Positive Health Online

To do it or not to do it, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous mercury and amalgam or take arms against a sea of harmful vapour and by a dental operation, end them?

Well I chose the latter. I got all of my 16 mercury and amalgam fillings out of my mouth, and instead I now have shiny white composites.

Musician, writer and artist Kerry Burrows found her health improved greatly after having
her mercury and amalgam fillings removed.
She is pictured with a 'Puppet Theatre' she made for her nieces

Their removal nearly three years ago ended my long-term depression. It did not cure me of my chronic physical pain, the cause of which is uncertain but seems to be related to osteophytes in my right shoulder, and neck compression due to postural problems, aggravated by many years of classical guitar practice. However, what has changed is that I am now able to maintain a positive attitude – something I was previously incapable of.

It's also nice to have teeth that look like teeth. I love my white composites and I really take care of them. I hated the ugliness of the mercury amalgams and somehow I feel that was not just about vanity. It was about what those fillings represented to me; unnecessary dental treatment. My teeth feel and look so clean now.

I was in a hurry to get the job done, after doing quite a lot of research into mercury. I did apply to the NHS but the wait was so long that I got the job done privately. Eventually, the NHS found me to be allergic to both mercury and amalgam. If I'd waited, I would have saved myself £1500! But at least it's done and I know I saw good practitioners.

My suspicions that the mercury and amalgam in my mouth could be causing a part, if not all of my health problems were first awakened in June 1996 when I saw Dr Rodney Adeniyi-Jones in London for a consultation, trying to find the cause of the pain in my face, shoulders and neck, and my depression.

After taking numerous kinesiology tests he concluded I was suffering from mercury poisoning, advised me to see a specialist and gave me the numbers of several people who excelled in the field. Dr Adeniyi-Jones, by the way, is a brilliant practitioner as many patients will testify. He is also expensive. My consultation cost £90.

His results coincided with those of my homoeopath, Vivienne Bradshaw in Lincolnshire. Her initial diagnosis of £30, came to the same conclusion.

For further tests, I chose Dr Jack Levenson, a kinesiologist in London. He confirmed I was in the sensitive category and after an 'electrogalvanic evaluation' with a kinesiology machine was able to tell me which quadrants were giving me the greatest amount of trouble. The consultation, tests and detox medicine he gave came to a total of £145. I had spent £235 before even getting to the dentist but at least I was sure that I was going in the right direction.

What follows is my mercury amalgam removal story, including dates and costs. It is some times traumatic, but in hindsight, it was well worth what I went through. My head feels clearer, it is easy to include positive mental training in my life and emotionally I also feel better. The results I had hoped for in the physical arena (apart from increased energy) did not completely happen but I am able to cope much better with the physical pains I have.

I believe mercury is toxic and I cannot personally see how it would be good for anyone; however, I accept that some people seem to be capable of handling the harmful vapours that are released while others cannot. A person may be anything from mildly sensitive to extremely allergic.

It is simple enough to take a blood, kinesiology or skin patch test to discover if there is a sensitivity. In my case, it was a sensitivity so extreme it is called a 'true allergy'. In such a case, the fillings must go to ensure improved health.

Previous to my investigations into mercury, I had seen a long list of practitioners over a period of about three years. They included an acupuncturist, oesteopath, chiropractor, herbalist, psychic, homoeopath, therapist, cranial oesteopath, naturopath and Alexander Technique teacher. In most cases I went to about 10 sessions but in the case of Alexander Technique I went three to five times a week for six months. I can't possibly recall how much money I spent – perhaps I don't want to! But nothing eased my depression or anxiety until the removal of my fillings.

June 13, 1996

I had a consultation with Dr Robert Hempleman of the Brompton Dental and Health Clinic in Earls Court. We discussed the various options and I concluded I wanted to replace all my fillings with a quartz crystal compound. It's durable, smooth, and looks great. Dr Hempleman's advice was to have all my teeth filled with a temporary substance of zinc phosphate (zinc is destroyed by mercury so this recharges the body), giving the nerves a chance to settle. After two to three months, the zinc could be replaced with the crystal compound.

Replacing the fillings with a temporary substance first and then putting in a permanent one later naturally costs more than putting in a permanent substance straight away. It made sense to give my teeth some of the zinc they'd been missing out on and to go easy on my nerves but I had limited finances. We came up with a compromise in which I'd have some of my fillings replaced with the quartz crystal compound immediately while the majority would be filled with the temporary zinc phosphate and replaced at some stage in the future. The consultation cost £30.

