mercury and autism

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Unless mercury can somehow account for the differences in brain structure seen in the Autistic, there is no reason to believe that it has anything at all to do with even one case of Autism, much less large numbers of cases.

The liver isn't used for filtration, that's the kidneys. The liver breaks down toxic molecules chemically, it doesn't remove them from the blood per se, it merely alters them so as to make them less toxic and more soluble, so that they can then be more easily filtered out by the kidneys and excreted. Nothing can get into the kidneys without first being in the bloodstream.

As for mercury or aluminium causing autism, has anyone stopped to consider that it may be neither of these and that instead orange juice is responsible? I was given lots of orange juice when I was young, and now I'm autistic. Coincidence? I think not. I bet plenty of people here also drank lots of orange juice when they were young too.

Oh, and we should probably also consider spaghetti while we're at it. I'm very suspicious of the profit motivations of Big Pasta.

How else do you explain the known traits resulting from mercury poisoning being virtually identical to autism traits?

Who is to say that either specific or combinations of a variety of drugs don't at least contribute in some way.

That's a real hoot. Where do you find such ridiculous misinformation?

Sure there are some symptoms that are similar to traits found in the Autistic, but then there are all kinds of things that cause similar symptoms.

I daresay that the vast majority of symptoms of mercury poisoning are not seen as symptoms or traits of Autism at all.

Look at my links, the table you find when you scroll down with the almost identical traits is easily available on the internet when you search on mercury poisoning traits, even without using the word autism in the search.

Symptoms of Chronic Mercury Poisoning

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
* irritability
* anxiety/nervousness, often with difficulty in breathing
* restlessness
* exaggerated response to stimulation
* fearfulness
* emotional instability
-lack of self control
-fits of anger, with violent, irrational behavior
* loss of self confidence
* indecision
* shyness or timidity, being easily embarrassed
* loss of memory
* inability to concentrate
* lethargy/drowsiness
* insomnia
* mental depression, despondency
* withdrawal
* suicidal tendencies
* manic depression
* numbness and tingling of hands, feet, fingers, toes, or lips
* muscle weakness progressing to paralysis
* ataxia
* tremors/trembling of hands, feet, lips, eyelids or tongue
* incoordination
* myoneural transmission failure resembling Myasthenia Gravis
* motor neuron disease (ALS)
* Multiple Sclerosis

HEAD, NECK, ORAL CAVITY DISORDERS
* bleeding gums
* alveolar bone loss
* loosening of teeth
* excessive salivation
* foul breath
* metallic taste
* burning sensation, with tingling of lips, face
* tissue pigmentation (amalgam tattoo of gums)
* leukoplakia
* stomatitis (sores in the mouth)
* ulceration of gingiva, palate, tongue
* dizziness/acute, chronic vertigo
* ringing in the ears
* hearing difficulties
* speech and visual impairment
-glaucoma
-restricted, dim vision

GASTROINTESTINAL EFFECTS
* food sensitivities, especially to milk and eggs
* abdominal cramps, colitis, diverticulitis or other G.I. complaint
* chronic diarrhea/constipation

CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS
* abnormal heart rhythm
* characteristic findings on EKG
-abnormal changes in the S-T segment and/or
-lower broadened P wave
* unexplained elevated serum triglyceride
* unexplained elevated cholesterol
* abnormal blood pressure, either high or low

IMMUNOLOGIC
* repeated infections
-viral and fungal
-mycobacteria
-candida and other yeast infections
* cancer
* autoimmune disorder
-arthritis
-lupus erythematosus (LE)
-multiple sclerosis (MS)
-scleroderma
-amyolateral sclerosis (ALS)
-hypothyroidism

SYSTEMIC EFFECTS
* chronic headaches
* allergies
* severe dermatitis
* unexplained reactivity
* thyroid disturbance
* subnormal body temperature
* cold, clammy skin, especially hands and feet
* excessive perspiration, w/frequent night sweats
* unexplained sensory symptoms, including pain
* unexplained numbness or burning sensations
* unexplained anemia
-G-6-PD deficiency
* Chronic kidney disease
-nephrotic syndrome
-receiving renal dialysis
-kidney infection
* adrenal disease
* general fatigue
* loss of appetite/with or without weight loss
* loss of weight
* hypoglycemia

