Is Mercury Removal From The Body Possible Through a Novel Nutritional Protocol?

Authors: John L. Tate DDS (a), Tim Sara (b)

Correspondence addresses

(a) 2088-B East Main Street, Spartanburg, SC 29307 (1-864-582-4441)
(b) Nature's Balance, Inc., 913 Finch Avenue, High Point, NC 27263 (1-336-882-4102)

ABSTRACT:

It is well-established in the published literature of medical toxicology that the three forms of mercury (vapor, organic and inorganic) pose a serious health risk to dental personnel and patients in both acute ^1,2 and chronic conditions. ^{3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 10}

It is also well known that many people are sensitive to the two chelation drugs that are in common use for the systemic detoxification of mercury; DMPS (2,3-dimercapto-1-propane sulfonate) and DMSA (meso-2,3 dimercaptosuccinic acid). ⁸

The purpose of this study is to investigate the safety and effectiveness of a novel nutritional protocol utilizing 'CyChroMax P-450'; a commercial blend of chlorella pyrenoidosa. alpha lipoic acid and calcium d-glucarate, and the herbal extract of Cilantro (coriandrum sativum).  For those patients too sensitive for the conventional chelating drugs, could this protocol be an acceptable and effective alternative?

We ask the following questions:

• 1. Will this nutritional protocol be effective enough to reduce symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning and gain compliance?
• 2. Will this protocol produce repair of the nervous system from mercury poisoning that the conventional chelation drugs do not do?  (Note: The newer chelation drugs; DMPS and DMSA have improved side effects but require re-mineralization and close supervision by a physician)
• 3. Will this combination of nutritional supplements be sufficiently well-tolerated by sensitive patients that a dentist trained in chronic mercury poisoning can feel confident in implementing this protocol for his staff and informed-consent patients in cases where physician diagnoses and referrals are not available?

THE STUDY

Study participants were selected based on the following criteria

• 1. A chronic condition of both mental and physical symptoms indicated by completing a questionnaire compiled by a physician with proven success and experience in this diagnosis. (David Menkopff)
• 2. Their agreement to undergo a standardized lab test, both upon enrollment and after three-months of protocol compliance.  The DMSA challenge urine test has a history of accuracy in detecting the level of released mercury.
• 3. Referred by their physician if possible.
• 4. Their ability to bear the reasonable, but subsidized cost of treatment.
• 5. Informed consent, with the right to withdraw from the study at any time for any reason.

PROCEDURE

A baseline DMSA urine challenge test is used to determine existing tissue levels of toxic metals..

The Dimercaptosuccinic Acid (DMSA) Challenge Test. To evaluate the body burden of mercury in the patient, a single 500 mgs oral dose of DMSA is administered after an overnight fast and at least one and-a-half hours prior to resumed ingestion of food. Urine is then collected for six hours in a sealed metal-free container and an aliquot is used to measure heavy metal content relative to urinary creatinine.

This test can be used to determine the relative amount of suspected tissue burden of mercury and other metals present in the patient, and also to follow the progress of the therapy being used to remove the toxic metals from the patient.

DMSA is approved by the FDA for the treatment of lead poisoning, and is a very effective chelator for mercury. However, physicians have reported severe toxicity for sensitive patients at the higher doses.  Consequently, an experienced physician is required to calculate the correct dosage to prevent severe unbalancing of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and its hormone regulation.  The removal of mercury will be better tolerated only if the metal is removed in a slow and consistent manner.  Remineralization of essential minerals to prevent a 'stirring-up' effect is necessary to prevent recurrence of mental symptoms.

CyChroMax P-450 capsules (6 x 365 mgs) and Cilantro Extract (1 x full dropper) are given twice daily on an empty stomach for a duration of 3 months.  Each 3 months a DMSA challenge test is administered to determine heavy metal burden compared to baseline.

The ingredients in CyChroMax P-450 were selected to test the hypothesis that synergism would exist within the combination of the three ingredients. In addition, all three ingredients have been shown to be reasonably well-tolerated by individuals who report sensitivities to more aggressive chelation products and protocols.

