Heavy metal pollution - my issue?

To get straight to the point: only the laboratory test can clarify whether you are affected. If the load is small, be happy. However, if high values are detected, there is a considerable risk of chronic diseases. Before serious illnesses occur, chronic fatigue, listlessness and a drop in performance often occur.

 

Introduction to the problem

A patient from North Wales was a pivotal experience for me. As a 64-year-old she had researched and in 2013 went to the clinic where I was working as a senior doctor at the time. She had already given up her position on the board of a company in 1989 because she felt unable to work due to chronic fatigue syndrome. Since then she has been to the University Hospital in London twice a year. Here the diagnosis “chronic fatigue syndrome” was made. Strictly speaking, this is not a diagnosis, but a symptom complex and it would have been the task to find out what is behind the symptoms. Later, the diagnosis "osteoporosis" was added in the university clinic without in-depth diagnostics. Only when an overactive thyroid gland was to be treated with radioactivity did the patient look for new diagnostic methods outside of her country. I received plenty of preliminary findings without a clear diagnosis. When she arrived at our clinic, I immediately started the diagnostics: hormones, vital substances, laboratory for nitrostress and mitochondrial performance as well as heavy metals. Initially, low estradiol and progesterone levels were noticed, which is not unusual given the patient's age. However, the DHEA, which is mainly formed in the adrenal glands, was below the detection limit of laboratory possibilities and therefore very low. Again, this could not be explained by age, because such a drop after menopause is not normal. Finally, the heavy metal finding came and showed a significant increase in the lead concentration. Lead was obviously the cause of the symptoms, because people speak of "leaden tiredness" for a reason.  Lead paralyzes cell functions and thus also the hormone-producing organs. As a kind of stress reaction, an overactive thyroid can occur, which is often followed by an underactive one. This also explained the low DHEA value. DHEA is a power hormone and lead not only causes exhaustion through its direct effect on all body cells, but also through disruption of the hormone-producing organs and neurotransmitters. Before a low DHEA value becomes noticeable, other adrenal hormones such as adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisone are already reduced long before that. This disorder also leads to massive weakness.  These hormones can be determined, but it is more complex and expensive. In order not to overstrain my patient's wallet, I decided against it. As a pragmatist, I also try to proceed diagnostically as effectively and cost-effectively as possible, because patients must also be able to afford the diagnostics and therapy. Of course, other therapists can use shotgun diagnostics and claim that they do more than I do. For me, however, the question of necessity in connection with achieving the goal according to the guiding principle "as much as necessary and avoiding expensive and superfluous diagnostics" arises first and foremost.

Unfortunately, the patient could not afford a longer stay in Germany. I gave her the instructions for chelation therapy to take with her. However, she could not find a doctor in Great Britain who wanted to do the therapy. Instead, they sought out US publications that pointed out the dangers of chelation therapy. In Germany we have a long tradition in heavy metal detoxification and the perhaps well-intentioned advice from across the English Channel only testified to inexperience and theorizing in this area. The important chelating agent DMPS is not even approved in Great Britain and the USA.

The test results of my patients speak for themselves. Germans occasionally have high levels of lead and mercury. I found significantly higher levels of stress in patients from China, Thailand, Cambodia, South Africa and Angola. Other heavy metal contamination was also detectable here, such as aluminium, which is generally not elevated in Germans. But even with the relatively low levels of stress on the German patients, chelation therapy (heavy metal elimination) often led to an increase in performance and an improvement in symptoms such as migraines or headaches.

The most toxic non-radioactive metal is mercury. One source of this is the dental filling material amalgam. It is a practical, cheap and mechanically strong filling material. That is why it is also used en masse for tooth decay. Unfortunately, it is so toxic that removed amalgam cannot even be disposed of with the normal waste water in dental practices. It is classified as hazardous waste! The EU mercury regulation came into force on July 1st, 2018. Since then, amalgam can only be used on pregnant women, breastfeeding women or children under the age of 15 in exceptional, medically justified cases. What is an ordinance worth that allows the poisoning of the rest of the population? Maybe I'm a bit hasty with the question? Is mercury really classified as a poison?

Let's read the excerpts from a training platform for dentists "zm-online" from June 29th, 2018:

...The discussion about the use of amalgam in dental filling therapy has been going on again and again for several years. Amalgam is still one of the most researched materials in filling therapy worldwide. Despite the recurring discussion about the alleged dangers to patients from dental amalgam, there is "no reasonable suspicion that properly placed amalgam fillings have negative effects on the health of dental patients" [BfArM, 2005].

