Flouride: A Bummer

I think I'm going to start a series on "things we are told that are safe that are actually really, really, really bad for you." Rachel Carson called it the sham of the "safety of the familiar," i.e., things like smoking, transfats, Dandelion-B-Gone, sunscreen or whatever become so ubiquitous and encouraged through marketing that you conclude by default that the stuff therefore HAS to be safe, or "someone" would have done something.

(Despite what Ann Coulter says) There have been more than a few catastrophic public health boo-boos where a trusting public has been sickened while the government whistles and looks away. To name only a few: hormone replacement therapy causing cancer, DES, Vioxx, faulty heart debrillators, nuclear testing, Fosamax (an osteoporosis drug) causing irreversibly osteonecrosis of the mandible (i.e., the bones in your jaw decay and crumble away).

I received this book to review, but the ever-alert Mary Shomon of About.com's Thyroid site already enlisted some expert reviewers, and here's what they had to say:

"Christopher Bryson managed to obtain recently declassified documents that revealed why a hazardous and feared contaminant became deliberately added to our water and toothpaste. [for more, click here.]

I will stick my neck out (and--eeek!--risk Ann Coulter's wrath) by saying I pretty much agree with all these arguments against flouride (see also its deadening effect on your thyroid) myself. There was a bad case of hyperflouridosis in our town (hm, maybe I should check Bob Dylan's teeth), where they put too much flouride in the municipal water system and lots of kids got those ugly brown splotches on their teeth and actually got MORE cavities because the flouride (Fl) displaced the calcium (Ca)--remember chemistry class?. I have one hyperflouridosis speck that looks like I have a little decal applied to my left canine tooth. My little family has been flouride-free (reverse osmosis filter on the sink) for about 8 years and we continue to exist okay.

And, in all my intellectual sorting of urban legend?/real health threat?/hypochondria? I try to ask: who benefits? When you read this book you will find there was some real $$$$$ incentive to offload flouride, and there was the convenient WAR excuse to do it (does this sound familiar?). On the other hand, WHAT is the profit for us liberal weenies going on and on about flouride, global warming, gunk in cosmetics etc.--let me tell ya, it SUCKS being the one kooky mom who won't let her kid drink tap water and sending in his own soap, so you can be assured I'm not doing it for fun & profit.

FertilityBitch's shopping tip: I try not to diss products, but perhaps like to be more of a Cassandra and issue friendly warnings, as even with "natural" products, it's a jungle out there (oops, mixed metaphors much?). But here's a recap on why I've always been a little annoyed at Tom's of Maine for talking the natural talk but then putting sodium laurel sulfate in their toothpastes (more industrial chemicals you have in your shampooo OR sticking in your mouth) aaaaaand flouride. Save yourself some dough to buy more organic food by using baking soda and a toothbrush (or your finger), ey???

tags technorati : flouride thyroid chemicals cosmetics dentistry teeth