First of all I would like to thank everybody for their comments on the last post. It is good to hear about other folk’s experience and how they feel about Meniere’s disease.
The other day I received a comment about something called dental amalgam. At the time I couldn’t remember if I had heard anything about before so I looked it up. It has to do with the amount of mercury that is found in dental fillings and whether it has any effect on meniere’s.
From what I read this has been a controversial subject for quite a while. There have been many folks that say that mercury or silver fillings can be toxic, among other things. But that isn’t the opinion of the CDC that says it is very safe.
As far as the connection between it and Meniere’s disease, I really don’t know. I have read that mercury poisoning can have effects on our hearing and possibly tinnitus. There are also similar symptoms of mercury poisoning and Meniere’s disease. Does it all add up to say that mercury poisoning or dental amalgam can cause Meniere’s disease, I just don’t know about that. While I don’t always trust everything that the CDC or the government says there doesn’t seem to be a lot of evidences to conclude that there is a connection.
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This is interesting because mercury fillings were introduced in 1833 and Prosper Meniere wrote his first article about Meniere's Disease in 1861 after seeing many patients that had been suffering from the symptoms we all know so well. My only mercury filling is in my top left molar. My Menieres is in my left ear. Hmmm, you just never know.
Hi SueM,
that is an interesting point! thanks for the comment and stay in touch
David
I really don't know what to think of this subject. I believe that the World Health Organization is down on amalgam fillings, so it seems to depend a lot on whom you listen to. And, for better or worse, many of the proponents of this theory seem to fall in the health care camp that's often dismissed as "woo," or overly alternative.
I'd love to see some studies done on this possible connection. For now, there's nothing I can do differently, because my mercury fillings were replaced last year. I hope it helps.
I believe this issue is too important to pass over lightly. So for those interested bear with me. This is a lengthy post.
I, like many others, am concerned about the possible connection between mercury exposure, vertigo, and hearing loss. Studies in this area are sorely lacking. I suspect this is in large part to the conventional wisdom that mercury-containing dental amalgams are safe. There is considerable evidence to suggest otherwise, as many smart people profess (A little digging on the internet will lead you the these individuals). Furthermore, it is quite interesting that The American Society of Dental Surgeons (? now defunct) as early as 1825 felt that mercury amalgams were potentially toxic and they required their members to sign a written agreement not to put amalgam fillings in patients' mouths. Their concerns were ultimately overruled and subsequent dogma rules today. The literature concerning mercury exposure and Meniere's is scant and anecdotal. Consider the following two passages from William Gilman Thompson's book on occupational diseases. He notes:
"Ropke has reported ("Krankheiten des Ohres" p 28) a case of mercury poisoning in a man employed in gilding swords. He complained of muscle pains severe nervous disturbances and "acute labyrinthine affection with Meniere's symptom complex." There were vertigo, tinnitus, deafness, vomiting and loss of equilibrium. He recovered on abandoning the work."
"Wolf and Ropke have observed labyrinthine disease in quicksilver miners with Meniere's symptom complex ."
This book was published in 1914! (God bless you Google Search). Cont. (John H)
It is well recognized that mercury toxicity is associated with hearing loss and vertigo. There are contemporary studies that have looked at mercury exposure and hearing loss and vertigo, but not specifically Meniere's disease (that I have yet found). To investigate such a connection you would have to understand or have a glimmer of understanding into the concept of chronic, low-dose heavy metal toxicity. A good place to start is with the story of Dr. Alfred Stock who coined the term micro-mercurialism. Dr. Stock diagnosed himself with chronic (low dose) mercury toxicity. The symptomatology of this disease is quite non-specific (making diagnosis very difficult) and modern medicine really doesn't have a good and reliable way to measure tissue metal concentrations. Moreover, add in variable individual susceptibility to metal exposure and you have one terribly difficult problem to study experimentally. One study that has looked at mercury amaglams and hearing loss concluded "that amalgam fillings may be a significant factor in hearing loss experienced by MS (multiple sclerosis) patients and could be a factor in hearing loss for others as well."
Reference: Siblerud, R. Kienholz, E. Evidence that mercury from dental amalgam may cause hearing loss in multiple sclerosis patients.Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Vol.11, No. 2, Second Quarter 1996, pp. 87-94.
Bottom line: if you are waiting for a study to tell you that the mercury in your teeth is causing you health problems ... it ain't gonna happen in your life time. My recommendation is study the issue and draw your own conclusions.
I have put my money where my mouth is (pun intented :) and had three amalgams removed about a year and a half after being diagnosed with Meniere's disease. Its been about a year now. My symptoms persist though seem to have lightened over the past 8 months. It is critical to realized that the amalgams are a source for the mercury that contaminates the body. Presumably, any mercury that is causing problems is no longer in the amalgam and is now in the diseased-dysfunctional tissue. The half life of mercury in the nervous system may be years, perhaps, up to a decade or more. As such, amalgam removal alone is unlikely to cure you. A detoxification program is critical to aid the body in reducing the mercury burden, if that is your goal. Anyways, I wish everyone the best of fortunate in their efforts to deal with this nasty disease.
John H
It's really thought provoking.
My teeth are full of this stuff, since both my Mom and I were taken in by a dentist who insisted that I had "deep crevices" as a child and it would be best to fill them.
