If you are like most people then you have probably never given a second thought to the metal fillings you have in your mouth.
But in fact metal amalgams are bad news. According to the World Health Organization (WHO Report 118) and Health Canada they are the primary source of human exposure to mercury for the general population. And yet they have been used by dentists for over 100 years and no clinical studies have ever been carried out.
If you are electrically sensitive they can represent a particular problem.
Metal fillings introduce a toxic metal into your bloodstream. Since metal conducts electricity, these feelings can act as an antenna and put further stress on your body.
We take in metals all the time, via our food, the air we breathe, our toxic environment so you have to look at reducing your exposure all round if you want to see improvements in your health.But having metal fillings put's aburden on your body 24/7.
If you are experiencing symptoms of ES then it's well worth considering having your fillings removed. You have to weigh up the pro’s and the cons. Ultimately if you are electrosensitive it boils down to how great your sensitivity is. If your sensitivity is extreme then you have probably got little to loose.
If you do choose have your amalgams removed then
– make sure you do it with a homeopathic doctor, preferably one who adheres to the guidelines of the IAOMT (International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology) who is going to be able to extract all the mercury, otherwise you could find yourself worse off than before
– make sure you undertake chelation therapy to remove the mercury, otherwise it’s a pointless exercise
Let me be clear, I am against amalgam dental fillings, if I had known before having the fillings in of the dangers then I would definitely chosen another option. But now I have got them I have decided to keep them….
By way of a presentation of this issue and to enable you to weigh up the pro's and cons, I would like to share with you the following video. Its of a Costa Mesa City Council meeting debating on whether to instigate a ban on mercury fillings.
Mercury Is Toxic
“Mercury is an incredibly toxic substance, and it’s in dental amalgams, and it’s also getting into our water system and a lot of other things. There’s a lot more information you’re going to hear in the next few minutes from the group. This is way overdue in the United States, and especially in California. It’s something Europe and some other countries are getting much further ahead of than we are, and it’s time we start talking about it and bringing it forward.
To the Council, I did hand out a Zogby polling – the results of Zogby Pilling, and I just wanted to point out two things in it: Number 47, that 94% of Californians believe that their dentists should be required to inform them of the various types of mercury and non-mercury fillings available before filling a cavity; and the following one, “Which would you be more likely to choose, given the option – higher cost fillings that contain no mercury, or lower cost fillings that are about 50% mercury?” In 80% of California would be with the higher cost and no mercury. As just stated, there’s mercury up to 50% in what we call silver fillings, which is kind of a misnomer, because obviously, if they’re 50% mercury and only 25% silver, then they’re mercury fillings.
But, with that, I would like to invite the folks from Californians For A Green Dentistry to give a presentation on my behalf. Thank you.
Anita Gonzalez-Tibau: Thank you for all your patience to get through all of these agendized items. Good evening, esteemed members of the Costa Mesa City Council. My name is Anita Gonzalez-Tibau, and I am the director of Californians For A Green Dentistry. I want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak with you tonight about a growing environmental concern in our community. The people here, and the hundreds who signed the petition to support the Monahan Resolution.
Mercury Pollution Unnecessary and Uncontrolled
Dental amalgam, which contains about 50% mercury, is a colossal source of unnecessary mercury pollution in our communities. It reaches our environment by numerous pathways – from dental offices, from household toilets, from crematoria, and from landfills.
There is no technology to control it once it leaves the dental office, and the vast majority is walking out of the dental offices in the mouths of humans. Entire countries, as Councilman Monahan indicated earlier, in Europe, have already recognized the environmental devastation wreaked by mercury, and they have banned the product and switched to numerous non-mercury alternatives in order to protect their water, air, and land.
It’s time we started doing our part to protect the environment, and to protect our own health from the dangers of environmental toxins such as dental mercury. Once in the environment, dental mercury is known to convert to an even more toxic form – methyl mercury. And, the environmental health effects are well documented.
Proposition 65 already tells us that dental amalgam, used in many dental fillings, causes exposure to mercury, a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects and other reproductive harm. And just recently, the EPA again confirmed that mercury leaches into the environment from dental offices, and that can cause neurological problems, especially in the developing nervous systems of unborn babies and children. And that is why Californians For Green Dentistry is taking action to protect our children and our community now…..
