Named after the Greek mythological fleet-footed messenger of gods, Mercury is an element of nature, but behaves just the opposite. It is rather slow- a slow poison. Despite the fact that mercury is not at all required by the body, it has been found in alarming proportion in human beings. This is because of the constant exposure to mercury from large fish, thimerosol (a pharmaceutical preservative) and dental amalgam.

Highest Exposure Risk
Out of these exposure risks, the greatest danger of mercury exposure is faced by adults who opt in for amalgam fillings. Mercury vapor is either inhaled during the process of root-canal treatments or is swallowed.

The mercury vapor that is inhaled is in vapor form is elemental, metallic mercury. These inhaled mercury vapors have a high tendency to get absorbed into the body tissues. Once inhaled, mercury permeates through the pulmonary membrane and gets dissolved in plasma. It remains in the plasma as a dissolved gas and challenges the diffusion barriers of the body.

Apart from mercury vapors, the dental amalgam fillings also leak out mercury into our system. Our oral cavity contains a lot of bacteria. These bacteria act on the dental fillings and release an organic and highly toxic form of mercury- methyl mercury. Methyl mercury requires no effort to enter the human cell, and once it has entered the cell it wreaks havoc. Mercury damages the DNA, releases lysosomes and often ruptures the cell wall.

The blood-brain barrier of the Central Nervous System allows the passage of oxygen and other substances that are useful for metabolism, while keeping out unnecessary chemical substances. Mercury crosses this barrier and enters the brain cells. On entry into the cells of the body, mercury goes through an oxidation reaction and turns into inorganic ions (Hg2+), also known as divalent mercury. With time, mercury accumulates in the body cells proving a potential health hazard.

Excretion of Mercury
The liver and kidneys, that are responsible for breaking down toxic substances into simpler forms in order to throw them out of the body, cannot break down heavy metals such as mercury. Therefore mercury accumulates in the body, posing a potential threat to health.

Health Hazards
The health hazards of mercury include severe neurological and cardiovascular disorders that have come to light in the recent past. The neurological disorders include tremors (limbs, eyelids, etc), muscular rheumatism, abnormal sensations of the skin, impaired vision, memory loss and depression. Some cardiovascular and respiratory disorders include irregular heartbeat, irregular breathing, pain and discomfort in the chest and alterations in the blood pressure. Besides these, the gastrointestinal, endocrinological, urinogenital and psychological symptoms caused by mercury cannot be overstated.

Effects on the Neonate
Studies conducted on animals using mercury tagged with radioactive material showed how far mercury from dental amalgams can travel through the body. When occlusal amalgams that contained mercury were implanted in the molars of pregnant animals, it was found that it took no more than three days for mercury to reach the fetus. Furthermore, the concentration of mercury in the tissues of the fetus were said to be considerably higher than that found in the maternal tissues. What is shocking is that the level of mercury began to rise to dangerous levels in the fetus within a few months.

Mercury readily permeates across the placenta and enters the red blood cells and the fetal tissues. Furthermore, since the fetus does not sweat, produce bile or excrete matter, the mercury accumulates to dangerously high levels.

High amounts of mercury were also found in the milk during lactation, thus exposing the neonate to mercury toxicity. This can give us a fair idea of the potential dangers of going in for dental amalgams during pregnancy. It was also proved that the amount of mercury found in the breast-milk and urine of human mothers had a direct correlation with the number of amalgam fillings.

Mercury toxicity can cause almost every illness including chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and cancer. The fact remains, that mercury toxicity due to dental amalgams can be totally avoided.

Author's Bio: 

Did you know that today we can find footprints of toxins within our bodies including petrochemicals, heavy metals, pesticides and organic solvents? And that we can uncover our exact deficiencies in fatty acids, amino acids, trace elements, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins?

This comes from a very unique approach that applies a specific science as the critical component in delivering personalized health maintenance to my clients. And this has become my passion.

My own health is what has driven me to become supremely qualified as a holistic health practitioner.
The journey began in 1984, when I first understood that the mind-body-soul connection is the key to vibrant health. It is called psycho-neuro–immunology. My path of discovery has been an exciting one and, at almost 70, I marvel at how it has worked to keep me focused, healthy and dynamic.

Helping people to understand how they can take charge of their own health has become my main priority. Hence, the educational process which shows others what is challenging their health and how to change is a rewarding process for both parties.

My education in Nutritional and Environmental Medicine with ACNEM (Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine www.acnem.org ) started in 1999 and continues to this day as the understanding of the human body magnifies. If you click on the practitioners tab on their site, you will find me listed under Western Australia.

By 2002 I was involved in looking at pathology profiles with completely different eyes. It deepened my understanding of certain scientific laboratory technologies that can define and suggest how to rectify health imbalances before they mature into full-fledged disease.

Today we pinpoint dysfunctions in human physiology by measuring imbalances in digestion, hormones, acid stress, inflammation, calcium metabolism, oxidative stress, connective tissue strength and protein metabolism.

What all those big words mean is that, through specific technologies, I can help you get beyond individual symptoms so you can see the overall picture and dramatically improve your feeling of well-being.

To help me work even more effectively, I have invested in acquiring greater communication tools. In 1999, I obtained my qualifications as a Certified Master Practitioner in NLP and Certified Advanced Eriksonian Hypnosis.

I trained under Terry McGlendon whose program is endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners and Applied Psychology in Australia. He is the only Australian to be part of the original group that studied with highly esteemed co-developers Dr. Richard Bandler and Dr. John Grinder from its inception in 1972.

Are you interested in what the underlying causes are of snoring, sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, certain depressions, excessive tiredness and other health challenges? The list goes on and on. And all of them are symptoms that can be addressed with what it is I do.
For more information, go to http://www.HelenaEderveen.com
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