Testing for Mercury
Dr Hyman's site clearly states that not everyone presenting with the illnesses included in the symptoms list will have developed the illness due to mercury poisoning, but in some people it will be a factor and ,therefore, should be considered. Your doctor is unlikely to have heard of illness related to mercury toxicity. Some dentists do acknowledge this can happen in some people. They may go on to explain white fillings are not as strong. Others may support amalgam as safe. If you have any concerns go to the Resources page and use the links available for further information.
Mercury is not easily tested for on routine urine and blood tests as they do not give an accurate measure of toxicity. Nor do they give an indication of the mercury load in the internal organs and so they are not a reliable source for excluding mercury poisoning. There are urine tests such as a DMSA challenge test known as the Kelmer test, but they are not without problems. You have to be referred for the test by a doctor or practitioner who has access to the laboratory offering the test. The main difficulty with the DMSA challenge test is that, if you are very mercury toxic or very sensitive to mercury, then the DMSA test will make you feel worse. The Kelmer test will give an indication should you need it, but these cautions should be considered. In my case, while the reaction confirmed the diagnosis, it was a setback to my general health. When I was being tested for Field Control Therapy the dentist explained he felt the Kelmer test had scattered the mercury everywhere. Another factor that came to light was that the DMSA test gives a lower indication of toxicity than may actually be present, which also happened in my case. On retesting further down the line, you could get a false negative indicating that your body is mercury free when that is not the case. See http://www.FCTWorld.com/ - go to patient resources .Articles>Demonstration of mercury in the human brain and other organs 17 years after metallic mercury exposure.
Hair analysis tests can show levels of mercury which will be an indication of levels in other soft tissues. However, initial results may be low and will only show as higher levels once the body is mobilizing mercury. I was initially advised hair tests only indicated mercury excretion and had no real value. I did eventually do a hair test and found it very valuable, but I had been mobilizing the mercury for some time. I also feel this is a guideline I can use in the future to check the levels of metals in my body. So i would advise hair tests as a safer method of discovery of toxicity levels, but remember you have to be taking something such as selenium to mobilize the mercury for a few months. Nutritional balancing and chelation of mercury is the recognized treatment. Field Control therapy is another treatment for mercury removal. while I initially felt this worked better for me, once I started Andrew Cutler's chelation protocol I realized that well devised chelation presents few problems and I would recommend his protocol. The living network site on the resource page gives guidance on chelation should you be considering doing this for yourself.
Lyn Rennick's website gives further information on the following:
Metal allergy patch test
The Melissa test
Lymphocyte Sensitivity test
Should you want to try and get an indication yourself before deciding on how you want to proceed, Andrew Cutlers Book Amalgam Illness offers a counting system to indicate if you could be mercury toxic. He also suggests trying sulphur food exclusion diet to asses if you could be mercury toxic. You can also look at your own symptom history. In some cases acute exposure can be correlated to dental work, after placement or replacement of several fillings or placement of dissimilar metal in a crown or bridge over or against an amalgam filled tooth. Or perhaps new problems have arisen a year or two after dental work. In my case the rheumatoid arthritis presentation was 4 years after dental work; chest pain, tachycardia and palpitations started 6 months after dental work while tinnitus and dizziness started at the same time as dental work was being carried out but increased in severity over the years. From my own experience of trying to discover what was going on,should you think its a possibility in your case, I would suggest mobilizing metals for example with selenium and sulphur foods (if they don't make you ill) and doing a hair test a few months later.
Don't assume symptoms will start at the same time as having dental work done as this is not the case. The membrane of cells in the body can help keep mercury out of the cell and so nothing may happen at a time of short exposure. With exposure over longer periods of time, mercury gets into the cells and accumulates and as it does symptoms will appear. It also doesn't come out of the cells hence blood and urine results will be negative. it will accumulate over time as mercury leaks from amalgam fillings. You will also absorb some mercury when having dental work with amalgam, all contributing to the final mercury load in the body.
Mercury is not easily tested for on routine urine and blood tests as they do not give an accurate measure of toxicity. Nor do they give an indication of the mercury load in the internal organs and so they are not a reliable source for excluding mercury poisoning. There are urine tests such as a DMSA challenge test known as the Kelmer test, but they are not without problems. You have to be referred for the test by a doctor or practitioner who has access to the laboratory offering the test. The main difficulty with the DMSA challenge test is that, if you are very mercury toxic or very sensitive to mercury, then the DMSA test will make you feel worse. The Kelmer test will give an indication should you need it, but these cautions should be considered. In my case, while the reaction confirmed the diagnosis, it was a setback to my general health. When I was being tested for Field Control Therapy the dentist explained he felt the Kelmer test had scattered the mercury everywhere. Another factor that came to light was that the DMSA test gives a lower indication of toxicity than may actually be present, which also happened in my case. On retesting further down the line, you could get a false negative indicating that your body is mercury free when that is not the case. See http://www.FCTWorld.com/ - go to patient resources .Articles>Demonstration of mercury in the human brain and other organs 17 years after metallic mercury exposure.
Hair analysis tests can show levels of mercury which will be an indication of levels in other soft tissues. However, initial results may be low and will only show as higher levels once the body is mobilizing mercury. I was initially advised hair tests only indicated mercury excretion and had no real value. I did eventually do a hair test and found it very valuable, but I had been mobilizing the mercury for some time. I also feel this is a guideline I can use in the future to check the levels of metals in my body. So i would advise hair tests as a safer method of discovery of toxicity levels, but remember you have to be taking something such as selenium to mobilize the mercury for a few months. Nutritional balancing and chelation of mercury is the recognized treatment. Field Control therapy is another treatment for mercury removal. while I initially felt this worked better for me, once I started Andrew Cutler's chelation protocol I realized that well devised chelation presents few problems and I would recommend his protocol. The living network site on the resource page gives guidance on chelation should you be considering doing this for yourself.
Lyn Rennick's website gives further information on the following:
Metal allergy patch test
The Melissa test
Lymphocyte Sensitivity test
Should you want to try and get an indication yourself before deciding on how you want to proceed, Andrew Cutlers Book Amalgam Illness offers a counting system to indicate if you could be mercury toxic. He also suggests trying sulphur food exclusion diet to asses if you could be mercury toxic. You can also look at your own symptom history. In some cases acute exposure can be correlated to dental work, after placement or replacement of several fillings or placement of dissimilar metal in a crown or bridge over or against an amalgam filled tooth. Or perhaps new problems have arisen a year or two after dental work. In my case the rheumatoid arthritis presentation was 4 years after dental work; chest pain, tachycardia and palpitations started 6 months after dental work while tinnitus and dizziness started at the same time as dental work was being carried out but increased in severity over the years. From my own experience of trying to discover what was going on,should you think its a possibility in your case, I would suggest mobilizing metals for example with selenium and sulphur foods (if they don't make you ill) and doing a hair test a few months later.
Don't assume symptoms will start at the same time as having dental work done as this is not the case. The membrane of cells in the body can help keep mercury out of the cell and so nothing may happen at a time of short exposure. With exposure over longer periods of time, mercury gets into the cells and accumulates and as it does symptoms will appear. It also doesn't come out of the cells hence blood and urine results will be negative. it will accumulate over time as mercury leaks from amalgam fillings. You will also absorb some mercury when having dental work with amalgam, all contributing to the final mercury load in the body.