PureInsight | January 21, 2007
"Doctor, I'd suggest fluoride treatment to protect your teeth," my dentist said.
I agreed. After all, I'd been told since I was knee-high that fluoride
prevents cavities. I've also used fluoride toothpaste for years. But I
recently decided to do some research on this topic to see if there was
a downside to this treatment. Now I also know why Montreal men are
better lovers than those in Toronto.
William, a 3-year-old Brooklyn boy, had his first dental checkup in
1974. Fluoride gel was spread over his teeth. Following that he was
handed a glass of water by the dental hygienist who failed to inform
him to swish the solution in his mouth and spit it out. Instead, he
drank the water and a few hours later he was dead from fluoride
poisoning. Fluoride is an acute toxin with a toxicity rating higher
than lead.
Next, I discovered that 98 percent of Europe is fluoride-free. Sweden,
Germany, Norway, Holland, Denmark, and France stopped using
fluoridation over 25 years ago. These are not backward nations.
In 1980, a New Zealand dentist, an ardent supporter of fluoride
therapy, was sent by the government on a world tour to study
fluoridation. He returned an outspoken critic of the treatment.
Later in 1999, Dr. Hardy Limeback, Professor of Dentistry at the
University of Toronto, and former supporter of fluoridation, reported
that fluoride may be destroying our bones, teeth, and overall health.
He claimed that children under three should never use fluoridated
toothpaste, nor drink fluoridated water. And mothers should never use
Toronto's tap water to prepare baby formula.
The sole argument favoring fluoridation is that it reduces tooth decay.
But several studies involving as many as 480,000 children found no
beneficial difference between fluoridated and non-fluoridated
communities. In fact, one study showed decay was greater in the
fluoridated area! Moreover, dental health in Europe has improved since
1970 without fluoride.
Most parents are unaware of dental fluorosis, a discoloration of teeth
due to excess fluoride. In 1940 this mottling condition occurred in 10
percent of children's teeth. Today in some areas, it's as high as 55
percent. One reason is that children's toothpaste tastes good and they
swallow too much of it.
Dental fluorosis is the first indication that the body is getting
excess fluoride. But bones also collect fluoride and can develop
skeletal fluorosis. Since 1990, numerous studies have reported an
association between fluoridated water and hip fractures. Fluoridation
is also known to increase osteoporosis (brittle bones).
In 1992, a U.S. study found a strong link between fluoridation and
osteosarcoma, a bone cancer in young males. The rates of this
malignancy were three to seven times higher in fluoridated areas.
Other studies in China show reduced IQ in children overexposed to
fluoride from drinking water. Further effects include decreased
concentration, memory loss, and confusion. There's also concern that
fluoridation is implicated in Alzheimer's disease since fluoride
combines with aluminum to cross the blood brain barrier.
I didn't know that Torontonians have double the fluoride levels in
their hipbones compared to Montrealers, whose city water is not
fluoridated. Studies also show that fluoride causes decreased levels of
sperm and testosterone. I wonder if that explains the rumor that they
make love in Montreal while Torontonians only think about making money.
Carl Sagan, the noted astronomer, was right when discussing
"authoritarian" judgments. He remarked that "arguments from authority
do not count; too many authorities have been mistaken too often."
There is no convincing reason why water should contain 1.5 parts per
million (ppm) of fluoride when our bodies have no use for it, and when
its risk is greater than its benefit. Toothpaste has up to 1,500 ppm,
and treatment in a dentist's office another whopping 10,000 to 20,000
ppm! Besides, unlike calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients, our
bodies do not need fluoride.
The best solution is to ban fluoridation of water and buy toothpaste
without fluoride. After all, the first rule of medicine is "Do no
harm." I finally found a non-fluoride toothpaste in a health food
store. And I imagine you've guessed what I'll say when next asked, "Do
you want the fluoride treatment?"
