What is in the book?

The Mercury Detoxification Manual: A Guide to Mercury Chelation starts with symptoms of mercury poisoning and where you might have been exposed. It then goes on to discuss how to test for chronic mercury poisoning.

You will need to get amalgam fillings removed (if you have them) before chelating. Chapter 5 discusses what work you need to have done, how to do it safely and whether you need to worry about amalgam under crowns. It describes the precautions you need to take and your dentist needs to take to make sure the work is done safely.

There are two chapters on chelation: one on chelation in general and one on the Andy Cutler chelation (ACC) protocol. These chapters describe how to chelate along with what to do and not do when you are chelating.

Chapter 8 describes a number of problems common to mercury toxic people. It discusses adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, diabetes, liver problems, digestive tract problems, yeast and dysbiosis, poor concentration and attention deficit, depression, anxiety, insomnia, chemical sensitivity and pain. In addition, it lists supplements that can help each of these problems and what your doctor can do to help.

The diet chapter helps you find ways to eat that make you feel better. In particular, it discusses thiols in foods. Thiols are a specific type of sulfur compound in food that can cause sensitive people to react badly. The chapter describes an elimination diet to tell if you are sensitive to thiols. It also gives high and low thiol food lists. Many people find great relief from symptoms by eating the correct thiol diet.

Keeping yourself organized and on track is very difficult for the mercury toxic person. The organization chapter discusses ways to get and keep yourself organized. It provides suggestions for supplements, chelation and day to day living.

One question that comes up is: can I have children while mercury toxic? Chapter 11 addresses this issue. It's the first time this information has been published in an easy to read form.

If you find you are mercury toxic, it's normal to wonder if your child is too. Chapter 12 gives metrics to decide if your child also needs chelation. There are teething charts, a discussion of growth charts and a timeline of developmental milestones. If your child is not meeting these milestones, it's worth considering chelation.

