Mercury Toxicity & Candida Symptoms
Mercury is a known neurological poison that is stored in the brain, kidneys and body fat. Mercury toxicity results from exposure to the heavy metal. It often causes immune suppression and dysfunction, leading to increased susceptibility to infection with the candida yeast. Mercury toxicity and candida infection often go hand in hand, making each individual problem harder to treat.
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Mercury Toxicity Basics
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Acute mercury poisoning symptoms differ from those seen in chronic low-level exposure, but long-term outcomes are often similar and may include tremor, ataxia, numbness in the extremities and lasting organ damage. According to AutismStreet.org, some people have a genetically based inability to efficiently excrete mercury, leading to widely differing effects among people exposed to the same metal.
Candida Overgrowth
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Candida albicans is a common yeast found in the body in small amounts. Immune suppression and certain lifestyle factors make it possible for this yeast to multiply and infect various regions of the body, causing itching, irritation and other local symptoms.
Candida infection becomes more serious when it involves the digestive tract and other internal organ systems. In severely immuno-depressed patients, yeast overgrowth can lead to serious illness or even death.
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Physical Symptoms
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Physical symptoms of mercury toxicity can appear in virtually any organ system. Neurological symptoms include depression, tremor, mood disorders, tingling extremities and chronic fatigue, though immune, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal effects are equally common.
Physical symptoms of candida infection are also varied and may appear in virtually any part of the body. Among the most frequently experienced symptoms of internal or advanced infection include irritable bowels, worsening allergies, depression and unremitting fatigue.
Psychological Symptoms
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Mercury is stored largely in the brain, making it capable of disturbing mental and emotional processes. Extreme shyness, emotional lability, manic depressive symptoms and impaired thinking can result. What's more, a link has been suggested between mercury toxicity and autism, ADHD, multiple sclerosis and a variety of neurological illnesses. While mercury toxicity shares many symptoms with these disorders, more research is needed before a definitive link can be established.
Treatment Options
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Chelation therapy is the most effective method of removing mercury from the body. Substances like DMSO, alpha lipoic acid, EDTA and other chelating agents can be administered intravenously or orally; however, these measures are largely ineffective if the source of exposure isn't removed.
Common sources of mercury exposure include excessive consumption of large fish, dental amalgam fillings, skin-bleaching creams, broken fluorescent lights and old thermometers. A heavy metal screening can help determine if you've been exposed and to what degree.
Prescription antifungals like Diflucan are effective remedies for yeast overgrowth, as are herbal supplements like garlic and caprylic acid. In addition to a yeast-killing agent, dietary and lifestyle changes are needed to prevent reinfection. Cut back on sugar, alcohol and yeasty foods and increase your intake of plain yogurt, which can help increase beneficial bacteria in the body.
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