posted
How can i tell if I have the metal in my mouth that is supposedly dangerous for lyme patients/prolongs recovery?
Posts: 370 | From NJ | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
are all cavities amalgams? Im not sure what they are
Posts: 370 | From NJ | Registered: Dec 2007
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lymie tony z
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5130
posted
personally Trish,
I don't think it matters one iota. I had the fillings before I contracted lyme disease and I
should be able to get rid of the lyme with the same fillings.
There are those out there in lyme land that would have you see a biologically trained dentist to have the amalgam fillings changed out.
These fillings, the amalgams, have amalgamated or mixed metal of mercury,nickel, and silver or
gold. Sometimes they have other mixtures of different types of metal, like mananganese I believe.
This is a very costly venture should you decide to have all your fillings replaced.
Should you have all your fillings replaced and you experience no significant increase in
healthy feelings or a noticeable decrease in symptoms you've lost some money. Of course there
are those who think that having them replaced is the best thing since sliced bread. Whether
you have any significant change in your lyme symptoms or not because the body does'nt need
them, the heavy metals that is, in order to function at its optimal. I tend to believe that
if you have had these fillings for quite some time then the miracle that the body is has
already adapted to them and was functioning well enough until you were infected. I tend to put my bucks into other things.
However I hope I have answered your question. I know I'm not the best at this particular advice, so hang in and someone else will answer.
zman
-------------------- I am not a doctor...opinions expressed are from personal experiences only and should never be viewed as coming from a healthcare provider. zman Posts: 2527 | From safety harbor florida(origin Cleve., Ohio | Registered: Jan 2004
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luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
Trish
I have an opposite opinion than Tony about the amalgams.
Amalgam is a material used to fill cavities, it is not the cavity itself. The material includes mercury which is a very toxic poison. The color is usually silver or gray.
If you have any fillings and are unsure of the material, call your dentist and ask.
I was having incredible jaw pain when my lyme induced arthritis began. I had the last 3 amalgams removed from my mouth by a biological dentist and whalla! The jaw pain was gone within 2 weeks. That was June 2006 and the pain has never returned.
There is never a good time to have mercury in your body. None of the dentists in my town(that I have spoken to) will even use it anymore.
I originally had 11 amalgam fillings. The first 8 were removed by a regular dentist long before I became sick. I never had any problems with the removals.
The last 3 I had removed by a biological dentist because they take great care in safe removal of the fillings. Since I was already sick with lyme and much more educated about fillings, I sought out a biological dentist.
Whether regular dentist or biological dentist, get them out. I can't guarantee it will resolve your gum issues, but mercury in your body is never a good thing.
Luvs
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
PS: The biological dentist charged me $410. for removal of all 3 fillings. I did not feel this was a bad price at all.
Luvs
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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sixgoofykids
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11141
posted
If you are talking about silver fillings, all silver fillings have mercury.
I feel that our body's immune system can handle a certain amount of toxins. Mercury is toxic to everyone, but not everyone's immune system has reached the capacity of what it is able to handle.
This is why out of six kids exposed to Lyme, only one of mine has had Lyme Disease. It's the same idea ... some of my kids' immune systems handled the Lyme without treatment.
So, when your immune system has too much to handle, any stress you can take off it will help it to heal you.
Some people probably can get better with amalgam fillings, but I personally, don't think that's the quickest way. The body has an overload of toxins already, I think removing that toxin will help it along. Though I think someone too toxic might not be ready for amalgam removal.
Back in 1991 I had what appeared as CFS. I know now it was Lyme. I had all my fillings out, chelated, went on a healthy diet, and exercised. My Lyme went into remission for 12 years. The stress was taken off my immune system enough so that it could work properly.
I think that removing amalgams can help you to regain optimal health, but I also only think it's one part of the process ... it most likely won't do it on it's own, just like it wasn't the only thing that made you sick to begin with.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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CaliforniaLyme
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 7136
posted
I'm with Tony Z- I don't think it matters at all.
In 8+ years of being a support gorup leader I can say definitely that the 3 people in our group who HAD this done (and also had jaw scraping done!) ARE STILL CHRONIC while people who ignored this are in full remission.
So... I don't think it matters. You will get people with an agenda other than Lyme who will say things because they want to sound like they are authorities- ask for credentials. Mine are that for 8 years I have facilitated a Lyme support group.
Take care, Sincerely, Sarah
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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Peacesoul
Unregistered
posted
I think it matters! To get rid of yeast or any illness in the body, our bodies need to be clean. Being clean means taking toxins from the body
I'm sched to get all my fillings out this week and in the next coming weeks.
I have dental insurance, so I have nothing to lose but better health
SForsgren
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7686
posted
The thought that one can recover from Lyme disease without addressing heavy metals is short-sighted. Many of the doctors I have spoken with or interviewed, even ILADS doctors, have made the clear statement that heavy metals are an issue and often must be dealt with. It may well be that if our immune systems were not already impacted by and suppressed by metals before we were exposed to Lyme, we may never have become chronic Lyme patients.
