As you know by now, I’ve done a lot of research on chronic fatigue. However, I don’t remember ever reading a book on chronic fatigue mentioning mercury specifically, and I think this is an important issue that should not be ignored.
In case you are not familiar with mercury, it is a chemical element, a highly toxic ones. Unfortunately, it is possible to inadvertently get mercury poisoning: this can happen by directly touching it, inhaling mercury vapors (i.e. from a broken thermometer, or while drilling silver fillings) and - possibly the most likely, in my opinion - exposure to fish contaminated with Mercury.
Until recently, I used to eat a lot of Sushi. It’s tasty, it’s healthy, in New York city it’s very affordable - so why not? Last year suddenly my chronic fatigue increased dramatically (after it has been improving because of the B-12 shots I’ve been getting), I started getting headaches, and my blood pressure - which is normally average to low - went way up. I also I became very thirsty - and worst, I started forgetting things (I normally have an exceptionally good memory).
I went to see a doctor, who wanted to put me on blood pressure medications, and was quite surprised I get headaches (said that my blood pressure isn’t high enough to warrant that). She couldn’t explain any of the other symptoms. So I decided to go to a specialist: I went to a neurologist and explained the problem (I didn’t think my chronic fatigue specialist is the one to ask, since he routinely examined me and didn’t notice anything unusual). He ran me through an entire series of tests.
The results, to me, were very surprising - I was suffering from mercury poisoning. Although he said I should not be getting headaches, the fact of the matter is, I was. So based on that, and the fact my blood pressure went up at the same time, I believe I was suffering from mercury poisoning for at least 3 months before it was officially discovered. He said I have more than 3 times the maximum allowed amount of mercury in my blood, and this is not good at all. The scary thing is: I wasn’t eating that much Sushi! So although it’s possible I was getting it from another source, I don’t believe I did - I mean, I where could I have gotten it from?
The scary thing is that mercury testing is a really simple test and yet it is not a routine one, moreover, many people - at least in NYC - often eat Sushi, so it’s possible many are exposed and this affects them to various degrees (here’s an article that suggests this as well). I felt stupid about it, since just a few months before, there were lots of articles warning New Yorkers about eating Sushi (here’s one), and I figured that this was probably resolved by then (clearly I was mistaken).
Unsurprisingly, the symptoms, particularly of low-level exposure, include fatigue, loss of memory and increase in blood pressure. What a coincidence!
My suggestions for you, if you suffer from chronic fatigue
If you have any reason to suspect you’ve been exposed to mercury, which should not normally be the case (unless you eat a lot of fish - and I think this is a problem particularly in New York, though I may be wrong on that), simply ask your doctor to do a blood test for mercury.
Treatment
If you do suffer from mercury poisoning, there are ways of treating it. One way is through chelation therapy, which supposedly absorbs the mercury out of one’s system in a session of treatments. The problem is that - so I’ve been told - if you have silver fillings, there’s a risk it’ll literally cause the mercury component to melt into your system and make things worse (not to mention the dental ramifications!). I don’t know whether that’s true, but I’ve decided not to risk it.
Second, there are also detox diets which help the body get rid of mercury (and other heavy metals). Although I personally never tried those, here are two eBooks that explain the process: Detoxification Kit: cleanse your body from heavy metal and Be free from Heavy Metals.
Personally, I decided not to risk chelation therapy, and at the time wasn’t aware of any eBooks. One of the symptoms of mercury is extreme thirst since the body tries to get rid of this toxic material. So I decided to assume the body knows what it’s doing. I drank massive amounts of water every day, and went for monthly blood tests. At some point I was even able to calculate the estimated drop of the mercury level in my blood. I don’t know how accurate the tests were, but within 4 months I was back in the threshold of “allowable” mercury level (even if at the maximum level). One thing that bothered (and to an extent, still does), is that a doctor suggested that even this exposure can do some damage. “Officially”, it does not (not at my level of mercury), but you just never know. Anyway, what’s past is past.
Once I got to that point, my headaches vanished completely, my blood pressure went down, my extreme thirst disappeared - and my chronic fatigue significantly lessened (roughly to the level it was before).
Hopefully you’ll find this inspiring. Mercury is not normally associated with causes of extreme fatigue, but I believe mercury poisoning can very easy lead one to believe he or she suffers from chronic fatigue. Even worse, it seems doctors are generally not too aware of the risk - otherwise why is this not a routine test? The good thing is, if that is your problem, it is relatively easy to cure and detect.
As always, please keep me updated!
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September 8th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Mercury in any form in the human body is serious. Just today in a post, I referred people to the amalgam fillings (i.e. containing mercury) that I had replaced several years ago. Now I am better from severe case of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. I don’t credit my healing solely to getting rid of the fillings, but I do believe what I did helped. Mercury is toxic to the body. Thanks for your great posting and information to so many people,
Cinda Crawford
http://healthmattershow.com/dental-care-dental-implants-and-teeth-problems/
September 8th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Cinda, thanks for the comment.
