Freshly Chewed Crayons: July 2014

Our goal here through Healthy Families, Healthy You is to inform you about the realities of healthy living in today's society and then provide you with doable solutions for you and your family.

Everything you read here has been well researched from an unbiased point of view in order to discover truth and the most healthy options; these are truths we also want to know in order to help our families live healthy lives. As always, it is up to you what you decide for your family and making changes can be overwhelming. Small steps make great progress! So without further adieu, this month's topic is "water".

Nothing tastes better on a hot, summer day than a tall glass of cold water. In fact, because our body tends to lose more fluids during the summer due to higher amounts of perspiration, we also tend to drink a whole lot more water this time of year. Hey, that's a good thing right?

What if I told you that your water is more than just water? What if I told you that a toxic waste by-product is being added to over 70% of our country's municipal water supplies and often without the public's consent - would you still drink it? What if I told you that most filters don't remove this toxic waste from the water? The toxic waste by-product that I am talking about is fluoride. Now hold on a second, yes I know fluoride is in most toothpastes and that many consider it "good for our teeth," but does that mean we should drink it? And why am I calling fluoride a toxic waste by-product when it is even present naturally in some water sources? Let's examine the facts before we jump to conclusions.

In 1945 a social and medical experiment was begun on the population of Grand Rapids, Michigan when the city began adding fluoride to it's community water supplies at 1.0 ppm (parts per million). The theory was that if fluoride is good for your teeth topically, then wouldn't it make sense that if you consumed it there would be a systemic benefit to the teeth from within the body as well? With very little solid, independent research and science to back up the practice, Grand Rapids' population became the guinea pig. In the initial years following, the data collected began to show that indeed, there was a decline in tooth decay in Grand Rapids. What the proponents of water fluoridation failed to disclose was that there was the same decrease in tooth decay in the cities surrounding Grand Rapids which were not fluoridated. Armed only with the data showing the "success" of water fluoridation in Grand Rapids, there was a big push to bring water fluoridation to the country as a whole. However, to be able to afford to mass-fluoridate the public water supply, cities needed a cheap source of fluoride. At the same time fertilizer and aluminum factories were overloaded with a hazardous waste form of fluoride that was costing them big bucks to dispose of properly. The leading business men saw an opportunity to sell the fluoride to cities to use in their fluoridation campaigns, and the cities were happy to save taxpayer funds on this low grade, toxic waste fluoride additive. Yummy!

There are several forms of this toxic waste fluoride that are added to our water. The three most common are Sodium Fluoride, Sodium Fluorosilicate (Na2SiF6), and Fluorosilicic Acid (H2SiF6). Notice the skull and crossbones on all the packages of the different

fluoride additives. On the Sodium Fluoride bag label (the top image) it says it "DANGER! POISON - TOXIC BY INGESTION." at the top and "Drinking water treatment additive." at the bottom. Don't we have a little contradiction here?

Fluoride is added to drinking water to help prevent tooth decay. It is the only substance that is added to water to treat the person drinking it instead of the water itself (for example: chlorine is added to water to kill the bacteria in the water). Therefore, by definition, fluoride is a medication since it is being added for the purpose of treating the consumer. However, the problem with adding fluoride to water for mass-consumption is that no one is keeping track of how much each individual is receiving. One person may drink 3 glasses of fluoridated water a day, another person 6, and yet another person 10 - the more water you drink, the more fluoride you consume. No other form of medication is given in such mass dosing with no controls in place to protect the individuals from over-exposure.

Lets look at it from another angle. Get out your tube of fluoride toothpaste (I use non-fluoride toothpaste) and flip it over. On the back you will see under the directions that you are to use a "pea size" amount of toothpaste. Under the warnings section, it will say something about keeping out of reach of children and if more than is used for brushing (a pea size amount) is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact Poison Control immediately. According to dentists groups and calculations made using official data, the amount of fluoride (1/4 mg) contained in the average 12oz glass of fluoridated public water is exactly the same as the amount of fluoride found in that "pea size" amount of toothpaste (1/4 mg) that you are supposed to get help for immediately if you swallow. So, you are not supposed to swallow the pea size amount of toothpaste, but it is okay to drink the same amount of fluoride in each glass of water you consume throughout the day? We have another contradiction.

