Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

In short, Dr. Fuhrman considers mercury a bad mama-jama. Try searching the word mercury on DiseaseProof, check out how many posts come up urging avoidance of it—a lot! Whether it’s from contaminated seafood or used in drug-making, according to Dr. Fuhrman it’s all bad news. Here’s what he had to say in a previous post, Six Steps to Protect Your Family from Avian Flu:

The injection of even this small amount of mercury repeatedly year after year from multiple vaccines can cause neurotoxicity (brain damage). The American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Public Health Service have issued a joint statement calling for the removal of mercury from vaccines. Chronic low dose mercury exposures may cause subtle neurological abnormalities that rear their head later in life.

You’d think that if even trace amounts of mercury used in vaccine production are harmful, the government would stop at nothing to ensure drug manufacturers stop using mercury entirely. Not so. The Associated Press explains that the Food and Drug Administration recently shot down a petition seeking new restrictions on the use of mercury in vaccines and other medicines:

A group called the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs petitioned the Food and Drug Administration in 2004 seeking the restrictions on thimerosal, citing concerns that the preservative is linked to autism. In a reply dated Sept. 26 but made public only Tuesday, the FDA rejected the petition.

Startling. The report does point out that since 2001 the restrictions against thimerosal have tightened for vaccines administered to children, and in some cases phased out completely, but thimerosal can still be found in flu shots.

For more take a look at all the DiseaseProof posts tackling the issue of mercury.

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Obesity and weight-loss are incredibly popular and often reoccurring topics in health news, but another one that comes up a lot is fish. Is it good for us? How much should we eat? What about mercury contamination? The list goes on and on. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding fish, but one thing is for sure, the mass media message to consumers is mixed.

A recent article in The Los Angeles Times points out that even the Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges the confusion over fish consumption. Here’s an excerpt from reporter Marla Cone’s article:

The scientists, assigned the task of balancing the benefits of seafood with the dangers posed by contaminants, echoed the 2004 guidelines of the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. But they said the message to American consumers had been fragmented and confusing, and they advised the agencies to develop new tools for informing the public.

So, you’re probably asking, “What’s been done about it?” To answer that I’ll reference the title of Cone’s report, Scientists Say Seafood's Benefits Outweigh Risks. You can’t say it any clearer. According to scientists Americans do not eat enough fish. And since fish is high in protein, low in saturated fats, and contains omega-3 fatty acids, we should overlook its contamination issues and gobble up suggested “safe” amounts. What are they you ask?

According to Cone’s report adults, children, and people at risk of heart disease should eat two three-ounce servings a week. Children under the age of thirteen and women who are or may become pregnant, or who are nursing, should eat the two weekly servings, but should avoid larger predatory fish. How’s that sit with you? Let’s see what Dr. Fuhrman has to say about all this.

Dr. Fuhrman recognizes the confusion fish consumption can create. In a previous post entitled Fish: Pollution Risks, he expounds:

Fish and shellfish contain high concentrations of protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain the valuable omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. These food factors are thought to contribute to heart health and to children’s proper growth and development (there is overwhelming evidence confirming the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids), which is why fish and shellfish are considered to be an important part of a well-balanced diet. Unfortunately, in addition to EPA and DHA, nearly all fish and shellfish contain mercury and other pollutants. Since these toxins in fish have potential health risks, wouldn’t it make sense to look for a cleaner, safer source for our omega-3 fats?

Okay, so what about the idea of acceptable levels of mercury and consuming so-called safe amounts of fish? More from Dr. Fuhrman’s post:

EPA makes recommendations for what it considers an acceptable level of mercury in a pregnant woman’s body. As the recognition that mercury damages the brains of our children has increased in the last two decades, EPA has had to lower the “acceptable” level more than once…


… No fish is completely free of mercury and other pollutants. If you eat fish regularly, your body is undoubtedly high in mercury. You cannot remove the mercury from the fish by trimming the fat or by cooking because it is deposited throughout the fish’s tissues. I’ve observed that a person’s mercury level correlates exceptionally well with the amount of fish consumed, and medical studies back up this observation. Individuals eating fish a few times a week have been found to have blood mercury levels exceeding the maximum level recommended by the National Academy of Sciences, which is a blood level of below 5 micrograms. Women eating seafood more than twice per week have been found to have 7 times the blood mercury levels compared with women who rarely eat fish, and children eating fish regularly were found to have mercury levels 40 times higher than the national mean.1,2

By now you’re probably wondering what Dr. Fuhrman’s recommendations for eating fish are. In Fishing for the Truth he gives his bottom line:

Choose fish over other animal products, but be aware that the place where it was caught, and the type of fish, matters. Don't accept recreational fish from questionable waters. Farmed fish is safer. Never eat high-mercury-content fish. Don't eat fish more than twice a week, and if you have a family history of hemorrhagic stroke, limit it further to only once a month.

