Today I’m off to the dentist to start replacing my ugly old mercury (amalgam metal) fillings with nice white resin ones. When I was a kid I kept my dentist quite busy so I’ve got a few fillings now, 20+ years later.
Over the last few years, I had heard about getting the old mercury fillings replaced but was put off because I heard the process can release more mercury into your body and that quite often the fillings are ok and aren’t leaking mercury into the body and don’t need to be replaced. I’d also heard it was very, very expensive. However, things have changed.
My Doc ordered (well, very strongly recommended) that I get my mercury fillings out because my blood tests showed evidence of mercury affecting quite a few of my organs and there’s also growing evidence that mercury is linked to breast cancer & thyroid disease. Given my recent experience with both of these (read about it in my cancer scare posting), I’m not taking any chances so I met with one of the recommended dentists a month ago.
You can’t just go to any dentist to get this done. The dentists that were recommended to me have specialist procedures in place. The one I chose, Rachel Hall, explained that to protect me, a rubber dam is used to isolate one tooth at a time and I will be given oxygen from a separate source so I don’t breathe in the mercury vapors. (read more about the safety procedures here at her website). I was surprised to hear that the mercury has to be disposed of as toxic waste!
I have also been taking recommended natural supplements for the past week to help support my body’s immune system. My doc already had me on iodine and selenium and they both recommended that I also take a high dose of pure Vitamin C, ascorbic acid every day and Zinc. Rachel also suggested garlic to help detox my body. I’ve also been doing the Tony Robbins 10 day challenge which works in perfectly so I’ve been even more nourishing food into my body than usual.
I asked how long it will take to get the mercury out of my body and was told that it’s hard to say and it can be anything from a few months to several years. She also told me that the new resin ones she’ll be using are long lasting which was good to know because I remembered hearing when they first came out that they didn’t last very long. Oh, and about the cost, I was expecting it to be approx $3,000 but it was under $1,000 for my 8 fillings and I get part of that back from private health.
My dentist says only to replace a maximum of 4 fillings at a time. This is so it’s easier on both the body and the wallet! So it’s going to take another visit to finish the job and then I’ll not only have that nasty poison out of my body but I’ll also have an even better smile.
Ok, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to put any of my current personal story out there to be so public but pretty much all my loved ones know what’s going on for me at the moment and I hope by sharing what I’m experiencing now that it may help others.
After almost 4 years of experiencing phenomenally good health, I’ve been hit by another metaphoric brick. (Remember me talking about signs that progress from feather to brick to truck?) Well, I’m determined not to have another truck mow me down (yes, metaphor again) and put me in hospital so when I started bleeding from a nipple last month I decided to get it checked out. Well, actually I did nothing for a week hoping it would just go away and then I had to find a doctor because I hadn’t even been to a doc in 3 years and wanted one who would balance western medicine with alternative treatments and use drugs only as a last resort.
Ok, the upshot is this. At 34 years of age, I really didn’t expect my doctor to be concerned, especially given that most of his patients have serious diseases that they are choosing to treat with a nutrition and environmental focus (his speciality). But the Doc convinced me that I needed to take it seriously so I went along and had a Mammogram and Ultrasound. The tests weren’t as bad as I had heard and I seriously faint at the slightest bit of pain. The mammogram hurt for only a very short amount of time and for the next 2 days I was very aware of the muscles in my chest. If you’ve had a mammogram, you’ll know what I mean. The tests showed lots of cysts (apparently normal for a woman of child bearing age) and a 1cm ‘probable fibroadnoma’ which they said was 95% chance was nothing. The ultrasound technician and doctor there put a lot of pressure on me to immediately book in for a biopsy or to go straight to a hospital ‘if I was too worried’. I thought they were overly zealous and it was clear they thought I was some misguided alternative lunatic. Anyway I promptly ignored their recommendation despite my Mother (who used to be a nurse) getting upset and telling me I must have the recommended biopsy. To pacify her, I told her I’d wait until I spoke to my own doctor.
Between the tests and seeing my doctor, I was talking to a wonderful friend of mine who has had brain cancer. He is a very educated man on health, the body and the mind. He and his wife regularly expand their knowledge with the lastest being Don Tolman’s bootcamp (Don Tolman is one of my favourite health teachers - he calls cancer and all health issues ”blocked tubes” and how natural whole foods can heal the body). My friend and his wife think similarly to me, that the body is amazing and given the right nutrition and support can heal itself. They were the ones who recommended my doctor to me. So when I asked my friend what he’d do in hindsight of what he knows now, I was pretty shocked when he said he would still have the biopsy.
Soon after I had my followup with my Doc. I expected him to say the recommended biopsy was for litigation / insurance reasons only and that they were just being overly cautious. He stunned me when he insisted that even a 5% chance is too much of a risk to take and how he’s seen too many young women die unnecessarily of breast cancer.
