Heavy Metals

Andy Cutler's approach is by far the most popular in online forums and blog's of recovering mercury toxic individuals (including myself). His loyal following is very helpful as well and can be contacted via their Yahoo Group at https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/frequent-dose-chelation/ In addition their 10+ year archive of messages can be searched via http://onibasu.com/ (select "frequent-dose-chelation"). This link is the best single page summary of the entire "protocol" and supporting theory. www.livingnetwork.co.za is also the best place to purchase chelation supplements at "low dose" levels often unavailable elsewhere.

Link Summary: "Oral chelation for mercury - Andy Cutler Protocol using DMSA, DMPS, and ALA. The safest & most effective chelation protocol using frequent and low doses of chelators taken according to pharmaceutical half-lives keep blood chelator levels stable. Avoids challenge tests of DMPS and EDTA and prefers hair testing. Chlorella is also avoided."

Also includes important supplements to take while chelating.

As I found the hard way after 5+ years of searching, it can be important for individuals with mercury toxicity to avoid "high sulfur" foods with free "thiols." Thiol groups are biochemical sulfur groups that bond strongly to all metals but ESPECIALLY mercury. Foods and chemicals with single free thiols can "mobilize" heavy metals but do not hold them securely so they get "dropped" and cause pain (whereas chelators have multiple thiol groups to help keep metals circulating and removed from the body).

This link explains the issue plus gives the standard list of high and low thiol foods for individuals with known thiol sensitivity or who are chelating and need to do a "sulfur exclusion trial."

Other things that relate to thiol intolerance are high plasma cystein levels (which I don't understand well) and methylation genetics (i.e. MTHFR) status. I have homozygous MTHFR snips and several others which probably contributed to my thiol sensitivity.

"A person who is toxic will usually (in most cases) have a NORMAL reading for mercury on tests of hair or blood or urine or feces. You cannot go by that." This post suggests looking for impaired "mineral transport" via mineral hair tests instead. Evidently mercury is one of the most common reasons for a disruption in the body's ability to use, process, and store minerals. Because of this the frequent-dose-chelation crowd uses this disruption as a inexpensive way to "detect" mercury on a hair test even when that mercury is not successfully being excreted. The "Counting" rules lay out patterns in other minerals which indicate a disruption in mineral transport and a likely indicator of mercury toxicity.

In addition you can read up more in depth via Andy Cutler's book Hair Test Interpretation: Finding Hidden Toxicities.