Kathleen Nelson

FDA, Dentists and Criminal Lies

A 2006 testimonial on FDA hearings:
http://www.mercurypoisoned.com/FDA_hearings/advisory_panel_rejects_amalgam_safety.html

An excerpt:
"Dr. Mackert from the ADA told her it would take 265 to 312 amalgam fillings to reach toxic levels of mercury exposure. Another dentist from the ADA said it would take 500 fillings, all in the mouth at one time, to cause a person to be poisoned."

I think someone should have handed him a jar of 200 fillings and asked him to put them in his mouth for what do you think, 5 minutes?


This testimony written by Kathleen Nelson appears on the FDA web site.  It's long, but worth the read.
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/06n0352/06n-0352-emc0217-02.pdf 

http://www.mercurypoisoned.com/FDA_hearings/ImageKathleenNelson.jpg


WHY USE “SILVER” MERCURY (TOXIC) DENTAL FILLINGS?

Written by: Kathleen Nelson (mercury survivor)

 FDA Hearings 9/6 & 7th/2006 Gaithersburg, MD

Hello, my name is Kathleen Nelson and I have traveled from Austin,

Texas. I am 54 years old, a mother of 2 sons, a grandmother of 4

beautiful grandsons and a 26 year federal civil servant. I am a

survivor of mercury amalgam poisoning. But before I share my

personal experience with mercury poisoning, I would like to sincerely

thank the FDA for having the courage to hold these hearings. But I

must say I am terribly saddened that these hearings are even a

reality.

This question to use mercury or not to use mercury in dental products

is simply absurd to me. The question defies simple common sense. It

does not take a doctorate in chemistry or toxicology to understand

that mercury is a known neurotoxin and degrades our health. It does

not take a panel of “experts” to argue with dueling, biased medical

studies to determine whether or not mercury should be placed in our

bodies. The scientific evidence about the hazards of mercury is not

new. History has documented that fact for us over and over. The

basic, underlying scientific & medical characteristics of mercury

toxicity is indisputable. This notion to prove this or that nuance is only

designed to cloud the issue thus distorting the truth.

We can not see the forest through the trees unless we are truly willing

to attack this problem from a different angle, a paradigm shift of

thinking, thus a dramatic change of heart. There is no doubt that

every single one of us here today acknowledges mercury is a

neurotoxin and harmful to our health. This ultimate truth is our

common ground. Where we disagree is why we keep using

mercury in amalgam fillings.

So, I ask this question, why are mercury fillings still being used in

America knowing full well the hazards to our health & to our

environment? There is no denying that not one single scientific or

medical case can be made to ethically support the intentional use of

toxic materials over the ethical, economical, and safer non heavy

metal alternatives available today. Not one medical case.

 2

All Americans would like to believe that the FDA will use its tax

dollars in an ethical & responsible manner. The FDA, like all

Government agencies, has a mission statement to uphold.

The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health.

Unlike the mission of the FDA to protect the public health, the mission

statement of multi million dollar mining companies is to make the

most profit possible for all stakeholders up and down the mercury

food chain. I have read that for every $400.00 of raw mercury, over

$40,000 of product is gained at the expense of the health of millions

of Americans.



Profits from these products are coveted by the corporate spin doctors

and corporate media, hired to perpetuate the veil of ignorance in our

country. Thus, for decades, Americans have been deliberately

deceived by the best media spin money can buy. The truth is that

simple.

The FDA mission is clear, to protect public health. The mercury

industry’s mission is equally as clear. Make more money. Follow the

money trail and you will understand why corporate profiteers continue

to pour mega bucks into keeping Americans in the dark or at best

confused. This is a profit versus health issue and nothing, absolutely

nothing more than that. The worse part is this unethical behavior

seemingly governed by greed makes Americans sick. The truth is

that simple.

The truth is: mercury is a neurotoxin & causes harm to our lives; our

immune systems, to our human embryos, to our babies, to their

brains, to our children, to our mothers & fathers and to our very

existence here on earth. The frequency of exposure one has to

mercury, the more mercury burden the body carries. Mercury

crosses the blood/brain barrier putting in motion all kinds of

neurological disorders and diseases. This is an indisputable scientific

& medical truth.



