Metal Reactions in the Body.
What every patient deserves to know.
“Treat your patients like family. If you wouldn’t want nickel in your wife’s knee, don’t put it in someone else’s.” — Dr. Scott Schroeder
Metal Allergies
Can metals in your body make you sick?
In this eye-opening lecture originally delivered in Istanbul, board-certified foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Scott Schroeder shares decades of research and over 400 real-world case studies on the hidden risks of metal implants—including titanium, stainless steel, and dental amalgams. With first-hand accounts, scientific testing, and surgical outcomes, he makes a compelling case for how galvanism and metal allergies may be fueling chronic symptoms from migraines to paralysis.
Whether you have orthopedic implants, dental crowns, or just fillings in your mouth—this presentation could change the way you view metals and your health.
Watch the full video below.
Key Highlights
The Galvanic Connection:
When two different metals are placed in the body (e.g. titanium in the foot, amalgam in the mouth), they create a measurable electric potential using your body fluids as an electrolyte.
Dr. Schroeder documented voltages as high as 340 millivolts across implants—a level significant enough to interfere with nerve signaling .
Case Study – Amalgam to Titanium Reaction:
A patient with a titanium screw in the foot and an amalgam filling had a -154 mV galvanic reading. After removing the screw, it dropped to +7 mV—a 161 mV change. Symptoms—including emotional distress—resolved dramatically.
Neurological + Emotional Impact:
One patient’s paralysis improved overnight, decreasing from nearly 10 hours a day to just 3 after titanium screws were removed from his foot. But full recovery didn’t come until months later—after visiting five different dentists, he finally found one who supported his concerns. Upon removal of his last amalgam filling and two gold crowns, his paralysis completely resolved and has not returned since.
Systemic Symptoms Documented:
Chronic fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Suicidal ideation
Migraines
Neck & joint pain
Irritable bowel syndrome
Asthma
Rosacea, rashes, and more
An observational review of 314 patient cases showed that 83 experienced life-changing symptom relief following metal hardware removal—over 26% of cases.
Testing Shows Trace Metals in Implants:
Even “pure” titanium implants were found to contain:
Nickel
Vanadium
Aluminum
Up to 17 trace metals in some alloys, confirmed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).
Cross-Reactions with Dental Work:
Titanium orthopedic implants interacting with dental metals like gold or mercury-based amalgams.
“Permanent” metal retainers, stainless steel braces, and even old crowns found to trigger widespread symptoms when combined with systemic hardware.
Timeline of Adverse Event Reports to the FDA (1997–2025)
This chart reveals a sharp increase in reported adverse events to the FDA, highlighting over 2.2 million non-public reports between 1997 and 2019, now brought to light. Notably, titanium dental implants accounted for 5.1 million adverse events—representing 20% of all medical device reports to the FDA across the entire body. Post-2019, the surge in public reporting—especially serious injuries (yellow bars) and recalls (black triangles)—suggests greater transparency but also growing concern over the safety of titanium dental implants specifically.
Scientific Context Support
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The FDA has acknowledged that “some individuals may develop a heightened local or systemic immune or inflammatory reaction” to metals in implants, underscoring that this area remains active for ongoing research melisa.org U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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A comprehensive FDA-funded review via ECRI and systematic reviews summarize that while titanium demonstrates good mechanical properties, there's low-quality but measurable evidence of local tissue reactions and, in limited cases, systemic outcomes like inflammation and elevated metal ion levels ResearchGate
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An MDPI review outlines clear electrochemical pathways—such as galvanic corrosion and wear—that release metal ions from implants, which can provoke both local irritation and systemic toxicity over time.