Please Read--ALA and DMSA for Autoimmune Issues / Was DMSA

[Guest guest]

I was disappointed to see no one replied to your DMSA post, lentams, as I know

there are some mercury-toxic people in this LDN group that are also in my

Frequent Dose Chelation group (which actually deals with DMSA and the removal of

heavy metals). In any case, DMSA is an oral chelator and was designed many years

ago to safely remove lead in children. It has also been found to be a very

effective mercury chelator. Mercury is a terribly nasty heavy metal that can

cause all kinds of sickness and disease. I think the best thing to do at this

point is just to tell you my story. It's long, but I think it may be an eye

opener for many of you on this forum whom are sick and haven't explored mercury

or other heavy metals as the absolute root cause of your illness.

I had not felt good for about 8 years, although my symptoms started off as vague

ones and I was able to ignore them for a long time. I would complain to my

doctor and she ran all kinds of tests but everything looked just fine. At that

time, I was in law school and so she figured I must be totally stressed out. She

told me I had anxiety and started to treat me for that. I didn't feel that that

was the case, but she was the doctor and so I just went along with it. I never

really felt any better though and so the only thing that happened was that any

time I told someone I did not feel good, they thought it was all in my head.

In January 2008, I was under more stress than usual. I woke up one morning and

could not get out of bed. I was experiencing all my symptoms 10 times worse than

what they usually were. I felt like a new born baby--I could not sit up and had

no muscle control. I was having internal and external tremors--sometimes it felt

like I was leaning up against a generator and my body was being vibrated from

the inside out; other times, I could actually see different part of my body

shaking but there was nothing I could do about it. My joints hurt terribly, I

would bruise easily, I couldn't concentrate, was forgetful, my muscles twitched,

I had headaches, acid reflux, dizziness, fatigue, weird sensory feelings like

burning, tingling and numbness, my hair was falling out, I was really tired,

extremely weak, no energy---it was not a pretty picture.

At that point, I started to research my symptoms online and everything pointed

to an autoimmune disorder. I went to my doctor and asked that she test my ANA

levels. Sure enough, it came back that I had elevated ANA levels with a 1:160

titre and a Nucleolar pattern. She was shocked. I was happy to know I may have

had an actual answer as to what was going on with me! I immediately went to see

a Rheumatologist, who did not believe my lab results because they were so " rare "

and because he had had several patients that had come in over the last few

months with that same cellular pattern. To make a long story short, my labs came

back for the second time just the same and he diagnosed me with possible

Scleroderma and Lupus--two non-curable, chronic diseases. He told me things were

only going to get worse and that besides putting me on steroids, there was

nothing he could do for me. It was pretty depressing to be 30 years old and

think that your life was pretty much over.

I felt terrible, but I was determined not to have to be put on steroids because

I knew that they could do terrible things to your body. What's more, I did not

have the hallmarks of either Scleroderma or Lupus (no hard skin, no mylar rash,

no photo-sensitivity). Things did not quite fit together in my head or in my

heart. I was praying a lot for direction (and because I felt so bad) and I

started to research what other things might be caused by my " very specific "

Nucleolar pattern. God was really good to me because he started to put medical

journal articles in my path that I was able to freely access and actually

understand.

One particular medical journal article that I was directed to was about rats

that were exposed to low levels of mercury. These rats became sick with

Lupus-like symptoms and started produce the very specific Nucleolar antibodies

that I also display. 'Mercury?' I thought, 'Well, that's fine for the rats that

were actually purposely exposed to it, but where would I have ever picked up

something like that? Surely it couldn't be from the mercury fillings in my mouth

that the American Dental Association (ADA) and FDA both says are completely

safe!' At that point, I began to research metal fillings and their potential

effects on people's health. (I had 7 fillings.)

