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Articles by Dr. Guggenheim
Mercury Exposure
The main routes of exposure to mercury, a known neurotoxin to humans and developing fetuses, are through dental amalgams, fish intake and vaccinations. Mercury is also released by industry into the atmosphere that settles into the waterways. Fish absorb methyl mercury from the water into their proteins. The half-life of methyl mercury in fish is 2 years. Find out what is released by industry in your neighborhood on a yearly basis. This information is available on www.scorecard.org, an internet resource that identifies toxins in each zip code.
All pregnant women are now issued warnings about consuming seafood during pregnancy.
Mercury from food is 95% absorbed and it crosses the blood-brain barrier and the placental barrier. People with silver fillings have 54 times greater levels of mercury vapor in their oral cavities during chewing than persons without amalgams. Animal studies have shown that mercury from dental amalgams will migrate to and concentrate in the kidney, liver, gastrointestinal tract and jaw. Fortunately, many vaccines are made mercury free due to a huge consumer outcry by parents who wonder about a possible link to autism and other neurological disorders in the pediatric population.
Proper treatment for heavy metal overload includes: testing for heavy metal levels, avoidance of further exposure, supplementation to reduce cellular damage, and cleansing to clear toxins from the body.