And there was more… The results of my blood tests and urine tests were back and it turns out that I have a problem with my thyroid - an underactive thyroid called Hypothyroidism, or Hashimoto’s. (Yes the one that makes you fat, tired and depressed) So another ultrasound, this time for my thyroid was strongly recommended.
So between the advice from my Doc and my friend I decided to go have the needle biopsy, a not so invasive procedure. During the procedure, the staff were fantastic, explained everything and patiently answered my questions. I should have the results of this back tomorrow & I fully expect it to be good news.
I also had the thyroid ultrasound. Turns out the indications from the blood tests were confirmed and I have ‘large’ nodules which my Doc said officially I should have biopsied. Given that he’s not reacting like he did with the breast cancer scare, it seems this isn’t as risky and we’re taking a very natural approach giving my body the support it needs. Like many people, I am deficient in iodine which is vital for the thyroid. Seems this sushi addict isn’t getting enough iodine from seafood and nori.
Guess what? Lack of iodine is directly related to cysts in the breasts too. Turns out my old mercury fillings also seem to be playing a part so I’ve got an appointment with a specialist dentist to get them assessed and then replaced.
Also, like many in Australia, I’m also deficient in selenium because our soils just don’t have the levels needed. Brazil nuts are a great source. And here’s the biggest irony - I’m deficient in Vitamin D too (yep, sunlight). I’ve been so cold lately (side effect of Hoshimoto’s) that I’ve been living in long pants and long sleeved shirts over winter.
What have I learned from all of this? Well, I should have been having annual blood tests from my doctor just to stay on top of things. At a health resort in January 2006 I learned I was deficient in Zinc and B vitamins and the good news is that these levels are all good now. Hopefully in November when I go back to get my blood tests redone I’ll have completely restored my levels to their proper functioning.
For now my action plan is to take my iodine and selenium supplements (a few drops in water each day), get lots of great nutritious food into me, think good thoughts, get a bit of sun each day, remove the mercury fillings so I’ll have a bigger brighter smile and go spend 3 days on a gorgeous island in a few weeks at a yoga camp.
It might seem weird but I’m strangely feeling almost excited about this. I just have a feeling of knowing that the breast cancer scare is all nothing. I’m grateful I found out about the iodine because if I’ve been feeling this good when I’m supposed to be fat, tired, depressed and cold then everyone better watch out because as I fix this, I’ll be unstoppable!
“Pain is temporary, it may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and somthing else will take its place. If i quit, however, it lasts forever.” Lance Armstrong - diagnosed with testicular, lung and brain cancer & 7 time winner of the Tour de France.
Lance Armstrong’s Story
At age 25, Lance Armstrong was one of the world’s best cyclists. He proved it by winning the World Championships, the Tour Du Pont and multiple Tour de France stages. Lance Armstrong seemed invincible and his future was bright.Then they told him he had cancer.Next to the challenge he now faced, bike racing seemed insignificant. The diagnosis was testicular cancer, the most common cancer in men aged 15-35. If detected early, its cure rate is a promising 90 percent. Like most young, healthy men, Lance ignored the warning signs, and he never imagined the seriousness of his condition. Going untreated, the cancer had spread to Lance’s abdomen, lungs and brain. His chances dimmed.Then a combination of physical conditioning, a strong support system and competitive spirit took over. He declared himself not a cancer victim but a cancer survivor. He took an active role in educating himself about his disease and the treatment. Armed with knowledge and confidence in medicine, he underwent aggressive treatment and beat the disease.During his treatment, before his recovery, before he even knew his own fate, he created the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This marked the beginning of Lance’s life as an advocate for people living with cancer and a world representative for the cancer community.Lance Armstrong’s victories in the 1999-2005 Tours de France are awe-inspiring, but the battle against cancer has just begun-not just for him, but for all cancer survivors and people just like him who think cancer could not affect them. He plans to lead this fight, and he hopes that you join him. This is a life he owes to cancer. This is his choice to live strong.Read Lance’s blog.
Facts about Lance’s Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Lance was diagnosed with an aggressive form of testicular cancer, containing 60% choriocarcinoma, 40% embryonal and less than 1% teratoma.
Lance’s treatment lasted from October to December 1996.
Lance underwent two surgeries, one to remove his cancerous testicle and another to remove two cancerous lesions on his brain.
Lance received one round of BEP (Bleomycin, Etoposide and Platinol) chemotherapy, followed by three rounds of VIP chemotherapy (Ifosfamide, Etoposide and Platinol.)
Lance’s cancer in the lungs and brain was a result of spreading from the original testicular cancer. As a result, his treatment protocols were to combat that specific strain of cancer. Different cancers originating from different sources in the body will likely require other treatments than the one described above for Lance.
Lance was treated at Indiana University Medical Center by Drs. Larry Einhorn and Craig Nichols. (Dr. Einhorn can be reached at the Indiana University Medical Center at 317/274-8157; Dr. Nichols at the Oregon Cancer Center at 503/494-8311.)
