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Hi Everyone,

I'm making preparations to begin my amalgam removal journey. After years of illnesses, I've decided I've had enough and need to embark on this journey. It's frightens me to no end -- I'm afraid I'll end up feeling sicker than I do now.

Anyway, I've read many posts here about the benefits of taking Algin during amalgam removal and detox. Could someone explain how Algin might compare with taking something like activated charcoal or bentonite clay?

I have my first consultation appointment with a biological/mercury-free dentist next week. I'm voraciously reading books, internet material and taking notes and I'd like to be able to feel as though I have some idea of what this process entails. And I would also like to be a little proactive because I'm not willing to entirely surrender what's left of my health to another doctor.

Thanks in advance!

SomedaySoon (who's shakin' in her shoes as she prepares and contemplates removing a mouthful of metal!)

My dentist actually put activated charcoal and chlorella powder under my tongue before he installed the rubber dam prior to the amalgam removal. With each quadrant, he had me spit and rinse my mouth out thoroughly, then placed fresh charcoal and chlorella under my tongue again. This was done as an extra precaution to absorb any trace particles of amalgam that might work down beneath the rubber dam during the removal process. I was very grateful for this extra effort.

Whereas algin has been studied and shown to bind to heavy metals in the bowels and facilitate their elimation, I've only read of activated charcoal being used for heavy metal cleanup in wastewater or other environmental applications. However, activated charcoal is used in hospitals for poisonings or drug overdoses, so I suppose it could be helpful for heavy metals too. Regarding bentonite, again, I haven't come across much information regarding its use for heavy metal detoxing, but I have read where it is used internally for general cleansing of toxins from the colon.

Maybe someone else has actually used activated charcoal or bentonite for mercury detox and can share their experiences.

I know Algin works for me definitely. I've even tested myself by eating fish with and without taking Algin. The result...I'll never eat fish again unless I take Algin before and after.

Here's a link to a write-up I did a few years ago on Algin that will give you some specific information and list references you can go to if you'd like: Algin

Here's a link to where you can get Algin capsules.

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any other questions. There are a lot of great people on this forum who will be glad to share their knowledge and experiences.

Let me also add that it's great that you're doing your research now, before you do anything. We've talked to many people and those who had their amalgams removed correctly and safely have had great results. Those who just went to any dentist to have them removed are the ones who got sicker.

You'll most likely find some differing opinions on how best to detox following the removal, but just about everyone agrees on how to have the amalgams safely removed. You'll find that information here on the forum.

Best wishes and feel free to post any questions you have!

Thanks so much, Laura for your response! What I like about the idea of Algin is that it is not drying or dehydrating according to what I've read about it. Psyllium and Bentonite Clay are very drying to the intestines. And the bentonite clay has aluminum silicate in it -- and I honestly can't get a straight answer from the bentonite clay folks on how that might affect people who are sick with metal toxicity.

I'm going to give it the Algin a try.

SomedaySoon

I was using psyllium and bentonite just before I found out about Algin, and I am having a better experience with Algin. My only guess as to why this is is that Algin must bind to, and expell the mercury better than bentonite.

How does one actually determine which is better? I can only go by my experience and I am now using Algin instead of the other.

I think the only way to determine which is better at this point is by your personal experience, perhaps.

I can share that a year ago I began a very rigorous anti-candida protocol which included diet, antifungals, colon cleansing with psyllium/bentonite clay. And I got sicker than I've ever been in my life. There is a theory (a theory that I didn't learn about until recently) that yeasts are generated by the body to serve as a buffer to mercury. And when we really kill alot of yeasts we remove that buffer and can become sicker from the mercury.

I'm beginning to think that I might be a living example of that theory -- of course, I have no way to prove it. After 3 months of anti-candida cleansing I ended up with full blown Mono and then kept picking up bacterial infections. The psyllium/bentonite clay was very dehydrating for me as well. I'm not saying that the psyllium/bent. clay caused me to become sicker, necessarily. Just that I think it didn't do much for me as far as mercury toxicity. Then again, I did all this while I still had amalgams!

Last month I had my annual physical and I was diagnosed with chronic epstein barr virus/chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia on top of the candida problem and allergies. I'm going from bad to worse.

So, I'm going to remove my amalgams!

SomedaySoon

"There is a theory (a theory that I didn't learn about until recently) that yeasts are generated by the body to serve as a buffer to mercury. And when we really kill alot of yeasts we remove that buffer and can become sicker from the mercury. "

or it could be that mercury helps to create an environment where yeast will proliferate; ie make it not a great place for the good bacteria etc ...

