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At the California Center for Functional Medicine, we often see patients with complex medical histories and symptoms that don’t fit inside the usual diagnostic categories of the conventional medical world. As a result, they are often given a prescription for an antidepressant and assured that they are perfectly healthy, or they are otherwise left unaided after multiple physicians just don’t know the cause of their seemingly mysterious complaints. Fortunately, they persist and find their way to our clinic.

In searching for the underlying cause of chronic illness, I’m often surprised by how frequently we find high levels of toxic metals, especially mercury. Mercury is a common environmental contaminant, and many of us are unknowingly predisposed to mercury toxicity.

As this is a fascinating and complex topic that affects many of us, Chris and I will soon be offering a free webinar providing more details about how mercury wreaks havoc in our body, how to test for mercury toxicity, and how to support healthy detoxification. In this article, I want to provide an overview of mercury exposure, explain how we normally move it out of our bodies and why some of us develop toxicity, and provide some clues to see if you might be mercury-toxic.

Mercury 101: Three forms of mercury

There are three major types of mercury:

1. Elemental mercury: this is the form in “silver” fillings, or dental amalgams. Such fillings are about 50 percent mercury with smaller amounts of silver, tin, and copper (1). Dental amalgams continuously lose trace amounts of mercury, primarily as mercury vapor, or gas, which we inhale. Just as we inhale oxygen and it’s transported from our lungs to all of the tissues in our body, so too is mercury inhaled and transported throughout our body.
2. Inorganic mercury: you can think of this form of mercury as a result of corrosion. At some point, the elemental mercury in dental amalgams will be inhaled or swallowed, and then it attaches to another compound, forming inorganic mercury.
3. Organic mercury: also called methylmercury, this is the type of mercury found in seafood. When we eat fish, the methylmercury is delivered directly to our intestines. Somewhat unfortunately, due to a process called molecular mimicry, which can be thought of as a case of mistaken identity, our body sees the organic mercury, thinks it’s a beneficial nutrient, and brings it out of the gut into circulation.

Different individuals, different rates of mercury detox

Based on studies during an outbreak of mercury poisoning from eating mercury-contaminated seeds, the half-life of mercury (meaning the time it takes to decrease the blood level of mercury by half) for most people is 60 days (2). But the range is 40 to 120 days. In someone who only slowly detoxifies mercury, exposure to a constant source, even if small, such as with dental amalgams, leads to significantly greater accumulation and toxicity than would occur in someone who quickly moves it out of the body.

Chronic inflammation can lead to impaired detoxification and mercury accumulation. Are you at risk?

Mercury detox is affected by numerous factors

Mercury is moved out of the body by the glutathione system. Glutathione can be thought of as the master antioxidant. One of its many roles is to attach to metals and other toxins to guide them out of the body.

Genetics and epigenetics clearly have some influence over our rate of detoxification (3). But the story is much more complex, and fortunately, there are a number of pieces of the detoxification process that we can support.

Most notably, there is a complex interplay between inflammation and detoxification, and one cannot be treated without addressing the other.

Chronic inflammation = impaired detoxification. And, mercury = chronic inflammation. A vicious cycle.

Detoxification is essentially an antioxidant system. Inflammation, in contrast, plays the role of “attack and repair.” For example, if you cut yourself, you’ll notice that the skin around that cut becomes red, warm, and a little swollen. This is because inflammatory cells move in to “attack” any potential pathogens (like bad bacteria) that may try to move into your body through the cut (since the skin provides a normal barrier of defense). Inflammation is often protective in the short term, but it is associated with increased oxidative stress, meaning there’s an increase in reactive compounds that can cause damage to our cells and our DNA (4). Chronic inflammation, which is essentially “pro-oxidant,” will decrease detoxification, which is “anti-oxidant.”

In one study looking at fish consumption in children, levels of mercury were compared with inflammatory markers (5). Even though the levels of mercury in these children were low, an association was seen between higher mercury (whether due to slow detoxification and associated accumulation, or due to high consumption) and several inflammatory markers.

One study looking at how the immune system responds to mercury found an increase in the release of pro-inflammatory immune cells (6). This dysregulation in the immune system leads to an unopposed inflammatory response and increased risk for infectious or autoimmune diseases.

Inflammation makes us more susceptible to mercury toxicity

In one study, inflammation due to different causes, including exposure to bacterial endotoxin, which occurs with food poisoning or other GI infection, significantly increased toxicity (7). Another study similarly found that small amounts of bacterial endotoxin exposure substantially increased susceptibility to damage from various toxins, including metals (8). And another study in mice demonstrated that mercury in the presence of bacterial endotoxin caused measurably more kidney damage than mercury alone (9). This means that the same amount of mercury or other toxins will cause more damage in the presence of inflammation.

