Can mercury cause mood swings? I find that sometimes I have a black mood out of nowhere and am very irritable. I know that women are supposed to get this with PMS, but as my female cycle is mixed up, I don't know if that it is.

I know that Bipolar disorder can be influenced by mercury, so I was wondering if moods can be a lesser symptom of that? I wonder sometimes why I get moody for no apparent reason.

[*sigh* I just typed a long reply and the post never showed up -- trying again]

Yep, mercury definitely affects mood, which is why many narrow-minded, lazy GPs will immediately mis-diagnose people with CMP as having depression. I've actually read how some individuals have ended up in mental institutions as a result, when in reality, the root cause was the mercury.

In fact, my symptoms are primarily mental, not physical (although I realize that distinction is hazy at best). I seem to go through periodic "down spells" that appear to be cyclical. And I assure you it has nothing to do with PMS. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

In order to mitigate these effects, I try to exercise only in moderation, get lots of sleep, and try goji berries for mood enhancement (see http://www.gojiberry.com/). Pregnenolone also helps for some people, including me.

And of course a healthy diet is imperative (sweets, alcohol, and dairy should be avoided if possible, in my opinion).

For me the big thing was moderating exercise -- I have found that engaging in strenuous exercise, like weight lifting or running, actually makes me feel worse, if not done in moderation. The reason, I believe, is that aerobic exercise tends to redistribute mercury, causing symptom flare-ups.

I still press weights, but I don't push myself. I've found that walking, hiking, and yoga are the best forms of exercise.

Hope that helps.

Tom

Hi again Tom <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Pain when that happens to posts!

My symptoms too are primarily mental. I've found ease from some symptoms with alginate and vitamins. I suffer mainly from anxiety and phobias and "mental disturbance" in the form of compulsions to count or "tic" like symptoms, but there are times when they are worse than others.

I also get depression, moody, and "take things personally" more than I should. Also my self-esteem suffers. And, as these things influence my interaction with others, then it's kind of cyclic in how my social life affects my health.

Demi, I have read that mercury symptoms include depresseion, and manic depressive illness. Sometimes I get raging angry for no apparent reason - thankfully, I am not a violent person. Sometimes, I am down in the dumps - also for no reason. And occasionally, I get really euphoric and crazy. My kids like this phase best! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

It's certainly very possible that your symptoms are caused by mercury. The tricky thing, however, is that nearly all of the symptoms of CMP can be caused by other problems as well. It certainly wouldn't hurt to visit a neurologist in order to rule out other cases, rather than assume that mercury is the cause.

Hope you feel better.

Tom

Seeing as my problems all started within 18 months of having a filling, I'd say it's more than possible, I'd say it's probable. I was fine, happy and healthy until I got a filling. Now I have almost 40 symptoms of toxicity, including infertility, allergies, sensitivities. I've been seeing doctors and having tests for over a decade. I am not going down that route again. I'm going to wait and see if the amalgam removal does the trick. All doctors can offer me is hormone therapy, anxiety drugs, counselling and pain killers.

My father is sceptical on the poisoning, but as he put it, "no one has that many things wrong with them."

I too can get really angry at nothing much at all. Luckily I'm not violent either. I can also get very sad and tearful when there is no particular reason to.

Agreed. I think there is a fine line when it comes to self-diagnosing mercury symptoms. There is very likely a tendancy for one suffering CMP to blame mercury every time they get a headache or an upset stomach or suffer any number of other ailments when, sometimes, these things just happen (even if we're mercury free). On the flip side however...



...the trouble with this is actually finding a neutologist who recognises CMP and doesn't think you're a wacko when you suggest that you suffer from it!

Yes, I think many people assume that all of their problems are rooted in CMP, when they might have other things going on as well.

True enough about neuroligists, but even if he is unfamiliar with CMP, they might still be able to detect other neurological problems. My GP thinks I'm insane and is utterly useless in trying to deal with the mercury issues, but I try and leverage his expertise in other areas to help improve my health. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Yeah, I hear ya. I'm certainly not suggesting anyone not see a doctor, I'm just a little jaded when it comes to medical practitioners is all. It's annoying when they want to prescribe you with poisons such as Prozac while blatantly disregarding your suggesting that what you may really be suffering from is mercury. But (instances of malpractice notwithstanding) it can't hurt to see one anyway in hopes to gain useful insight as to your health.

Yep, me too. I look at traditional western doctors as "technicians" who have a very narrow range of expertise, but very little understanding of the "big picture".

Ah, yes -- the "if you have a problem, take a pill" cure all. Yep, western doctors are great at treating symptoms, but not always so good at discovering root causes. Your experience sounds very similar to mine.

I agree, Tom. They treat the symptoms. When I go to the doctor, they never look up my history and see that I have this and this and this. They just prescribe a drug for the symptom at the time.

When I went to the doctor at 19 saying there was something wrong with me, if they had been thorough they could have looked up my medical history up until that point ie.

migraine
headache
rhinitis
yeast problem
pins and needles
absent menses
fatigue
poor vision
floaters

and then start to look at what could be causing all these things.

For the next ten years of tests and scans, not one doctor ever asked me if I had amalgam in my mouth. This is very poor as sensitivity to amalgam is recognised by the medical profession in my country, so they should at least be on the look out for it.

Demi - have you tried to keep a daily diary of what you did, like where you went that day, what you ate, even if just chewing a stick of gum (how many pieces, what time, how long chewed, brand of gum) for a time period to see if you can help to figure out what causes it to be cyclic?

This is how I overcame the need for migraine medication. I figured out most of the triggers and then avoided them.

I have days when my "brain fog" is much worse than others and I have considered doing this again to see if I can figured out something that makes it worse and then the steps to prevent that.

As to the rage, any allergies. I know rage is not listed as something that happens when you are allergic, but I lived in a house that had mold in the duct work due to the CAC malfunctioning. We don't know how long it was like that. I was out of the house for several months, calmest I'd been and the happiest I'd been in a long time. Went back there to start cleaning it up and getting it read to rent and within an hour, I was ready to strangle my husband over something very petty. Stepped outside, got some fresh air and started thinking about it. That was exactly how my emotions were for I don't know how long while I lived in that house, it has to be something in the house. Went back in and started investigating and I found the mold. Fortunately for us, it's not the black mold that can ruin a house and it was contained to the duct work. I'm not saying that I no longer have any emotional difficulties, just saying, this rage what would pop up out of nowhere and over the dumbest stuff (didn't think so at the time) is gone, I still get upset, but I have control now.

That is an excellent suggestion about a diary! Thanks <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I think I will start on it today, I have one unused. I think I will list what I ate a particular day, what supplements I took, and my symptoms for that day. I may well then be able to determine a pattern. Great idea!