Sulphur Foods and Mercury

[As of 12/20/14, we have been off GAPS for more than three years and are enjoying freedom from the fear of food and toxins.  You can be free, too!  I want you to be free!  Please go to http://gapsfamily.blogspot.com/2014/12/our-story.html to find links that will guide you through our story.  Be encouraged!]

I was trying to figure out why our 8 year old and I have been constipated and irritable.  I prayed all day yesterday for help about this and last night I read a post on the GAPShelp group that made me remember something about sulphur foods and mercury.  Incidentally, I discovered that our 2 year old's issues may be related to sulphur food, not the sauerkraut, as previously thought.  It pays to pray!!!  Thank you, Jesus!

I have mercury amalgam fillings and I have had 11 rogam shots during and after 6 pregnancies.  I have had a few flu shots over the years, though none recently.  My children have all had vaccines, except for the baby.  His exposure to mercury would only be through me.  Rogam shots, flu shots and childhood vaccines all have thimerosal in them as an ingredient.  Granted, they have taken it out of 'some' of these vaccines in recent years, but it is still in the majority of vaccines to this day.  God help us!

"Q: How dangerous is mercury? 
Very. Mercury is the second most toxic element on earth, second only to plutonium. The amount of mercury found in one mercury thermometer is enough to pollute a small lake. Mercury toxicity has been linked to a large number of diseases, including arthritis, altzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, learning disabilities and ADHD."  (from the 3rd link below)


It is extremely poisonous even in the smallest amounts.  Our bodies, if they are working properly, can naturally chelate heavy metals and other toxic substances in small quantities, but some people are not well enough to naturally chelate these metals and they build up and poison the body.

OK, so I have established that my children and I have all been exposed to mercury in one way or another.  I did a Google search on 'sulphur food and mercury' and found some very interesting material that helped to answer many questions.  I will go through some of what I found and provide the links.

"In his excellent book “Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and Treatment”, Andy Cutler informs us that many mercury-toxic people are intolerant to certain foods, commonly known as ’sulfur foods’, which have a high free thiol content. Consuming foods high in thiols raises the circulating thiol levels which in turn mobilizes mercury and creates symptoms."  (from the 1st link below)

I have read the list and we have already taken out most of the foods listed because they made one or all of us feel YUCK after eating it.

We just introduced eggs this week.  Egg yolks are a sulphur food.  We have been eating only egg whites, for the most part, for years because the yolks used to give me asthma.  When we started the Feingold diet 4 years ago and took out all of the artificial stuff and the natural salycilates, I could tolerate egg yolks on occasion and baked into things.  Most recently, when I started eating the yolks, I got really tired, but no asthma.  It is the same time frame that I started getting irritated at everything and everyone.  We started the kids on egg yolks on the 9th.  Looking back, I see that our 2 year old started to regress again after this.  We noticed it on the 13th.  I posted it on the 14th.  Also, this is when our 8 year old started to get constipated and irritable.  She also told me that she, too, has been very tired lately.  Hmm.

"He notes, “You typically get a couple of hours of feeling good, energized, happy, and then libidinous, then you feel tired, draggy and depressed, which goes on for a day to a week. Of course if you are eating sulfur foods at each meal these all get stacked up and you can never figure out what is happening.” "  (from the 1st link below)


"Until the body regains its ability to oxidize sulfur, it may help to limit high sulfur containing foods (cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, onions, garlic, turnips, eggs, red meat, turkey, dairy products)"  (from the 2nd link below)

We have already removed most of those foods.

"Supplying any of these sulfur foods may be a problem to some of these kids who do not oxidize sulfur well. One indicator may be fatigue after eating these."  (from the 2nd link below)

Again, our 8 year old and I have been very tired.


"Q: If mercury poisoning is caused by vaccines, then why don't aren't all kids mercury toxic? 
Sensitivity to mercury varies widely from person to person, as does the body's natural ability to detoxify. Some children can get rid of the mercury quickly, while in others, the toxin remains in the body longer, allowing it time to bind tightly in the brain and other organs."  (from the 3rd link below)

This makes sense.  We have a family history of depression, anger, schizophrenia (1), autism (1), and Asperger's Syndrome (undiagnosed, but looking back at all of the quirky people in my family)

"Q: I've started chelating and my child is having bad side effects. What can I do? 
Some side effects that listmembers have reported include increased urination, redness of the face and extremities, rash, heartburn, and diarrhea. Your child may also show an increase in autistic symptoms (may become more "stimmy" or show more oppositional behavior). If the side effects are severe or difficult to deal with, stop the cycle and allow a rest time, then start the next cycle with a lower dosage. You may also want to try a shorter chelation cycle, with a larger rest period in between."

Yes!!!  Since we started the egg yolks, we have had to wash lots of sheets from leaky diapers and pull-ups.  We have seen the redness in the face.  Our 2 year old's BMs are better than before GAPS, but in the last week they have been wettish and leak out of the diaper onto his clothes.  Our 2 year old, 8 year old and I have been very irritable/oppositional this week.  Our 2 year old is regressing more and more daily, eye contact is less and less.  He grabs at his eyes.  He is a mess at the table and dropping things all over.  He is falling a lot, again.  He repeats words or phrases instead of conversing, I think this is called echolalia?  He has become more "stimmy" waving things over his head or next to his head.

Do you see how far down things have gone since we added the egg yolks???  Last night we added onions and went to the store to buy more onions and garlic, but now I am not so sure if I should use them or not.

I do know that we will avoid these foods for at least a week and see if we can recover our 2 year old yet again.  This is why we started with the Intro diet - to be able to pinpoint specific foods that cause specific problems for specific people within our family.  I am glad we did!

When we started full GAPS on the 17th of August, it was Stage one foods plus egg whites, and raw fruits and veggies.

http://livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/food/high-sulfur-sulphur-food-list 

http://www.healthyawareness.com/articles/about-autism/foods-high-in-sulfur-and-whey.aspx

http://www.detoxmychild.org/mercury_autism_faq.htm

Another excellent source about the toxicity of Mercury, sources of exposure and symptoms of toxicity:
http://www.daytonmedical.com/metal_toxicity.htm

Article on immune reactive conditions - a MUST READ - very descriptive with many credible references!
http://www.cqs.com/immune.htm