 

EU Mercury Regulation

In addition to purely medical aspects, however, environmental concerns must also be taken into account when using dental amalgam. In 2013, the United Nations agreed in the so-called Minamata Convention to contain the emission of mercury into the environment as much as possible. The contents of this agreement were adopted by the European Parliament in May 2017 in the “Mercury Regulation”. In addition to specifications for the general containment of mercury emissions, the ordinance also includes regulations that specifically relate to dental amalgam. Some regulations have been implemented in Germany for a long time. The ordinance provides for the mandatory use of amalgam separators from January 2019.

So, if I have understood that correctly, there is a risk to the environment from mercury emissions, but implantation in patients over the age of 14 who are not pregnant or   is harmless according to the judgment of our responsible federal approval authority BfArM (Federal Institute for pharmaceuticals and medical devices).

dr medical Joachim Mutter has done extensive research on the subject of environmental pollution and heavy metals and has created a great summary of treatment options in his exciting book "DON'T LET YOU POISON". Personally, I owe him a lot, since detoxification is a difficult topic and he supported me in preparing a lecture. I will therefore always write about facts from his book and these passages with an "M" for Dr. mark mother.

He reports on the Tübingen amalgam study and describes how half of the 20,000 participants had so much amalgam in their saliva that the limit values for drinking water in Germany were exceeded several times. In 2002, a Finnish working group found that 20% of the participants had such high levels of mercury in their saliva that they were above the applicable values for waste water. (M)

As already described, mercury is the most toxic non-radioactive element. It is considered the sixth most toxic of 6,000,000 known substances. It is 10 times more destructive to nerve cells than lead and 3 times more potent than arsenic or cadmium. Amalgam is classified as a highly toxic hazardous waste once it is outside of the human mouth. In contrast to the other poisons mentioned, mercury can already evaporate at room temperature. Our body absorbs the highly toxic vapors through the lungs, but they can also penetrate the skin and mucous membranes and reach the brain directly from the nerve endings in the mouth and nose and throat area and from the olfactory nerve via the nerve tracts. (M)

In general, the mercury vapors are the greatest danger. Pure mercury is relatively safe to swallow. It is relatively incomprehensible to me why light bulbs containing mercury could be approved before the LED era. Accidentally breaking   in space will result in mercury poisoning.

The half-life for mercury in the brain is 30 years. That means it takes 30 years for the brain to break down half of the toxin, but only if no new mercury is ingested in that time. In vitro studies (outside the body) showed that even extremely low concentrations of mercury cause massive damage to nerve cells (0.02 ng/g in one experiment, 36 ng/g in another). These concentrations are more than 1000 times or almost 10 times lower than the mean values that could be detected in brain samples from deceased amalgam carriers.(M)

Are we protected in our country by legislation, the BfArM and the applicable limit values?

Studies on gold miners in the Philippines who were exposed to mercury vapor showed that, despite clinical signs (symptoms) of mercury poisoning, the levels for mercury in urine, blood or hair that applied in Germany were largely below the limit values. Their readings would therefore be considered “not mercury-poisoned” in this country and the men would not receive any money from the trade association. (M)

I believe the question has been answered. In our country, limit values are apparently set according to the budgetary situation. A connection between chronic diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's disease and dementia can always be disputed, since nobody has an interest in funding a study that could prove this. Thus, even in the case of a highly heavy metal-poisoned patient who develops cancer, the connection can be denied. A clean study would also not be possible, since there are always multiple loads and it cannot be proven which of the heavy metals is responsible for the development of cancer. An extremely comfortable starting position for the legislature!

Diet and amalgam fillings play a particularly important role in mercury intake in the general population. Dietary intake in Germany and the USA is around 6 µg/day; in Sweden about 8 µg/d and in Japan about 18 µg/day. The intake from amalgam fillings is 0.5 to 15 µg/day, depending on the number and quality. My numerous series of measurements showed that the mercury and heavy metal pollution in general in Asia is much higher than here. In Asia, significantly more heavy metals are ingested through food and also through contaminated air. The choice of food fish is also crucial for the intake. Tuna has about 1000 mcg/kg of mercury and local trout about 40 mcg/kg. Wholemeal bread contains about 25 mcg/kg and white bread and pork about 15 mcg/kg  mercury. From this we can see that mercury is everywhere, even in the fields and in the relatively clean streams.

 

As already mentioned, mercury is not the only contamination. Alter Blumer and Dr. An 18-year study started by Elmar Cranton confirmed the danger of lead emissions.