B.S. Just made him money.
I began having trouble with my teeth at the exact same time the Menieres symptoms started.
I've seen others posts who've also had teeth trouble with Menieres.
Coincidence? Maybe not.
It would be helpful if the ENT's and the Dentists could work together to see if there is a connection.
hello
just my luck i got 8 of the mercury fillings.
here we go on another expensive route that is a maybe, maybe not. but its interesting to read that peggy has had hers out and she is none the better. on a gereneral health level alot of people are being advised to take them out, but like anything in medical until its scientific fact there is a whole greay area.
regards
ali
John H~
Informative post.
So..I'm wondering then..if the mercury is no longer in the actual filling, but now in the gum tissues..would removing the filling actually make a difference, or should one try to just detox the system? And if so..how? (if you know)
Tks!
Lauri
Lauri,
Those are very good questions. I do not have good answers for them, only a few comments.
I have read the average amalgam filling has approximately 0.5 gms of mercury. The mercury from the filling is release very slowing over time. There are, I presume, many variables determining the rate of release in a given individual. I do not know how much mercury would be left in the average filling after 5, 10, 15, or 25 years. I have not looked into this and don't know if it has been studied. It is a very relevant question. I assume the amount of mercury would still be significant but, again I don't know. There is a video on YouTube of an alleged 25 year old filling actively releasing mercury vapor in front of a photoluminescent screen. I have no expertise to know if this video is legitimate, but it is a compelling thing to watch and contemplate.
Regarding detox, I have wondered the same thing myself. I read speculation somewhere that potent chelating agents might actually pull mercury into the body if the fillings were still in place during detox therapy. If this were the case the detox therapy would be do exactly the opposite of your intended aim. This is entirely speculation, however, as far as I know.
I do know that detox is potentially dangerous and should be done under professional advisement. There are health care advisers-professionals that have experience with this and that can guide the process.
John H
David, I want to thank you for providing this forum. Here is a link to the YouTube video I alluded to in the prior post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ylnQ-T7oiA
John H
Before anyone gets worried about their fillings and the levels of mercury in your system, I would suggest having your doctor order a blood test that would show how much mercury you have in your body, as well as other heavy metals. This test is very easily done and could rule out or confirm anything you might need to be concerned about.
Chelation is the subject of a lot of debate among doctors. My husband had it done years ago, but I'm not sure whether I would. Similarly, we have no idea whether it made any difference in his health or not.
I asked my dentist when my fillings were replaced whether I needed to worry about mercury being released into my system as the fillings were removed, and he said it's not a problem. The medical and dental communities alike are very divided about all of this. For the record, we didn't replace mine because of mercury; we replaced the fillings because they were very old and beginning to come out on their own.
Proceed with caution.
Peggy,
Your cautionary comments are thoughtful, prudent and appreciated. There are a few points I would like to raise in response.
First, testing tissue levels-body burden of mercury is not without its own controversies. Mercury levels in the blood have a relatively short half life as the mercury moves from the blood to the solid tissues of the body. Blood levels may not be the best way to measure tissue burden from chronic low dose exposure (in other words blood levels could be low while tissue levels are relatively high). 24 hour urine and hair testing have also been used to determine exposure. The latter method is principally a research tool I believe. There is no direct way to measure levels in the brain or ear or heart or other organ short of biopsy or autopsy. I suspect few takers on either option.
Second, so you get a blood test and now you have a number. What does that number mean and are you toxic or not? Let’s consider the case of lead. In 1971 the CDC lowered the limit for a lead poisoned child to 40 micrograms /deciliter (µg/dL). In 1975 they further lowered the limit for a lead poisoned child to 30 µg/dL . Guess what, in 1985 the CDC further lowered the limit for a lead poisoned child to 25 µg/dL . What will that limit be in 2025? You get my point. And consider the fact that the researchers determining these limits for metal toxicity have much more data on the adverse health effects of lead than mercury. So back to that number the lab gave you. What does it mean? The answer may not be so clear as … ‘yep, you’re toxic’ or ‘no, you’re fine.’
By the way, did you know that in 1909 France, Belgium and Austria banned white-lead interior paint? In 1922 the League of Nations banned white-lead interior paint. The US, however, declined to adopt the League of Nation ban. Finally, in 1978 the USA banned white lead paint. I decided not to wait for the establishment to tell me that my amalgams may be hurting my health. Most everyone here knows the desperation. Your ear is exploding and disintegrating more everyday. Mercury may not be the answer. But, what if.
John H
John H, I appreciate your point of view. But "what if" isn't enough for me, yet.
I was skeptical when my husband went through the chelation, and I still am. He had high levels of mercury, but has never had a single Meniere's symptom. To me, that shows it's not simple cause and effect.
As for your arguments about testing not being conclusive, for me that's one more reason not to try something that's a shot in the dark.
I understand desperation very, very well. I've been there. But when I was desperate, I had a surgery. Different approaches for different patients. I had to do what was more comfortable for me, and the results have been an improvement, even if they didn't achieve a perfect resolution
I have had mercury poisoning for the past 15 years. I have ringing in my ears right now. I used to have difficulties hearing people in a crowd, but that seems to have subsided.
My mother has mercury poisoning from dental amalgams and she wears a hearing aid at 64.
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