I found some very interesting information online with regard to Mercury

poisoning. It was the very first time I have seen most all of my symptoms

described together. It is like I wrote it myself:

" ...The primary symptoms of mercury-poisoning are vague psychic ones. Short-time

memory deteriorates. You will find it difficult to concentrate on tasks which

require attention and thinking. It is easier to execute tasks that are well

known rather than to learn something new. You avoid social contacts which demand

that you get out of your introvert behavior. You loose your temper easily and

switch between different moods for no particular reason. Little by little, a

more physical kind of exhaustion is added to the condition. More and more effort

is required to initiate activities and you sometimes break things due to

inability to co-ordinate your movements with your visual impressions (ataxia).

Headaches, minor involuntary muscle spasms or ticks within groups of muscles can

also appear. Hands and feet become easily cold, attacks of dizziness or vertigo

can occur, and periodically you may find it difficult to focus your eyes and to

see clearly. Joint and muscle pains, stiffness, lumbago (lower back pain) and

similar symptoms often appear at an early stage. They can be caused or increased

by low availability of the trace element selenium. Nervous heart, sometimes

accompanied by a week pulse, sometimes by a hard pulse, creates a feeling of

anxiety. You don't sleep well, you wake up stiff and never feel thoroughly

rested. As a whole, you need more sleep than before, and you are constantly

tired. Some individuals develop pronounced intestinal and stomach disturbances.

Bloating is common and diarrhea can alternate with constipation. 50 to 200

micrograms of mercury from each amalgam can pass daily through the

gastrointestinal tract. There is usually irritation where mercury first

interacts with tissues. The upper respiratory tract easily becomes chronically

inflamed and symptoms in mouth appear. The gums bleed when you brush your teeth,

red and white irritations (lichen, leukoplakia) arise, blisters and sensitivity

to certain nutritives develop, your teeth ache, the whole jaw can become more or

less inflamed, and some persons develop sinusitis. Metal taste in your mouth is

a direct sign of metal-poisoning (mercury, copper). The more poisoned you are,

the more serious and chronic your problems become. The pituitary gland will be

affected, which often leads to frequent urination. When the thyroid gland is

affected, secondary effects on the metabolism can appear. Both glands accumulate

mercury. Neurological symptoms such as numbness, hypersensitivity and paralysis

exacerbate. It is often hard to determine if the cause is in the nervous or

circulatory systems... "

I quickly learned that mercury is more poisonous than any other metal on earth

except for plutonium. Although the safety of dental filling material containing

mercury has been debated in dental circles since the 1800's, the official

opinion of the ADA is that when mercury is combined with other metals and used

in dental amalgam fillings, the toxic properties of mercury are rendered

harmless. However, there exists a growing awareness among health care

practitioners and researchers that this is not the case and that a significant

amount of mercury is released by these fillings to cause health problems,

especially in susceptible individuals (like myself). Research has demonstrated

that mercury vapor is continuously released from amalgam fillings in measurable

quantities from the moment fillings are inserted into teeth. Mercury is inhaled,

swallowed and absorbed directly in the mouth. I would urge everyone to watch

this video when you can: http://iaomt.org/videos/

Studies have linked mercury exposure with a number and variety of illnesses

including allergies, chronic fatigue, Fibromyalgia, MS, Lupus, Autism,

Alzheimer's, depression, anxiety, GI disorders (such as IBS and Chron's), immune

systems suppression, thyroid problems, periodontal disease, neurological

problems, reproductive disorders, birth defects, kidney disease, heart problems,

hypertension, respiratory disorders, skin disease, and the list goes on and on.

Mercury can interfere with any process or organ in the body, since it is

poisonous to all cells, but it has a marked effect on the immune system. This

has been shown by research indicating the presence of mercury amalgam fillings

in the mouth reducing the immune system efficiency by one-third to one-half. If

a person has a chronic health problem for which a cause has not be found and

mercury fillings are present in the mouth, mercury toxicity may be a

contributing factor. It is also important to note that while someone like me may

be genetically predisposed to extreme mercury sensitivity, others may be toxic

and not even know it. Somehow, someway though, if you are toxic, it will

eventually catch up with you. Click here for a comprehensive list of mercury

poisoning symptoms: http://curezone.com/dental/mercury_symptoms.asp

At this point, I must disclose to you that while the ADA still touts mercury

amalgams as being safe, it seems that they have the most to gain by making this

declaration because they are the ones that own two patents on the amalgams!

