Complete Panorama Amalgam Documentary Transcript..
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covers such a range of basic questions on
the topic of Amalgam..
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BBC TV PANORAMA DOCUMENTARY: Poison in the Mouth
Program transcript, Transmitted on BBC-1, llth July 1994
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(NOTE: TOM MANGOLD is both the BBC REPORTER and VOICE OVER
quoted throught this text..)
VOICE OVER: This is a phial of mercury, a liquid metal and one
of the most poisonous substances known to man. Most people have
metal or amalgam fillings in their mouths, and half the metal in
each filling is made from this stuff. For years dentists have believed
these fillings were safe, but now we know that every time we chew,
brush or grind our teeth, some of the mercury is released as a
vapour and we inhale it.
Panoronra has uncovered a growing body of scientific evidence that
shows ominous links between the mercury from our fillings and serious
illnesses. We also reveal an uncomfonable background of complacency
and ignorance within the British dental establishment, and apathy in
govemment, which is helping mask the truth about the dangers of the
poison in your mouth.
(Vision shows men wearing protective sealed body-suits)
These men are handling old amalgam tooth filling for recycling.
Once removed, what had lived inside our mouths for years is
suddenly treated as the dangerous poison it's always been.
Mercury is so toxic that at certain levels it drives people mad,
but even the tiniest amounts are regarded as unsafe. At lower
levels - and no one quite knows how low they are - the metal attacks
the brain and the central nervous system, producing symptoms that
indude nervousness and irritability, lack of concentration, loss
of memory and self confidence, mood swings, anxiety, depression,
fatigue and insomnia.
Because there can be other causes for these symptoms, no one has
associated dental amalgam with them. But suddenly the familiar
quicksilver of our youth is beginning to look dirty.
(Vision cuts to interview extract)
DR BOYD HALEY (University of Kentucky) If you have something that's
been put in your mouth that you can't dispose of in a waste basket
without breaking environmental protection laws, there's no point in
keeping it around, there's no point in taking that type of risk -
there's no point in exposing people to any level of mercury toxicity
if you don't have to.
(Vision cuts to interview extract)
JOHN HUNT (Chief Executive, British Dental Association) The
epidemiological evidence thus far - and every other bit of evidence
ttsat we've seen, not just ourselves but the scientific experts and
the
toxicologists - points to amalgam being as safe as any other material.
(Vision cuts to interview extract)
DR MURRAY VIMY (University of Calgary) Mercury is a poison - there's
no safe level. The World Health Organisation has determined that, and
so how can we continue to implant that into people's teeth?
VOICE OVER: Dentists have been using amalgam for over a century,
convinced of its safety. Mercury is used to bond silver and other
metals together to make a cheap, efficient and durable filling, yet no
one has proven that when the mercury goes into our bodies it is safe.
The dentists have always assumed it was safe because these were no
identifiable side-effects - but dentists may not have been the right
people to look for the subde but dangerous symptoms of low-level
mercury poisoning. Supposing there have been side-effects, but of the
kind only doctors are qualified to recognise? Has the evidence always
been there?
Tonight we examine the new scientific clues that place amalgam firmly
in the dock, on suspicion of causing harm to humans. It's a case where
both sides, believers and non-believers, are fundamentally divided on
even the most basic issues.
Amalgam's most vehement suppon comes fsom the British Dental
Association (BDA), the professional body to which most dentists
belong. They run a service that includes giving their members an
up-to-date scientific advisory service. John Hunt is the Chief
Executive and Peter Gordon the scientific adviser. They do no original
work, but review other studies.
(Vision cuts to interview extract)
BBC REPORTER: Is amalgam safe?
PETER GORDON (Science Adviser, BDA): In a word, yes.
BBC REPORTER: No doubt about that at all?
PETER GORDON: No doubt about it at all.
BBC REPORTER: Is there anybody it is not safe for?
PETER GORDON: There may be a small percentage of the population with
an allergy to amalgam, but it really is very, very small - in fact
less than 50 worldwide in the last 100 years.
BBC REPORTER: So it must be 99.9 per cent safe?
PETER GORDON: Yes, in our opinion.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: Dr Lars Friberg spoke recently at a German amalgam
conference. He's the world's leading authority on mercury poisoning
and was Chief Adviser to the World Health Organisation on mercury
safety. Until now he's remained studiously neutral in the mercury
debate.
(Vision cuts to interview extract)
BBC REPORTER: Dr Friberg, is there a safe level of mercury?
DR LARS FRIBERG (Consultant, World Health Organisation) No, there is
no
safe level of mercury, and no one has actually shown that there is a
safe level. I would say mercury is a very toxic substance.
BBC REPORTER: So there's no amount, in your opinion, that should
really
go into the body?
DR FRIBERG: I would like to avoid it as far as possible.
BBC REPORTER: If there is no safe level of mercury, why does the
British Dental Association say there is one?
DR FRIBERG: I don't know, but I think they're wrong.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: The first evidence of mercury's joumey into the body came
ten years ago. Dentists had always assumed that mercury stayed inert
in the filling, but scientists discovered that the gleamy new amalgam
inside a polished tooth didn't stay put - it leaked as mercury vapour
and entered the bloodstream.
This is an electron microscope picture of a ten-year-old amalgam
Eilling. Those black holes are where the mercury used to be. In this
filling, some 40 per cent has evaporated in only ten years. So where
did it go, and could it cause harm to humans?
The challenge was taken up in Western Canada by two men from different
disciplines. Their co-operation has produced scientific revelations
which are so damning that they may yet bring about the end of the
very use of dental amalgam. Fritz Lorscheider and Murray Vimy set
about clearing the smoke surrounding the amalgam mystery. Vimy, the
academic dentist and World Health Organisation consultant, and
Lorscheider, Psofessor of Medical Physiology at the University of
Calgary, pioneered a simple but dramatic experiment to show not only
where the missing mercury went, but also that it did do harm when it
got there. Their work shattered the comfortable illusion that mercury
and amalgams were stable and safe. They took a sheep and put fillings
in its teeth containing radioactive mercury, which would show up as
black on X-rays.
(Vision cuts to footage of Dr Vimy looking at an x-ray)
DR VIMY: Here's the outline of the sheep, and this is the jawbone;
here are the two stomachs; this area is the liver; here are the two
kidneys, and this is the transverse colon. So the mercury from the
fillings which were slightly radioactive migrated to these tissues. In
fact it was in all the tissues. The dental profession said: well, it's
a sheep - it chews too much, they grind a lot, they regurgitate their
food - it's not a good example.
BBC REPORTER: So they repeated the work with monkeys, and found that
again the mercury had spread. Furthermore, they discovered that even
small amounts of mercury from amalgams damaged the kidneys of the
sheep.
(Vision cuts to interview extract)
BBC REPORTER: When you look at all the current scientific evidence,
what do you think it's trying to tell you?
DR VIMY: It tells me very succinctly that there is a chronic low-dose
exposure to a toxic heavy metal that 80-85 per cent of the
industrialised world have implanted in their teeth, and it's a
situation of timed-release poisoning.
(Vision cuts away from interview extract)
VOICE OVER: But animal studies were one thing - what science now
had to prove was chat mercury from fillings in human beings was a
major source of the bodys intake of the metal, and that this mercury
not only accumulated but stayed inside the body's most sensitive
organs.
They cracked that one here, at the University of Arizona.
The university's Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology is
headed by the world-renowned Professor Vasken Aposhian. He used
tablets to draw out mercury in the body's sensitive organs. Students
volunteered to take part.
