Mercury, the leading culprit among toxic metals and a primary ingredient of dental fillings, is implicated in several neurological disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and Alzheimer’s disease. Its effects on the brain also lead to memory loss, dementia, and loss of fine motor coordination. An investigational review board established by the Great Lakes College of Clinical Medicine (GLCCM) has set out to evaluate symptomatic changes that occur in patients with these neurological symptoms. The protocol for removing mercury from the body involves 1. Preparing the patient’s system with supplementation and gut healing; 2. Removal of dental amalgam fillings from the teeth according to specific guidelines that are designed to avoid increased exposure; and 3. Patients are sent to physicians who have been trained in removing mercury metal from the body, primarily through the use of intravenous (IV) Sodium 2,3 dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate (DMPS), which binds to mercury and allows it to be excreted through the urine.

According to an official report by the Department of Health and Human Services, the most common source of mercury exposure is dental amalgam fillings, which are made of over 50 percent mercury. Other sources of mercury exposure include contaminated fish, pesticides, industrial pollution, and vaporous mercury as a by-product of cremation. Studies performed on dentists, who have occupational exposure to mercury, show diminished fine motor coordination and slowed response time to various stimuli. According to the International Association of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT), mercury from amalgam fillings - commonly referred to as "silver" fillings - is absorbed through the lungs and nasal cavity as a vapor. Then it is transported through the bloodstream where it becomes available to the brain, nervous system, and other tissues. The IAOMT claims that, because the absorption rate of vaporous mercury is so much higher than that of mercury metal (found in fish), mercury exposure from the single source of fillings may far exceed the limitations set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency

Peter Holyk, M.D. of Contemporary Health Innovations, P.A. in Sebastian, FL, is a physician who is participating in the current study of the effects of mercury detoxification on a variety of neurological disorders. According to him, "There are different removal methods that need to be considered based on individual exposure." The level of mercury toxicity can be measured through hair analysis or by administering DMPS and measuring the amount of mercury that is subsequently secreted in the urine. Once mercury levels are determined, Dr. Holyk begins the removal process by first addressing the digestive tract, then tissues where mercury tends to be deposited, and finally the cells and areas of the brain for which mercury has an affinity. "The removal of mercury needs to be performed over a period of time due to the gradient of mercury concentration that occurs between the brain, cells, tissues, and gut," Dr. Holyk explains. "Sometimes we see improvement in patients right away; other patients have so much mercury in their system that we’re still pulling out large amounts after a year of treatment."