And in case you’re interested, in Ten Super Foods to Use in Your Recipes and Menus Dr. Fuhrman provides an alternate source of omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseeds:

Flax Seeds are rich in lignans and omega-3 fatty acids, and scientific studies have confirmed that flax seeds have a positive influence on everything from cholesterol levels and constipation to cancer and heart disease. Use ground flax seed in oatmeal, or add them to whipped frozen bananas, stewed apples, and cinnamon and nut balls. Keep in mind that the scientifically documented benefits from flax seeds come from raw, ground flax seed, not flax seed oil.

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• It sure seems like world hunger is going to become a thing of the past because according to the World Health Organization for every four malnourished adults in the world, five more are overweight, and thirty percent of them are obese. AFP reports:

A billion people out of the world's six billion population are now considered overweight, compared with 800 million who do not have enough to eat.

• A hyperactive kid might be annoying, but you don’t want them to be a hobbit, do you? Denise Gellene of The Los Angeles Times explains the dangers of using Ritalin on preschoolers is significant, one side effect appears to be slower growth rate. Here’s more:

Researchers said the drug appeared to slow children's growth rates. They grew about a half-inch less in height and weighed 3 pounds less than expected, based on estimates of their growth.

• You ever wonder where all the garbage goes? Todd Pittman of The Seattle Times explains a lot of waste, specifically discarded electronics, is being dumped on third world nations. As you can imagine this is not having a positive effect on the inhabitants’ health:
  

"Hazardous electronic waste is flowing to Africa on container ships every day. It's not as dramatic as was what happened in Ivory Coast, but over the long run it will have more of an environmental impact," Jim Puckett, founder of the Seattle-based environmental watchdog, Basel Action Network, told The Associated Press by telephone from London.

• If surviving cancer wasn’t enough, new research indicates female cancer survivors have an increased risk of premature birth. Randy Dotinga of HealthDay News reports:

Women who underwent high-dose radiation therapy to their uterus seem to be the most likely to have problems. The authors of the study, published in the Oct. 18 issue of the Journal of the
National Cancer Institute, found that half of babies born to a sampling of these women were premature, compared to roughly 20 percent among their sisters.

• Going outside a bar for a smoke might not seem cool, but for the workers inside, it’s a lifesaver. Alan Cowell of The New York Times explains the smoking ban in Scotland is already yielding remarkable results:

In an article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association on Oct. 11, Dr. Daniel Menzies, a clinical research fellow in the Asthma and Allergy Research Group at the University of Dundee, said the study showed that the smoking ban “has led to a rapid and marked improvement in the health of bar workers.”

• Do your children sleepwalk? Have you tried duct taping them to their bed? No? Here HealthDay News provides some serious tips to help you deal with it:

• Keep all windows and doors to the house locked to keep her from wandering outside.
• Don't let her sleep in a bunk bed, and put baby gates in front of stairs.

• I’m not sure how practical this is going to be, but according to Reuters a new study suggests sufferers of arthritis should go barefoot more often because contemporary footwear might worsen abnormal biomechanics:

The researchers assessed the effects of modern shoes on gait and lower extremity joint loads in 75 patients with knee OA [osteoarthritis]. Their mean age was 59, their mean body mass index was 28.4, and 59 of the 75 were women.

• A new study claims elderly people with diabetes are twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease than non-diabetics. Reuters reporter Deborah Charles explains:

Researchers also found that participants who were taking insulin were six times more likely to die from infectious diseases or kidney failure than non-diabetic participants. Women treated with insulin had a particularly high mortality risk.

