Chapter 30: Don't Stop Believing

This made me feel good this week!

"Steve Perry and 43,000 Friends NEVER 'Stop Believing' in the Giants - NLCS Game 5" 

You may remember the rock band Journey.  They were playing one of their songs, "Don't Stop Believin'", during the Giants National League Championship Series, Game 5 on 10/21/10.  One of the cameras caught Steve Perry, lead singer, standing up in the crowd singing his own song.  Awesome!

"Gotta love Steve Perry leading a packed house @ AT&T Park, San Francisco"

  


Steve Perry and Journey Performing "Don't Stop Believin'" In Concert
(I'm trying to find out where and when.)

This song, first featured on Journey's Escape album, was written by 

Jonathan Cain, Steve Perry, and Neal Schon; all members of Journey.

Don't Stop Believin'
- Journey
1981

Just a small town girl
Living in a lonely world
She took the midnight train going anywhere
Just a city boy
Born and raised in South Detroit
He took the midnight train going anywhere

A singer in a smoky room
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on

{Refrain}
Strangers, waiting, up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlight people, living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night

Working hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Paying anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

{Refrain}

Don't stop believing
Hold on to that feeling
Streetlight people

Popularity:
The song reached #8 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also peaked at #62 on the UK singles chart. The song also has appeared in a number of film and television series, including The Wedding Singer, Monster, Shrek The Halls, The Comebacks and Scrubs.

Journey
Journey live in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 16, 2008.
Background information
Origin	San Francisco, California
Genres	Rock, hard rock, pop rock, progressive rock, jazz-fusion, AOR
Years active	1973–1987; 1995–present
Labels	Columbia, Frontiers, Sanctuary
Associated acts	Santana, The Babys, Steve Perry, Hardline, Bad English, The Storm, Vital Information, The Zoo
Website	JourneyMusic.com
Members
Neal Schon Ross Valory Jonathan Cain Deen Castronovo Arnel Pineda

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_%28band%29

Update on my treatment plan from the Amen Clinic:

After being on 300 mg of Effexor XR for 5 weeks a new side effect started, insomnia.  In the past, the side effects would start 3-4 days after raising the dose.  After a week of not sleeping well I was exhausted.  There had not been any other changes in my life that would have caused lack of sleep, so I lowered the dose of Effexor XR to 262.5 mg.  

I talked to my psychiatrist here at home and got his guidance on this decision.  This is the plan we decided on.  I stayed on 262.5 mg for 4 days and still could not sleep, so I lowered the dose to 225 mg.  Gradually, I started to sleep again and about 4 days later I was sleeping well.  The depression symptoms have not increased, but they have not decreased as I have been hoping and waiting for.

I have not been able to lower the dose of Luvox below 50 mg per day.  If I did, the depression symptoms became worse.  So I have increased the dose of Luvox to 75 mg a day, 25 mg in the morning, 25 mg in the afternoon, and 25 mg in the evening.  I will increase the dose to 100 mg a day if the depression symptoms do not improve.

So now I am taking 300 mg of Neurontin 4 times a day, 225 mg of Effexor XR once in the morning, 75 mg of Luvox 3 times a day, and the supplements and vitamins/minerals I have been taking for many months.  There are some days I feel good, but it does not stay consistent.  I am hoping all of the things I have been doing to heal are going to come together and work, soon!

DON'T STOP BELIEVING

Chapter 29: Do you know what your Vitamin D level is?

This is funny!  Best_DUI_Ever

Do you know what your Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy level is?

In November of 2007 I had some blood work done and found out my Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy level was 20, LOW. The huge normal range is 30-150, and a toxic level for most people is above 150. At the time I was surprised because my diet was pretty healthy. After doing some reading about the subject, I am not surprised because I wasn't spending 15-20 minutes in the sun everyday without sunscreen. (Or with sunscreen either!)

I started taking 2,000 IU of Vitamin D a day and had good intentions of getting more sun. Then, December of 2007 came around and I made the fateful decision to come off my antidepressant, Zoloft, and try an amino acid therapy for depression. Well, the rest is history (a miserable one) and has already been documented in previous blog posts. For the next year my Vitamin D level was not a high priority for me. I felt there was a long list of things I "should" do, and didn't feel well enough to do very many of them.

