Blog launch - T minus 31 days

I am preparing to detox from mercury and recover from heavy metal poisoning.  This blog is to document my detoxing process before, during and after the removal.  I can only hope that this will help someone else who is suffering from mercury poisoning.

Last year I got sick.   Sicker, I should say.

In August,  I ended up in the emergency room with extreme intestinal pain.   I was diagnosed with diverticulitis, a condition where intestinal pockets become infected.   The doctor told me some people have recurring diverticulitis, and might need to have sections of the colon removed.    I had nightmares of colonoscopy bags, etc.  (which turns out to be an unsubstantiated fear, since many of procedures do not require colonoscopy bags).

Anyway, I started watching my diet.  But not carefully enough.  One month later, while on the other side of the US visiting my daughter at University of Richmond, I ended up in the emergency room again, with a diverticulitis relapse.  Now I'm really scared!

I returned home to Portland and finally called a nutritionist.  Enter health counselor Elisabeth Dunham Gerding.    If you need nutritional help - check her out NOW!  I know she helps many people and will work with you online or over the phone.

Elisabeth echoed a suggestion my naturopath, Dr. Bridghid McMonogle, made earlier in the year.  I started seeing Dr. McMonogle two years ago when I was feeling particularly disheartened with the lack of improvement in my thyroid.  She recommended a gluten-free diet and mercury removal, which seemed extreme to me at that time.  Who knew dental fillings would cause such a problem?  You'd think the American Dental Association would know!

In the early 1970s, our family dentist used mercury amalgams for fillings.  Forty years later, I still have seven of these mercury fillings in my mouth.  For me the symptoms didn't really start until around 2003, when I was detected as having hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid under performs.  My case of hypothyroidism was diagnosed with a 30 pound weight gain over a one year period.  Ugh.  I was also exhausted and often needed a nap in the afternoon.

All of my life, I've been in great shape, not skinny, but fit.  That's me in the photo swinging the bat at a softball game in 2000.  I participated in sports, danced, and hiked regularly.  My ideal weight is 140 pounds.

Over the next eight years, my weight has fluctuated between 165 and 190, primarily between 170 and 180.   I was prescribed a variety of thyroid medications which seemed to make my bloodwork better, but I was still exhausted.  In 2010 I got up to 199 and decided to try the HCG diet.  I was able to lose 25 pounds relatively quickly, but still didn't get my health or energy back.

When I explained all of these symptoms and my history to Elisabeth, she just nodded.  Then she shared her experience, strength, and hope with me.  Elisabeth is a primary catalyst in me changing my diet and starting my mercury removal process.  Please visit her website at www.elisabethdunham.com to read more about her miraculous recovery from mercury poisoning and lyme disease.

I plan to use many methods for detoxing, including chelation with my naturopath, infrared saunas, hot yoga, diet and supplements.   I certainly want to hear from you if you have experience or questions about the mercury removal process.