Positive Health Online

We are, English and Danish respectively, General Dental Practitioners working in Dusseldorf, Germany. Graeme Hall is the European President of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology which researches into and disseminates information about the pathologic effects of dental materials.

V-Tox treatment is a combination of high dose vitamin C infusions, dental treatment and diet alteration to restore patients to optimum health. V-Tox was originally developed for patients with health problems due to mercury leaking out from their amalgam fillings, however, it was not long before it widened its scope to cover a range of illnesses and conditions.

In brief the V-Tax treatment assesses the patients with a variety of tests, prepares them using dietary intervention then removes toxic dental materials from the mouth at the same time as giving multiple intravenous infusions of high dose sodium ascorbate (vitamin C).

It must be made clear from the outset that although we have treated patients with MS and removed or reduced their symptoms this is not a magic bullet cure for MS or any other condition.

A person with MS always will have MS. However, by removing the factors that, in all likelihood, triggered the condition we can eliminate or reduce the symptoms. If the patient is exposed to the factors that were the trigger to the disease in the first place, then the disease may return. The patients hereditary predisposition to a particular condition does not alter but their inbuilt resistance to that condition can be strengthened by V-Tox.

Dentistry and to an extent medicine use materials that release very toxic materials, these include the metals mercury, palladium and nickel and chemicals such as formaldehyde. These can exert a toxic and allergic effect on patients with devastating but usually undiagnosed symptoms. These symptoms include allergies, auto immune diseases, MS, arthritis, chronic fatigue, psychological problems (anxiety, depression, claustrophobia etc.) and undiagnosed conditions that stop the patient functioning in normal life.

It has long been established that mercury is released from amalgam fillings[1],[2],[3] and in quantities above any so called safe limits[4]. Indeed it releases more mercury Into the body than all other sources combined[5]. This despite the denials and sometimes downright inaccurate statements of the various dental authorities concerning mercury and amalgam[6].

In fact, mercury is so toxic there is no known safe limit, it causes measurable effects at all concentrations and the permitted level of mercury allowed in the workplace is constantly being revised downwards[7]. The 13,000 + references in our computer on amalgam and mercury make it clear to us that there is abundant scientific evidence of the potential of mercury in amalgam fillings to cause damage to health. Practical experience has also shown us that a variety of other dental materials can cause problems. These include other metals such as gold, palladium, copper, chrome, cobalt, silver, nickel, also certain root filling materials and plastics. Whether a patient can tolerate these materials depends on many variables and as yet there is no reliable scientific method developed to test the bio-compatibility of dental materials. It makes for a difficult life for both dentist and patient and turns the normal dental treatment into a lottery where the prizes vary from the unpleasant to the catastrophic for the recipient.

The nearest we have is the Melisa test of Prof. Vera Stejskal that is accurate for sensitivity reactions but it is not widely available. Methods such as kinesiology, Vega, Bioresonance, electro-acupuncture and even skin contact allergy tests may give an indication of patient tolerance to various materials but cannot be considered as scientifically accurate. Indeed, skin contact allergy testing can itself cause symptoms to the patient as well as being only fairly accurate and not, unfortunately, scientifically reliable.

It is, in our view, somewhat unfortunate that dental materials never had to go through any rigorous testing for bio-compatibility, and that is still the case. The mechanical properties of dental materials are the only one considered important. What is placed in the mouth is considered inert by the authorities and of no medical consequence. So even though both nickel and palladium are known to cause cancer, both metals are allowed to be implanted in the mouth. In combination, of course, the problem is worse as a mixture of metals in a warm damp place like a mouth will corrode and release biologically active metal ions. A gold filling or crown will increase the rate of release of mercury from an amalgam filling by a factor of between 4 and 10 times even if there is no direct contact between the two[8]. If the gold sits over an amalgam, a situation we often see, the mercury will be deposited in the gum and bone tissue surrounding the tooth.

In our opinion there is no safe dental metal, it all depends on the ability of the patient's detoxification systems whether they get any pathology or not from this 24 hour a day exposure to dental metals or not. These systems in turn depend on genetic inheritance, environmental exposures to toxins and haptens, the type of and duration of exposure and dietary influences. Exactly the same can apply to the immune system, the two are interlocked.

Toxic reactions from exposure to a metal and allergy or sensitivity reactions to a metal are different but often confused even by professionals. Most patients have both types of reaction. Sensitivity reactions occur at very small exposure to the metal and are an immune system response, while toxic reactions depend on the amount of metal in the body. This happens when the detoxification systems, for whatever reason, are overwhelmed. Sensitivity to a metal can happen after a short or long exposure to the metal and take a myriad of forms. Be it a toxic or a sensitivity problem or a combination of the two, the end result is the patient is sick. The metal must be removed not only from the mouth but from all the body stores safely and gently and V-Tox can accomplish this.

Some patients have distinct Illnesses, MS[9] and other auto immune diseases, Parkinson's,[10] Chronic Iritus, Asthma that are attributable to mercury and other environmental causes even if not yet generally admitted by the medical profession. These patients can have their symptoms eliminated or reduced by V-Tox.

