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Old 08-19-2013, 01:56 AM
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Dr. Smith Dr. Smith is offline
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Dr. Smith Dr. Smith is offline
Senior Member (**Dr Smith is named after a character from Lost in Space, not a medical doctor)
Dr. Smith's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Lost in Space
Posts: 3,515
10 yr Member
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chemar View Post
Respectfully, It was my highly respected PHYSICIANS who cautioned me not to use ALA
Respectfully, nothing I said was directed personally. First, I was responding in general -- not to your OP in particular. Second, you didn't mention that in your OP.

Quote:
I was told it is a potent mercury chelator and yes, therefore can remove mercury, but because I had high mercury levels (tested) he advised I use chlorella instead because the ALA can cross the BBB and so in doing it's job of chelating mercury, could actually aid in carrying more in.
Were you told that was fact or theory, because I just had the same discussion with my dentist and doctor about 2 weeks ago because of the various supplements & meds I'm on, and they both said that was a theory, but that there were no studies supporting it.

Quote:
I decided to follow *their professional advice*.
What can I say? I'm a child of the sixties; I was taught by loving, educated, saavy parents, teachers, and mentors to question everything -- especially "authority". My doctors have never had a problem with that (the ones I've kept, anyway -- in fact, they've commended it, especially when it comes to things gleaned from the internet).

They and I know they've been mistaken before (I've learned from experience and reading others' posts here on NT that medical professionals can be in error and/or disagree on various things), and I wanted to get to the bottom of it myself. So in answering Stacy, I spent about 3-1/2 hours online trying to track down the science, and the links I provided were the best I could find. There may be more -- I don't know. They were the best I could find. Most of what I saw was as I stated. Take a look.
alpha lipoic acid mercury fillings
Of the 10 hits on the first page, 9 link to other discussion forums and blogs, and the tenth links here. Obviously I went much farther than that, but for the most part, results reflected what is IMO, unsupported fear mongering, often going around in circles. That's one reason a lot of doctors don't like and/or won't except information garnered online. Every medical professional I've ever known has said as much, and I understand their point.
Quote:
health professionals....have been trained to value the concrete and precise and to dismiss the intangible.
The Chronic Pain Solution: Your Personal Path to Pain Relief By James N. Dillard M.D., Leigh Ann Hirschman
Sorry if our sources conflict. That happens sometimes, and as you say....

Quote:
Last I checked, NeuroTalk was a place where everyone was free to express their opinion, and especially their personal experience.
I agree, and that's what I did -- express my opinion based on my online search. I reported what I found, and acknowledged the sites that bothered to put things into perspective by specifying the amounts of ALA they were talking about (the concensus of what I found was less than 200 mg/day of RLA is ok; more than that isn't.)

I stand by my statement to consider sources.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrsD View Post
Some lay sites are not reliable and paraphrase others
Sometimes incorrectly.
Thank you, that's exactly what I meant. As always, it includes me, and I have said as much many times. IMO, respected sources & studies outweigh unsupported claims and heresay.

Respectfully,

Doc
__________________
Dr. Zachary Smith
Oh, the pain... THE PAIN...

Dr. Smith is NOT a medical doctor. He was a character from LOST IN SPACE.
All opinions expressed are my own. For medical advice/opinion, consult your doctor.

Last edited by Dr. Smith; 08-19-2013 at 03:24 AM.
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