Today, I will reveal and discuss some of the details about how mercury affect childhood and adults. Before we dive into that discussion, I would like to share some of the information which raise a few doubts whether mercury could possibly enter mother's breast milk. I'm sure some of you mum-to-be females who ask yourself this question before, especially the ones who really concern about your breastfeeding infant.
Let's look at one study conducted in Sweden, where mercury levels were examined in Swedish women on a diet high in seafood known to have high mercury content. In this study, it is found that breast milk mercury levels were 20-30% higher than the mother's blood mercury levels. A second part of the study found that inorganic mercury from dental filings existed in the milk in concentrations 40-80% higher than in the mother's blood. What does this tells you? This means that mercury amalgams fillings pose a greater danger then mercury from seafood to the developing child. Total mercury levels correlated with the number of amalgam fillings in the Swedish women, that is the greater the number of fillings, the higher the mercury level, both in mother and in her breast milk.
From the available literature, it is obvious that the major source of mercury in breast milk is from dental amalgams in the mother. Based on this research, it is recommended that young women should avoid having dental amalgam fillings placed before and during pregnancy, and they should avoid having them removed during pregnancy,which will cause sudden elevation in blood and tissue mercury.
What is even more frightening, is mercury levels in the newborn babies were significantly higher when their mothers had dental treatments. babies are significantly more sensitive to mercury toxicity then their mothers. Because the placenta concentrates mercury as it passes into the baby's blood stream, exposure during pregnancy causes significantly higher levels in the baby's blood than in the mother's.
There is abundance of evidence that poor nutrition during the period of brain development can lead to a loss of DNA, reduction in supportive braincells and impaired dendrite formation. The developing brain is more vulnerable than the mature brain to a multitude of toxic insults, including exposure to heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury. Remember, the brain undergoes its most rapid growth during the third trisemester of development and this continues until two years after birth. By four years of age the brain has reached only 80% of its full growth. Many complex processes occur during this critical period. Trillions of synaptic junctions are interconnecting and neural pathways are probing their way to their final destinations.
How about vaccinations? Well, especially in newborns, are another major source of childhood mercury exposure because of the mercury containing thimerosal preservative. Compared to my younger years in childhood (about 30 years ago) and present day, the total amount of vaccinations for childhood and infants are much higher. Cases of autism among kids has never been so high in history of mankind.
Effects of exposure can vary from subtle to major malformations but even minor degrees of maldevelopment can have unacceptable consequences. For instance, a low concentration of mercury has resulted in minor miswiring of your chilkd's brain. Outwardly, the child may seem perfectly normal. This impairment will limit his ability to advance in a very competitive world.
Now, let's discuss about how mercury can affect adults. While young women of child bearing age have been warned not to have dental amalgam fillings because of the effects on the developing baby, there are also evidence that exposure to mercury can reduce fertility itself. In a German study of women who had repeated miscarriages, a direct correlation was found between the load of mercury in the tissues and the number of miscarriages. In this study, 111 women with repeated miscarriages were examined for heavy metal toxicity as well as detailed hormone and immunological studies. From the findings, it was known that mercury alters the mother's immunity to such an extent that it inteferes with normal immunological tolerance seen during a normal pregnancy. When a woman becomes pregnant, the baby exists within her as if it were part of her own tissues. The mother's immune system is thus altered to prevent her body from automatically rejecting this new entity. This condition is known as immunological tolerance, and mercury appears to significantly alter this process.
Mercury effects on the endocrine system can be significant, especially in cases of chronic exposure. The study which I mentioned, also found that women experiencing primary miscarriages had lower progesterone levels, and higher mercury levels. Studies also shown that mercury directly inhibits progesterone production in the ovary's granulosa cells, and has a profound effect on estradiol as well.
Pregant women with numerous dental amalgam fillings should protect themselves and their babies by taking supplemental antioxidants, especially selenium and alpha lipoic acid. They should also avoid taking megadoses of vitamins to avoid possible toxic effects to the baby. I would say 100 ug of selenium and 25 mg of alpha lipoic acid a day would be an ideal consumption. Adding vitamin E and magnesium would be an added avdantage.
The internal damage caused by mercury exposure is not limited to the nervous system. The immune system can also suffer severe injury. Like the nervous system, the immune system is highly complex and involves many elements, including cellular components, cytokines, special hormones, and antibodies. It is also important to remember that the immune and nervous systems are intimately connected, both directly and indirectly, a connection that is especially important during development.
Low levels of mercury have several significant effects on the immune system. Studies have shown that workers exposed to mercury vapor, the majority with levels below the accepted toxicity limit, demonstrated increased levels of several humoral immune parameters, such as IgG, IgA and IgM. The study found that mercury levels considered to be safe could stimulate jumoral immunity, that is antibodies.
So why is humoral immunity important? Because elevated humoral immunity coupled with T-cell malfunction leads to autoimmunity, a condition where the immune system inadvertently attacks various tissues of the body. There are numerous autoimmune disorders, including hashimoto thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, MS, etc. There is growing evidence that many autoimmune disease do not develop until some environmental trigger activates the process. Another trigger for several autoimmune disorders are related to exposure to low levels of mercury. The amount of mercury released as a vapor from dental amalgam fillings and dissolved into the saliva may be sufficient to trigger a disorder.
The interaction between the immune system and the brain is especially significant during early development. For instance, several special chemicals secreted by macrophages can adversely affect the brain, especially the inmature brain. These powerful chemicals are released in rather high concentrations following prolonged immune stimulation from infections, vaccinations or even exposure to inflammatory chemicals. Mercury, can also initiate an intense inflammatory response in tissues, followed by persistent inflammation. Again, this is critical to our understanding of the relationship to many brain disorders and mercury exposure.
