Amalgam fillings ---> Safe or Unsafe???

There is a lot of confusion over the safety of Amalgam fillings. A naturopathic doctor recently told me that my number one priority should be to have my amalgams replaced. He explained that metal on the top and bottom teeth with saliva in between transforms your mouth into a battery! The dental associations in Canada and the USA say that there is no scientific evidence that Amalgam fillings are unsafe.

I just finished reading an article in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients Aug/Sept 1999 about mercury toxicity and amalgam fillings. Anyone considering removing amalgams would be well served to read this article.

Interesting facts about Mercury

• Mercury is the most toxic non-radioactive element on earth.
• A silver coloured mercury amalgam filling normally contains 52% mercury.
• On average, amalgam filling weighs 1 gram and contains 1/2 gram of mercury.
• The typical adult carries ten amalgam fillings containing about 5 grams of mercury.
• 1/2 gram of mercury in a ten acre lake would warrant issuance of a a fish advisory for the lake.
• Running shoes with mercury lights in their heels were banned by the Minnesota Legislature in 1994 because they contained a 1/2 gram of mercury in them and this was considered dangerous to public health.
• The use of mercury amalgams has been banned and are on a scheduled phaseout in Germany, Austria, Denmark and Sweden.
• Mercury-amalgam dental fillings have never been subjected to the kind of regulatory scrutiny and approval process demanded of all modern drugs and medical devices to prove safety.

If you have mercury amalgam dental fillings and are considering removing them as I am it is important to understand that although they will say there is no scientific evidence that amalgams are unsafe they will not be able to point to any scientific evidence that they ARE safe either. I prefer to remove myself from the North America wide Mercury Toxicity experiment.

Health claims for Big Pharma products questionable?

http://www.foodsarenotdrugs.com

"The Pharmaceutical Industry is asking for immunity from public lawsuits caused by their products while at the same time the Natural Health Products Industry is under increased scrutiny for supposedly being dangerous and untested. Natural Health Products have a virtually unblemished history of being safe and are generally not toxic. The clinical trials supporting the efficacy of pharma drugs which now (in many cases) are exposed to be fraudulent (pharma staff ghost writers) do not support the "claims" made by the manufacturers. Why would an independent clinical trial at the University of Alberta testing a natural product called EMPower Plus be shut down by Health Canada? The preliminary results showed that EMPower Plus was far more effective than the pharmaceutical status quo treatment for Bipolar Affective Disorder and without the help of ghost writers.

Andrew McGivern

Overregulation and Monopoly

http://www.foodsarenotdrugs.com

Overregulation and monopoly

The Natural Health Product manufacturing industry in Canada is still a very competitive and innovative marketplace despite 20 000 products being removed due to the regulations introduced in 2004. The Natural Health Product Directorate has placed 70% of NHP's in danger and Bill C51 will make the environment more hostile.

In order to ensure an innovative and competitive industry, we must NOT over-regulate and cause a monopolization of the industry by a few large firms. In Australia, the industry went from hundreds of manufacturers to only four in 10 years, after Bill C-51 style regulations were introduced. Our radio show Health Empowerment with Croft Woodruff has received a large amount of feedback from listeners about Bill C-51 and the message is clear. People do not want their foods, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fatty acids treated like drugs. These products are safe and effective.

Andrew McGivern
Omira Health Centers Inc
www.omirahealth.com.

National Post Article - Firms Back Campaign Against Health Bill -- So What????

http://www.foodsarenotdrugs.com

The recent article "Firms Back Campaign Against Health Bill" by Tom Blackwell, inaccurately states that the nationwide backlash against Bill C51 was NOT a grassroots movement but instead was merely a few firms who have a grudge against Health Canada promoting misinformation. The information on the NHPPA and the StopC51 website is accurate and the concerns are real. Obviously Natural Health Product Firms would back a campaign against an assault on their industry. But this article does not address the very real value that Canadians place on access to affordable, safe and effective natural health products. In order to ensure an innovative and competitive industry we must NOT over regulate and cause monopolization of the industry by a few large firms. In Australia the industry went from 100's of manufacturers to only four in ten years after Bill C51 style regs were introduced in their country.

It only makes sense that the stakeholders (the people with the most to lose) will act first to get the word out about a threat to their industry. This is what happened with Bill C51. This Bill (as it was written originally) was a huge threat to the Natural Health Products Industry and even after the proposed amendments is still a dangerous bill for a number of reasons. Everyone that I personally talk to about Bill C51 is very alarmed by the potential affect it will have on access to natural health products. There was almost 40 000 people in the Stop C51 Facebook group, MP's and the Minister of Healths Office was inundated with letters and phone calls from concerned citizens. Our radio show, Health Empowerment with Croft Woodruff has received a large amount of feedback from listeners about Bill C51 and the message is clear. People do not want their foods, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fatty acids treated like drugs. These products are safe and effective.

In the 90's a similar move by the government against the industry resulted in the single largest petition in Canadian history. Canadians clearly put a high value on their freedom to choose to take control of their own health. More than 70% of Canadians use natural health products. So to say that the mobilization of people against a serious threat to an industry (that is recognized as safe) is the result of few corporations own self interest is absurd. And it belittles the actions and wishes of the majority of the Canadian people.


Andrew McGivern
Omira Health Centers
www.omirahealth.com