The True Cost Is High
Charlie Brown: Amalgam is a primitive, pre-Civil War product. A colossal pollutant. Dentistry, unfortunately, is the number two purchaser of mercury in this country, despite the fact that the decline that half the dentists don’t use it any more. The Sierra Club, and a number of other groups put together a report showing that half of the mercury in residence, in products, is in our mouths. Let’s not add to the problem because all that’s going to leave. The mercury currently being used gets in the water. Dental mercury is the largest contributor of mercury into the waste water. That means that the rate payers of Costa Mesa are paying for the cleanup. There’s a cost-shifting among the dentists still using amalgam so that your rate payers and taxpayers, here’s a good place to work. This whole waste, the mercury from our bodies, is a major mercury contributor.
Amalgam is not the lowest cost material on the small fillings, resin costs a little less on the small fillings according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But, amalgam on cost, the actual cost, the total cost, including the cost-shifting to the taxpayers, the parents who pay health bills, amalgam is the highest cost material going.
Why not shift, then, to mercury-free dentistry. Several Scandinavian countries have banned mercury amalgam, as Councilman Monahan pointed out. So the public that supports that ban was a different constituency, not Californians, that supported a ban seven to one.
I think, as a lawyer, dentistry is a kind of Achilles Heel. We lawyers have our problems, too, and one I noticed years ago was victims’ rights. Victims were shut out of the process by the prosecutors and defense lawyers. It took public opinion, it took the Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and a whole movement to basically force the victims into the court rooms over the objections of the lawyers – that was our mistake.The criminal justice system is much better. Well, dentistry is really just behind on this issue. This is the one issue they need to catch up with, and need a little push, just like we lawyers needed a push to include the victims.
Insurance is a problem, there’s no question about it, but several years ago, the California Dental Association and our group, we don’t always agree, worked together to end the system of amalgam only for the poor people in the MediCal and DentiCal system. We can do the same with insurance with the Monahan Resolution. It’s a powerful statement to the insurance industry. Send it to the insurance commissioner of California as well.
I salute what you’re doing. Here’s a transition to 21st century dentistry. Thank you, Councilmen, thank you.”
I don't believe electrosensitivity and mercury amalgams are compatible. But make sure removal is the right option for you and make sure you go about it in the right way.
Comments
Art Rose said,
In about 1992, I heard about the possible problem with mercury amalgams. I was interested because, at the time, it was difficult to get through the day without feeling miserable. By that time, I had a mouth full of mercury amalgams since childhood and was looking for any means of relief, besides medication. By the end of the day I couln’t think clearly, couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t string thoughts together without struggle, was irritable, poked at and stretched my jaws constantly. I was desperate. I decided to ask a dentist to remove the amalgams from either the bottom or top, I don’t recall. After the work, I felt as though a miracle had been performed. I felt 50% better (of course only 50% had been removed)but it may as well have been 100%, that’s how much better I felt compared to usual. A couple of years later, I had the other half done and the improvement took me close to 100% better. I don’t think that the amalgams were completely removed, as I still find myself poking at my jaws occasionally. There might have been a way for me to have measured if mercury was the culprit. I didn’t do that; however, the real measure was how much better I felt, so I’m sure that mercury was the issue. Perhaps any remaining mercury might be contributing to my electrosensitivity
Paul Von said,
Excellent article Lloyd! Mercury in the body migrates toward the highest electrical current potentials, just like the metallization process’s that take place in electronics circuit components. Larger meridians and ‘Chi’ junctions generally will attract metals deposits. The brain stem and several areas of the limbic system are the first areas affected. If you have mercury amalgams, get rid of them. Mercury is one of the most biologically toxic elements on the periodic table.
As Lloyd suggests, be SURE that you hire a dental person who is knowledgeable regarding the extraction and disposal process. Mercury is a biohazard!!! It is also important to eat high quality foods that alkalize blood Ph and reduce acid conditions in the stomach.
Richard Conrad Ph.D. biochemist said,
Lloyd, in response to your comment: “Being as metal conducts electricity, well the more metal you have in your body it seems the more sensitive you become:
If heavy metals are partly responsible for people becoming electrically sensitive, and they may very well be, the mechanism is not via their build-up acting as “antennas” for the following reason: all mammals have billions of times more electrically conductive Iron in their bodies (e.g. in hemoglobin), than they have heavy metals, even when the heavy metal burden is high. The actual mechanism is more indirect, and is probably a biochemical one – the same mechanism that makes heavy metals toxic: for example, about 1/2 of the enzymes in the body are metallo-enzymes, requiring an atom of Zinc or other metal at their active site to do their job. Mercury kicks the natural metal off the site and binds much more tightly, inactivating the enzyme. The heavy metals are bullies, not antennas.
