More on mercury, in adults

The post on PCB’s in fish has lead me to quickly write a post on some of the effects of mercury, and why it is such an important factor in many chronic diseases. I have posted on mercury and metal detoxification in the past, but on this blog largely it has been in relation to autism. This information is a nice summary from one of the conferences that Dr Ward, with her interest in environmental medicine, has told me about. The conference was from the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

Mercury suppresses the immune system

In the picture above, macrophages are a first line against infections. They see a germ, engulf it, then present pieces of the germ on its cell wall. The macrophage then uses cytokines such as IFN gamma, IL-1, and TNF to call in the other forces of the immune system to fight the germs.

Unfortunately, mercury suppresses IL-1 and TNF production, so the rest of the immune system is not brought in the way it should be. The immune system gets suppressed by mercury right from the start. Thus many patients with chronic persistent infections (some cardiovascular disease, most chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, most chemical sensitivity patients) have difficulty clearing chronic infections that adversely affect their health.

Mercury increases the stress hormone cortisol, upsets its secretion rhythm throughout the day. This also decreases the immune system response.

Mercury increases a hormone called reverse T3. This hormone blocks the action of thyroid hormone at the tissue level. Thus the patient has normal amounts of regular thyroid hormone, but in fact they clinically have low thyroid function.

Organic mercury, as found in fish, increases heart attack risk. In fact, patients with highest hair mercury levels had 2.9 times the risk of having a heart attack. Alaskan salmon has less mercury.

Mercury in mothers led to an increased risk of hypertension in their 7 year old offspring.

Mercury damages the energy generating mitochondria within the cells. Up to 50% of the mercury in a cell is accumulated in these mitochondria, and the mercury damages the mitochondrial cell membrane, decreasing its ability to make ATP for energy. That is why mercury is so important in chronic fatigue.

Mercury makes other metals more toxic. A study in rats showed that while cadmium at a certain level killed rats, and mercury at a certain level killed rats, the combination of the two required 1/100 of the dosage to kill rats.

Mercury makes PCBs (below in farmed salmon post) more toxic.

Mercury is made more toxic by yeast in the intestinal tract (Candida). The candida transforms inorganic mercury to organic.

Mercury can be detoxified while amalgams are in. As one doctor put it, if DMPS really did pull mercury out of amalgams, it would be a nice inexpensive way to get rid of amalgams (the mercury is safe once bound to DMPS, and the DMPS is 100% excreted in the urine).

The best way to assess mercury in adult patients is to get a conventional test, a whole blood mercury level, and an unconventional test, a provoked post-chelation urinary mercury level.