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many parental reports of symptom relief on a gluten-free, casein-free diet.  leading to low ATP energy. Mercury also blocks
               Mercury’s effects on the gut can exacerbate its effects on the immune  the insulin receptor, promoting high insulin and
            system. Mercury is known to cause allergies, reduced immunity and au-  thus fat storage. Mercury can cause weight gain
            toimmunity,  and such immune dysfunction plays a role in many chronic  or weight loss, depending on whether metabolic
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            illnesses. Reduced immunity yields susceptibility to chronic infections  dysregulation or gut dysfunction predominates.
            such as Lyme and Candida. Finally, although technically not an allergy,   Regarding mercury’s role in cardiovascu-
            multiple chemical sensitivities can result from mercury overloading the  lar disease, mercury oxidizes blood vessels as
            body’s detoxification system and blocking metabolic enzymes in the liver  well as cholesterol, leading to arterial plaque.
            and other tissues, such that common but undesirable chemicals such as  Mercury promotes thrombosis and endothelial
            fragrances are metabolized incompletely, yielding toxic intermediates.  dysfunction in blood vessels.  Mercury can
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                                                                          cause high or low blood pressure depending on
            THYROID, HPA AND                                              whether artery calcification or artery deteriora-
            STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS                                      tion and HPA dysfunction predominate. In a
               Mercury concentrates in glands, including the thyroid and pituitary  remarkable example of how mercury accumu-
            glands, and impairs the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. HPA  lates in certain tissues, a biopsy study of thirteen
            function and thyroid function are tightly interrelated, with impairment  patients with a type of heart failure found that
            of one system often causing impairment of the other. Mercury blocks the  mercury levels in the myocardium were twenty-
            selenium-dependent enzyme that converts the thyroid hormone thyrox-  two thousand times higher than normal.
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            ine (T4) to its active form, triiodothyronine (T3). Unfortunately, despite
            symptoms, the resulting hypothyroidism often goes undetected by rou-  NUTRITION
            tine blood work, which typically only tests levels of thyroid-stimulating   The alternative health community recog-
            hormone (TSH), the hormone secreted by the pituitary to signal the  nizes the role of micronutrients in promoting
            thyroid gland to produce T4. Further suppressing thyroid function is the  physical and mental health as well as optimal
            mercury-induced depletion of selenium and zinc, which are cofactors  child development. Less well recognized is the
            for thyroid enzymes.                                          role of toxicity in depleting one’s micronutrient
               The oxidative stress caused by mercury is a type of chronic stress  status and the analogous role of micronutrient
            that depletes the HPA axis. Thus, mercury is implicated in the cluster  status in exacerbating or alleviating toxicities.
            of symptoms referred to as adrenal fatigue. An evolving view suggests   Mercury damage creates a need for extra
            that adrenal fatigue is not a glandular problem, but rather a brain-stress  nutrition, both to repair damage and to prod
            problem.  Early-life exposure to mercury also causes epigenetic damage  blocked enzymes. Nutrient-dense diets are of
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            to the HPA axis, which can dysregulate the stress response throughout  critical importance, and targeted supplemen-
            life. This may involve a tendency toward either high or low baseline  tation may help to overcome the unnatural
            cortisol as well as a loss of the dynamic cortisol response to stress.  The  toxic state. Because everyone’s nutrient status
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            latter yields a disabling feeling of unwellness and stress intolerance. High  is uniquely affected by mercury, it is wise
            baseline cortisol, on the other hand, may feel less debilitating, but this is a  to take an individual approach rather than
            catabolic state that can promote degeneration of otherwise healthy tissues.  supplement all potentially depleted nutrients
                                                                          across the board. In addition, it is common for
            METABOLIC DISORDERS, OBESITY                                  people with mercury toxicity to have multiple
            AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE                                    food sensitivities, particularly to gluten, casein
               HPA dysregulation and thyroid dysfunction have a strong impact on  and soy. Dietary modifications are sometimes
            metabolism and weight. As an epigenetic toxicant, mercury can cause a  necessary to control the inflammation and other
            host of metabolic issues, including blood sugar problems, insulin resis-  symptoms that result from these food sensitivi-
            tance and stress intolerance. These symptoms can persist throughout life  ties. Persisting in eating foods to which we are
            and into future generations. In addition, mercury impairs many enzymes  allergic or intolerant impairs detoxification by
            needed to metabolize food into energy, including pyruvate dehydrogenase,  placing undue stress on the organs of digestion
            which is required for metabolism of carbohydrates but not fats or pro-  and elimination, putting the HPA axis on alert
            teins. Hypoglycemic symptoms, which are common in mercury toxicity,  and increasing the level of inflammation in the
            may not reflect true low blood sugar but may indicate impaired enzymes  body.
            within the brain and/or HPA axis. Other enzymes impaired by mercury   High-quality fat is a preferred fuel in
            include those of the citric acid cycle and the electron transport chain,  mercury toxicity, supplying much-needed fat-

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