Can Mercury really cure you?
For hundreds of years, mercury-containing products claimed to heal a varied and strangely unrelated host of ailments. Melancholy, constipation, syphilis, influenza, parasites — you name it, and someone swore that mercury could fix it.
Why is it so hard to reduce our exposure to Mercury?
The bottom line is that we want to reduce our exposure to mercury as much as possible. One of the biggest challenges is that most practitioners and researchers are not aware of the latest science that shows elevated levels of mercury can take a serious toll on our health.
Are there effective therapies for mercury toxicity?
Effective therapies for clinical toxicity have been described. 1. Introduction Mercury is a heavy metal of known toxicity, noted for inducing public health disasters in Minamata Bay, Japan [1] and in Iraq [2–4]. The clinical impact of smaller mercury exposures remains controversial.
Can mercury cure Melancholy?
Melancholy, constipation, syphilis, influenza, parasites — you name it, and someone swore that mercury could fix it. Mercury was used ubiquitously for centuries, at all levels of society, in its liquid form (quicksilver) or as a salt.
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Why is mercury not used in medicine?
It [i.e. mercury] is rarely used for medical purposes because of its lethal effect. Some people burn it until it becomes like ash, mix it with other substances and give it as beverage to the sufferers from colic and the so-called ileus.
Can mercury be treated?
There's no cure for mercury poisoning. The best way to treat mercury poisoning is to stop your exposure to the metal. If you eat a lot of mercury-containing seafood, stop immediately.
What can be done for mercury poisoning?
If mercury poisoning is suspected in people who are critically ill, your doctor will most likely treat you with chelation therapy, no matter what form of mercury caused the poisoning. Chelation therapy is made up of compounds that enter your bloodstream and bind to the mercury so that it can be eliminated by your body.
What is the problem with mercury?
Although some forms of mercury are more dangerous than others, all are toxic. Depending on the type and amount, exposures to mercury can damage the nervous system, kidneys, liver and immune system. Breathing mercury vapors can harm the nervous system, lungs and kidneys.
Is it safe to touch mercury?
Mercury is a very toxic or poisonous substance that people can be exposed to in several ways. If it is swallowed, like from a broken thermometer, it mostly passes through your body and very little is absorbed. If you touch it, a small amount may pass through your skin, but not usually enough to harm you.
Why is mercury so toxic?
The inorganic salts of mercury are corrosive to the skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract, and may induce kidney toxicity if ingested. Neurological and behavioural disorders may be observed after inhalation, ingestion or dermal exposure of different mercury compounds.
What happens if I swallow mercury?
If inorganic mercury enters your bloodstream, it can attack the kidneys and brain. Permanent kidney damage and kidney failure may occur. A large amount in the bloodstream may cause massive blood and fluid loss from diarrhea and kidney failure, leading to death.
Does mercury stay in your body forever?
Mercury does not stay in the body forever. It takes about six months to a year to leave the bloodstream once exposure stops. Some researchers think mercury can permanently damage the nervous system in children.
What will happen if mercury is injected?
Depending on how much mercury is inhaled, permanent lung damage and death may occur. Long-term brain damage from inhaled elemental mercury can also occur. There have been cases of mercury being injected under the skin, which can cause fever and rash.
Does mercury have any health benefits?
The Current FDA Recommendations of Mercury in Fish Omega-3 fatty acids can help protect against heart disease, reduce inflammation, and improve organ health, among other things.
What is mercury used for today?
Mercury is used in fluorescent lamps, thermometers, float valves, dental amalgams, in medicine, for the production of other chemicals, and to make liquid mirrors. Mercury(II) fulminate is an explosive used as a primer in firearms.
Why is mercury in fish?
Methylmercury in fish mainly comes from mercury in ocean sediment that is transformed into methylmercury by microorganisms. This organic form of mercury is absorbed by the tissues of fish through their gills as they swim and through their digestive tracts as they feed.
How long does mercury stay in the body?
The excretory half life of methyl mercury in man is about 70 days, with approximately 90% being excreted in stool. Some degree of enterohepatic circulation apparently occurs. Perhaps 20% of methyl mercury is excreted in breast milk, with the actual amount varying with severity of exposure [5].
Where does mercury go in the brain?
Metallic mercury passes easily through the blood brain barrier [17] and through the placenta, where it lodges in the fetal brain [18].
How much mercury is absorbed by humans?
Most human metallic mercury exposure comes from mercury vapor outgassing from amalgam fillings, at a rate of 2 to 28 micrograms per facet surface per day, of which about 80% is absorbed, according to the World Health Organization [7, 8] and Berglund et al. [10].
What is the source of mercury?
Most human exposure to mercury is caused by outgassing of mercury from dental amalgam, ingestion of contaminated fish, or occupational exposure, according to the World Health Organization [7, 8].
Is EDTA or DMPS better for mercury?
These are designed for safety, and for diagnostic breadth. DMPS has far better affinity for mercury than EDTA, but EDTA is more effective in removing lead, cadmium, nickel, and other toxic metals.
Does mercury interfere with DNA?
