Melisa Foundation

There is so much more information on the internet now about nickel allergies than there was when I first got sick.  It’s awesome, albeit a little frustrating.  When I was desperately sick, I couldn’t find any useful information!  My dermatologist clued me in that there were studies going on in Europe with patients having reactions to ingested metal, but at that time, none of them were available to me (at least not that I could easily find).

The Melisa Foundation now has quite a few research articles on their website.   They are a non-profit organization whose research focuses on the role of metals in chronic diseases.  Studies are being done not only about nickel allergies, but also other metal allergies, with issues ranging from chronic fatigue to Multiple Sclerosis and Lou Gehrig Disease.  Research makes me happy.  I am relieved to get some science to back up what my body already knows, and also that other people might not have to go through what I went through to get a diagnosis. 

I am thankful to the doctors in Sweden who chose to focus on this research.

Here’s the jump to their list of articles from the Neuroendocrinology Letters Supplement 2006;27.

http://www.melisa.org/articles.php#26

This one excerpt sums it all up for me:

“In addition to external pollutants, metal ions released from dental restorations or from other body implants might trigger inflammation in susceptible subjects… In clinical praxis, metal-sensitive patients will present various symptoms ranging from oral mucosal changes and skin disease to excessive fatigue and autoimmune diseases.”

If only someone had told me that back when I was wearing braces and suffering from skin disease, excessive fatigue, and autoimmune issues!  Que sera...