1958 Municipality of Netstal (Switzerland): family doctor Dr. With increasing traffic volume, Blumer registered increasing complaints in the community, especially among residents of the thoroughfare: headaches, fatigue, nerve problems, gastrointestinal problems, changes in personality, depression. His suspicion: The cause lies in the car exhaust fumes. At that time, the place  passed 4000 vehicles/day with leaded petrol with an increase to 8000 vehicles/day by 1968.

Study :

Start of an 18-year observational study from 1959:

Of 231 subjects, 31 (17 m, 14 f) died of malignant tumors. 28 of the 31 subjects were 10 years or longer on Hauptstr. used to and most were in their houses almost constantly. dr Blumer treated those who consented with EDTA as chelation therapy. 30 of 172 died from the group not treated with EDTA (17.4%). 1 in 59 died from the group treated with EDTA (1.7%). Result: 10-fold higher cancer mortality without EDTA treatment (P=0.002).

This also proved the harmfulness of lead and the high effectiveness of chelation therapy. And we remember: mercury is significantly more dangerous than lead.

The limit values for heavy metal pollution are clearly too high. They are based in part on the average exposure of the population already exposed. 10,000 years ago the values were certainly below the neighborhood limit.

The University of Cambridge provided an interesting result: the drill core of a Welsh glacier was examined for lead. This shed light on the emission over several centuries. Notable deviation: 1349-1353 lead concentration below the detection limit. Why was no lead detectable in these 4 years? Response from Harvard historians: Plague pandemic with the result that about 30-50% of Europeans died. Apparently, miners from the lead mines in England and the Harz Mountains were also affected. Chronicles and tax books show that lead mining and processing came to a complete standstill during this period.

Conclusion of the study: the pre-industrial concentration of lead was also man-made and limit values for lead should be reconsidered against this background.

For me it is enough to indicate that the limit values for all heavy metals should be reconsidered.

 

Mercury used to be mixed into vaccines. These productions are now only supplied to developing countries. In this country, aluminum is now added instead. But that's no better either, since aluminum makes the mercury already present in the body four times more toxic (M). Aluminum is also associated with the development of breast cancer. There are many other heavy metals that do not belong in our bodies. In principle, it is not just a specific heavy metal that is harmful, but the sum total.

 

The test procedures

The heavy metal concentrations can easily be determined with the heavy metal test. There are a wide variety of claims regarding the test procedure. Some therapists have a blood sample analyzed. The result is not representative because heavy metals are often found in the interstitium, the intercellular space and in the cells. With a cheating agent like DMPS, the metals can be mobilized from the intercellular space and then detected in the urine. The metals bound in the cells cannot be detected directly. Physiologically, however, there is always a certain balance between the concentrations inside and outside the cells. Therefore, the concentration in the cells can be estimated relatively well. Some advocate hair analysis. The examination is prone to failure due to stresses that are applied to the hair from the outside and, in the opinion of Dr. mother and in my opinion not suitable for estimating the total stored heavy metals. There are also a number of scanning methods. For example, a measuring probe is placed on the surface of the hand and a PC very quickly determines the supposed exposure to individual heavy metals. A colleague once said that the measurements are reproducible, i.e. the same results appear with repeated measurements, but nobody knows what is actually being measured. also dr Mother expressed skepticism when I asked him about it. I tested such a device. The concurrent laboratory analyzes often did not agree with the scan results. That's why I'm still going the conservative route of laboratory testing.

The procedure is simple. After emptying the bladder, the patient is injected with 1 amp. DMPS. Then he drinks 1-2 glasses of water and after an hour or two the patient takes a urine sample, usually already at home. The sample is sent by mail to the laboratory for analysis. The results can then be discussed. 37 metals are determined: silver, aluminum, arsenic, gold, boron, barium, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, cesium, copper, iron, gallium, gadolinium, germanium, mercury, indium, iridium, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel , Lead, Palladium, Platinum, Antimony, Selenium, Tin, Strontium, Titanium, Thallium, Uranium, Vanadium, Tungsten, Tin, Zirconium.

Some prefer the urine test before and after administration of the chelating agent. This way you can see how the values deteriorate from the first to the second sample.  I have done this in the past, but as I gained experience I wondered what an advantage it gave the patient. Ultimately, the examination will only be twice as expensive. The price per analysis is around €130. There is also a one-time fee of €18  for the DMPS.

It makes more sense to save the money for the 2nd test after several chelation sessions to check the detoxification. Then there is the discussion about the appropriate chelating agent for the test. DMPS binds all heavy metals relatively well. Only for lead and aluminum are there more suitable ones. However, if you have experience with the DMPS test, it is not so important whether a little less lead and aluminum is displayed. It is important that these metals can be detected by DMPS and that the values can then be correctly assessed based on experience, even if they would be higher with other chelating agents. Some choose EDTA as a test substance. This primarily binds lead. The other heavy metals are then less detectable.

