Page 16 - Spring2018

Mercury:

The Quintessential Antinutrient

By Sara Russell, PhD, NTP and Kristin G. Homme, MPP, MPH

ercury is an unusually insidious toxicant that can

cause or contribute to most chronic illnesses. Its
Meffects on various body systems can be mutu-

ally reinforcing, setting up a complex process of damage
and dysfunction. For example, by inhibiting the glutathi-

one system, which is key to detoxification, mercury per-
petuates a vicious cycle of susceptibility and toxicity. As

a result, mercury promotes nutritional depletion, oxidative
stress, hormonal disruption, immune alteration and neu-

rotransmitter disturbances. These in turn can cause poor
digestion, leaky gut, food allergies, altered gut flora and

autoimmunity.

Despite its pervasive ability to damage the body, mercury easily eludes
detection, and many affected individuals have no idea that their unex-
plained health problems are due to past or ongoing mercury exposures.
Adding to the confusion, symptoms may manifest differently depending
on an individual’s exposures, lifestyle, genetics and micronutrient status.
In one person, mercury toxicity might show up in the form of an autoim-
mune issue (such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis or systemic
lupus erythematosus), while someone else might experience mood, behav-
ior, learning or psychiatric problems. Moreover, potentially long latencies
mean that onset of symptoms sometimes occurs months or years after
cessation of the exposure.
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14 Wise Traditions SPRING 2018