People have asked me what steps I am taking on my personal quest to get the heavy metals out of my body. They especially ask about what nutritional supplements and pharmaceutical chelators I take now that I had my dental amalgams removed. This page addresses those questions.
Caution #1: Detoxification is a serious endeavor. It taxes all of your bodily systems. Undertaking a detoxification program while seriously ill or fighting disease is not recommended. WARNING TO WOMEN: Undertaking a detoxification program while pregnant or nursing is not recommended.
Caution #2: Detoxification is not a quick fix. It takes time... a lot of time. I have learned one extremely important thing in my studies. Heavy metal detoxification, whether it be via intravenous, oral, or suppository, is a long term issue. Some manufacturers would have you believe that if you take their product your body will be metal-free in sixty days. Hogwash. Detoxification make take years, because when done safely, it is a slow and gradual process. At the same time, a commitment of six month's to one year's work can make a tremendous difference in your health.
Caution #3: Children often carry as much heavy metal body burden as do adults. After all, they receive it before birth via their parents, they receive it throughout their early years via vaccinations, and the receive it again and again through water, air and food contamination. The detox plan described herein is for adults. Seek professional guidance to establish nutritional supplementation recommendations and relevant dosages for children.
Note #1: I am not a qualified medical practitioner. I am a common layman. I simply had enough interest in the subject of detoxification to have studied the subject in depth. Whatever you may read in this website should not be interpreted as advice, especially medical advice. The process of removing heavy metal from your body should be supervised by medical and dental professionals. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. Study the material and review it with your health practitioners.
I make no recommendations about taking nutritional supplements or pharmaceutical chelators. I also make no recommendation for you to follow my plan. I am simply telling you what I am doing personally, and suggesting that you make an action plan of your own.
I do, however, recommend one thing. I suggest you enlist the support of three key professionals to advise you regarding your detoxification endeavors. Find a medical practitioner and a dentist who understand the reasons for heavy metal detoxification, and find a colon hydrotherapist. All are necessary coaches in this process.
Note #2: Throughout the detox process, please remember one thing... Over the span of your lifetime you have spent an ENORMOUS amount of time and money getting your body into the predicament that it's in today. It may take an equally ENORMOUS amount of time and money to get you out of this situation!
Note #3: If you take on this process, you will intimately come to know the meaning of the words commitment, dedication, perseverance... and JOY!
Let me say this tidbit before I begin anything else. Daily nutrient supplementation during chelation is essential to the detoxification process, AND there are specific guidelines as to when to use mineral supplements. See the schedules below. I suggest you read both the Detox Supplements Page, as well as the Daily Supplements page. I consider all of the listed products to be essential for this plan's success.
And just to highlight the word success... Please refer back to the site's page entitled Detox Success. Listed are 26 Elements for Success that are a vital part of the plan which follows.
While participating in a detoxification plan your body can move through various stages of cleansing and repairing. If you experience any of the symptoms which follow you are not “sick.” These symptoms are representative of the natural processes the body uses to cleanse and heal itself. I do not suppress these natural processes by taking medications and drugs. I let my body go through whatever it needs to go through to cleanse itself. For example, I don’t take a pill every time I have a cold or fever.
You may experience any of the following symptoms as your body goes through the detox process:
• cold and flu-like symptoms
• depression
• skin rashes, skin eruptions (breaking open)
• sweats, fevers
• sore throat
• headaches
• diarrhea
• mouth sores
• poor memory
• dizziness
• nausea
• sneezing, coughing
• aches and pains
• lethargy, fatigue and sleepiness
• vaginal itching and discharge
• urine & stool may change color
• eye symptoms such as tearing and pinkeye
• body odor and bad breath
• stomach pain
There will also be emotional effects to the cleansing process. While stirring up toxins in your body, you may find yourself stirring up toxins in your mind. You may experience periods of sadness or anger. You may suddenly feel like crying. You may have bad dreams. Just remember that all of these feelings are natural by-products of the cleansing process. Always keep in mind that you have intentionally begun a journey back to better health.
Step 1- Order your far infra red sauna (see note 1 below)
Step 2- Have your physician do your blood tests
Step 3- Have your dentist evaluate your oral health condition (see note 2 below)
Step 4- Have your amalgams removed!
Step 5- 60 days of oral, heavy metal detox - emphasis mercury (see note 3 below)
Step 6- 30 days of oral, heavy metal detox - emphasis lead (see note 4 below)
Step 7- 90 days of oral, heavy metal chelation - emphasis mercury (see note 3 below)
Step 8- 30 days of oral supplementation to repair/rebuild/reinvigorate your brain
Continue a small dosage of chelation supplements each day for the rest of your life. You need to be
constantly vigilant against daily incoming environmental toxins from food, water, and air.
And Then You Can Celebrate!
There are three main forms of heavy metal detoxification, intravenous, oral (via supplementation), and via suppository. Intravenous chelation is beyond my price range, so I chose to undertake a plan using oral supplements.
After studying countless publications and products, I have chosen Chelorex™ from Science Formulas, Inc. to be the foundation of my detoxification plan. I chose this product because it has the most natural ingredients I could find. This chelation agent is sold directly through the Science Formulas, Inc. website (scienceformulas.com) or via telephone at 800-675-4568. For recommended dosages, check the website.
