OLD HARD AND NEW FAST WAYS OF LEARNING ABOUT THE GENOME, THE TOXOME, AND HOME

I learned the old hard way (20+ years of chronic disease), then the new fast way about gene types and toxins: two years discovering biocompatibility issues in dentistry and medical devices, and immersion in the sciences and arts of investigative and scientific research. An economist and ethicist by training, with a new vocation and skill set by life's necessities and the fundamental urge to be well.

What am I learning? Health and chronic disease has a lot to do with methylation, and other basic biochemical and bioelectrical pathways essential for human life, animal life, probably plant life. We are the biome, the toxome, the home. Much as we like to think we are a higher being or species, our higher creative and economic capabilities come back to bite us when we ignore the fundamental economic, social, medical, environmental externalities at the scale of patient, profession, and  local, national and global levels.

It's all about luck in the gene pool, and in the toxins pool.Those with great genes can swill toxins and expel them with ease, and dance and compose magna opi in their 90s. Those with bad luck in methylation, detoxification, and immunological pathways can still be healthy - but only if they avoid toxins like the plague. Because they are ubiquitous, and stick with us given our genetic glitches, we begin the long slow decline, the long sunset, and the long goodbyes much too early, before our time.

But there is hope! We can now learn our gene types and our toxins, separate the bad from the bad, and strengthen the good.The body, brain and psyche has an astonishing capacity to heal itself when, like a computer or a car, we clean out bugs, reboot/reset electrical pathways and get things humming in the right direction again.

After being 25 years clinically older, I am now 25 years clinically younger. At 60, I may live to 101 like my grandmother relatively intact, instead of mid 80s with a horrible last few years like my mom. When my time comes I'd vote for a massive heart attack in my sleep or the ice floe or ocean to reenter the great sea and circle of life from which it began.

There are clinical trials underway in Sweden of a compound that boosts glutathione to help with metals toxicity because the FDA wouldn't grant orphan drug status. People travel even overseas for biologic dentistry because dental plans have no patient protection nor medical necessity rules, they are strictly commercial contracts that write their own rules. Health insurers would be so wise to cover biologic dentistry like any specialty, make referrals, and incorporate all things dental into EHRs.

Dental is the root of much inflammation and oxidative stress throughout the body and brain. Teeth are god's plan for mortality. Dental infections, and toxins - conveniently denied by the ADA and the FDA - cheat us of years of health, vitality, cognition and mobility. Dental mercury poisoning is acknowledged in many advanced countries, not in the USA. Toxins - bad for humans - are synergistic.

Biologic dentistry, functional medicine, integrative and holistic approaches are growing by leaps and bounds not just because they make people feel better, but because they work.

I am interested in partners for fascinating ventures. New interests include health innovation, apps and IT, wellness, chronic diseases, etiology, epidemiology, QR codes, old and new medicine, genomics, toxicology, pharmacology, cellular bio-chem-electrics, medical devices, FDA, Form 3500s, govt regulation of dentistry and medicine, self regulation of the professions, patents held by professional associations, conflicts between professional and commercial roles, civil rights, genetic rights (none where it counts in dentistry and not enough in medicine), constitutional law, health law, conflicts of interest among top regulators and industry, lobbying and campaign spending reports, media, censorship and journalism. 

RACHEL LOUISE CARSON: Google lets fly a Doodle true to ‘Silent Spring’ writer’s nature - May 27, 2014

My Comment on Today's 
Washington Post Article on Rachel Carson's Google Doodle: 

We have many scourges we have unleashed upon ourselves. We need to pick up the mantle and continue fighting not just the silent spring from pesticides, but the rising tide of chronic cognitive, immune, neurological and psychiatric diseases caused by the hidden river of toxins within us. 

The greatest scourges of our time, stealthily ravaging our bodies and minds, are mercury, mold and Lyme. They are not significantly recognized, they are not sufficiently considered and screened and tested for, and when found, they are not properly treated by the vast majority of physicians. 

Please read and share the Issue Paper: For Good Health, Integrated Care, and Making Chronic Diseases History, posted on www.hiddenriverhealthchallenge.blogspot.com. It addresses the first scourge.  

Rachel Carson was, and is my inspiration, and my muse. I organized a 1970 Earth Day cleanup in my high school, founded a local environmental organization, set up a school-based recycling center, and collected pictures for the first Dirty Dozen Campaign while a college intern at Environmental Action. 

Now we need to organize a People Day. Hidden River Health Challenge is gearing up to launch a Fishing Expedition to land the worst offenders, and celebrate the champions, of ending the scourge of dental mercury installed without our knowledge or informed written consent. Think about that. No labels No informed written consent. For a medical device. Containing a known neurotoxin. That off-gases mercury vapor with heat and abrasion, in teeth made to chew. Genetically susceptible children and adults experience great harm. It is not on our radar screen. 

