This effect is hardly surprising when you consider that, with every filling in your mouth, there are two or more metals and a saltwater fluid medium (saliva). This is exactly how Allessandro Volta’s original batteries were made, and the battery in your current motorcar is essentially the same thing.

The trouble starts because of the fact that electrical currents leach the mercury out of the teeth through an effect called ‘electrolysis’, where damage is due to the passage of a galvanic (unidirectional) electrical current. This is why some patients complain of a constant metallic taste in the mouth, which is made worse by hot fluids and salty food (as these create more electrolysis). Most worrying, electrolysis is capable of releasing deadly mercury vapour, which goes straight to the brain tissue, where it is highly invasive and toxic.

Nevertheless, as potentially damaging as mercury in the mouth is the electricity itself. When testing teeth for electrical effects, I have seen momentary spikes of up to one volt – enough to light a small torch or flashlight. It’s worth remembering that the currents generated by amalgams are formed very close to the brain, which ordinarily operates at far lower potentials (only a few millivolts). The brain lies only a few millimetres from the jaw bone, where the roots of the teeth are inserted, just on the other side of the thin cranial bone and the meninges (the three membranes enveloping the brain and spinal cord). This kind of current can cause mental dysfunction, which I often find in clinical practice.

One patient of mine, a 44-year-old woman with Meniere’s disease, also suffered from vertigo and vomiting, with intermittent staggering (so-called sailor’s gait). She couldn’t think clearly any more, and had trouble with her memory and eyesight. These mental problems, plus a constant pain in the nape of the neck, left her unable to work. But as her doctors could find no clinical explanation, she was told it was all in her head – which in a way was true. When a brain tumour was suspected, tests were required to exclude this grim possibility.

Eventually, a surgeon referred her to Dr Helmut Raue, an electroacupuncture specialist who understands biological dentistry. He measured her teeth for galvanic currents and found a 215-microampere current between a gold filling and a nearby amalgam. A week after she had the amalgam removed, all pain had disappeared, and her balance had returned to normal.

As patients usually don’t consult their dentist when they experience symptoms such as headache, facial neuralgia, dizziness, sleep disorders and digestive disturbances, such cases don’t often come to light.

Energetic fields
Besides simple battery problems, electroacupuncture practitioners are finding teeth as transmitting foci to be a common cause of energetic disturbance. The problem is much more complicated than it might at first seem.

Several key acupuncture meridians cross the line of the teeth as they pass over the face. An abscess or ‘transmitting focus’ can create pathological effects anywhere along the meridian. As these meridians are connected to secondary organs and other sites, problems with a front incisor may have an impact on the kidneys as the kidney meridian passes through the incisor teeth. The kidneys, in turn, are related to the knee joints. With patients who have incisor problems or a bridge at this location, I always surprise them by asking about the arthritis in their knees, which they invariably have.

The consequences of these interconnections are sometimes very surprising indeed. In one case, a dentist had prepared a crown prosthesis, the type that uses a nickel post that fits in a hole drilled down the centre of the tooth to give it support. As the post was being inserted in the right upper jaw, the patient let out a squeal: she had gone blind in the right eye. When the dentist removed the crown, she could see again. When he then put it back on, she went blind again. This was repeated several times, after which she refused the crown and had the tooth removed.

What is important about this striking example of what we might call ‘virtual dentistry’ is how instantaneous the reaction was. For this reason, it could not have resulted from a chemical or even metal toxicity. Allergies to nickel are not uncommon but, clearly, it would take time to develop and become manifest. The sudden loss of the patient’s vision indicated a clear neurological dysfunction along the optical pathways due to a field disturbance, probably at the quantum level.

This story makes vividly clear what risks we take when we allow metal into our mouths. The resulting disturbance of the body’s energy field can have unpredictable and serious consequences. If this woman had not lost her vision immediately, but had gone blind over the subsequent few weeks, it is a near-certainty that the correct cause would never have been diagnosed. She would likely have ended up undergoing harmful and unnecessary interventions, all of which would fail because they were not correcting the real problem.
Dr Keith Scott-Mumby
This is part two of the hidden effects of dentistry on your health (see WDDTY vol 14 no 2 for part one). Dr Mumby is the author of Virtual Medicine (Thorsons, 1999), which includes methods of draining metals from your mouth.