In March of 2009 I had blood work done again and my Vitamin D level was 26. Yeah, I know it didn't come up much. The amount of Vitamin D I was taking and feeling depressed and sick in the house wasn't very effective. My doctor started me on a 50,000 IU capsule of a prescription Vitamin D, the generic for Drisdol, that I took once per month. In February of 2010 I started taking the supplements Dr. Hyman recommends (See Chapter 12:  I Hate Clonazepam, Supplements) so I was taking 3,200 IU of Vitamin D each day, and 50,000 IU once per month.

In April of 2010 my blood work showed a Vitamin D level of 45. In the gigantic normal range! Maybe I don't absorb it very well. =) My psychiatrist at the Amen Clinic recommended I get my level up to at least 70, because it has a good chance of improving my mood. My doctor here at home is helping me and I am now taking a 50,000 IU capsule every two weeks and 3200 IU every day. I will be tested again in January of 2011; if I am not up to 70 I will begin taking the 50,000 IU capsule every week. I know it would help if I spent some time in the sun, but you know I don't have a good track record for this. I am going to try!

I am hoping a higher Vitamin D level will be one more thing contributing to overcoming the depression symptoms. One more piece of the healing depression puzzle. For me this puzzle has been difficult. I will keep you posted.

I am in the process of reading the book, The Vitamin D Solution, A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problem, by Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D., Foreword by Andrew Weil, M.D. Dr. Holick says having enough Vitamin D can prevent and treat Osteoporosis, Heart Disease, Cancer, Autoimmune Diseases, Depression, Insomnia, Arthritis, Diabetes, Chronic Pain, Psoriasis, Fibromyalgia, and Autism. . .as well as other diseases, chronic conditions, and mild ailments. Wow, it is important. Is the sun out today?

Review of the book, The Vitamin D Solution, A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problem.
http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/review-the-vitamin-d-solution-by-dr-michael-holick/9144%20

Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D., is called the "Pioneer In Vitamin D Research."  This is a video of a speech he gave at a Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Seminar. This seminar was called, "D-Lightful Vitamin D; Bone and Muscle Health and Prevention of Autoimmune and Chronic Diseases."  It is long, 58 minutes and 52 seconds, but entertaining.

This Vitamin D Quiz is in, The UltraMind Solution, by Mark Hyman, M.D.  It may help you determine if you have a vitamin D deficiency.

VITAMIN D QUIZ

I have seasonal affective disorder.

I experience a loss of mental sharpness or memory.

I have sore or weak muscles.

I have tender bones (press on your shin bone--if it hurts you are vitamin D deficient).

I work indoors.

I avoid the sun.

I wear sunblock most of the time.

I live north of Florida.

I don't eat small fatty fish such as mackerel, herring, or sardines (the main sources of dietary vitamin D).

I have osteoporosis.

I have broken more than two bones or had a hip fracture.

I have autoimmune disease (i.e., multiple sclerosis).

I have osteoarthritis (vitamin D deficiency weakens bones and leads to deterioration).

I have frequent infections.

I have prostate cancer.

I have dark skin (any race other than Caucasian).

I am sixty years old or older.

SCORE:  0-8 Yes Answers---You may have a slightly low level of vitamin D.

                 9 And Above Yes Answers---You may have a severely low level of vitamin D.

I recommend these videos.  They share good information about vitamin D.

Dr. Oz on Good Morning America -- Vitamin D, Swine Flu, Cancer, and the Sun. 

 

 

The Real Story on Vitamin D 

Dr. John Cannell, Vitamin D Council, and Bill Sardi, Knowledge of Health, Inc. 

 

This is an article written by Dr. John Cannell on the history of depression and vitamin D research.  It is called, "Vitamin D and Depression."  Dr. Cannell

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/depression.shtml

Chapter 28: Heavy Metals Testing is Extremely Controversial!

This video makes me laugh!  Laughing makes me feel better.

