rhody

Lisa,

As far as I can tell, from my own experiences, the mercury-silver dental amalgams affected me with serious illnesses and pain. It's a very long story which spans more than 20 years.

In the late 1970's I saw numerous doctors for my joint/muscle pain. One doctor in 1978 told me that I was too fat, too old, don't run more than a hundred yards, and take 10 aspirins a day. With another doctor we discussed these symptoms as being fibrositis. That was one of the old terms for fibromyalgia. After one doctor after another could not heal me, I went the natural route. I tried to exercise (with pain), changed my diet, and underwent herbal therapy.

One day in a healthfood store (about 1987 or 1988), I read about someone who described their suffering, and it sounded so much like me. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that those tiny gray-black things in my teeth could cause me all that trouble. But I cataloged that in the back of my mind. I struggled and struggeled with this, experimenting with one thing or another. Again, it's a very long story (that I'll shorten).

Then about 8 years ago, my molar broke in half, exposing a dental amalgam. I brushed this half a tooth, with the remaining dental amalgam in place (to try to clean up the fragmentation). Then it happened. The next day or so, my pains "went through the roof". I saw a naturopath, and on my own, I decided to have these 8 dental amalgam poisons removed. I waited for five years (or thereabouts) before I said anything publicly. In that time span after the removal of the dental amalgams, I noticed so much improvement. I find myself slowly getting better to the point that I now run about 19.5 miles a week. Today I raced around the neighborhood for 6.5 miles. I do this three times a week, in addition to some weight lifting.

What may have contributed to my recovery, as opposed to another people, is my strict healthy diet, emphasis towards exercise, and herbal therapy. Lately I've been experimenting with cilantro. My healing as been fantastic. It didn't happen overnight. I've been patient (excuse the pun). I think very few people, like myself would have worked so hard at it in this manner, but I'm extremely stubborn. I refused to accept that I was doomed to a life living like a cripple. I was so worried that I would die from it, eventually getting cancer or some other horrifying disease. I saw what they did to my mother with chemotherapy and radiation about 25 years ago.

If anything, I have a very deep compassion towards people that suffer with this. That's why I write to you all so much. I've been there to the point of wanting death. It was no fun....

To answer your question, there's lots of studies linking mercury-silver dental amalgams to fibromyalgia symptoms (except possibly that gum disease and loose teeth are not part of FM symptoms???). Note that I write "symptoms". These symptoms for me were lower back pains, urinary problems (severe), chest pains, headaches, skin rashes, muscle/joint pain, gum disease, loose teeth, and cramps.

To further answer your question, after the dental amalgams were removed, the pains stopped or nearly stopped (over a long period of time for a nearly complete recovery). Now, the pains are extremely minor (usually when I try to push myself to beat personal best records with my runs etc.)

And you are probably right, that you haven't seen studies linking FM to mercury fillings. While reading these healthboard posts, I discovered that my symptoms were very similar to FM. Scientists really don't understand a lot about this, but they are learning all the time. (and so are we)

I can't say that your 4 fillings are causing you to be sick, and I honestly didn't know if my 8 fillings were causing me to be sick, until I had them removed. And then I worked at it, reading all that I could, to try and see how I could remove the mercury and other toxins that might have been stored up in my body, after the source of mercury in my mouth was removed.

So, my initial decision was to remove them for cosmetic purposes (as a minimum - because I didn't have proof either - all I knew that when my tooth broke my pains when crazy). I just decided that I didn't want those ugly thing anymore in my mouth. I've been so happy with these white teeth!!!

One more thing.... The dentist first addressed my broken tooth. Shortly afterwards, when the exposed dental amalgam was removed, I then felt better, to where the constant headaches stopped.

I hope that you don't mind my fragmented story, and that I have helped you. I tried to keep it short.