I've seen some conflicting information on the role of sulphur in chronic mercury detoxification. I've seen several posts on this board suggesting that you not take supplements containing sulphur (particularly MSM), yet I've read several articles that state that MSM is an excellent chelating agent that should be taken after amalgam removal (but not before). In addition, Russ I believe you recommended that folks not consume eggs given their high sulphur content, yet Hal Huggins recommends eating eggs. I'm just curious if there any definitive scientific studies that show that MSM or eggs are not good items to consume post-amalgam removal, especially given the fairly abundant evidence of MSM's beneficial role in detox (not sure about eggs, can't find much). Thanks for any info.

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.html

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the detailed response and link. I think I may be going overboard on the sulphur . . . my daily regimen goes something like this:

- dmsa: 200 mg every four days (this is what my homeopath reccommended, although I notice everyone else I've read suggest much higher doses)
- selenium: 200 mg on dmsa "off" days
- alpha lipoic acid: 300 mg/day
- chlorella: 1500 mg/day
- MSM: 1500 mg/day
- Vitamin E: 400 mg/day
- L-glutathione: 300 mg/day
- Amino Acid Supplement: 3000 mg/day (which includes methylsulfonylmethane)
- Zinc: 100 mg/day
- Vitamin B Complex
- Omega 3 EFA supplement
- Flaxseed oil: 1000 mg
- Probiotic cultures: 500 mg
- Vegetarian multivitamin with spirulina, chlorophyl, garlic, bee pollen
- Colloidal minerals (on dmsa "off" days)
- Echinacea: 300 mg
- Vitamin C (with calcium): 3000 mg/day

It's been three weeks since I've had my last amalgams removed (16 total) and I have to say, I feel worse, not better. When I had my first quadrant removed, I had a 3-week layoff before my next quadrant, and after 2 weeks, I felt fantastic: better than I've felt in a long time. I then proceeded to have the other 3 quadrants removed, one quadrant per week, and since then, I have gone down hard and can't seem to get back up. In retrospect, I regret having the other 3 quadrants removed in such a short time span (12 amalgams in 3 weeks) as I believe that an unusually high amount of mercury was released into my system without giving my body enough time to recover. My dentist, who has treated hundreds of patients with chronic mercury poisoning, suggested the sooner the better. My experience says otherwise, however.

I see the Green Zone product you recommended has alot of good things in it, including milk thistle, which I understand is good for cleansing the liver. I'm assuming the amino acid supplement I take is as good as, if not better than, a protein drink.

Are you still taking dmsa, even at this late stage?

That's one agressive detox plan. I'm gonna make a prediction. I believe your supplementation plan is making you sick.

Few bits of feedback about my experience:

(1) Alpha lipoic acid made me so sick that I had to go off it. I had a serious headache for weeks (continuously) after going off it. After about 3 weeks the headache faded over a period of 3 or 4 days. This was just a few months ago and I'm 4 years post removal !

(2) Of course you know what MSM did to me (I had a very bad reaction to it; Got very sick). After going off it, I got better over a period of 3 to 4 days.

(3) Omega 3s are great but, again, need to be careful. They also make me sick. I take them only about once a week.

(4) DMSA - Very agressive. This alone could ruin your quality of life.

Do you have trouble sleeping? Bs do that to me.

I have noticed that many people get very passionate about detox right after removal and I can't blame them.

However, I strongly believe that people need to take it very slow and easy. They need to slowly work into a supplementation plan that works for them and that they can live with. Add one thing at a time and no more than one new supplement per 2 weeks. I feel this way for good reason.

I have experimented with myself extensively and have been very methodical in deciding which supplements to take. If I was on your program, even now (4 years after removal), I would be very sick.

I had only 3 DMPS injections within 1 month after the removal. Then I started determining what natural supplements worked for me and what didn't, and in what amounts.

In my opinion, what's really making you feel worse is your agressive supplementation plan, not the fact that you had the removal done over a short period of time. You've had chronic exposure for decades, long-term detox will take nearly as long, but your quality of life should get better and better with time.

As with life; Mercury detox is a game of endurance, not speed.

Thanks, I suppose it's possible I've gotten carried away. I've just read so much on the topic lately, and all of these items are recommended. I guess I've been a bit paranoid about potentially leaving anything out, so I've been adding supplementation as time has gone by. When I got my first quadrant removed, I was only taking the dmsa, alpha lipoic, multivitamin, amino acids, and vitamin C. As a strict vegetarian, I've been taking EFA supplements for years, so that really isn't technically part of my detox program. Ironically, the more I've increased supplementation, the worse I've felt. I should probably be subtracting, not adding, but your observation is probably correct about being too "passionate".

I've never had any problems with alpha lipoic - started taking it before removal with no side effects - only a slight relaxed feeling.

Regarding dmsa, again I started taking before removal with virtually no side effects, so I doubt this is the culprit. Also, my dmsa regimen is very conservative compared to most other recommendations I've read. Re: dmsa being safe, the research I've done indicates dmsa is much safer than dmps, and dmsa crosses the blood/brain barrier while dmps does not. DMPS is also cost-prohibitive for me, and the severe potential side effects are big deterrants. However, if my recovery continues its current dubious path, I may consider it.

Re: B vitamins, as a strict vegetarian, I've been supplementing with Bs anyway, so I've had no side effects. I will say this though - lately I tend to have more energy at night, so I stay up later, and I can *not* wake up in the mornings. I'm getting 9-10 hours of sleep per day and end up staying up late.

p.s. here is the protocol I've referenced: http://www.mgoldmandds.com/detox1.htm

It's funny, some people have no reaction to ALA and others (like me) have horrible reactions.

I am very sensitive to supplements/foods/etc. so my experience is different than some. B's really keep me awake and sulphur is difficult to handle, although I haven't tried it in the last 12-18 months, and with my improving conditions (especially memory!) I may again... slowly.

I've always been a "night owl" but have found that I now have the ability to sleep nights by going off caffiene and sugar (almost completely) and B's (of course).

I would definitely try removing some things from your plan one by one and see if there is improvement. Remember that it can take a week (sometimes more) to feel the effects of a change so do it with slowly and with method. For every effect, there is a cause.

Best of luck.

Mercury binds to slfur on enzymes deactivating them.It seems to be that if you take extra sulfur, some mercury will bind to it and less will bind to enzymes.In chemistry, this is called an ion exchange gradient.It's sort of an atomic musical chairs.