Hi Sean,

Yeah, metals can be a cause. I think not just indirectly by lowering immunity, but I think i read somewhere that yeast proliferate in the presence of a heavy metal environment. Odd, but apparently they can hold their own weight in metal. Yeast have been apparently shown to contain metals in a metal toxic person. I believe this because of my response to a strong antifungal herbal remedy and I became acutely metal toxic after it's use. Simply because it blasted open the yeast cell walls, killing yeast in large numbers and not just releasing yeast toxins, but metals.

I had to chelate to help my self. Luckily I responded more than because the metals were more surfaced and the DMSA grabbed them.

BUT, they are not the ONLY cause of lowered immunity. There are other things that can lower immunity that are not always metal related and maybe totally unrelated.

Though for me? I believe I had SEVERE metal toxicity most of my life and I KNOW that it lowered my immunity. But never to the extent that the later viral infection and tooth extraction did. At least metals are detoxable! Watch what happens if you wind up in a chronic state of immune dysfunction with certain virus/bacteria and then try and detox. I have had viruses before by the way (glandular fever) and even THEY didn't do the damage that this other bacteria/virus has done, which still is unnamed.

This virus (and possible dental infection) has lowered my immunity to such an extent (or challenged it), that yeast has taken over my life almost and I do not respond to chelation/detox like I did.

So there are other causes to low immunity, not just heavy metals. I may have combination of problems, metals, virus/infections etc. Long term severe mercury poisoning, regardless of me finally healing from it, may stillhave put me into a position of contracting something like this and not efficiently dealing with it as I may have under more normal circumstances.

As I said, my response to detoxing/chelation is almost a NON response. This was not so before all this.

I'm sorry that you had so many antibiotics and steroids Sean. Yes, that could have caused a severe yeast situation. And couple that with metals, chemicals etc, and it's tough to deal with. A multifaceted approach is usually necessary, but easier said than done if there is something causing difficulty in responding to detox plans.

I am not going to go near chelation unless/until things balance out a bit more. I was really hurt by the probiotics and haven't recovered since. I'm in pain daily in the gut area and certanly ALA makes my yeast situations far worse. I can barey function as it is.

Good to talk to you too!