Terry Pratchett blames his Alzheimer's on mercury fillings

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... alzheimers

Author Pratchett blames his Alzheimer's on mercury fillings

Denis Campbell, health correspondent The Observer, Sunday 15 February 2009

Terry Pratchett has reopened the controversy about the safety of mercury-based tooth fillings by blaming them for his Alzheimer's disease.

The author of the Discworld series describes the fillings - which millions of Britons have - as "toxic waste".

"Having something like mercury in your mouth seemed to me to be a really bad idea and I got rid of the stuff," said Pratchett.

Dental amalgam fillings, which contain 50% mercury, are under renewed scrutiny, although there is no hard evidence to support his beliefs. More than three million were inserted last year in the UK. Sweden last month banned all mercury products, including fillings, and Norway and Denmark have done the same.

Campaigners including Dr Jenny Goodman, a London doctor who practises nutritional and environmental medicine, have linked the fillings to MS, chronic fatigue syndrome and gut problems. But the Department of Health said fillings containing mercury are not harmful, except for the small number of people who are allergic. However, it still recommends pregnant women to avoid having any inserted or removed.

Peter Ward of the British Dental Association said the safety of mercury fillings had been subjected to numerous reviews and none had found evidence that they increase the risk of developing serious illnesses.

Science please, some quality studies without fallacies and bias mkay?

oh wait, it's BS!

Mercury falling topic

I am always skeptical of sweeping statements. There needs to be investigation. While I do not discount Pratchett's claims, not everyone who has had mercury fillings has developed
Alzheimer's. And in his case, were there other factors such as genetics, alcohol abuse or previous head trauma? Often there is more than one factor in a disease process.

This is just annoying. I hate it when authors make themselves "experts" without any scientific backing.

Of course he'd say something like that. He has ALZEIMER'S.