Mercury affects every cell and system in our body

Because of this, the effects and symptoms of mercury toxicity are different in each individual. While the variety of ways in which mercury affects each of us is too much to cover in this article, here’s a list of some signs and symptoms that mercury is affecting your health:

• Anxiety (10)
• Depression (11)
• Brain fog or decreased concentration
• Fatigue (12)
• Frequent headaches
• Ataxia (decreased control over muscular movements such as with walking or picking up objects)
• Sleep disturbance in children (13)
• Autoimmune disease (14, 15)
• Allergies (16, 17)
• Multiple chemical sensitivity (18)
• Paresthesias or neuropathy
• Hearing loss
• Dysarthria (characterized by slurred or slow speech due to weakness or poor control over the muscles used for speech)
• Muscle tremor
• Movement disorders
• Hair loss (19)
• Hormonal dysregulation including abnormal menstrual cycles and infertility (20, 21, 22).
• Cardiovascular disease including hypertension, coronary heart disease, transient ischemia attacks or stroke, or other vascular diseases (23)
• Kidney dysfunction including proteinuria (or “spilling” proteins into the urine)

Our nervous system is particularly vulnerable to mercury toxicity

You can see from this list of symptoms that our brains are especially susceptible to the toxic effects of mercury. Many of these conditions also result from the underlying inflammation and immune dysfunction associated with a high burden of mercury. Fortunately, you can get the mercury out of your body safely!

It’s important to know that if you are considering having your dental amalgams removed, this MUST be done by a biologic or holistic dentist with experience in low emission removal techniques (24). When done incorrectly, removal of amalgams can expose you to a substantial amount of mercury.

In our upcoming webinar Chris and I will talk more about how to test for metal toxicity, including why we don’t recommend provoked mercury tests, what additional tests need to be considered, and how we approach detoxification. The webinar will provide some time for questions and answers, so we’ll look forward to answering your specific questions there!

If you suspect you may be suffering from mercury toxicity, and want to start testing to recover your health, I am currently accepting new patients. To learn more about how to get started, click here.

Now I’d like to hear from you … have you experienced any benefit after having your dental amalgams removed? Or have you otherwise found high mercury levels caused your symptoms?

About Amy:  Amy Nett, MD, graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 2007.  She subsequently completed a year of internal medicine training at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, followed by five years of specialty training in radiology at Stanford University Hospital, with additional subspecialty training in pediatric radiology.

Along the course of her medical training and working through her own personal health issues, she found her passion for functional medicine, and began training with Chris in June of 2014.  She subsequently joined the California Center for Functional Medicine to work with patients through a functional medicine approach, working to identify and treat the root causes of illness.  Similar to Chris, she uses nutritional therapy, herbal medicine, supplements, stress management, detoxification and lifestyle changes to restore proper function and improve health.

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Q: Thanks very much for the soy milk recipe. I’m not overwhelmed by the idea anymore and I’m keen to get started. I just have one question.

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Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

As I mentioned in my last article, I recently attended the Pan American Games. The one thing that stood out to us technique watchers was the wide grip jerks employed by quite a number of weightlifting competitors.

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When cooking or reheating food in the microwave, you have a quite a few options — like paper towels, a plate, microwave-safe lids, or plastic wrap — for covering it. But is the last option, plastic wrap, actually safe to use in the microwave? If so, what’s the best way to do it?

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Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

As I mentioned in my last article, I recently attended the Pan American Games. The one thing that stood out to us technique watchers was the wide grip jerks employed by quite a number of weightlifting competitors.

read more

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There are few things worse than being stuck at a barbecue or picnic with bottles that require an opener and no opener in sight. Luckily, you can MacGyver almost anything into a bottle opener.

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If you’ve been keeping up with Mark’s Daily Apple, you know that standup paddling is a longtime favorite pastime of mine. And though I was into it before it was “cool,” I’m certainly not the first. Fishermen have been paddling their water vessels from a standing position for thousands of years and pre-contact Hawaiian surfers employed long paddles to reach the best waves on their 3-5 meter-long boards. In the mid-20th century, Oahu surf instructors would lead classes atop longboards with paddles, but it wasn’t until Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama started standup paddling (and being filmed doing it) that the sport gained broad “sport” status and board makers began producing dedicated SUP boards.

So, a lot of people have asked: why do I love paddle boarding so much?

I love the minimalism of paddling. Consider snowboarding, which I also love. Snowboarding requires a bunch of equipment. You gotta get the lift ticket. You gotta wear the cold weather gear. You need to strap on the boots. You gotta ride the lift and wear the goggles and check the conditions. It’s exhausting. Exhilarating, too, and I look forward to it every season, but you can’t beat the simplicity of slipping into the water and hopping up on your board with just some shorts and a paddle and no plan at all.

I can’t do traditional meditation. I’ve tried. I know the benefits. It just doesn’t work for me. But paddling? Getting the angle of the paddle just right as it enters the water with the least resistance? Engaging every muscle, however minor and seemingly inconsequential, to pull against the water? Paddling is my meditation. To get the angle of the paddle as it enters the water just right with the least resistance. I never even really think of it as a workout, although there’s not a better core program if you have good technique. Since taking up paddling, I’ve really developed my serratus anteriors to go along with the standard abs.