(As I just mentioned above, there are other products which are essential to a successful detoxification plan. See the list at the bottom of the page.)
Developed by Dr. Alan Greenberg, M.D., practicing neurology and psychiatry with several years of postgraduate training in biochemistry, the foundational detoxification product is called Chelorex™. To quote from Science formulas literature, Chelorex™ “is an oral chelator that was developed based on Alan Greenberg, M.D.’s clinical experience with heavy metal poisoning during his 25 years of medical practice. Chelorex™ contains NO synthetic chelation agents (EDTA, DMPS or DMSA) which frequently cause adverse side effects. This formulation contains all natural ingredients that enhance the body’s natural mechanisms for excreting heavy metals. It contains glutathione precursors that can pass through the blood brain barrier and antioxidants to protect the liver, kidneys, central nervous system and immune function. Chelorex™ also has key ingredients that mobilize heavy metals and protect against their reabsorption.”
For those people who dislike taking tablets, Chelorex™ is available in liquid form. Dosage for both tablets and liquid is based on body weight. See the Science Formulas literature or website for dosage.
The ingredients of Chelorex™ are listed on the Detox Supplements page.
The plan outlined below also includes a pharmaceutical chelator. As noted just above, DMSA comes with its fair share of unpleasant side effects, so I used it very sparingly. I know for a fact that you can detox using only Chelorex,™ but I chose to ramp up my detox process using the additional product.
Captomer-65™ (DMSA, dimercaptosuccinic acid) (by Thorne) is the strong, prescription pharmaceutical chelator in this plan. I only used this product immediately after my amalgam removal when the metal toxins were really mobilized. Additionally, I only used a minimal dosage, AND I restricted the product’s use as noted below. Although Thorne, the manufacturer of Captomer-65™, suggests a dosage whereby you titrate yourself up from 1 to 5 capsules three times a day, I did not use this quantity. I used Captomer-65™ along with the more natural chelator Chelorex™. Therefore, although I feel the Captomer-65™ is necessary to my detox plan, I used it sparingly. I take only one capsule a day, between lunch and dinner, and only three days a week (Mon., Tues., Wed.). On those days I will take no minerals. To take minerals on days when I am taking Captomer-65™ would only waste the drug by pulling out the most-currently taken minerals, when it is the heavy metals I am really after. NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT: I take Captomer-65™ (on (Mon., Tues., Wed.) for only three weeks, followed by one week off. The one week break is time in which I take the minerals to compensate for the minerals that chelation wastes.
Don’t take Captomer-65™ (DMSA) if you have kidney problems.
For a full discussion of DMSA, read:
Dr. Tom McGuire, D.D.S. -
Mercury Detoxification - The Natural Way to Remove Mercury From Your Body
Dr. Sherry A. Rogers. M.D. -
Detoxify or Die
On Mon/Tues/Wed - 2 doses of Chelorex™ and 1 dose of DMSA (Captomer-65™) daily
On Thur/Fri/Sat/Sun - 1 dose of Chelorex™ daily and no DMSA
[only take DMSA for three weeks on and one week off]
[total doses over 60 days: Chelorex™= 87, DMSA= 21]
Chelorex™ - once daily, everyday
[total doses over 120 days: 120]
Oral Supplementation to repair/rebuild/reinvigorate your brain
Chelorex™ once a day, everyday, at a reduced quantity, to inhibit environmental toxins
There's not much worse than the old game of "take product "x" three times a day with meals; take product "y" three times a day between meals, etc." it can make you dizzy trying to figure the whole thing out. The Strategy Chart above is an attempt to make the process a little more orderly.
As for General Guidelines:
For those of you who say:
• “This is too complicated, you’ve got to make it simpler.”
• “There are too many pills to take.”
• “I don’t like saunas.”
• “There’s no way I’m going to have an enema thing (colonic).”
• “There’s no way I’m going to begin exercising.”
and above all else...
For those of you who say:
• “There’s no way I’m going to spend that kind of money on this stuff.”
Here is my answer...
If you don’t take the issue of heavy metal body burden seriously you will eventually have to live with the after effects - a myriad of serious, even life threatening, illnesses. Tomorrow’s health begins with today’s decisions.
Commitment:
You must have a tremendous amount of commitment to accomplish your goal of ridding your body of heavy metals. Oral mobilization/chelation/removal is a long, slow process. It takes a lot of time (6 months minimum to a year), and it takes a lot of money (amalgam removal, testing, physician/dentist support, sauna cost, and supplements). Supplements only make a very small difference daily, hence you will need to spend a lot of time and money on supplements.
Refer back to the “Key Elements For Success!” Detoxification takes work on your part. You can’t simply pop a pill in your mouth and expect a lifetime of heavy metal to poop out the other end. Detoxification is a process which demands some work. The Key Elements are a vital part of this work. Review them, and commit to doing each and every one of them often. If you want a successful outcome (pardon the pun), do the Elements. I can’t stress this point enough!
Best of luck for your healthy future... -Doug Hines