Here are the names of the group of doctors who authored the ILADS Guidelin of this year that someone posted a months or so ago. I commented on it then, but was ignored.

"COMPOSITION OF GROUP THAT AUTHORED THE GUIDELINE
Working Group Members: Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH, Internal Medicine and Epidemiology, Mt. Kisco, New York; Andrea Gaito, MD, Rheumatology, Basking Ridge, New Jersey; Nick Harris, PhD, Immunology, Pal Alto, California; Gregory Bach, DO, Family and Integrative Medicine, Colmar, Pennsylvania; Sabra Bellovin, MD, Family Practice, Portsmouth, Virginia; Kenneth Bock, MD, Family Practice, Rhineback, New York; Steven Bock, MD, Family Practice, Rhineback, New York; Joseph Burrascano, MD, Internal Medicine, East Hampton, New York; Constance Dickey, RN, Registered Nurse, Hampden, Maine; Richard Horowitz, MD, Internal Medicine, Hyde Park, New York; Steven Phillips, MD, Internal Medicine, Ridgefield, Connecticut; Laurence Meer-Scherrer, MD, Internal Medicine, Flamatt, Switzerland; Bernard Raxlen, MD; Psychiatry, Greenwich, Connecticut; Virginia Sherr, MD, Psychiatry, Holland, Pennsylvania; Harold Smith, MD, Emergency Medicine, Danville, Pennsylvania; Pat Smith, President, Lyme Disease Association, Inc., Jackson, New Jersey; Raphael Stricker, MD, Hematology and Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California"

Please note what this group of experts say in their Guidelines: (about on page 6)

"Continued Importance of Differential Diagnosis

The differential diagnosis of Lyme disease requires consideration of both infectious and noninfectious etiologies. Among noninfectious causes are thyroid disease, degenerative arthritis, metabolic disorders (vitamin B12 deficiency, diabetes), heavy metal toxicity, vasculitis, and primary psychiatric disorders.

Infectious causes can mimic certain aspects of the typical multisystem illness seen in chronic Lyme disease. These include viral syndromes, such as parvovirus B19 or West Nile virus infection, and bacterial mimics, such as relapsing fever, syphilis, leptospirosis, and mycoplasma.

The clinical features of chronic Lyme disease can be indistinguishable from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. These illnesses must be closely scrutinized for the possibility of etiological Borrelia burgdorferi infection."

I did run the Guidelines by my doctor and asked for his comments. "I think this text is written well and truthful. It just omits many other possibilities, such as the herpes virus infections, results from electrosmog, food allergies, the effect of untreated interference fields, etc."

It feels good that I finally have some company.

Here is where you can read and print the newer Guidelines of this year.
http://www.guideline.gov/summary/summary.aspx?ss=15&doc_id=4836&nbr=3481&string=Lyme AND Disease

meaning that, as a disclaimer, one should be checked for heavy metal toxicity, among syphilliis, thyroid disease, parvovirus, etc. if lyme like symptoms abound and there is no conclusive evidence for lyme before treating upon clinical diagnosis.

it mentions absolutely nothing about a connection between tick borne diseases and metal toxicity.

your dr. was correct for saying that even more etiologies of disease should be included in the differential diagnoisis list. this still has nothing to do with tbd and metals.

Can't speak for everybody---------I can only relate my personal experience.

But after having removal of mercury amalgams, I also had high counts of aluminum, lead & mercury after an EDTA challenge IV.

The test even showed mercury in the urine and that was years after having mercury specific chelation (IV DMPS & oral DMSA----back in mid 90's).

Also had infected root canal and cavitation surgery. Back then I had super insurance which even reimbursed for the EDTA chelation because of the positive lab result for lead.

I don't know if it's still true, but I heard that the state of Mississippi pays for EDTA chelation for heart patients because they figure it's cheaper than paying for bypass surgery-------don't quote me on that!

Anyway, I've read too much about heavy metal toxicity to know that it's a possible major problem in some folks. I just happened to be one of those folks.

