Water Fluoridation by Dr. Mark Richards
Most people are aware of the fact that there is fluoride added to our water supply. I would guess most people don’t think much of it, and view it as just one of those things that is there and we just go along with it. I was reading through this article “50 Reasons to Oppose Fluoridation” and it makes you wonder why we still continue this practice.
I’ll summarize some of the article. In my opinion the two graphs above are reason enough to not fluoridate our water. They quite obviously show water fluoridation doesn’t seem to have any effect on our dental health. It’s similar to why we don’t vaccinate, it’s not out of a fear of what can potentially happen if we do, but because we don’t trust that they actually provide, or even improve immunity. Why take any risk, if the reward isn’t evident? These graphs show me that there is no reward to drinking fluoridated water.
Obviously there are other reasons, according to this article there are 50. Another argument against fluoride in the water is that its “bad medical practice.” Fluoride is added to the water as a medicine for promoting dental health. Every other medical treatment requires informed consent before it can be administered; therefore forcing it on the population is unethical. Also, the dose cannot be controlled as it is with any other medication. There is major concern for infants that drink formula that is mixed with fluorinated water. Mothers milk contains only trace amounts of fluoride when compared to tap water which can contain as much as 300 times the fluoride.
Why do we worry about fluoride in our body? “Fluoride is not an essential nutrient. No disease, not even tooth decay, is caused by a fluoride deficiency.” Fluoride will accumulate in the body, primarily in the bones and pineal gland. It has been shown to interfere with brain function and can alter behavior “in a manner consistent a neurotoxic agent.” It can also effect the thyroid gland and cause arthritic symptoms and the list goes on.
So what can we do? The first thing you should be doing is to stop drinking fluoridated water. Certain water filters can remove most of the fluoride. Reverse osmosis and deionizers should remove a good portion of the fluoride from tap water. Or you can simple buy spring water, which typically will only have trace amounts of fluoride. Don’t swallow fluoride toothpaste. It is wise to use non-fluoride toothpaste, especially with children because they are more likely to swallow it. Other recommendations include avoiding fluoride treatments at the dentist; eat fresh food, not processed (always a good idea); buy organic grape juice and wine (a common pesticide used in many vineyards called cryolite contains fluoride); reduce black tea consumption; avoid non-stick pans; beware of fluoridated medications such as Cipro; avoid mechanically deboned chicken; and avoid fluoridated salt.
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