Pat Robertson of the 700 Club Changes His Mind About Mercury
I used to enjoy the interviews neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock did on the 700 Club with Pat Robertson. Blaylock would warn about the dangers of fluoride in water and toothpaste, the food additives MSG (monosodium glutamate) and aspartame, and mercury in dental fillings.
I had the priviledge of meeting Dr. Blaylock and his wife at the Health Freedom Expo in Chicago in June of 2009. He mentioned to me that Pat Robertson was headed in another direction with his health segments on the 700 Club. Dr. Blaylock said he wasn't going to waste his time appearing on the program anymore.
I soon started seeing vaccine segments on the 700 Club where only a pro vaccine doctor would appear. In the past Robertson would have presented a word of caution with Barbara Lowe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center. The goal of the NVIC.org is to have safer vaccines. One would expect big network stations to present mainly the pro vaccine views, since they are sponsored by large pharmaceutical companies, but not the 700 Club. As an independent news source, the 700 Club had a great opportunity to present all the sides of a story. That is what responsible media does--present all the pros and cons and let the chips fall where they may.
Then on March 17, 2010, the 700 Club presented information on mercury in fish, vaccines and dental fillings in a segment called Something Fishy, Facts vs Fear on Mercury.
The following portion of the transcript shows a complete change in tone and information about mercury from when Dr. Russell Blaylock appeared on the 700 Club. I wonder who or what has gotten to Pat Robertson? Pat will be held accountable before God one day if his backtracking caused little children to be harmed because some Christian Mom believed mercury wasn't so bad because she heard it on the 700 Club!
The Skinny on Dental Fillings
In addition to eating fish, many of us are also exposed to mercury here at the dentist's office when we get a filling.
Amalgam fillings, also known as silver fillings, contain 50 percent mercury. But don't panic if you have them. The American Dental Association and the Food and Drug Administration say it's safe. So watch out if your dentist suggests replacing your silver fillings because of the mercury.
Dr. Edgar Boggs is a family dentist concerned about patients paying more than they should for dental services, especially during these tough economic times. He explained that while most dentists don't swindle their patients, consumers should beware of the few bad apples out there.
"I think the mercury fear or scare tactic is unreasonable and criminal," he said. "I mean, you go in and tell somebody they have to replace all their amalgams with composite fillings, I think it's criminal, I think it should be against the law."
Dr. Boggs said silver fillings only need to be replaced if they are broken or leaking. Of course, some patients elect to have silver fillings replaced by composite fillings, which are tooth-colored, purely for cosmetic reasons. But that is a decision that should be made for aesthetic reasons, not health reasons.
Vaccines, Mercury and Autism
Some vaccines contain mercury, but not nearly as many as in the past. Years ago, mercury was common as a preservative in vaccines. But it is largely gone now. Many parents believe mercury in vaccines causes autism. However Dr. Rose points out that most research refutes that.
"There's not been an association found in scientific studies," he said. "That doesn't deter people who think they've been poisoned by mercury and they're going to think that and it's probably prudent not to have mercury in those products if we can avoid it. But at the same time it's probably unfair to pin mercury as a concrete cause of illness."
So mercury is a poison that is part of our daily lives, such as in fish, dental fillings and vaccines. But it's important to separate fact from fear.
*Original broadcast March 17, 2010.
You can see Dr. Russell Blaylock appear frequently on the one hour TV health show "Your Health with Dr. Richard and Cindy Becker," out of Texas. This excellent health show is on World Harvest TV, Christian Television Network (CTN) and other cable channels. Dr. Becker allows Dr. Blaylock to speak for one hour and the programs are very interesting and can save many lives. Topics include: mercury and aluminum in vaccines, MSG, aspartame, reasons people get cancer and how oncologists forbid people to use any Integrative approaches for cancer even though side effects to traditional cancer treatments would be lessened.