------------------------------------------

A Mercury Test by Dr. Hal Huggins:

_heart/chest pains
_angina
_tachcardia (heart racing)
_heart murmur
_low blood pressure
_abnormal EKG
_endocarditis
_partial heart block
_high blood pressure
_heart attack

2. Skin Problems
_unexplained rashes
_excessive itching
_red flushes of color
_rough skin
_acne (pimples)

3. Nervous Disorders
_bell's Palsy
_Multiple Sclerosis
_shingles
_epilepsy/convulsions
_Dr. told you "It's your nerves"
_the shakes of hands, feet, head, etc
_twitching of face or other muscles

4. Digestion
_diverticulitis
_ulcers
_Crohn's disease
_Graves Disease
_indigestion
_diarrhea
_bloated feeling after eating
_heartburn
_poor appetite

5. Blood Disease
_mononucleosis
_false positve for venereal disease

6. Cancer
_leukemia
_Hodgkins disease
_any other name

7. Endocrine Problems
_diabetes
_ovaries
_hysterectomy-complete
_tipped uterus
_overweight
_thyroid overactive
_testes
_pancreas
_cervical erosion
_underweight
_prostate
_mensturation-painful, too often or too seldom/ stopping without reason

8. Emotional
_sudden anger
_depression
_wish you were dead
_irritability
_suicidal tendencies
_been divorced

9. Annoying Symptoms
_frequent headaches
_noises in your ears
_ringing in your ears
_hissing in your ears
_chronic eye inflammation
_chronic fatigue
_do you tire easily?
_swollen lymph nodes
_do you sweat excessively or not at all?
_hearing problems
_cold hands and feet
_motion sickness
_slow healing
_leg cramps
_dizziness
_get up at night to urinate
_urinate frequently during the day
_have insomnia
_tired when awaken in the morning
_have trouble making decisions

10. Allergies
_metal
_fabrics
_soaps and detergents
_food
_other__________

11. Diseases
_rheumatoid arthritis
_bursitis
_tennis elbow
_painful joints
_Friedreich's ataxia
_asthma
_osteomyelitis
_psoriasis
_sickle cell anemia
_kidney stones

12. Miscellaneous
_Infections take a long time to heal
_Do you work around mercury?
what capacity?_______________
_what medications are you taking that have mercury in them?

13. Dental History
_had silver amalgams
_had gold fillings
_have gold fillings now
_removable metal bridge
_gold bridge
_porcelain caps (crowns)
_non-precious crowns
_root canal
_root canal now
_metallic taste in mouth
_burning sensation in mouth
_increased flow of saliva
_have more than half your teeth

------------------------------------------

Other Symptoms of Mercury Toxicity, compiled by Marie Flowers

* heat, burning, tingling, soreness, itching of the the scalp
* burning muscles in the back and neck, burning ears
* feeling movement in the brain
* aching of the bones at the base of the skull
* sounds of crackling, popping at base of brain
* headaches right after eating
* muscular aches in areas of the body where previous injuries have occured
* double vision
* crossed eyes (see Carol's story below)
* chronic bladder infections, see Carol's story
* legs feeling so heavy like they are weighted down
* L'hermitte's Sign (electric shock-like sensations throughout the body)
* burning mouth and tongue, see http://www.flcv.com/galv.html
* reactions to electricity and oral galvanism of mouth. Story of medical
* doctor affected.

------------------------------------------

Signs and Symptoms of Mercury Poisoning from Dental Amalgam1 by Morton Walker, D.P.M. in his book Elements of Danger, Protecting Yourself Against the Hazards of Modern Dentistry

A series of difficulties characteristic of mercury toxicity affecting the eyes
* bleeding from the retina of one or both eyes
* dim vision, expecially after exercise
* slow and poor accommodation to changes in vision distances
* Inability to fix one's gaze
* uncontrollable eye movements
* eyes drawn to one side
* imaginary geometric figures appearing in the visual field, which migrate in a few minutes from the periphery toward the center and slowly disappear
* "film" seeming to appear over the eyes
* dry eyes
* a gray ring forming permanently around the cornea (known as Arcus senilis)

