I have had amalgam fillings from the time I was an adolescent. My parents made sure that we went to the dentist when we were kids. They also made sure that we had plenty of cokes to drink and candy to eat. There was never a shortage of cavities for the dentist to fill.

In elementary school, I had learning disabilities that made reading and cognitive word associations difficult for me.

What I thought about and what I wanted to say never matched, but was not an insurmountable problem.

In high school, I did well enough to graduate in the top 10% of my class but I was withdrawn and somewhat of a downer to be around. I like to believe that it was classical Greek fatalism not just that I was boring.

Life was kind of like a fog, I functioned, but was unaware of what was going on around me, yet somehow I managed.

In college and later Dental School, I began to have seasonally related bouts of depression. These occurred in the Autumn when the leaves began to fall and ended in the Spring when the leaves started coming back---not too severe---just a nuisance. It meant that Dad was not a very jolly guy at Christmas.

As my dental career started, the depressions were deeper and much longer. During this time, I became a Christian. The Holy Spirit was able to change a lot of my attitudes and redirect my thinking, but the depression was still there. Prayer did not remove them, but God did answer my prayers by bringing people into my life that had similar problems.

By 1987, my depression was no longer seasonal, it was year round. It never lifted.

I had begun to have annoying but not painful heart palpitations that would wake me up at night.

In the mornings, I would have numbness in my feet, especially my heels.

I had frequent headaches and difficulty concentrating. I thought that this was age related and I should start exercising. When I worked out (even just a little), I would have a sudden blood pressure drop and be fatigued for a few days.

I had at least two episodes of tachycardia (racing heart beat). But worst of all, I was tired all the time. Sleep was what I wanted to do the most. At lunch, at the end of the day, early bedtime. It was never enough. Don't believe that this didn't effect my family. It did big time!

In 1988, I was at a dental meeting and overheard a couple of dentists talking about a dentist in Colorado (Dr. Hal Huggins) who they said was teaching some nonsense about amalgams being bad for you. He said they caused......... . As I listened, they quoted a list of symptoms that matched mine exactly. I found out who the "quack" was and went to see him.

As a result of that visit, I had my fillings removed. I started taking a host of specific vitamins and micronutrients. I had some chelation therapy done to remove the mercury from my system. Nothing happened immediately, but within 6 weeks, I had no doubts that I was better.

Much of the mental confusion and difficulty in making decisions left within the first 3 months. By Christmas, my depression of 3 years had lifted (1989).

My stamina gradually improved and my fatigue was within normal limits. The palpitations went away and the numbness in my feet left.

By 1992, I was able to put on a 50 lb. back pack and hike up 2,500 ft. to a mountain campsite. I had been given a new lease on life and mine is not an isolated case.

A word of warning. Having your fillings removed haphazardly and without nutritional support can cause more health problems than you already have. Much more!

There is a very specific protocol developed by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology that is designed to protect you from the residue as it is being removed.

Remember the EPA considers it to be a Toxic Waste! Be very careful.