Table of contents

Acknowledgements
Why did Andy die
Introduction
1 Where and how people get toxic
- 1.1 Why mercury is so dangerous
- 1.2 How your might have become poisoned
- 1.3 Why your doctor might miss what is wrong
2 What mercury poisoning looks like
- 2.1 Psychological symptoms
- 2.2 Neurological symptoms
- 2.3 Physical symptoms
3 Other toxic metals
- 3.1 Aluminum
- 3.2 Antimony
- 3.3 Arsenic
- 3.4 Cadmium
- 3.5 Copper
- 3.6 Lead
4 How to test for chronic mercury poisoning
- 4.1 If you don't have mercury fillings: a trial of chelation
- 4.2 If you have mercury filings: a hair test
  - 4.2.1 How to interpret a hair test
  - 4.2.2 How to apply the "counting rules" to the "Essential and Other Elements" section of a Doctor's Data hair test
5. Dental work: the biggest hurdle
- 5.1 Dental work and what you need done
  - 5.1.1 The difficult issue of crowns
- 5.2 Further comments about dentistry
6 The ins and outs of chelation
- 6.1 The Cutler protocol vs other methods
- 6.2 How chelation works
- 6.3 The chelating agents and waiting periods for taking the
  - 6.3.1 The chelators we use for the ACC protocol
  - 6.3.2 The waiting periods for taking chelators
  - 6.3.3 Why these waiting periods are important
- 6.4 Which chelators to choose and how much to take
- 6.5 What NOT to do!!
  - 6.5.1 Supplements never, ever to take
  - 6.5.2 Supplements some people need to avoid
  - 6.5.3 Avoid medical mercury!
  - 6.5.4 No other medical metals either!
  - 6.5.5 No drugs that are dangerous for people with mercury poisoning
7 How to follow the Andy Cutler chelation protocol
- 7.1 Some considerations before starting
- 7.2 The protocol
  - 7.2.1 The first three months after amalgam removal or your last exposure to mercury
  - 7.2.2 Adding alpha lipoic acid after three months
  - 7.2.3 Schdules forr taking supplements
- 7.3 How long does this take
- 7.4 If you are having a difficult time chelating
- 7.5 The "stall phase" or "dump phase"
- 7.6 What does methylation have to do with mercury detoxification?
- 7.7 Chelating lead
  - 7.7.1 Protocol for chelating lead
8 Problems you may encounter along the way and what to do about them
- 8.1 Why take supplements?
- 8.2 Prescription medicines
- 8.3 Adrenals
  - 8.3.1 Symptoms
  - 8.3.2 Adrenal support supplements
    - 8.3.2.1 Adrenal cortex
    - 8.3.2.2 Adaptogens
    - 8.3.2.3 How to take adaptogens
    - 8.3.2.4 Electrolytes
  - 8.3.3 Help from your doctor
- 8.4 Thyroid
  - 8.4.1 Symptoms
  - 8.4.2 Supplements
  - 8.4.3 Help from your doctor
- 8.5 Diabetes and blood sugar
  - 8.5.1 Symptoms
  - 8.5.2 Supplements
  - 8.5.3 Help from your doctor
- 8.6 Allergies
  - 8.6.1 Symptoms
  - 8.6.2 Supplements
  - 8.6.3 Help from your doctor
- 8.7 Liver problems
  - 8.7.1 Symptoms
  - 8.7.2 Supplements
  - 8.7.3 Help from your doctor
- 8.8 Digestive tract problems
  - 8.8.1 Symptoms
  - 8.8.2 Supplements
  - 8.8.3 Help from your doctor
- 8.9 Yeast and dysbiosis
  - 8.9.1 Symptoms
  - 8.9.2 Supplements
  - 8.9.3 Help from your doctor
  - 8.9.4 Die off when using yeast remedies
- 8.10 Poor concentration and attention deficit
  - 8.10.1 Symptoms
  - 8.10.2 Supplements
  - 8.10.3 Help from your doctor
- 8.11 Depression
  - 8.11.1 Some different kinds of depression and what they feel like
    - 8.11.1.1 Obsessive suffering depression
    - 8.11.1.2 Hopeless, helpless depression
    - 8.11.1.3 Sluggish, lethargic, no motivation depression
  - 8.11.2 Supplements8.11.3 Help from your doctor
- 8.12 Anxiety
  - 8.12.1 Symptoms
  - 8.12.2 Supplements
  - 8.12.3 Help from your doctor
- 8.13 Insomnia
  - 8.13.1 Symptoms
  - 8.13.2 Supplements
  - 8.13.3 Help from your doctor
- 8.14 Chemical sensitivity
  - 8.14.1 Symptoms
  - 8.14.2 Supplements
  - 8.14.3 Help from your doctor
- 8.15 Pain
  - 8.15.1 Symptoms
  - 8.15.2 Supplements
  - 8.15.3 Help from your doctor
9 Diet: what you eat has huge impact on how you feel
- 9.1 Why diet is important
- 9.2 Avoiding problematic chemicals in your diet
  - 9.2.1 Fruits and vegetables
  - 9.2.2 Packaged foods
  - 9.2.3 Meat
  - 9.2.4 Fish
  - 9.2.5 Game and game fish
  - 9.2.6 Doing your own cooking
- 9.3 Thiol food sensitivity
- 9.4 General notes on diet
10 Organization and practical matters: getting yourself organized
- 10.1 Remembering to take your supplements
  - 10.1.1 A convenient pill tray
  - 10.1.2 Filling your pill tray
- 10.2 Remembering to take your chelators
  - 10.2.1 Alarms
  - 10.2.2 Labeled pill boxes and other strategies
  - 10.2.3 Paper cups
  - 10.2.4 Checklists
  - 10.2.5 Your nighttime dose made easy
- 10.3 Keep a log or diary
- 10.4 Organizing the rest of your life
  - 10.4.1 Some useful suggestions to make life easier
11 Conception, pregnancy and lactation
- 11.1 If you are pregnant
- 11.2 After your child is born
- 11.3 Timetable of basic precautions
12 Does your child need to chelate too?
- 12.1 Teething chart
- 12.2 Timeline of developmental milestones
- 12.3 Growth charts
- 12.4 Medical diagnoses
- 12.5 Food and diet
- 12.6 Common sense
13 Conclusion: some encouraging words
Appendix A: frequently asked questions
Appendix B: FDA mercury in fish chart
Abbreviations
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

List of figures

Figure 1.1 A mercury puzzle
Figure 1.2 A mercury-containing thermometer
Figure 1.3 A jar of skin lightening cream containing mercury
Figure 2.1 Typical cupboard
Figure 6.1 Before chelation
Figure 6.2 Chelating with a bad protocol
Figure 6.3 Chelating with ACC
Figure 7.1 A chart with two different scenarios for the dump phase or "detox roller coaster ride"
Figure 10.1 An example of a pill tray
Figure 10.2 Filling a shot glass with pills
Figure 10.3 Taking pills with the shot glass
Figure 10.4 Filling a pill box
Figure 10.5 Using a box top to hold bottles
Figure 10.6 A cell phone with alarms set
Figure 10.7 A set of dial alarm clocks
Figure 10.8 A digital alarm clock
Figure 10.9 An alarm watch
Figure 10.10 A pill box with every dose labeled for a full round
Figure 10.11 An example of a checklist
Figure 10.12 This is from Rebecca's sporadic chelation diary
Figure 10.13 More of Rebecca's chelation diary
Figure 12.1 When your baby's teeth come in and fall out
Figure 12.2 When your child's adult teeth come in
Figure 12.3 Height/age curve for girls
Figure 12.4 Weight/age curve for girls

The Mercury Detoxification Manual by Andrew Hall Culter PhD & Rebecca Lee