Your fillings can make you sick
Avoid mercury and dangerous bacteria from mainstream dental procedures.
Feeling anxious or blue - for no reason? Are you always exhausted? Feel bloated after eating or have other digestive difficulties?
Believe it or not, these and other seemingly unrelated symptoms - from twitching muscles to rapid heartbeat - may all signal problems that stem from a visit to your dentist.
"Modern" dentistry continues to use one of the most toxic substances on Earth - the heavy metal mercury - in dental amalgams, those "silver" fillings, in the mouth. There, mercury vaporizes 24/7 off the surface of your fillings, while it infuses the pulp of the "filled" tooth and enters the bloodstream.
"Toxicity is not generally considered when manufacturing dental materials," says biological/holistic dentist, Hal Huggins, DDS. "Durability in the hostile environment of the mouth is of more concern." Mercury - along with other metals (like copper) used in dental work - cavitations (holes in the jawbone, often where a tooth has been pulled), and root canals can all damage overall wellness and lead to disease.
Dr. Ann Louise's take:
As one who has had all of her 13 mercury fillings replaced, this topic is near and dear to me personally. Researchers have long suspected that exposure to even small amounts of mercury can damage the brain and nervous system, impacting attention, motor and verbal skills.
Now scientists are beginning to link mercury with immune disorders. A new study in Environmental Research shows that this toxic metal increases the risk for autoimmune symptoms - similar to arthritis and lupus - by signaling proteins that cause inflammation. Earlier animal research finds similar problems.
It's also interesting to note that mercury's use in dentistry - dating back to 1826 in France - preceded the first documented cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) by about 10 years. The National MS Society says MS develops only after exposure to some harmful environmental agent - though it took a Lancet study in the late '70s to identify the toxic vapor from amalgam fillings as just such an agent.
Granted, we're all exposed to mercury daily in the air we breathe, food we eat and the water we drink. But who needs the added mercury, right in our own mouths?
Consider a biologic/holistic dentist: www.hugginsappliedhealing.com can help connect you with practitioners throughout the country who can safely remove mercury fillings as well as offer whole-body approaches to oral health.
Not just in your mouth
I believe - much like biological or holistic dentists and traditional Chinese medicine - that every tooth in your mouth is connected to an organ in your body via the body's meridians. That's one reason I included a tooth-organ chart in Fat Flush for Life.
This means if a tooth related to the GI tract is decayed, has a root canal or is an implant, you may experience a host of digestive problems, due to bacteria seeping into your system from the mouth. Although bacteria may originate in the oral cavity, they produce endotoxins, which can impact virtually every part of your body from the heart and lungs to the liver and gallbladder - depending upon where the tooth is located.
Upon rising and before you eat, try the ancient Ayurvedic technique known as oil pulling, which is designed to attract the fatty membranes of harmful microorganisms and "pull them out" of the gums and teeth, thus helping to detoxify your entire system.
Here's how to oil pull:
• Just put two teaspoons of oil (like sesame oil) in your mouth.
• Work the oil around and in between teeth, sloshing from side to side, for 20 minutes. (You can spit out intermittently, but be sure to put more oil back in as you continue this process.)
• Spit out all the oil. Rinse with water several times - until your mouth no longer feels greasy - to remove any oil residue and remaining bacteria.
A 2007 study in the Journal of Oral Health and Community Dentistry shows oil pulling reduces gum disease up to 60 percent and dental plaque up to 30 percent - beating out both mouthwash and even brushing your teeth. And that's just the tip of the iceberg!
Year-round detox
Because endotoxins from bacteria and toxins like mercury are constant hazards, it's useful to cleanse your body - as well as your mouth - on a regular basis as Fat Flush for Life demonstrates. Each season of the year brings its own health challenges, which is why you need to vary your detox protocol periodically. With close to 100,000 harmful toxins assaulting your body daily, it's important to drink Cranberry H2O and a cleansing Green Life Cocktail daily - adding an extra green drink for spring cleansing.
Fat Flushers will find a number of new ways to fight inflammation and support overall wellness in this year-round super detox plan: Chia Seeds (high in fiber, plant-based calcium, and healing omega-3 fats), iodine-rich sea vegetables and seasoning, and copper-controlling menu plans. And you'll find much more information on ways to detox, season by season, in Fat Flush for Life.
Year-round, it's also important to get plenty of beneficial gut bacteria. Probiotics optimize healthy weight loss, helping to reduce inflammation, as well as balance dangerous bacteria in the mouth and throughout the body.
No wonder that the newest wave of probiotic products aims to improve oral health. A pilot study shows that probiotic drinks reduce both bleeding gums and inflammation in gingivitis, while enhancing immune health. It's easy to add probiotics to your favorite beverages, the Green Life Cocktail, smoothies or unheated foods with Flora-Key - just two to three teaspoons daily.
Sources:
• Fat Flush for Life
• http://pnwf.org/html/a.htm#amalgam
• www.amalgam.org/
• www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/mercury-linked-to-immune-changes-in-gold-miners/
• www.flcv.com/indexa.html
• www.hugginsappliedhealing.com/alliancedentist.php
• www.hugginsappliedhealing.com/faqs.php
• www.NaturalNews.com/028602_health_insurance_fast_food.html
• www.naturalnews.com/007851_mercury_dentist_dentists.html
• www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Probiotic-gums-and-candies-show-oral-health-potential
• www.mayoclinic.com/health/tachycardia/
Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman is the award-winning author of more than 30 books on health and nutrition and guest on many TV and radio programs. She resides in Kootenai County. Info: annlouise.com