A few weeks ago, on a whim, I decided to pay a visit to a practitioner of homeopathic medicine. Actually, my in-laws went to this doctor earlier that day and recommended that Aya and I give it a try since we both are long-time sufferers of various allergies. Okay, I thought. Why not?
When we got to the clinic, near the Capitol in Cebu, we were seen almost immediately by the doctor. In fact, there were several doctors there in the consultation room including one of Aya’s aunts, a GP visiting from Mindanao. Tita April and the others were training in homeopathy under this doctor.
When he took out his device with its magic wand and started moving it to different part of my hands, of course I was a little skeptical. I always am. He was measuring the toxicity levels in each and every part of the body, all of which have a connection to an exact point in one’s hand.
My levels were genuinely okay except for my liver, which is apparently the usual problem organ. The liver can be cleaned, though, through some homeopathic remedies and a change in diet including the elimination of synthetics, pork and bottom-feeding shellfish, among other things. Many of these recommendations I have been following for years; others, like cutting shrimp from my diet, will be more difficult.
But I did get a reprieve of sorts. The homeopath said that he could not effectively analyze my toxicity levels until I had my dental fillings replaced, something my mother-in-law had already done (although I don’t think it was based on this particular doctor’s recommendation.)
You see, when I was a kid, I spent a lot of time at the dentist. My mother made us go for check-ups every six months, and inevitably I would have at least one cavity every time, and sometimes three or four. This went on until my early teens so I have quite a few “silver fillings in my mouth. Yeah, I ate a lot of candy and other sweets as a child, but so did my friend Jimmy, and he never had any cavities. Maybe it is partly genetic. My mother was a major sweet tooth as well, and it probably didn’t help that she took my to Dairy Queen as a reward after every painful cavity filling appointment. I’m sure it was my idea, but it was never too difficult to convince her. I went through three dentists during those years—Dr. Sachs (who I think got in trouble with the law later), Dr. Moyer and Dr. Mark.
Now I’m told that the fillings they used were made of amalgam, which is composed of approximately 50% mercury with the remaining half a combination of other metals including silver. According to the homeopath, these dental fillings are highly toxic because of the mercury. Exposure is especially high, he explained, when eating or drinking something really cold or really hot. I have fillings in 16 teeth and some teeth have multiple fillings. All of these have been in my mouth for 20 years or more, meaning that—at least according to the doctor—I’ve been poisoning myself for more than half my life on a daily basis. Part of me wonders if this guy is a quack who is just making money of selling supplements. Maybe they are herbal or natural, but it still seems like pills so are they really different than pharmaceuticals?
But I believed him. I mean, it makes sense. Especially when the majority of the world dental establishment still primarily endorses the use of amalgam. To me, that is proof that it may be harmful. It is probably against their collective interest to change the practice they have been utilizing for years and years regardless of whether it is harmful to their patients.
Of course, the use or non-use of amalgam fillings is still quite controversial. Scanning the Internet, you can find many articles saying they are extremely harmful and just as many saying not enough is known to make this type of conclusion. I will continue to do further research on this topic, but it is more of the post-buyer reassurance type of research, like when you buy a certain brand or product and then afterwards conduct thorough research to validate your decision.
I already started the process of having my amalgam removed and replaced with composite resin. I’m hoping that I won’t find out that this new material is similarly toxic in 20 years time. On Friday I visited the family dentist, Dr. Rafanan. She was highly skilled and knowledgeable. She doesn’t use amalgam anymore, so I tried to get her to weigh in on the controversy. She just offered both sides, saying that American dentists still mostly use amalgam while the trend in Europe is away from the mercury-laced mixture. As with many issues, I’m betting with the Europeans.
Four teeth down and 12 more to go. Incidentally, Dr. Rafanan informed me that I had a new cavity, which she promptly drilled and filled with composite resin, of course. This was my first cavity in well over a decade. I brush my teeth and floss regularly, but I haven’t been to the dentist in almost four years. My last scheduled appointment was the day after the Fourth of July in 2005. When I got to the office in lower Manhattan near Century 21, after schlepping all the way from Jamaica on the E train, I found the office locked. They never called to say they were taking an extra day of holiday, and in fact, when I called to complain, my call was never returned. I was so upset that I never went back, and although I asked around for another dentist, I never made another appointment during my last few years in New York, partly because there were very few dentists who accepted the crappy city employees’ insurance, DC-37. My first dentist in New York, who I went to for several years, didn’t accept the insurance, which is why I switched when I started working at the library.
In the Philippines, I don’t think dental insurance is very common, so I have to pay out of pocket, which is expensive but much, much cheaper than U.S. dentists. And, if turns out that the homeopath is right about the amalgam (he actually said it should make a difference in my allergies), then it will certainly be worth every peso.