Chlorella pyrenoidosa, a strain of single-celled freshwater algae has been studied many times for its ability to support the removal of toxins from animals and humans both through its ability to enhance the activity of the reticuloendothelial system and through the metal-binding capacity of the indigestible cell walls. ^{11,12,13,14,15}

Alpha Lipoic Acid has been proposed as a metal chelator, and is known to support optimal levels of available glutathione through its role as the master 'recycler' of the network antioxidants. ^{16,17,18,19,20}

Calcium d-glucarate has been shown to suppress the activity of beta glucuronidase, a naturally-occurring enzyme which is known to interfere with the phase II conjugation reactions of the cytochrome P-450 liver detoxification enzyme cascade. ^21,22,23

Cilantro Extract, a whole-plant alcoholic extract of Chinese Parsley (coriandrum sativum) has been used extensively in heavy-metal detoxification protocols over the past five years due to published observations of its ability to remove heavy metal deposits associated with drug resistance in infection with viral and bacterial organisms. ^{24, 25}

Consequently this protocol of CyChroMax P-450 and Cilantro Extract may prove a safer and effective alternative for the dentist-physician relationship and one that could be better tolerated by the majority of patients who report sensitivities to the products employed by existing protocols.

INTERIM RESULTS

CASE HISTORY. I

A 36 year old white female; RT, entered the study on Sept 2^nd 2004.  Her major mental complaints on the David Menkopff Questionnaire were anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, feelings of impending doom and hopelessness.  Her referring physician reported her baseline provocative urine DMSA challenge test result for mercury at 16 ug/g of creatinine (Reference level <4ug/g).  Her four mercury fillings were removed on Sept 6th by the Huggins Protocol.  RT was provided with CyChroMax P-450 and Cilantro Extract and instructed to take both products daily as per the schedule previously mentioned.

On Dec 13th, 2004 her 3-month follow-up DMSA provocative challenge revealed a 61% drop in mercury to 6.21 ug/g creatinine. RT also reports that all of her mental symptoms have improved.  She continues on this protocol.

CASE HISTORY. II

L.M; a 48 year-old white female is being treated by her physician for rheumatoid arthritis with dietary supplements and the drug Celebrex^®.  Her major complaints were joint pain and a fear of heart attack or stroke due to the well-publicized adverse side effects from this drug.  A DMSA challenge test on October 4^th, 2004 revealed a baseline mercury level of 21 ug/g creatinine (reference level <4ug/g). Eight mercury-containing amalgam fillings were removed between 10-10-2004 and 11-15-2004 by the Huggins Protocol.  A protocol of 4 CyChroMax P-450 capsules and 1 dropper of Cilantro Extract twice daily on an empty stomach was instituted on November 15th, 2004. At the three-month follow-up, her DMSA challenge test revealed a 55% drop in mercury levels to 9.4 ug/g creatinine She has gained 7 much-needed pounds and reports her symptoms are 50%-improved.

Case Update on 05.05.2005. LM continues to take CyChroMax P-450 (now 9 capsules per day) and Cilantro Extract daily (I dropperful), and reports that joint pain is now virtually eradicated. Her physician has reduced her pain medication by 50%.

CASE HISTORY III

The author of this study, John L. Tate, DDS.   I am a 68-year-old practicing dentist with a diagnosis of chronic mercury toxicity made by my physician on June 7, 2001.  The DMSA post-provocative challenge result was 14 ug/g creatinine.  The major mental symptoms were insomnia and short-term memory loss. The original DMSA protocol produced hand tremors, so I did not stay on the protocol long enough to determine its effectiveness due to this sensitivity to the drug. Although I had already been taking Nature's Balance Chlorella, I began the CyChroMax P-450/Cilantro Extract protocol on May 1, 2004.  On Sept. 24, 2004 my mercury DMSA challenge urine test had dropped to 1.72 ug/g creatinine. My insomnia is considerably better allowing me to sleep 5+ hours continuously without the aid of drugs.

Note: My mercury fillings were removed in 1997, but not by the Huggins protocol. (My office is now equipped with the latest technology for mercury removal and for staff and patient protection. I am also a proud member of the IAOMT (International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology)).

There are currently seven additional patients enrolled in this study with varying levels of compliance with this protocol

CONCLUSIONS.