For over a century, dentists believed that mercury from fillings
didn't even enter the body. But Aposhian's results, published two
years ago, were an astonishing rebuttaL They showed that no less than
two thirds of the mercury in the body came from tooth fillings.
(Vision cuts to interview extract)
PROFESSOR VASKEN APOSHIAN (University of Arizona): I'm worried that
the
amount of mercury coming from dental amalgams that we're putting in
the mouths of young children today might be harmful to them as far as
effecting their learning abilities, their performance abilities. I'd
hate to think that 20 years from now we will have hurt some of these
children when we could have prevented it by proper scientific
research, and that is what we must do now.
VOICE OVER: The professor simply doesn't know if enough mercury from
fillings enters the body to do harm - but nor is he waiting to find
out.
PROFESSOR APOSHIAN: I'd hate to see amalgams in the mouth of my
grandchildren, who are 5 years and 8 years of age now, when there are
better materials, and I think then are better materials now available.
BBC REPORTER: And safer?
PROFESSOR APOSHIAN: And safer.
(Vision cuts to new interview extract)
BBC REPORTER: Are you aware of the work of Professor
Aposhian, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the
University of Arizona?
PETER GORDON: No.
BBC REPORTER: Not at all?
PETER GORDON: (Shakes head)
BBC REPORTER: Did you know that he had shown that two thirds of
the mercury excreted from the human body comes from dental amalgams?
JOHN HUNT: No, I didn't know that
BBC REPORTER: Isn't this, gentlemen, the kind of document that ought
to
be on your desks?
JOHN HUNT: Yes, I'm surprised that it isn't in the bundle that we have
got, but nevertheless I think that if it were, and if you produced it,
we would have had a look at it, and asked our experts to have a look
at it, and reviewed the sciencific methodology and the interpretation
of the findings. We need to have a look at these papers and certainly
routinely we do - this one we appear to have missed.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: Now even more ominous evidence has been uncovered, this
time about the dangers of amalgam mercury in the most vulnerable and
sensitive organ of all. It was a dentist in Los Angeles who first
discovered from his examination of bodies in the mortuary that mercury
from dental amalgam travels to the brain, and the more fillings, the
more it accumulates.
Dr David Eggieston is a dentist in California. His clients include Tom
Cruise. His less glamorous work recently took him to the county morgue
to investigate the relationship between dental mercury and the brains
of the dead. Eggleston spent months studying the records, and
discovered that mercury from amalgams not only accumulates in the
brain, but some of this poison stays in the skull for as long as 40
years.
(Vision cuts to new interview extract)
DR DAVID EGGLESTON (University of Southern California): I think there
is
legitimate concern regarding the mercury issue in dentistry. Mercury
does release from the silver fillings; it does accumulate in the body.
BBC REPORTER: Do you insert mercury amalgam in this practice?
DR EGGLESTON: No, I do not.
BBC REPORTER: For the reasons you've just given?
DR EGGLESTON: For the mercury issue, yes.
BBC REPORTER: And have you had your amalgam fillings removed?
DR EGGLESTON: Yes I have.
BBC REPORTER: Again, for the same reason?
DR EGGLESTON: For concern with mercury, yes.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: So if dental mercury enters and stays in the brain for
most of our lives, then what evidence is there that it produces
long-term damage? Testing humans for mercury damage over a lifetime
would be a notoriously difficult and expensive study. No one has ever
tried.
But suddenly researchers are on the verge of a breakthrough. The
dental records of scores of elderly nuns in a convent in Wisconsin may
hide pan of the answer to one of amalgam's greatest riddles: is there
a link between the mercury in fillings and the deadly disease of
Alzheimer's? A unique study, starting witts these files, may provide
the clues. These sprightly ladies have made it into a fulfilling old
age. They've agreed to take pan in a scientific gamble, by donating
their brains to medical researchers, who will look for a positive
relationship between dental amalgams and Alzheimer's disease.
Already some scientists are reaching provisional conclusions about the
dangers of dental amalgams.
(Vision cuts to new interview extract)
BBC REPORTER: Is there any doubt in your mind about the association
between mercury and Alzheimer's?
DR BOYD HALEY (University of Kentucky): I would not want to make a
statement that mercury causes Alzheimer's disease, but there is no
doubt in my mind that low levels of mercury present in the brain could
cause normal cell death, and this could lead to dementia which would
be similar to Alzheimer's disease.
VOICE OVER: Dr Boyd Haley, Professor of Medicinal Biochemistry, has
just made a dramatic breakthrough while investigating the implication
of dental amalgam in Alzheimer's. He's discovered that even tiny
quantities of the metal can produce chaages in the brain that are
identical to changes caused by the disease. Specifically, the mercury
inhibits the efficiency of tubulin, a protein essential to brain
cells.
DR HALEY: We can't go inside a living human being and look at their
brain, so we have to work outside, and do scientific experiments such
as we've done. And to the best that we can determine with these
experiments, mercury is a time-bomb in the brain, waiting to have an
effect. If it's not bothering someone when they're young, especially
when they age it can turn into something quite disastrous.
BBC REPORTER: So, in the worst-case scenario, what happens to the
human
being?
DR HALEY: You would become demented.
BBC REPORTER: Although Dr Haley knows there's still no proof of
damage,
he for one has heard enough.
BBC REPORTER: What did you do about your own fillings?
DR HALEY: I still have one amalgam filling, but when I have them
replaced I have them replaced with non-amalgam material.
BBC REPORTER: Why?
DR HALEY: Because I'm concemed enough that I don't want it in my
mouth. Nor do I want it in the mouths of my children, or my wife.
(Vision cuts to BDA interview extract)
BBC REPORTER: Are you aware of the association between dental mercury
and Alzheimer's?
PETER GORDON: As far I know there is no association with mercury and
Alzheimer's.
BBC REPORTER: Are you aware of a paper by Dr Boyd Haley, of the
University of Kentucky?
PETER GORDON: No.
BBC REPORTER: Gentlemen, this was published in 1993 - isn't this a
document that should be on your desk?
JOHN HUNT: I come back to the point that we rely on expert advice.
BBC REPORTER: But what kind of advice are you getting if these papers
are not being put on your desk so that you can inform your dentists
and members of the public?
JOHN HUNT: We look to a group of people, including our consultants,
but also we rely upon the Deparanent of Health and other bodies to let
us have their results and their advice about results that they would
have read in papers.
BBC REPORTER: These are key papers, Mr Hunt, these are very important
papers, aren't they? A relationship between dental amalgam and
Alzheimer's is not an unserious matter.
JOHN HUNT: No - we should look at that paper.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: A few dentists who have read the new data now refuse to
handle amaLgam at all. The majority who do are warned by their dental
associations to deal with it with considerable caution and respect.
(Vision shows dentists wearing protective clothing)
Some even treat it like a journey to a hostile planet. Given
their occupational exposure to dental amalgam, they are taking
sensible precautions. But are all these precautions enough to
protect the dentists and their assistants from the mercury
vapour that they'll encounter in the workplace?
One long-established and apparent fact has always consoled dentists
who work with amalgam - if it doesn't hurt us, they argue, how can it
harm you, the patient? But in a dramatic new study to be published
shonly, even that comforting truth is now revealed as yet another
illusion.
A dentist is being tested for his speed of action and reaction as part
of a complex assessment of his central nervous system. Dr Diana
Echeverria, a neuro-toxicologist, has just completed a remarkable
study: she tested American dentists to see whether they have the
subtle but dangerous symptoms of mercury poisoning.
