Amalgam fillings

afinkel - While we do know that amalgam fillings do release a minute amount of mercury into your system, to my knowledge there have been no studies into this as a trigger or contributing factor. That said, it's important to remember that anything could potentially be a trigger, keeping our health at optimum helps our Migraines, and that we do know heavy metals at high levels can do damage to our neurological systems.

If you are concerned about your fillings, you can have your blood tested to see if your levels exceed those that are normally seen in most people. (remember that heavy metals are part of our everyday environment, even in the dust we breathe and the soil our food grows in) Talk to your headache specialist about your results and the potential it might be an issue for you. Then, if you want to spend the money and the time to have your amalgams removed, please make sure its done by someone with the appropriate equipment and training to do it without actually causing you further damage.

Remember too, that composite fillings are made of plastics, which also leach chemicals.

We are surrounded by chemicals. I guess the trick is figuring out which might be an individual problem, and ignoring the rest?

Afinkel, my husband listens to a lot of alternative medicine brodcasts. He tells me I need to have all my fillings replaced. I don't know if all this stuff about lead poisoning is accurate or not. I am slowly having my fillings replaced with the composite fillings.My concern is the dust from drilling out the old to replace with the new. I use a metal cleanse twice a year. you can get all kinds of cleanses at you logal health food store. talk to your doctor and pharmacist before using a cleanse if you are on medication. Some medicines are madeto release in the bowel which can be affected by a cleanse.

carla-fisher - There are specific techniques to remove amalgam fillings. It is the mercury in them that people worry about. Our bodies are equipped to deal with and remove these things at a certain rate. Some people may be accumulating heavy metals faster than their bodies are equipped to detoxify them however.

Have you been tested to see if your mercury or other heavy metal levels are elevated? Composites are made of plastic, and it is my understanding that these too can leach chemicals, so it's possible you may be trading off one problem for another. I suggest contacting a dentist specially trained in removing amalgam fillings for an opinion... or two. Ask lots of questions. We do know that mercury is accumulated in organs including the brain, where it can cause damage. If mercury is an issue, this will take very specific chelation procedures to help eliminate it over a very long period of time - years.

Because mercury binds to other chemicals and compounds throughout our bodies, a cleanse is not likely to be very effective. Chelation is helpful but may be done too rapidly for our bodies to deal with effectively, and our already sensitive Migraine brains may get worse instead of better.

There are ways of helping with a mercury issue, but anything other than chelation, is all controversial.

For more information, I'd suggest contacting a local dentist who has specialized training in dealing with these issues. Here is a list: http://iaomt.org/

All the information I have seen/read about amalgam fillings is that if they are not removed properly it puts the person at a greater health risk because more mercury is put into the body via the drilling dust. One must go to a dentist that specializes in this procedure.