Rhody, I read with interest your posts of how you were cured by removeing amalgams and eating a healthier diet and taking herbs. Would you please elaborate in more detail everything you did, such as which herbs you took? Did you do a cleanse? Did you do chelation therapy? How long befor you started to feel better? etc. I really appreciate it, Thanks, BigTex

Yes, I can elaborate. The process that I endured was over decades. I'll explain more and try to keep it short.

I did not do a colon cleanse if that is what you mean. The chelation therapy that I undertook was natural, primarily using cilantro. After I had my amalgams removed, I immediately felt better - like a weight was taken off my shoulders - but I was disappointed at first that I wasn't well. It took years of a healthy diet, herbs and exercise after that. Each year I noticed that I felt better and better.

Here's my brief history. At about age 15, with eight dental amalgams, I had started with a gum disease. This was cured with antibiotics, the first time with a trip to the doctor. This gum disease would return every so often, when I was a teenager and in my early twenties. As I got older it was worse. It would start out as some imflammation of the gums (and roof of the mouth) and then spread like "wild fire". It was extremely painful, where it hurt really bad to chew. I then learned about the value of salt water and other techniques to control it.

At about age 27, I found that I could not exercise for a great deal of time, without muscle pains coming. Essentially I was trapped in a body that was no longer able to function like normal. I then saw a series of doctors, which one doctor told me that I was too old, too fat, take 10 aspirins a day, and not to run more than 100 yards (and he said it exactly that way - not overweight - but fat!). I'll never forget. It made me mad. If anything, maybe that doctor did me a favor, for saying that, that way. For it made me work harder to get well. Having these mysterious fibromyalgia type of pains was so frustrating. It was something I couldn't understand. I always wondered why. Why me? Why can't I run? Why these pains?

As I got older the pains intensified. I had urinary problems that were severe, and headaches. I fought it with an improved diet, bee pollen, exercise and herbs so that I could control it. I took so many herbs that sometimes I would get a severe rash. This red rash, would itch so much that if you scratched it, the itching would be much much worse. I controlled this itching with Aloe Vera. At one point I suffered so much, that I wanted to die. I prayed for an answer, and slowly things were revealed to me.

When my tooth broke and exposed one mercury-silver dental amalgam, a little over nine years ago, my muscle pains got worse. I had pain near the shoulder blades and my neck. I had headaches so bad that my Dristan would not take it away. I knew I was in trouble. But I had the answer.... Those small gray-black things had something to do with it. I called a hospital, but they said that maybe I could call a research center, as they had no treatment for something like that. But instead, I said the heck with it to myself, and just decided to have the amalgams removed for cosmetic purposes (as a minimum). Afterall, I could not prove these poisonous substances were causing me problems, but it sure pointed in that direction. I also knew that this was controversial and that doctors to this day do not understand it (in general).

Over the years, I have gotten so well, that sometimes I forget how sick I was. But I force myself to not forget, for I know what it feels like to be in so much pain and misery that death looks like happiness - something that you look forward to.

Since my condition was so similar to many people with fibromyalgia I wonder if these toxins (mercury) and other toxins, bad diet, and so forth could be causing other individuals to have these types of problems. My symptoms were just like fibromyalgia, but we called it fibrotitis when I first had discussed it with my doctor over 20 years ago.

I hope that helps. I tried to keep it short. The herbs that I took in the beginning were marshmallow root, comfrey root, ginseng, and queen of the meadow. There were many others, but those are the ones that I remember "off the top of my head". Since I later read that there may be some problems with comfrey root, I discontinued the use shortly thereafter.

If you would like further details, please let me know. This spanned decades for me. The cure was a long ordeal. To this day, I follow a healthy natural foods diet and exercise regularily. As a consequence, being presently so healthy, no one would think that I was so sick. I'm now 52 years of age and run nearly 20 miles a week.

I write to encourage people to keep trying. If researchers and doctors can't do anything about it, we sure will. Let's keep the momentum going. Thanks for your interest.