Lloyd Burrell said,
That’s very interesting Conrad, what you say about the biochemical effect, but studies also point to an antenna effect….according to Dr Yoshiaki Omura the more your system is contaminated with heavy metals from silver amalgam fillings etc….. the more your body becomes a virtual antenna that actually concentrates radiation….. and Dr Theresa Dale says that if you have accumulated toxic metals in your brain, since your brain is an antenna, you can receive more mobile phone radiation. You can read more here http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/library/downloads/es-4-biology-2013-09.pdf
Paul Vonharnish said,
Hello Richard Conrad: Yes. Your closing statement is quite astute in that it recognizes binding site blockage created by the stronger electron charge of mercury versus other bio-metallic agents. The same phenomena could be said for lead or silver elementals – which are NOT needed and actually hazardous to the human body. One of the great deceptions occurring in the medical sciences, is the recommendation of “nano” Colloidal Silver preparations for anti-infective modalities. Just as lead, cadmium, and mercury; the introduction of these metals into the cellular processes is dangerous and extremely foolish.
The quote below is excerpted from “The Biology of ES” as Lloyd had recommended in response to your initial post. Please notice that Mr. Goldsworthy is using the term “electromagnetically induced” (a magnetic effect phenomena) rather than the common and oft repeated “electromagnetic radiation” which is an electron charge effect. Both are present in the case of electromagnetic field affects on the body, but as frequency is reduced in bandwidth, magnetic “induction” becomes more prominent. Please do refer back to this site and offer comment, as credentialed individuals need to express opinion in this very important time in human history. Thank you for your post.
[“Dr Andrew Goldsworthy suggested that “symptoms can be accounted for by an electromagnetically induced increase in the permeability of the cells of the nervous system that triggers their sensory cells to send false signals to the brain. These cells respond to normal stimulation by short circuiting the natural voltage that occurs across their membranes to give the so-called receptor potential. This triggers the release of neurotransmitters that make neighbouring nerve cells send impulses to the brain. Electromagnetically induced ion leakage also does this, and can result in false symptoms of heat, pressure, pins and needles, etc. depending on which cells are most affected. When the hair cells of the inner ear are affected, it results in tinnitus, dizziness and symptoms of motion sickness, including nausea”.”]
Richard Conrad Ph.D. biochemist said,
Hi Lloyd,
I have electrical sensitivities myself, and know it is very real. But many imaginary hypotheses about mechanism that are circulated around as being actual mechanisms damage our cause, because they weaken our credibility, especially if they conflict with logic. Logic such as the iron already in our bodies is far more conductive and potentially “antenna-like” than any heavy metal load, and this includes not only heme iron in our red blood cells, but the microwave absorbing magnetite iron crystals in most of our tissues, including the brain. And it is possible that no antenna mechanisms are relevant here, not even due to iron. In response to your comment to me, I just spent some time researching Omura and Dale on-line. Omura is an MD and his quote is just an opinion, not based on any science. Dale is a Naturopath, and her statement is also pure opinion, not based on scientific research. They have no references at all to back up their statements. Heavy metals may well predispose to EHS, but most probably not through a simplistic conductive “antenna” mechanism. I know a number of people who have low heavy metal burden, and yet are very EHS, and there are millions with a very high heavy metal burden and no overt EHS.
Paul Vonharnish said,
Dear Mr. Conrad: I had left a more concise reply to your initial post, but unfortunately it has not been displayed as yet. My position is that the human spine and neurological systems, are indeed designed to function as fractal antenna systems. Along with this factor, one must also consider the elemental role of fractal within formed DNA spirals. An introduction to this concept can be found here:
http://stopsmartmetersirvine.com/2013/02/16/dr-martin-blank-emfs-effect-on-dna/
Martin Blank has definitive data in support of his findings. Please search his name out for further information in regards to the above video presentation.
I’ve also researched the magnetite issue in depth. You are correct. Magnetite crystals are found in many life forms, and the polar effects prevail. Please refer to the excerpts as represented below.