As a craniosacral therapist, I ‘unwind’ the tooth and feel where it is connected to. As there often appears (to my senses) to be a meridian connection, an acupuncturist would probably also be helpful. Direct tooth unwinding can also provide the finishing touches to clearing abscesses. – Andrew Cook, via e-mail

Piles can cause a variety of problems, including skin irritation, discomfort and, occasionally, severe bleeding.

No one knows precisely what causes haemorrhoids, but contributing factors include straining to pass stools, chronic constipation, diarrhoea, prolonged sitting, pregnancy, advancing age and pelvic tumours.

Haemorrhoids are classified into four grades:
* Grade I haemorrhoids bulge into the anal canal, but don’t protrude past the anus
* Grade II haemorrhoids protrude through the anus while passing stools, but retract into the anal canal without intervention
* Grade III haemorrhoids protrude through the anus with defecation or straining and don’t retract spontaneously, but need to be gently pushed back into place with a finger after defecation
* Grade IV haemorrhoids are ‘irreducible’ – they can’t be pushed back into place once they protrude from the anus.

Patients who continue to experience symptoms despite conservative or less-invasive therapies are usually told that they require a haemorrhoidectomy to surgically remove their haemorrhoids.

What doctors tell you
Diagnosis is based on patient history and clinical evaluation. The physician examines the rectum and anus by inserting a gloved finger to feel for any abnormalities.

To test for ‘occult bleeding’ (not visible to the naked eye), the physician obtains a small stool sample during the rectal examination. The sample is placed onto chemically coated paper, and another chemical is dropped onto the sample. If blood is indeed present, the paper will turn blue.

To exclude other anorectal disorders and other possible causes of bleeding, endoscopy is required. This uses a flexible or rigid scope with a lighted tip to examine the inner surfaces of the digestive tract. Other ‘oscopies’ include anoscopy or sigmoidoscopy in younger patients, or a colonoscopy, often recommended for older patients to exclude more serious causes of gastrointestinal bleeding such as colorectal cancer. Before these procedures, a laxative may be prescribed to ensure that the rectum and large intestine are clear of faeces.

A haemorrhoidectomy involves removing any excess, haemorrhoidal tissue from the anal canal while under spinal or general anaesthesia. An anoscope (an instrument for examining the lower rectum and anal canal) is used to find the haemorrhoids that are to be removed. During the procedure, the doctor may also remove excess tissue from the rectum, and any wounds will be either sewn closed or left to heal on their own.

Your surgeon may perform a ‘stapled’ haemorrhoidectomy instead. This ‘procedure for prolapse and haemorrhoids’ (PPH) was developed in the early 1990s, and excises the prolapsed haemorrhoidal anal tissue using a circular stapling device. While cutting away the excess tissue, the device staples the remaining haemorrhoidal tissue back into its original position.

After either procedure, patients may be allowed to go home the same day or, at worst, stay in hospital for up to three days, depending on recovery. Sitz baths – warm-water baths taken in a sitting position that cover only the hips and buttocks – are encouraged. Stool softeners and the application of ointments to the affected areas are also recommended.

In general, patients are able to return to work within a few days or weeks, depending on their type of work. There may be difficulty in passing urine, and in controlling gas and bowel movements for a few days immediately after the operation.

What doctors don’t tell you
Physicians tend to downplay the risks of new procedures like stapled surgery, and may even offer it when it’s not suitable for the given patient.

* PPH is not suitable for all types of haemorrhoids – in particular, grade IV types (Eur J Surg, 2002; 168: 621-5). In some patients, gaining access to the anal canal can be difficult, and the amount of tissue to be removed may be too bulky for the stapling device to handle properly.

* PPH may lead to pelvic sepsis. Reports of serious infection following stapled haemorrhoidectomy have raised concerns as to whether this is an appropriate treatment for haemorrhoidal disease.

* Just-in-case antibiotics, even with flawless PPH technique, may be necessary to avoid postoperative infection (Lancet, 2000; 355: 810).