DR DIANA ECHEVERRIA (University of Washington): The kinds of things
that we have found are: losses in function associated with the ability
to move very small things with your hands - a manual dexterity
problem; other kinds of really distinct functionsconcentration, the
inability to concentrate. Actually those are skills that anybody
needs.
(Vision cuts to interview)
PROFESSOR APOSHIAN: If I were to time how fast you could put this pen
into these holes, or similar tasks - normal people might take, let's
say, one second to find the right hole and very quickly make the
connections. A person with a deficit would take more time, maybe two
or maybe even five seconds. In the studies that Diana did, she was
measuring things in milliseconds, which is an even more careful
approximation of the times.
BBC REPORTER: What are the implications?
PROFESSOR APOSHIAN: The implications are that in the dental
technicians the mercury has caused very definite central nervous
system disorders.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: No one has ever tested human beings who have such a low
level of mercury before. Dentists will be alarmed to leam that some of
their physical functions and emotions are already being injured by
exposure to such small levels of mercury vapour. It's only a question
of time and research funds before similar tests are conducted on
patients. And to add to the discomforting news, the difference in body
mercury levels between dentists and patients is already too close for
comfort.
(Vision cuts to interview)
BBC REPORTER: Doctor, is there an overlap between the lowest figure
of exposure for dentists and the highest figure for ordinary patients
with quite a lot of amalgam fillings?
DR ECHEVERRIA: Probably, yes.
BBC REPORTER: And does that mean then that a lot of patients are
probably suffering the same symptoms that the dentists are suffering?
DR ECHEVERRIA: That's the next research question that we need to ask
ourselves, because we don't know for sure. We have indications that
comparable effects are appearing just above that range, but the
leading question now is whether or nor we have a problem at that
lower overlap level.
BBC REPORTER: But that means that at that level, the safety margin is
extremely small.
DR ECHEVERRIA: Very narrow, extremely narrow. That's a major concern,
that's right.
(Vision cuts to other interview)
BBC REPORTER: Just tell me this - because people will say "OK, that's
bad, it takes a microsecond longer to put a pen into a hole." Does it
matter?
PROFESSOR APOSHIAN: My greatest worry would be among children.
Children are going to school, they are being taught things, they are
being taught how to handle living situations, everyday situations,
they're being given information that we hope they'll keep in their
minds for a better way of life. It is conceivable that, as they're
being educated and as they're being trained to do something, their
training will not stay with them as long, they may not be able to do
things as quickly, and therefore they will not be able to be judged
proficient in cenain tasks.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: If you write to the British Dental Association here in
Wimpole Street, asking about the safety of amaigam fillings, they'll
send you a so-called fact sheet. It covers the subject of children by
stating categorically that the evidence available to the BDA doesn't
justify banning the use of amalgam in young children. Yet it's
precisely the young who are most vulnerable to mercury poisoning.
These children at a Liverpool comprehensive have on average a couple
of fillings each. It's easy to demonstrate how the mercury vapour
escapes from these small fillings. We invited an expen to bring a
mercury vapour tester to check. The air around the fillings is
measured. Even without stimulation, some mercury vapour is escaping
from the filling. Then the filling is rubbed to simulate chewing,
brushing or grinding. This time there's no doubt the mercury vapour
has begun to leak copiously, and this is the actual reading the needle
goes off the scale.
(Vision cuts to schoolroom)
BBC REPORTER: She's only got one filling, hasn't she?
TESTER: Right.
BBC REPORTER: And if she had eight fillings?
TESTER: There'd be eight times as much.
VOICE OVER: The United States authorities recommend a maximum safe
mercury exposure limit of ten micrograms a day. But scientists have
discovered that dental amalgams alone can produce between 1 and 29
micrograms of mercury vapour a day. So some people exceed the safety
limits for mercury just with their fillings.
(Vision cuts to BDA interview)
BBC REPORTER: Do you believe it is safe to use amalgam in children?
JOHN HUNT (BDA Chief executive): Yes, certainly. I've treated my
children with amalgam, and I have no doubt that when they have their
own children, they will also require amalgam.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: In Sweden, Dr Lars Friberg, the world authority on metals
poisoning, remains baffled at the various attempts by dental lobbies
to maintain a rearguard defence for a material whose time, he feels,
has come.
(Vision cuts to Friberg interview)
BBC REPORTER: British dentists say that there is no evidence that
it shouldn't be continued for use in children.
DR LARS FRIBERG (Consultant, World Health Organisation): Yes. I think
there is no basis for such a statement.
BBC REPORTER: Are you saying that children are particulady vulnerable?
DR FRIBERG: They are definitely particularly vulnerable. We know that
if you take a young child - it takes a few years after birth until the
brain is developed. We know that the brain in children is much more
sensitive than in adults.
BBC REPORTER: You don't think that putting mercury into the brain of a
child is a good thing at all, do you?
DR FRIBERG: No, I don't think so.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: But it's not just young children who are at risk. Even
the unborn have mercury pollution in their brains from their mother's
amalgams. This evidence came to light in a study just completed by
Professor Gustav Drasch, a forensic toxicologist. He examined the
brains of dead babies and foetuses and found mercury deposits across
the placenta into their tiny skulls.
(Vision cuts to quote)
PROFESSOR GUSTAV DRASCH (University of Munich): I think the
implications are serious. It is a question of whether or not we have
to restrict the application of dental amalgam for women, not only of
childbearing age, but even before - because if, for instance, a girl
of 15 gets an amatgam filling, this fiilling lies in her mouth For ten
years, all the time releasing some mercury. If this girl gets
pregnant, say five years after she has a mercury filling, the mercury
goes to the baby. So really the question now being discussed in
Germany today is, not to forbid it, but to restrict amalgam fillings
for women from, say, 15 to 50 years.
(Vision cuts to BDA interview)
BBC REPORTER: Do you believe it's safe to use amalgam in pregnant
women?
PETER GORDON (BDA Scientific Adviser) There's no evidence to say it is
unsafe.
BBC REPORTER: But are you saying it's safe to use with pregnant women?
JOHN HUNT: Yes, there's no doubt that the available data we have at
present demonstrates that amalgam is just as safe as any other
material that we may use for pregnant women.
BBC REPORTER: This is terribly important, isn't it? Mercury crosses
the
placenta and goes into the unbom child.
JOHN HUNT: Before you say it is dangerous or poses a risk, you have to
say that mercury in those places is dangerous. There's no evidence to
suggest that, merely because it is found in the kidneys and so on of
foetuses and young children, it is a hazard to health.
BBC REPORTER: Do you think that mercury, one of the most toxic metals
known to man, is a good thing in the brain of an unborn child?
JOHN HUNT: As far as I know there's nothing to prove that it is
causing any damage.
BBC REPORTER: Don't you think that this is something that ought to be
put into your fact sheet?
PETER GORDON: I don't see why we should necessarily worry the
population at large if there are no proven arguments one way or the
other - the fact that it is there and detectable doesn't mean to say
that it's potentially doing any damage.
BBC REPORTER: I havc to say, gentlcmen, that I haven't met anybody who
thinks that mercury in the brain of an unbom child is a good thing.
PETER GORDON: But you can probably, with the correct analysis, find a
whole lot of other substances in the brain that perhaps shouldn't be
there.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: As these are the men who give scientific advice to
British dentists, it's not surprising that pregnant women are still
treated with amalgam fillings despite the possible health hazards to
their unbom babies. In Britain they are encouraged to take free
tteatment on the National Health.
