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Mercury Chelation - negative side effect

helios

Senior Member
Messages
136
Location
Brisbane
I have been doing low dose chelation since the end of December. My hair analysis showed no mercury as did a urine challenge test. There is a theory that you can still have heavy metal issues based on disordered minerals in hair analysis. The logic is that they are poor excretors. Reading up on a number of people's experiences with low level Hg poisoning + my mum having worked a bit with Hg and me being first born + amalgam fillings + hair analysis, I decided to give chelation a go after reading up on the Andy Cutler protocol which was easy enough & cheap to do.

Basically low dose alpha lipoic acid with some low dose DMSA plus with a few other supps to help with the elimination out via urine/stools (With Hg most of it comes out in feces). When I first started I was encouraged as I had a bit of a pick up in cognition, dreams and libido. You do 3 days on then have a break between rounds. Well with each round my skin is getting worse. At first I developed a small slight rash on side of nose, but it disappeared, but with each round it seemed to be staying on longer and spreading more over my face. I can feel my skin is raised slightly like a rash, and from a distance it looks like I have been out in the sun all day.

I read up on the www and I did not find too many complaining of this side effect of chelation. There were a few though who took ALA as part of general health/anti aging strategy that complained of hives and dropped it. They were on 600mg a day. I guess I was taking approx the same amount spread out during the day (every 3 hrs). I have no idea if this is an allergic reaction or a consequence of mercury being shifted around. Mercury poisoning does cause skin rashes & dermatitis. Around the time when I was in my teens and I started to get fillings my skin deteriorated and was reddish on my face.

Has anyone else experienced this taking ALA?
I still think low dose Hg chelation is a good thing for me, but I dont want my face getting worse each round as I am at the point were I feel self-conscious with how I look now. I am doing coffee enemas + chlorophyll + red clay + drinking more water and recently sarsparilla tea. .
 

helios

Senior Member
Messages
136
Location
Brisbane
It says here that for DMSA:
I wonder if its a sulfur compound thing. I have to admit the dermatitis ramped up after I introduced the DMSA. The first few rounds were just ALA, and even then I would only take a coupe of small doses of DMSA. I could easily drop the DMSA and will for a while, but Its been about 10 days now since my last round and my skin has not improved one iota. I'm tempted to use cortisone creme but I read that can thin out the skin and being on the antibiotics & TRT has already effected my sub cutaneous fat I reckon so not crazy on that. If I knew it was not going to get any worse and improve in a few months of chelation (like I have seen testimonies of others who said chelation improved their skin & hair) then I would be fine with pushing on. I guess I should get a hair test soon to see if Hg is showing up to know if thats the cause of the dermatitis and not a allergy reaction to ALA/DMSA which if it was the later I thought my skin would have gone back to normal now.
 

Sam7777

Senior Member
Messages
115
Just make sure to discuss this in the facebook forum for andy cutler's group. You need precise group support.

A lot of weird things happen when you're chelating. Ruling out DMSA doesn't have to happen however. It could be temporary. But it is something to observe carefully. Chelation does put a burden on the body that requires changes in diet and supplements. Adrenal support is the first thing andy's group will tell you.

You'll want a good probiotic to be honest. I suggest homemade kefir from a good grass fed culture starter kit.

You might have some wonky issues with histamines and methylation, which could just mean you need more b vitamins, choline, and biotin. In theory chelation certainly puts a burden on the body which translates to more food and more vitamins needed. You might need to watch the amount of thiols you are eating.
 

helios

Senior Member
Messages
136
Location
Brisbane
Just make sure to discuss this in the facebook forum ....
You might need to watch the amount of thiols you are eating.
thanks Sam. I went in high with ALA. but I regret starting out so high now. With the first few rounds I did not get any side effects except for slight redness on side of nose which faded afterwards, so I kept on with that, but have been reading some other posts on here of people on a measly 5mg. I also feel I have lost more hair and look thinner in the face, I will get on the FB group.I feel my adrenals are holding up well. I am suffering from slightly more tiredness but that is more due to end of summer heat/humidity. I have been on licorice which I have always enjoyed the adrenal boost from that. I am also back on the Kefir. I was rundown over summer to keep up with it properly and wrecked a number of batches leaving them out too long. I feel my candida/fungal issues have gotten worse over the chelation period and I gather that can happen especially with DMSA (though I only take a couple of doses at end of each round)

I am also taking choline and biotin but have not noticed any benefit from them. I have been keeping up with MTF and MB12 but likewise dont really notice but benefit or negatives either way. I have also been taking support minerals like selenium, zinc, magnesium & iodine.