June 18 and 26, 1996

I felt nauseous before the first removal and was reminded by a nurse that going to the dentist can be a traumatic experience and re-surface unpleasant memories. She assured me that what I was feeling was perfectly normal.

Dr Hempleman inserted protective equipment into my mouth to safeguard me from any mercury vapour that would be released from my mouth during the drilling. First, the clamps were inserted onto the teeth. Maybe I have overly sensitive gums but it really hurt. A rubber dam was stretched over my mouth increasing the tension. A nose piece was put on as well and damp gauze over my eyes, and finally an air filter.

Thankfully, it only took him about 15 minutes to remove the bottom right quadrant of fillings and even less time to put in the temporary fillings. This cost £125. A week later I had the upper right quadrant done and replaced with the quartz crystal compound, which cost £400.

July 3, 1996

All the fillings on the left side of my mouth were done in one session. They were replaced with the temporary zinc phosphate at a cost of £225.

All up the dental treatment came to £780.

July 8, 1996

I saw Dr Adeniyi-Jones for a follow-up treatment. I was still very depressed. He said it could take up to 18 months for all the mercury to be released and tests showed there was still a lot in my system. He said that taking extra nutrients and homoeopathy could help with the clearing process. I needed to save some more money before I could buy the suggested supplements which would cost £80.

August 8, 1996

I bought the supplements and saw Dr Adeniyi-Jones again. I was weak and needing to rest frequently, often unable to stand up for more than 15 minutes at a time. The two follow-up treatments with Dr Adeniyi-Jones cost £188 which I paid off over the next two years.

I had planned to replace my temporary fillings with a permanent substance within six months after saving more money, but I did not have enough to return to Dr Hempleman to complete the job. A year passed by and I still had not replaced them. Now my teeth were hurting more than ever. I went to several NHS dentists for advice and they said I had to replace them immediately as the holes were getting deeper and might even require 'caps'.

My teeth were so sensitive I couldn't eat foods that were a little hot or cold and I knew the situation would get a lot worse. My mother had already been generous enough to give me £700 toward the costs and I did not want to trouble her further. Thankfully my younger sister who was living in Swansea, Wales, at that time, told me of a fantastic dental practice in her area. I went for a consultation and learned they would be able to complete the job well and cheaply, much more cheaply than anyone in London.

July 29, 30 and 31, 1997

What a relief it was to find the dental surgeons at RS Johns and PA Norman in Swansea. Their job was huge, their time limited, their work immaculate. Over three consecutive days, Mr Johns replaced all my temporary fillings in the three quadrants with a permanent white composite. The first cost only £95, as did the second, and the third, £85. Mr Johns was a gentle, patient and kind dentist and I found his practice more relaxing and re-assuring than any I have been in before. The bill – a total of £275. Other practices would have cost closer to £800.

The restoration was now complete and I still felt weak, irritable and in pain. It had been a year since the removal so I hoped the next six months would show an improvement. I took homoeopathy to detox myself of not only mercury but all harmful substances that had ever been in my system and began drinking nearly two litres of water a day which seemed to increase my anxiety. Also at this time I had my wisdom teeth removed due to chronic infections in my mouth. I was now in serious praying mode, suffering panic attacks and unable to leave my flat. At one stage I didn't eat for three days due to the intensity of the pain.

I was almost hallucinating.

I often phoned my homeopath, Vivienne Bradshaw, who ensured me my panic attacks were all part of the process and that I was getting better. After another six months, I was over the worst of it.

Previous to the removal of my fillings, I had hoped a course of treatment would cure me of all my ailments. But now, with my new `clear' head, I became aware that the only logical option was to take control, on a daily basis, of my own health matters. This meant becoming involved in practices which I could administer myself. I studied reiki (levels one and two), and began yoga and qui gong classes. I took up regular swimming and made my own self-hypnosis tapes to relax myself. For the first time in over a decade of trying, positive affirmations actually began to work for me. I continued to take homeopathy and to see only the practitioners whose treatments I genuinely enjoyed – massage for instance. By late 1998 I had recovered from depression.

But that's not all – something quite amazing happened, a miracle in many ways. I began to write music I was happy with. I have been a musician for over 10 years and my perfectionism and self-criticism had prevented me from enjoying my own compositions. No amount of awards, praise from family or friends or any other outside encouragement could persuade me to believe in myself.

But now I was creating music I was proud of and liked to listen to. I even attempted to fulfil a frustrated ambition of wanting to sing. My guitar playing was less tense and more flowing as I stopped censoring any ideas that came forth. Ideas that were abandoned years before were united with new fresh melodies, blending together as though they had been written at the same time. I also started to draw and paint and produce art work which I was very excited about. I have always been creative but never before had I been so pleased with the results.