Joe Rich is an ordinary NHS dentist. Like thousands of others, he has
been told little about the latest scientific evidence about mercury.
He doesn't know that much of it points towards the health hazards of
amalgam to vulnerable groups such as the expectant mother in his
chair.
(Vision cuts to new interview)
BBC REPORTER: You are happy to place amalgam fillings in the
mouths of babies, children and pregnant women?
JOE RICH (NHS denaist): Indeed.
BBC REPORTER: No problem in that respect?
JOE RICH: I have no reason to doubt the efficacy of the treatment and
that there are few, if any, dangers to the patient in using it.
(Vision cuts to Friberg interview)
BBC REPORTER: We know that the mercury goes into the brain of the
unborn child. Can this - under any circumstances - be a good thing?
DR FRIBERG: No. I would say no. I think that you should try to
avoid to implant toxic metals in the mouth.
BBC REPORTER: Why then does an organisation like the British Dental
Association say that mercury is safe for everybody unless they are
allergic to it?
DR FRIBERG: Well, I don't know why they say it. That's impossible for
me to answer.
BBC REPORTER: You have written a standard textbook on the toxicology
of
metals, and you don't agree with them, do you?
DR FRIBERG: No I don't.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: Sweden is the first country in the world whose parliament
has banned amalgam. They've taken the dangers so seriously that
amalgam's use will end within three years at the latest, and within
six years all mercury will be outlawed. The Swedes have read the
writing on the wall and decided to take action. Faced with opposition
from the dental lobbies and anxious at the potential legal
implications, parliament carefully wrapped the legislation up in a
total environmental package. The members of parliament who had pushed
for the ban knew what the real targets were.
(Vision cuts to new interview)
BBC REPORTER: People say that the only reason the Swedes are
banning dental amalgam is on environmental grounds. Is that true?
SIW PERSSON (Member of Swedish Palliament): No, really not. It's one
reason, but the most important reason is, of course, the health
reason.
BBC REPORTER: Why has Sweden been the first country to ban dental
amalgam - because there's still no evidence, there's no final proof,
that dental amalgam actually hurts human beings?
SIW PERSSON: We said we have seen enough, now we have to stop it
before much more people are more sick than they are today.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: The use of amalgam in children under the age of 19 will
be totally banned exactly one year from now. All amalgam fillings for
adults will cease by 1997. The Swedes are fully aware that there is
still no proven evidence that dental amalgam harms humans, but they
have been reading the latest evidence, and their assessment of the
risk/benefit ratio has been changed by it for ever. The health
benefits of amalgam, they judge, are no longer worth the risks.
Now other countries are following Sweden's lead. In Germany, amalgam
is banned for patients with kidney problems and recommended to be used
with great caution in children and pregnant women. Austria plans to
ban their mercuiy amalgams within six years. And in Califomia a new
law now demands that dentists who use amalgam display a health warning
to their patients.
Degussa, whose headquarters are in Germany, is one oE the world's
larger manufacturers of dental amalgam. Even they have now decided to
get out of amalgam, thus abandoning nearly half their dental-products
tumover. They say that there are innocent commercial reasons for this,
but one of their executives suggests there's prudence in the decision
too.
(Vision cuts to new interview)
BBC REPORTER: You are saying that, despite all this new scientific
evidence, it's a commercial coincidence that you are getting
out of amalgam?
DR MATTHIAS KUHNER (Senior manager, Degussar) It was a decision that
was driven by business reasons.
BBC REPORTER: Which would include legal reasons?
DR KUHNER: Definitely. When you are looking at a business, legal
action can have an intluence on your business. It can greatly increase
the cost of your business if you have to take a lot of legal action or
have to deal with a lot oE legal actions, even if you are sure that in
most cases or in all cases you come out being found not guilty.
BBC REPORTER: In that sense, surely the writing is on the wall for
amalgam?
DR KUHNER Well, as I said before, I feel that the use of amalgam is
going to decline even more in many nations.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: Instead, the company is concentrating on making
composites - the plastic altematives aLready used extensively in front
teeth. Currenty they are not as cheap and durable as amalgams, and
Degussa, like many competitors, is hard at work looking for the dream
composite that will rival the cost and strength of amalgam.
So is there an acceptable altemative to mercury amalgam? We've learned
of a scientific breakthrough in the development of a new mercury-free
alloy at this federal research institute near Washington, but they
won't let us film inside.
The question is, how can the demise of mercury amalgam be announced
without acknowledging that mercury shouldn't have been there in the
first place? The new material wrapped in commercial secrecy behind
these walls will be hailed not as a substitute for amalgam, for
reasons of health, but as an improvement on it. This cover story will
please the dentists - and the fillings should be safe for patients,
too.
(Vision cuts to Eggleston interview)
DR DAVID EGGLESTON (University of Southern California): The material
is here and developed. It has to go through trials and research before
it becomes approved, and that will take a few years.
BBC REPORTER: How long?
DR EGGLESTON: I've been told in some quarters to expect two years for
that process to be completed.
BBC REPORTER: Will it be more expensive?
DR EGGLESTON: It will be exactly the same cost - maybe even less
expensive. It uses the same equipment for placement and actually has a
superior strengch once it's in place.
BBC REPORTER: And will it last as long?
DR EGGLESTON: Predictions are that it will last longer, that it has a
supezior strength.
BBC REPORTER: Let's get this absolutely straight: the reason this
new material has been worked on is in order to eliminate mercury
from the entire chemistry?
DR EGGLESTON: There's no question. There's no incentive to develop
this material other than to get rid of mercury.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
BBC REPORTER: So that's the concern with which the whole ama(gam issue
is handled overseas. What's Britain doing? Nothing much, really. We
had hoped to bring you an interview with someone from the Department
of Health, but they refused to talk to us on camera. We would have
asked them what, if anything, has changed since 1986, when they last
looked at the issue and decided that there was no problem with
amalgam. Indeed, they said the controversy didn't even merit research
priority. They've just handed us a four-line statement. I've read it,
but there's nothing new in it.
But while govemment ignores the issue, there is a new awareness in
some quarters that patients need greater protection against the
possible health hazards. Stephen Challacombe is Professor of Medicine
at Guy's Hospital in London and one of Britain's top dentists. He has
bothered to keep up with the new research, and finds much of it
compelling.
(Vision cuts to new interview)
BBC REPORTER: Are you satisfied that amalgam is safe?
PROFESSOR STEPHEN CHALLACOMBE (Guy's Hospital): No, I don't think so.
I think the evidence over the last few years has really suggested that
we should have another look at the ultimate safety of amalgams.
BBC REPORTER: What do you make of the official government view, the
Department of Health view, which is that there is no problem and
therefore it doesn't even merit the priority of further research?
DR CHALLACOMBE: I think things have changed. There are a number of
very good groups in Europe - in Germany, and in Scandinavian countries
of course - who have been very much aware of the environmental effects
of mercury and have looked in some detail at possible biological
effects from mercury from amalgams. I'm a researcher, I'm a clinical
academic, and very keen that we should be absolutely sure of our
facts, and there's no doubt in my mind that we should be supporting
research in this and other countries. We shouldn't be left behind.
BBC REPORTER: And in that sense you wouldn't agree with the govemment
position at all?
DR CHALLACOMBE: If the government position is still that we don't need
sesearch, no, I think that's outdated.
