I am still reeling from my exam today. I had to drive an hour and a half and then sat through three hours of testing and discussions about my health, then took that hour and a half drive back home again. When I arrived home, I didn't realize how much the experienced drained me, but I was so exhausted, I literally had to lay down in bed for a while!
Some information energized me with hope, some downright scared me! I will walk you through my experience as best as I can recall, considering it was like speed reading from a medical book the whole time I was there! I really wish I brought a tape recorder with me!
The first item on the agenda was getting a handle on my mouth, by taking pictures and x-rays. They already had the results of my blood testing along with my hair test so we were just closing the loop on the whole picture. The dental assistant and the doctor both commented on the impeccable cleanliness of my teeth and gums, saying it was probably the cleanest mouth they have ever seen and considering the crowding I have with my bottom front teeth, that says a lot about our diet and care with fluoride-free toothpaste. So if anyone doubts you can clean your mouth without fluoride, I can honestly say that since we removed it from our house and changed our diets, neither my husband nor myself has ever had any plague on our teeth during dental visits. His last appointment with the dentist was well over a year overdue too! Dr. Weston A. Price has studies saying this very situation is true with the proper diet, and we are living proof!
So on to the appointment, the first thing we did was measure the mercury in my mouth before and after chewing for ten minutes. The EPA uses 1 mcg/m as the maximum allowable limit for air in a public building or for air in your home. Almost everyone, who has silver fillings in their teeth, will show levels of mercury vapor in their mouth above that limit. My reading in my mouth before chewing = 0, after = 8 mcg/m. That means my mouth is putting out EIGHT times the safe level of mercury every time I chew and that doesn't count brushing my teeth and drinking hot fluids like tea and coffee which I do daily. Gee, I wonder how much a day that all works out to....no, maybe I don't!
Then, after all the pictures of varying kinds (including 18 painfully uncomfortable traditional x-rays) were taken, the dentist came in to review my testing and pictures. As suspected, my hair test is suggestive of retaining mercury, she called me a "poor excreter of mercury". I have high arsenic and we tried to figure out the source of the arsenic to no avail initially, so we moved on thinking perhaps the mercury was the cause, although even Dr. Grube who had high mercury, didn't have elevated arsenic. We addressed a few deficiencies, which I already had supplements on board for. She was impressed with my knowledge and that I had already taken the steps to get my nutrition in line.
The blood tests are where the plot thickens. Below are the details that require action of some sort:
- Cholesterol is too low
- Blood sugar is too high
- Poor protein digestion
- I am eating too much protein for my body type
- Sodium is too low
- Phosphorous is low
- Thyroid is sluggish - I had already begun adding iodine this past week!
- I've even learned that the one white colored filling I have contains metals and needs replacing
- and lastly, my red blood count is low, platlets are low and my MCV (size of cells) is high
- Staph infection from FOUR cavitations are effecting the areas listed below (which is probably why I get a chronic need to clear my throat if I don't take GSE and OLE two to three times a day):
- Inner ear - this is recurrent with me, pain and ringing
- Throat
- Esophagus
- and to add to this, Dr. Grube found a swollen gland under my left jaw and an irritated and slightly swollen left tonsil, coincidentally, this is also the side with a VERY large filling and it's the same side that I frequently experience gum swelling (you guessed it, at the cavitation site!).
- He found mercury to be settling in the following body parts:
- eyeballs - oddly, the past few days I have had a strange symptom with my eyes since adding iodine to my supplements (iodine encourages natural detox), my eyes have been cloudy, for lack of a better word. They aren't blurry, but they are very tired, scratchy and cloudy with a decreased peripheral vision. I had mentioned this to both my husband and my best friend just yesterday.
- Throat
- Thyroid - which is also enlarged
- Esophagus
- Right breast - I actually had continuous trouble nursing on this side, had a decreased milk supply and have had bloody discharge in the past
This man found a multitude of things that I have had problems with in the past, with no discussion of them previously!
A physical exam resulted in the finding of various bite problems as well and they mostly stemmed from an "infantile tongue thrust reflex" that I never lost. Approximately 20% of the population has this. I have exercises that are intended to help normalize my bite imbalances. I have significant TMJ, which is basically something I just have to live with, I am merely one of the lucky ones, most likely genetically passed on. And not surprisingly, considering both my hair test and blood test pointed to thyroid problems, she also found an enlarged thyroid.
Adding the four cavitations more than doubles the cost of this procedure....so it's clear to me that I have a decision on my plate.
UPDATE February 27th - Since my appointment, I found myself constantly questioning the fact that I need four cavitations surgically cleaned out and considering the price of each one, the idea of doing all four makes me feel a little sick to my stomach. I just needed better confirmation, especially since Dr. Grube herself told me that the muscle testing is usually about 80% correct. So I sent her a brief e-mail with my concerns and even though it was the weekend, she rapidly responded assuring me that we will use the cavitat machine for confirmation the morning of my appointment. I feel so relieved!! If I can save myself even ONE cavitation, I will be thrilled, if not, at least I will know with 100% certainty that I needed the surgery. The cavitat machine is actually an ultrasound that looks for infection by detecting cavitational porosity in the jawbone. I am now ready for my appointment, well, except for the blood draw I need for the biocompatibility test. Doing that tomorrow. The hotel is booked and our list of what to bring with us is started...moving forward!
ANOTHER UPDATE! - Well over a month past my dental revision, I received test results from an independent lab...I had no idea to even expect this. Apparently, they sent necrotic tissue and bone from my cavitation sites to be identified, probably to look for cancer too. Guess what they found?! STAPH!! Dr. Grube's chiropractor husband was absolutely dead on! I had a staph infection in three of the four cavitation sites!
To see my Post dental revision blog entry, click here.
