Evidence of Success

What is the evidence that removing heavy metal helps to resolve symptoms of psychiatric and physical conditions?

There has been very little interest in financing and doing outcome studies on chronic heavy metal toxicity. I will review some that are primarily applicable to psychiatry, roughly divided into four categories:

• Studies in which amalgam fillings were replaced and patients were evaluated before and after;
• Studies where amalgam fillings were replaced and antioxidant therapy was provided;
• Studies were amalgam fillings were replaced and chelation or homeopathic treatment was provided;
• Studies of autistic children.

R. Siblerud, Ph.D. conducted several small studies using psychological measurements evaluating patients with psychiatric conditions. In one study, before and after treatment scores on the Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory-II (MMPI- II) were compared. 20 people were recruited through newspaper advertisement. They were given a choice to replace their amalgam fillings, or put sealant to prevent mercury from escaping. 11 manic depressive subjects who had their amalgams removed and 9 subjects with amalgams who were told they were being given a placebo or sealant were compared. The amalgam removal group improved significantly on 87 scales, as did their anxiety, anger, schizophrenia, paranoia and other behaviors. All scores of the nine dimensions in the symptom Check List 90 improved significantly in the group with amalgam removed. The amalgam removal group reported a 42% decrease in the number of somatic health problems after amalgam removal, compared to 8% increase in somatic symptoms in the placebo/sealant group. R. Siblerud, et: “Psychometric Evidence that Dental Amalgam Mercury may be an Etiological Factor in Manic Depression” J. of Orthomolecular Medicine; Vol. 13, No.1, 1998

In another study, scores of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), the Milton Clinical Multiracial Inventory II (MCM-II) and Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) were compared before and after dental amalgam removal of eight schizophrenic patients to scores six months after amalgam removal. Significant improvement was found in forty-one of the sixty-one component scales of MMPI-2 and 12 of 20 subscales including schizophrenia, hysteria, paranoia and anger. Four of nine dimensions improved significantly on the SCL-90 including depression, and psychotic and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. R. Siblerud, et al: “Psychometric Evidence that Dental Amalgam Mercury May be an Etiological Factor in Schizophrenia” J. of orthomolecular Medicine; Vol. 14. No 4, 1999

These studies show that by replacing amalgam fillings even patients with serious psychiatric conditions have chances to significantly improve their symptom.s

In a study done in Sweden by Ulf Lindh, 463 consecutively enrolled patients were referred by medical practitioners and dentists to the Center for Metal Biology, Uppsala, Sweden from 1991 to 1996. All of the patients experienced chronic, long-lasting, severe disease not explained by thorough examinations and laboratory tests. Out of 30 symptoms, the median number of symptoms was 19; 7% of patients experienced all 30 symptoms. Patients were found to have hypersensitivity or allergy to metals comprising dental alloys as diagnosed by MELISA (Memory Lymphocyte Immuno Stimulation Assay). They underwent removal of incompatible dental materials, such as dental amalgam (mercury compounds), gold alloys or non precious metal alloys and they completed a 30 question medical questionnaire before, during and after amalgam removal. In addition, patients underwent a very simple oral anti-oxidant treatment:

• Vit. C 1900 mg/day
• Vitamin B complex : B 1- 30 mg/day, B2- 30 mg/day, B3-150 mg/day B6-6 mg/day; Vit. E- 400-600 Units/day; Selenium- 400 mcg/day
• Methylcobolamine-10 mg/Sq/week; and Folic Acid-10 mg /day for patients with positive markers for vitamin deficiency
  72 % (334) of the patients had positive changes; 13.6 % (63) patients showed no difference in life quality and 12.9% (60) patients had negative consequences. (Ulf Lindh, “Removal of dental amalgam and other meal alloys supported by antioxidant therapy alleviates symptoms and improves quality of life in patients with amalgam-associated ill health” Neuroendocrinology letters, Nos. 5/6 Oct-Dec, Vol. 23, 2002)

There was again a significant improvement in the quality of life for 72 % of patients. The reason could be hypersensitivity or allergy to metals comprising dental alloys. It is a remarkable percentage considering that patients had not responded to any conventional treatment modality.