* PPH may not work. A Belgian study found that some stapled patients continued to suffer haemorrhoids and/or prolapse, and some patients needed to undergo repeat surgery (Acta Chir Belg, 2005; 105: 44-52).

But even conventional haemorrhoidectomy is not without its complications, which include:

* longer postoperative pain and recovery time. Studies have clearly shown that patients undergoing standard haemorrhoidectomy suffered more postoperative pain than patients who had undergone stapled haemorrhoidectomy (Lancet, 2000; 355: 782-5). Hospital stays were lengthier – and the time required to return to normal activities significantly longer – with conventional haemorrhoidectomy (Lancet, 2000; 355: 779-81)

* a 10 per cent rate of postsurgical complications such as bleeding, fissures, fistulas, abscesses, urinary retention, soiling, and other conditions such as perianal cryptoglandular infection, which can cause complex fistulas/abscesses that are associated with an increased risk (30-80 per cent) of even further complications such as incontinence (Eur J Med Res, 2004; 9: 18-36).

Isabel Atherton

Now, 100 years later, what do you suppose is among the biggest predictors of death due to heart disease? Teeth – or more exactly, gum disease. This one risk factor is just as important as smoking, obesity, blood pressure or an unfortunate family history in determining whether we will die before we should (Ann Periodontol, 1998; 3: 127-41).

Why is what goes on in your mouth so dangerous? Teeth sockets are a royal highway for disease pathogens, leading straight to your bones and bloodstream. A tooth abscess is a kind of osteomyelitis, or bacterial bone infection. The bacteria quickly migrate to other parts of the body to cause septic foci.

The situation is not helped by techniques such as crowns. They may make teeth appear attractive on the outside but, often, those metal or plastic caps do nothing more than disguise a pocket of purulent infection that can explode when immunity is compromised.

The late Patrick Stortebecker, professor of neurology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, carried out a series of experiments in the 1960s which are both highly illuminating and rather scary. He injected tooth bone margins with radiopaque dyes, then X-rayed the skull. As most head veins don’t have control valves, blood is able to travel both forwards and backwards; his radiopaque dye appeared all over the head, far from the initially injected tooth (Stortebecker P, Dental Caries as a Cause of Nervous Disorders, Orlando, FL: Bio-Probe Inc, 1986, p 34).

If a given tooth were infected, the results could be very adverse indeed. Bacterial toxic matter could be propelled up into the cranium and set up an infection inside the skull.

Stortebecker himself mentioned the risk of cavernous sinus thrombosis (clots) and suppuration (pus). If the cavernous sinus (a large venous reservoir at the base of the brain) should clot and fill with pus, widespread meningitis and brain abscesses are inevitable.

Stortebecker found another disease model that is very persuasive. He considered that what he found was the principal factor in the development of multiple sclerosis. Through extensive research, he was able to show that most plaques of nerve demyelination (when the protective myelin sheath surrounding nerves are stripped away, an unmistakable sign of MS) were located close to blood vessels (Stortebecker P, ibid, p 116).

No one had made this important observation before. Stortebecker speculated that the back-pressure on veins shunted toxic matter into the brain, causing a focus of inflammation and loss of myelin. What was particularly convincing was that the MS cases with optic neuritis (leading to blindness) also generally had bad teeth and inflammatory plaques in the brain whereas those with leg weakness or paralysis and demyelination plaques in the spinal cord had pelvic or other lower-body foci of disease.

Sadly, Stortebecker is gone now and, apart from a handful of us, his work is completely ignored. It has not been possible to interest anyone in the medical establishment to carry out more studies in this area. Dentists don’t want to even think about it. Doctors say it’s a dental problem and nothing to do with them – yet another sorry example of how specialisation has made medicine both foolish and ineffectual.

The problems of infection are not helped by modern dental methods. Recent research by Ralph Turk and Fritz Kronner in Germany has shown that even the act of drilling a tooth causes severe energy disturbance (Turk R, ‘Iatrogenic Damage Due to High-Speed Drilling’, presented at the scientific session at the dedication of the Princeton Bio Center, New Jersey, 13 June 1981).

