Saddling up for adventure: The cowgirl's bold journey in foreign territory
“Normal people” usually have Hg and heavy metal issues if:
You’ve been told by a doctor to see a therapist when you are physically ill
You have a medical file more than an inch thick
You have a cupboard bursting with supplements and medicines
You have consulted multiple doctors and other practitioners without much progress
You have tried all kinds of different diets and cleanses
When I read this paragraph in “The Mercury Detoxification Manual”, I remember thinking, yes, this is me! It kept me turning the pages and thankfully, I was introduced to the Andy Cutler Chelation Protocol (ACCP).
The first step, as I embarked down the ‘chelation trail’, was to get a hair test, definitely new territory for this cowgirl. Through my research I found several companies that offer this. I ordered the Hair Toxic And Essential Elements-Doctor's Data Kit from www.directlabs.com. A hair test is positive for Hg and other metals when the patterns in the test indicate ‘deranged mineral transport’. This is when the metals are preventing your body from getting the right minerals to where they belong. My test results indeed met some of the counting requirements for this ‘deranged mineral transport’.
Here is my report showing elevated levels of cadmium, titanium, and silver, but not necessarily Hg, the Ca/Mg indicates blood sugar issues, and there are a few other “counting rules” that indicate Hg is a problem. I belong to a community of fellow ACCP’ers and they have been instrumental on this journey…interpreting hair test results, making chelator dose recommendations, sharing their journeys in chelation, etc.
Prior to learning about the hair test, I had multiple blood draws over the years looking for heavy metals which all came up clear at the time. Blood tests are misleading as Hg will only stay in the blood for a few months after an acute exposure. If you have long-term exposure, like I had, blood and urine levels can be low while organ levels are dramatically elevated. This is why I wasn’t diagnosed at any point in the previous 25 years. Mercury hides in your brain and other organs and there is no test to see how much mercury you have, only a hair test that shows you have symptoms indicating the ‘deranged mineral transport’.
Now that I could finally see a test result showing Hg toxicity symptoms, it was time to prep my body for chelation. The ACCP protocol is fairly straightforward but so important to follow the rules! I began supplementing my body with magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and adrenal cortex a month before I started taking a chelator in April 2021. I started with a very low dose of the chelator (alpha lipoic acid always and sometimes DMSA or DMPS) taken every three hours (around the clock) for 72 hours, which is based on the half-life of the chelating agent. I remember that first round. I was nervous not knowing if I was starting with the right dose. Not knowing how my body would feel. Not knowing if I would have symptoms show right away. Scared of the around-the-clock schedule for three solid days every stinkin’ week.
I built my chelation schedule to start on Sunday afternoons at 5:00 pm and end Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 pm. Those three nights of waking up around the clock were very hard at first but then my body started to adjust. Monday was always a hard day as my body was releasing the metals and my liver/kidneys/adrenals worked overtime in their filtration roles. By the time Wednesday would roll around, my body had adjusted and I would get excited at the prospect of finally being able to sleep through the night. I had weeks upon weeks of trial and error in getting the correct dose, dealing with chelation symptoms, and just fighting to stay upright. It was hard to work, hard to focus, hard to exercise, hard to be social, hard to be professional, and some days were bad while other days were fine. There weren’t too many that were great, that’s for sure. I took lots of breaks due to travel for work, travel for fun, health setbacks, and sometimes because I just needed a break! I kept track of each week in my journal to chart trends, symptoms, and overall change in dosage across each round/week.
Here are a few of my chelation journal entries:
Round 3 - May 9, 2021
Started at 8:00 pm Sunday night. Still at 12.5 mg ALA beginning at 8:00 pm Sunday night through 5:00 pm Wed night. Experienced headaches on Sat and Sunday before round. Might have been dehydrated after being at the ranch since Thursday. I took SmartWater but not sure I drank enough. That could have been the issue. I noticed today (on Thursday morning) at yoga that my heel pain caused by the DMPS IV has dissipated quite a bit. Downward dog wasn’t as painful and the gout in my right hand toes seemed to be less. Hallelujah. That’s a win.
I had a massage on Monday afternoon. Was so much LESS painful than the week prior. It felt really great. We celebrated my bday on Monday during the round. It was a long night of celebrating and eating. Tues morning I had energy work done and that night I cancelled playing in golf league as I knew I would need to rest. I was in bed by 7:00. Wednesday I traveled for work and it went well. Finally able to sleep while having to wake up every three hours to take ALA.
Round 28 - December 5, 2021
50 mg ALA + 6.25 DMSA every 3 hours. Started on Sunday. Monday morning I went to yoga class and did great. Have been feeling great since taking the 10 days off around Thanksgiving. Then started feeling this heavy pressure on my heart on Monday morning. Have never felt this before. Drove myself to the ER. 2 EKG’s, 2 blood work panels, 1 chest X-ray. Everything checks out just fine. I have to believe the mercury is moving in my chest bone/muscles. I aborted the round on Monday afternoon.
Left for Vegas on Wednesday to see my mom.
Round 61 - December 18, 2022
50 mg ALA. Decided to keep at that dosage given my back spasm last week. So far so good. Getting up in the middle of the night is easier and easier. A few gout symptoms on the previous few rounds. A few knee aches as well.
Round 92 - October 29, 2023
50 mg ALA + 3 DMSA Symptoms not too bad at all. Halloween fell on Tuesday. Spent most of the day on my feet which really tore my body up. Took an epsom bath around 9:30 pm, then had a hard time sleeping as my legs throbbed. Took 2 more epsom baths to find relief and get sleep. Slept for 9 hours on Wed night. Felt back to normal on Thursday.
I’m happy to report that I have completed 103 rounds (weeks) of chelation as of January 2024. The protocol says it takes about 200 rounds to rid your body of the metals. At this point, this cowgirl is halfway there and a lot more to share!
