I haven't posted in a while as I have been busy getting my amalgams removed, per advice of many. I am doing the ``detox'' route through a medical practice that specializes in mercury removal and detoxification. I have had one round of DMPS from a physician who seems well versed in its use. He ART tested me before and it was followed up a day later with an IV drip of Glutathione and other vitamins and minerals. I am following his prescribed protocol.

Problem is... I seem to have taken a real turn for the worse with excruciating muscle cramps, headaches, insomnia, and inability to concentrate, to name a few symptoms. I seem much worse off than I did before the DMPS.

I am trying to consider what to do next. It would appear that I need a much gentler approach than the one that is being prescribed here. Any advice would be appreciated.

Meanwhile.....I will continue with the magnesium malate and b6 (thanks Marnie) that provides me with at least some muscle relief, stuff myself with Chlorella, electrolytes and vitamin C and hope that some how my body will forgive me and become more normal... whatever normal is!

Thanks for all the good ideas you posters provide. Especially thanks to Marnie as I try to wade through your info on magnesium. wish I'd paid more attention in science class.....

I just started using these, per my LLMD. Oh, the gunk that comes out of your feet - you wouldn't believe it.

So please call your doctor. These are going to be a few bumpy days/weeks and you need to stay in close contact with him/her. \

I think the best advice my ND has ever given me (and she has given mt a ton of great advice) is not to chelate until your detox pathways are capable of clearing the metals that will be stirred up by the chelating agent.

"Detox pathways" refer to the liver, kidneys and respiration. An ND can test your urine and saliva and tell how efficiently these organs are working at removing toxins from your system. One such testing protocol is BioTerrain Analysis, though there are other testing methods in use by NDs.

This is quite different from the standard blood tests run by MDs.

The DMPS and other chelation failures we've read about are because too much was used too soon. Metals were released from the cells in greater quantity than the victim was able to clear and thus were redeposited indiscriminately throughout the body, in some cases, in worse places than they had been.

This is what causes neurotoxic and inflammatory reactions such as what you're experiencing.

Please consider seeing an ND.

Regards,

Sue

Specifically, you recommend not to listen to mercury detox advice on this newsgroup, yet this newsgroup seems to reflect my experience detoxing metals, which is that there is conflicting and confusing advice out there.

For example, my initial mercury detox practitioner used ART testing and I did not have a good experience. Other Lyme patients have used Andrew Cutler's protocol to detox with excellent results. What I find interesting is that Cutler and Klinghardt have some opposite protocols that use opposite methods, yet each have helped patients.

Also, there are new products and protocols that have been recently developed to detox metals. It is an evolving field. My point, which I think is similar to yours, is that we each have to find what works for us.

I don't want to negate anyone's methods, however, here is some information I discovered in my own research, some of which was previously posted in a different thread on this subject. I offer it to help others with their own research:

Some people are using two new products to detox which are based on a different theory than normal chelating.

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.

Many people follow Klinghardt's use of ART testing and his particular methods. His website can be found at http://www.neuraltherapy.com. In my case, I found a local practitioner who was trained by him.

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. You can find a warning on this at http://www.dmpsbackfire.com/default.shtml

BTW, I know of one other Lyme patient who successfully used Andrew Hall Cutler's protocol. 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. There is conflicting advice out there with different people finding different protocols that work, or don't work, for them.

I'm in the middle of my metal detox and at the moment and can't make any recommendation.

Good luck.