Help interpreting mercury level in hair analysis

[kkrathi]

I ordered hair test and got my results from ARL (Analytical research labs, Inc). I was wondering if someone could please help me interpret the mercury level.

First, they didn't put any units! Usually I believe the levels for metals are measured in ug/g. But this report did not have any units. Can I assume it is ug/g?

Secondly, my mercury level shows as 0.294. The report summary says it is high. Nothing beyond that. So how high is this? Is it high enough to justify chelation protocol? Or should I try something else?

Also do you have any other suggestions looking at the other numbers?

Would sincerely appreciate your responses.

This is an image of my results:

 

[South]

Depends on who you talk to/read.

for example, if you believe Andy Cutler, who wrote a book on this (not that he is necessarily right), he only recommends certain labs, not other labs...

labs he reommends, and interpreting results, are somewhere on this page:
http://home.earthlink.net/~moriam/HOW_TO_hair_test.html#counting_rules

 

[Johnmac]

@David Hammond is a hair test expert, if he's still around.

All I know is that according to Cutler, with some metals the reading doesn't mean much as mercury (if present) scrambles the reading. Indeed the scrambled reading - deranged mineral transport - is how you diagnose the presence of Hg, according to Cutler.

The Frequent Dose Chelation yahoo group has the most expertise on this subject.

 

[kkrathi]

@South and @Johnmac thank you for your responses. After reading the links, it seems I have mercury poisoning. Given that I have also been diagnosed undermethylated, am I supposed to remove mercury first before methylating?

There is contradictory info on the forums and I am very confused. I would love to start methylating same time as chelating/removing mercury if possible. I really could use some energy. I read somewhere that methylating in fact does help in removing mercury but I could be wrong. On the other hand someone else posted that If you haven't chelated mercury and have a substantial loading then firing up the methylation pathways can cause significant distress.

Thoughts anyone? Or what has been anyone's experience here?

 

[Johnmac]

@South and @Johnmac thank you for your responses. After reading the links, it seems I have mercury poisoning. Given that I have also been diagnosed undermethylated, am I supposed to remove mercury first before methylating?

There is contradictory info on the forums and I am very confused. I would love to start methylating same time as chelating/removing mercury if possible. I really could use some energy. I read somewhere that methylating in fact does help in removing mercury but I could be wrong. On the other hand someone else posted that If you haven't chelated mercury and have a substantial loading then firing up the methylation pathways can cause significant distress.

Thoughts anyone? Or what has been anyone's experience here?

Well there are ways of confirming you are mercury poisoned - which might save you a lot of trouble in case you are wrong. Get your hair test analysed by the folk at FDC (there's a website you post them to anonymously); or perhaps most definitively, do a cautious trial round on alpha lipoic acid, & see what happens.

Remember that people on forums are often heavily invested in one model; if it's a methylation forum they will look at your symptoms & say you are under/over-methylated; if it's a mercury forum they'll tend to interpret your symptoms as mercury toxicity.

People say lots of things. I did methylation & chelation at the same time, & that worked out fine. @stridor knows a lot about this, if he's still around.

There is a lot of contradictory info on these forums because no-one quite knows what he or she is talking about. All even the best experts have are limited data, & models. Which is why they disagree with each other so much. My approach has been to pick the most plausible bits out of each theory, & trial-and-error it - see what works for me.

 

[kkrathi]

Well there are ways of confirming you are mercury poisoned - which might save you a lot of trouble in case you are wrong. Get your hair test analysed by the folk at FDC (there's a website you post them to anonymously); or perhaps most definitively, do a cautious trial round on alpha lipoic acid, & see what happens.

Remember that people on forums are often heavily invested in one model; if it's a methylation forum they will look at your symptoms & say you are under/over-methylated; if it's a mercury forum they'll tend to interpret your symptoms as mercury toxicity.

People say lots of things. I did methylation & chelation at the same time, & that worked out fine. @stridor knows a lot about this, if he's still around.

There is a lot of contradictory info on these forums because no-one quite knows what he or she is talking about. All even the best experts have are limited data, & models. Which is why they disagree with each other so much. My approach has been to pick the most plausible bits out of each theory, & trial-and-error it - see what works for me.

I agree with you and thanks for responding! I did my hair analysis at Analytic Research Labs after investigating they are one of those few labs who do this accurately including not washing the hair.

I am gonna try some trial and error too, go to a functional doctor here, and go from there.

 

[stridor]

@kkrathi
My opinion in 2013 is a little bit stronger than today.
I still say that the methylation system can not be optimized when a person is metal-toxic. But that doesn't mean that it can't be improved.

My suspicion is that the happier the methylation pathway, the quicker a person will be able to detoxify with the right protocol. I did Cutler. It took me about 100 rounds more that other people and I think that this ties in impaired B12 utilization in the first 18 months.

I think that someone who is metal-toxic should wade into the methylation waters slowly. There may be a temptation to stop the B12 in the first few days when the "detox" symptoms crop up. (I am not sure whether this 7-14 day period of not feeling to hot is an actual detox but it does have a Herxheimer feel to it, I'll give it that).

This is very common and it will pass. B2 is your friend. After the detox period some of us "slip" again and it is related to the levels of intracellular potassium.

Good luck with chelation. Again, for others who read this, IMO everyone with identified methylation issues should be checked for metal toxicity. There is no upside to getting this wrong. Mercury takes decades to find its way out of the brain without our help.

The best way is to take a Doctors Data hair test to Yahoo's Frequent Dose Chelation Group or to Facebook - it is called Andy Cutler's Chelation Think Tank.

Here is a site with a lot of information about the protocol with a link.
http://www.livingnetwork.co.za/support/facebook-andy-cutler-chelation-think-tank/