I did the anti candida thing also in the past got the cleansing reactions etc ... but after all was said and done ie didnt help me at all in the long run. Perhaps I needed to get my fillings out and chelate first then do the anti candida thing.

"or it could be that mercury helps to create an environment where yeast will proliferate; ie make it not a great place for the good bacteria etc ..."

Dulak, good point. I read that mercury can sometimes obliterate some of the healthy intestinal flora. I might be a good example for that too because last time I got a stool culture for yeast and bacteria the test showed that I had no bifido bacterium at all (and I even had been supplementing with good quality probiotics). Bifido is one of the good guys and we need lots of it.

SomedaySoon

"chronic epstein barr virus/chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia on top of the candida problem and allergies"

sounds like you got some challenges ahead of you <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

How many fillings do you have?

When will you get them out?

If you dont mind me asking what have you done for your conditions so far? and what do you plan on doing?

You will experience a die-off reaction from killing just the candida, as well. Also, I tried to deal with candida before mercury and ended up wasting tons of money, and putting my body through all kinds of detox reactions that, in the end, didn't help because all benefits were short term.

In other words, I couldn't get rid of the candida overgrowth while heavy metals continued to be a problem, and all the die-off reactions I experienced, in the end, didn't do any good. Sad.

Many people have the experience, and I now include myself in this category, that you need to deal with heavy metals first, and then candida, or nothing will change in the long run.

Also, the theory goes that if you deal with metals first, you may have to deal with an underlying viral or bacterial condition second because the metals are effectively protecting the pathogens from being destroyed by the bodies immune system, and in the case of bacterial infections, the metals are protecting the bacteria from antibiotic, effectively extending their lifespan past the normal course of ABX treatment. Your doctor may believe they got it, but with metals in your body it may not be the case.

This means that those of us with Lyme disease (bacteria) may have to deal with Lyme in a new way once metals are taken care of.

Some practictioners who deal in this area say it is common for secondary health issues to become primary after metals are dealt with. The good new about this is that once metals are dealt with the secondary issue can finally be effectively dealt with. It is a good idea to be prepared for whatever arises.

ljames, When I tried to treat the candida I had horrible reactions -- they were far and above normal die-off healing reactions. I'm wondering, you mentioned your Lyme -- how do you think it would be handled post-amalgam removal? You mentioned that many things need to be treated in a new way.

And Dulak, I'll try to answer your questions without using too much space. I have 16 fillings, one root canal and 3 crowns. uuuugh! I have an appointment for a consultation next week with a new biological dentist and I"ll see what he has to say. Don't know what the plan of action will be at this point.

Six years ago I was told by a Naturopath that my health problems (at that time they were allergies, candida, recurrent bacterial infections, and estrogen dominance) were caused by my teeth. I thought it was a bunch of hooey, but kept it in mind nonetheless. She told me not to remove the amalgams until I was feeling better. I never really felt better -- so I never pursued the amalgam removal. Plus the ND had given me a card for a dentist she recommended, except he wasn't a mercury free dentist!

So, like so many who are desperate I tried all sorts of healing modalities and learned alot along the way. Some of the things I have tried or still do are acupuncture, chiropractic, oxygen/ozone sauna, therapeutic diets, supplementation, massage therapy, allergy elimination and desensitization. I have a candida doctor, I balanced my hormones myself with natural progesterone cream and some vitamin supplements and diet. For the allergies I've tried conventional allopathic treatment with limited success. Tried the NAET acupunture technique but found it long and tedious. And ended up doing a modality called BioSET which is founded on the NAET principles but was not as invasive (no needles) and I felt as though I progressed quicker.

Anyway, I think taking that ND's advice and waiting until I felt better was perhaps not the right thing for me. Each year there seems to be a new illness or medical event. I rather think I was placing the cart before the horse in trying different treatments!! I should have fixed my teeth first.

At any rate, better to have the amalgams out then in. And even if I only see marginal benefits, it will have been worth it. It's the only thing I haven't tried! lol! And I'm ready to get on with my life.

Why I didn't read all the material that is out there on mercury and metal toxicity six year ago, I'll never know. It was a big mistake for me not.

SomedaySoon

Hi somedaysoon,

i wish you all the best with your amalgam removal and recovery, just wanted to share with you that my ND put me on a 20000mg iv of vitamin C before i had my amalgams out and i think it did alot to protect me from any exposure aswell, some web pages say that it could affect the anisthetic but it didnt for me.... maybe something you should look into before removal. Algin is a miracle, start taking it as soon as you can.