It is a known fact that over-exposure to fluoride causes a condition known as Dental Fluorosis - which is a discoloring of the teeth with white spots/streaks (in mild cases) to dark spots/streaks in severe cases. Excessive exposure to fluoride can even damage the bones in a condition known as Skeletal Fluorosis. According to the CDC it is only children under 8 who are at risk of developing Dental Fluorosis since their permanent teeth are still developing below the gum surface. Then you have the Mayo Clinic advocating the use of fluoridated water to prepare infant and toddler formula and even fluoride supplements to a portion of the very group (under 8 years of age) that are at risk for developing Dental Fluorosis. Then the EPA says, "Exposure to excessive consumption of fluoride over a lifetime may lead to increased likelihood of bone fractures in adults, and may result in effects on bone leading to pain and tenderness. Children aged 8 years and younger exposed to excessive amounts of fluoride have an increased chance of developing pits in the tooth enamel, along with a range of cosmetic effects to teeth." And on yet another CDC page you again receive conflicting information. In one place they are telling you fluoride in your infant's water is a good thing, then a few sentences later they switch and give you the impression that you should not give it to infants. They go back and forth the whole way down the page. So, which is it: is fluoride good for teeth or isn't it? And what effects is it having on other parts of the body which aren't even being discussed here?

Let's dig a little deeper. Summer 2012 a study was released by Harvard that concluded "The results (of the study) support the possibility of an adverse effect of high fluoride exposure on children’s neurodevelopment. Future research should include detailed individual-level information on prenatal exposure, neurobehavioral performance, and covariates for adjustment." And also, "Fluoride readily crosses the placenta. Fluoride exposure to the developing brain, which is much more susceptible to injury caused by toxicants than is the mature brain, may possibly lead to damage of a permanent nature." And just this year, the Lancet, a prominent medical journal, released an article called "Neurobehavioural effects of developmental toxicity" in which they have officially labeled fluoride as a neurotoxicant. And this is just the beginning. Many other studies and more studies show multiple negative effects on the body from fluoride exposure, including, but not limited to:

Fluoride leads to the breakdown of collagen in bone, tendon, muscle, skin, cartilage, lungs, kidney, and the trachea.
Fluoride depletes energy reserves and ability of white blood cells to properly destroy foreign agents.
Fluoride confuses the immune system and causes it to attack the body's own tissue and increases the tumor growth rate in cancer prone individuals.
Fluoride inhibits antibody formation in the blood.
Fluoride depresses thyroid activity.
Fluoride promotes development of bone cancer.
Fluoride causes premature aging of the body.
Fluoride accumulates in the brain over time.

So, is the one possible benefit of stronger teeth (which is also debatable, but that's another topic for another day) worth all the risk to the body as a whole for us to consume and give to our children water that has been purposefully fluoridated? And why, with all this available research and information from main-stream sources, is our government still adding fluoride to our water even though the vast majority of the developed world is opposed to this practice? I can help you with the first question, but I can't answer the second.

If this information is alarming to you, what you need to do first is to find out if your municipal water supply is fluoridated (as I said in the second paragraph most household filters do not remove fluoride). You can find this information out by contacting your water company and requesting a Water Quality Report. My water company, Catoosa Utility District, has the report available on their website. If you scroll down the current report to the fifth page you will see a description to the side of the Fluoride listing that says, "Water additive that promotes strong teeth; discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories." They tell you right there where the fluoride is coming from. Not all reports are this honest about it. If you have a favorite bottled water, I would recommend asking for their Water Quality Report as well since fluoride is also added in some bottled waters.

Personally, our family is still reviewing options to remove the fluoride from our water at our home (so we are also not bathing in it and absorbing fluoride through our skin) which include at-site water filters specifically designed to remove fluoride plus all the other regular additives and full home water filtration systems so that no mater what water source (sink, tub, garden hose) in the home you are using, the fluoride is completely or mostly removed. In the meantime, until we make the filtration decision, we are having bottled water delivered for our drinking and cooking needs (after first checking the Water Quality Report, of course).

However, you need to be aware that even if you take the steps necessary to ensure that your family is not drinking fluoridated water in your home, you have not totally solved the problem. Every time you eat out and order a glass of water, you are probably consuming fluoridated water (if you live in an area that is fluoridated). Also, fluoridated water is used in most products that list water as an ingredient such as juices made from concentrate, sodas, sports drinks, canned soups, canned veggies, sauces, salad dressings, popsicles, apple sauce, pickles and the list goes on and on. By now you have probably connected the dots to realize just how much fluoride you are probably consuming in an average day, even if you think you and your family eat healthy.

Your health is important. Once you lose it, it's hard to get it back. Please review the linked data and make an informed decision as to whether you want your family to consume fluoride in your water.

Healthy Families, Healthy You is excited to announce that in addition to the main consumer awareness article we produce every 3rd week of the month on Freshly Chewed Crayons, we will be adding a small nutritional article in this column the first week of each month as well. Stay tuned for our first nutritional article coming up the first week of August on fruit juice. And as always, if our column has helped you, please share it with others. Enjoy the rest of your summer and stay hydrated!