Positive Health Online

Introduction

It all seemed so innocent. A mouthful of fillings and a bag of nuts for being such a brave lad. Ordeal over. Or was it? Nobody told me that I'd just had more mercury put in my mouth than Health and Safety law would allow in an entire building,[1] and nobody told me that it would take 15 years, a catalogue of health problems and a very astute acupuncturist to get my life back.

I won't deny there have been worse cases. The doctors even told me there was nothing wrong with me, but without knowing why, in the space of a few months, I went from being a normal, happy, healthy child to being a lethargic, neurotic, sickly adolescent. Nothing wrong with me? This begs the question, if I can feel that bad when there's nothing wrong with me, how would I feel if there was?

The author

Mercury Fillings and a History of Poor Health

If I remember rightly I was about twelve when I had my first filling. (Incidentally, for an excellent explanation of the issues and facts about mercury and health, check out the Resources link[1]) Even that filling alone was enough to trigger the acne I suffered for about 15 years. Curiously, 15 years is about the length of time I had 'black' fillings.

Not long after that, I had most of the rest filled, leaving me with eight fillings and up to about four grams of mercury. In spite of the relative deterioration in health I had experienced since the original cavity was filled, the main concern was the telling off I thought I'd get for not cleaning my teeth enough. OK, so that bit wasn't much fun either, but it didn't last more than a few minutes. I wasn't even grounded. That was to come.

From long experience of alternative medicine and a deeply held conviction that people are responsible for their own circumstances in life, I can accept that for a while, I let my lack of vitality dominate me when it needn't have.

However, from even longer experience and a now, equally held conviction, I am able to state categorically that the said four grams of mercury short-changed my life to the tune of about five and a half thousand days! That's a lot of parties, friendships, fun. It's a lot of achievements and life experience.

Instead, I spent much of my teens sitting in a darkened room with very little energy. When I did put the light on it was to cover my face in acne cream (Note, the side effects of having mercury toxicity perpetuated the cycle so unfortunately common with patients of the orthodox approach - problem, prescription, problems, prescriptions... I'm sure many readers will identify with this). My education suffered; not only was my personal confidence in tatters but I simply could not concentrate on my studies. I suffered hypochondria, fatigue, depression, anxiety, irritability - not a nice pattern.

The Holistic Viewpoint

The western mind is used to reflecting on health in terms of a set of physical symptoms. The eastern viewpoint, and to largely the same extent the alternative viewpoint, regards health as a state of total balance throughout body, mind and spirit. Understanding this fundamental difference, we can ascertain many of the reasons that modern medicine dismisses the link between the multitude of 'illnesses' those such as myself have suffered and the at times glaringly obvious proximate causative factors.

When it comes to some of the more 'quantifiable' provable diseases (many arguably caused by mercury amalgam, I add hastily), healthcare professionals have specific paradigms to work to. This person is ill, they have this disease. For a breakdown in health which does not enter the domain of the medical dictionary, even the problem is difficult to identify, let alone the cause. So while there are many people with MS or migraines who have not had the possibility of mercury toxicity investigated, there are thousands living with its discomfort who are not even considered ill!

In many ways I'm grateful for this lack of clarity as it meant I was turfed out of surgery after surgery without a prescription (maybe ME sufferers can relate to this). The trouble was, I knew something was wrong, very wrong. I think it was the muscle fatigue that swayed my judgement, the depression, the moodiness, the complete lack of motivation. At times my head got so muzzy I felt sick. My balance was affected, I had pains in my kidneys, I had put on weight. I suffered dry skin, stiff joints, insomnia. My energy levels were staggeringly low, and my concentration span virtually non-existent.

This pattern got progressively worse until about 1996, at which point life led me to the world of alternative medicine, and more specifically to Stephen MacAllan, a traditional acupuncturist practising in Cheshire. I won't create the impression that I was living a totally healthy life aside the main problem; my diet was poor, I drank too much, but in spite of a positive move away from this, I was making only reasonable progress.

The Path Back to Health

I continued to slowly regain my health for a few years. I changed acupuncturist (for geographical reasons) and the pattern continued. I then proceeded to try a multitude of natural approaches, from Reiki to homeopathy, Chinese herbal medicine to Energy Field Healing, all of which did me some good, but only to a point. I knew there was still something wrong. I once said to a practitioner that I had come to accept that I would never feel truly well. Should you identify with this, read on...

Moving back to my home area after a decade away, I went back to Stephen MacAllan who quickly diagnosed me as having Candida and mercury toxicity. I was put on a strict diet which I kept to, and was referred to Mr Hesham El-Essawy, a dentist on Harley Street, London. At this point can I say that the chance to have a practitioner on this highly prestigious street was not an influencing factor in my immediate decision to accept the referral, honest... Whatever may have been the reason that led me there, I left reborn!

Even though I struggled to concentrate at school, I well remember being told that the way to find out the effect of something is to take it away. Good idea! It may seem unlikely to many, but when I had my amalgams replaced, the basic pattern of disharmony I have described started to break down, staggeringly.

I'd urge anybody considering amalgam replacement to become aware of the strict protocols outlined in The Mercury Papers at[1] quite simply because for a short while, my toxic load increased and the symptoms got slightly worse for a very short spell. This is normal and is something that should be prepared for.

In the six months following my dental operation in August 2001, my toxic levels halved and my health improved markedly. My life was empowered in all spheres. Starting a weights routine in the gym in September 2001 I could bench press 22 kg, not a lot. By November 2001 I was doing 97 kg. I lost weight (paying £400 replacing clothes that once tight came to hang off me), I felt lighter, my skin became better, and my energy levels increased enormously. Perhaps more importantly, I started enjoying life.

I'm still mercury toxic, to a considerably lesser degree, so there is still de-toxing to be done, but I am overcoming something that cost me so much. I appreciate my bias, but I represented the pro-mercury viewpoint for 15 years, and feel it is time to start singing from an alternative hymn sheet.

Reference

1. MacAllan S. The Mercury Papers, The Most Expensive Medical Mistake in the History of the World. www.stephenmacallan.co.uk