I have eaten a lot of sushi in my life as well as other fish.  I still have my mercury dental amalgams from over 30 years ago.  I have suspected for many years I was rife with mercury.  This was diagnosed a few months ago by a homeopathic doctor.  He suggested either chelation or have my amalgams removed. Unfortunately due to financial constraints, neither were affordable options.  I was thrilled last week when I watched a video  with one of my heroes in the health industry – Mike Adams, Health Ranger from  NaturalNews.com  Mike Adams opened the Natural News Forensic Food Lab a few months ago.  He has tested over 1,000 substances for capturing metals and many inexpensive substances were found to be very successful. Capturing dietary mercury can be done easily by eating foods like strawberries, peanut butter, hemp protein and chlorella products.  These substances captured between 95% and 99% of the mercury. This is great news for anyone who loves to eat fish or still has dental amalgams (or had them in the past because mercury residue will remain in the body). 

Processed Foods Contain Mercury

I came across a list of packaged foods and beverages that contain substantial amounts of mercury. Why is there mercury in these foods?  Because they contain high levels of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  HFCS has been in the media a lot lately for other reasons but who would have suspected it contained mercury?  Food that contains HFCS should be avoided completely for several reasons.  This is just one more.  Here is a list of processed foods with the highest content of mercury in them: http://iowa.sierraclub.org/Mercury/55%20foods%20high%20in%20HFCS.pdf

 Mercury in the Body Can Cause Nasty Symptoms  

I told the homeopathic doctor that I had unbelievable chronic pain (mostly gone now, thankfully). Using some very sophisticated equipment, he located one of the sources of the pain – mercury. I wonder how many people suffer from fibromyalgia or other painful conditions and mercury is causing, or aggravating the condition? The homeopath told me if my pain was a “2”, the mercury could raise it to a “7”. Wow. There are many adverse symptoms that can be attributed to mercury such as fatigue, digestive problems, memory and concentration difficulties and even depression. Mercury affects the nervous system. According to Dr. Hal A Huggins, DDS, who wrote “It’s All In Your Head”, many common diseases like Arthritis, Lupus, Parkinsons, Leukemia, MS and even Diabetes may have a mercury connection.

Mercury Levels are Increasing

Thanks to industrialization, we now have mercury levels in our environment which are 30 times greater than they were 100 years ago.  And the levels are continuing to increase. Mercury is everywhere.  It is used in lighting and in the making of chlorine which is used for plastics and pesticides amongst other things.  Until public pressure demands the removal of this heavy metal, we will continue to see it in our environment and in our bodies.

Tips to Minimize Mercury Exposure

1. Stay away from conventional dentistry. Ask your dentist if he or she uses fillings that contain mercury. If the answer is yes, find another one! I strongly urge you to find a dentist who does not use fluoride either.

2. Eat strawberries (always organic), hemp or chlorella when you eat fish.

3. Avoid any foods with HFCS. Even high quality chocolate can have HFCS in it – read labels.

4. Take chlorella on a regular basis. Dr. Mercola highly recommends it for mercury detoxification as well as other health benefits: http://tinyurl.com/Mercola-on-Chlorella

Well, I am off to the health food store for strawberries and chlorella!

To your Health!

Peter Gillham