The most interesting study was done by Damian P. Wojcik, MD from New Zealand. (Damian P. Wojcik, et “Mercury toxicity presenting as a chronic fatigue, memory impairment and depression: Diagnosis, treatment, susceptibility, and outcomes in New Zealand general practice setting (1994-2006) Neuroendocrinology Letters, Vol. 27, no 4 2006 415-423). This was a retrospective study in which he examined and analyzed diagnostic and treatment results of over 1000 patients in a general New Zealand community practice over a ten year period. Patients who were clinically suspected of having Chronic Mercury Toxicity (CMT) were compared using a 124 symptoms questionnaire based on International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (www.IOMT.org). Intravenous DMPS provocation testing was done wherever possible. (He did not report any significant negative reaction to intravenous use of DMPS- MG., private communication.) Most of these patients had symptoms not responding to any contemporary medical approach, including patients with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, depression, manic-depressive illness and Alzheimer’s. Those patients who had identifiable signs of mercury toxicity and whose provocation test results were significantly above what would be normally expected, were treated for mercury toxicity. Patients with Chronic Mercury Toxicity (CMT) were advised to abstain from mercury contaminated fish, replace their amalgams with non-mercury composite restorations, and then complete a 3 month course of oral mercury chelation with DMSA (Di-mercapto-succinic acid) at a dose of 500 mg nightly thrice weekly (Mon, Wed, Fri) on alternative weeks for a total of 9 grams. Chlorella 3 grams per day was given for the DMSA weeks, as well as nutrient and anti-oxidant support. Only 33 patients completed follow-up DMPS provocation testing. Patients served as their own control.

Below are tables illustrating the results of the study:

Figure 1. MEAN SYMPTOM SCORE POST TREATMENT

As we can see the best results were achieved when amalgam replacement was combined with DMSA chelation.

Figure 2a. FATIGUE SCORE

Significant improvement was obtained when dental work was done in conjunction with DMSA chelation. Homeopathy appears to be an acceptable alternative for those who are reluctant to use DMSA.

Figure 2b. LOSS OF MEMORY SCORE

Figure 2c. DEPRESSION SCORE

Remarkable that treatment resistant depression can be treated using DMSA chelation.

Figure 3
SIMULTANEOUS DMPS URINE Hg TEST WITH SYMPTOM SCORES PRE AND POST TREATMENT

This study can provide an inspiration in approaching difficult to treat patients with complicated medical/psychiatric issues. What is remarkable is that not only did patients’ symptoms improve and in many cases get completely resolved, but most patients were followed for over eight years and the level of improvement was maintained. There is no other medical treatment that is available in psychiatry for the treatment of depression that will maintain a depression-free status after only three months of treatment.

However this study did have a number of issues. The main one being that design and testing changed several times and groups were put together artificially. A big obstacle was that the patients had to pay out of their pockets for many things, including heavy metal testing, dental work and some other treatments, so there was no consistency in treatment.

It is, however, the only study that compared those who removed amalgam fillings with those who did not; those who had DMSA chelation, or homeopathic treatment with those who did not. The study gives us practical unbiased direction in treatment alternatives!

The last set of studies deal with autism. Several studies, many practitioners and many parents have emphasized the possible connection between the autism epidemic and mercury toxicity. One of the hypotheses is that since 1984 the number of vaccinations given to children has dramatically increased and even though it may appear that the amounts of mercury that infants and toddlers were receiving were relatively small, injecting vaccines into the muscles and under the skin bypasses the usual defenses of the gastrointestinal tract and directly affects the central nervous system. In addition, the vaccines themselves have severe impact on the underdeveloped immune system. The autism epidemic onset coincides with the increased number of vaccinations given. The only groups of children free of autism are Pennsylvania Amish and 35,000 + children from a Chicago area of Christian believers receiving home schooling. Both groups have refused vaccinations. The incidences of asthma, allergies and ADHD in these groups are also extremely small. (Kenneth Bock, M.D. “Healing the new childhood epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies” Ballantine books, 2007).

The Autism Research Institute has been conducting an ongoing study of the parents of autistic children, collecting information on what intervention works and what does not. The most effective intervention has been chelation. Out of 627, 3% of the children got worse, 24 % did not improve and 73% had improvement! See “Parent Ratings of Behavioral Effects on Biomedical Interventions” for more information.