Back late last year I started to take molybdenum (prior to chelation) and got great cognitive boost from that but it wore off after a couple of months. Its involved in sulfar reducing enzyme & also breaking down by-product of candida. I have been doing some reading today on chelation and the topic of thiols. I looked at the list of high thiol foods and many I have trouble with but cruciferous vegetables are a staple of my diet. I was having trouble understanding the concept of avoiding high thiol foods but then doing chelation with a high thiol supplement. If I had an issue with high thiols I would feel rotten after eating cabbage/broccoli/cauliflower wouldn't I?

I'm certain I have issue with histamine intolerance. I dont feel too great on NAC and when I had glutathione IVs they would wipe me out for the next 3 hours. What is the significance of histamine intolerance when it comes to chelation?
 
Last edited:

Sidereal

Senior Member
Messages
4,856
Could the skin issues be due to biotin deficiency? As I understand it, ALA competes with biotin and pantothenic acid for the same transporter in the gut.
 

helios

Senior Member
Messages
136
Location
Brisbane
Could the skin issues be due to biotin deficiency? As I understand it, ALA competes with biotin and pantothenic acid for the same transporter in the gut.
Sam mentioned that. I have been taking 10mg most days over the period I chelated along with a silica complex. I was just doing it to help with condition of my hair. It has not helped my hair and can't say I notice any benefit. I see its also great for skin, but no way its helped me in that regard..I was wondering about B5 as well. I had been taking higher doses of individual Bs but ran out of B5 a few months back. Shyte wished I had remembered it competed with ALA. I have just started on a multi B with the all in, and I hope that helps.
 
Messages
47
DMSA-only chelation gave me rashes when I first started. ALA alone was not an issue, and when I decided to try reintroducing DMSA about 18 months later it was no longer a problem.
This post is listed in the FDC files regarding DMSA, neutrophils and yeast:http://onibasu.com/archives/am/44588.html

DMPS doesn't have the neutrophil issue, but you need to be aware of the allergic symptoms it can cause in some people; rashes being one. The allergic reaction worsens with each exposure, so those who react cannot take it.

Thiol problems can be hard to pinpoint as the effects are supposed to fluctuate over about a week, occasionally the symptoms even being quite pleasant. I've excluded them a few times and am still unsure how they affect me. You need to skip the ALA while you test thiol exclusion, though I'm not sure about dosage considerations if you find you are sensitive.

I think I've heard people doing ALA+DMSA rounds then continuing the DMSA slightly afterwards, though it is still somewhat uncharted territory. Not sure about taking DMSA only after the round though, if that is what you are doing. You may want to double check this with the Facebook guys.
 

helios

Senior Member
Messages
136
Location
Brisbane
DMSA-only chelation gave me rashes when I first started. ALA alone was not an issue, ....
I have registered with that Cutler FB group, and am awaiting acceptance. I will definitely ask my question there. With my chelation I was doing just ALA the first 2 days then just introducing DMSA in the last 3 dosages (lower ALA + a low DMSA). The DMSA had a very strong sulfur taste. I saw a few other people were doing the same. Kind of tapering off ALA with DMSA.

I felt my skin dermatitis really got worse after I started to introduce DMSA. . I see you stopped it and restarted later. Were the rashes the reason for you stopping it?
Were the rashes on your face and how long did they they take to fade?
Maybe the DMSA did not effect you later on becuase you had reduced your metal load with ALA in the meantime...is that your theory?
Are you much better off for having done chelation (sorry if you have posted this on another thread)?
Cheers
 
Messages
47
I did do a quick check on the Yahoo archives and some of the senior members seem to suggest against adding DMSA at the end: http://onibasu.com/archives/fdc/112300.html
There are some posts, including from Cutler, that DMSA at the end of the round can help with redistribution symptoms. I think that was in the context of a full ALA+DMSA round though.

Rashes were part of the reason. I also got yeasty itching all over, including my eye sockets which sticks in my mind.
The rashes were mainly on my ankles and underneath my eyes. Sorry, I don't remember how long they lasted, but it was quite short, perhaps a week. I don't think I managed many rounds before stopping.

Reduced metal burden could be one reason I can tolerate it now. I'm also taking more frequent and higher support nutrient doses; zinc and tauraine being two also on that neutrophil post. My diet is now higher carb and lower sulfur, which might be helping too.

I can't say I'm much better off unfortunately. My gut seems a bit better in terms of tolerating certain foods like soy and maybe dairy. Any other changes are either too subtle or transient. I intend to post a more meaningful update some time soon, but am waiting to check some test results and other things first. My main issue seems to be poor bile flow which I think may be greatly impeding any progress.