Turk describes the modern dental turbine rotor as a sort of time bomb and claims that its damaging intensity has been completely missed by the vast majority of dentists. There are many likely reasons, not least of which is the fact that, despite water-cooling, the temperature in the tooth rises by as much as 10 degrees on just a few seconds of drilling. In biological terms, the tooth has been cooked. This denaturation clearly damages the tooth and its ability to resist bacterial invasion. From more than 6000 cases studied, it was uniformly seen that, as soon as a tooth was visited by a high-speed drill, focal bone infection began in connection with that tooth within two years.

Most dentistry is, by nature, toxic. Modern methods rely heavily on materials such as metals, plastics and polymers, ceramics and prosthetics of all sorts. Most of this foreign material is stressful to the body and a considerable drain on the immune system – and therefore a major contributing cause of fatigue and chronic ill health. Given what we now know about allergies, we can only urge people to try to prevent dental problems in the first place. A good diet and adequate dental hygiene may still be, even in this era of antibiotics, a lifesaver.

As for drilling, it is possible to reduce the damage by taking sensible antitoxic procedures before, during and after a dental programme. Such elementary measures would include vitamin C, charcoal (to absorb toxins), and homoeopathic support and immune drainage compounds that can provoke speedier removal of toxins. Any good homoeopath or herbalist will be familiar with drainage techniques and be able to offer you a treatment of choice.

Dr Mumby is the author of Virtual Medicine (Thorsons, 1999), which describes immune drainage remedies in more detail.

Part Used: Root and leaf.

Constituents:

In the root:

• Mucilage, l8-35%
  
• Miscellaneous; about 35% pectin, l-2% asparagine, tannins.

In the leaves:

• Mucilage; including a low molecular weight D-glucan
  
• Flavanoids such a kaempferol, quercitin and diosmetin glucosides
  
• Scopoletin, a coumarin
  
• Polyphenolic acids, including syringic, caffeic, salicyclic, vanillic, p-coumaric etc.

Actions: Demulcent, emmolient, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant

Indications: Its abundance of mucilage makes Marshmallow an excellent demulcent that is indicated wherever such an action is called for. The roots have been used more for the digestive system whilst the leaves are used more for the urinary system and lungs. All inflammatory conditions of the G-I tract will benefit from its use, e.g. inflammations of the mouth, gastritis, peptic ulceration, colitis etc.. The leaves help in cystitis, urethritis and urinary gravel as well as bronchitis, respiratory catarrh, irritating coughs.Externally the herb is often used in drawing ointments for abscesses andboils or as an emollient for varicose veins and ulcers.

Priest & Priest tell us that it is a “soothing demulcent indicated for inflamed and irritated states of mucous membranes. Particularly suitable for the elderly with chronic inflammatory conditions effecting the gastro-intestinal system or genito-urinary tract” They give the following specific indications: acute respiratory disease, gastro-enteritis, peptic ulcer, cystitis, urethritis, inflammation of mouth & throat, inflamed hemorrhoids, inflamed wounds, burns & scalds, bedsores, abscesses, boils, ulcers.

Preparations & Dosage: 1-4 ml of the tincture three times a day. A cold infusion of the roots should be made with 2-4 gms. to a cup of cold water and left to infuse over night.

Part Used: Inner bark.

Constituents: Mucilage, composed of galactose, 3-methyl
galactose, rhamnose and galacturonic acid residues.

Actions: Demulcent, emollient, nutrient, astringent, anti-inflammatory.

Indications: Slippery Elm Bark is a soothing nutritive
demulcent which is perfectly suited for sensitive or inflamed mucous
membrane linings in the digestive system. It may be used in gastritis,
gastric or duodenal ulcer, enteritis, colitis
and the like. It is often used as a food during convalescence
as it is gentle and easily assimilated. In diarrhea it
will soothe and astringe at the same time. Externally it makes
an excellent poultice for use in cases of boils, abscesses
or ulcers.

