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The truth about the dangers of fluorideAre their dangers of fluoride over consumption? What happens if you do? What happens if you do consume too much? It depends. For some people, not much. It may just get deposited in bone and teeth. Some may go into soft tissue. Most of it may just be eliminated in a few hours.
A sign of dental fluorosis is mottling of teeth. Photo left is of a moderate case of dental fluorosis. Like much else that we could suffer from, certain groups of people suffer are more likely to suffer the more extreme dangers of fluoride more than other groups. For example, African American children are twice as likely to suffer from dental fluorosis as white children.
Yes and no. There is an incredible amount of controversy attached to this question. The way the research is set up, it can't absolutely "prove" that the dangers of fluoride include disease causation. However, following is a list of diseases that have been linked to fluoride. Cancers: Studies show cancers increased by 5% when fluoride was added to certain water systems. That would translate into half a million people living today would die as a result of a cancer linked to fluoride. Was the cancer increase just a coincidence or another sign of the dangers of fluoride? That's the $64,000 question. Bone cancer: One of the possible dangers of fluoride in water has been the development bone cancer in young men. This is surprising since fluoride is thought to assist bone and tooth development. The studies on the relationship between fluoride and cancer are very troubling for obvious reasons. Fluoride was once thought to be a cancer fighting element. But a study that was set up to show how good fluoride was at fighting cancer showed instead that it speeded up development of cancer. Bone problems: Again, originally thought to protect against bone diseases, fluoride has been linked to many different bone diseases. These include hip fractures, arthritis and osteoporosis. And as usual, the populations most likely to suffer from these problems are the elderly and women. Brain disorders Fluoride may have effects on the brain that resemble Alzheimer's. Again, it is not being blamed for causing Alzheimer's. What some research is finding is that it may cause a type of brain damage that makes people behave as if they have Alzheimer's. Another fact about fluoride is that it is an important ingredient in medications that are supposed to effect brain activity and emotion. For example, it is an important ingredient in Prozac. What is disturbing about that, is that fluoride does more than just effect dental health. It may have the same effects that psychiatric drugs do. Well, if it looks like a duck, and walks like.....well, maybe it is psychiatric medication. Finally, studies in China have linked fluoride with low IQ. This would make sense since fluoride seems to have a strong and general effect on the brain. Is AIDS another fluoride danger? Again, yes and no. No research points to fluoride as causing AIDS. But there are studies that suggest that fluoride weakens the immune system. The immune system is responsible for defending you from various diseases, viruses and cancers. If fluoridemakes your immune system weaker, then the dangers of fluoride in water includes cancer and AIDS. Does fluoride cause Down's Syndrome? Some studies have connected fluoride to a form of Down's termed "Mongolism" which we see in children with a certainappearance and showing mental and physical retardation. Future mothers should make an effort to avoid some fluoride rightbefore conception, during pregnancy and if breast-feeding, during the breast-feeding period. Does fluoride in water produce allergies? Yes, in some people fluoride has caused allergic reactions. This has especially been the case after the use of fluoridated toothpastes and vitamins. Of course, there are people who can be allergic to almost any substance; natural, toxic, common or not. Some persons havesevere reactions to any kind of medication and fluoride certainly behaves as a drug in our systems. Does fluoride toxicity lead to reduced thyroid functioning? Our thyroid is responsible for very important functions in our bodies. For example, a good thyroid may help us feel energetic or help us avoid obesity. Fluoride-containing medication is prescribed for overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism). It is believed to reduce thyroid activity 30 - 40%. So then it stands to reason that it's use by normal persons is to make the thyroid underactive. Some thyroid-related disorders have been linked to fluoride including ADHD, arthritis and osteoporosis. Does consuming fluoridated products destroy enzymes.? Enzymes are known as the little, live powerhouses our bodies use for all kinds of chemical reactions necessary for life. Fluoride has absolutely been shown to kill enzymes. The only real question is whether our consumption of fluoride kills our enzymes in a number that makes a difference to us. So the answer is absolutely, maybe. Is fluoride a drug? As noted above, it sure acts like one. The FDA has complained that fluoride seems to act as a drug but it has not been put through tests that show it is effective or safe. Drugs are required to undergo such tests before they could be legally used. More facts on fluorine It is not as easy to remove from our water as chlorine is. It doesn't heat out of water like chlorine or. In fact, evaporating water just concentrates the amount of fluoride in it. Also, you can't kill it by boiling like you can bacteria in water. Finally, not all filters eliminate fluoride in water. Fluoride should be eliminated by our bodies in just a few hours. However, if it is in the water we drink and we drink at least 8 glasses a day and if we consume many products that contain fluoride, we will not be eliminating it entirely. It will deposit in our bodies and build up over time. Especially, for people whose kidneys are not working properly, more fluoride will concentrate in the body. Even the dental associations who advise we fluoridate water advises persons with kidney problems to avoid fluoride. Do we know how fluoride is stored by our bodies and how much? No. That is one of the big problems with making definite statements about fluoride consumption. We do not know how it builds up in our systems. We can't be sure how much goes to bone and teeth which is safer or goes to soft tissues like organs which is more dangerous. Some people may accumulate 100 times the amount that another person might accumulate. Even a booster of fluoridated water like the Journal of American Dental Association recommends a slow down in the additionof fluoride in water. This is due to concerns about fluoride poisoning. What is at the heart of this controversy? Health, probably. But mostly, I think it is an issue of health freedom. The Safe Drinking Water Initiative considered the dangers of fluoride when it stated that the "public water supply should not be used to deliver" medication or preventatives without the consumer's permission. Of course, good government permits laws it may see as reducing our freedoms but improving our health. "No Smoking" laws area perfect example. However, if the need for fluoride is so great, well, we can get it in many foods and besides it could just be given to us in tablet form. The dangers of fluoride would be too great a risk to continue as is. Recommendations The recommendation here is not as strong as in the case of lead or chlorine. Get those out! Because of the studies that suggest there are dangers to of fluoride overconsumption, it might be smart to cut back on it. You are not likely to suffer from too little of it. But, especially if you think you are a consumer of much more fluoride than your kidney's could eliminate, then you need to either find bottled water that contains no fluoride or get a filter that removed fluorine. Diabetics and athletes who drink a lot of water should certainly be concerned about the dangers of fluoride in water. In the final analysis, given the controversy over whether there are dangers of fluoride in water. might it not be wise to be safe and reduce our intake of fluoride
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However, for some people, consuming too much fluoride could lead to dental fluorosis. This is essentially like poisoning.
