It takes quite much effort, and careful replacement of the other depleted minerals, metabolic support to address the different metabolic behaviours of the chelators, for example, with DMSA one needs additional NAC or GSH to suppor the metabolism, and some zinc, others DMSA doesn't seem to leach according to the various abstracts/articles I have read. With DMPS, some more trace-element support may be needed, and B12/folate/Moly/E are a must with DMPS, as well as some C ... These supports must be in place so that the chelator can be metabolized and that it can do it's job better, and that no side-effects happen.

Done right, long term chelation may be decently effective and almost the only choice to get really well in addition to eating fatty foods along with NAC plus E vitamin that seemingly have helped much as well ... But EDTA, forget EDTA more or less with mercury poisoning. EDTA is meant for "cleansing the arteries" in addition to folate etc.

With mercury, one needs DMSA or DMPS and Glutathione/N-acetylCysteine, E-vitamin, B's - paba, C, organic acids, etc. I do have some of the abstracts that show that EDTA is even less effective mercury chelator than monothiols like NAC, that you can buy from regular health food store for pennies per capsule ( Twinlab or NOW ) NAC with selenium and additional E-vitamin is much better and safer than EDTA for mercury poisoning. DMSA/DMPS are the real chelators for mercury in addition to NAC/GSH.

I think most people should first consider NAC/Sel plus E and maybe also some GSH, mung beans, wheat grass juice/B12/Folate/Moly/B1/zinc/mag before considering full power DMSA/DMPS, and even then try first with LOW DOSE oral versions for possible intolerance and only then proceed with more and longer term. Many may get better with NAC and E already, if the doses are adequate. NAC is MUCH gentler than DMSA/DMPS at least ...

Also, if one's excretion is LESS than the 4-5 ug, one should be considered "poor excretor" and one that have accumulated potentially high amounts, and then again, only few percent of total is excreted in urine, but rather most 95-99 % percent is ecxreted trough stools and other routes. So, measuring urine is useless most of the times in the first place, it does not prove that low urine level means low accumulation, rather the inverse may be true if excretion is too low. Low excretion may be due to LOW GLutathione levels and low sulfation. PLease have your GSH-status and sulfation status tested, and if those are low, it explains your low excretion levels and can also mean that you actually have very high levels accumulated If that is the case, then you need to get your GSH-levels up and your sulfation pathways repaired and back on-line. Then if you succeed with that, your excretion levels may become huge for a while, provided there are enough nutrients, especially thiols available and that sulfur metabolism is working right. THat is why I have been trying to educate people. My thesis is that poor excretors are mostly due to depleted glutathione stores and impaired/damaged sulfur metabolism due to low amounts of nutrients and direct effect of mercury on them. That is why I think both careful chelation ( through a physician, at least in US, in Germany DMPS/DMSA is OTC) AND nutrition AND testing to target the nutrition right is the key to most questions.

Now, organic acids and liver panels and some enzyme panels plus trace-elements tell more than hundreds of other immune etc Smac's and such panels that are NOT useful with mercury. Porfyria panel might also be helpful, and levels of Cytochrome C, cholesterol levels (as related to AcetylCoA production) all can be used more effectively to estimate FUNCTIONAL mercury burdenm the absolute amount is not the deal, what has been impaired is, and that varies due to different resources amonts individuals.

For Frank, I will post no more data. Unless people are willing to read what has been answered, it is useless to ask for more before the first batchs is read and understood. I am glad BEAR posted more Medline addresses for all to have. Only more studying can help us all. More ideas, more findings, more understanding, and better therapies trough more knowledge even with what we have now. Right test panels are ESSENTIAL in addition to some additional knowledge of the mercury and thiols at least.

I think that just RBC minerals, Organic acids, Liver Function, maybe amino acids ( less useful in my opinion ) and a few additional liver/kidney enzyme levels and some others can give more than enough to see the severity of poisoning and related needed nutrients better than any mercury level test, chelator-challenged or not. But, I must admit that it takes a lot of work, at least it took for me, and unless people are willing to do that work themselve as well, treatment of mercury poisoning remains a mystery for those that are not willing to learn.

That same problem is also portion of WHY we still have DDS's laying toxic mercury into the teeth, just because it is mechanically cool while it is toxicologically/ metabolically/ immunologically HORRIBLE INFERIOR poison ...

As long as most people are too busy to make money, or not concentrate on learning ENOUGH, there remains problems with mercury fillings. It should be OBLIGATORY that in addition to reading, there should be some basic education in schools for children to help steer away from toxic materials of the modern world, and to teach proper nutrition as well, as many problems created by alcohol and medical/other drugs could be counteracted with proper nutrition to minimize the cost of global health care. Wrong/mal-nutrition and toxines are a major contributor to illness in this world. Sugar ain't that nice for the teeth either ...

* From: Kip Sullivan <kiprs@IX.NETCOM.COM>

I have two questions: What is NAC? And what do you mean by "sulfation?" Upon checking my EDTA urine test results again, I see that I scored very low on sulfur (414 milligrams in the 24-hour urine sample following EDTA chelation). The report from Doctor's Data said this level was 2 standard deviations below the norm. In your mind, is that relevant?

Also make sure to read these books: Poison in Your Teeth: Mercury Amalgam (Silver) Fillings...Hazardous to Your Health! and Mercury Detoxification by Tom McGuire