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Dental Amalgams-

Do Europeans Know

Something We Don’t?

Heavy metals in general and amalgam dental fillings containing mercury in particular, have received quite a bit of attention over the last several years. As a result of research linking mercury poisoning to problems from severe kidney and neurological damage to autoimmune diseases (MS, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic yeast and fungal infections, congenital birth defects) , some European countries like Denmark, Sweden and Germany, have taken the step of prohibiting the use of amalgam fillings.

How Does the Poisoning Occur?

While exposure to heavy metals comes from car exhaust, heavy industry, cigarette smoke, certain types of fish and contaminated water and soil, the most common cause of exposure to mercury are dental amalgams. Chewing, especially if fillings are old, can release vapours that are fat-soluble and can, as a result, cross into the brain. Also, mercury has a high affinity for the thyroid gland and the urinary tract organs. It can impair the activity of many essential enzymes necessary for proper functioning of the body. Unfortunately, like radioactivity and certain water contaminants, it is difficult to measure the extent of exposure until the first symptoms occur, usually in the form of a chronic disease.

How Does the Body Get Rid of the Metal?

The key defense against heavy metal toxicity is a healthy liver. There are several biochemical components that assist in this process: the so-called glutathione (a small protein), is the most important player, though all B vitamins play a major role as well. The capacity of the liver to detoxify mercury is limited, but whatever can be eliminated exits the body via the urine.

Specific Tests and Methods

First and foremost, doctors and dentists must become informed. A very good start is the IAOMT (International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology) website located at www.iaomt.org

The most sensible route to take would be to undergo heavy metal toxicity testing, followed if necessary by dental amalgam removal and a good detoxification program. All the steps need be taken under the close supervision of a qualified health care practitioner. Your dentist should follow the established IAOMT guidelines for both amalgam removal and disposal.

There are a number of hair and urine analysis tests available to assess the heavy metal toxicity. Generally, your physician or dentist should be helping you with this.

As for nutrients, the most useful ones to take orally are all B vitamins, high doses of vitamin C, reduced glutathione, NAC (N-acetyl-cystein), and an amino acid called methionine. Also helpful are fresh cilantro and blue green algae, especially chlorella.

In addition to these steps, other methods, such as intravenous chelation therapy, are available to patients. This therapy introduces a special compound into a patient’s bloodstream that has a very high binding affinity for metals. This compound binds the metal (for example, mercury), and draws it out of the body via the kidneys. The mercury clearance via the kidneys can be monitored through appropriate tests. Generally, heavy metal chelation is a lengthy process, but well worth the time and money invested.

Whether the patient chooses oral supplementation, or wants a referral to a chelating physician, York Downs Pharmacy staff is well equipped to help you with the choices.

Feature Therapy:

Homeopathy-The Original Alternative Treatment

Homeopathy is the oldest alternative healing modality in Europe. Over its 170-year history the practice of homeopathy has taken deep roots in England and Germany, and more recently in North America.

Homeopathy is probably the safest way to treat any ailment. It is based on the principle of ‘like treats like’, established by Samuel Hahneman over a century and a half ago. Remedies are selected and made according to the properties that match the properties of a particular illness or ailment. Remedies are made by serial dilution (many hundreds, thousands and millions of times), of the original substance, and solidified in small sugar pellets to be dissolved under the tongue.

A typical homeopathic exam should take one to several hours to allow for a detailed history to be taken as well as discussion about symptoms. This is necessary in order to properly match an ailment and the remedy. In some cases, different people with the same problem may require different remedies. Self-prescribing with homeopathy is not recommended, especially because the remedies are made in different strengths known as "potencies". Sometimes, the choice of the potency is as important as that of the remedy.

In some cases, different people with the same problem may require different remedies. Self-prescribing with homeopathy is not recommended, especially because the remedies are made in different strengths known as "potencies". Sometimes, the choice of the potency is as important as that of the remedy.

Conditions that best respond to homeopathic treatment are chronic as well as mental/emotional disturbances. There are a lot of good books on the market covering this subject, and York Downs pharmacy works closely with a number of skilled homeopathic practitioners. We also have excellent selection of homeopathic remedies as well as literature on the subject.

Health Tip:

Food Combining Lightens Up Digestion, Brings More Energy

Ever wondered why some meals make you feel slow, bloated and heavy, even if you have not eaten a lot? The key could be in how you have combined your foods. Some types of food actually inhibit the digestion of others, while others stimulate breakdown of the companion foods. Here are some clues to how mixing and matching foods properly:

1.Try to simplify meals-one or two food categories per meal would work best for the digestion. For example, a peace of meat or fish is best taken with a salad, not in a sandwich. If on the other hand, you go for a bagel, avoid foods that are high in protein like tuna, and opt for some butter or jam.

2. Try to eat small quantities of food and chew properly so that the digestive acids and enzymes can get to all the food particles.

3. Never eat fruit after meals, as it will start fermenting and producing gas in the digestive system.

The rationale behind food combining lies in the design of the digestive tract itself. While proteins are digested in the highly acidic environment of the stomach, carbohydrates and fats are digested in the alkaline environment of the small intestine. If you eat a meal of meat and potatoes, the protein (meat) and the carbs (potatoes), will be mixed together, so the acid in the stomach won’t be able to ‘get to’ the proteins and break them down properly (the carbs are in the way). Some undigested protein will find its way into the small intestine and interfere with the carbohydrate and fat digestion, closing this vicious circle and leaving you with the feeling of heaviness. Eating fruit with or after meals, keeps them ‘stuck’ with the rest of the food, long enough for the fruit sugars to start fermenting. Fruit should be eaten before meals, or long after digestion has been completed. Vegetables, (except the starchy ones), can be eaten any time, and combined with all food groups. For best energy results, try eating a breakfast with a substantial amount of protein in it (you won’t get hungry for quite some time), and keep eating less and less towards the end of the day.

Feature Supplement

Saw Palmetto Offers Natural Treatment For Enlarged Prostate

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) has a well earned reputation for helping BPH and thanks to diligent German doctors, there are clinical studies demonstrating that Saw palmetto will shrink the prostate size and help

regulate the urine flow, especially at the initial stages of the disease. European researchers have even combined the Saw palmetto berry extract with plant sterols yielding efficacy comparable to that of Proscar.

Saw palmetto seems to be inhibiting the production of an enzyme which unchecked, converts testosterone into dihyrotestosterone leading in turn to the proliferation of prostate cells and gland enlargement. A typical dosage can vary from several hundred to a thousand milligrams, depending on the purity of the preparation. Other good nutrients to use with Saw palmetto are plant sterols, zinc and another herb called pygeum. Several of Saw palmetto preparations alone, and in combination with other herbs, are available at York Downs Pharmacy.