(Vision cuts to BDA interview)
BBC REPORTER: Aren't you in danger of making exactly the same
mistake that was made over lead, asbestos and DDT - that we
had to wait for too long, there were too many tragic side-effects
before the accumulation of scientific evidence showed conclusively
that these were highly dangerous substances?
JOHN HUNT: Well, we can only rely upon the evidence that we have to
date, and I don't think that the amount of mercury that is released -
and we know it's released from amalgam restorations - there's no
evidence to date that it does cause any trouble.
(Vision cuts away from interview)
VOICE OVER: At Murray Vimy's surgery in Calgary, a young woman
anxious to avoid passing mercury to any future child has an amalgam
filling extracted. Paradoxically this process has its health hazards
too, because the drilling out creates a dangerous surge of mercury
vapour - hence all the protective equipment on both sides of the
chair. Extraction of fillings is a serious step unless medically
indicated - patients should consult their doctors or dentists before
making a decision.
(Vision cuts to Challacombe interview)
BBC REPORTER: Professor, can I ask you to in the briefest and
simplest way give advice to people who will have seen this film and
who will wonder if they should take their amalgam fillings out?
What is your considered advice?
DR CHALLACOMBE: I think it would be premature for people to replace
their amalgam fillings. No, the answer is: do not rush to your dentist
to have your amalgam fillings replaced. I think there is dearly a need
for further research, and when all that is through, in the long term
there may be different advice. But there is a danger of doing more
harm than good at this stage, so do not rush out and have your amalgam
fillings replaced.
BBC REPORTER: In the dark places where men work with mercury, turning
old fillings into new, they treat the volatile metal with great
respect. Yet those charged with the responsibility of keeping dentists
and their patients informed deny these realities by insisting there is
still no final proof of amalgam's harm to humans. But in science,
absence of proof is not proof of absence. Ask the men who take the
risks.
------------
BIBLIOGRAPHY
------------
Vimy and Lorscheider, "Evaluation of the safety issue of Hg release
from dental fillings", FASEB Journal (1993)
Nylander and Berglund, "Does Hg from amalgam restorations constitute
a health hazard?", Science of the Total Environment (1990)
Goerging, Galloway, Clarkson, Lorscheider, Berlin and Rowland,
"Toxicity Assessment of Hg Vapor from Dental Amalgams", Fundemental
and Appled Toxicology (1992)
Clarkson and Friberg, Biological monitoring of Toxic Metals (Plenum
Press 1988)
Svare et al., "The Effect of dental amalgams on Hg levels in expired
air", Journal of dental research (1981) - The first paper to establish
unequivocally that Hg comes out of amalgams.
Vimy and Lorscheider, "Whole-body imaging of the distribution of Hg
released from dental fillings into monkey tissues", FASEB Journal
(1990)
Vasken Aposhian, "Urinary Hg after administration of 2,3-
dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonic acid (DMSA): correlation with dental
amalgam", FASEB Journal (1992)
Friberg and Nylander, "Hg Concentrations in the human brain and
kidneys in relation to exposure from dental amalgam fillings",
Swedish Dental Journal (1987)
Woods and Echeverria, "Urinary porphyrin profiles as a biomarker of Hg
exposure: studies on dentists with occupational exposure to Hg",
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health (1993)
Vimy and Lorscheider, "Mercury from dental "silver" tooth Eillings
impairs sheep kidney Eunction", (1991)
Eggleston and Nylander, "Correlation of dental amalgam with Hg in
Brain tissue", Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry (1987)
David Eggleston, "Effect of dental amalgam and nickel alloys on
T-lymphocytes: Preliminary report", Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry
(1987)
Summers, Vimy and Lorscheider, "Hg released from dental "silver"
fillings provokes an increase in Hg and antibiotic-resistant bacteria
in oral and intestinal flora of primates", Antimicrobial Agents and
Chemotherapy (1993)
Vimy and Lorscheider, "Maternal-fetal distribution of Hg released from
dental amalgam fillings", (1990)
Gustav Drasch, "Hg burden of human fetal and infant tissues",
European Journal of Paediatrics (1994)
Fritz Lorscheider, `ADP-ribosylation of brain neuronal proteins is
altered by in vitro and in vivo exposure to inorganic Hg",
Journal of Neurochemistry (1994)
Markesbery and Ehmann, "Trace element imbalances in isolated
subcellular fractions of Alzheimer's diseased brains", Brain Research
(1990)
Markesbery and Ehmann, "Regional brain trace element studies in
Alzheimer's disease neurotoxicology", (1988)
Boyd Haley, "HgEDTA complex inhibits GTP interactions with the E-site
of brain beta-tubulin", Journal of Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology
(1993)
------------------------------------------------------------
ADDENDUM - THE POSITION IN 1996 - SOME ANALYSIS
Despite over 3 years of time, the dental authorities have
largely failed to take further action.
The Swedish government was unable to implement its planned total
Amalgam ban - because of European Union laws on fair trading
access - such a decision needs now to be taken by the EU as
a whole.
The "Californian Nuns" research failed to reveal a direct
Amalgam-Alzheimers link. The ADA have trumpeted this research
as "proof" of the saftey of Amalgam - but it in fact no such thing.
To begin with, the sample was small - around 100 subjects.
Hence a tendancy of around 1% or less would go unnoticed anyway.
Yet 1% would be 2 million people in the USA - so much bigger samples
are needed. The group selected may not be satisfactory - commonsense
tells us that nuns probably do not have the lifestyle that
may provoke Amalgam problems - they do not chew gums, drink
excessive sugary or acid foods/soda drinks spend periods in
front of VDU monitors, (all indicated to increase Hg leakage
from amalgams) and so on. They may be unlikely eat junk-food or
have a poor diet - diet and general health will effect the
bodies natural Hg defence mechanisms such as Glutathione.
Since one of the characteristics of mercury poisoning is
aggression and irritability, a group of nuns may be
"self-censoring" in this respect - ie. Hg victims will drop out.
For this reason, surveys must have large samples, monitoring
a population cross-section in such a manner as not to miss out
potential victims. It may be better to target possible object
groups (ie. Alzheimers, CFS/ME, MS..) directly.
==================================================================
內躬偕爻,虜,齯滌`偕爻內躬偕爻,虜,齯滌`偕爻齯滌`偕中滌`偕爻,虜
To learn more about the Amalgam safety issue (or lack of) visit:-
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pcsol
(Includes FAQ & more links..)
PLEASE NOTE - "REPLY TO" on this message may be incorrect
to discourage junk mail. EMAIL replys to :
pcsol AT tcp DOT co DOT uk
Joel M. Eichen
>I think it is useful to post this transcript, since it
>covers such a range of basic questions on
>the topic of Amalgam..
>cheers
>ade
>-------------------------------------------------------------------
>BBC TV PANORAMA DOCUMENTARY: Poison in the Mouth
>Program transcript, Transmitted on BBC-1, llth July 1994
>-------------------------------------------------------------------
Would this be an unbiased report?
Cheers,
Joel
------------------------
Hans Lennros
You wrote:
>Would this be an unbiased report?
The Brittish Dental Association (BDA) didn't think so.
However, BBC (British Broadcasting Cooperation - bigger in the UK
than CBS or CNN in the States) is bound to be unbiased.
Anyway, BDA sued BBC for not getting a chance to speak in order to set things
straight in the program. But they were interviewed, they had all the time they
wanted. But they didn't say anything; it was like a Beevis & Buthead show.
