"This web site is dedicated to educating
the public about ALL dental care options"
the public about ALL dental care options"
In reality, healthcare is not as straight forward and simple as it is practiced. In the
quest to be standardized, the healthcare professions have focused on symptoms
and classifying illness into neat categories and codes that insurance and
government computers can recognize. Then, if a person's health problems do not
"fit" into the current system, the person is either told "it is all in their head" or that
nothing else can be done for them. This is neither helpful nor comforting.
Be aware that ALL options are NOT being offered to you because they are not
taught, known, or valued. However, all of these options have helped some people!
Obviously, there is no one treatment that helps everyone. The reason is human
variability. So, who decides what treatment to try? Traditionally it is the doctor. It is
time to understand that both the doctor and patient should be actively involved, but
that the patient ultimately makes the decision based on benefits and risks. This
legal concept is called INFORMED CONSENT. Getting all the information
necessary to make an appropriate decision is not easy. Our goal is to make it a bit
easier for you in regards to dental care.
Our pet peeve is that health professionals spend time and energy arguing about
who is right or wrong! Our logic says that nobody is completely right and nobody is
absolutely wrong because it is all a matter of perspective. So why argue about what
science or observations somebody else considers valid? There will always be
differences of opinion, but remember that everyone is concerned about the same
thing, i.e. health (regardless of how that is defined). One responsibility that health
professionals should improve upon is recognizing and treating the unwanted
SIDE EFFECTS of dental treatment, whether conventional or holistic, whether
frequent or infrequent, without the need to assign blame.
If you have comments or suggestions about our website, don't hesitate to let us
know how we can better help you.
Sincerely,
RONALD L. KING, D.D.S.
quest to be standardized, the healthcare professions have focused on symptoms
and classifying illness into neat categories and codes that insurance and
government computers can recognize. Then, if a person's health problems do not
"fit" into the current system, the person is either told "it is all in their head" or that
nothing else can be done for them. This is neither helpful nor comforting.
Be aware that ALL options are NOT being offered to you because they are not
taught, known, or valued. However, all of these options have helped some people!
Obviously, there is no one treatment that helps everyone. The reason is human
variability. So, who decides what treatment to try? Traditionally it is the doctor. It is
time to understand that both the doctor and patient should be actively involved, but
that the patient ultimately makes the decision based on benefits and risks. This
legal concept is called INFORMED CONSENT. Getting all the information
necessary to make an appropriate decision is not easy. Our goal is to make it a bit
easier for you in regards to dental care.
Our pet peeve is that health professionals spend time and energy arguing about
who is right or wrong! Our logic says that nobody is completely right and nobody is
absolutely wrong because it is all a matter of perspective. So why argue about what
science or observations somebody else considers valid? There will always be
differences of opinion, but remember that everyone is concerned about the same
thing, i.e. health (regardless of how that is defined). One responsibility that health
professionals should improve upon is recognizing and treating the unwanted
SIDE EFFECTS of dental treatment, whether conventional or holistic, whether
frequent or infrequent, without the need to assign blame.
If you have comments or suggestions about our website, don't hesitate to let us
know how we can better help you.
Sincerely,
RONALD L. KING, D.D.S.
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"Men occasionally stumble over the truth,
but most of them pick themselves up
and hurry along as if nothing had happened"
- Sir Winston Churchill
but most of them pick themselves up
and hurry along as if nothing had happened"
- Sir Winston Churchill
Holistic Dentistry - Holistic Dentist - Biological dentist - Dr. Ronald L. King, DDS - Minnesota - Minneapolis - St. Paul - mercury free - fluoride free - amalgam free
| "When we let others observe and reason for us, in a sense, we consciously choose to be blind and deaf. We become compelled to follow someone else's instructions, one after another, and perform actions which do not make much sense to us. We submit to other's authority. We give our power away." - Victoria Boutenko, author of "Green for Life" |
Dr. Lisa Nagy received her medical degree at Cornell Medical College. She followed that with training in surgery and later
in emergency medicine, in which she is board certified. She is currently studying environmental medicine. We asked Dr.
Nagy to share her incredible story of chemical and electrical sensitivity and recovery, and of the dental metals that were
behind her problems.
The science and art of medicine is much more complex than we presumed in medical school. Although disbelieved,
environmentally ill patients are becoming a very large percentage of the population. Many of us go unrecognized because
we are 'masked' and cannot tell we are ill from the detergents, perfumes and chemicals we are wearing everyday.
I developed chemical and electrical sensitivity while living in a house in Los Angeles. Initially, I only knew I was sad, had
weak muscles and couldn't stand up for very long it soon seemed I was crying all the time. I couldn't bear to use the
telephone or to be under fluorescent lighting. Exposure to smells, chemicals, many foods (like wine, cheese, and nuts)
and even antique wood which is faintly moldy gave me a headache and made me feel exhausted. Clothing tags became
extremely irritating, and perfume and diesel odors were intolerable. I had grown hypersensitive to my surroundings.