I’ve actually spoken to experts that suggested getting rid of all mercury fillings for this very reason.
For me, personally, this was too extreme (I still have a couple), and my fatigue started after my last silver filling was made. However, this is absolutely true and could be one of the causes of chronic fatigue.
It really bothers me that mercury testing isn’t routinely done. I hope this changes soon.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I have had Chronic Fatigue and have recovered from it. You can read about it at my website only because it would take to long to try to post it here.
I am doing what you are… educating and advocating options. I promised myself if I ever found somthing that worked I would change professions and advocate for it. That is what I am beginning to do now.
Would you join my site and share your success story. You have so much information here on your site that I would love for you to share. You would have your own page to link into this site, you can post articles and information. I really love it if you would join our community.
By the way, I am past the chronic fatgue, yet have just tested high in mercury. I still have multipul food and chemical sensitivities still which I think is because of the toxic overload of the mercury. I never eat sushi, and don’t eat much fish. However, I had a mouthful of mercury fillings. I have had them removed over the last few years, yet I still have too much mercury in my body. I am going to do the chelation, but I wouldn’t recommend it until you have your mercury taken out.
I was tested years ago for mercury and it didn’t show up. However, my doc says that your body needs to be healthy enough to through it off or try to detox and mine wasn’t healthy enough until now. So that is good news, my body is strong enough to start trying to eliminate the mercury. However, it needs help with it.
Also, when you visit my site you will find a video that shows the vapors literally rising off teeth that have mercury fillings, so I am a big believer that they must be removed and by someone who is a professional at it. They need the right equipment or your body will absorb it. I was sick for weeks after having mine removed, everytime.My problem was I didn’t do my reseach and I trusted that my dentist knew the proper way to remove them. She didn’t.
I love your site! I hope you will join mine and share your espertise and stories.
Best ~Diana~
September 9th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Diana, many thanks for the very kind words!
I’d be happy to contribute to your site, though I’d rather continue writing for my *own* site - surely you understand, I created this site for this very purpose as well, and I like having complete control of it. It’s like my own diary of my Chronic Fatigue, and it’s a great feeling knowing it helps people.
Although I’m mostly recovered, I still cannot say I am fully recovered. And there’s so many angles, every thing that taxes your immune system, such as mercury, can be cause or be perceived as Chronic Fatigue. Fortunately, I’ve had 2 really good doctors, and each treated me in a different way (and several other lousy doctors, but no need to go into that).
As for mercury, I am sorry to hear you still have it - but am not surprised. I think we’ve all been systematically poisoned for years. You’re right about chelation being tough on the body, I forgot to mention that in my article. I guess because I’ve decided almost from the very beginning not to undergo it I didn’t have to explore that option too thoroughly. I have several silver fillings and I just can’t envision going through an entire process of taking them out right now.
Anyway, I’ll come visit your site, it sounds like an excellent resource! And I’ll be glad to contribute.
November 9th, 2009 at 5:17 am
Hello. I have had a mouth full of mercury fillings since I was young, progressively getting more and have always been thirsty, seeming to have much more water than other people. I recently had my bottom teeth out (my top ones previously) and have noticed that I am not as thirsty. I found it very strange and that is why I ended up on your website. It certainly seems to be related.
November 9th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Hi Anna, very interesting! It’s possible that it is related.. I guess only a blood test before & after to check for mercury level can confirm that.
February 12th, 2010 at 7:19 am
I actually have chronic fatigue syndrome, i was diagnosed about a week ago. if you have it, you are so tired that you miss school (or work if you’re older a lot.
February 24th, 2010 at 2:40 am
Consider taking colloidal gold and colloidal silver. Colloidal silver can eliminate viruses and suppress yeast overgrowth, whilst colloidal gold can unbind mercury from the body proteins and enzymes.
February 25th, 2010 at 5:28 am
Unfortunately, you probably aren’t going to learn much about them from your doctor. Most physicians today are still hopelessly ignorant in these areas. They were simply never taught about nutrition and detoxification in medical school.
March 4th, 2010 at 12:29 am
st kilda sea baths: I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully you will be able to find a solution. I hope my site will help.
boats for sale au: yes, this is good advice. I’ve heard about it too even though I never tried it myself.
LED floodlights: you’re completely right. Sometimes I am in shock of the ignorance I encounter from doctors - multiple doctors - when dealing with this subject. It would be fine if they admitted it, but they try to hide it. I’ve had more than one doctor not even know how to order a mercury test (it’s a very simple blood test), not to mention what amount is unhealthy in the blood - I had to educate them.
March 4th, 2010 at 2:46 am
The professional ignorance and arrogance exhibited by the dental profession over the use of mercury has been inherited from 150 years of faith, opinion and tradition. A legacy that has been sadly misguided, and is not well founded in modern scientific knowledge.