Mercury is believed to interfere with DNA transcription and protein synthesis [59], including protein synthesis in the developing brain, with destruction of endoplasmic reticulum and disappearance of ribosomes [60].
Can mercury vapor cause bronchitis?
With massive acute exposure to mercury vapor, erosive bronchitis and bronchiolitis potentially leading to respiratory failure may be accompanied by CNS symptoms such as tremor or erethism [50]. Chronic exposure to clinically significant doses of mercury vapor usually produces neurological dysfunction.
When did Freddie Mercury die?
Freddie Mercury caught HIV and developed AIDS before there were any really effective treatments. Freddie Mercury died November 24, 1991. It was not until the 11th International Conference on AIDS in Vancouver in 1996 that the concept of combined 3-drug therapy was proposed. Before that there was no effective treatment.
Did Freddie Mercury live long enough?
He didn’t live long enough to see long-term effective treatments developed. Freddie received the drug AZT (as did most HIV/AIDS patients in the late 80s and early 90s). AZT suppressed the virus and its effects for a while, but eventually (after a year or so) tended to stopped working.
Was Freddie more promiscuous than Jim?
As others have said, Freddie was MUCH more promiscuous than Jim who had led a quiet life. Also there is an average 10 year period between HIV infection and AIDS symptoms so the fact that Jim met Freddie in 1984 but had not developed AIDS by 1995 means he was likely infected by Freddie rather than beforehand.
What are the best ways to reduce mercury levels?
Air, water, and soil around industrial sites may contain higher levels of mercury than found elsewhere. Use water filters that specifically filter mercury, like this one on Amazon. If you do a lot of gardening, wear gloves when digging in soil to limit skin absorption.
What is mercury used for?
Mercury is a type of heavy metal that occurs naturally in the environment. It’s also used in a variety of industrial products, from thermometers to light switches. There are several types of mercury.
What is the normal mercury level?
According to the Mayo Clinic, blood mercury levels of 0 to 9 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) are normal and do not present a concern. A level of 10 to 15 ng/mL indicates mild exposure. Anything over 50 ng/mL may indicate heavy exposure to organic mercury.
What to do if you have mercury poisoning?
If you have mercury poisoning with a very high level of mercury in your blood, your doctor will probably recommend chelation therapy . This method involves using medications, called chelators, that bind to mercury in your body and help it to exit your system. Chelators can be taken as a pill or injected.
How does the body filter out toxic substances?
Your body is designed to filter out toxic substances, usually with the help of your kidneys and liver. Unless you have a condition that affects your kidney or liver function, your body’s natural detox system is very effective at removing toxins, including extra mercury, through urine and in bile excreted to the feces.
How to get rid of mercury in urine?
Drinking more water. Mercury is also eliminated in urine, so drinking extra water can help to speed up the process. Avoiding exposure. The best way to get rid of mercury in your body is to avoid sources of it whenever you can. As you reduce your exposure, the level of mercury in your body will decrease as well.
How to know how much mercury is in your body?
Having your doctor test for mercury levels is the only way to know how much mercury is in your body. Here are several tests your doctor may use: Blood test. A blood test indicates whether you’ve been exposed to mercury in the last few days.
What is mercury used for?
Most people know of elemental mercury as that slippery, silvery liquid once used with ubiquity in glass thermometers . If you were a child before helicopter parenting, you might have had the opportunity to play with the contents of a broken thermometer.
What is the name of the medicine that turns black?
Drawing from the Greek words for good and black (named so for its habit of turning black in the presence of ammonia), calomel was the medicine from the 16th to the early 20th century. By itself, calomel seems fairly innocuous — an odourless white powder. But don’t be fooled.
What was the name of the chemical that was absorbed by the body?
People were desperate for a cure. By the 16th century, mercury came to the rescue. Mercuric chloride arrived on the scene. Unlike calomel, mercuric chloride was water-soluble and easily absorbed by the body, making its poisonous results seem all the more effective. It burned the skin when applied (“It hurts!
Does mercury work in steam baths?
These regimens would often continue for the rest of the sufferer’s life.
Is mercury a liquid?
The only metal that is liquid at room temperature, it’s also the only element whose common name was taken from its association with alchemy and a Roman god. So it almost makes sense that people expected magical things from mercury. Qin Shi Huang, First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (246–221 BCE), was one of them.
Does mercury cure syphilis?
Melancholy, constipation, syphilis, influenza, parasites — you name it, and someone swore that mercury could fix it. Mercury was used ubiquitously for centuries, at all levels of society, in its liquid form (quicksilver) ...
What is mercury used for?
It is used to make many different kinds of products including electrical switches, batteries, and medical devices such as thermometers. It is used in industry to manufacture chlorine and process gold ore.
What are the effects of mercury?
Gastrointestinal effects are frequent in the initial set of symptoms (metallic taste, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain) as are CNS effects such as headache, weakness, and visual disturbances. Several days after the initial exposure, symptoms are more similar to those that develop following inorganic mercury poisoning, including ptyalism (heavy salivation), enteritis, and renal damage; there can also be chronic CNS effects, which develop as a result of the ability of absorbed elemental mercury to cross the blood-brain barrier.