Shoulder problems? Don’t worry. With proper form, the shoulder is stabilized when you paddle. The arms in both top and bottom position are maintained fairly straight throughout the stroke; think of a “V” emanating out from the shoulder, formed by the two straight arm. Most of the actual “work” is done with the lats, the serratus, the abs, the hips, and the legs. Overall, paddling with proper form is a fantastic shoulder external rotation “pulling” movement. Since the majority of people are biased toward interior rotation of the shoulders, tight pecs, and a slumped, inactive thoracic spine, usually from too much computer and smartphone usage, standup paddling is a godsend for shoulder health. Even gym rats, who tend to be bench press addicts, can benefit from adding more restorative pulling or external rotation at the shoulder. Many experts think your pulling (pullups, rows) should outweigh your pushing (pushups, bench, overhead press, dips) by at least 2:1. Paddling is a productive and enjoyable way to do it. When I have shoulder problems from the gym, paddling actually helps iron them out.

Compared to kayaks and canoes, standup paddle boards give you a unique vantage point. Whereas the seated water vessels direct your focus toward going and moving forward and working hard, standing up directs your gaze downward and outward across the horizon. When I paddle, I can see everything below and around me, and because paddling itself is such a relaxed, meditative process, I’m inclined to take advantage of the increased visibility. If the water’s clear (as it is in Malibu), you’ll see some incredible things swimming below that you’d simply miss if you were trying to catch waves or cut through the water in record time. Standup paddling encourages exploration, and rewards it.

Cool things happen when you paddle. You might meet new people (SUPers are some of the coolest folks around, in my experience), you might catch a wave or two, you often see incredible wildlife (especially in Malibu – seals, dolphins, schools of bat rays and other large fish, etc.), because you can see straight down below.

A few weeks ago, I bought a new “starter” board on which to train first-timers (Costco, delivered free to the house!). The next Saturday I went down to the beach locker where I keep my boards and saw that there was a SUP race taking off just a few hundred feet up the beach. I figured I’d try the new board out in that race, so I registered. Big mistake. 20 paddle strokes in I could see that this board, while extremely stable and easy to ride, was a barge compared to my regular sleek board. This 5-mile ocean race was going to be a hurt dance if I was thinking of maintaining any real speed. And I couldn’t just drop out because, well, I knew too many people watching on the beach, so I settled in for a good workout and vowed to enjoy whatever happened. Rounding the final buoy about a mile and a quarter off shore, lost in the meditative paddling “zone” but aware of my surroundings, I was startled to look up and see not 50 feet away a large mama gray whale and twin calves just lolling in the water. This is a rare, rare sight, the kind of thing whale watching enthusiasts dream about. The people on SUPs around me were equally surprised, and we all just stopped — mostly because we were waiting to see if she and the kids might dive underneath us. It was fantastic and exhilarating to be that far from shore, in fairly choppy water wondering who would make the next move. As it turned out, we racers all agreed to take a 2-minute timeout and just “be” in this once in a lifetime moment. It was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had. And that’s the kind of thing that can happen when you paddle.

Interest piqued? I bet it is.

Here’s how to get started:

For beginners, I always recommend larger, wider boards like the Costco board mentioned above. The bigger the board, the better the stability. There’s nothing so demoralizing (and quick to discourage further paddling) to a newbie than repeatedly falling into the water because the board’s too wobbly and your balance is too underdeveloped. People with extensive surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, or other board-riding experience can probably get away with smaller boards, but the majority of beginners will get the most out of a wider, more stable board. Softer tops (as opposed to harder ones) also tend to favor the beginner.

Another choice to make is between planing hulls and displacement hulls. Boards with a planing hulls are like surfboards, sitting flat atop the water. These are great for all-around use, catching waves, and general fun on the water. Displacement hulls cut through the water, more like a kayak. They’re intended for racing and long-distance touring. I recommend most beginners start with planing hull boards until they get a feel for what they want out of paddling. If you get really into the sport and want to start racing or going long distance, you can always switch to a board with a displacement hull.

Buy at a shop rather than online for your first one. Many shops offer renter programs where you can try before you buy, and they’re full of passionate experts who will guide you toward the best board for your situation. Also, get fitted for a proper non-adjustable paddle; they tend to be higher quality than the adjustable ones.

Other than that? Just go try it. As I said earlier, it’s so simple and requires so little equipment (beside the board and paddle) that you can slip into the water and have fun. Ocean, lake, pond, river — all it takes is some water. If you’re a little unsteady, start on your knees. If you fall off, laugh and get back on. No one’s watching. No one cares.

Oh, and be sure to respect the locals, particularly if you’re trying to surf waves.

That’s about it for today, folks. If you have any questions about standup paddling, leave them down below. If you have any comments, tips, or advice for beginners, do the same.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Over the years I have been asked many questions about my workouts:

• “What is your go-to workout?”
• “If you could only do one workout what would it be?”
• “What is the best workout to build muscle?”
• “What is the best workout you know?”

I wish I could answer with just one workout. I wish it were that simple that there could be one workout session that could achieve any goal or accomplish any purpose.

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Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Over the years I have been asked many questions about my workouts:

• “What is your go-to workout?”
• “If you could only do one workout what would it be?”
• “What is the best workout to build muscle?”
• “What is the best workout you know?”

I wish I could answer with just one workout. I wish it were that simple that there could be one workout session that could achieve any goal or accomplish any purpose.

read more