Mercury levels can be tested…we offer urine analysis here at the clinic.

Mercury toxicity symptoms can depend on many factors:1. The chemical form absorbed and how it is transported into the body tissues2. The presence of other synergistic toxins (Pb and Cd have similar effects)3. The presence of a disease that lowers the bodies own immune system4. The body’s concentration of protective nutrients (Zinc, Selenium, Vitamin E)5. Organ levels of foreign substances (pesticides which must be detoxified via liver)

Early signs of mercury contamination include:1. Decreased sense of touch, hearing, vision, and taste2. Metallic taste in mouth3. Fatigue or lack of physical endurance4. Increased salivation

Symptoms may progress with moderate or chronic exposure to include:1. Anorexia2. Numbness and paresthesias3. Headaches4. Hypertension5. Irritability and excitability6. Immune suppression and/or possible immune dysregulation

Advanced disease processes from Mercury toxicity include:1. Tremors and incoordination2. Anemia3. Psychosis4. Manic behaviors5. Possible autoimmune disorders6. Renal dysfunction of failure

Depending on the duration of Mercury contamination, renal excretion may become impaired and levels tested might not be accurate due to renal failure, if things have progressed to this extent.

Mercury exposures are common in:1. Dental amalgams2. Pure liquid form in glass thermometers3. Laboratory equipment4. Fungicides and pesticides5. Explosive detonators6. Barometers7. Batteries and electrodes

Methylmercury, the common poisonous form occurs by “methylation” in aquatic sediments (both freshwater and salt). It accumulates in aquatic animals and fish and is concentrated up the food chain reaching higher concentrations in larger fish and predatory birds. With exception of fish, the human dietary intake is negligible. However, a daily diet of fish can easily cause 1 to 10 micrograms of Mercury a day to be ingested, with about 3/4 of this as Methylmercury.

Removal of Mercury from the body involves using a detoxifying agent, IV EDTA. It is common to find elevated levels in the urine following these treatments. We recommend using both hair and urine analysis for corrobarating the toxicity. Blood analysis is also useful in differentiating recent or ongoing Mercury exposure.