Rii, another of my friends out there in Blogdom, wrote in her Yahoo 360 a couple of years ago about how replacing all the silver fillings (amalgam) in her teeth vastly improved her health, and I was that intrigued by her experience that I did a little bit of online investigating myself.

Several years before this, I remembered my own dentist giving me the option of having my amalgam fillings replaced with white composite, and telling him at the time it didn't seem necessary. This discussion took place prior to my car crash in 2001, and since my immune system and general health has been compromised in various ways since then, when I read about Rii's positive experience I decided to look into this further.

I discovered that many people are in favour of this procedure, and in spite of the costs involved to replace the fillings and initial discomfort at having the new composite settle within the teeth, the benefits are worth it.

A holistic medicine site (one site among others) had information posted on their page discussing the toxicity of amalgam and the risks for using it or not replacing existing fillings, and some of it is downright frightening, citing mercury toxicity being responsible for neurological problems and gastrointestinal problems among many other symptoms.

It also states,

"Obviously, not everyone experiences acute toxicity effects from the mercury in amalgam fillings. However, virtually everyone does have mercury build up in their bodies from implantation of such fillings. The large increase in mercury exposure from the newer non-gamma-2 mercury fillings means that only time will tell how much damage has been caused by daily exposure to mercury to such fillings.

I do not recommend that people assume automatically that they will be healed by the removal of amalgam fillings. Many people are helped tremendously and some are healed. The 80% figure for people showing improvement within a year likely refers to people who had good reason to suspect that they were being significantly effected by the fillings. The percentage of people in the general population who might experience health improvement within one year after removal is probably much lower than 80%. I recommend going into the mercury amalgam removal procedure knowing that, at the very least, you will have removed yourself from a regular exposure to an extremely toxic material such that it will not build up in your organs and possibly cause significant health problems at a later date."

 

In my own personal case, I had six molar amalgam fillings replaced over the course of the last two months (with the last two replaced last week). If there is any significant difference or change in my health I will let you know.

I was just reading a blurb in the odd news section (ref. Daily Telegraph) how the English believe that tea 'tastes better in (their) favourite mug'.

The article states that researchers have claimed this is true. Psychologists at Sheffield University have found that a person's brain is trained to believe a certain methodology of hot drink making creates maximum enjoyment. Dr. Tom Stafford explains, "Drinking tea and coffee is very ritualistic and people become very addictive to the way they want their brew made."

"Caffeine is very much a drug of reward and like any addict, people develop passions on how the drug is delivered. Wherever there is drug use, then rituals will always develop. The long association with the delivery of a morning cup of coffee or tea - people genuinely think it tastes better out of a particular cup. It might be irrational or arbitrary but it's absolutely true. Your daily brew tastes better from your favourite mug."
 

Apparently, an estimated 65% of Brits have a favourite mug which they always use for a morning drink, and reflecting upon my own family's history, this is accurate. I wouldn't go so far as to believe preferring one's own mug or cup is part of a drug ritual, though. Everyone in our family had a favourite cup or mug. When I was a little wee girl, my beloved old Grannie who was as English as they come, bought me a wonderful white ceramic mug featuring a red skunk bearing the caption "I'm A Stinker", which was an instant favourite for my hot chocolate, milk, tomato juice, soup, etc. No caffeinated drinks were involved, and I was thoroughly convinced that Mr. Skunk made things taste better.

Behold, the cake purchased for my son Trevor's baby shower (in spring of 1984) :

"Congratulation" (only one!)

 

 

 

I'm not sure if it's humourous enough to be submitted to Cake Wrecks, but when this cake was brought into the party there were a few chuckles.
 

This picture of me, taken of me wearing my patio door glasses (ugh) with my 10 lb. newborn baby boy is from that same party.
 

 

 

This Friday, that baby in the picture turns 25 years old ~ the same age I was when he was born, and he is now six ft. 5 inches tall! He and his sister Mallory have my hair and eye colour, but both children are tall like their father.