![]() ![]() ![]() Second, mercury’s effects are non-specific and multifactorial. First, mercury is both technically and politically difficult to study thus, scientific conclusions about some risks remain couched in uncertainty. ![]() Health authorities are unlikely to provide useful guidance on mercury risks, for several reasons. 4-6 Considering mercury’s subtle but reproducible effects on emotions, it is likely that a number of problems blamed on character, personality or stress may in fact be caused or compounded by low-level mercury toxicity. The term erethism (or reddening), which derives from a person’s tendency to blush, 3 covers a constellation of personality traits including timidity, diffidence, contentiousness, insecurity, bluntness, rigidity, excitability and hypersensitivity to criticism and to sensory stimulation. On the other hand, some symptoms are more distinct, a case in point being erethism. Many symptoms of mercury toxicity are vague, resembling premature cellular aging. Moreover, potentially long latencies mean that onset of symptoms sometimes occurs months or years after cessation of the exposure. In one person, mercury toxicity might show up in the form of an autoimmune issue (such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis or systemic lupus erythematosus), while someone else might experience mood, behavior, learning or psychiatric problems. Adding to the confusion, symptoms may manifest differently depending on an individual’s exposures, lifestyle, genetics and micronutrient status. These in turn can cause poor digestion, leaky gut, food allergies, altered gut flora and autoimmunity.ĭespite its pervasive ability to damage the body, mercury easily eludes detection, and many affected individuals have no idea that their unexplained health problems are due to past or ongoing mercury exposures. As a result, mercury promotes nutritional depletion, oxidative stress, hormonal disruption, immune alteration and neurotransmitter disturbances. For example, by inhibiting the glutathione system, which is key to detoxification, mercury perpetuates a vicious cycle of susceptibility and toxicity. Its effects on various body systems can be mutually reinforcing, setting up a complex process of damage and dysfunction. Mercury is an unusually insidious toxicant that can cause or contribute to most chronic illnesses. Individualized supplementation may also be helpful to overcome the extreme nutritional depletion and unnatural toxic state. Many people with chronic mercury toxicity have found a nutrient-dense diet to be a useful starting point for symptom relief. Carbohydrate intolerance can be a symptom of mercury toxicity, and fat can be a preferred fuel. Mercury toxicity creates a need for extra nutrition, both to repair damage and to provide ample enzyme co-factors, which can push blocked enzymes.By promoting oxidative stress and depleting antioxidant defenses including the glutathione system, mercury impairs the body’s response to toxicants in general-including to mercury itself. For most people, mercury is the most significant toxicant in the body.Damage may be permanent therefore, prevention is key. Mercury is an epigenetic toxicant (affecting future gene expression) as well as a neurotoxicant. The developmental window from conception through early childhood is one of extreme vulnerability to mercury.Furthermore, individuals who retain mercury may counterintuitively show low levels in blood, urine and hair. Natural defenses are a function of genetic susceptibility, epigenetic factors, micronutrient status and allostatic load (cumulative wear and tear on the body). Diagnosis of chronic mercury toxicity is often difficult because the body’s natural defenses may mask or delay symptoms.Mercury toxicity should be suspected in individuals experiencing multiple health problems. Mercury can cause or contribute to most chronic illnesses, including neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, adrenal and thyroid problems, autoimmunity, digestive disorders, allergies, chemical sensitivities, mental illness, sleep disorders and chronic infections such as Lyme and Candida. The chronic effects of cumulative, low-dose mercury exposure are under-recognized by both mainstream and alternative health authorities and consequently by the public.Nourishing Traditional Diets with Sally Fallon Morell. ![]()
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