Dominick Cardone is recovering from mercury poisoning

When Dominick Cardone earned his IFBB Pro status in 2014, he knew the road to fame would be long, but you don't win a show like that NPC nationals without having the potential to achieve greatness. So Cardone was excited about the journey ahead and gave everything he had to the sport. However, this journey began with the unfortunate death of his mother while he was preparing for the New York Pro.

"My mother got very sick and I was in the hospital with her. She died three weeks ago and I went ahead and took part. That show was a disaster and that's why I fell off the grid for a few years," he said.

Dominick Cardone had attempted to return to the stage and he had a great lead in the form of seven-time Olympia 212 champion Flex Lewis. Lewis was a mentor and training partner for Cardone, and he was committed to returning to the stage. His diet was also on point, eating fish was one of his main protein sources because it is so lean. It turned out that what he thought was a calculated strategy did more harm than good.

“In early 2020 it started with some intestinal issues – stomach pain, irregular bowel movements, and then it became skin issues,” Cardone said. “Then I started losing weight and couldn’t get pumps in the gym no matter what I did.”

Dominick Cardone tried to figure out what was going on by talking to doctors, but he also wanted to stay informed. So he continued with training and diet throughout 2020.

"I was getting worse and worse and no doctor could give answers. Now I have a lot less energy - Lethargy all day " he elaborated. While the physical toll it took was visible, it was the issues that weren't visible that were the worst for Cardone.

"The mental part of it got worse every day. It felt like a rollercoaster. Severe depression, problems concentrating, when I wasn't depressed it was just 'blah,' he said. "I just couldn't be happy and in 2021 suicidal thoughts started. I would just sit on the couch and start thinking about how to end my life."

Lewis had raised concerns during this process and connected Cardone with a colorectal specialist who conducted several tests on stool, blood and urine samples. That was March 2021, and Cardone had been dealing with this issue for over a year. At this point the answer was finally revealed.

“The mercury levels were through the roof,” Cardone said. “It just went through the roof.”

When asked why no other doctors could find the cause, Cardone said it was because not all options were considered.

“Nobody thought about looking for metal assets,” he shared. Now that he knew the cause, it was time to find a solution.

“Apparently I stopped eating fish,” he said. Among the fish he ate Most of these were tuna, yellowtail and mackerel. “I had been eating tuna several times a week, kilos of it.” He also revealed that he ate a lot of sushi after moving to Las Vegas. There was some progress after he eliminated all fish from his diet.

“Two months went by and there was some improvement, but it was pretty much just getting by.” Cardone turned to another IFBB pro bodybuilder who had experience with mercury poisoning, Jason Huh.

"Jason told me what kind of doctor I should look for, what kind of treatments were effective for him and his wife. He took a million pounds off my back."

After contacting Huh's suggested doctor, Cardone underwent several treatments, including pills, infusions and other forms of therapy. He also learned a lot about mercury and mercury poisoning. A misconception is that there is an “acceptable” amount that the body can handle. According to WebMD, mercury occurs naturally in the environment and can be released through pollution. It can fall and accumulate in water bodies and become methylmercury, causing it to be ingested by fish. The levels vary depending on the amount of fish.

"Mercury actually has no use in the body. It's a heavy metal, it's toxic, and the body has no use for it," said the 28-year-old. "The peak of the test was 0.004. I was at 4/20. I was literally completely off the charts."

After several months of treatment, Dominick Cardone has finally seen noticeable progress. He's not at 100 percent yet, but he's significantly better than before his first appointment with the intestinal specialist. He still has some issues that he is struggling with.

“The only thing I really need to work on is my memory,” he said. "My short-term memory has taken a big hit from the mercury. I still need to work on my speech. I can organize my thoughts and don't stutter as much anymore."

From an awareness perspective, Cardone wants to turn this negative into a positive by helping other people learn how to prevent him from going through the problems he had.

“Know what you eat and definitely limit the fish you eat and know the mercury levels,” he said plainly. "You can go online and just look up the mercury levels. Tuna, swordfish and yellowtail will be at the top of that list."

He also advocated seeing more than one doctor if you can't find an answer to what's bothering you.

"If you feel like you're dealing with high metal levels, contact a functional medicine doctor and get tested. They can show you how to move forward. Metal doesn't leave the body naturally. It will degrade your body physically and mentally."

From a bodybuilding perspective, he's back in the gym and remembers the first noticeable pump he felt in a long time.

"It was mid-January 2022 and we were training legs. I had seen my legs explode in a way I hadn't seen in years," he recalled. "This feeling of relief made me so euphoric. It made me think of Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous quote about the pump. It was the most euphoric feeling I've had in a long time."

While Dominick Cardone has reflected on his journey and wants to use it to help others, he is a forward thinker and is now focused on returning to his sport in a competitive manner.

"I'm coming back. That's definitely it. My goal is to win the Mr. Olympia. Now that I'm healthy, my fire is back. I'm letting Flex help me pick a show. Again, he's guiding me along the way. Right now I'm having so much fun growing. People can definitely expect to see me on stage either late this year or early next year."