Furthermore, in a recent development, the FDA has been forced (through legal

action) to put up a disclaimer about the potential dangers of mercury amalgams

in pregnant and/or lactating women and children. As soon as the FDA did this,

the ADA removed any and all references to the FDA in all of their literature

about the safety of dental amalgams.

Even if one does not have any silver fillings in their mouth, they are not

necessarily in the clear with regard to mercury. One does not ever need to have

had a mercury amalgam to have high levels of mercury in their system. Research

shows that while we indeed get a steady stream of mercury from our amalgams, we

get even more in our diet and just from the environment in general. What's more,

people who once had amalgams, but have since had them removed (without using a

biological dentist), can be almost positive that they have high levels of

mercury toxicity. Further, people who are genetically sensitive to mercury and

whose mothers had mercury fillings could get plenty of mercury to cause disease

just by being in their mother's womb, and then being breast fed.

So why hasn't your dentist told you about the dangers of mercury amalgams? Two

reasons: 1) they just don't know any better because the ADA is telling them the

mercury fillings are safe (they have been duped just like you and me); and 2) if

they do happen to know better (and some of them do), they are not allowed to

suggest that you get your fillings removed for health purposes BECAUSE THEY CAN

LOSE THEIR LICENSE! The ADA will, and has, taken the licenses of dentists who

have spoken out about the dangers of mercury. In the absence of a defective

filling, a dentist must wait for the patient to ask for his/her amalgams to be

removed; they cannot suggest that you remove them!

There is a highly specialized way of removing amalgams that involves filters,

oxygen/gas masks for the dentist, nurses and patient, full body covers,

protective eyewear, heavy suction of mercury vapors, and more. Most dentists are

not trained in this area and therefore, a Biological/Holistic/Environmental

Dentist should be consulted. Even if one is getting a mercury filling out and

having it replaced with a white composite for aesthetic reasons, this very

specialized procedure needs to be followed. If not, you will most assuredly

expose yourself to dangerous levels of mercury vapors and particulate that can

cause massive damage to your system. It is definitely worth noting here that

when mercury is shipped to dentists to be put in your mouth, it comes in a

bio-hazard container. Then, when the mercury is removed from your mouth--whether

by a regular or biological dentist--it is placed in a hazardous waste container

and disposed of accordingly.

Anyway, after I had done all this research on mercury, I then began to discover

a connection between mercury and the fungus, Candida. Candida is a nasty little

form of yeast that actually feeds off the mercury and then reeks its own havoc

throughout one's entire body. Dr. J. Trowbridge has written in his book " The

Yeast Syndrome, " that some doctors specializing in Candida treatment have

reported to him that they have discovered clinically that 98% of their patients

with chronic Candida also had mercury toxicity. As you can see, the relationship

between these two things is highly symbiotic. Candida can be present, and often

times is, in a person without mercury toxicity; however, if one has heavy metals

in their body and does not detoxify themselves of these metals before killing

off the Candida, the Candida is just going to grow back. Have a yeast problem

you haven't ever been able to fully eradicate? Most likely, you are dealing with

heavy metal toxicity as well.

Candida causes a plethora of health problems and is very hard to diagnose

because the symptoms vary from individual to individual. Many times, a person

suffering from Candida will be told that their symptoms are " all in their head "

or that they are " just getting older " and that it's just a part of life. There

are many estimates that 84% of the population is suffering from Candida. Even if

a person has no heavy metals present in their body, Candida should be considered

as a cause of illness. To see a pretty comprehensive list of the symptoms

Candida can cause, click here: http://www.stopcandida.com/candida-symptoms.htm.

My next step was to go to an alternative health care practitioner in Tampa

(where I lived at the time) and ask that she check me out for heavy metals,

Candida and some other things that I thought could be wrong with me. Around the

middle of July, my lab work came back and I found out that I not only had very

high levels of mercury in my body, I also had very high levels of lead! The fact

that lead and mercury are present together means that they act in conjunction

with each other to do 100 times worse damage to my system than if I just had one

or the other alone. I was also highly positive for the Candida, being ranked a

Class 5 out of a Class 6. The Candida was not only present in my stool, it was

also in my blood.

