Conductor Benjamin Zander of the Boston Philharmonic testifies to the FDA.
Conductor Benjamin Zander of the Boston Philharmonic discusses being mercury poisoned by his dental amalgam, "silver fillings", being diagnosed with Ménière's disease and experiencing a full recovery after getting his fillings safely removed.
Conductor Benjamin Zander of the Boston Philharmonic was mercury poisoned by his dental amalgam, "silver fillings" and was diagnosed with Ménière's disease. It is a disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance to a varying degree. It is characterized by episodes of vertigo and tinnitus and progressive hearing loss, usually in one ear. In the video, Mr. Zander presents video testimony to the FDA's 2010 Dental Products Panel on his full recovery after getting his dental amalgam fillings safely removed.
From: Benjamin Zander
Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 5:05 PM
To: Adjodha, Michael E of the FDA
Dear Sir:
I wish to draw your attention to a matter of utmost importance to me. Three years ago I developed Meniere's disease, which causes violent bouts of vomiting, vertigo and massive hearing loss. Visits to Ear, Nose and Throat specialists throughout the world yielded no results. Because of the violence of these attacks, I had cancel or stop in the middle of several performances that I was conducting. At the suggestion of a physician at the Paracelsus clinic in San Gallen Switzerland, I had all the mercury and nickel removed from fifteen teeth. This operation was completed by the distinguished American oral surgeon Dr. John Evans, of Groton, MA. The results of this process were nothing short of extraordinary. All symptoms of the Meniere's disease suddenly disappeared and have not reappeared for thirteen months. Amazingly, my dentist, Dr. Ronald Carpe of Cambridge, MA claims that he has not put any metal of any kind into my teeth during the thirty-five years that he has had me as a patient, and yet Dr. Evans found a vast amounts of these materials. I shudder to think what diseases this kind of poison is creating in our population. Indeed, I feel so strongly about this issue that I would be prepared to testify in Washington to the results caused by the removal of this toxic material from my mouth. Another less significant bi-product of this process has been a sudden and total disappearence of an unsightly and unhealthy fungal condition in my toes that had persisted for the past fifteen years in spite of attempts to treat the condition with the extremely expensive drug Lamisil. I do not depend for my career on the appearance of my feet, the way I do on the effectiveness of my hearing, but I cannot help but consider it an extraordinary benefit that this condition has completely cleared up without use of any medication.
Dr. Benjamin Zander
Professor, New England Conservatory
Conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor of the NEC Youth Philharmonic Orchestra
Author, The Art of Possibility
Leadership Speaker


























What began with debilitating fatigue, grew to accompany insomnia, blurred vision, painful sinus headaches, extreme allergies (to everything), food intolerances, candida, never-ending chronic infections, exhaustion, a consistent feeling of being tired yet wired, and hypo-thyroid issues. Everything became incredibly overwhelming. Darkness clouded over me like a shadow of death; I became depressed, anxious, and frustrated. I had gone mad, and my life had fallen apart. I was living in a bubble, and a normal existence seemed like an impossible dream.
Rebecca Lee's eight mercury filling removals sent her health into a tailspin. Read on as she tells of her health hegira (a journey, especially when undertaken to escape from a dangerous or undesirable situation).
In 2005, I received 7 amalgam fillings and afterwards saw my health spiral downward. It wouldn't be until years later that I would pin-point the destruction of my health to this event. I remember shortly after that dental appointment, I became ill routinely. My mother said to me "You haven't been well since you went to that dentist" - And that always stuck in the back of my mind.
My name is Stacy Case. I am a mom, wife, believer, journalist and a fighter. In 2008, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. All of my neurological symptoms started right after I had my silver fillings removed and replaced with more silver fillings. I later learned each filling is made of 50% MERCURY!
Flight attendant Denise Knight shares her story of extreme mercury toxicity from unsafe amalgam removal.
Looking back it's hard to believe that I didn't figure things out sooner. I was perfectly placed to know exactly what was going on. I was conscious about toxins of all kinds and took supplements to keep myself healthy. And yet, when I fell ill with mysterious symptoms eight months after I got my amalgam fillings removed, I had no idea that this could be caused by mercury.
Veterinarian Hanne Koplev suffered for years from possible heavy metal induced Parkinson's Disease
12 years ago I went to the dentist. Immediately, I notice I could not hear to well. I was tested, 40% hearing in right ear, 60% hearing in left ear. I received implant hearing implant in my left ear. My vision was blurry. I received my first pair glasses. I started stuttering, then my foot was hurting.
This is the account of how my wife was affected by mercury poisoning: It started with symptoms ranging from unexplained anxiety, palpitations, struggling to breathe, light headedness and in the final stages of her illness, pins and needless over her body. Her arms and legs became very weak and she would frequently feel as if she were going to pass out.
Plagued with allergies, vitiligo, and Hashimoto’s thyroid, I attended a medical lecture featuring a panel of doctors, one of whom spoke about autoimmune diseases and offered a warning that would change my life. “If you are in your thirties and forties and have been suffering from autoimmune diseases,” he said, “it may be connected to the amalgam fillings in your mouth.”
I suspected my health was being impacted by my dental amalgams but dismissed the idea as I trusted the scientific integrity of the dental and medical community. I assumed the anti-amalgam community to be unscientific alarmist. I expected to find little or no scientific work on the subject, but was shocked to find hundreds of peer reviewed studies.
In 2007, I was training rigorously for the 2008 U. S. Women's Marathon Olympic Trials when my health took a down turn. My training abruptly ended as I began experiencing neurological symptoms, gastrointestinal distress and major fatigue.Lucily, I was able to pinpoint the underlying cause, mercury toxicity.
I am a survivor of mercury poisoning which stemmed from having 16 mercury dental amalgam fillings by the time I was 24 years old. I've suffered from a number of neurological issue, including: depression, panic attacks, social anxiety disorder, stuttering and heart palpitations. I reached a point in my life where I wanted god himself to take my life and I wanted to die.
Thanks to Champus (federally-funded health program for military dependents) I ended up w/ 7 fillings that completely cover the chewing surface when I was 10 which caused immediate horrendous headache / toothache / earaches plus hyper-sensitivity to cold that persists to this day.