 3

I applaud the FDA for warning pregnant women and young children of

the harmful effects of eating fish tainted with mercury. But yet, the

FDA stays silent when asked to warn the same pregnant women and

young children of the toxic effects of mercury amalgam fillings placed

in their heads.



On one hand, the FDA warns mercury is not healthy, be careful about

eating mercury tainted fish. But on the other hand, the FDA

continues to support the use of mercury amalgam fillings by not

warning Americans about the toxic effects. It’s bad for your health to

eat mercury in fish but somehow it’s ok to directly put mercury fillings

in your living teeth. This is nonsensical and insulting.



FDA, you can not have it both ways. Mercury is either toxic or it isn’t

no matter how it’s delivered, be it fish, in vaccinations, coal plant

emissions or amalgam fillings. The answer is scientifically

indisputable. The truth is that simple.

In 1989, seventeen long years ago, the EPA declared mercury to be

a hazardous, toxic waste material. In 1991 Sweden banned mercury

fillings from being used in the teeth of pregnant women. The

Swedish Government even paid for the removal of mercury fillings for

any & all of its citizens. Here it is 2006 and still no warning from the

FDA concerning the ill effects of “silver” mercury fillings. This inaction

provokes questions.

All health physicians take the Hippocratic Oath; “do no harm.” It

appears this oath doesn’t apply to the American Dental Association.

Why does the American Dental Assoc. continue to condone this 150

year old barbaric practice of putting a neurotoxin into our heads?

There are other economic, non heavy metal, non toxic materials

being used today in lieu of mercury amalgam. The truth is simple.



They may tell you mercury fillings are cheaper and/or more durable

than the non toxic material. The truth is they make hefty profits off

mercury dental products and mercury mining. (Mercury, as you may

or may not know, is a by product of gold mining and is poisoning

untold numbers of humans around the world.)

 4

 Even if mercury is cheaper and more durable, this absurd reason to

use it does not address the ethical question of placing a known

neurotoxin into our children’s heads. This practice is simply

outrageous and it’s akin to slow generational genocide.



I sincerely welcome the cosmetic dentist practices in America today.

Cosmetic dentists have intentionally side stepped the ADA gag rule

on mercury amalgam fillings by dedicating their practice to cosmetic

dentistry. And if mercury amalgam becomes a thing of the past

because they are “ugly”, then so be it. Good rid dens I say.

But of course, poor people would not be given this same luxury would

they. Are poor children somehow not worthy of not being poisoned

by mercury fillings? What about the soldiers in our military? They too

are being poisoned by free mercury fillings funded by our

Government directly paid for by our tax dollars. The money being

made by this long time business arrangement is staggering. In turn

the money being made by our health system due to the poisoning

effects of mercury fillings is equally as staggering as is the personal

cost of misdiagnosis.

My own personal experience with misdiagnosis & mercury

amalgam fillings came to a head a couple years ago. For years prior

to this point, I suffered with chronic sinus and ear problems,

hypothyroidism, allergy symptoms, dry itchy, burning skin, severe

headaches, dizziness, extreme fatigue and flu like symptoms. I took

drugs prescribed by my doctors to manage my symptoms, but never

knew their cause until recently. After years of symptoms that became

increasingly worse with time, I became very ill, to the point of

seriously thinking about having to take disability retirement. The

doctors checked for brain tumors, aneurysms, MS, West Nile, Lymes,

lupus, Meniere’s and other disorders and diseases. Per the doctors,

the cause of my illness was most likely an unknown virus.

Trusting the advice of these reputable doctors, I waited for over a

year for this mysterious virus to pass. I barely functioned from day to

day. I ended up having to take much leave from work as I just

couldn’t move out of bed.

