I've have also heard *apparently* conflicting information, but after careful reading, there is a fine, yet vital line in the role of sulphur in mercury "treatment".
Generally speaking, if you have mercury in your body, sulphur can make you sick. It did me. In fact, my first experience with this was in taking MSM supplements. I had to stop them completely as I became unable to even work.
Sulphur is, however, an excellent mercury chelating agent, as you said. This is good for detox, but makes taking sulphur as a detox-supplement a balancing act **only** for those who are post-removal and only in moderation.
Many proteins contain a certain amino acid (cystine) which provides a sulphur binding point. This is why mercury can play havoc with protein metabolism. Neverthelss, protein will help chelate mercury, but in a more gentle way than sulphur supplements.
Every morning when I first wake up, I have a "protein" drink consisting of a soy-based protein powder in water, plus I add a product called "Green Zone" by Nature's Sunshine Products which contains a number of really good ingredients including chlorella (which provides sulphur). Long story short; This provides a gentle, yet effective way to detox mercury (long-term) and nourish your body at the same time.
Bottom line:
If amalgams are still in, avoid sulphur. If amalgams are out, talk to your health practitioner about including some sulphur in your diet to facilitate mercury removal. You may want to supplement the sulphur with algin or another agent to help buffer the possible side-effects.
As for "definitive" studies on the subject... good luck finding them. These kinds of studies don't make "persons" (legal term for *corporations* in the U.S. Code) rich. The information I have is either from secondary works (like Amalgam Illness by Cutler) or extrapolated from established biology/chemistry and common sense.
Sulphur is vital for the body to function, this is well-known. Mercury toxic people who take too much may mobilize too much mercury and suffer symptomatic relapses. On the flip-side, you have to "mobilize" mercury to remove it so this whole detox process becomes a game of balance and mid-course correction.
In my opinion, based on all that I've read, there are more effective and safer ways to bind and mobilize than sulphur supplementation. Plus, you will get plenty of sulphur in your diet even if you try to avoid it. Unfortunately, because I don't keep notes on the information I read on this subject, my opinion is based on a culmination of it. I would, however, have no problem with people who choose to supplement sulphur and don't have symptoms. It does happen, people just need to be careful. Each situation is certainly different and it would be ideal for people to work with a practitioner familiar with this issue.
Let me offer a website with a wealth of well-explained information, much of which I have verified against other sources. I know the owners of this website and they are possibly the most brilliant natural health field people I know.
http://tuberose.com/Sulphur_and_Mercury.htmlHope this helps.