In the next final post, I will discuss abit on how mercury plays a role in neurological disorders as well as how we can protect ourselves from heavy metals toxicity, particularly mercury. Stay tuned.
Let's look at one study conducted in Sweden, where mercury levels were examined in Swedish women on a diet high in seafood known to have high mercury content. In this study, it is found that breast milk mercury levels were 20-30% higher than the mother's blood mercury levels. A second part of the study found that inorganic mercury from dental filings existed in the milk in concentrations 40-80% higher than in the mother's blood. What does this tells you? This means that mercury amalgams fillings pose a greater danger then mercury from seafood to the developing child. Total mercury levels correlated with the number of amalgam fillings in the Swedish women, that is the greater the number of fillings, the higher the mercury level, both in mother and in her breast milk.
From the available literature, it is obvious that the major source of mercury in breast milk is from dental amalgams in the mother. Based on this research, it is recommended that young women should avoid having dental amalgam fillings placed before and during pregnancy, and they should avoid having them removed during pregnancy,which will cause sudden elevation in blood and tissue mercury.
What is even more frightening, is mercury levels in the newborn babies were significantly higher when their mothers had dental treatments. babies are significantly more sensitive to mercury toxicity then their mothers. Because the placenta concentrates mercury as it passes into the baby's blood stream, exposure during pregnancy causes significantly higher levels in the baby's blood than in the mother's.
There is abundance of evidence that poor nutrition during the period of brain development can lead to a loss of DNA, reduction in supportive braincells and impaired dendrite formation. The developing brain is more vulnerable than the mature brain to a multitude of toxic insults, including exposure to heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury. Remember, the brain undergoes its most rapid growth during the third trisemester of development and this continues until two years after birth. By four years of age the brain has reached only 80% of its full growth. Many complex processes occur during this critical period. Trillions of synaptic junctions are interconnecting and neural pathways are probing their way to their final destinations.
How about vaccinations? Well, especially in newborns, are another major source of childhood mercury exposure because of the mercury containing thimerosal preservative. Compared to my younger years in childhood (about 30 years ago) and present day, the total amount of vaccinations for childhood and infants are much higher. Cases of autism among kids has never been so high in history of mankind.
Effects of exposure can vary from subtle to major malformations but even minor degrees of maldevelopment can have unacceptable consequences. For instance, a low concentration of mercury has resulted in minor miswiring of your chilkd's brain. Outwardly, the child may seem perfectly normal. This impairment will limit his ability to advance in a very competitive world.
Now, let's discuss about how mercury can affect adults. While young women of child bearing age have been warned not to have dental amalgam fillings because of the effects on the developing baby, there are also evidence that exposure to mercury can reduce fertility itself. In a German study of women who had repeated miscarriages, a direct correlation was found between the load of mercury in the tissues and the number of miscarriages. In this study, 111 women with repeated miscarriages were examined for heavy metal toxicity as well as detailed hormone and immunological studies. From the findings, it was known that mercury alters the mother's immunity to such an extent that it inteferes with normal immunological tolerance seen during a normal pregnancy. When a woman becomes pregnant, the baby exists within her as if it were part of her own tissues. The mother's immune system is thus altered to prevent her body from automatically rejecting this new entity. This condition is known as immunological tolerance, and mercury appears to significantly alter this process.
Mercury effects on the endocrine system can be significant, especially in cases of chronic exposure. The study which I mentioned, also found that women experiencing primary miscarriages had lower progesterone levels, and higher mercury levels. Studies also shown that mercury directly inhibits progesterone production in the ovary's granulosa cells, and has a profound effect on estradiol as well.
Pregant women with numerous dental amalgam fillings should protect themselves and their babies by taking supplemental antioxidants, especially selenium and alpha lipoic acid. They should also avoid taking megadoses of vitamins to avoid possible toxic effects to the baby. I would say 100 ug of selenium and 25 mg of alpha lipoic acid a day would be an ideal consumption. Adding vitamin E and magnesium would be an added avdantage.
The internal damage caused by mercury exposure is not limited to the nervous system. The immune system can also suffer severe injury. Like the nervous system, the immune system is highly complex and involves many elements, including cellular components, cytokines, special hormones, and antibodies. It is also important to remember that the immune and nervous systems are intimately connected, both directly and indirectly, a connection that is especially important during development.
Low levels of mercury have several significant effects on the immune system. Studies have shown that workers exposed to mercury vapor, the majority with levels below the accepted toxicity limit, demonstrated increased levels of several humoral immune parameters, such as IgG, IgA and IgM. The study found that mercury levels considered to be safe could stimulate jumoral immunity, that is antibodies.
So why is humoral immunity important? Because elevated humoral immunity coupled with T-cell malfunction leads to autoimmunity, a condition where the immune system inadvertently attacks various tissues of the body. There are numerous autoimmune disorders, including hashimoto thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, MS, etc. There is growing evidence that many autoimmune disease do not develop until some environmental trigger activates the process. Another trigger for several autoimmune disorders are related to exposure to low levels of mercury. The amount of mercury released as a vapor from dental amalgam fillings and dissolved into the saliva may be sufficient to trigger a disorder.
The interaction between the immune system and the brain is especially significant during early development. For instance, several special chemicals secreted by macrophages can adversely affect the brain, especially the inmature brain. These powerful chemicals are released in rather high concentrations following prolonged immune stimulation from infections, vaccinations or even exposure to inflammatory chemicals. Mercury, can also initiate an intense inflammatory response in tissues, followed by persistent inflammation. Again, this is critical to our understanding of the relationship to many brain disorders and mercury exposure.
In the next final post, I will discuss abit on how mercury plays a role in neurological disorders as well as how we can protect ourselves from heavy metals toxicity, particularly mercury. Stay tuned.
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