Mercury and ALS

This is from the ALS web site
Effects of Mercury Toxicity

Several scientific reports have suggested a possible relationship between certain chronic or unexplained illnesses and the presence of mercury in the body.
It appears that toxic substances, such as mercury, may accumulate in the body and have the potential to damage the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidney, bloodcells, hormones and suppress the body's immune system. Some researchers are looking at the possibility that mercury toxicity may play a role in the development of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

A human autopsy study comparing the brain tissue of people with Alzheimer's disease, with an aged matched group of brains from people without Alzheimer's Disease, showed the Alzheimer's group to have a significant higher concentration of mercury in all the areas of the brains involved in memory function. Mercury poisoning in people exposed to large amounts of industrial or environmental mercury has been studied. Its relationship to severe symptoms and illness has been well documented. High levels of mercury have been linked to a weakened immune system and candidiasis.

Now there is accumulative evidence that long term exposure and absorption of smaller amounts of mercury can result in some of the same symptoms and problems seen in individuals that have had significant exposure to mercury. Possible symptoms related to mercury are vast and include: neurologic and psychological problems, fine tremors (as in handwriting), depression, chronic fatigue, increased irritability, moodiness, nervousness,excitability, difficulties with concentrating, loss of memory, sleep difficulties, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite, birth defects in offspring, kidney disease, lung disease, swollen glands, tongue ulcerations, dark pigmentation in the gum, headaches,paralysis, numbness in arms, legs, hands and feet, poor resistance to infection, pain (especially facial pain), vertigo, ringing in the ears and many other symptoms. Improvement has occurred in some individuals after the removal of mercury and mercury detoxification. Improvements have been reported in kidney function, reversal of some mental and neurologic symptoms, thought and memory disturbances, chronic fatigue and the reversal of other symptoms as mentioned above, which have been thought to be due to chronic and untreatable illness.

The sources of mercury contamination have been very controversial. However, a growing number of research scientists feel that a major source is the mercury found in dental amalgams, with lesser amounts from fish, seafood, other foods, contaminated water and air pollutants. For more than 150 years, dentistry has used silver mercury amalgam (commonly referred to as "silver" fillings), which contains approximately 50% mercury metal as the preferred tooth filling material. Medical research has demonstrated that this mercury can be released as a vapor into the mouth. It is then inhaled and absorbed into the body tissues where it eventually becomes tightly bound to cell protein. A review of studies on mercury toxicity and dental amalgam, by Lorscheider, Vimy and Summers, concludes that the animal and human experiments to date, demonstrate that the uptake, tissue distribution and excretion of amalgam mercury is significant and that dental amalgam is the major contributing source to the mercury body burden in humans. It has been felt that mercury in dental amalgam is safely bound. However, growing evidence again suggests that mercury can enter the body through the vapors. Chewing, grinding the teeth, hot food or drink and even the corrosive action by our saliva may cause these vapors to be released. Sheep exposed to mercury dental fillings, after 30 days of chewing, showed significant loss of kidney function.

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