“I’m convinced mercury can kill you if it’s not checked,” said Catherine Wessinger, professor of religious studies.
She spoke of her battle against mercury toxicity to a small group Monday at the First Monday Brown Bag Lunch series.
The Women’s Studies and Resource Center has been holding informal presentations of interest to university women and men on the first Monday of each month since 1998.
Wessinger spoke candidly about her diagnosis, treatment and journey to recovery from mercury toxicity.
“Mercury toxicity underlies a lot of chronic problems, and many doctors don’t think to look for it,” she said.
Poisoning from mercury and other heavy metals can come from environment.
An artist Wessinger met in treatment is believed to have acquired the disease by salvaging junk metal for her sculptures.
Mercury poisoning also can come from dental fillings and vaccinations. Wessinger’s symptoms became acute after she began bleaching her teeth.
Many people don’t realize that inoculations such as the ones children receive contain mercury, as does the flu shot many people get each year, she said.
“One doctor told me it’s better to get the flu than get a flu shot,” Wessinger said. Parents need to be informed that vaccinations are available without mercury and may be requested, she said.
Wessinger, who began treatment in 2000, said she believes that diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Lupus, Crohn’s disease and heart disease might all be related to mercury or heavy metal toxicity.
And because mercury can be passed from mother to child through the placenta and breast milk, it also may contribute to autism and certain attention deficit disorders.
One of Wessinger’s doctors, Stephanie Cave of Baton Rouge is quoted in the November/December issue of Mothering magazine drawing a connection between autistic children and metals poisoning.
Wessinger said that testing and detoxification, which can sometimes be done through nutritional supplements, is important to prevent and aid in treating chronic illnesses, though many doctors might not consider testing for metals poisoning.
Though Wessinger’s talk discussed a specific women’s health issue, Barbara Ewell, a member of the women’s studies committee and professor of English at City College, explained that the topics for discussion run the gamut of women’s issues and that the audience can often be more than 10 percent male.
Topics vary from art, history and literature to domestic violence.
The topic of next spring’s first meeting, which will be held Feb. 3, will be “Why Aren’t More Women Killing Their Husbands as Much as They Used To? Toward a Theoretical Understanding of Intimate Partner Homicide” by Marcus Mahmood, Department of Psychology.
The event is held at 12:30 p.m. in Mercy 103. For more information, call the Women’s Resource Center at extension 7880 or visit the group’s Web page here.