One or more heart difficulties:
* irregular hearbeat (palpitations), often together with anxiety
* stong pains in the left part of the chest come on


Problems in the upper respiratory tract:
* asthmatic breathing troubles, such as a feeling of not being able to inhale
* A "cracking" sound in the lower part of the pleural sac, forcing one to cough
* red irritated throat
* inflammation in the upper airways and pleurisy appearing about a year after the dental treatment with amalgams
* difficulties in swallowing


Psychological troubles come on such as:
* severe amnesia
* constant feelings of tension and strain
* anxiety
* irritability
* difficulty and even impossiblity to control behavior
* indecision
* loss of interest in life
* mental or emotion depression


Conditions of the brain, including:
* tiredness nearly all the time
* a feeling of being "old"
* resistance to intellectual work
* reduced capacity for work, both for intellectual and physical tasks
* reduced powers of comprehension because information does not come through
* increased need for sleep
* headache about once a week. The headache often is migrainelike, especially induced by weather changes and by prolonged sleep in the mornings

Neurological complications can come on like:
* vertigo (dizziness)
* facial paralysis, usually on the right side, that is partly permanent
* damage to balance and hearing
* a painful pull a the lower jaw toward the collar bone

Oral discomforts make their appearance such as:
* increased salivation
* often-present sour metallic taste
* bleeding gums at toothbrushing


Numbers of other symptoms gradually showing up, including:
* joint pains, especially increasing about a year after receiving the implantation of amalgam fillings
* pains in the lower back
* weakness of the muscles with a slowing down of muscular action
* feelings of pressure, pains, and paresthesis ("pins and needles") in the region of the liver
* gastrointestinal irritation
* paresthesis in the region of the lymph nodes under the arms and in the groin
* exzema or other skin eruptions

http://www.whale.to/a/table_a.htm

...in which traits are side by side in columns for comparison, in categories of the diagnostic and medical labels.

...all it takes is open-mindedness, I am not saying anything categorically, but at least I see the commonality and potential correlation between the two and remain open minded to the potential for a link.

Note that the symptoms I posted weren't handpicked in order to make it appear to be similar to Autism.

Yeah. You are so open-minded that you refuse to believe those who do real research into Autism who have not been able to find any connection between mercury toxicity and Autism.

That doesn't sound at all open minded to me.

I didn't hand-pick anything. Are you saying those identified traits are not relevant to autism?

Common symptoms of mercury poisoning include peripheral neuropathy (presenting as paresthesia or itching, burning or pain), skin discoloration (pink cheeks, fingertips and toes), swelling, and desquamation (shedding of skin).

Mercury irreversibly inhibits selenium-dependent enzymes (see below) and may also inactivate S-adenosyl-methionine, which is necessary for catecholamine catabolism by catechol-o-methyl transferase. Due to the body's inability to degrade catecholamines (e.g. epinephrine), a person suffering from mercury poisoning may experience profuse sweating, tachycardia (persistently faster-than-normal heart beat), increased salivation, and hypertension (high blood pressure).

Affected children may show red cheeks, nose and lips, loss of hair, teeth, and nails, transient rashes, hypotonia (muscle weakness), and increased sensitivity to light. Other symptoms may include kidney dysfunction (e.g. Fanconi syndrome) or neuropsychiatric symptoms such as emotional lability, memory impairment, and / or insomnia.

Thus, the clinical presentation may resemble pheochromocytoma or Kawasaki disease.

Organic mercury compounds, specifically methylmercury, are concentrated in the food chain. Fish from contaminated waters are the most common culprits. Industrial mercury pollution is often in the inorganic form, but aquatic organisms and vegetation in waterways such as rivers, lakes, and bays convert it to deadly methylmercury. Fish eat contaminated vegetation, and the mercury becomes biomagnified in the fish. Fish protein binds more than 90% of the consumed methylmercury so tightly that even the most vigorous cooking methods (eg, deep-frying, boiling, baking, pan-frying) cannot remove it. (See Etiology.)

