Sensitivity to kicking up mercury seems to vary quite a bit from person to person. Obviously someone who does not have a Hg problem will be less vulnerable to kicking it up randomly.

However, from my 5.5 years in the detox groups, the experience of a close female friend and my own years of detox, it can be truly devastating to some people.

Cutler explains to some extent in this interview with Jo Davidson
http://www.zentertainment.org/podcasts/zentertainment96.mp3

The mice in the Gregus study that received ALA excreted more Hg than control mice but they also ended up with *more Hg in the brain and organs! Cutler explains here.
http://onibasu.com/archives/am/74605.html

So if you had recent exposure such as removal of amalgams, taking LA will likely result in a net movement of Hg *into* the brain as the body moves towards equilibrium.

My friend who has a long history of PTSD is one of the sensitive people. She accidentally took 100mg ALA daily for ten days in a new formulation of the multivitamin recommended by one of her doctors.

Unfortunately I had a nasty cold at the time. I could hear over the phone that something was not right. she was melting down at the smallest stressor. She could not think straight. However she would not let me visit her until my cold went away!

When I finally visited her I asked her what changed. She did not know; however, during dinner she told me about the new version of the multi.

It took over a year of Cutler protocol detox plus extra adrenal support--adrenal/sex hormone panel, 50+ mg pregnenolone, low dose hydrocortisone, etc. for her to just recover from the setback. She has gotten additional gains since then and is much less stress tolerant and clear headed in stressful situations. Some combination of the supplements, meds and detox have been life-changing for her.

The following are some other reports I've read in the detox groups.

Inappropriate use of ALA. Sometimes it takes a while for the effects of inappropriate use of chelators to be obvious to adults, let alone autistic kids. These are some examples from adults, some of whom initially had gains in some areas but later realized damage was being done.

-300 mg ALA, 2x/day. "...improvements in peripheral neuropathy ...then developed worse neurological symptoms…” http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/frequent-dose-chelation/message/42684

-ALA 300mg. Teen in psych hospital w/ suicidal thoughts. Cutler comments on how the inappropriate use might be causing or contributing to the problem. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Mercury/message/294111

-300mg ALA 2x/day, while I still had amalgams....from really-sick-but-functioning to completely disabled, in just 6 months http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/frequent-dose-chelation/message/24221

- 20mg ALA in the weeks after Amalgam removal. "...has given me the worst severe burning brain for 2 days straight, along with extreme burning muscle pain and weakness all over."
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/frequent-dose-chelation/message/96458

- 100 mg ALA in a multivitamin for 10 days. "...caused me to feel anxious, weak, fatigue. My head is held captive to these heavy metals. I want my own brain back so I can think and function..."
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/frequent-dose-chelation/message/86406

- ALA 600 mg 3x a day + NAC 1200mg x 2 a day. "... have severe ringing in my ears, brain fog, funny taste in mouth, headaches, blurred vision, memory problems and having difficulty functioning...stopped 8 days ago ...but it did not go away-- also head aches..." http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Mercury/message/306306

-R-Lipoate w/ hidden Amalgam //www.curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=2027011
...I took close to 200 different powerful herbs, and nutraceuticals including R-lipoate. It was at the end of that 5 month period, that I begin to get severe jaw pain around the rotten tooth ( the one that I did not know had an Amalgam in it). It was around this time that I essentially had chronic fatigue and anterograde amnesia set in. It was a profound, rapid, failure of my health, I went from ...going to college full time, to just being debilitated.

-200mg in B Complex w/ amalgam present. "I had daily headaches.... I had the weirdest tingling sensation in my face going EXACTLY from the tooth ... up into my cheekbone."
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/frequent-dose-chelation/message/113243

I've used Cutler's protocol to recover from a lead and cadmium problem. I've been fairly sensitive to kicking up HMs as well. When I was learning about detox I was still employable in a decent technology support job--as long as I took my ADD medication and various supplements for mood, energy, memory and motivation. I was looking for the safest effective method. I did not want to roll the dice with IV. Also IV was much more expensive. I was willing to take my time to maximize safety.

My bone density problem in mid 40s improved 8% to borderline normal. eGFR--kidneys-- normalized in 1.5 yrs and continued to improve over the following year. Lots of little things improved, things that would not even have made a list of symptoms, including little food sensitivities , a less introverted personality, more easy-going mood, more stable temperatures. There are many others.

Cutler method is safe. You have to cut the pills to smaller amounts so they can be dosed frequently.

This video is where I learned to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2iUmkHddTs