So BBC said; Okay, we will do another program where you alone can speak
your thing. BDA refused to participate.
Joel, they would really had needed you to help them out.
Bye for now,
Hans
Joel M. Eichen
>Hi Joel,
I'll brush up my British accent, just in case they call!
Cheers,
Joel
----
>Bye for now,
>Hans
Hans Lennros
You wrote:
>I'll brush up my British accent, just in case they call!
I know they are still looking for someone who can and will
defend the use of dental amalgam publically. You wouldn't
believe how hard it is to find a dentist who is willing to do that.
Dentist who voice there reluctancy and suspicions against
amalgam is far more easy to find. Probably because they
get more public (and political) support. Also in the US of A.
Hans
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Joel wrote:
Joel M. Eichen
>Hi Joel,
>You wrote:
>>I'll brush up my British accent, just in case they call!
>I know they are still looking for someone who can and will
>defend the use of dental amalgam publically. You wouldn't
>believe how hard it is to find a dentist who is willing to do that.
>Dentist who voice there reluctancy and suspicions against
>amalgam is far more easy to find. Probably because they
>get more public (and political) support. Also in the US of A.
True.
No one admits it, but it is still the most widely used filling
material.
Cheers,
Joel
---
Reminds me about all of the "Just Say No To Drugs," skits and videos
that high school kids get involved with. 5 young girls died a
drug-related death around here last fall. Its easier to pay
lip-service to something than to stand-up against it.
Hans Lennros
You wrote:
>Its easier to pay lip-service to something than to stand-up against it.
Well said about dental amalgam. And it is not fun either to be a
stand-up guy all the time ... exhausting!
Hans
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zugumba
Harvard/MIT has a mouth full of amalgams and has been a top-notch specialist
in bone marrow transplants for some time.
It makes me sad to think that he could have accomplished greater things had
it not been for his amalgam restorations.
Joel M. Eichen
I heard amalgams (a whole mouth full) can lower I.Q. a full 50 to 100
points.
Cheers,
Joel
------
Hans Lennros
Facts are that not all people with amalgam are at risk.
If it was so, Joels argumentation would hold some water.
The basic theory is that when all exogenous compounds that
hit us everyday team together and all antioxidant supplies are
finnished there will be a 'jar-effect'. Imagine a jar full of whisky
it is enough with just one last drop to make it flow over the rim.
That drop may very well be amalgam since it is around the
body systems constantly. Medical science has known for
long that all diseases are a result of an imbalance (not only
periodontitis) and the common idéa within the medical
community today is that the total impact of all foreign
compounds may give raise to diseases in a way that we
didn't have a clue about before. This is a pretty basic
theory that works in all other areas of medicine.
Not even Joel can dispute that.
I cannot see why amalgam should be exempted from this.
Bye for now,
Hans
PS:
Zugumba wrote.
Hans Lennros
You wrote:
>I heard amalgams (a whole mouth full) can
>lower I.Q. a full 50 to 100 points.
Joel, do you have a mouth full of amalgams?
;-)
Maybe 5--10 since any prolonged subclinical (low toxic chronic)
exposure for any heavy metal may have this result. No news.
Hans
Zugumba
>I cannot see why amalgam should be exempted from this.
Uh, lack of any credible scientific and epidemiological evidence of any
sort?
The "jar-effect"? This must be a European concept. In the US amalgams turn
us into old whiskey jugs. The medical profession has declared that the
number of jugheads has risen rapidly in the US with the widespread use of
amalgam restorations placed this century.
The happy consequence, though, is that all of us jugheads here are living
much longer than our ancestors. We may be jugheads, but overall we are
healthier jugheads.
Joel M. Eichen
>Dear Zugumba,
>Facts are that not all people with amalgam are at risk.
>If it was so, Joels argumentation would hold some water.
>The basic theory is that when all exogenous compounds that
>hit us everyday team together and all antioxidant supplies are
>finnished there will be a 'jar-effect'.
But the jar is so far, undetectable, epidemiologically.
Cheers,
Joel
----
Joel M. Eichen
>Hi Joel,
>;-)
Hey Hans!
You making up science over there?
Cheers,
Joel
-----
>Hans
Joel M. Eichen
>The happy consequence, though, is that all of us jugheads here are living
>much longer than our ancestors. We may be jugheads, but overall we are
>healthier jugheads.
That's a jarr-ing thought!
Cheers,
Joel
----
Joel M. Eichen
>Hi Joel,
>Check the Japanese gov.website on the Minamata disaster!
Cultured pearls?
>Hans
Joel M. Eichen
>I cannot see why you single out the 'amalgam-sickness', or whatever
>you are calling it, to be so different from all other conditions.
Because there are plenty of diseases with unknown causes. This
describes the reverse - a cause with an unknown disease!
Example: Many cancers are caused by X, Y and Z in combination. We do
not know what is X, Y, and Z.
This amalgam stuff is the reverse. This is saying amalgam is C.
A, B and C together cause some unknown disease. But we better not use
C because it might be causing something, and we do not know what B and
C are either.
For all we know, cancer is caused by Pepsi. Pepsi has not been
sufficiently tested, and its safety cannot be proven. Therefore let's
outlaw Pepsi and drink Coke.
Composites (organic chemicals) are potentially just as harmful as
metals.
Cheers,
Joel
----------------------
Why not get safe and emphasize prevention?
Cheers,
Joel
-----
pc...@del.this.co.uk
>Hi Joel,
>You wrote:
>>Would this be an unbiased report?
>The Brittish Dental Association (BDA) didn't think so.
>However, BBC (British Broadcasting Cooperation - bigger in the UK
>than CBS or CNN in the States) is bound to be unbiased.
>Anyway, BDA sued BBC for not getting a chance to speak in order to set things
>straight in the program. But they were interviewed, they had all the time they
>wanted. But they didn't say anything; it was like a Beevis & Buthead show.
>So BBC said; Okay, we will do another program where you alone can speak
>your thing. BDA refused to participate.
>Joel, they would really had needed you to help them out.
>Bye for now,
>Hans
Strictly speaking they didnt sue - they issued a complaint to
the "broadcasting complaints commission" - who mediate in
all cases of mainstream TV disputes. The commission rejected
thier principle points - that the BDA representatives were treated
unfairly, but upheld the complaint on a minor points - from
what I remember it was more a case of slightly innaccurate
wording - even when corrected, it doesnt change the basic
thrust of what was said much.
cheers
ade
pc...@del.this.co.uk
>This interview makes me sad: a friend of mine with an MD-PhD from
>Harvard/MIT has a mouth full of amalgams and has been a top-notch specialist
>in bone marrow transplants for some time.
>It makes me sad to think that he could have accomplished greater things had
>it not been for his amalgam restorations.
There is great variance in many factors that effect the stability of
amalgams. The original type (ie copper amalgams leak more
than others) or the presence of other metals in the mouth
(braces, gold fillings) can increase Hg leakage dramatically.
The presence of selenium in the diet will counteract
ionic Hg..
Amalgam Related Illness is maybe only seriously
effecting about 1% or so of amalgam "users"..
cheers
ade
MMB
Hi,
I occasionally post on here because after much searching and many years of
declining health, I found out I was highly mercury toxic - as confirmed by hair
analysis and DMPS challenge tests. I am also reacting adversely to MSM (biological
sulphur) as it pulls the Hg out of the connective tissue, especially in my legs.