I read Dr. Hal Huggins book, It's All In Your Head; Toxic Metal Syndrome by Casdorph & Walker; and Chronic Mercury Toxicity by H.L. Queen.

The best book about the brain involvement with mercury was:

Mercury Poisoning from Dental Amalgam - A Hazard to Human Brain by Patrick Stortebecker, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Stortebecker is a former Associate Professor Neurology at the famed Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Dr. Stortebecker describes his Principle of The Shortest Pathway with scientific evidence that mercury vapor released from amalgam fillings can be transported directly

to the brain through the valveless venous system and from the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity along the olfctor nerves to the brain. 213 pages full referenced. Bio-Probe, Inc. ISBN: 0-941011=01-1

Two other good sources of information is at www.bioprobe.com and www.dams.cc/.

DAMS stands for Dental Amalgam Mercury Syndrome. Back then, I also got their book about personal histories about mercury toxicity.

These websites did not exist when I did my amalgam removal; much simpler to research now.

If anyone's interested, this is how I did my research. Please understand, I am NOT up-to-date on the current, safe protocol for mercury amalgam removal.

Thanks GIGI for posting this.

Happy New Year,
Jan

I do want to mention that the EDTA drips that have been used (for heart) for years are good for getting lead out. But not good for Mercury. And if anyone has the EDTA before any other chelation, mercury is then more difficult to remove. These are my doctor's words, and I have heard them more than once during many seminars I attend. EDTA is fine, but at a later point when the mercury has been worked on.

A lot of patients come to my doctor after they have done EDTA, because it is quite well known by more "regular" doctors, yet they have not gotten better. In fact, an ALS patient that came after he had done many months of EDTA,came for help then, and he is no longer alive today because it was just too late. Too bad we don't have throw-away kidneys!! Damage done, means damage done. He also had Lyme. He had heavy metals and the whole array of invaders that I constantly talk about.

Thanks for your comments, Recipegirl.

Wanted to let you know I was diagnosed with mercury poisoning in 2001 and thought it was the answer to my CFS. I had 13 large amalgam fillings removed plus a gold crown.

I chelated out the mercury with alpha lipoic acid over the following year but my health didn't really improve too much. I also had my thyroid treated and adrenals and noticed a good improvement but still there was a major problem with energy.

Found out in late 2003 I had borrelia and co-infections so started Samento for 6 months with some improvements. Stopped it for a couple of weeks and all symptoms returned, I felt dreadful.

Decided to start Doxy 300mg daily and later added 3 days of Tinidzole 500 mg x 2. I have now been doing abx since July last year and my health has really improved a lot, I am really encouraged.

It would appear to be a complex picture for so many of us who had the label of CFS.

But, the more aware biological dentists will take many precautions to greatly minimize releasing more of the metals into your body. I've heard of everything from secure dental dams around the amalgams to sophiticated air negative ionization or filtration systems to huge amounts of chlorella and IV Vit-C (must not be oral with the chlorella) before and after the procedures as well as self-contained air supply systems.

Many dentists are also familiar with how significant the order the amalgams are removed is. I've never had amalgams, just way too many vaccinations, but I've been exposed to the many theories and methodologies adopted by various holistic dentists.

It's unfortunate when I hear that people had all their amalgams out without observing the necessary protective measures, and then they wound up sicker (as should be expected due to increased metal exposure) and they lose all trust in people who, to my mind, rightly insist that proper and meticulous removal of amalgams can be crucial and very beneficial.

So I just wonder if perhaps you were seen by a dentist not aware of "due dilligence".

Happy New Year!!!

Hi

No I was very informed and only went to mercury-free dentists who took great care and protected me with a rubber dam and good ventilation in the room. However I think it is still probably that one gets more mercury into the body with the removal.

However I have never regreted it but certainly it wasn't the only reason I was sick there was far more to it than that, adrenal insufficiency, thyroid disease and also borreliosis.