are noticed. Gradually neurological symptoms appear: emotional instability, irritability, depression, memory loss, insomnia. Progressive damage to the nervous system, the preferential target of mercury, will be reflected at the physical level by tingling in the hands, a burning sensation with sleepiness of the lower limbs, a slight trembling of the fingers, eyelids or lips.
Other symptoms or certain diseases may also be related to mercury poisoning such as viral infections, mycoses, tuberculosis, cancer, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune diseases, thyroid gland disorders, certain allergies, and some dermatological problems.
Therefore, it is imperative to avoid having metal amalgams placed in the mouth and to favor dentists (who are familiar with the amalgam problem) who treat their patients with either composite resins or porcelain.
In conclusion, it would seem that the 150+ year old controversy is not about to die out and that the latest studies instead vindicate those who thought it was odd that the only place mercury was not a problem was in our mouths.