Well, right now I have a severe cold. It began with some flu-like
symptoms. I do not have any amalgam in my mouth. therefore, amalgam
protects use from illness.
..
Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S.
Troy, Michigan, USA

Writing on a tablet PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my poor handwriting.

Your last point is a fair one, but I am not sure where you get the safe for
everyone concept. I take a thorough medical history, which covers the issues you
mention, and treat patients according to their needs and concerns. I do,
however, feel your quote is misleading. I have never said "amalgams are harmless
for everyone", and in fact, if one does a google search, your post is the only
one containing this statement. Anyone who is a human or works with humans knows
that nothing is 100% safe. I am sure that there could be adverse reactions to
the chemicals and supplements you employed to effect your recovery. I realize
there can be people who will have adverse reactions to things that most people
can handle without incident, but what do we do about it? I have seen people with
real or claimed sensitivity to virtually every material and medication. Teaching
people these things can and do occur is wise, seeking to ban anything that can
negatively impact some, no matter how small the rate of adverse reaction may be,
is unwise in my opinion.

T

Chuck, just throwing in my opinon but Hg posioning causes
chemical sensitivy in my opinion because of how it affects
the immune system, not the other way around. You probably
didn't develop Hg posioning overnight and could have easily
had significant exposure 7 years ago if that predates your
amalgam removal. Before that time you seem to indicate no
problems. The immune system uses the same defenses for all
toxic chemicals and once those defenses get beaten down
you are fair game for any kind of toxic exposure.

This is not surprising since both multiple sensitivity syndrome and
mercury poisoning by amalgams have  been strongly linked to
psychiatric problems. It is hardly surprising that you have discovered
such a strong correlation.

Psychol Med 2002 Nov;32(8):1387-94
Psychiatric and somatic disorders and multiple
chemical sensitivity (MCS) in 264 'environmental
patients'.
Bornschein S, Hausteiner C, Zilker T, Forstl H.
Psychiatric Clinic and Department of Toxicology,
I, Medical Clinic, Technical University of
Munich, Germany.

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of
individuals with diverse health complaints are
currently seeking help in the field of environmental
medicine. Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)
or idiopathic environmental intolerances (IEI)
is defined as an acquired disorder with multiple
recurrent symptoms associated with environmental
chemicals in low concentrations that are well
tolerated by the majority of people. Their symptoms
are not explained by any known psychiatric
or somatic disorder.

METHOD: Within a 2-year period we
examined 264 of 267 consecutive
patients prospectively presenting to a university
based out-patient department for environmental
medicine. Patients underwent routine medical
examination, toxicological analysis and the
structured clinical interview for DSM-IV
psychiatric disorders (SCID).

RESULTS: Seventy-five per cent of the patients
met DSM-IV criteria for at least one psychiatric
disorder and 35% of all patients suffered from
somatoform disorders. Other frequent diagnoses
were affective and anxiety disorders, and
dependence or substance abuse. In 39%
a psychiatric disorder, in 23% a somatic
condition and in 19% a combination of the two
were considered to provide sufficient
explanation of the symptoms. Toxic chemicals
were regarded as the most probable cause in only
five cases. The suspected diagnosis of MCS/IEI
could not be sustained in the vast majority of cases.

CONCLUSION: This investigation confirms
previous findings that psychiatric morbidity is
high in patients presenting to specialized centres
for environmental medicine. Somatoform
disorders are the leading diagnostic category,
and there is reason to believe that certain
'environmental' or MCS patients form a special
subgroup of somatoform disorders. In most
cases, symptoms can be explained by well-defined
psychiatric and medical conditions other than
MCS, which need specific treatment. Further
studies should focus on provocation testing in order
to find positive criteria for MCS and on therapeutic
approaches that consider psychiatric aspects.

Environ Health Perspect 2003 May;111(5):719-23
Mercury derived from dental amalgams and
neuropsychologic function.
Factor-Litvak P, Hasselgren G, Jacobs D, Begg M,
Kline J, Geier J, Mervish N, Schoenholtz S, Graziano J.
Department of Epidemiology and Department of
Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of
Public Health, Columbia University, New York,
New York, USA.

