In my previous article- Part 1- on amalgam fillings, I focused on my recent decision to get all 12 of my amalgam fillings removed starting last September, 2011, and finishing in April, 2012. Any amount of amalgam(mercury) in the body is toxic and needs to be removed as soon as possible.
In this follow-up article I will be presenting more personal information regarding my health, going back as many as 50 years. I obtained my medical file when previous family doctors retired(90’s and 00’s), and since that time, I photocopy all medical documents for my own file.
I keep this duplicate file so that when my present family doctor retires, I will not have to pay an exorbitant fee for photocopies. Also, since I use the services of alternative medicine practitioners, I always have my own medical information at my disposal.
Also, when I want to look at my previous health history, only I am able to look at the trends, symptoms and illnesses over a period of 40 or 50 years- in my own case. My present doctor of 2 years can hardly remember my name when I go for a check-up. His file consists of a few blood test results and summaries from a previous doctor of 5 years.
My point is that we all need to take responsibility for our own health, especially in the world we live in. Assembly line medicine, overcrowding in hospitals, treating symptoms and a failure to cure disease, pharmaceuticals being dispensed at take-out windows like fast food, and a health care system that has earned a failing grade- these are the characteristics of what we erroneously refer to as our ‘health care system.’
The dental care system is just an extension of the health care system and is negligent in looking after our overall health. Dental procedures are routinely done with little thought to the effect on the entire body. In “Whole Body Dentistry,” Dr. Mark Breiner explains that good overall health begins with the mouth, and that dental materials and procedures have a direct effect on health.
Many dentists don’t seem to understand the dangers of having mercury in the body, and young children are routinely being given amalgam fillings which will cause needless suffering if not removed. Inherent weaknesses in the dental care system necessitate a call for strong independent action to protect ourselves and our families. The proper care can be put off no longer.
My Dental Health Growing Up in the 1950’s
I grew up in Cornwall in the 50’s and started going to the dentist when I was 5 or 6 years old. I remember having as many as 4 or 5 cavities filled at one time, since the enamel on my teeth was soft.
My mother always accepted the blame for that condition, rightly or wrongly, claiming that she had a poor diet during her pregnancy, which was low in calcium, which was commonplace in the years following WW2 in England.
However, we play the hand we are dealt and there’s many more things that could go wrong other than having soft enamel on one’s teeth. However, it also means that the teeth you have in your mouth today may have been affected by your mother’s diet during pregnancy. For the young women out there who will become mothers, you should be paying attention.
All of my fillings in the early days were silver amalgam, a mixture of metals like tin, zinc, copper, and mercury- which comprises 50% of the mix! That’s right, amalgam fillings contain 50% mercury!
By the time I entered high school I probably had about 12-15 amalgam fillings in my mouth. That’s a lot of mercury.
My Dental Health from the 60’s- 80’s
During my high school years I was very involved in athletics but it became apparent to me that my immune system weakened quickly. I could sustain bursts of energy in basketball games, running and jumping, but my recovery time always exceeded the time of my friends.
If I exercised hard from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on a normal school day, I felt exhausted after supper, and often watched television for an hour and went to bed at 9:00 or 10:00 pm and sometimes earlier.
On weekends if I went out late on one night, I was too exhausted to go out again for the rest of the weekend. I was 18 years old at the time. This always baffled my friends. This pattern of low stamina and chronic fatigue has followed me most of my life. I have learned to compensate in many different ways, and to withdraw from activities and people as necessary.
During my working years, I could work a full 8-hour day in my job, but once again, during the evening I felt helplessly fatigued. There wasn’t much I could do in the evenings except to prepare for the next day. The amount of sleep that I got was very important to me. I always needed to get 8 hours of sleep to be effective the next day, and if I didn’t get it, it was extremely hard to ‘get through’ the day.
According to Dr. Breiner, the mercury in our bodies affects the brain, the spinal column and the nervous system. Mercury, however, is the only heavy metal which can affect every system in the body. Moreover, it can remain dormant in the body for years, and only rear its head when the body’s immune system weakens due to disease.
Those amalgam fillings that may have been in your mouth for many years, are a constant stress on your body because of the high mercury content.
My Dental Health in the 90's and 00's
You may have heard the expression: “Life Begins at 40.” It is a catchy phrase which implies that you can really start enjoying life now that you have accumulated 40 years on the planet. You are more mature, more aware and yet you still are fairly youthful. However, you still have to face the health realities of taking care of a body at the beginning of middle age.
Around my 40th birthday here are some of the problems with which I was dealing. I exhibited these symptoms that I have read about, experienced by other people and now believe to be directly related to mercury toxicity:
- Chronic lower back pain every day, overall body stiffness, requiring countless chiropractic visits, massages and accupuncture over a 15-20 year period
- Chronic low energy connected to the back pain, worse in evenings
- Frequent colds, sore throat and weakened immunity
- Frequent headaches, especially when tired, hungry or acute changes in weather
- Chronic sinus problems, ear blockages and infections- especially in cooler weather
- Irregular bowel habits and frequent diarrhea
- Limited ability to concentrate in early part of the day
- Overly sensitive to certain foods
- Tendency to worry and the feeling of being under stress
- Poor adaptation to the winter and colder weather, decline in health, cold hands and feet
Unfortunately, these problems continued and when I was offered early retirement in 2003, I had little trouble making up my mind. Two years before that I had had a sinus infection that really weakened me and I felt I could not ‘get through’ another winter and remain healthy. As I look back on that decision today, in 2012, it was the right one for me.
