Widespread Mercury Toxicity - A Hidden Danger
Part 2 - Symptoms and How to Hopefully Find Relief
There are many different symptoms of mercury exposure that can occur from acute or chronic poisoning.
Acute mercury poisoning occurs mainly through occupational hazards and can cause sudden and worsening symptoms including:[1] [2] [3] [4]
· Desquamation of skin
· Hypotonia
· Increased epinephrine circulation (from inhibiting the COMT enzyme [catechol-O-methyltransferase] (https://selfhacked.com/blog/worrier-warrior-explaining-rs4680comt-v158m-gene/)[5] causing sweating, tachycardia, salivation, hypertension, poor functioning HPTAG (hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, and gonadal) axis (what is also known as adrenal fatigue), and anxiety.
· Light sensitivity
· Kidney dysfunction and failure (mainly from exposure to inorganic mercury)
· Peripheral neuropathy
· Skin discoloration (redness, rashes)
· Swelling
Chronic mercury poisoning comes from mercury amalgams and concentrated mercury seafood ingestion over time and symptoms include:[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
· Causes glutathione depletion. Our body uses glutathione to attempt to detoxify mercury. Glutathione poorly detoxifies mercury because it contains a single thiol group and poorly bounds with mercury (compared to far superior multiple thiol groups) for elimination.
· Depression
· Increased dopamine circulation from inhibiting COMT enzyme production causing anxiety, paranoia, delusions, risky behavior, addiction formation, and schizophrenia.
· Increased epinephrine circulation from inhibiting COMT enzyme production causing increased sweating, tremors, tachycardia, increased salivation, poor functioning HPTAG axis, hypertension, and anxiety.
· Interferes with thyroid function by binding with selenium and inhibiting thyroid selenoprotein production, which is needed by our body to produce thyroid hormones and the conversion of T4 (inactive storage thyroid hormone) to T3 (active thyroid hormone). In addition, selenium is required to produce the enzyme glutathione peroxidase. Glutathione peroxidase is a selenoprotein that speeds up the reaction between glutathione and free radicals, neutralizing them and reducing oxidative stress. Reduction of glutathione peroxidase causes your body to use more glutathione because it less effectively neutralizes free radicals.
· Intestinal dysbiosis (especially from ingesting methylmercury).
· Light sensitivity
· Mitochondrial insufficiency leading to fatigue, brain fog, neurotoxicity, dementia, seizure disorders, and compromised heart, kidney, and liver health.
· Peripheral neuropathy
· Poor hair (leads to hair loss), skin, and nail health.
· Skin discoloration (redness, rashes)
· Th1 dominant immune system (https://selfhacked.com/blog/supplements-foods-exercise-right-type-th1-vs-th2-dominance/)[19] (induces the cytokine TNF-a [Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha]), causing excessive inflammation.
· Th2 dominant immune system (https://selfhacked.com/blog/supplements-foods-exercise-right-type-th1-vs-th2-dominance/)[20] (induces mast cell degranulation causing allergic reactions and glutathione depletion), causing excessive allergies and asthma.
· Th17 dominant immune system (https://selfhacked.com/blog/th17/)[21] (induces the cytokine IL-17), triggering increased kynurenine leading to oxidative stress, depression, excessive inflammation, allergies, and tissue destruction (autoimmune diseases, for example, Hashimoto’s).
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to We've Read The Documents to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.