• I’d sooner wrestle an angry polar bear than get my tongue pierced, and here’s a reason why.  An Italian women reported stabbing pains in her face diagnosed as trigeminal neuralgia (also called the suicide disease) resulting from her recent tongue piercing. Carla K. Johnson of the Associated Press reports:

"There are people who have been dropped to their knees" by trigeminal neuralgia, said Alana Greca, a registered nurse and director of patient support for the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association. "That's how intense and how horrendous the pain can be."

• Got bread? Well, you might want to lose it because according to an Italian study a diet rich in bread may boost the risk of kidney cancer. Kathleen Doheny of HealthDay News reports:

Researchers say those consuming the highest amounts of bread doubled the risk for kidney malignancy, compared to those eating the smallest amounts.

• Moms need their sleep, but new research found that fifty-four percent of surveyed mothers feel they are not getting enough shuteye. Reuters explains:

Full-time working mothers were suffering the most with 59 percent saying they were not getting enough sleep. Half of the working mothers said they were getting six or fewer hours sleep a night.

• Hong Kong butts out smoking. The Marlboro man is ticked! The AFP reports that Hong Kong has voted to ban smoking in public places by next year:

Smoking will be banned in government offices, shops and halls from January. But the ban will not be applied to bars and other places of entertainment until 2009 to give them time to adjust.

• Now, I’m not sure you’ll find kids passing around a sandwich in a dark alley behind their school, but researchers have determined that food makes us feel good similarly to recreational drugs and sex. Reuters has more:

"In mice and rats ghrelin triggers the same neurons as delicious food, sexual experience, and many recreational drugs; that is, neurons that provide the sensation of pleasure and the expectation of reward," the researchers write in Friday's issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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The most effective artillery we have to protect ourselves against the potential damaging effects of influenza and other infectious disease is nutritional excellence. Micronutrients—-meaning vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals—-fuel various clever host defense mechanisms.

This from Dr. Fuhrman, but U.S. health officials would disagree, according to them our best defense against influenza is an annual flu shot. Amanda Gardner of HealthDay News reports that there are plenty of shots to go around:

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said 26 million doses of flu vaccine were distributed in September and another 50 million will go out in October. The extra supply is largely due to increased manufacturing capacity: This year four manufacturers instead of two are making the vaccine. A fifth may be added later in the season, if needed.

Gardner explains that officials expect the vaccine to be available more this year than ever before; seems to coincide nicely with the expanded group of people authorities recommend should get vaccinated.

Dr. Fuhrman is not against flu shots in every case. Check out this post for Dr Fuhrman on the risks associated with the flu vaccine:

All medical interventions have a benefit-to-risk ratio. One has to weigh the potential risks with the supposed benefits. Often the long-term risks of medications are not clearly delineated and the supposed benefits are exaggerated by doctors and pharmaceutical companies (because after all, medicine is still a business to make money).


Flu vaccines have benefits and risks too. If you read about the flu vaccine in the information supplied by the manufacturer you will learn it contains formaldehyde and 25 micrograms of thimersol (mercury) per dose, used as a preservative. The injection of even this small amount of mercury repeatedly year after year from multiple vaccines can cause neurotoxicity (brain damage). The American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Public Health Service have issued a joint statement calling for the removal of mercury from vaccines. Chronic low dose mercury exposures may cause subtle neurological abnormalities that rear their head later in life.

For more info take a look at DiseaseProof’s Cold and Flu archive.

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From the July 2004 edition of Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Times:

Powerful steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones!

If you avoid the top 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables or only eat them when purchased organic, you can reduce your pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent. The four worst fruits are: peaches, nectarines, strawberries, and apples. The four worst vegetables are: peppers, spinach, celery and potatoes.



The pesticide contamination tests were performed on washed produce. If eating any foods from the 12 most-contaminated list, always peel them; washing is not sufficient to remove the residue. Wash all inorganic produce with soap.

We cannot rely on authorities or the U.S. government for protection. The EPA is mired in complex legal issues (delaying tactics) with chemical companies and is not an effective watchdog for our safety. Rather than preventing exposures and putting the burden of proving safety where it belongs (on pesticide and toxic chemical producers), most dangerous pesticides remain on the market with no threat of regulatory action. People are exposed to hundreds of chemical compounds in their diet every day. We will never have 100 percent accurate data on the potential risks from such consumption, so the consumer is wise to minimize exposure to pesticides whenever possible.

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