The question has nagged at me for awhile - why did I become so toxic? I had 14
fillings (now removed) and 2 Hg teeth - the sides of my molars fell off and an Hg
tooth was built and then crowned, so I had a high level of Hg in my mouth. Still,
others have had more I assume and manage to get it out of their bodies without
developing Primary Progessive Multiple Sclerosis as I did...
I think we (my naturopathic doctor and I) have isolated a couple of factors that
influenced my inability to get rid of the Hg that was "gassing off" from my
fillings.
One, I have 3 kidneys....on my right side I have a duplex kidney system that does
not always function at optimal level - in fact, is often in a state of mild
hydronephrosis. Since it is the kidneys that take on a very high level of the Hg
body burden, this inefficient kidney system predisposed me to Hg accumulation. One
of my first signs of Hg damage was chronic bladder infections.
Two. In addition to my hair analysis showing very high levels of mercury, it also
showed a complete deficit of the Hg antagonists - zinc, selenium and sulphur
(sulphur being extremely low - below 2 standard deviations...without any sulphur I
would be dead). A recent discovery is that I have hypochlorhydria (I produce very
little stomach acid and must now supplement with betaine). I have known for years
that I seem to have difficulty getting minerals into my system, that absorption is
difficult and voila, now I know why - you cannot absorb nutrients properly without
sufficient stomach acid. So not only did my body need higher levels of nutrients
to try and combat the Hg levels from fillings, I was absorbing low levels of the
needed nutrients to begin with.
I am a blood type A - notorious for not producing adequate stomach
acid. Years ago my chiropractor tested me for zinc levels using zinc sulphate and
it always indicated that I had no zinc in my system. I have been tested
periodically throughout the years. Since using the betaine I can finally (14 years
later!) taste the zinc sulphate, indicating that I am finally at long last getting
some minerals into my system.
Why am I writing this? Because I believe that there are reasons that certain
people become more poisoned by their fillings than others. I believe that **all**
people suffer adverse effects from this toxin, but that it is a continuum. Some
people perhaps develop allergies, some hypothyroidism and then there are others
like me, that because of other factors like poorer kidney function and low stomach
acid, just accumulate and accumulate Hg in body tissues until we are thoroughly
poisoned and end up with neurological damage. Thank god for my naturopath who is
helping me put all this together.
The only thing that I have been able to tolerate for Hg removal has been IV-C
drips. I was totally flattened by DMPS - could not handle that chelator at all.
With the intravenous vitamin C drips, my legs are getting stronger, more and more
feeling is returning to the bottoms of my feet and I feel "clearer" mentally.
I have had to build up a tolerance to selenium - at first it was making me dizzy,
giving me violent headaches. Selenium it turns out can bind to Hg and deposit it
back in the brain. After a slow build-up, using liquid se, I can now tolerate
about 50mcgs/day. When I take this, in about 6 hours, I can smell the Hg leaving
my body via the urine. Hg stinks as it comes out of the body. So I am hopeful
that by using natural methods I can reduce the Hg body burden and regain my health.
Dentists are placing large amounts of mercury into people's systems and then
claiming only a small number people are allergic to it and that it is only the
allergic that are ever affected by it. But this is not true. There can be myriad
factors why a person will not handle an assault of Hg. I didn't expect low stomach
acid production to be one of them, but it is.
POOR STOMACH ACID OUTPUT CAN LEAD TO SERIOUS DISORDERS
Lynda J. Wells, Ph.D.
Q. My symptoms are burping, stomach bloating, my stomach
upsets easily and I tend to be constipated. I take antacids
for the symptoms but do not get much relief. Do you have any
ideas to help my digestion?
W.S., RI
A. It sounds like you may have poor stomach output of
hydrochloric acid, known as hypochlorhydria. Have a
comprehensive stool analysis and a hair analysis to help
ascertain if that is the problem.
Hypochlorhydria is fairly common; according to some
surveys, a low level of stomach acid occurs in up to 47% of
the general population, the highest incidence being found in
older people.
Much has been said in the media about too much acid,
hyperacidity, and millions of dollars are erroneously spent
on antacids, when the opposite problem is often the case -too
little acid. The bloating, belching, upset stomach, and
constipation that you mention are common symptoms. Some
others are listed below.
On the other hand, some people may experience no
gastrointestinal symptoms whatsoever. When there are no
symptoms, individuals can wind up years later with serious
consequences which are never related to the unrecognized
hypochlorhydria.
Without acid, the body has a difficult time digesting
food. The chief function of stomach acid is the initiation
of protein digestion. Without it, proteins putrefy in the
intestines which means the bacteria wind up decomposing the
protein and producing foul-smelling compounds like hydrogen
sulfide gas, cadaverine (what does a name like that tell
you?).
Acid secretion is also of fundamental importance in the
assimilation of many minerals, and of vitamin B12. Before
looking to hormone replacement therapy for prevention of
osteoporosis, check your stomach acid. As well as looking to
vitamin B12 shots for pernicious anemia, check your stomach
acid.
Another important function of hydrochloric acid is the
stimulation of pancreatic enzyme and bile release into the
small intestine. Without enough pancreatic enzymes and bile,
the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, proteins,
fats, and vitamins A and E, is severely compromised,
inadvertently causing undernutrition even with an excellent
diet.
Hydrochloric acid is also primarily responsible for
keeping the three pounds of bacteria that live in the colon
from translocating up into the small intestines. (This is a
very important immune function.) Without a potent amount of
hydrochloric acid, undesirable strains of bacteria and
yeast can take hold and multiply, and interfere with
digestion and absorption. They can also inflame the
intestines, cause them to become permeable to undigested
foods and thus the individual becomes allergic to healthful
foods. Do you know that the total absorptive area of the
inside wall of the small intestine of an average person is
about the same as a standard football field, and every square
inch of this surface can be covered with mucus in which
bacteria are imbedded and growing? Imagine the negative
impact from odd strains of bacteria.
One can begin to see why, if allowed to continue for
many years without treatment, many diseases can ensue from
hypochlorhydria. Some associated with it are: asthma,
celiac disease, chronic autoimmune disorders, diabetes,
eczema, food allergies, gall bladder disease, gastric cancer,
gastritis, lupus, osteoporosis, pernicious anemia,
psoriasis, and acne rosacea.
According to Dr. Jonathan Wright at a September, 1994
seminar on the Use of Laboratory Testing in Nutritional
Medicine, ulcerative colitis, hair loss, 100% of multiple
sclerosis, and 100% of rheumatoid arthritis can also be added
to the list.
A way to determine the proper dose of hydrochloric acid
for your individual need may be accomplished in the following
manner. On three consecutive mornings take one, then two,
then three betaine hydrochloric acid tablets on an empty
stomach. If you have no negative reactions, then take one or
two before each meal for a week and see how your digestion
feels. If it is better, you can safely assume that your
stomach has not been producing enough acid for proper
digestion. Some bad reactions to the tabs are heartburn,
worse gas, pain in the stomach. If it hurts, do not take any
more. You can neutralize the reaction with milk or baking
soda in water. A few persons require as little as 5-10
grains of betaine hydrochloride with each meal. Others may
need as much as 50-60 grains. The right dose can be
estimated but has to be finally adjusted by trial and error.
Pepsin and gentian are often added to the hydrochloric acid
supplements to further promote protein digestion.
Over time the stomach cells that secrete acid may be
repaired by supplements of licorice, glutamine, and gentian.
Sometimes acupuncture helps restore the cells, and if a
subluxation is creating weakened stimulation of nerves to the
stomach, chiropractic will help.
