Overweight I recently met a young waitress at a restaurant in Wytheville. I started sharing with her about mercury fillings. She explained that she had gained 50 pounds and she didn't know why, and her eating habits had not changed. Her doctors could not find out what was wrong with her and her TSH test for thyroid was normal. She went on to explain that she tasted metal in her mouth and she had one large amalgam filling in the back and the side of that tooth had broken off. That set off a memory of what had happened to me. When a tooth breaks, the mercury can start leaking from that filling. Then I noticed on Lyn Rennick's Story of Mercury Poisoning that she gained weight also for no reason. Then when I looked at these symptoms of Dr. Huggins', he mentions endocrine problems with overweight and underweight being some of the symptoms of mercury poisoning. The waitress told me that her body temperature was not the normal 98.6 degrees. I asked her to take her temperature every morning for 10 to 15 minutes before she lifts her head off the pillow. I told her to take it for 7 days and keep records. Dr. Broda Barnes says that this temperature test will determine whether the thyroid is underactive. An underactive thyroid may manifest itself in a low body temperature. This is the directions for the Thyroid Self-Test in Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC and James F. Balch, M.D.: To test yourself for an underactive thyroid, keep a thermometer by your bed at night. When you awaken in the monring, place the thermometer under your arm and hold it there for fifteen minutes. Keep still and quiet. Any motion can upset your temperature reading. A temperature of 97.6 degrees or lower may indicate an underactive thyroid. Keep a temperature log for five days. If your readings are consistently low, consult your health care provider. Mercury messes up the thyroid, so gaining weight would be a symptom of mercury affecting the thyroid gland. And since the waitress has gained 50 pounds, has migraines the doctors can't find the reason for, has a metallic taste in her mouth, and has a broken tooth with amalgam in it, I think she is being poisoned. I told her to email me and I could give her a referral to a dentist. I also told her to go to a local ACAM doctor. This doctor will know how to recognize a low body temperature as a symptom of thyroid problems, even though the TSH test appears normal. When the mercury is removed from the teeth and the body, Dr. Hal Huggins says the body temperature should return to normal. Back to the top Back to Symptoms of Chronic Mercury Toxicity Back to Mercury Poisoned main page Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes only, and does not replace a personal consultation with the health care professional of your choice. © 2003 by Marie Flowers.