And somehow, all the work joined together in magical ways. A novel began to practically write itself, once again joining together past stories with present ideas, making sense of what was once only perceived as disastrous and traumatic. The discarded drafts took on forms of their own. I boiled them, added glue and made papier maché art pieces, the main one being entitled 'I am a legal alien' which depicts a small alien dressed in a suit, ready to join the world. I did the same with my 'morning pages', at least three pages of my thoughts written each morning. It amounted to quite a lot of paper which was all recycled into papier maché containers, frames and whatever else I could think of.

I still struggled with physical pain but to have the mental and emotional anguish removed at long last was a great relief. Having my mercury amalgams removed was not the end of my health problems but it was the beginning of my recovery.

October 12, 14 and 16, 1998

At long last, I am attending an appointment at the Middlesex Hospital Dermatology Department through the NHS to see if I am allergic to mercury and amalgam, that is as far as the NHS is concerned.

The only acceptable test according to the health authorities is the skin patch test and it requires I be available for three days of the week and that I not bathe or shower for that length of time.

It is Monday morning and the first step is to have 46 samples of different metals and other materials taped on to my back. I ask the nurse if anyone ever shows as allergic to anything. She says about 30 percent.

By Tuesday night my back is itching like mad and I feel sick in my stomach. The tinnitus in my right ear, which I've had for years, is now extremely noisy and the inside of my ear is painful. My left foot is so itchy I can't possibly not scratch it. I feel like ripping off the test patches but I manage to compose myself until Wednesday afternoon.

A nurse removes the samples and jots down the ones which I have reacted to. She calls in the doctor – I've reacted to mercury and amalgam. But what's this? I need to wait until Friday for a further investigation. So if my back is completely clear, they will conclude I'm not allergic at all.

On Friday morning, Dr Natasha Kapur explains that if my skin is irritated for a short time it is a reaction but not a `true allergy'. She takes one look at my back, deep red where the mercury and amalgam have been and announces that a true allergy is exactly what I have. The spots weren't to disappear for another two weeks after that. She also told me that very few people ever get to the stage of being tested.

It occurs to me that it would make far better sense for everyone to be tested at the dentist before they underwent any treatment. Then patients would know what materials were safe for them before the whole problem started.

It is also interesting that of the three types of tests available – blood, kinesiology and patch test that the NHS chooses the one which is by far the most demanding on the patient. This apparently is the best and the most thorough test. Yes it might be, for the doctor, but if a patient can't take a shower for a week because of it maybe it's time to accept other options.

April 11, 1999

I have a follow-up session with Dr Richard Groves, Senior Lecturer and Consultant Dermatologist, at the Middlesex Hospital to see how I am going. I tell him my depression is gone but I still need to address my physical problems, osteophytes inside my shoulder. Several surgeons have suggested I have an operation to remove them and I am now capable of handling surgery if I decide to go ahead with it.

I ask Dr Groves what percentage of people are tested allergic to mercury and amalgam within the NHS. He says he doesn't have such figures but would describe it as "not rare but uncommon."

As far as he knows, the NHS is unable to help with the actual detoxification itself, but after nearly three years of homoeopathy it is more than likely that any harmful levels of mercury and amalgam are gone.

As you can see, it's a long road but depending on how bad a person feels, it is one avenue that can not afford to be overlooked. I am now able to live a much more active and happy life and if that's not worth £1500, then what is?

Contact Information

Dr Rodney Adeniyi-Jones, Flat H, 21 Devonshire Place, London, W1N 1PD, Tel: 020-7486 6354.
Vivienne Bradshaw, Homoeopath, 3 Maltings Cottages, Gonerby Hill Foot, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 8JF, Tel: 01476 567420.
Dr Jack Levenson, 26 Rivermead Court, Ranelajh Gardens, London SW6 3RU, Tel: 020-7736 4145.
Dr Robert Hempleman, The Brompton Dental and Health Clinic, 221 Old Brompton Rd, Earls Court, London, SW5 OEA, Tel: 020-7370 3132.
RS Johns and PA Norman, Dental Surgeons, 65 Walter Rd, Swansea, SA1 4PT, Tel: 01792 476714.
Dr Richard W. Groves, Senior Lecturer & Consultant Dermatologist, Department of Dermatology, The Middlesex Hospital, Mortimer Street, London, W1N 8AA, Tel: 020-7636 8333.