-------------------- Be well, Scott Posts: 4617 | From San Jose, CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
Scott,
You are so right. The very first ILADS LLMD I went to said the amalgams needed to go.
My current ILADS LLMD is going to chelate my metals once she clears some of the other things I am dealing with. She says it has to be done in a certain order.
Sorry, Calif, not to blow off your "credentials" but you have experience with a small group of sick people from one region who, by your own statement in another thread, can only function in life by continuing to take antibiotics. They have been doing so for years, everytime they quit...they relapse and they will have to continue taking drugs the rest of their lives according to you. That is a bad spiral downward as the bugs do develop resistance to abx requiring stronger, more dangerous abx.
Frankly, that is not acceptable to me.
Pull the amalgams guys. It is no more painful than any other filling and doesn't require a loan.
Who knows how great the benefits will be for you? Calif doesn't live in my area so she doesn't know how much I benefited by ending the incredibly painful TMJ and how good it felt to be able to fully open my mouth again.
Luvs
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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CaliforniaLyme
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 7136
posted
My TMJ is completely gone with Lyme treatment.
3 people had their metals removed locally.
All 3 are still chronic.
Many people locally have gone into full remission without addressing this issue at all.
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
Since I am asymptomatic since July, I guess you can say I am in remission too. I am sure removing the amalgams had a role in my recovery.
I guess the 3 you know were able to knock down other loads sufficiently without removing their amalgams. That does not prove the amalgams are not leaking.
I personally want to knock down all my loads as low as I can so hopefully I will never relapse. I am sure I will miss something unintentionally. It is for sure I will not be ignoring anything intentionally.
Luvs
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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CaliforniaLyme
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 7136
posted
LUvs, you seem to be taking my experience personally. I say that because you haev referenced me by name. My experience has nothing to do with you!! I wish you the very best and always have- and everyone here!!!I AM telling the truth, and that is my exeperience and I happen to believe it's WORTH something in this world or should be.
No, asymptomatic is not necessarily remission, but I am glad you are!!! I have been asymptomatic for a long, long time. It is nice.
Those people in my group- I am glad they did it- they are all FAR from remission and have been chronic for years and years- and if it makes them feel like they are working on themselves- sure- but they are NOT asymptomatic or in remission and I hate to see de-metalization or chelation sold to people like some kind of ANSWER when in my experience it has NOT yielded any kind of real salvation to people with chronic Lyme disease.
Luvs, I like you, and I feel like you take my answers personally because you reference me in your answers. But I am simply putting MY experience out there. I am glad you are putting yours out there. This is mine.
Take care all, Sarah
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
From Health Canada - Safety of Dental Amalgam:
****"Dentists should advise individuals who may have allergic hypersensitivity to mercury to avoid the use of amalgam. In patients who have developed hypersensitivity to amalgam, existing amalgam restorations should be replaced with another material where this is recommended by a physician." ****
I tested for hypersensitivity (allergy) to mercury and also suffered from terrible TMJ, several times a week my jaw would pop out of place and often stay that way for hours or overnight. I was so dizzy I staggered and had constant episodes of vertigo with the room spinning and even though my scan showed lesions in my brain I was told I had CFIDS and they weren't sure what the lesions in the brain meant????
Well, we don't have lyme up here in Canada you know????
Anyway, I did have all my considerable amalgams out and a few rounds of DMPS I think it was and I did not feel well at first but several weeks later I noticed the vertigo diminishing and I could walk without leaning on someone. I believe that removing the amalgams greatly diminished my symptoms but not completely of course because I now know that I had also developed lyme disease. I believe the heavy metals supported the borrelia infestation by disrupting the immune system.
This is my experience, I lived it, and although I still have what I call "swollen brain" it is so much better then when I had the amalgams in my mouth and couldn't even get out of bed -- I would lie in bed holding on to the side of the mattress and pray that the room would stop spinning so I could get up to use the washroom without falling down.
No, removing amalgams didn't solve all my health problems but because I had such severe symptoms it was certainly easy to tell the difference removing them made. I believe my lyme symptoms would be utterly unbearable if I still had the amalgams in my mouth. Oh, and my jaw no longer pops out of place although it still makes cracking sounds when I yawn.
Perhaps removing the amalgams caused the borrelia to diminish in that area but my jaw has certainly improved. Now, if it didn't take at least a year to see a LLMD I might be able to get some long term antibiotics but it hasn't happened so far.
In the meantime I use every other method I can afford to help support my body to fight this disease and I am improving gradually so I'm keeping an open mind about all treatments. And I don't regret a penny of the pile of money I spent to remove my amalgams.
