Re: (difficult) mercury methylation question

[Guest guest]

>

> I've used B-12 shots (once every 2-6 weeks) for about 4 years, to

> alleviate my symptoms of neuropathy and to improve my energy.

>I

> assume B-12 methylates the inorganic mercury in the brain -- is this

> correct?

No, this is not correct. It is one of those false beliefs that has

been circulating.

> (It must be doing something like this, since it seems to

> work so well).

>

B12 works because it helps to heal nerve damage.

> On p. 203, Andy says that lipoic acid " would not be helpful for

> methylmercury poisoned patients " since it decreases liver excretion

> of methylmercury while increasing excretion of inorganic mercury.

>

> So for someone like me, who is heavily poisoned but who has relied on

> methylators like high-dose B-12, I'm guessing that ALA chelation

> should include at least as many " off " days as " on " -- is this correct?

>

Using methylators like high dose B12 doesn't methylate mercury so

there is no reason to assume that you are methyl mercury poisoned. If

you were exposed to methyl mercury, for example by consuming methyl

mercury contaminated fish, your body would slowly convert the methyl

mercury to the inorganic form. It is the inorganic form that you need

to be concerned about and that you need to chelate out.

Andy suggests at least as many off days as on days in general for

chelation to recover from side effects and give the body some time to

heal. There are some cases where side effects are alleviated by

chelation where this rule may not apply and those people can use more

chelation days.

> I can't find info on the half-life or excretion rate of

> methylmercury. How does it get removed?

Very small amounts can come out in the feces, but in general it slowly

gets converted in the body to inorganic mercury.

By taking high zinc do

> one's natural mechanisms remove it at a reasonable rate?

No

(In which

> case, taking methylators would be helpful, and might possibly even be

> an alternative to ALA -- is this correct?).

No

Or should people who

> suspect methylmercury poisoning actually reduce use of methylating

> agents, to encourage methylmercury to oxidize into toxic inorganic

> mercury so the ALA can remove it?

>

No

The major reason to suspect methyl mercury poisoning would be recent

exposure to contaminated fish.

J

> Thank you.

>

> Kris H.

>

[Guest guest]

>

> I've used B-12 shots (once every 2-6 weeks) for about 4 years, to

> alleviate my symptoms of neuropathy and to improve my energy. I

> assume B-12 methylates the inorganic mercury in the brain -- is this

> correct?

This is not correct.

If it did this, it would cure people of mercury poisoning since the methyl

mercury could

then diffuse out of the brain and be excreted.

> (It must be doing something like this, since it seems to

> work so well).

>

> On p. 203, Andy says that lipoic acid " would not be helpful for

> methylmercury poisoned patients "

In RECENTLY (as in the last couple of months) methylmercury poisoned patients.

Since b-12 doesn't methylate mercury none of the rest of this is relevant to

your situation.

> since it decreases liver excretion

> of methylmercury while increasing excretion of inorganic mercury.

>

> So for someone like me, who is heavily poisoned but who has relied on

> methylators like high-dose B-12, I'm guessing that ALA chelation

> should include at least as many " off " days as " on " -- is this correct?

>

> I can't find info on the half-life or excretion rate of

> methylmercury. How does it get removed? By taking high zinc do

> one's natural mechanisms remove it at a reasonable rate? (In which

> case, taking methylators would be helpful, and might possibly even be

> an alternative to ALA -- is this correct?). Or should people who

> suspect methylmercury poisoning actually reduce use of methylating

> agents, to encourage methylmercury to oxidize into toxic inorganic

> mercury so the ALA can remove it?

>

> Thank you.

>

> Kris H.

>