 

Increased heavy metal levels - background to detoxification

If the values are elevated, drainage with chelate infusions makes sense. Depending on the load, choosing the right chelating agent is important. I usually start with DMPS. EDTA should not be started if elevated mercury levels have been detected. EDTA can then move mercury into the cells (M). Some also recommend alpha lipoic acid because it enters the cell and can transport heavy metals from the cell to the DMPS. True, but in my opinion this recommendation reflects a lack of biochemical and physiological understanding: before alpha lipoic acid gets into the cell, it certainly combines with heavy metals outside the cell and drags them into the cell. There is then no longer any binding capacity for heavy metals in the cell, since it is already occupied. In the best case, alpha lipoic acid removes the heavy metal from the cell again, but then nothing is gained. However, since alpha-lipoic acid also enters into other compounds in the cell, it certainly loses heavy metals in the cell. This is problematic. That's why I only use alpha lipoic acid when heavy metals outside the cell have been sufficiently removed. With chelating agents, it is no better than with container carriers. They too sometimes lose part of their load during transport. We do detect the excreted heavy metals in the urine, but that doesn't mean that the chelating agents deliver everything in the urine. Along the way they lose heavy metals, which are then deposited somewhere. Heavy metals in particular, which are to be excreted via the intestines, can get back into the body through the intestinal wall to a large extent. To minimize these unintended pathways, additional substances such as chlorella should be given. The detoxification organs kidneys and liver should also be supported with homeopathic and herbal medicines. If all the measures are taken into account, effective detoxification can be proven, which also leads to an improvement in well-being. I was surprised myself when I treated a young woman from Angola, who was mainly exposed to mercury, with chelate infusions for 3 weeks. At the end of the therapy she not only felt much more efficient and better, but her facial expression was clearly more energetic and beautiful.

 

Symptoms and diseases associated with heavy metal exposure:

Anemia, allergies, autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis,  high blood pressure, hair loss, respiratory diseases, joint pain, skin diseases such as depigmentation, hyperkeratosis, neurodermatitis, psoriasis, nail changes, arteriosclerosis, cardiac arrhythmias, immune deficits and susceptibility to infections, osteoporosis, liver diseases, neurological Symptoms such as paraesthesia (deafness), ataxia (unsteady gait), speech disorders, hearing and vision disorders, paralysis, gastrointestinal complaints, kidney damage, mental abnormalities (mood swings, nervousness, depression, anxiety, behavioral abnormalities, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, dementia), psychomotor deficits ( Poor reading and writing), hyperactivity, headaches, migraines, Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia, infertility (not only in polar bears).

 

The Japanese are now refusing to buy whale meat because it is contaminated with heavy metals.

Don't we notice anything? The cause of masses of washed-up whales, most of which die, is probably easy to determine. Noise from ships and derricks certainly affects the marine mammals' sense of direction, as is always claimed, but is that really the main reason? Isn't a heavy metal-related dementia, which could lead to disorientation of the whales, much more likely? This seems obvious to me when animals being dragged back out to sea have nothing better to do than head straight back down the old fateful course onto land. Even short-term memory appears to be severely impaired. Because whales are not stupid by nature. Why has none of our scientists investigated this question yet?

The practical approach to detoxification:

It must be checked whether the patient is still carrying heavy metal sources such as amalgam. Removal by an experienced dentist with the appropriate suction devices is always advisable in order to remove the source of the poisoning. But if the patients cannot afford this, draining is still useful to reduce concentration.

The patient receives instructions for therapy, especially for taking the necessary food supplements and herbal remedies to support the detoxification process.  It is not so important at what intervals the exits are made. Any chelation infusion will leach out heavy metals. Going too rushed can put too much strain on the patient. The good metals are also washed out to a small extent. It is therefore important to check the minerals and especially the iron in between, so that an impending deficiency is recognized in good time. Every 2nd infusion is a routine measure to replenish the trace elements. With this procedure, side effects can be largely avoided even in difficult patients.

 

A break can then be taken after a chelation series with a sufficient reduction in stress. After 6 months, a test should be made again. Higher values are usually found again. This is mostly due to the fact that heavy metals have drifted out of the cells and are now being picked up again by the chelating agent. New poisoning, for example due to amalgam that is still present, also plays a role in the increase in concentration. Now a few more infusions should be done until the values are sufficiently reduced again.  Detoxification is always a long process, as is intoxication.

In the end, the patient regains the vitality and performance that he thought he had forgotten.