The bodies of many chronic fatigue patients are burdened by heavy metals. Due to industrial pollution in the environment, chemicals and heavy metals enter our bodies through the air we breathe and the food we eat. The main sources of this bodily poisoning are paints, woodworking products, insecticides, pesticides, oil combustion, vaccinations, marine pollution (heavy metals and PCBs in fish!), and dental amalgam fillings.
Amalgam fillings consist mainly of mercury, along with smaller amounts of silver, copper, zinc, and tin. Mercury from amalgam fillings is a contributing factor to fibromyalgia, CFS, MS, depression, and anxiety attacks. I always advise patients with severe fatigue issues (as well as patients with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatism and MS) to have their amalgam fillings removed if they have more than three.
If you have amalgam fillings—or if you eat a lot of fish—and you want to know the extent to which your body has been poisoned by mercury, you can have this tested with a chelation test. In this test, the mercury is bound to a chelating agent (DMPS), which is administered intravenously (or orally, via tablets). You then need to collect your urine for six hours. The amount of mercury you’ve excreted in your urine is then measured. This gives you an idea of the amount of mercury in your body. Keep in mind, however, that many labs (and doctors as well) misinterpret the so-called “normal values” for heavy metals. In principle, there are no normal values: mercury does not belong in the body. Chronic mercury poisoning, however, always falls within the “normal range.” High mercury concentrations in the blood are only found in cases of acute poisoning.