Adrenal insufficiency was eventually diagnosed in myself and later in my husband.
In time I was fully disabled and my incredulous husband and I sold our house and moved to a rental nearby. We were
hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. A year later I found that I had been suffering mold poisoning, primarily due to
mold in a huge fish tank that was built into the living room wall of that first home. The toxins in the air had overloaded my
system and made me intolerant of all chemicals, especially pesticides. A muscle biopsy showed that I had severe
damage to my mitochondria, the energy producer in all our cells.
What I had is called chemical sensitivity or environmental illness. It is common but somewhat invisible. And this medical
condition is not rare. Prevalence studies in California and New Mexico found that 16% of the respondents reported being
chemically sensitive. Additionally, in New Mexico 2% of the respondents reported having been diagnosed with multiple
chemical sensitivity (MCS) the more severe form of chemical sensitivities. In California, 3.5% reported having been
diagnosed with MCS. Although women report being chemically sensitive twice as often as men, which contributes to its
hysteria label, those reporting chemical sensitivities are otherwise evenly distributed with respect to age, education,
income, and geographic areas. Chemical sensitivities are also evenly reported among ethnic and racial groups, except for
Native Americans, who reported a higher prevalence in both studies.
Further, about 15% of those who are chemically sensitive have electrical sensitivity as well. Electrical sensitivity sounds
wacky, I know, but when you have it, it is very real and quite uncomfortable. My hand would heat up while holding my cell
phone. My ear would burn from the ear piece. Gadgets that spin, like fans or tape decks, have high electromagnetic fields
and they made me weak. Just picking up the regular phone could make me need to urinate, or cause chest discomfort
and sweating I wanted to hang up! Even more bizarre and scary: while swimming in a salt water pool I would get electric
shocks in my fingers as I swam by the underwater pool lights!
Another condition is diagnosed: Dysautonomia
At this time I was also diagnosed with an interesting neurologic condition called dysautonomia, which occurs in 85% of
people who are environmentally ill. Crossing ones legs while standing is an early sign, or wrapping the legs around each
other (called pretzel legs ). These moves are done to keep the blood in the head and chest, otherwise the blood would
pool in the legs and cause weakness or fainting.
Exposure to chemicals in stores (like formaldehyde while shopping in Home Depot) would make me dysautonomic and
electrical appliances would make me even more dysautonomic; I would need to lie down. I was prescribed a
vasoconstricting (causing the blood vessels to narrow) medication called Midodrine to remedy this condition, as well as a
volume expander (Florinef; a corticosteroid).
Finding help
Near the end of my rope, I eventually figured out that I needed to be treated by an environmental physician, and I went to
The Environmental Health Center of Dallas to see William Rea, MD. I was encouraged that after this treatment I was
partially better. (You can find a local physician at http://www.aaem.com/. I suggest you consider this if you suffer from
chronic illness or obvious environmental illness such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, allergies, adrenal fatigue as well as
chemical sensitivity. They look into the genetics of your detoxification capabilities, study your autonomic nervous system
and hormone levels, do food and other allergy testing and treatment (neutralization), prescribe vitamins and nutrients
orally and intravenously, and test your immune system scientifically. Most importantly, they get you away from that which is
making you sick!
Sauna treatments are often an integral part in the treatment process for detoxification. It is important to start with a short
time interval (such as five minutes) initially and build up as needed. Saunas should be used under the care of a doctor, as
the detoxification process can result in increased symptoms if it is pursued too aggressively.
Oral galvanism uncovered
Oral galvanism is a state in which two dissimilar metals in the mouth result in abnormal electrical charges. I had already
had all of my amalgam ( silver ) fillings removed, or so I thought. But then I went to a holistic dentist (see
http://www.iaomt.org/) for an assessment. An oral potential meter (made by Pertec) was used to measure the voltages
and currents in my teeth. I had a number of crowns with porcelain over metal. Most crowns had currents of 1 micro
ampere or so. But one of my crowns showed a current of 11 microamperes and a very high electrical voltage of 420
millivolts!
I had that crown removed first, because one is supposed to remove the highest ones first. Voila! I hadn't anticipated any
immediate response but when I reached home and I was able to talk on the phone for three hours instead of three
minutes! I no longer needed Midodrine to get up out of bed! I had required it to raise my blood pressure for two years
straight and now none! Other improvements: the smell of cigarettes seemed almost pleasant instead of making me run
for the hills. I could tolerate car exhaust and perfume immediately! I contacted many environmental physicians and
patients to tell of the amazing positive change in my illness over night!
