Could amalgam removal cause hair loss?

[LoisLane]

Hi there,

I started having hair loss this fall -- definitely before October -- and have looked at various things to figure out why. I had my Mirena IUD removed, have stopped reading about H1N1 (had been stressed by that), etc.

But two days ago, as I was having a small, old silver filling removed (it had started to deteriorate), I realized I had had a first (and much bigger one) removed in late August (a new cavity was forming next to it and it wasn't in good shape -- more than 25 years old).

Could amalgam removal have prompted the hair loss? I did a little searching online and it seems that the amalgam themselves can lead to mercury poisoning which can lead to hair loss -- but could the removal have made things worse (in the short term?)

FWIW, both times, I have felt WIPED OUT completely for a couple of days after the removal (which I had put up to stress going to the dentist). If the removals are linked to it -- how long can I expect it to last? And what can I do (aside from chelation, as I am leaving the country in two days for a six month period) to help support my body? Thanks for any thoughts you have.

Oh, and I have about three very small childhood silver fillings left. SHould I leave them be for a while (well, at least six months... but if they aren't in trouble should I not bother them?)

Thanks again.

[tanyalynn]

When amalgams are removed or replaced, our mercury exposure spikes. Long-term, removing them reduces mercury exposure (it's a significant, often the most significant, source for many people) but in the short-term, there's more exposure and some people do experience health problems immediately after removal.

If you're noticing symptoms due to removal, I would consider the possibility that your overall health has been affected by your amalgams. Most people excrete most of the mercury they ingest due to their amalgam fillings fairly quickly, but a minority do not excrete well, and it builds up and impedes chemical processes in our bodies and we become depleted in a fairly predictable set of nutrients in our bodies' attempts to excrete the stuff.

Part of this is genetic susceptibility, but it can be modulated by a lot of things--celiacs are more susceptible given the malnutrition they suffer while consuming gluten, higher or lower consumption of a wide variety of nutrients (folate, B12, zinc, magnesium, and more) would impact the process, how much mercury (or some other physical stress-lead, other toxic metals) you started out with as an infant/child, it all factors in.

In the short-term, I'd focus on nutrients, that should help--but how much, how quickly, is hard to say, I've ready very little specifically about alopecia. If you can get a good quality multivit and some extra vitamin C, I'd do that. Are you going somewhere that you can buy supps online?

One of the Thorne multivitamins w/o copper or iron (Thorne has real folate instead of folic acid, which is important for some people) would be a good start, they are available many places online for reasonable prices, plus daily vitamin C to bowel tolerance. I buy Now foods sodium ascorbate, it works for me and the kids and it's economical.