Removing amalgams is only a big step in the right direction to regain your health but unfortunately there is much more involved in eradicating lyme disease. I firmly believe, I would still be in bed or dead by now if I hadn't had the amalgams out. And I'm still upset that I ever believed that it must be okay to put that toxic poison in my mouth, which for me was a huge factor in developing chronic illness.
Looking
Posts: 590 | From Canada | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
This is such an interesting topic. I think when it comes to mercury a person has to weigh all options, and look at everything surrounding their treatment and progress.
Personally, I was on lyme treatment for a year with no improvement, and have seen every doctor under the sun. With some people the body has problems detoxing in general. The junk gets stuck and doesn't know where to go. With others it might be a different issue all together.
I actually started a Pectasol Chelation protocol for several months and saw results. Then I stopped and am back to square one. To me that is surely a sign that something is going on.
Your mouth is so important to your health in my opinion. It wouldn't hurt anyone to clean it up, and maybe even live longer. Of course, look at your finances and see if you can do it. Maybe even look at doing it over a 3 to 5 year period.
Posts: 49 | From Grass Valley, CA | Registered: Jan 2007
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posted
ONe thing to consider for anyone making a decision to remove amalgams is: the trauma to the teeth in removing deep fillings can kill the tooth. Or cause nerve irritation.
Removing mine made no difference whatsoever in my overall health, but caused major problems with my teeth.
The truth is we do NOT know yet whether or not these composites are any more safe than amalgams! It would not surprise me in the least if something comes out in the years ahead about them being carcinogetic! And, they are not as sturdy and long lasting as composites.
I really regret having mine removed.
Anneke
Posts: 364 | From California | Registered: Sep 2005
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Studies Link Other Ills to Mercury, Too E-MailPrint Reprints Save Share Del.icio.usDiggFacebookNewsvinePermalink
By MARIAN BURROS Published: January 23, 2008 In the past few years, several studies have concluded that elevated mercury levels may be associated not only with neurological problems but with cardiovascular disease among adults as well.
One of the studies, reported by Dr. Eliseo Guallar, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, in 2002 in The New England Journal of Medicine, looked at men in European countries and Israel. The mercury levels among men who had had a heart attack were 15 percent higher than those who had not.
In 2006, a National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine report titled ``Seafood Choices: Balancing Benefits and Risks'' acknowledged some of these findings, saying that ``increased methylmercury exposure might be a risk factor for adult cardiovascular toxicity.''
The report added, ``For child neurodevelopment and adult cardiovascular health, emerging evidence suggests that the health benefits of seafood consumption are greater among individuals whose body burden of methylmercury is lower.''
Other studies have concluded that the benefits of consuming fish, because it contains omega-3 fatty acids that may help prevent heart disease, may outweigh the risks of mercury contamination. Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at Harvard Medical School, said that ``the evidence is inconsistent that high mercury level has any effect'' on the risk of cardiovascular death among adults. More research had to be done, Dr. Mozaffarian said.
But some researchers who have examined the links between mercury and cardiovascular disease agree with Dr. Ellen Silbergeld, professor of environmental health sciences and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, who said ``the existing evidence is strong and striking,'' even though more studies were needed.
``It is very unwise to wait until we have complete scientific truth,'' said Dr. Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health and chairman of the department of environmental medicine at the University of Southern Denmark. ``The prudent judgment is to protect human health.''
There is also recent epidemiological evidence on the relationship between mercury and neurological problems. One study, published in Environmental Health in 2003, linked low-level methylmercury exposure with impaired dexterity and concentration. The greater the mercury level, the greater the effect, the researchers found. The study also suggested that adults exposed to methylmercury might be at risk for vision loss and numbness of fingers and toes as well as blood pressure and fertility problems.
Increasing numbers of physicians are reporting on signs of mercury poisoning among patients who eat large quantities of fish.
Dr. Jane Hightower, a clinician and diagnostician in San Francisco, evaluated more than 100 patients who had vague, unexplained symptoms. Of them, 89 percent had mercury in their blood that exceeded the level considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The symptoms included memory lapses, hair loss, fatigue, sleeplessness, tremors, headaches, muscle and joint pain, trouble thinking, gastrointestinal disturbances and an inability to do complex tasks.
Dr. Hightower tracked 67 of the patients, directing them to stop eating all fish. After 41 weeks, all but two had blood mercury levels lower than the level considered acceptable. Her clinical observations, published in 2003 in Environmental Health Perspectives, indicate that such neurological problems in otherwise healthy adults recede when blood mercury levels go down.
No one is recommending that people stop eating fish, unless their blood mercury levels are dangerously high. In fact, health professionals and researchers encourage eating seafood selectively, choosing species, like salmon and sardines, that have high omega-3 fatty acids and low levels of mercury.
Fish in the diet ``is not an all-or-nothing story,'' Dr. Silbergeld said. ``The trick is to figure out which ones to eat.''
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