Switzerland's finance minister collapsed into a fit of giggles as he tried to read the unintelligible bureaucratic language in his report while answering a parliamentary question about imports of cured meats. 

Update on my treatment plan from the Amen Clinic:

It has taken seven months to make the needed medication changes in my treatment plan from the Amen Clinic.  I have been on 300 mg of Effexor XR for two weeks and still taking 300 mg of Neurontin 4 times per day.  I have been off the beast clonazepam since May 7, 2010, and still taking supplements.  

I have been talking to my psychiatrist at the Amen Clinic about every 4-6 weeks by phone.  He has recommended I stay on 300 mg of Effexor XR for 8-12 weeks before we decide to increase the dosage.  He has found increasing the dose causes more side effects, without being more effective on the depression symptoms.  

I am having short periods of time I feel a little better.  I am hoping the depression symptoms will improve as this dose of Effexor XR gets into my body.  The thought that it might not help is frightening!

Mercury Toxicity

I thought I wanted to be tested to see if I have mercury poisoning.  The whole issue of metal poisoning and testing is extremely controversial.  There is a blood test panel for heavy metals; it is approximately $105.00.  Medical insurance will pay for this test if it has the code for Alzheimer's or dementia, but usually will not cover this test if it is being done for depression.  This test would probably be recommended by a medical doctor.

Dr. Mark Hyman (The UltraMind Solution) is a Functional Medicine M.D., and his experience has shown that the blood test will be positive if the heavy metal exposure has been recent.  If the exposure has been over a long period of time the metal will accumulate in tissues and bones.  Taking a chelating agent will pull the toxins out of tissue and bone, then a 24-hour urine sample is taken, and the amount of toxins your body excretes will be measured.  This test is usually done by Functional Medicine doctors or doctors trained in detoxification.  Removal of dental mercury or silver fillings should be performed by a biological dentist.  Go to www.iaomt.org to find a biological dentist.

The chelating agents or drugs used to test for and and treat heavy metal toxicity are DMPS and DMSA.  There is a lot of information online about these drugs being toxic themselves.  I have decided I would not feel comfortable using a chelating agent unless I could go to Lenox, Massachusetts and be treated by Dr. Hyman himself or one his colleague's.  I am going to Dr. Hyman's website (www.ultrawellness.com) and see if there is more information about heavy metals testing, or if I can ask a question about it.

The GSTM1 gene is a key gene necessary for the detoxification of mercury and many other 21st Century poisons.  About half of the population in the United States is missing this gene.  Mercury poisoning is more common in people with the apo E4 gene.  About 20% of the population has this gene.  I wonder if it would be better to test for these genes first?  (How much would it cost to have genetic testing?)

I will include some information about heavy metals testing, and some websites if you would like to read more about this subject.  Some people believe the available tests are either inaccurate or will make you sicker than you already are!

Research Article

Diagnostic chelation challenge with DMSA: a biomarker of long-term mercury exposure?

H Frumkin, C C Manning, P L Williams, A Sanders, B B Taylor, M Pierce, L Elon, and V S Hertzberg

Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. medhf@sph.emory.edu

Abstract

Chelation challenge testing has been used to assess the body burden of various metals. The best-known example is EDTA challenge in lead-exposed individuals. This study assessed diagnostic chelation challenge with dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) as a measure of mercury body burden among mercury-exposed workers. Former employees at a chloralkali plant, for whom detailed exposure histories were available (n = 119), and unexposed controls (n = 101) completed 24-hr urine collections before and after the administration of two doses of DMSA, 10 mg/kg. The urinary response to DMSA was measured as both the absolute change and the relative change in mercury excretion. The average 24-hr mercury excretion was 4.3 microg/24 hr before chelation, and 7.8 microg/24 hr after chelation.

There was no association between past occupational mercury exposure and the urinary excretion of mercury either before or after DMSA administration. There was also no association between urinary mercury excretion and the number of dental amalgam surfaces, in contrast to recent published results. We believe the most likely reason that DMSA chelation challenge failed to reflect past mercury exposure was the elapsed time (several years) since the exposure had ended. These results provide normative values for urinary mercury excretion both before and after DMSA challenge, and suggest that DMSA chelation challenge is not useful as a biomarker of past mercury exposure.