The heavy metal poisoning, combined with the Candida, had caused my adrenal

glands to fail. The adrenal glands regulate cortisol levels, which in turn

stimulates conversion of proteins to carbohydrates, supports blood sugar levels,

and promotes glycogen storage in the liver – thereby providing the body with the

energy it needs to function well. Unbalanced adrenal glands can contribute to

bad metabolic rate, a weak immune system, low energy levels, and abnormal sleep

states.

As I said above, because my adrenal glands were not working, I was not producing

very much cortisol. Low cortisol levels have been observed in patients with

different stress-related disorders such as Panic/Anxiety Disorders, Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Low cortisol

leads to enhanced stress sensitivity, pain and fatigue. People go through high

stages of cortisol first, and then as the adrenals continue to burn out, the

levels get lower and lower. High or low cortisol can be caused by mercury

toxicity.

I also have primary hypothyroidism, which I suspected all along, but it took a

full review of my medical charts to see the escalating trend in my TSH levels.

My neurotransmitters were all over the place, which is also contributing to the

anxiety, fatigue, poor mental function and muscle weakness. The combination of

all of these things meant that my body was just completely overwhelmed.

So now that I had figured out my problem, I needed a solution! I found a

biological dentist here in West Palm Beach (we moved here in August 2008) that

happens to be one of the front-runners of the mercury-free movement. He has been

on talk shows and radio programs, written books, articles, etc. I met with this

dentist right after I moved down here and set up an appointment to get my

amalgams removed. In August 2008, I had all my fillings removed and replaced

with biocompatible materials.

Dr. Meddlock, my dentist, directed me to Dr. Glenn Chapman, an " integrative

medicine " M.D. here in WPB, who recommended oral chelation using a combination

of DMSA, EDTA, ALA, chlorella, garlic, etc. After about a week on the program, I

felt so on edge and unlike myself that I had to stop the therapy. I did some

more research and saw that 1) the product I was using really wasn't the safest

way to chelate, and 2) if you have thyroid and/or adrenal problems, you MUST

support them first before starting any chelation. I also suspected that I could

get a little physical relief by treating my candida, even though I know that

there is research that shows candida may never truly be able to be eradicated as

long as there are heavy metals present in one's body.

Not too long after I stopped the harmful chelation protocol that my doctor had

me on, I discovered the Group, " Frequent Dose Chelation. " This is a group

that follows Dr. Cutler's chelation method, which uses low, slow and

frequent dosing of DMSA and ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid). I know some of you on here

take ALA on a daily basis. It is also in many multivitamins. ALA is a powerful

antioxidant. It is also a mercury chelator. It crosses the blood brain barrier

and freely moves in and out of the body's cells. DMSA is also a mercury

chelator, but it is not fat or lipid soluble and therefore cannot move in and

out of the cells or cross the blood brain barrier. ALA chelates mercury out of

the intracellular and extracellular spaces in the body and DMSA chelates mercury

out of the extracellular spaces in the body.

The thing about both ALA and DMSA is that they have a half-life of about 3-4

hours. Essentially, this means that after you take either one of them, they will

start to attach to the mercury in the body by forming a chemical bond. That bond

then moves the mercury into the body's bile, and later out of the body entirely

by way of urine, excrement and even sweat. Now, the issue here is that if one

takes only a single dose of either ALA or DMSA, they will certainly start to

move the mercury around in their body. The problem is that the mercury will not

be expelled by the body by the time the ALA and/or the DMSA's half-life is up.

In 3-4 hours, the ALA/DMSA becomes ineffective, thereby dropping the mercury it

had bonded with and essentially allowing the mercury to redistribute to any and

all areas of the body. This actually ends up doing more harm than good! The

higher milligrams one takes of the ALA/DMSA, the more mercury is mobilized; the

more mercury that is mobilized, the more mercury is dropped at the end of the

ALA/DMSA's half-life; the more mercury that is dropped at the end of the

ALA/DMSA's half-life, the more mercury is free to be redistributed around the

body causing all sorts of problems and side effects (some temporary, others

permanent). So, you can see what a dilemma this creates.