For centuries, mercury was an essential part of many different medicines, such as diuretics, antibacterial agents, antiseptics, and laxatives. In the late 18th century, antisyphilitic agents contained mercury. It was during the 1800s that the phrase "mad as a hatter" was coined, owing to the effects of chronic mercury exposure in the hat-making industry, where the metal was used in the manufacturing process.

In 1889, Charcot, in his Clinical Lectures on Diseases of the Nervous System, attributed some rapid oscillatory tremors to mercury exposure.[1]

In Wilson's classic textbook of neurology, published in 1940, Wilson concurred with Charcot's attribution of tremors to mercury poisoning, but also described mercury-induced cognitive impairments, such as inattention, excitement, and hallucinosis.[2]

In 1961, researchers in Japan correlated elevated urinary mercury levels with the features of the previously mysterious Minamata disease. Before the etiology of Minamata disease was discovered, it plagued the residents around Minamata Bay in Japan with tremors, sensory loss, ataxia, and visual field constriction. (See Presentation.)[3]

Minamata disease is an example of organic toxicity. In Minamata Bay, a factory discharged inorganic mercury into the water. The mercury was methylated by bacteria and subsequently ingested by fish. Local villagers ate the fish and began to exhibit signs of neurologic damage, such as visual loss, extremity numbness, hearing loss, and ataxia. Babies exposed to the methylmercury in utero were the most severely affected. Furthermore, because mercury was also discovered in the breast milk of the mothers, the babies' exposure continued after birth.

Mercury is still found in many industries, including in battery, thermometer, and barometer manufacturing. Mercury can also be found in fungicides used in the agricultural industry. Before 1990, paints contained mercury as an antimildew agent. In medicine, mercury is used in dental amalgams and various antiseptic agents. (See Etiology and Prognosis.)

Complications

Minamata disease has devastating neurologic consequences as a primary outcome of methyl mercury intoxication; unfortunately, these are relatively resistant to treatment. Complications include the following (see Presentation):

Acute perioral and facial paresthesias

Visual-field constriction

Respiratory distress and nonspecific dermatitis

Extremity numbness eventually appears, along with headache, fatigue, and tremor

Ataxia and dysarthria can also be observed

Severe poisoning eventually causes the patient to lie in a mute, semirigid posture that is broken only by episodes of crying or primitive reflexive movements. (See Presentation.)

Babies exposed in utero are the most severely affected. They are affected by low birth weight, seizure disorders, profound developmental delay, incomplete visual loss (including tunnel vision) or total blindness, and hearing loss.

Neurologic damage in the form of diffuse and widespread neuronal atrophy is most severe in patients exposed in utero. Long-term studies may indicate that even prenatal exposure at low concentrations can cause subtle, but detectable, decrements in the areas of motor function, language, and memory.

Children so affected may have long-term stigmata, including motor impairment, visual loss, hearing loss, developmental delay, and seizure disorders.

...

How else do you explain the known traits resulting from mercury poisoning being virtually identical to autism traits?

And you have utterly ignored my post higher up which states peer-reviewed research.

Medical Hypotheses is a forum for ideas in medicine and related biomedical sciences. It will publish interesting and important theoretical papers that foster the diversity and debate upon which the scientific process thrives. The Aims and Scope of Medical Hypotheses are no different now from what was proposed by the founder of the journal, the late Dr David Horrobin. In his introduction to the first issue of the Journal, he asks 'what sorts of papers will be published in Medical Hypotheses? and goes on to answer 'Medical Hypotheses will publish papers which describe theories, ideas which have a great deal of observational support and some hypotheses where experimental support is yet fragmentary'. (Horrobin DF, 1975 Ideas in Biomedical Science: Reasons for the foundation of Medical Hypotheses. Medical Hypotheses Volume 1, Issue 1, January-February 1975, Pages 1-2.). Medical Hypotheses was therefore launched, and still exists today, to give novel, radical new ideas and speculations in medicine open-minded consideration, opening the field to radical hypotheses which would be rejected by most conventional journals. Papers in Medical Hypotheses take a standard scientific form in terms of style, structure and referencing. The journal therefore constitutes a bridge between cutting-edge theory and the mainstream of medical and scientific communication, which ideas must eventually enter if they are to be critiqued and tested against observations.