When the Cure Is Worse Than the Problem

[polycarp]

by Al Sears, M.D.

You probably don't know that your "silver" fillings (otherwise known as "dental amalgams") contain 50% mercury by weight. And this may be contributing to an increased risk of a host of diseases, including heart disease.

Let me explain ...

Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin, having the deadly distinction of being more poisonous than arsenic or lead. Mercury vapors can penetrate human bone and flesh. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, less than one gram of mercury is enough to contaminate a 10-acre lake. If you have 5 to 10 amalgams, you have SEVERAL GRAMS of mercury in your mouth.

For decades, the American Dental Association (ADA) has claimed that the mercury in a filling is "locked in" and unable to escape. Yet, when you read their regulations regarding the disposal of unused dental amalgam, they advise that it be stored in airtight containers and treated as a hazardous material!

Over the years, a growing mountain of research from leading universities has continued to show that mercury does indeed escape from dental fillings - and it does so with astonishing regularity. Heat, abrasion, and pressure associated with drinking hot drinks and chewing gum especially exacerbate (see "Word to the Wise," below) this process. In fact, in a 1991 report, the World Health Organization claimed that dental amalgam is the number one source of human exposure to mercury.

A now famous German study, conducted in 1995 by the University of Tubingen, found that 43% of the 17,500 participants had a level of mercury in their saliva that was 10 to 100 times over the acceptable limit. They also found a statistical correlation between the mercury concentration in saliva and the number of amalgam fillings present in each person. In other words, the more fillings you have, the higher the concentration of mercury in your saliva. Not surprisingly, the same correlation has been found in blood and urine.

A year earlier, the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) published a report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) on the "Toxicological Profile for Mercury." In their conclusion, they stated that the mercury exposure from dental amalgams far exceeded their Minimal Risk Level (MRL).

In the face of this overwhelming information, the ADA continues to defend dental amalgams by saying that the current formula has been around for 150 years, so it must be safe. (So much for scientific findings.)

That said, there is strong evidence that good dental hygiene, in general, contributes to a healthy heart.

For openers, studies have shown that people with gum disease suffer heart attacks more often than those with healthy gums and teeth. In many cases, the bacteria in your mouth can invade diseased gums and enter the bloodstream. This triggers an immune response, causing inflammation. The chronic infection activates white blood cells, which can cause arterial lesions and encourage plaque build-up on the walls of the artery. This process, known as atherosclerosis, greatly increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.

In the case of dental amalgams, a group of doctors discovered a similar phenomenon during a landmark study in 1998. Researchers implanted dental amalgams into the teeth of animals. This triggered a rapid activation of the immune system, with significantly increased appearance of immune complex deposits in the vessel walls of the internal organs, including the heart.

The effects of mercury toxicity on the heart are already well known. Some of these symptoms include irregular heartbeat, alterations in blood pressure, pain or pressure in the chest, and an irregular pulse.

Fortunately, there is good news for patients with mercury toxicity and symptoms of heart disease. An analysis of 1,569 people who had their dental amalgams removed showed a significant reduction of their symptoms. Blood pressure was reduced by 54%, chest pains by 87%, irregular heartbeat by 87%, and tachycardia by 70%.

Needless to say, I have had all the mercury removed from my mouth. I recommend that you do it too.

[Agnes]

polycarp, not everyone cares about their teeth? we all have silver fillings and they only affect a percentage of people. to have them removed and replaced is expensive. i have heard about this some time ago, the effects of mercury create disease and illness within the body. who would have thought that? there was a time mercury fillings could have brought on MS? :yh_glasse