Excerpted from: Characterization of a Spontaneous Nonmagnetic Mutant of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense Reveals a Large Deletion Comprising a Putative Magnetosome Island
“Magnetotactic bacteria are capable of forming magnetosomes, which are specific intracellular structures that enable the cells to orient along magnetic field lines (3, 4, 41). The superior crystalline and magnetic properties of magnetosomes make them potentially useful as a highly ordered biomaterial in a number of applications, e.g., in the immobilization of bioactive compounds, magnetic drug targeting, or as a contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging (24, 41). Recently, the characteristics of bacterial magnetosomes have even been considered for use as biosignatures to identify presumptive Martian magnetofossils (49). Moreover, understanding bacterial magnetosome formation is expected to provide insights into more complex biomineralization systems in higher organisms (19). The biomineralization of magnetosome particles is achieved by a complex mechanism with control over the uptake, accumulation, and precipitation of iron, which, however, is poorly understood at the molecular and biochemical level.”
“The magnetotactic α-proteobacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense microaerobically produces up to 60 cubo-octahedral magnetosomes, which are approximately 45 nm in size and consist of membrane-bounded crystals of the iron mineral magnetite (Fe3O4) (34, 42). In contrast to most other magnetotactic bacteria, methods for mass culture and genetic manipulation of M. gryphiswaldense are available (17, 38, 44), which has facilitated its analysis in a number of studies (37, 39, 40, 43).”
Complete text:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC193972/#r17
Excerpted from: Molecular Mechanisms of Compartmentalization and Biomineralization in Magnetotactic Bacteria
“How can these findings lead to unique applications? The enhanced knowledge of magnetosome formation should directly lead to applications centered on MB. Is it now possible to transfer a coherent set of genes to other organisms to produce magnetic minerals? Can the process be regulated in a defined manner in order to link the production of magnetosomes to specific environmental stimuli? Can magnetosomes be genetically modified to display desired proteins for various applications? Some of these efforts are already in progress and the continued dissection of the magnetosome formation process is sure to inspire even more sophisticated applications in the future.”
Complete text:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3540109/
Excerpted from: Common ancestry of iron oxide- and iron-sulfide-based biomineralization in magnetotactic bacteria
“A number of magnetosome-related genes, including mamA, mamB, mamE, mamI, mamM, mamP and mamQ, were recently found to be present in the genome of Candidatus Magnetobacterium bavaricum, a magnetite-producing MTB phylogenetically affiliated with the Nitrospirae phylum (Jogler et al., 2011). These genes not only show similar sequence homologies to others of their type, the organization of these genes show similar short intergenic distances between them and an identical direction of transcription, providing evidence that they are organized as an operon as described for other MTB (Schübbe et al., 2006). The presence of mam genes and their organization in the Nitrospirae and various classes of the Proteobacteria strongly supports a monophyletic origin for magnetite-based magnetotaxis. Because both the greigite-producing Ca. M. multicellularis and the magnetite-producing MTB share similar mam genes, the capability of magnetosome, regardless of whether they contain iron oxide or iron sulfide crystals, synthesis in all currently known MTB appears to be a result of the acquisition of mam genes by independent horizontal gene transfer events from a common ancestor during evolution.”
Complete text:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3176509/
Ruthy said,
I had developed sensitivity to aluminum 21 years ago and removed amalgam fillings and most other sources of aluminum. 2 years ago i developed ehs and because the dr was aware if my hx of sensitivity to mercury and aluminum and silver he immediately connected my new symptoms to ehs. It seems there is a correlation.
Kelly said,
I was looking for answers to my apparent sensitivity to electronic devices. Particularly ones that send electric current to increase circulation or even simply to reduce wrinkles. I have many silver fillings in my molars and didn’t give it much thought except that every time I try a device that emits electrical charges I have such acute symptoms I have to return it.
For example, I purchased a device that shoots electrical impulses through the feet up the legs in order to improve circulation. Upon trying this machine, even at the lowest frequency, I felt a throbbing pain in my jaws where my fillings are located. Not only the jaw pain but nausea and disorientation and a metal taste in my mouth. I returned the device. I would have thought nothimy of it except I tried another device that targets wrinkles, a wand instrument. On the lowest setting, I tried it 3 separate times and every time I experienced, immediate nausea, headaches and felt like I may even have seizures.
These side effects were not common but some were having them and no one was addressing the symptom or had any knowledge of the side effect.
I also am suffering from joint pain and will be seeing a Rheumatologist in August. In my case I do believe there is a relationship between the silver fillings and my sensitivity to electronic impulses.
Thank you so much for posting this information.
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