 5

And when I was at work, I could not perform the analytical tasks my

job required, let alone speak full sentence or recall what I had just

said a couple hours before. I would literally fall asleep at my desk by

10a.m. each morning. While driving home on my 25 minute commute,

I would nod off, and fall asleep at the wheel momentarily, damn lucky

not to have caused an accident. When I arrived at home, I flopped

onto the couch unable to muster the energy to make supper for

myself. Living day to day was hell.



A year later, word of mouth information by the grace of God came to

me through my manager at work who had gone to church with a lady

who had experienced similar health problems. She encouraged me to

see Dr Kendal Stewart in Austin, Texas. I thank God everyday I was

able see this man. The truth is my mercury poisoning by “silver”

mercury amalgam fillings has been scientifically & medically

documented. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Texas covered my medical

expenses caused by mercury amalgam poisoning.



My peak illness symptoms were: Vertigo, vomiting, nausea,

dizziness, peripheral & nervous system disorders, ear aches &

tinnitus, burning & itchy skin and burning brain sensations,

imbalance, severe fatigue, severe muscle aches, over sensitive

nervous system, inability to focus, drooping eye and mouth,

sensitivity to light & sound, difficulty speaking, anger, lack of focus,

forgetfulness, metal taste in mouth, sensitive teeth and gums, sinus

problems, severe headaches, rashes, hypothyroidism, weight gain

and gastric digestive problems.



With additional neurological tests, blood tests and a urine challenge

test for heavy metals and other toxins, Dr Stewart confirmed

medically & scientifically that I had high levels of mercury in my body.



Dr. Stewart recommended immediate removal of all of my mercury

fillings. The 7 mercury fillings in my mouth were 36 years old placed

in my teeth as a teenager. I had them immediately removed.





 6

Dr. Stewart placed me on oral chelation & support protocol for about

10 months after the removal of all 7 toxic fillings. Little by little, the

mercury was being excreted out of my body, out of my brain.

Chelation was very difficult but thank God, I recovered from this

mercury amalgam poisoning. I am healthy now and I have no

mercury amalgam fillings. This is not a coincidence. I am now

working with full vigor. My health was returned to me simply by

removing the toxic source, the 7 mercury amalgam fillings, and

chelating the toxic mercury out of my body. The truth is this simple.



I experienced 36 years of mercury exposure directly from 7 mercury

amalgam fillings. Now that my mercury fillings are gone, my current

mercury levels are now low. More importantly, I feel healthy. I have

no allergies. I have no fatigue. The symptoms mentioned above

virtually gone. My body’s need for thyroid medication supplement

has been reduced by 33% since the removal of my 7 mercury fillings

and chelation. My prescription for my lenses has twice been reduced

within a year of treatment. All of this and more is scientifically and

medically documented. More importantly, I don’t have to take

disability retirement.



I am one of the lucky ones. Many hundreds of thousands of

Americans are not so lucky and are in fact misdiagnosed just as I had

been. Did you know that the brain of a person diagnosed with

Alzheimer’s has 4 times as much mercury than a person’s brain

without the disease? This too is not a coincidence. The truth is

simple.

Mercury poisoning by mercury amalgam fillings is an epidemic

created by the unwillingness of the industry to stop the madness.

They purport that short term studies prove mercury fillings are safe

ignoring studies that prove the longer you are exposed to mercury,

the higher the body burden, thus more prone to illness and disease.

They purport certain levels of mercury are somehow tolerable and

normal. They purport since people don’t generally die immediately

after receiving toxic mercury fillings that their subsequent health

problems must be caused by something other than mercury

poisoning.

 7



In fact, the later statement is what the opposition is counting on to

diffuse this issue, to convince Americans that since they didn’t

immediately get sick or die from mercury fillings, there is nothing

wrong with using a known neurotoxin to fill teeth. Nothing could

be further from the truth. We all remember the issues surrounding

the lead, tobacco and asbestos law suits. The same deceitful media

spin tactics were used to keep corporate profits flowing totally

disregarding catastrophic damage to human life. Undoubtedly, it

appears history has once again repeated itself. The truth about

mercury is simple. Mercury is harmful to our bodies. No amount of

mercury should ever be tolerated in dental products.

