Day 362- Got Fluoride?

It is in the water we drink, the paste that we put on our toothbrush, and even some times in the supplements we take. Fluoride is heavily prevalent in our world whether we realize it or not. But how many even know why? Or what fluoride actually is?

Fluoride is a pollutant, a by- product of copper, iron and aluminum manufacturing. In the 1930's a study, which was funded by one of the country's largest aluminum companies, the problem of how to legally dispose of fluoride was solved; use it as a way to prevent tooth decay. What is even worse is that what is found in our drinking water, silicofluorides, have never even been tested for safety in animals or humans. Silicofluorides have been linked to increased lead absorption in children. Studies have also linked fluoride chemicals to bone fractures, lowered IQ, thyroid dysfunction, cancer, allergies and more. It is one of the most bone seeking elements known to mankind. The US Public Health Service has stated that fluoride makes the bones more brittle and the dental enamel more porous.

Fluoride is highly toxic. Before it was deemed as a "cavity fighter," it was used as insecticide and rat poison. In order to reach a larger audience, the aluminum companies jumped on the chance to That's great, so now we are drinking rat poison in our water?

"More than 25 published papers have shown that fluoride chemicals reduce IQ levels in children, and many people across the U.S. today have dental fluorosis, a condition where teeth become mottled and brittle, as a result of overexposure to fluoride. It is also a drug that has never been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which means its deliberate addition to public water is an illegal form of practicing medicine without a license or proper prescription." - Natural News

How was fluoride even associated with dental health in the first place?

"Dentists wondered why, in the early 1900′s, in pockets of the Southwest USA, many residents’ teeth were permanently stained yellow, brown or black, some just had white blotches, some were crumbling. They called it “Colorado Brown Stain.” The culprit – high levels of tasteless, odorless fluoride in drinking water, from 2 – 13 parts per million (ppm), which also irrigated crops the locals ate.

These ugly, sometimes deformed, teeth were unusually cavity-free. Since fluoride stained teeth, dentists assumed fluoride also prevented decay. “Colorado Brown Stain” became known by the more scientific term, dental fluorosis. Unfortunately, dentists overlooked what’s obvious today, even to a layperson. They failed to factor in the calcium, magnesium and other teeth strengthening minerals also in the water supply." - Dr. Jay Gordan

So does fluoride work?

Studies have show no difference in tooth decay between fluoridated and unfluoridated countries. Even though water fluoridation is often credited with causing the reduction in tooth decay that has occurred in the US over the past 50 years, the same reductions in tooth decay have occurred in all western countries, most of which have never added fluoride to their water.

In the past people were only exposed to fluoride through other sources, now they are getting it in their drinking water, toothpaste, supplements, and even mouth washes. Many people are being over-exposed to fluoride, exceeding the recommended daily intake. According to the Journal of Public Health Dentistry: "Virtually all authors have noted that some children could ingest more fluoride from toothpaste alone than is recommended as a total daily fluoride ingestion." The rate of dental fluorosis (a visible indicator of over-exposure to fluoride during childhood) has increased significantly over the past 50 years.

According to The Absurdities of Water Fluoridation:

Fluoridation is INEFFECTIVE because:

1. Major dental researchers concede that fluoride's benefits are topical not systemic (Fejerskov 1981; Carlos 1983; CDC 1999, 2001; Limeback 1999; Locker 1999; Featherstone 2000).
2. Major dental researchers also concede that fluoride is ineffective at preventing pit and fissure tooth decay, which is 85% of the tooth decay experienced by children (JADA 1984; Gray 1987; White 1993; Pinkham 1999).
3. Several studies indicate that dental decay is coming down just as fast, if not faster, in non-fluoridated industrialized countries as fluoridated ones (Diesendorf, 1986; Colquhoun, 1994; World Health Organization, Online).
4. The largest survey conducted in the US showed only a minute difference in tooth decay between children who had lived all their lives in fluoridated compared to non-fluoridated communities. The difference was not clinically significant nor shown to be statistically significant (Brunelle & Carlos, 1990).
5. The worst tooth decay in the United States occurs in the poor neighborhoods of our largest cities, the vast majority of which have been fluoridated for decades.
6. When fluoridation has been halted in communities in Finland, former East Germany, Cuba and Canada, tooth decay did not go up but continued to go down (Maupome et al, 2001; Kunzel and Fischer, 1997, 2000; Kunzel et al, 2000 and Seppa et al, 2000).

How can you reduce your intake of fluoride?

There are several options that are out there. Bottled water without fluoride, or a water filter system that can filter out the fluoride is a way to decrease the fluoride that you consume. There are also several different toothpastes on the market that don't contain fluoride; Tom's of Maine brand is a easy choice to find at the store. For more tips, click here.

Off the subject, but thought it was interesting:

"There is also the conspiracy theory, which argues that the governments are deliberately introducing Fluoride into our food and water supplies in order to keep us docile and therefore easier to control. Perhaps the reason this belief has come about is because of the historical fact that during World War II the German Gestapo used fluoride in their Nazi concentration camps with a view to subduing their prisoners."

Visit the fluoride alert website for 10 arguments against fluoride in drinking water.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Picture