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (77K).

ARTICLES: IAOMT Medicine  (A new test to determine mercury toxicity.)

Urinary Porphyrin Profile: A Quantitative and Qualitative Laboratory
Indicator of Mercury Toxicity   John Wilson, MD
http://www.iaomt.com/articles/category_view.asp?intReleaseID=277&month=6&year=2007&catid=35

Did "Doctor's Data" know of "false positives" from mercury tests? (Doctor's Data Incorporated is a lab that is the subject of litigation.)

http://www.examiner.com/special-education-in-mesa/did-doctor-s-data-know-of-false-positives-from-mercury-tests

 

Topic: Heavy Metal Toxicity and Detoxification  (Good information on heavy metal testing and treatment.)

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=175751934758&topic=12151

 

Heavy Metal Detoxification in the Treatment of ASD (ASD=Autism)

http://www.developmentalspectrums.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=142:heavy-metal-detoxification-in-the-treatment-of-asd&catid=71:detoxification&Itemid=238 

 

MERCURY DETOXIFICATION   The Truth About DMPS  (Reports from people who have become very ill after taking DMPS.)

http://www.dmpsbackfire.com/default.shtml

 

Added on Sunday, October 10, 2010

I looked on Dr. Mark Hyman's website for answers to some of my questions on mercury toxicity.  If you are interested go to, www.ultrawellness.com, click on blog, look on the left side at blog topics (after scrolling down for awhile), click on mercury toxicity.  There is so much information the blogs are divided into sections.

I am still considering mercury poisoning testing, but I would only feel comfortable doing it under the supervision of a well qualified Functional Medicine doctor.

Chapter 27: Has the Mercury I Have Been Exposed to Caused Toxicity?

The level of mercury considered to be normal in the adult human body is less than 3 mcg/g of creatinine.  Any count over 50 mcg/g of creatinine is considered poisoning.

  

These are the ways I have been exposed to mercury.  Is it enough to have caused poisoning? 

1.  I used a popular topical disinfectant for wounds when I was young called Merthiolate.  Mercurochrome and Merthiolate are similar products and were silently banned by the FDA in 1998 because it was no longer considered safe due to its mercury content. 

2.  My dentist used mercury fillings, or silver amalgams, when I had a cavity filled while growing up.  I had several cavities during my childhood years.  Fluoride wasn't in the water supply and I did not take a fluoride supplement.  I think it is interesting I gave my two children fluoride supplements from infancy to the age of 16.  Neither of them have ever had a cavity.  Several years ago I had all of my silver amalgam fillings replaced with white composite, but I still have crowns that are lined with silver to give them more stability.

3.  I ate many tuna fish sandwiches for lunch when I was growing up.  I liked them with pickle relish and lettuce.  Tuna is a large marine fish contaminated by mercury.

4.  I received immunizations as a child starting in 1953.  Thimerosal was used in vaccines until 2001.  "Thimerosal is a mercury-containing organic compound (a Thimerosalorganomercurial). Since the 1930s, it has been widely used as a preservative in a number of biological and drug products, including many vaccines, to help prevent potentially life threatening contamination with harmful microbes."  http://www.fda.gov/biologicsbloodvaccines/safetyavailability/vaccinesafety/ucm096228.htm

 5.  I started teaching first grade students in 1975.  I had a flu shot that year and continued to get one almost every year for the next 35 years.  There were a few years I didn't get one, but I don't know if the small amount of thimerosal in each shot has accumulated in my body.

6.  Coal-burning industrial facilities emit mercury at the rate of 2,900 tons, or over 6 pounds per year.  I don't know if I live in an area that has, or has had coal burning facilities.  I need to find out.

(I found this list in, The UltraMind Solution, by Mark Hyman, M.D.)

The article below discusses the possible ways we can be exposed to mercury.  Do citizens in the United States know that mercury toxicity is a threat to their health?