A question if you dont mind me asking, with the candida, have you ever had a bad reaction to anti-biotics.... i have the same candida problem as you and before i found out about the mercury poisoning i fell ill with a virus that proved to be very resistent to "normal" anti-biotics, my doctor put me on a very strong one to which i had a severe reaction, during this course the candida seemed to subside for a few days but returned afterwards, do you think the anti biotic killed off to much candida and thats why i reacted the way i did, had the same reaction to a course of pro-biotics..... doctor couldnt explain this (as usual) and dismissed my theory that i reacted to the medication and said i should see a pshychologist, what a joke. Anyone ever experienced this? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Hey TGoss,

A back door diagnosis for Lyme disease is having a negative reaction to antibiotics. It is called a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction caused by toxins released by the bacteria when it dies, also known as a die-off reaction.

This is the same reason you get sick when you kill candida.

If you got worse after taking ABX, well, have you checked with an MD used to dealing with Lyme? Don't bother with normal Lyme tests from a normal doctor because most MDs not familiar with Lyme do not know that blood tests for Lyme are not reliable.

Lyme is a clinical diagnosis that is based on your exposure ticks and symptoms. It takes an experienced Lyme doctor to diagnose or treat Lyme, but that is a whole different subject.

Hey Somedaysoon......what were you taking to kill candida?

TGoss, thanks so much for the well wishes and recommendations. I've made a note of the recommendations in my little mercury notebook.

Your question about my reaction to antibiotics. Some of them I don't tolerate well. Others I seem to have done alright with. But nearly all have caused candida overgrowth for me. I generally feel downright wretched if I'm taking a course of antibiotic for something.

Antibiotics are generally not used for viral infections, I think. Antibiotics can alter the intestinal flora and cause candida infections. The antibiotics kill much of the healthy flora in the gut and that leaves us susceptible to infections with unhealthy pathogens, like candida.

To kill yeasts, antifungals need to be used. Whether they be in the form of food therapy (for example, garlic is a powerful antifungal), natural antifungals or prescription antifungals. However, I keep reading stories where some people have eliminated their candida after doing amalgam removal and metal detox.

I have to say that I agree with what ljamesjohnson said. Sometimes candida can appear as a result of another underlying problem as well. Candida is just another telltale sign that an immune system is toxic and struggling for some reason. So:

1. Candida can appear as its own illness and occasionally complicate into a secondary bacterial infection somewhere in the body; or

2. Candida can appear as a complicating factor from existing underlying illnesses -- like viral or bacterial infections; or

3. Candida can appear as a result of metal/mercury toxicity.

Candida/yeasts can produce over 300 known mycotoxins. And those mycotoxins are toxic to the body. And those mycotoxins can make someone feel very ill at times. It can affect virtually any of the body's systems. INterestingly, many of the symptoms for metal toxicity are the same as they are with candida overgrowth.

Candida is also known to cause increased sensitivities and/or allergies, including sensitivities to medications and even supplements.

I'm still reading and learning about metals -- but I reckon that metal toxicity can cause those sensitivities as well. I'll bet the reason why I'm still fighting with candida is because of the metal.

ljamesjohnson, I've used pharmaceutical antifungals and also used natural antifungals (of which there are many). It's a good idea to rotate antifungal therapy because it's thought that the yeasts can become resistant to single therapies. Even farmers who use fungicides are told to rotate their antifungals when treating their crops.

I hope I didn't overtype this and take up too much room! And if I missed a question, don't hesitate to point it out to me.

SomedaySoon

About a year i got a water infection and was taking antibiotics for it, a few days later i became bedbound, i couldnt walk straight, double vision, couldnt get to the bathroom unaided and all sorts of other symptoms, anyway thinking i had candida which i did, i went on the diet, took loads of antifungalsupps, spent a fortune! I got worse in the end and had my fillings taken out, i really think i went too far. I even did epsom salt and olive oil liver flushes which is dangerous. I have made so many mistakes, i think it was down to brain fog and not doing any research, just going straight in at the deep end. Dawn

Yeppers, as I said above, I've gone about healing my body in the wrong order. I did successfully clear yeast/candida from my body, but it always came back. Or when I was able to keep it clear for any length of time, I'd develop other illnesses. I should have addressed the amalgams and metal first or maybe even done a light antifungal protocol in conjunction with removing my amalgams.

Oh well, I'll find out soon enough when I meet with my new dentist.

SomedaySoon

I cant believe what these doctors put us through with their medicines..... thats terrible Dawn, hopefully now you will take it one day at a time, long as those days can seem, they do get better and better. Thanks for your reply somedaysoon, and heres to being candida free after amalgam removal.... its the only hope ive got left to rid myself of this nightmare.