Solving the MS Mystery: Help, Hope and Recovery

by Hal A. Huggins

If, unfortunately, you have Multiple sclerosis, or if you know someone who does, this definitive work in the field of autoimmune diseases, Solving the MS Mystery, will be just what you have been... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972461116
• ISBN13: 9780972461115
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Matrix, Inc.
• Length: 405 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

a labor of love

Hal Huggins is a Colorado Springs dentist who was an extremely respected until he started to speak about his beliefs on the safety of mercury-laden "silver amalgam" fillings, beliefs cannot be reconciled with the world according to the ADA. These beliefs initially brought him a lot of respect, even an appearance on "60 Minutes," and then brought upon him the wrath of the ADA. I very strongly suspect that another reviewer of this book is correct in her assertion that there is a better way to treat some - perhaps most - forms of MS. I cannot speak to other ideas the reviewer entertains. Were I a health-care professional, I am not sure that I would feel safe encouraging the use of medications not approved by the FDA, even if scientists know quite well that they work and how they work, from their use in Russia, Poland and Germany. All the same, I was extremely impressed by this book, as it is far and away the most thoughtful and thorough book I have read on the causes of multiple sclerosis, and unsparing in its willingness to tell the truth and the whole truth, however controversial it may be. There are other books on the subject, but none of them provide as much documentation (and lab results) or are nearly as convincing as Dr. Huggins' book. Dr. Huggins' book is the only one I know of that mentions that the symptoms of MS can also be caused by infections that are almost never diagnosed. Dr. Huggins has had his problems with the medical authorities, and has detractors who want to believe that just because he disagrees with them means he must be wrong. Such people are prone to bandy epithets like "quack" and the like. This is nothing new, as Jonathan Swift wrote, "When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him." It is, indeed, ironic that "quack" had its origin as a slur against doctors known to be liberal with mercury-based lotions. If you have been given the dreaded diagnosis of MS, and have the moxie and smarts to question authority, and do your own research, this is book will almost certainly be indispensable to your efforts, even if it may not provide all the answers you need. Additionally, if you are looking for evidence in print that mercury can disturb the function of the porphyrins, which in turns can cause abnormal forms of pyroles to appear, this is the book to read.

Good start, but please do further investigation

I gave this book only four stars for a couple of reasons. Despite its profound importance and excellent content on dental amalgam as the underlying cause of a great number of today's illnesses which have mercury as the root etiology, the content is unfortunately not up to date on certain technical issues. For example, he asserts that methylcobalamin will methylate inorganic mercury and is therefore dangerous. While it is true that some bacteria can methylate the mercuronic ion, and that this reaction can be made to occur in a laboratory test tube, this is not what happens in real live human beings or animals when given subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or intravenously. This was confirmed to me in personal communication with Boyd Haley, PhD, who has done much work in this field. In addition, please refer to the work done by the Swedish physician, Dr Britt Ahlrot-Westerlund, and her success with treating patients with high doses of injectable methylcobalamin status post amalgam removal for further elucidation on this subject. (One should be cautioned however, not to accept any B-12 injections which contain a preservative, as this can cause problems in a detoxing patient. Also, some people experience angry agitated aggression and can get themselves into trouble even though it is helpful for most.) Huggin's approach to "balancing chemistries" is somewhat misguided, since this does not actually detoxify the system, but rather make it work better while the mercury remains in place. Thus it is a permanent lifestyle change - well worthwhile in terms of symptom reduction - rather than an intervention that can be stopped at some future point in time. While diet and supplements are paramount to the detoxification process, one will not get well if they are very poised unless they chelate. This leads to another problem I have with his approach of using DMSA on alternating days as there are multitudinous reports of this inappropriate and harmful protocol causing psychosis and permanent motor neuron damage in many people who use it. He completely disregards the pharmacokinetics of DMSA. If you are looking for an appropriate way to detoxify, I would recommend reading Andrew Cutler's book Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and Treatment (IBSN 096716808 - search on this number to find it easily). Cutler holds a PhD in chemistry and actually looks at the science behind detoxification as well as collecting patient reports on what the different protocols felt like and how the people responded after using them. Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and Treatment is an excellent companion volume to Dr. Huggin's book. [...] All in all, this book has much merit and a few problems. If you are sick - really sick - I advise researching your options thoroughly before you end up paying more than you have to - in terms of health and dollars - for bad advice. This book can be a good place to start your research, but further investigation is absolutely essential to avoid falling