Fluoride: The Myth

To this day, I feel sick when I think of Parker's toddler years and the many things I did wrong as a new parent. Aside from blindly vaccinating when I should have instead been researching, my other big regret is giving my son fluoride tablets. We were told Parker really needed these 'magic pills' to prevent tooth decay, due to his love of sugary juice drinks. When I asked his pediatrician for the prescription, he never questioned me, just wrote the script with no warnings or words of advice at all.

I unknowingly gave my son ANOTHER toxic substance for nearly two years. Fluoride.

At this point, I know you're probably thinking, "Oh come on, Bridgett. It's fluoride....the stuff keeping our teeth healthy. It's in our toothpaste, our drinking water...it can't be dangerous."

Unfortunately, it is...dangerous, that is.

Let me start by saying, fluoride is a by-product of copper, aluminum, and iron manufacturing. Yes, that's right. A by-product. A pollutant. In other words, it's disposable waste. Historically, the industries spent huge amounts of money on its disposal...that is until the 1950's when the aluminum companies somehow managed to convince our government this toxic by-product prevented tooth decay. Lo and behold, this resulted in our water supply being infiltrated with fluoride and pediatrician's prescribing fluoride drops to all their patients...even newborns.

But does fluoride actually prevent tooth decay?

The answer is a resounding, "No!"

In the mid-80's, 39,000 school children in 84 areas around the U.S. were studied and the results showed no statistical difference in tooth decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated cities. Indeed, 97% of European countries do not have fluoridated water. These countries refuse to fill the water supplies of their citizens with fluoride because they feel health decisions should be personal and not mandated by the government. What a concept! And yet the people living in Europe have teeth just as healthy, if not healthier, than ours. In fact, there is no increase in cavity production once fluoridation has stopped.

As recently as November 2006, the American Dental Association (ADA) advised parents not to give their babies fluoridated water. Babies exposed to fluoride are at high risk of developing dental fluorosis - a permanent tooth defect caused by fluoride damaging the cells which form the teeth. There is also evidence fluoride may damage the developing brain, causing learning deficits and other problems.

Just a few points to consider according to Selwyn Johnston, an Australian advocate for fluoride free water:

• Fluoride is a known toxin.
• Fluoride is described by its manufacturers' safety data as a 'hazardous waste'. It is illegal to dump at sea.
• Fluoride consumption by human beings increases the general cancer death rate.
• Fluoride exposure disrupts the synthesis of collagen and leads to the breakdown of collagen in bone, tendon, muscle, skin, cartilage, lungs, kidney and trachea.
• Fluoride inhibits antibody formation in the blood.
• Fluorides have a disruptive effect on various tissues in the body.
• Fluoride confuses the immune system and causes it to attack the body's own tissues, and increases the tumor growth rate in cancer prone individuals.
• Fluoride kills red blood cells and damages gastric mucosa, resulting in the symptoms of 'Irritable Bowel Syndrome'.
• Fluorides are medically categorized as protoplasmic poisons, which is why they are used to kill rodents.
• Fluoride is a cumulative poison… we excrete about half what we ingest. The rest is stored, mainly in the bones, where it increases the density but changes the internal architecture of the bone. This makes bones more brittle and prone to fracture.

Did you catch that little tidbit about it being used in rodent poison? Specifically, rats and cockroaches. Lovely.

It's also one of the ingredients in Prozac and nerve gas. Yes, nerve gas. Even lovlier.

In review, let us look what exactly I did to my beautiful son, Parker.

I injected him with multiple vaccinations over a 24 month period. Vaccinations which contained thimerosal, aluminum, components of antifreeze, MSG, formaldehyde, and various other highly toxic substances. I then gave him fluoride tablets for another two years. Fluoride has been shown to increase absorption of aluminum in the brain. It's also stored in the body, as we only excrete about half of what we ingest. My son has a detoxification malfunction, as do many other children. And we wonder why our children are so sick? Environmentally, the United States is in very poor shape.

So what can you do?

1. Buy fluoride free toothpastes. We use Epic Dental, a fluoride-free, xylitol based toothpaste. I also use their mouthwash, mints, and gum. Another fluoride-free toothpaste is Tom's of Maine. My kids hated the Tom's toothpaste and refused to use it...the Epic toothpaste has a nice minty flavor.
2. Avoid the bottled water which includes a fluoride additive.
3. If you live in a city with a fluoridated water supply, do not drink from the tap unless you've added a fluoride filter. Or, at the very least, limit your tap water intake.
4. Write to your city government and voice your concerns about the safety of your fluoridated water supply.
5. Refuse all fluoride treatments at your dentist's office. This may not be as difficult as you predict. More and more dentists are recognizing the validity of recent studies confirming the dangers of fluoride and its very limited benefits.

One final thought. My daughter has had no fluoride at all...her teeth are sparkling white and look beautiful. My son, who's been overdosed on fluoride, has stains on his teeth and they look pretty bad. Just a personal comparison...

In conclusion, fluoride is not something your body needs. Fluoride deficiency doesn't exist. Indeed, the stuff is just plain bad.

For more information, you can visit the Fluoride Action Network (FAN).

There is also an excellent book on the topic: The Fluoride Deception