The media is silent. The FDA was sued March 5th by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology and others, and no mainstream media covered the release. Congress is silent. The Obama Administration is silent. Apparently the media and politicians are even more sensitive to toxins - the ones called money, lobbying, and spin.

NOW WE LAG NEPAL! Health experts stress Mercury-free dental fillings

 

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Health experts stress Mercury-free dental fillings

KATHMANDU, MAY 27 - Public health experts have drawn the attention of the concerned authorities and public over the use of amalgam (mercury) in dental fillings, warning that it causes negative health effects including immunological, neurological and psychological problems among the people.

Organising a two-day national workshop on Mercury Free Dentistry that started from Monday, the Centre for Public Health and Environmental Development (CEPHED) along with Nepal Dental Association are planning to raise awareness among concerned dental institutions, professionals and people in general regarding the harmful impact of amalgam dental fillings on an individual’s health and promote mercury-free dentistry.

Even though Nepal is signatory to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a legally binding treaty agreed by the world to prevent use of mercury containing products by 2020 to protect human lives and the environment from mercury pollution, and is working on a long-term action plan to phase out production, export and import of a range of mercury containing products and equipments such as thermometers, increasing use of mercury in dentistry is posing serious health risks to patients, says Ram Charitra Sah, Executive Director at CEPHED.

Dental amalgam, a combination of mercury with other metals like copper and silver, has been used for over 150 years for the treatment of tooth cavities and decay.

However, amid widespread health concerns on the use of amalgam fillings in dentistry, Western countries such as Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden have either totally banned or discouraged mercury fillings, especially for children and pregnant women.

“We need to also work on a regulatory framework and our plan to phase out amalgam in dental fillings should be our top public health priority. Nepal should work to address the possible public health and environmental implications from the increased and continuous use of amalgam dental fillings in the dental health care system of Nepal,” Sah added.

Posted on: 2014-05-27 08:48 

NOW WE LAG NIGERIA! Nigeria to Ban Dental Mercury

WorldStage News: Nigeria to Ban Dental Mercury

WorldStage Newsonline--

News Update (May 21, 2014 19:27:17pm)

The Federal Government of Nigeria on Wednesday announced plans to phase out the use of mercury because of its effect on the environment.

Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam who spoke in Abuja at a Stakeholder Forum on Phasing Down Dental Amalgam with the theme: “Nigeria: towards a mercury free dentistry”, said mercury pollutes the environment and disrupt the ecosystem.

She also said the use of dental amalgam, a substance use in filling decayed tooth was hazardous to human health.

Mallam who was represented by the Acting Director, Pollution Control, and Environmental Health, Mr. Kasimu Bayero, said government would look for other measures that are effective, environmentally friendly, and non hazardous to human health.

She said: “The Federal Ministry of Environment has put in place measures for managing mercury issues in Nigeria among which are the phase down of dental amalgam. The 2013 Minamata Convention contains provision to address growing problems of mercury issues in dentistry such as dental amalgam.

“Mercury is one of the most poisonous elements on earth. It aggravates the environment and disrupts the ecosystem. It has significant effects on human health and the environment. The environment and health of our country remains the main concern.

The Executive Director Development and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria), Leslie Adogame explained that mercury is a toxic substance of global concern that causes significant harm to human health, wildlife and ecosystems.

He cautioned that exposure to mercury could be harmful to pregnant women and lactating mothers who expose children to mercury during breast feeding.

Adogame said: “Parental and infant mercury exposure can cause mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness, and blindness. Even in low doses, mercury may affect a child’s development, delaying walking and talking and causing learning disabilities.

 “In adults, mercury poisoning can adversely affect fertility and blood pressure regulation and can cause memory loss, tremors, vision loss, and numbness of the fingers and toes. A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to mercury may also lead to heart diseases.

“Improper disposal of these mercury wastes contaminates the environment locally, downstream and globally.”

PRESS RELEASE: FOR GOOD HEALTH, INTEGRATED CARE AND MAKING CHRONIC DISEASES HISTORY

For release: May 22, 2014                

         

Contact: Laura Henze Russell, Principal, Hidden River Health Challenge, 339-364-0701 laurarussell2@comcast.net

Elizabeth Brody, Chief of Staff, Sen James Timilty, 617-722-1222, elizabeth.brody@masenate.gov

                                 

Sen. Timilty Working for EHS 692: For Good Health, Analyze Dental and Health Records

Sen. James Timilty (D-Walpole) filed Senate Budget Amendment EHS 692 to ask the MA Center for Health Information and Analysis to include dental insurance records in their health insurance database analyses, which are used by the MA Health Policy Commission to look at trends in chronic diseases and health care costs. Biocompatibility problems with dental materials, and dental infections are major drivers of inflammation, the common cause of many chronic diseases.