The dentist discovered that I'd had an amalgam filling under the metal crown that had been placed just before I became
really ill back in 2000. The two dissimilar metal materials touching had created a strong battery effect, causing the oral
galvanism that seemed to short out my autonomic nervous system. Somehow, fixing the autonomic nervous system also
led to a more normal central nervous system interpretation of odors and electrical fields, allowing for a return to a more
normal life! My adrenal function also returned, thanks to the decrease in stress or total body load. In retrospect, getting
away from the bad house was essential, but removing the crown and the amalgam under it was the last step in getting
well.
Advice from Dr. Nagy
I have ended up on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, where the air is clean and the mold is everywhere! I write articles
on the subject and help people who are referred for environmental illness get to an environmental physician before they
end up so mentally impaired that they won't be able to cooperate with the treatment. Initially, people tend to deny that they
have chemical sensitivities. It takes a couple of months to grasp it. Lay people are much better at getting it, doctors are
incredulous and rude. As Sherry Rogers, MD, advises: Don't waste your time trying to convince every physician you meet
about this. It is a waste of your limited energy!
This is very important. Most doctors won't listen to you, so don't even try. Many family members will abandon you. Many
people reading this newsletter will have already experienced this, I'm sure.
Don't forget to look into dental issues. I have interviewed many patients, especially those with psychiatric issues or
symptoms of electrical sensitivity, who have become well after removing their high voltage dental work. Bizarre, eh? I
guess too much electricity next to the brain is not a good thing. It is easy to check one's dental currents, and I suggest
that all chronically ill patients consider removing their amalgam fillings, any crown with an underlying amalgam, and
any crown or filling with an electric current greater than 1 microampere.
My advice to you is: Do not give up on your health until you get well. Each practitioner (alternative therapist,
environmental physician, or holistic dentist) has something different to offer. I was helped, and someone can help you
as well.
in emergency medicine, in which she is board certified. She is currently studying environmental medicine. We asked Dr.
Nagy to share her incredible story of chemical and electrical sensitivity and recovery, and of the dental metals that were
behind her problems.
The science and art of medicine is much more complex than we presumed in medical school. Although disbelieved,
environmentally ill patients are becoming a very large percentage of the population. Many of us go unrecognized because
we are 'masked' and cannot tell we are ill from the detergents, perfumes and chemicals we are wearing everyday.
I developed chemical and electrical sensitivity while living in a house in Los Angeles. Initially, I only knew I was sad, had
weak muscles and couldn't stand up for very long it soon seemed I was crying all the time. I couldn't bear to use the
telephone or to be under fluorescent lighting. Exposure to smells, chemicals, many foods (like wine, cheese, and nuts)
and even antique wood which is faintly moldy gave me a headache and made me feel exhausted. Clothing tags became
extremely irritating, and perfume and diesel odors were intolerable. I had grown hypersensitive to my surroundings.
Adrenal insufficiency was eventually diagnosed in myself and later in my husband.
In time I was fully disabled and my incredulous husband and I sold our house and moved to a rental nearby. We were
hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. A year later I found that I had been suffering mold poisoning, primarily due to
mold in a huge fish tank that was built into the living room wall of that first home. The toxins in the air had overloaded my
system and made me intolerant of all chemicals, especially pesticides. A muscle biopsy showed that I had severe
damage to my mitochondria, the energy producer in all our cells.
What I had is called chemical sensitivity or environmental illness. It is common but somewhat invisible. And this medical
condition is not rare. Prevalence studies in California and New Mexico found that 16% of the respondents reported being
chemically sensitive. Additionally, in New Mexico 2% of the respondents reported having been diagnosed with multiple
chemical sensitivity (MCS) the more severe form of chemical sensitivities. In California, 3.5% reported having been
diagnosed with MCS. Although women report being chemically sensitive twice as often as men, which contributes to its
hysteria label, those reporting chemical sensitivities are otherwise evenly distributed with respect to age, education,
income, and geographic areas. Chemical sensitivities are also evenly reported among ethnic and racial groups, except for
Native Americans, who reported a higher prevalence in both studies.
Further, about 15% of those who are chemically sensitive have electrical sensitivity as well. Electrical sensitivity sounds
wacky, I know, but when you have it, it is very real and quite uncomfortable. My hand would heat up while holding my cell
phone. My ear would burn from the ear piece. Gadgets that spin, like fans or tape decks, have high electromagnetic fields
and they made me weak. Just picking up the regular phone could make me need to urinate, or cause chest discomfort
and sweating I wanted to hang up! Even more bizarre and scary: while swimming in a salt water pool I would get electric
shocks in my fingers as I swam by the underwater pool lights!
