Mercury, either by itself or along with other factors, may be harmful if taken into our bodies in higher than normal amounts, or by people sensitive to it. There is a certain amount of mercury in the air we breathe and the food we eat, and while most healthy people who maintain adequate nutrition, and possess a protein called metallothionein are able to break down the metal and eliminate it, others can not.
For those who don’t possess the metallothionein protein the metal builds up and leads to oxidative stress. The mercury will then target important organs, the main target being the brain. Mercury toxicity can change the connections to the brain (neuronal plasticity), or the ability of neurons in the brain to successfully undergo changes when the brain is developing and learning. If plasticity is interrupted, or changed, it will affect the way the brain creates and stores long-term memory.
Children are especially susceptible to mercury, and are at high risk of developing learning disabilities, ADD, ADHD, behavioral problems and autism. Research has found that these problems are directly related to nutritional deficiencies and mercury exposure by changing brain function and increasing stress in children.
Modern doctors are not trained to look for mercury poisoning as the root cause of many problems their patients are facing. It can create a multitude of problems within the human body, poisoning all the fundamental organs, including the brain. Different people will experience different symptoms, depending on their own biological chemistry. The more symptoms that develop the more the doctors will treat for different or multitude of illnesses where a single diagnosis of mercury poisoning could be the reason for all of them.
Some of the “diseases” that affect the memory or brain as a result of chronic mercury poisoning as are (this is just a small list of the total illnesses that could be a result):
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Autism
- Autoimmune disease
- Bipolar disorder
- Borderline personality disorder
- Depression
- Endocrine disorders
- Learning disabilities
- Manic depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Panic attacks
- Parkinson’s disease
- Pervasive developmental disorder
- Psychosis
- Schizophrenia
Foods such as high fructose corn syrup and artificial food coloring should be looked at as a problem for those without the metallothionein protein, or who maintain a poor diet. Due to the way it is processed, high fructose corn syrup has trace amounts of mercury as a result. Artificial food coloring has also been shown to lead to zinc deficiency. These ingredients are common in many foods in our diet today. Zinc in the diet is important to maintain the process required for eliminate mercury from your system. Other essential nutrients, including trace minerals, amino and fatty acids, are also important for the proper functioning of the central nervous system, and they play a role in maintaining normal neuronal plasticity.
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About the author:
Ron White is a two-time U.S.A. Memory Champion and memory training expert. As a memory keynote speaker he travels the world to speak before large groups or small company seminars, demonstrating his memory skills and teaching others how to improve their memory, and how important a good memory is in all phases of your life. His CDs and memory products are also available online at BrainAthlete.com.
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Sources:
Behavioral and Brain Functions: Mercury exposure, nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disruptions may affect learning in children: http://www.behavioralandbrainfunctions.com/content/5/1/44
Mercury Poisoning News.com — Health Effects of Mercury Poisoning: http://www.mercurypoisoningnews.com/effects.html