Mercurochrome, Merthiolate, and Thimerosal

Mercury Exposure and Public Health in the U.S.A

Nov 8, 2009 Yana Marshal

Governments need more help from their citizens in order to produce and enforce public policies to eliminate toxins from industrial and technological productivity.

In the 1950s, mercurochrome was in every household medicine cabinet. If there wasn’t a vial of mercurochrome, there was merthiolate. When a child fell and got a cut or scrape, out came the mercurochrome in a little bottle with a glass tube attached to the inside of the cap. The tube was dipped in the solution and used to paint the mercurochrome all over the surface of the wound. Then a bandaid, or gauze patch with some tape was placed over that to keep it clean. Everyone did this. There was no question. Children would scream and run if there was no mercurochrome or merthiolate in the house because that meant iodine would be used instead. And everyone knew that iodine stung - much worse than merthiolate. 

Mercurochrome

Mercurochrome was not taken off the market in the United States until 1998, but hardly anyone noticed. Bactine had replaced those colorful liquid antiseptics by the mid 1960s. People born after 1980 may not ever have heard of mercurochrome or merthiolate (often pronounced mathiolade by children).

Bactine probably replaced the colorful antiseptics because it was clear. Bandaids were changing shapes and colors too. Mercurochrome may have faded from memory as a result of marketing and fashion more than any health reason, such as mercury poisoning. The scare of mercury poisoning in canned tuna didn’t begin until 1970. 

Thimerosal and Merthiolate

The connection between thimerosal and vaccinations became a health issue in the 1990s. Thimerosal was added to vaccinations to aid in healing the needle puncture and prevent infection of the site. Thimerosal and merthiolate are interchangeable by definition.
Mercury poisoning was not an issue in the 1950s, when every parent was using merthiolate and mercurochrome. But awareness of changes in the environment had grown enough by 1998 to take mercurochrome off of the market. Thimerosal had been implicated as a possible cause of autism. Mercurochrome had been in every household, Now, as adults, these children of the 50s who dressed their wounds with mercury tincture, were worried that a mercury tincture could cause autism in their children.

But, the emphasis has been on the mercury that is in the mixture of the vaccination serum, rather than all of the other possible sources for mercury poisoning in our present environment. If mercury is the possible source of autism and other neurological and physiological disturbances, why aren’t these sources being looked at as well? Could it be that the other industries that could be implicated in mercury exposure are holding their breath? Mercury, after all, is a naturally occurring substance. But it is more prevalent in some of our largest industries, such as the processing of coal. 
 
Mercury in the Environment
Mercury exposure is, and has been the subject of many public health studies, but the public has been slow to recognize that their own use of products and technology which increases mercury exposure is the source of the problem. It is another case of marketing and availability. Government studies have kept up to date, but organizations such as the World Health Organization , FDA and EPA have been relegated to the positions of public health educators, with little power to regulate the many toxic contaminants pervasively used in the technology of today. According to the EPA, global mercury emissions today range from 4,400 to 7,500 tons per year.

Regulation of Mercury Emissions

To many, “environmentalists” and “ecologists” are still the enemy of progress, and the cause of lost jobs in a failing economy. Because industrial toxins are a public health issue, they are also a political issue for countries which have some form of self-government. Governments have the ability to regulate the marketplace and industry. This does not have to mean a decline in jobs, or goods, but rather a restructuring and retooling of many businesses and practices. This can be an opportunity to remove many toxic substances from our daily lives, while providing jobs that use healthier materials and practices. Rather than a painful loss, this change can mean healthier jobs and a healthier environment.

Although a great stride was made when the Environmental Protection Agency announced that controls will be put on hazardous emissions, which include mercury from coal-fired power plants for the first time by November 2011, other recent mercury poisoning news involves the eating of seafood, again. Mercury contamination of the world’s oceans and streams did not disappear after the tuna scare in the 1970s, or the Clean Air Act, which was later revised during the Bush administration, or the EPA’s mercury study and report which was completed in 1997.

Disillusioned citizens on both sides of the issue complain about the ineffectiveness of government, while governments worldwide are torn between employment and productivity versus the pollution of the earth’s oceans, rivers, streams, soil, and atmosphere.

