Mercury and Other Heavy Metals

Mercury is one of the most poisonous naturally occurring substances on earth.  Many of us are being exposed to levels of mercury that over time can significantly damage the nervous and immune systems.  This exposure comes from vaccinations, medications, broken thermometers, contaminated fish, dental amalgams, antiseptics, and industrial usage.  Large fish such as sharks, swordfish, and large tuna have some of the highest mercury levels of any edible seafood (canned tuna is from smaller species and has considerably less mercury than larger tuna).  But we get almost seven times more mercury exposure from dental amalgams as from fish.  Multiple vaccinations in newborns and small children are a major source of childhood mercury exposure.  Flu vaccines are a frequent cause of mercury exposure in people of all ages, but are especially dangerous to young children and the elderly, and they offer little protection against yearly flu virus strains.  Mercury and other heavy metals like cadmium, aluminum, lead, copper and iron greatly increase free-radical production within the cell.  They also inhibit the function of antioxidant enzymes, which puts cells at great risk for injury and disease.  Mercury can also affect neurotransmitters in the brain and the brain tends to retain more mercury than other organs, putting the nervous system at risk and contributing to neurological problems. 

Nutrition is of fundamental importance in reducing the toxic impact of mercury and other heavy metals.  Healthy food and appropriate supplements can protect the body on many levels by strengthening cell membranes and protecting DNA, improving cellular energy production, protecting the detoxifying enzyme systems in the cells and liver, chelating mercury, and reducing inflammation.  Hair analysis is one way to discover heavy metal levels in the body.  Chelation of these metals can then be done through supplemented nutrients.  This should always be done with the help of a natural health professional.  Mercury amalgams should be removed from the mouth using the dental protocol by the International Academy for Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT).  Mercury containing thermometers should be properly disposed of as hazardous material and replaced with digital ones.  All vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal (which contains mercury) should be avoided. 

*Source: Health and Nutrition Secrets that can save your life by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. (2006).