The recently-published medical toxicology literature and this pilot nutritional protocol for patient mercury removal points this dental researcher to the following:

• 1. Potential toxicity from exposure to mercury vapor for dental staff and patients is a real risk at very low levels. The urinary Hg reference level of <4 ug/g creatinine studied by Aposhian ^10, has now shown convincingly the effects on the central nervous system at these low levels. New distinctions between effects on symptoms of mood, motor function and cognition were found associated with Hg body burden at lower levels than recently reported.
• 2. The American Dental Association (ADA) in a December 2004 press conference has purposely misinformed its members and the general public about the issue of toxicity from dental materials containing mercury.
• 3. The great percentage of practicing physicians are either unaware of the link between dental mercury and physical and mental disease, or choose to accept the continued assertion by the ADA that mercury is a safe material for inclusion in dental restorations.
• 4. The combination of CyChroMax P-450 and Cilantro Extract has shown in this pilot study to be a safe and effective method of reducing the body burden of mercury. Patients' subjective reports of alleviation of both physical and mental symptoms suggests that a degree of repair to CNS damage could be occurring.   A larger study with more controls plus objective methods of determining CNS repair is needed for confirmation.
• 5. The significant reduction in side effects is a major advantage of this protocol when compared to the use of established chelation drugs.
• 6. This protocol, using dietary supplements selected for their documented ability to augment the body's natural detoxification channels, offers the dentist the opportunity to implement and monitor a legal, safe and effective mercury detoxification protocol in the absence of a clinical diagnosis and/or referral from a physician .

Acknowledgment.

Nature's Balance Inc., of High Point, NC donated the CyChroMax P-450 and the Cilantro Extract used in this study.  Tim Sara, CEO of Nature's Balance, developed the CyChroMax P-450 formula. Tim can be reached at 1-336-882-4102

References:

• 1. D.L. Smith, Jr., M.D. 'Mental Effects of Mercury Poisoning': Southern Medical Journal, Vol. 71, No 8., pp 94-95 (1978)
• 2. Report Of A Case, MJAFI 2005; 61: pp 76-78
• 3. Ritchie, K.A., ; et al:, 'Mercury Vapor Levels in Dental Practices and Body Mercury Levels of Dentists and Controls.' British Dental Journal 2004, Nov 27; 197 (10) pp 625-632
• 4. McCabe, M.J., Jr., et al: 'Attenuation of CD95-induced apoptosis by Inorganic Mercury: Capsase-2 Is Not A Direct Target of Low Levels of HG(2⁺⁾ Toxicil. Lett., 2005, Jan 15; 155(1): 161-170
• 5. Mutter, N.J., et al: 'Alzheimer's Disease; Mercury As Pathogenic Factor and Apolipoprotein E As A Moderator' Neuro Endocrinol. Lett; 2004 Oct; 25(5): pp 331-339
• 6. Eggleston, D.W., and Nylander, M.: 'Correlation Of Dental Amalgam With Mercury In Brain Tissue.  J. Prosthetic Dentistry. 1987; 58; pp 704-706
• 7. Lorscheider, F.L., Vimy, M.J., Summers, A.D., et al: 'The Dental Amalgam Controversy - Inorganic Mercury And The CNS; Genetic Linkage Of Mercury And Antibiotic Resistance In Intestinal Bacteria.'  Toxicology 1995; 97: pp 19-22
• 8. Frackleton, J.P., Christensen, R.L., 'Mercury Poisoning And Its Potential Impact On Hormone Regulation And Aging: Clinical Observations Using A Therapeutic Approach': Journal Adv. Med. Vol 11, No. 1; Spring 1998
• 9. Gonzalez-Ramirez, D., Woods, J.S., Aposhian, H.V., et al: 'Sodium 2,3-Dimercapto propane-1-Sulfonate Challenge Test For Mercury In Humans: II Urinary Mercury, Porphyrns And Neurobiological Changes In Dental Workers In Monterrey, Mexico.' Jour. Pharm. Exp. Ther; Vol. 27, 2 pp 2640277, 1995
• 10. Echeverria, D. Aposhian, H.K., Woods, J.S., et al: 'Neurobehavioral Effects From Exposure To Dental Amalgam : New Distinctions Between Recent Exposure And Hg Body Burden'. Dept. of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
• 11. Kajima, M., et al: 'A new chlorella polysaccharide and its accelerating effect on the phagocytic activity of the reticuloendothelial system.' Recent Adv. RES. Res. 13:11 (1973
• 12. Nakamura, M., et al: 'Promotion of reticuloendothelial function by chlorella components.'  Health & Ind. News., March 25, 1978
• 13. Nagano, T., et al: 'Absorption and excretion of cadmium by the rat administered cadmium-containing chlorella.' Nisei Kedgwick (Jan) 24(4) 182-186 1978
• 14. Hagino, A., et al: 'The effect of chlorella on fecal and urinary cadmium excretion in 'Itai-Itai' (acute cadmium poisoning)'.  Jan J. Hyg. 30(1), 77, April 1975
• 15. Pore, R.S.: 'Detoxification of chlordecone poisoned rats with chlorella and chlorella-derived sporopollenin.'  Drug-Chem. Toxicol. 7(1), pp 57-71, 1984
• 16. Ou, P., et al. 'Thioctic (lipoic) acid: A therapeutic metal-chelating antioxidant?' Biochem Pharmacol. 50:123-126, 1995.
• 17. Packer, L., et al. 'Alpha-lipoic acid as a biological antioxidant'. Free Rad Biol Med. 19:227-250, 1995.
• 18. Xu, D. P., et al. 'Alpha-lipoic acid dependent regeneration of ascorbic acid from dehydroascorbic acid in rat liver mitochondria'. J Bioenerg Biomembr. 28(1):77-85, 1996
• 19. Kumaran S, et al 'L-carnitine and DL-alpha-lipoic acid reverse the age-related deficit in glutathione redox state in skeletal muscle and heart tissues'. Mech Ageing Dev. 2004 Jul;125(7):507-12.
• 20. Patrick L 'Toxic metals and antioxidants: Part II. The role of antioxidants in arsenic and cadmium toxicity.' Altern Med Rev. 2003 May;8(2):106-28.
• 21. Dwivedi, C, et al: 'Effect of Calcium Glucarate on Beta-Glucuronidase Activity and Glucarate Content of Certain Vegetables and Fruits.' Biochem. Med. & Metab. Bio. 43(2): pp 83-92. 1990
• 22. Walaszek, Z., et al. 'Reduction in vivo of the inappropriate levels of endogenous and environmentally-derived compounds by sustained-release inhibitors of beta-glucuronidase'. United States Patent # 4,845,123 (1989)
• 23. Oredipe, O.A., et al: 'Dietary D-glucarate mediated inhibition of diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocarcinogensis.' Toxicity 74 (2/3): pp 209-22 (1992)
• 24. Omura, Y., Beckman, S.L.: 'Role of mercury (Hg) in resistant infections & effective treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis and Herpes family viral infections (and potential treatment for cancer) by removing localized Hg deposits with Chinese parsley (Cilantro) and delivering effective antibiotics using various drug uptake enhancement methods.'  Acupunct. Electrother. Res. 20 (3-4) pp 195-229, 1995
• 25. Omura, Y.,'Radiation Injury and mercury deposits in internal organs.' Acupunct. Electrother. Res. 20 (3-4) pp 133-148, 1995

 

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING:

'The Antioxidant Miracle'  Lester Packer, PhD/Carol Coleman (Wiley press 1999) ISBN 0-471-35311-6.

'The Alpha-Lipoic Acid Breakthrough' Bert Burkson, M.D., PhD. (Prima Health Publishing, 1998) ISBN 0-7615-1457-0

'D-Glucarate - A Nutrient Against Cancer' Thomas J. Slaga, PhD., Judi Quilici-Timmcke, MS., (Keats Publishing, 1999) ISBN 0-87983-952-X

'Chlorella: Natural Medicinal Algae' David Steenblock, BS., MSc, DO (Aging Research Institute, 1987) ISBN 0-9618268-0-0.

'Scientific Reports on Chlorella in Japan' Japan Chlorella Treatment Association (Silpaque Publishing, 1992)  ISBN 4-915786-02-1.

'Chlorella: Jewel of the Far East' Bernard Jensen, PhD  (Self-published, 1990)  ISBN 0-932-61523-6.

This page created and maintained by Nature's Balance, Inc. All text layout and photographic images are the copyright (©1995-2005) of Nature's Balance, Inc, and may not be copied or redistributed in any form without written consent from the owners. Contact our Webmaster