Though awareness has increased, and many manufacturers and industries have removed mercury use from their formulae, there is still much to be improved. And there is much to clean up in the way of water treatment, and soil and atmospheric contamination. There is much work to do in public services. So far, the private sector has not found clean-up after production to be lucrative.

Mercurochrome, Merthiolate, and Thimerosal: Mercury Exposure and Public Health in the U.S.A http://www.suite101.com/content/mercurochrome-merthiolate-and-thimerosal-a167442#ixzz11EmMQt4f

Michael C. Goldman, DDS 

VIDEO of Mercury coming out of a normal silver / amalgam filling !!!

This  video made  for IAOMT  graphically shows mercury vapor coming  out of a regular ordinary old silver-mercury amalgam filling in a tooth that has been extracted.  I could say a lot more about  it, but I think  watching  this video is so dramatic that you  will be amazed  by it - as I was!  I knew it has been demonstrated by  measurement instruments but I had never actually SEEN it happening !  Now you can see it too....

Silver Fillings vs. Composite Fillings

Mercury, Toxicity, Bonding, the Law, and You 

Controversy

Since its introduction onto this continent in the early 1800's, the use of a mixture of half silver and half mercury as dental "Amalgam" to fill teeth has created controversy. To this day the arguments continue. Much scientific research has been done, but the divisions seem to be so strong that those in favor of its use rationalize away the condemning research. Those against its use claim that politics and personal interest motivate amalgam's proponents.

The Facts (as I see them...) 
Mercury is a known poison. It is, in fact, one of - if not the - most toxic of all the elements known!!!  It is fact  that mercury is fully one-half of the mass of the filling you see when you look at any "silver" filling. It is fact  that mercury vaporizes in the mouth and that the vapor is inhaled and also directly absorbed into the body. It is fact that mercury travels to all body tissues and concentrates in tissues where it can do damage in several known ways. 

The question  is not whether the above facts are true, but whether enough of it occurs to be significant. Organized dentistry in the USA has taken the position that amalgam use is perfectly safe. Those against its use have found compelling relationships to many serious illnesses ranging from depression to cancer, and from kidney disease to Alzheimer's. How can it be thought to cause so wide a range of problems? The suggested answer is that mercury from fillings doesn't cause a specific disease. It causes poisoning. And depending on which tissues it concentrates in, the symptoms will differ from one person to another. Two of the most common sites of concentration and damage, however, seem to be the brain and the kidneys.

Sweden and Germany have passed laws to stop or greatly curb the use of mercury-silver fillings. Their nationalized dental plans even help to pay for removal and replacement with alternate non-mercury materials.

Canada may soon do the same. The excellent dental school in Zurich has stopped teaching "silver fillings" technique.

The Dilemma
We are faced with compelling data that the mercury in fillings may be a real hazard to our health, but both sides seem so sure about their positions.  What should we do?  Is there a way to reason through this? 
 

I think there is! First, we are being constantly bombarded with all sorts of chemical and biophysical noxious influences in our food, air, water...everywhere. Our immune systems are being stressed more and more. I believe we are seeing more chemically sensitive people and more illness from "environmental" causes. I think it makes sense to avoid known toxins. . .

Regarding mercury (in fillings), a friend of mine, a Virginia dentist, stated:

"Somehow I just don't feel comfortable using a substance designated by the EPA to be a waste disposal hazard. I can't [legally] throw it in the trash, bury it in the ground, or put it in a landfill, but they say it's OK to put it in people's mouths. That just doesn't make sense."

http://www.mgoldmandds.com/amalgam.htm

Mercury - How to Get this Lethal Poison Out of Your Body

Mercury poisoning could be leading to your ill health and weight gain, and you may not even realize it. In this weeks UltraWellness blog, Mark Hyman MD reviews some of the most recent research on the effects of mercury toxicity, explains how you can find out if you have a heavy load of mercury in your body, and offers suggestion on how to limit your exposure.  This is podcast is excellent and I am sorry I was not able to embed it in the post. 

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ultrawellness#p/search/1/KOhcUvHOTVk