lakesuperiorstreams.org
When I was 3 my family moved to a small town in West Texas. I remember asking my mom why a lot of the people there had poop on their teeth. Obviously they didn’t, rather, many of the resident’s teeth were horribly stained due to fluorosis from drinking the tap water.
mynewsmile.com
I recently ran the water report for that town and they had been cited for too much fluoride in the water, among other offenses.
Like many “alternative” ideas, fluoride is at the center of major controversy. However, after doing even just a little research, I am baffled that it is still being used in city water supplies, dentists offices, and still being added to toothpastes and mouthwashes.
Here is what I know: it is a poison. Plain and simple. There is a naturally occurring fluoride found along with other minerals in the earth that have beneficial properties (think mineral water, trace mineral powder or drops, etc.). I include these minerals in my homemade toothpaste as they aid in remineralization of teeth.
But this is not the kind I am talking about.
The kind that is added to our city water supplies, toothpastes, and mouthwashes is an industrial byproduct from fertilizer plants. It’s cheap compared to the real kind found in nature, which is why it is used.
When it is not sold to cities to be added to their water supplies it has to be disposed of as “toxic waste.” This stuff is poisonous even in small amounts which is why your typical toothpaste comes with warnings against swallowing it, and why parents are urged to not use it when making baby formula.
So stuff like this makes my skin crawl:
blog.fluoridefreeaustin.com
Most of western Europe abandoned the practice of adding it to water supplies over 30 years ago due to the enormous health risks.
However, the CDC still insists that it is safe to use…but we don’t agree on much so that’s not really a surprise to me.
Once again, America is way behind, and our health is suffering as a result.
Some of the side effects of fluoride include miscarriage, fluorosis, eczema, neurological disorders, decreased IQ in children, lead in the bloodstream, mouth lesions, headaches, joint pain, gastro-intestinal problems, vision problems, depression, heart disease, disruption of the endocrine system, hypothyroidism, bone disease and arthritic symptoms.
It is so toxic (more so than lead actually) that it is used in rat poisons.
Research also shows that ingesting it has almost no effectiveness against cavities.
It has been found to be somewhat helpful in preventing cavities (by around 20%) when applied directly to the teeth. However, this creates a coating over your enamel that can actually prevent remineralization. And maybe I’m the only one, but consuming a fertilizer by-product in order to prevent cavities by up to only 20% certainly isn’t worth the risk!
my homemade toothpaste
It is the same chemical “fluorine” that is used in osteoporosis drugs, which coats the bones creating the illusion of them becoming stronger, when in fact, they become very brittle and are not able to remineralize and repair themselves. This often results in the bones shattering rather than the normal flexing that occurs in healthy bones. I worked for an orthodontist that told me he is not able to do braces on patients who have taken these drugs because they make the bones so brittle, the teeth will not move within the jaw bones like they naturally should.
Many have called for a ban in the use of fluoride in city water supplies because it is a “forced medicating” meaning that anyone who consumes it is ingesting a medication without their consent.
In my opinion, fluoride should never be consumed or used topically, and should be treated as the toxic poison that it is.
It’s so sad to me when I hear people insisting that tap water is good to drink because of the minerals and fluoride that it contains. I routinely have readers asking me about this as they say their dental hygienists and dentists suggest that they drink it to prevent cavities. I will be doing an entire post devoted to water purity, contaminants, and purification options in the very near future.
But take heart, there are many fabulous progressive dentists who have “fluoride-free” practices. Just a quick google search should offer a few good options.
So there are some good ways to prevent ingesting it. To start, ditch the fluoride toothpaste (I make my own), ditch the fluoride mouthwash, and get a good water filter.
my Royal Berkey water filter – removes the bad, leaves the good!
The problem is that most filters don’t remove fluoride. The only ones I have found that do are reverse osmosis systems, Berkey and Aquasana. However, Aquasana only removes fluoride by 40%-60%. Brita, Pur, refrigerator filters, Zero, and every other system I have researched do not. Additionally, many bottle waters come from municipal tap sources.
So, we opted for the Berkey. I am going to do an entire post devoted to it soon, but in the meantime, I rest easy knowing that the water we are using is pure and clean and poison free!
live well. be well.