Another condition is diagnosed: Dysautonomia
At this time I was also diagnosed with an interesting neurologic condition called dysautonomia, which occurs in 85% of
people who are environmentally ill. Crossing ones legs while standing is an early sign, or wrapping the legs around each
other (called pretzel legs ). These moves are done to keep the blood in the head and chest, otherwise the blood would
pool in the legs and cause weakness or fainting.
Exposure to chemicals in stores (like formaldehyde while shopping in Home Depot) would make me dysautonomic and
electrical appliances would make me even more dysautonomic; I would need to lie down. I was prescribed a
vasoconstricting (causing the blood vessels to narrow) medication called Midodrine to remedy this condition, as well as a
volume expander (Florinef; a corticosteroid).
Finding help
Near the end of my rope, I eventually figured out that I needed to be treated by an environmental physician, and I went to
The Environmental Health Center of Dallas to see William Rea, MD. I was encouraged that after this treatment I was
partially better. (You can find a local physician at http://www.aaem.com/. I suggest you consider this if you suffer from
chronic illness or obvious environmental illness such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, allergies, adrenal fatigue as well as
chemical sensitivity. They look into the genetics of your detoxification capabilities, study your autonomic nervous system
and hormone levels, do food and other allergy testing and treatment (neutralization), prescribe vitamins and nutrients
orally and intravenously, and test your immune system scientifically. Most importantly, they get you away from that which is
making you sick!
Sauna treatments are often an integral part in the treatment process for detoxification. It is important to start with a short
time interval (such as five minutes) initially and build up as needed. Saunas should be used under the care of a doctor, as
the detoxification process can result in increased symptoms if it is pursued too aggressively.
Oral galvanism uncovered
Oral galvanism is a state in which two dissimilar metals in the mouth result in abnormal electrical charges. I had already
had all of my amalgam ( silver ) fillings removed, or so I thought. But then I went to a holistic dentist (see
http://www.iaomt.org/) for an assessment. An oral potential meter (made by Pertec) was used to measure the voltages
and currents in my teeth. I had a number of crowns with porcelain over metal. Most crowns had currents of 1 micro
ampere or so. But one of my crowns showed a current of 11 microamperes and a very high electrical voltage of 420
millivolts!
I had that crown removed first, because one is supposed to remove the highest ones first. Voila! I hadn't anticipated any
immediate response but when I reached home and I was able to talk on the phone for three hours instead of three
minutes! I no longer needed Midodrine to get up out of bed! I had required it to raise my blood pressure for two years
straight and now none! Other improvements: the smell of cigarettes seemed almost pleasant instead of making me run
for the hills. I could tolerate car exhaust and perfume immediately! I contacted many environmental physicians and
patients to tell of the amazing positive change in my illness over night!
The dentist discovered that I'd had an amalgam filling under the metal crown that had been placed just before I became
really ill back in 2000. The two dissimilar metal materials touching had created a strong battery effect, causing the oral
galvanism that seemed to short out my autonomic nervous system. Somehow, fixing the autonomic nervous system also
led to a more normal central nervous system interpretation of odors and electrical fields, allowing for a return to a more
normal life! My adrenal function also returned, thanks to the decrease in stress or total body load. In retrospect, getting
away from the bad house was essential, but removing the crown and the amalgam under it was the last step in getting
well.
Advice from Dr. Nagy
I have ended up on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, where the air is clean and the mold is everywhere! I write articles
on the subject and help people who are referred for environmental illness get to an environmental physician before they
end up so mentally impaired that they won't be able to cooperate with the treatment. Initially, people tend to deny that they
have chemical sensitivities. It takes a couple of months to grasp it. Lay people are much better at getting it, doctors are
incredulous and rude. As Sherry Rogers, MD, advises: Don't waste your time trying to convince every physician you meet
about this. It is a waste of your limited energy!
This is very important. Most doctors won't listen to you, so don't even try. Many family members will abandon you. Many
people reading this newsletter will have already experienced this, I'm sure.
Don't forget to look into dental issues. I have interviewed many patients, especially those with psychiatric issues or
symptoms of electrical sensitivity, who have become well after removing their high voltage dental work. Bizarre, eh? I
guess too much electricity next to the brain is not a good thing. It is easy to check one's dental currents, and I suggest
that all chronically ill patients consider removing their amalgam fillings, any crown with an underlying amalgam, and
any crown or filling with an electric current greater than 1 microampere.
My advice to you is: Do not give up on your health until you get well. Each practitioner (alternative therapist,
environmental physician, or holistic dentist) has something different to offer. I was helped, and someone can help you
as well.
Successful Treatment of my Chemical and Electrical Sensitivity
- By Lisa Nagy, M.D.
| For more case histories like Dr. Nagy and Matt Rixen, click on the "Interesting Case Histories" link on the left side of this page. |
Successful Treatment of my Severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
- by Matt Rixen
- by Matt Rixen