Priest & Priest tell us that it is ” the best demulcent
for internal and external use. It lubricates and soothes alimentary
mucosa, relieves intestinal irritation, and quietens the nervous
system” They give the following specific indications: acute
gastritis and duodenal ulcer, gastritis, diarrhea,
dysentary, enteritis. Inflammation of the
mouth and throat. Vaginitis. Burns,
scalds and abrasions. Haemorrhoids and anal
fissure. Varicose ulcer. Abscesses, boils,
carbuncles, inflamed wounds and ulcers.

Preparations & Dosage: Decoction: use l part of the
powdered bark to 8 parts of water. Mix the powder in a little water
initially to ensure it will mix. Bring to the boil and simmer gently
for l0-l5 minutes. Drink half a cup three times a day. Poultice:
mix the coarse powdered bark with enough boiling water to make
a paste.

Compositae

Names: Coughwort, Horsehoof, Foal’s Foot.

Habitat: A common wild plant in Britain and Europe, growing in dampplaces.

Collection: The flowers should be gathered before they have fully bloomed (end of February to April) and dried carefully in the shade. The leavesare best collected between May and June. They should be chopped up before theyare dried and stored. The fresh leaves can be used until autumn.

Part Used: Dried flowers and leaves.

Constituents:

• Flavonoids; rutin, hyperoside and isoquercetin

• Mucilage, consisting of polysaccharides based on glucose, galactose, fructose, arabinose and xylose; and inulin

• Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, including senkirkine and tussilagine

• Tannin.
  

Indications: Coltsfoot combines a soothing expectorant effect with an anti-spasmodic action. There are useful levels of zinc in the leaves. This mineral has been shown to have marked anti-inflammatory effects. Coltsfoot may be used in chronic or acute bronchitis, irritating coughs, whooping coughs and asthma.
Its soothing expectorant action gives Coltsfoot a role in most respiratory conditions, including the chronic states of emphysema. As a mild diuretic it has been used in cystitis. The fresh bruised leaves can be applied to boils, abscesses and suppurating ulcers.

Priest & Priest tell us that it is a “diffusive expectorant, sedative and demulcent: suitable for debilitated and chronic conditions,
especially where there is a tubercular diathesis.” They give the following specific indications: chronic pulmonary conditions, chronicemphysema and silicosis, pertussis, asthma.

King’s says that “It relieves irritation of the mucous tissues. The decoction is usually administered in doses of from l to 3 or 4 fluid ounces and has been found useful in coughs, asthma, whooping cough
, laryngitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, and other pulmonary affections; in gastric and intestinal catarrh; and said to be useful in scrofula. The powdered leaves form a good errhine for giddiness, headache, nasal obstructions. Used externally, in form of poultice, to scrofulous tumors.”

Combinations: In the treatment of coughs it may be used with
White Horehound, Mullein or Elecampane.

Preparations & Dosage: Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto l-2 teaspoonfuls of the dried flowers of leaves and let infuse for l0 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day, as hot as possible. Tincture: take 2-4ml of the tincture three times a day.

Actions indicated for the processes behind this Disease

Alteratives offer the most in treating this conditions, although I am unable to give a satisfactory explanation of how they work or why.

Anti-Microbials help the body rid itself of the infections. In this case it is difficult to say whether this is a direct bacteriocidal effect or an indirect stimulation of the immune response.

Lymphatic Tonics support in a general way the drainage of fluid.

Diuretics are especially important in supporting the eliminative work of the kidneys.

Hepatics are similarly helpful for the liver.

Vulnerary/Anti-Inflammatory/Anti-Pruritic/Astringent may all be helpful topically.

Iris versicolor, Phytolacca decandra, Echinacea spp., Larreadivericata

Echinacea spp. 3 parts

Galium aparine 2 parts

Iris versicolor 1 part

Rumex crispus 1 part

Phytolacca decandra 1 part to 5ml of tincture three times a day

Urtica dioica drink as an infusion, preferable fresh herb, twice a day

• Alteratives (Iris versicolor, Echinacea spp., Galium aparine, Rumex crispus, Phytolacca decandra, Urtica dioica)
  
• Anti-microbials (Echinacea spp.)
  
• Lymphatic Tonics (Galium aparine, Phytolacca decandra)
  
• Diuretics (Galium aparine, Urtica dioica)
  
• Hepatics (Iris versicolor, Rumex crispus)