Next time you think of taking an antacid, STOP, try
taking acid first to see if that relieves the symptoms. If
your problem is too little acid, antacids just contribute
further to the above scenario.
Symptoms of poor stomach acid output
stomach bloating
burping
upset stomach
burning
flatulence
diarrhea
nausea after taking supplements
rectal itching
weak, peeling, cracked fingernails
dilated capillaries in the cheeks and nose (in non-
alcoholics)
post adolescent acne
iron deficiency
other mineral deficiencies
chronic intestinal infections
undigested food in stool
Disorders associated with poor stomach acid output
Addison's disease or weak adrenals
asthma
celiac disease
chronic autoimmune disorders
diabetes
eczema
food allergies
gall bladder disease
gastric cancer
gastritis
Graves disease
hepatitis
lupus
osteoporosis
pernicious anemia
psoriasis
acne rosacea
thyrotoxicosis
urticaria
vitiligo
ulcerative colitis
hair loss
multiple sclerosis
rheumatoid arthritis
Zugumba
>The original type (ie copper amalgams leak more
>than others) or the presence of other metals in the mouth
>(braces, gold fillings) can increase Hg leakage dramatically.
I, myself, carry around a napkin to dab away the silvery liquid drooling
from the corners of my mouth.
Hans Lennros
You wrote:
>You making up science over there?
Check the Japanese gov.website on the Minamata disaster!
Hans
Hans Lennros
All, or at least most, disease know today has no single factor.
It is a number of circumstances that contribute to the onset
and development.
As dental science has learned more about caries and periodontitis
they have come to the conclusion that those are both multi-factorial.
Medical science has drawn the same conclusions about the
majority of diseses.
I cannot se why you single out the 'amalgam-sickness', or whatever
you are calling it, to be so different from all other conditions.
Hans
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pc...@del.this.co.uk
>"Hans Lennros" <hans.l...@swipnet.se> wrote:
>>I cannot see why you single out the 'amalgam-sickness', or whatever
>>you are calling it, to be so different from all other conditions.
>Because there are plenty of diseases with unknown causes. This
>describes the reverse - a cause with an unknown disease!
>Example: Many cancers are caused by X, Y and Z in combination. We do
>not know what is X, Y, and Z.
>This amalgam stuff is the reverse. This is saying amalgam is C.
>A, B and C together cause some unknown disease. But we better not use
>C because it might be causing something, and we do not know what B and
>C are either.
>For all we know, cancer is caused by Pepsi. Pepsi has not been
>sufficiently tested, and its safety cannot be proven. Therefore let's
>outlaw Pepsi and drink Coke.
>Composites (organic chemicals) are potentially just as harmful as
>metals.
Not at all - the chemicals from Composites are
(broadly speaking) toxic at daily doses
at Milligram levels, not the microgram levels
shown to be dangerous with mercury.
Mercury is has long been regarded as dangerous by toxicologists
not only because is is toxic at such levels, but
also because of the insidious nature of the symptoms,
emulating or causing other secondary illnesses.
One toxicologist who studied it labeled mercury "the great pretender"
because of that..
cheers
ade
Joel M. Eichen
Did you see what happened to that cop in Terminator 2?
Cheers,
Joel
---
Hans Lennros
You wrote:
>Strictly speaking they didnt sue
No, that's right. They filed a complaint I know. I think that is not
called suing when it not is brought to court. They considered
also another option; to make a pro-amalgam inititative but
no dentists were willing to help them due to the scare of
bad public relations.
Just imagine a dentist in the tube getting the question:
Why do you use amalgam when there is so great public
concern about that material being used in peoples teeth?
What shall the poor dentist answer?
"Public concern is no science"
Even if s/he is right s/he might as well close practice tomorrow.
Any first year toxicology student could have anyone from
the dental profession who is in favour of amalgam look
like an ignorant monster in a televised interview.
Glad to be on the "White Team".
Hans
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>Anyway, BDA sued BBC for not getting a chance to speak in order to set things
>>straight in the program. But they were interviewed, they had all the time they
>>wanted. But they didn't say anything; it was like a Beevis & Buthead show.
>>So BBC said; Okay, we will do another program where you alone can speak
>>your thing. BDA refused to participate.
>
>>Joel, they would really had needed you to help them out.
>
>>Bye for now,
>>Hans
>
>Strictly speaking they didnt sue - they issued a complaint to
>the "broadcasting complaints commission" - who mediate in
>all cases of mainstream TV disputes. The commission rejected
>thier principle points - that the BDA representatives were treated
>unfairly, but upheld the complaint on a minor points - from
>what I remember it was more a case of slightly innaccurate
>wording - even when corrected, it doesnt change the basic
>thrust of what was said much.
>
>cheers
>
>ade
>
>
Hans Lennros
ABOUT 'DENTAL DEVIATES'
Many of the ingredients in composites are cancerogenous
in certain concentration on mice.
The amount of mercury in a mouthful of amalgam is enough
to kill a rather big horse.
As said before;
Q: What is poison?
A: Everything!
It is all a matter of concentration and host/dose response.
We know LD50 of Hg but VERY little of the latter.
There is a scientific agreement on this and also that
there is a need for further studies.
Above facts alone are reasons enough for not using
any amalgamated compounds in humans. This is a
standpoint agreed upon by all physicians in the world.
Strange that dentists do not follow....
Hans
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Not at all - the chemicals from Composites are
>(broadly speaking) toxic at daily doses
>at Milligram levels, not the microgram levels
>shown to be dangerous with mercury.
>
>Mercury is has long been regarded as dangerous by toxicologists
>not only because is is toxic at such levels, but
>also because of the insidious nature of the symptoms,
>emulating or causing other secondary illnesses.
>One toxicologist who studied it labeled mercury "the great pretender"
>because of that..
>
Dr. Steve
I like the white team-black team terminology. Even though I don't like to
be on what could be called the black team. I do think the terminology is
thoughtful and fun.
Dr. Steve
Ernie Aiken
don't need to eat as much as young, simple as that.
"Pepsin and gentian are often added to the hydrochloric acid
supplements to further promote protein digestion"
You will have better digestion by practicing proper food combining, and take your
minerals at protein meals. Also, might try liquid mineral supplements.
OF interest- cremating corpses releases dental amalgan vapors into the atmosphere.
http://www.gtwn.net/~wgd/mercury_amalgam.html
http://www.gtwn.net/~wgd/food_combining.html
Ernie
Hans Lennros
You wrote:
>I like the white team-black team terminology.
The white wording comes from the fact that it is tooth colored.
The black comes from G.V. Black, the 'modern' amalgam filling father.
Of cours it also reflects the color of the dentist's soul ;-)
(probably get bashed for that one!)
Hans
Joel M. Eichen
>Hi Dr. Steve,
>You wrote:
>>I like the white team-black team terminology.
>The white wording comes from the fact that it is tooth colored.
>The black comes from G.V. Black, the 'modern' amalgam filling father.
>Of cours it also reflects the color of the dentist's soul ;-)
Amalgam - the offical filling of the Wiccan clan.
Hans Lennros
You wrote:
>Amalgam - the offical filling of the Wiccan clan.
Yes, they have the " Temple of the Eternal Light " which is an
amalgam of Caballa and Wicca and they also have "Temple of THOTH"
Forgive them the spelling they have both tooth-temples and eternal
bulbs in their curing lights and funny names of their amalgam fillings ....
Hans