5.9 Chelators, for example DMSA and DMPS.

A mercury "antidote". Captures mercury and forces the captured mercury to be excreted, thereby lowering the body burden of mercury. Can cause unwanted side-effects (Englund 1994), in other words - avoid it unless you really need it.
Mainly eliminates easily accessible (=extracellular and outside Central Nervous System (CNS)) mercury from your body. Functions well, and are "State-of-the-art", in acute or subacute mercury intoxications. In the amalgam-related illnesses it's positive effects remain to be proven. Englund (1994) orally administered 20 mg / kg DMSA or placebo for 14 days to a total of 20 individuals with suspected (non-allergic-) amalgam-related illness. Mercury excretion in urine rose by average 65 % during this 14 days. Only one out of 10 symptom-indices improved significantly (p<0.05) in the DMSA group compared to a control group who received placebo: a decrease in fatigue-inertia, but one out of ten could be a coincidence.
The experience among members of the Swedish patient organisation is mixed when talking about effects of DMSA and DMPS:
"Some patients do feel much better, others worse, often only temporarily. A few have experienced long-lasting adverse effects" ( Tandvardsskadeforbundet 1993)
In non-occupationally exposed individuals oral administration of a chelating agent only raises the urine-mercury excretion by factor usually less than 10 for a few hours - and that is really very little compared to the body burden.
In an acute mercury intoxication, on the other hand, a much greater part of the body's mercury burden is easily accessible (=extracellular and outside Central Nervous System (CNS)) and therefore a chelator-cure can lower the body-burden a great deal. DMSA stands for: meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid. DMPS stands for: dimercaptopropone-1-sulfonate.

5.10 Sweat therapy.

Putman (1972) reports that if workers in the Almaden mercury-mines showed signs of mercury-intoxication they were treated by induced sweating in order to sweat the mercury out. To my knowledge no scientific reports have been publicised about the efficency of increased sweating as a way of treating mercury-intoxication. However Lovejoy (1973) found considerable amounts of mercury in sweat (120-350 ug Hg/litre induced sweat and 155-185 ug Hg/litre urine) in mercury exposed chlorine-factory workers, the unexposed controls had 5-8 and 5-7 ug Hg/litre respectively.

5.11 Social environment.

If you see amalgam-related illness as an organically induced neurasthenic syndrome it seems to be beneficial, from the patient's point of view, to be stimulated (but not stressed) and having the right amount of demands (that is a light noradrenalin activation) in a positive atmosphere (that is a slight 5-HT(=serotonin) activation). The above is taken from an article (Hansson 1992) written in Swedish with Ronnback as an author among others. Part of this is described in Ronnback (1992).

5.12 Treat symptoms.

If a person has such a (non-allergic-) increased sensitivity to mercury / amalgam that he / she indeed has an (non-allergic-) amalgam-related illness the symptoms could increase in connection with amalgam-removal. Because there could be an increase in symptoms and it is relatively short lasting, it would not be out of order to facilitate the amalgam-removal phase by treatment of the symptoms during this time.

5.13 Wait.

Sorry to say, but it takes time to recover from a Hg-intoxication. Literature about chronic Hg-intoxication (Vroom 1972) as well as experience among individuals with suspected amalgam-related illnesses (Tandvardsskadeforbundet 1993) points out that it can take months up to a couple of / some years before you get a good / total symptom reduction after ceased exposure. Some symptoms can remain even after several years (Kishi 1993), especially in heavily chronically Hg-exposed individuals.

5.14 Isn't there anything else I could do?

Among those who are convinced they are suffering from a (non-allergic-) amalgam-related illness there are individuals reporting that they benefit from a healthy life style; avoiding ingestion of heavy metals (one can for example increase daily lead-dosage by drinking some wines or drinking wine from wineglasses of crystal...), eating a lot of (biodynamically grown?) vegetables, taking regular walks... What is not uncommon is that patients with suspected (non-allergic-) amalgam-related illness report that they do not tolerate heavy physic workout or massage, and both these things could theoretically start liberating mercury from depots in ones body. Some people among those who are convinced they are suffering from a (non-allergic-) amalgam-related illness report to get a symptom increase after ingestion of titandioxid (colour in tablets...) ...), ingestion of iron in excess, the use of aluminium saucepans or by wearing metals (especially gold?) next to the body (intrauterine contraceptive devices with copper, watches, jewellery...)...

In the context of above it could maybe be of interest to study:

• -Shimojo (1994), who studied mercury distribution in a control group of mice compared with one group of mice that had been swimming 1 h / day, reported:
  "It was concluded that exercise training is a factor in distribution changes of mercury after exposure to mercury vapour, though it is not a factor in the total absorption and excretion of mercury."
  Among other organs that had an comparatively raised level of mercury in the trained mice was the brain.
• -Sorenmark (1968) who reported:
  "Each of the ten girls wearing gold jewerly showed a significant amount of gold in her cranial hair. The concentration was several times greater than found in the control group."

5.15 Did you not improve your health condition after a complete amalgam removal?

These are some hypothesis to why some individuals with a suspected (non-allergic-) amalgam-related illness did not get a symptom reduction after a complete amalgam exchange:

• The individual did not have a (non-allergic-) amalgam-related illness.
• The individual has not waited long enough (up to 3-5 years or even longer?).
• The alternative material is causing new problems (especially gold or other metals).
• Diverticulums in the Gut which contends amalgam-particles / mercury, from which mercury is slowly released.
• Amalgam / mercury is still present in the mouth; under gold-crowns, in amalgam tattoos in the gingivae...

5.16 How is a classic inorganic Hg-intoxication treated?

The classic, often heavy occupational or accidental, inorganic mercury poisoning is usually treated by:

• Cessation of the exposure, which is the single most important measure.
• In acute and subacute intoxication, chelators are usually given (for example DMSA, DMPS...).
• Symptomatic treatment.
• Letting time have its course.
  These are, to my knowledge, the only treatments that, so far, are «State-of-the-art» in inorganic mercury intoxication.

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