Rep. Louis Kafka and Sen. Brian A. Joyce each filed a bill related to dental amalgam in 2013. They were sent to study by the Public Health Committee, but its co-chairs welcomed a related budget amendment. Three other New England states and CA provide some consumer information, and the FDA says state consumer labeling does not violate preemption. The label could include a bar code and a QR code so people can look up more product information on their cell phones. The bills will be refiled next year.

Many legislators thought dentists stopped using amalgam years ago, and are surprised it is still in use. Everyone has an interest in keeping people healthy. Dental plans should be cost neutral and subject to patient protection laws and medical necessity. MassHealth should cover alternatives to amalgam, as Pennsylvania has for years. Paying a little more upfront for biocompatible filling materials can forestall years of higher health care costs for genetically susceptible children and adults. There are a half dozen common gene types that do not clear mercury well, raising the risk of immune and neurological damage. There are numerous studies on higher rates of chronic diseases with amalgam, and occupational risks.

Hidden River Health Challenge is also releasing a new Issue Brief today to make the case for action, subtitled, How We Can Get Better & Lower Health Care Costs by Blending Old & New Knowledge, Ending Conflicts & Rebooting the Health Sector. “It is time to catch up with the rest of the world, put patients instead of industry protectionism first, and end ‘conflict regulation’ and ‘conflict dentistry’ in the United States, says Laura Henze Russell, founder of Hidden River Health Challenge. 

Russell recovered from two decades of fibromyalgia and a year of escalating medical misery which turned out to be due to a genetic glitch in clearing mercury, which off-gases from dental amalgam. She delved into the subject in order to recover her health, and help protect others from her fate. “It is astounding to me that we get no labels, and have no right of written informed consent, for installation of a dangerous neurotoxin that is considered a medical device by the FDA,” says Russell.

Unlike the AMA which holds no patents so has no commercial and trade interests, the ADA was assigned 83 patents in the 38 years - 1976 to the present - in which the US patent office records are fully digitized, including two related to dental amalgam that expired in the mid-1990s. Patents granted to all sources on dental amalgam since 2002 are all related to mitigating its harm to the environment.

Russell sent in-depth letters with information on new peer reviewed journal articles on clinical trials showing harm from dental amalgam to boys with certain gene types to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, EOHHS, Division of Insurance, Attorney General, and the Sharon Board of Health. The Issue Brief is being shared with  the MA Legislature, Health Policy Commission, and stakeholders. The findings of amalgam safety from the Children’s Amalgam Trials have been retracted. The American Public Health Association declined in 2013 to ratify its interim policy that amalgam is safe and effective. Nigeria is the latest nation to end the use of dental mercury, announced May 21, 2014.

The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) filed a lawsuit against the FDA March 5^th for failing to respond to a petition to reconsider the flawed 2009 Class II dental amalgam ruling based on numerous errors in the FDA’s risk assessment after 54 months. The Administrative Procedures Act requires a response within one year.  IAOMT is one of three dental associations opposed to the continued use of dental amalgam. It supports science and trains dentists on safe removal techniques when indicated and special equipment needed beyond a dental dam to minimize patient and staff exposure to mercury vapor.

Mercury vapor from dental amalgam, mercury from fatty fish such as tuna and swordfish, from skin lightening creams, and from old medications such as mercurochrome and merthiolate are different forms of a potent neurotoxin and human exposure from all sources should be minimized.

It took Congress 14 years to pass President John F. Kennedy’s bill to add medical devices to the FDA. Unfortunately, Congress never instructed the FDA to require medical devices contain the kinds of patient labels, composition information, health risks, side effects, and a number to call to report adverse events that patients get for every prescription drug, and for chemicals. We get labels on our Cheerios, and labels and health warnings on toothpaste not to swallow it, but nothing on medical devices permanently installed in our teeth. It took the FDA 33 years to classify dental amalgam, and the risk classification is flawed, outdated, and out of step with much of Europe and Canada, which have warnings and consent. Four Scandinavian countries and Japan have banned its use.

There is a growing movement for funding, running and analyzing clinical trials data by gender, led by Dr. Paula Johnson of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and other speakers at the Women’s Health Summit in Boston in March. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, who sat on Henry Schein’s board for six years, disagreed, saying it would be too expensive to reanalyze old studies, and we need to move forward. Biotech and medical researchers confirm the need to add gene type and gender.

Russell is a social innovation entrepreneur, economist and ethicist concerned with health and family wellbeing, an injured patient, a mother, wife and daughter with a family tree with its share of chronic diseases. After two decades of fibromyalgia, and a year of medical hell, Laura regained her health and ability to work. She faces large dental costs and lost her appeals to a “great” dental plan due to the FDA ruling that amalgam is still Class II, standard of care for everyone. A former ocean lifeguard, she renewed American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, Lifeguard, and Lifeguard Trainer certifications.

