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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-
SPRING 2018 Wise Traditions 23