However, unless I read it too quickly it misses the fact that new companies have produced new products to detox metals that are designed to limit the negative effects of chelating, including the healing crisis that results.

One of the problems with chelating is that the agent used, such as chlorella, will move mercury out of its resting place in the body, but won't expell all of what it moves, thus, the metal gets reabsorbed by the body (usually through the colon), which causes the healing crisis.

New products are designed to eliminate that effect by working more efficiently. In other words, they are designed to expell all that they move, or to expell metals through the urine and not the colon.

A few of us are experimenting with these new products but it seems too early to tell if they are working or not...at it's too early for me to recommend any of them.

Still, I know people who have used Klinghardt's protocol successfully, even though it was too extreme for me. Others have used Cutler's protocol successfully.

James, I'm about to start a chelation program. What are the "new products" you mentioned that limit the negative effects? Is Laser Accupuncture Detox (LAD) what you're referring to? Who does this technique?

I expect to be using them again in the next few months. However, because I haven't used either product extensively, I can't recommend either one at the moment.

I can report that I discontinued Klinghardt's protocol because the symptoms were too extreme, and I was worried about permanent damage resulting from the detox program itself. More on that below.

The first new product is actually 11 years old, but is just now being recognized by practitioners around the country. It is PCA-Rx. It uses hi-tech chemistry to bind metals in a manner that does not let them be reabsorbed by the body. Information on it can be found at http://ssl.maxamlabs.com/MAXAM_ASP_Home.asp

The second new product is called NDF and NDF Plus. I met the person who developed this product. Both he and his office staff are very helpful. This product is designed to limit the healing crisis by only using as much product as you can ingest without getting sick. You then ramp up the dose as your body allows. This is another hi-tech product. Details on it can be found at http://www.healthydetox.org.

There is another product that I found, but I haven't tried it, nor have I found anyone else who has tried it. It is called Modifilan, and it is a a concentrated brown seaweed extract from Russia, and can be found at http://www.modifilan.com/index.html

A warning that the top two products are expensive, however, when I compare their price to the full price of, for example, the Klinhardt protocol, which calls for chlorela, multiminerals, selectrolytes, etc., the prices aren't as high as they initially seem. This is also true for office chelation. I compared prices for myself on a monthly basis.

Speaking of Klinghardt, his webiste can be found at http://www.mercola.com/2001/mar/10/metal_toxicity.htm. In my case, I found a local practitioner who followed his protocol.

A fairly detailed explanation of a protocol that seems similar to Klinghardt's can be found on the National Integrated Health Associates site. This is a medical office in Washington, DC. Their website is at http://www.nihadc.com and their very detailed metal detox article is at http://www.nihadc.com/detox_home.pdf.

However, if you are considering using normal chelation methods for heavy metals, please remember that some people warn that such procedures are dangerous and can leave you with permanent damage. It was my severe response to Klinghardt's protocol, and reading about such warnings, that inspired me to find other products that would detox mercury, but would not lead to other health problems or even to a healing crisis.

BTW, I know of one other Lyme patient who successfully used Andrew Hall Cutler's protocol. It is very detailed, but I found it too confusing to follow. However, that could have been brainfog due to the candida and metals I was experiencing at the time. Anyway, his website is http://www.noamalgam.com/

Dr. Omura in NY has done much research in this area and he trains professionals in the field. He doesn't work with patients and he has not returned my repeated attempts at contacting him, however, here is a link to an article that reveals a simplified and inexpensive detox protocol based on his work: http://www.oasistv.com/news/3-17-00-story-2.asp

I hope all this information helps. As I've said before, metal detoxing has a learning curve of its own, and it seems as individual and as confusing as Lyme treatment itself.

I noticed you didn't mention Alpha Lipoic Acid or chlorella? Have you used these "natural" chelators? Can it be used as an exclusive chelator, or do you need also need an agent like DMSA?

Remember that the bad thing with chlorella is that it dislodges a lot of mercury in the system, but can only expel about half of that from the body. This means that the other half is re-absorbed by the body (through the colon) and can resettle in the brain causing much damage and more symptoms. The Klinghardt protocol for metal detoxing uses chlorella and resulted in a bad experience for me.