I know many people who have experienced very similar symptoms

with long term exposure to mercury amalgam fillings. The worse part

is that deliberate misinformation continues to distract Americans and

many medical practitioners from the truth. Why is autism on the rise?

Why is MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, peripheral and nervous system

disorders, chronic fatigue and Meniere like symptoms on the rise?

The truth is simple. We are being poisoned!



An undisputable fact is that a healthy immune system protects us

from diseases and disorders. A weakened immune system makes us

vulnerable to viruses & bacteria that cause illness. Our bodies are

capable of miraculous feats when the immune system functions

properly. This intentional degrading of our immune system through

mercury exposure sets us up for all kinds diseases and disorders.

You can not have health and have a compromised immune system.

The truth is that simple.

FDA, you must protect public health. That is your responsibility.

It’s your soul. The mercury industry’s special interest groups do not

lobby for the hundreds of millions of Americans already toxic with

mercury. They do not lobby for the thousands of poor children unable

to function normally because of mercury poisoning, and they do not

lobby for the untold numbers of elderly who have been misdiagnosed

and sentenced to needlessly live out their lives in utter misery.

 8



There is no sane, ethical, medical, or scientific reason to use

mercury fillings anymore than there is a sane, ethical, medical or

scientific reason to use mercury in knee or hip replacements. There

are scientific & medical reasons why the medical establishment does

not use mercury for knee and hip replacements. But yet, somehow

it’s medically acceptable to put mercury fillings in our heads.

Amazing! Just because a dentist placed the mercury filling in the

tooth does not make it non toxic. On the other hand, a neurosurgeon

would never ever place mercury in the head of her patient would she?

Absolutely not! Why, because mercury is a neurotoxin. The truth is

that simple.



So I ask the question again; why in God’s name do we still use

mercury in amalgam fillings? There is only one driver for this

unethical behavior. Sadly, it is money. No one here can dispute that

if minimal profits were involved with mercury dental products &

mercury mining, we would not be having this hearing today. The truth

is that simple.

I urge the FDA leadership to carry out its mission statement to warn

all Americans of the toxic danger. “Silver” mercury fillings have no

place in a progressive society. Ask those countries that have

banned them or are in process of doing so. Ask Sweden why it pays

for the removal of all “silver” mercury amaIgam fillings from the teeth

of all its citizens. Are Swedish lives somehow more worthy than

Americans? Do they know something about mercury fillings that we

don’t? Of course not, however unlike our American Government, the

Swedish Government appears to take their role in protecting public

health seriously and advocates for the people, not the special

interests. That, pure & simple is the difference. It is simply

unconscionable to allow this toxic epidemic to continue. Granted, the

truth of it all is very painful and unsettling but the consequences of

continuing this falsehood is a human tragedy equal to any epidemic

or war in our history. This apparent indifference and disconnect to

the future health of human life is abhorrent. I know first hand what it

feels like to be poisoned by mercury fillings.

 9



I know what it feels like to be healthy after the removal of mercury

fillings. My health is not a coincidence nor is it an anomaly.



There are hundreds of thousands of people who have gone through

this very same nightmare. For those of us who have been poisoned

by mercury, and lucky enough to know the truth, the answer is crystal

clear. Therefore, I invite every naysayer to walk a mile in our shoes.

The good news is every one of us has the power to change the

outcome of mercury poisoning. This ethical legacy is in our hands

right now. FDA, be pro health and give Americans a choice by

empowering them with the truth. That is your mission, your civil

responsibility.



Finally, this question to use or not to use mercury in dental products

is indeed absurd and mocks our intelligence. To argue at what point

mercury becomes more harmful is immaterial. This argument at best

is simply a diversion, thus insuring that the mercury gravy train

continues.

The fact is, there is no medical or ethical reason to take the risk

yet cruel studies funded by the mercury industry and their alter

egos, brag of using innocent, trusting children as lab rats to

further promote the consumption of mercury products. This

behavior is simply heinous and should be condemned.

The fact is, we don’t have to poison our children. We don’t have

to poison our earth. We don’t have to poison our future. The

awful truth is however, we simply choose to.