There is widespread concern regarding the safety
of silver-mercury amalgam dental restorations,
yet little evidence to support their harm or safety.
We examined whether mercury dental
amalgams are adversely associated with cognitive
functioning in a cross-sectional sample of
healthy working adults. We studied 550 adults,
30-49 years of age, who were not occupationally
exposed to mercury. Participants were representative
of employees at a major urban medical
center. Each participant underwent a neuropsychologic
test battery, a structured questionnaire, a
modified dental examination, and collection of
blood and urine samples. Mercury exposure was
assessed using a) urinary mercury concentration (UHg);
b) the total number of amalgam surfaces;
and c) the number of occlusal amalgam surfaces.
Linear regression analysis was used to estimate
associations between each marker of mercury
exposure and each neuropsychologic test,
adjusting for potential confounding variables.
Exposure levels were relatively low. The mean UHg
was 1.7 micro g/g creatinine (range, 0.09-17.8);
the mean total number of amalgam surfaces was
10.6 (range, 0-46) and the mean number of
occlusal amalgam surfaces was 6.1 (range, 0-19).
No measure of exposure was significantly associated
with the scores on any neuropsychologic
test in analyses that adjusted for the sampling
design and other covariates. In a sample of healthy
working adults, mercury exposure derived from
dental amalgam restorations was not associated
with any detectable deficits in cognitive or fine motor
functioning.

J Oral Rehabil 2002 Aug;29(8):705-713
Multidisciplinary examination of patients with illness
attributed to dental fillings.

Langworth S, Bjorkman L, Elinder CG, Jarup L,
Savlin P. Department of Public Health Sciences,
Division of Occupational Medicine, Karolinska
Hospital and Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm,
Sweden, Department of Odontology, Karolinska
Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and National
Registry of Adverse Reactions to Dental Materials,
Bergen, Norway, Department of Renal Medicine,
Huddinge University Hospital and Karolinska
Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden, Department of
Epidemiology and Public Health, Imperial College
School of Medicine, London, UK, and Institute
of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet,
Stockholm, Sweden, and Department of
Environmental Health, Stockholm County Council,
Norrbacka, Stockholm, Sweden.

Objective and methods. In 1993, a special
Amalgam Clinic was established at Huddinge
University Hospital. Residents in the Stockholm
County area with morbidity attributed to dental
fillings ('amalgam disease'), were referred to
this clinic. Patients were examined by a dentist
(n 428), a physician (n 379), and a psychologist
(n 360). Sixty-nine per cent were women and 31%
men; the mean patient age was 46 years.

Results. Oral symptoms included tender or aching
teeth (60%), metallic taste (54%), sore mouth
(43%) and dry mouth (43%). Signs of moderate
or severe temporomandibular joint dysfunction
were found in 81 cases, glossitis in 30 and oral
lichen in 26 cases. Common general symptoms
included diffuse pain (78%), general weakness
(75%), extreme fatigue (68%) and dizziness
(68%). Seven per cent of the patients suffered
from previously undiagnosed medical conditions
(thyroid dysfunction, anaemia, cardiopathy, renal
disease, cancer). In 26 subjects, skin patch
testing revealed allergy to mercury, gold or
palladium. The median concentration of mercury
was 10 nmol L-1 in whole blood, 3 nmol L-1 in
plasma and 10 nmol L-1 in urine, i.e. normal
levels. Earlier mental trauma was common, and
in the psychological questionnaire SCL-90, clear
tendencies to somatization were found. Only a few
cases of severe psychiatric illness were observed.
No positive correlation was found between the
amount of amalgam and somatic symptoms or
psychological effect parameters.

Conclusions. The results do not support the
hypothesis that release of mercury from amalgam
fillings is the cause of amalgam disease', but
suggest that there may be various explanations
for the patient's complaints.

cand J Work Environ Health 1997;23 Suppl 3:65-7
Experiences from the amalgam unit at Huddinge hospital
--somatic and psychosomatic aspects.
Langworth S.
Institute of Occupational Medicine, Karolinska Institute,
Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.

The "amalgam unit" at the Huddinge University
Hospital in Sweden examined 379 of 1300
patients referred for health problems which the
patients related to amalgam tooth fillings.
Toxicologic, clinical, odontological, and psychiatric
examinations were performed. More than
30% had medical causes for their complaints;
7% had severe diseases which had been
unrecognized. The most common symptoms
were diffuse pain, general weakness, fatigue,
headache, and difficulties in concentrating.
Anxiety and depression were the most prevalent
psychiatric complaints. The psychological
examination revealed a high prevalence of somatization.
The treatment was information about mercury
and amalgam, appropriate odontological routines
without removal of intact amalgam fillings,
medical therapy when necessary, and strengthening of
the patients' social networks. Ninety percent
were satisfied with the treatment. The results
indicate that there are various explanations
for the complaints of patients fearing "amalgam
disease". No cases of mercury intoxication were found.

none.