Other patients, because of a lack of reliable medical tests, because most of the patients although sick, are still functional and because of professional intransigence receive no label to their symptoms. They remain undiagnosed and therefore out of main stream help. They are told it is all in their heads and seldom get effective treatment. They do not fit the system. Quite often it is true the problem does lie in their heads but it is due to the action of mercury and palladium in the brain that is the problem, not a weakness of character. These patients feel abandoned, alone and are a nuisance to the medical profession because they use enormous amounts of medical time and cannot be treated successfully by pharmaceutical agents or psychiatry.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and multiple food allergy patients also fit into this category and can be successfully treated by the V-Tox method. Mercury, being so biologically active, is the main culprit. It reduces the effectiveness of the immune system[11] that it allows other substances that normally could be well tolerated by the individual to exert a pathological effect. A friend of mine who runs an implant clinic in Germany and Rumania sees few problems with patients with implants in Rumania where they have never had amalgam fillings. This is in direct contrast to his experience in Germany where amalgam was the material of choice for years.

Palladium is a common component of crown and bridge metals. It plays no positive role in human biology. It is a very good catalyst which means that it can alter the result of cellular biochemical reactions. The consequence of this is hard to diagnose and seldom fits a specific pattern of symptoms although there are some guides. V-Tox can remove palladium from the body and, we believe, is the only known method of doing so. Due to its use in the catalytic converters of the exhaust systems of cars we are all exposed to palladium vapour especially in towns or cities. Palladium sensitivity, Professor Stejskal a Swedish immunologist, informs us is on the increase. In our view this will become a severe health problem in the not too distant future.

Nickel, chrome and even beryllium are used as precious metals substitutes in dentistry in the UK. Nickel is known for its carcinogenic properties and beryllium even more so. There is a move afoot to ban nickel from all medical devices by the European parliament in Strasbourg but whether dentists will take notice of this is problematical.

Simply removing amalgam from patients can help approximately 50% of affected people in due time. That still leaves 50% still sick and it was to speed up the rate of recovery and to help this other 50% that V-Tox was developed in its present form.

If the amalgam is removed correctly the patient should not get too high a level of mercury from the drilling out of the amalgam fillings. Under IAOMT protocols of amalgam removal our measurements show that these reduce exposure to mercury released from the drilling out by up to 85%. However, how often are no effective protective measures taken on amalgam removal giving the patient a massive dose of mercury and a worsening of symptoms. On the sensitive patient to whom even a small release of the metal will cause a dramatic increase of symptoms, V-Tox has proven its effectiveness in protecting these sensitive patients.

To help us in diagnosis we use a variety of measures. These can be blood tests like the Melisa (Memory Lymphocyte Stimulation Assay Test), viral titres, oxidative stress indicators such as total bilirubin, G6PD, LDL cholesterol, albumin and free calcium estimation by the Weston Price method. Saliva IgA for immune status and urine for functional liver detoxification, intestinal permeability and oxidative stress from Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory in America can be of assistance. Blood and urine are useless to estimate metal load. They are often used but have little if any clinical significance.

A blood measurement of metal is akin to trying to estimate how much traffic is in a town by counting the cars on the motorways near the town. The roads can be full but the town empty of traffic, or the opposite can be the case. The metal in the cells or on the cell membrane is the important factor. Intracellular metal ratios can be measured using the ICD method developed by an American laboratory.

Faeces or stool are the only way of estimating metal load as the metal are bound up in the bile salts to be excreted. From the laboratory results you will see exactly how much metal can come out this way.

The DMPS and DMSA (chemical chelators), challenge test, whilst accurate, can put terrific stress on the patients and we have seen many cases where patients became ill after such tests even leading to unconsciousness and a month in hospital. It is not a test we recommend because of its aggressive nature.

Mercury in the breath can be used to estimate a daily dose from amalgam fillings but not the amount already absorbed in the body. It does, however, give an indication of toxic load without damaging the patient.

Patients with MS or chronic iritus it is easy to see the result of V-Tox as they walk again unaided or regain their sight.

For the patients without a specific diagnosis we use a standardised symptom form that divides the patient's problems into 6 areas. From this we can judge the effectiveness of the treatment over time. The divisions are psychological, allergy, heart and lung, headache, joint and muscles and digestive tract.

In essence the purpose of V-Tox is to remove toxins from the body in a safe way and support the body's own healing mechanisms. This is done by diet modification, supplementation with vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, remove metals from the mouth by appropriate dental treatment and remove metals and other toxins from body stores by infusions of mega-dose sodium ascorbate (vitamin C).

It sounds and is easy to do but it requires a meticulous step by step approach for success with each patient presenting individual problems. The only contra-indication to this treatment is a G6PD enzyme deficiency and certain types of kidney problems.

References

1 Stock A. The hazards of mercury vapour and amalgam. Zeitschrift fur angewandte Chemie. 39:984-989 1926
2 Vimy & Lorscheider. J. of Trace Elements in Exp. Med. 3:111-123 1990
3 Svare C.W. J. of Dental Research 60:166-71 1981
4 WHO. Environmental Health Criteria on Mercury. 118, 1991
5 Aposian. Faseb 6(7) 2472-6 April 1992
6 ADA patient pamphlet #W186. Dental Amalgam. Filling Dental Health Care Needs. 1985
7 United States Public Health Service ATSDR. Toxicological profile for mercury: update. TP-93/100 page 125
8 Pleva J. Corrosion and mercury release from dental amalgam. J. Orthmmol. Med. 4:141-8 1989
9 T.H. Inglals. Epidemiology, etiology and prevention of MS. Am J. of Forensic Med. & Path. Vol 4, 1983
10 Ngim. Epid. study between mercury body burden and Parkinson's. Neuroepid. 8(3) 128-41 1989
11 Shenker. J of Dental Research 71(SI) 625. A-875. 1992. And numerous others.