Also, I think I have a lot of mercury in my brain and nervous system because I also had extreme mental symptoms surface when I used alpha-lipoic acid, which helps to dislodge mercury from the brain. In my case, I think the mercury simply got moved around and because I was using chlorella, which failed to expell it all, I ended up getting worse instead of better.

My example is why mercury detox is not simple. I got in trouble and I was working with a world class professional who has people from all over north america travel to where he is because he is so good at what he does. I happen to live in the same town as him. Yet, his mercury detox protocol ended up being dangerous for me. Go figure.

That is why I posted so much resource material for people to research...because this is a complicated and confusing area, but one that many Lyme patients have to make it through because heavy metals can suppress the immune system, and do other nasty things, that will make it more difficult to get rid of Lyme, while adding to the over all symptom cluster.

Just like Lyme, each person is different, so what did not work for me, may work for someone else. Again, we each have to find our way in this, which, again, is why I posted so much material.

As for Omura, he manufactures his own chlorella tablets which are high priced and sold only through the professionals he trains. This product is specially formulated by him, and acts much faster than ordinary cilantro. Omura touts it as a 100% mercury removal within a few days. I have used it, and found it to lower my mercury quite a bit, but nowhere near 100%. The doctor I see now has tested people who were treated by Omura and consistently found them to still have mercury. So, the bad news is that the 100% claim is not right. The good news is that his product removes a good chunk of mercury fast.

The person I was working with used energy testing too, but I still got in trouble.

I think that such testing is only as good as the professional using it, and even then, doesn't work for everyone. At least that seems to be my experience with the person who I worked with. He had people travelling from around north america for treatment, yet, he was not able to accurately recommend a treatment protocol for metal detoxing that worked for me.

I'm glad you found a good one.

His book does contain a wealth of information...in fact, there is so much information I got lost in it.

How would you summarize his protocol for metal detox?

As for the Cutler book, I read it, but did not act on it. I think he was recommending DMSA and Lipoic Acid which is pretty solid stuff. I know little about it, but suspect it is fine.

You mentioned the Klinghardt protocol, but as GiGi has stated before, I doubt he offers a one-size-fits-all protocol. The great doctors who do this stuff have many, many variables that they test you for while creating a protocol for each individual. My wife and I have the same infections (because I gave them to her), but our Dr uses different meds on each of us. He hasn't mentioned that anyone has had a bad reaction to LAD, but I haven't inquired enough on that. He is very focused on results, so he wouldn't be doing LAD if it was not very effective.

Each patient's treatment for preparation to chelation, the type of agents used for treatments, the timing of application of the agents, etc. etc. differ from one patient to the next. I have in all the years never met anyone who has been treated in the same manner, with the same protocol, where timing was identical. Besides that, chelation is a very small part of the overall treatment.

Every remedy and every agent or drug that any patient takes has been tested for the individual with ART b e f o r e the patient uses the product. That goes for chelation or any other aspects of the disease treated. Anything that is put on the body or into the body is tested beforehand, including all energetic materials such as color, sound, and light, frequencies, etc.

I am rid of Lyme and six co-infections; I am rid of all metal and chemical toxicities; I am rid of all pain. I never suffered a severe herxheimer. That's the result of the individualized Klinghardt protocol that may change from one month to the next for every patient. This method is applied to every form of treatment, be it heavy metal toxicity or any of the other modalities used to treat any disease.

Dr. Klinghardt's website is www.neuraltherapy.com and it is merely for generalized information. Repeated ART testing (Autonomic Response Testing) at every office visit determines the treatment from the first office visit. The best and well known chelating agent or healing remedy is not be suitable for everyone and
may be totally unsuitable for a patient.

That's why there has never been a Klinghardt Protocol suitable for everyone, and I doubt very much that there ever will be one.

Some of what has been said in the above posts is incorrect. I would advise anyone not to do it by a book or information you picked up on the internet - find a seasoned practitioner who has done it successfully many times over. It is not an easy task and it can bring more harm than good if not done properly.

Good luck and may all of you be healthy soon.

Still on the point I was making, as usual with Lyme and related health issues, what may work for one person may not be appropriate for another.