Hi Deecee, DMSA does not chelate brain mercury to any clinical degree. The study done to was on rats. Rats have a much more permeable brain barrier than we do, so that's why it could chelate their brain. But this is not the same as us! Though some people do claim it has helped brain symptoms, but brain symptoms do not always mean "brain mercury". Just as body symptoms may not be body mercury, but maybe brain. It's not always easy to tell where the mercury has been removed from that has caused such improvements. It may be able to to a certain extent, but according to Cutler it's not a brain chelating agent, ALA and cilantro apparently are.

I found DMSA very powerful when I was mercury toxic and taken the Cutler way, it was excellent. Though in retrospect, I didn't need to push myself to take quite as much, or for quite as long during a round (I made myself go a full week and that was too much for me).

Stuart, you're in a very difficult situtation. I don't know what to suggest. If you feel it is helping you long term, but making things worse short term due to yeast, it may still be worth going through with it. But if you feel that your yeast issues are very serious, then maybe cilantro might be worth a shot.

By the way, are you taking it every 3 hours? Some take it every 4 hours, but sometimes this is too long inbetween doses and can cause redistribution symptoms.

Also, have you taken DMSA before? If so, how long? Or did you just wait the first few months out without doing anything and then start ALA. Certainly, this stuff must not be used if you still have a high body burden of mercury (e.g. tissue/blood), because it just shifts that up into the brain apparently. Andy has spoken of people miss-using ALA in the wrong way and winding up irreversibly injured....I like to think that over time maybe they would come right. I hate to think of of "irreversible". I injured myself a lot with mercury many times and stayed ill for months on end, but somehow my body recovered over time....so I like to think they would too. But it is never worth the risk anyway.

But yeah, ALA is a bad one for yeast. Even me with my ongoing strict diet couldn't fight it when I used ALA. I can still feel the effects even now. Jinx, you got it too huh? Well I won't be taking it again. I may give cilantro another try. I actually want to make the cilantro pesto! It's a mixture of cilantro, raw garlic, sunflower seeds, nuts and oil etc.