I just tested high for lead and mercury levels in my blood. Is this common in lyme?
Do most people have high levels?
Posted by miapiaface (Member # 31679) on :
I just got my results back yesterday mercury was very high and lead high wondering the same, is it caused by lyme and how do you fix it?
Posted by MattH (Member # 30846) on :
Usually there is not a lot of heavy metals in the blood. That is why if the doctor suspects heavy metals they do a hair test (sees what the body is excreting) or a dmps or dmsa challenge test to provoke the metals to come out.
The patient then deposits urine in a container that is sent to the labs. If it is in the blood it is often called acute and their for maybe a more immediate issue that should be dealt with.
This is what I remember when I started to detox mercury and lead two years ago. You may want to go to the Cutler forum on Yahoo groups and ask what it means. If you have your lab values that will help.
Dr K has several articles on heavy metals and detox protocols that I read once I found out I was way over on mercury after my dmps challenge test.
All the Best, MattH
Posted by mattnapa (Member # 26414) on :
For what it is worth my doc discounts the value of hair tests, and believes in the provacation test. Also both chlorella and DMSA have been very tough on my stomach so far
Posted by mojo (Member # 9309) on :
My first doc did a blood test and it showed no heavy metal issue.
Then I changed dr's and he did a hair test, had me remove my amalgams and then we did heavy metal chelation.
We did a 24 hour urine challenge (dr's data) before and after the chelation.
I think the urine challenge is the most accurate.
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
The borrelia bacteria use the toxic metals in our bodies to create biofilms. They hide behind these biofilms and it makes them 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics.
I read this from good Lyme books: If someone has a bad heavy-metal problem, they will not be cured of Lyme - no matter how many antibiotics they take - until the fix their heavy metal problem.
If you have metal amalgams (tooth fillings), you should definitely get them removed by a biological dentist, otherwise your mercury problem will never go away.
Also, many advise not to do HM chelation until the metal amalgam are removed first, because otherwise it can bring more metal into your brain.
Posted by BackinStOlaf (Member # 23725) on :
I had 16 fillings, had 6 removed, have 10 left. I had to stop because for the past 5 months I haven't been breathing well. How can I remove the rest if I can barely sit in the dentist chair with my mouth open????
James: your post scared me. I just started bicillin. Am I doing it for no reason now? Posted by BackinStOlaf (Member # 23725) on :
Can people with fillings take B-12? I read that it is a methylator and methyl mercury is extremely dangerous. I've been taking it for my nerves! I don't know what to believe anymore
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
quote:Originally posted by BackinStOlaf: James: your post scared me. I just started bicillin. Am I doing it for no reason now?
StOlaf - I apologize, I didn't intend to scare you! I was just repeating what I had read.
I would like to rephrase what I said earlier so that it sounds more gentle: "If someone is having persistent infection problems, and antibiotic treatment doesn't seem to be effective, then they should really try to take care of their heavy metal toxicities first so that the bacteria can't hide behind the biofilms."
Everybody is different, so one person with heavy metal problems might cure their infection easily, while another might have problems.
Posted by BackinStOlaf (Member # 23725) on :
much better James
Sometimes you just need a bit of sugar coating to get through the day!
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
We are certainly all different, and it helps to bear that in mind.
For example, I responded well to antibiotics. I had had undiagnosed lyme, babs, and bart for at least 10 years.
I had numerous metal fillings and 2 recent root canals (done to try to alleviate pain that was likely from lyme disease).
I never had the fillings taken out, and never had the root canaled teeth taken out either.
About 4 months into treatment with my final doc, I asked him about the necessity of getting these fillings removed. He said, "Well, in your case it obviously isn't necessary."
I then went on to successfully get rid of these diseases and never relapse. 6 years and counting.
So, if you are improving, you will likely not have to get your fillings out. If you are not improving, check to determine if your doctor is top notch.
The doc is the key to getting rid of this disease. Can't emphasize that enough.
If you have a top notch doc and you are not making progress, then it is time to look to heavy metals, mold, and other issues of that type.
I have heard speakers say and read that about 5% of lyme patients do not respond to antibiotics. If that is you, then you and your top notch doc must search for the cause.
From Burrascano, pages 20-21:
"In patients who have chronic Lyme, who do not fully respond to antibiotics, one must search for an explanation. In many cases, these patients are found to have pituitary insufficiency of varying degrees. The abnormalities may be extremely subtle, and provocative testing must be done for full diagnosis. Persistent fatigue, limited stamina, hypotension, and loss of libido suggest this possibility.
Similarly, a small but significant number of these patients harbor toxic levels of heavy metals. Challenge testing by knowledgeable, experienced clinicians is necessary for evaluation. Treatment must be directed toward correcting the specific abnormalities found, and post-treatment retesting to assess efficacy of treatment and endpoint of therapy should be done. Suspect this when poor immune responsiveness and persistent neuropathic signs and symptoms are present."
I am also was diagnosed with mercury/lead from a DMSA challenge test. My doctor has me on a product called, NDF. I have found yeast to be a huge problem with chelation due to the sulfur content. NDF doesn't make my yeast flair.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Also, while treating lyme (with all my metal fillings) the lyme doc had me take sublingual vitamin B12.
It worked great for my neuro symptoms.
No ill effects for me.
Posted by mattnapa (Member # 26414) on :
I appreciate TF 's comments on amalgam removal. It is easy to get obsessed about those little seemingly toxic suckers just sittin in there. Last year I was on the verge of moving ahead with amalgam removal with virtually no testing. For me, my symptoms seemed to match well with those of mercury toxicity so it was hard not to get just plain anxious to want to do it. But my recent experience with a new LLMD has me rethinking the strategy very much in the manner that TF suggests. For most of us there are significant tests and pathways which should be considered before amalgam removal
I am not seriously ill, just mysteriously uncomfortable. And perhaps that gives me the luxury to take my time in a sense others do not have with this strategy.
So a couple of questions still stand out for me. Are there those of us that are genetically wired to process metals better than others and therefore less in need of removing amalgams? Are there lifestyle factors, including diet and supplementation, which might rewrite the immune system in a manner that greatly increases the bodys ability to process these metals?
Nothing new here really since this is basically what GiGi is saying in terms of allergy Also I admitt there is a grey line with the idea of a natural immune modulation therapy being completley distinct from a chelation therapy. Either way your getting the body to remove or react less to the metals, and thus these supposedly different viewpoints can be seen as a bit of a false dichotomy.
Finally on the energy testing of the teeth. My doc, who I am a bit of an early believer in, does think this is a valid diagnostic. In fact he sees the results as a more serious consideration towards amalgam removal than he does moderate mercury levels via provacatation tests.
If anyone knows a good source on trying to understand these energy circuit tests I would be interested
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