Now, Dr. Cutler's method advocates the taking of ALA/DMSA in small amounts to

start off with. One usually starts with about 12.5 mgs of DMSA and/or ALA. Some

people have to start lower since they have a hard time tolerating the chelators.

The ALA/DMSA is taken at 3-4 hour intervals (indicative of their half-life), for

3 days on and at least 3 days off. The chelators are to be taken even at night,

meaning one has to wake every 3-4 hours to take them. This methodology ensures

that the mercury that has been pulled out remains bonded to the chelators as

they are pulling the mercury out of the body. The redistribution is minimal,

thus lessening the side effects and diminishing any chance of further harm from

the mercury.

You can see more about Dr. Cutler's protocol here: www.noamalgam.com.

In May of 2009, before I had begun chelation, I was diagnosed with Primary

Sjogren's Syndrome. Out of all the autoimmune diseases, this is probably the

best one to have. However, if I had a choice, I would rather have none of them!

In my case, and in the cases of many others, I believe that SOMETHING is causing

our autoimmunity. Mercury and the damage that mercury has done to my body is

what I am concentrating on right now. Remove the mercury (and lead in my case),

and perhaps my body can start to right itself. I have heard testimonies of

people with MS, Alzheimer's, Lupus, Sleroderma, Crohn's, and many other

autoimmune diseases that are now totally healed after successful chelation. The

way I look at it, conventional medicine has done nothing for me but tell me that

my autoimmune disease cannot be cured, and that what I have is chronic and

progressive. I don't know about you, but that's not good enough for me. I am

going to do everything I can to get to the bottom of this and to allow my body

to heal. If you join the frequent dose message board, you will see on there that

a lot of people are suffering from autoimmunity, chronic fatigue syndrome,

fibromyalgia, etc. Many have reversed their autoimminuty by chelating.

I began my chelation in August 2009. Since that time, I have seen great

progress. I am not as achy, I can think more clearly and speak more clearly and

I am not as anxious or withdrawn. My vision has seemed to improve too (my eye

prescription went down when I saw the optometrist last month). My muscle

twitches are gone and I don't have any more numbness, tingling or burning. I am

stronger, in general, do not have as much pain sensitivity, can handle stress

better, and many, many other things that I am just not listing here. It is

important to note that before I began chelation, I did have to work on my

thyroid, my adrenals and my hormones, as they were all out of whack. I

purposefully put off chelation until I got these things under control.

Almost two months ago (so about 6 months after I began chelation) I got on LDN.

I did this because 1) I had heard it helps with autoimmune issues, and 2) there

are people in my Frequent Dose Chelation Group that use it and say their

chelation side effects are much, much less. So I figured I was the perfect

candidate. I was right. LDN has been like the missing piece in my puzzle. I was

having trouble raising my dosage of DMSA and I had not even added in ALA yet.

After about 2 weeks on the LDN, I was able to go from 12 mgs of DMSA to 20 mgs

of DMSA and 8 mgs of ALA. And I have been feeling NO side effects from

redistribution. In addition, I have noticed a great improvement in my stamina,

mental well being, and just overall health. This past month, I joined a gym and

can now work out for almost 2 hours. Considering I was bed-ridden two years ago,

I would say that this is a pretty amazing feat. Make no mistake, I want to take

nothing away from my Lord and Savior because He has been providing me with

wisdom and discernment this whole way through. He has provided great doctors,

wonderful friends and amazing support groups. I have grown as a person and a

Christian in these last two years and quite frankly, if I didn't get one bit

better than I am today, I would be just fine with that. There is something to be

said about having a peace that passes all understanding. When one relinquishes

control and gives everything to God, s/he finds an amazing peaceful rest that

words just cannot explain. In any case, I hope that my post, though pretty

long-winded, has given you a general idea of the mercury/disease connection and

the benefits of DMSA/ALA--IF TAKEN PROPERLY. If anyone has ANY questions, please

let me know and I will be happy to answer them.

God Bless you all!

Hope Cross