Russell founded Hidden River Health Challenge: A Social Innovation Enterprise to help people learn about the impact of genes and toxins, importance of our own health information, share and take action. Hidden River is reaching out to people, stakeholders, and candidates running for office to build support for good health, integrated whole body care, and helping make chronic diseases history.

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Deborah Sampson vs. Goliath: Will Sharon Make History as First Town to Call for Surgeon General Report on Mercury Health Risks?

Article 24 is expected to come up on the second night, Tuesday May 6th, at Town Meeting at the Sharon High School Auditorium. Non-residents must request permission in advance to attend Town Meeting.

Watch Russell's Presentation to Sharon Finance Committee on Article 24: Why We Need a Surgeon General Report  

Sharon resident Laura Henze Russell filed Article 24 to raise awareness, and begin to change official government policy on dental amalgam, which is still in unrestricted use in the United States. Four Scandinavian nations and Japan ban amalgam. Canada and much of Europe have warnings and consent.

Russell is acting in the spirit of Deborah Sampson, a patriot who fought against all odds for her beliefs and for the rights of others. She is acting in the tradition of promoting an environment free of toxins for health and wellness, and lessening the burden and impact of chronic diseases. She is acting as a witness to her personal experience of illness and recovery, that of others she has met with similar experiences, and her belief, faith and knowledge from two years of in-depth research.

Russell was an ocean lifeguard in her youth. In her late 30s Russell developed fibromyalgia that restricted her physical activities. In her 40s she was treated for breast cancer and developed osteopenia that contributed to fractures of her foot, wrist and elbow. In her late 50s she developed escalating problems that specialists at leading Boston hospitals were unable to diagnose, and had to stop working.

Finally diagnosed and treated for mercury toxicity, she learned she has some common genetic glitches that increase susceptibility to heavy metals and toxins, and impact immunity. Large amalgams were drilled out with only a dental dam (inadequate protect from inhaled vapor) after she stopped breastfeeding, right before she developed fibromyalgia. Russell has experienced a remarkable recovery, and resolved to help others avoid her fate.  

James S Woods et al have published three peer reviewed studies retracting their prior findings of amalgam safety in the Children’s Amalgam Trial, finding neurobehavioral deficits in boys with certain gene types. Many studies show associations between amalgam and chronic diseases. Three dental associations – International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, International Association of Biologic Dentistry and Medicine, and Holistic Dental - are opposed to its use as mercury vapor off-gasses with heath and abrasion, harming genetically susceptible patients, dentists and staff.  They provide training in safer removal.

The FDA has a logjam on amalgam. We do not get labels, we do not get information, we do not have the basic human and medical right of informed written consent for a medical device that has a potent neurotoxin. Unlike the AMA, the ADA is also a commercial and trade association, with 83 patents in the 38 years in which the US Patent Office has fully digitized records. The ADA’s last patents on dental amalgam were filed in the mid 1970s and expired in the mid 1990s. 

During the last 12 years, the only new patents granted on dental amalgam are to help mitigate its impacts on the environment, through better wastewater separators, and for encapsulation in corpses prior to cremation to minimize release of toxic mercury vapor from crematoria, which are exempt from strict pollution controls.

Russell has provided extensive information the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Executive Office of Human Services, and the Division of Insurance which regulates dental insurance, but they can take no action as long as the FDA says it is safe. The IAOMT sued FDA March 5th for failing to respond to a petition to reconsider its Class II ruling with numerous errors in its risk assessment. States are permitted to require labels and give information for patients, as in CA, CT, ME and NH.

Rep. Kafka and Sen. Joyce filed bills on amalgam; they were sent to study. Russell shared extensive information with Rep. Kennedy, Sen. Warren and Sen. Markey. Rep. Kennedy and Sen. Markey are not on the right committees to lead. Sen. Warren's staff said they will need to see a large coalition before taking action. This is a step to raise awareness and help build momentum.

Russell founded Hidden River Health Challenge: A Social Innovation Enterprise, to help people learn about genes and toxins, and the importance of our own health information, share what we learn, and take action to help ourselves and others. Hidden River is forming a Coalition for Good Health, co-sponsored by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology.  For information, contact Laura Henze Russell, laurarussell2@comcast.net.  

Filed by Laura Henze Russell, here is Article 24: "To see if the Town will request that the Sharon Board of Selectmen write to President Obama asking him to instruct the Surgeon General of the United States to prepare a report on Dental Amalgam and Health Risks; or take any other action relative thereto." 

The Board of Selectmen voted 2-0-0 against approval. THE FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTED 8-0-1 AGAINST APPROVAL."