What are the symptoms of mercury vapor inhalation?
Symptoms of acute exposure to elemental mercury vapor inhalation occur within hours of the exposure and consist of cough, chills, fever, and shortness of breath. Symptoms might resolve or gradually progress to a chemical pneumonitis, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), respiratory failure, and renal failure.
How is mercury absorbed?
Virtually no elemental mercury is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract or by the skin. Mercury crosses the placenta and can be transferred to infants via breast milk. Top of Page.
What are the elements that mercury reacts with?
Elemental mercury reacts vigorously with ground mixtures of sodium carbide, aluminum, lead, or iron. A violent exothermic reaction, possibly an explosion, occurs when mercury comes in contact with chlorine dioxide, lithium, or rubidium. It also reacts with acetylenic compounds, ammonia, azides, boron diiodophosphide, ethylene oxide, methyl azide, methylsilane, oxygen, oxidants, and tetracarbonylnickel. Pure dry ammonia and mercury do not react even under pressure and heat, but if water is present, a compound forms that can explode during depressurization. Heating mercury vapor produces mercuric oxide, which is highly irritating to mucous membranes and more likely than elemental mercury vapor to cause chemical pneumonitis.
What are some synonyms for mercury?
Medical Management Guidelines for Mercury. Synonyms include colloidal mercury, quicksilver, liquid silver, metallic mercury, and hydrargyrum. Persons exposed to elemental mercury vapor do not pose a significant risk of secondary contamination to response personnel outside the Hot Zone. Persons whose skin or clothing is contaminated ...
What happens if you get exposed to mercury?
Repeated or continuous exposure to elemental mercury can result in accumulation of mercury in the body and permanent damage to the nervous system and kidneys. Classic symptoms of poisoning include neuropsychiatric effects, renal impairment, and oropharyngeal inflammation.
Why is mercury a problem?
It’s a major problem today because our exposure to it is rising (1), from the air we breathe to the food we eat. One of the primary ways we are exposed to mercury is by eating large fish such as tuna, shark, and swordfish. The bottom line is that we want to reduce our exposure to mercury as much as possible.
What would happen if mercury was discovered?
If mercury toxicity was discovered, effective treatment would have given them a chance of resolution without the need for long-term symptom relief with pharmaceuticals, many of which have serious side effects. Let me give you a real-life example.
How can we get mercury poisoning?
We can also be exposed to mercury through drinking water (especially private water systems like wells that are often untested and municipal systems), occupational exposures, and by coal heating in homes. New cases of mercury poisoning have also been connected to certain skin lightening face creams (2a).
What are some things that help with mercury detox?
Other items that have been said to help with mercury detoxification are zeolites and different kinds of clay (bentonite, etc.) 6.
What are some examples of mercury?
Fish that are high in methylmercury, also known as organic mercury. Typical examples are the big fish mentioned above, like tuna, swordfish, shark, etc.
Where does mercury end up in the body?
Finally, it ends up on our plates. When we eat high-mercury fish, the mercury is distributed throughout our body but primarily takes hold in the kidneys and brain. Once there, the mercury can cause slow havoc to a variety of organs especially the heart, brain, and gut. In pregnant mothers, mercury is transferred to the fetus through ...
Where does mercury come from?
Most of the mercury that finds its way into the environment is from coal-fired power plants, artisanal gold mining, and processing plants that make plastics and chlorine (3). The mercury is sent into the air, then rained down on lakes, into soil, and carried off by rivers.
Why is it difficult to ignore the role of Mercury?
But it is difficult to ignore the role of Mercury if only because the Mad Hatter made it clear to Alice that it can cause psychosis in its own right. Killing the spirochete may have stopped one contribution to psychosis. This is important for a few reasons.
Why were prostitutes forcibly treated with mercury?
Except that is for the prostitutes who in a number of cities like Vienna were forcibly treated with mercury in order to reduce transmission. Against the link to Mercury is the fact that when malarial fever therapy was introduced in 1917, it cured GPI.
What is the name of the madness that Mercury did play in GPI?
Unlike lead, which was never used to treat schizophrenia (although there was a surprising amount of lead put into medicines in the 19th century), if Mercury did play a role in GPI, it offers a dramatic example of Pharmacosis – a distinctive and horrifying madness.
Does mercury cure syphilis?
This led to a linkage between mercury and syphilis and the famous phrase of “a night with Venus and a lifetime with Mercury”. Mercury helped but it didn’t cure. Physicians began to work on methods to get mercury into the body.
What is Mercury Drug?
Mercury Drug was a drug store which has been in the business industry for many years. He went to the Mercury Drug and approached the owner. He asked the owner if he can rent a small space wherein he can put his small shoe store.
What does Henry Sy say about life?
We can live life to the fullest with utmost satisfaction and fulfillment if we determine with all our mind, body and soul to succeed.
Did Henry let Mercury Drug step into his life?
With this incident, Henry promised that once he becomes rich, he would not let Mercury Drug step into his life and embarrassed him again.
