Faucet by Joe Shlabotnik on flickr

Water is one of the most important aspects of life. It fosters our health, flushes out toxins and keeps us functioning. But what if the government was loading our water with poisons? Our water is constantly laced with a chemical called fluoride. How does it actually affect our health? We are told by dentists and politicians that it helps prevent cavities, but is that true? “About 70% of public water is fluoridated in the US.” (fluoridealert) This is completely unnecessary and has not been proven to be beneficial.

Without informed consent of the people and with the intents of preventing tooth decay, fluoride is added as a medical drug into the water. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to classify fluoride as an “unapproved new drug,” a drug we get no say in being administered to us. But what does it really do to us? “Swallowing fluoride provides no (or very little) benefit” (fluoridealert) Without trials proving that fluoride works, why are we dumping it into our water supplies? Many other industrial countries without water fluoridation have also experienced a  drop in tooth decay. If this drop is a consistent stat even amongst those without fluoride, then obviously  the fluoride isn’t effective in its intents. Instead, we can contribute this steady drop to modern medical advances.

(fluoridealert)

There’s significantly more research proving the negative effects of fluoride rather than the benefits. “Fluoride is no longer recommended for babies from birth to six months.” (Earth Island Journal) And surprisingly, a large number of products consumed by babies are high in fluoride due to concentration processes using this water. It’s obviously not healthy for kids, but what about adults? “... a study of 144,000 elderly Finnish people established a link between fluoride levels greater than 1.5 mg/liter and hip fractures in women…” (Earth Island Journal) These levels of fluoride experienced by these women are considered “average” but are ample enough to cause fractures! There have even been outbreaks of fluoride poisoning documented in places such as The New England Journal of Medicine. “In May 1992, excess fluoride in one of two public water systems serving a village in Alaska caused an outbreak of acute fluoride poisoning.” It’s not a simple sickness either. The listed symptoms are “nausea, abdominal pain, and paresthesias.”

However, another aspect of our body is harmed even more with this poison, our brain. Fluoride consumption also calcifies pineal gland. But what is the pineal gland? The pineal gland is a tiny gland in our brain that’s about the size of a grain of rice. This tiny gland plays an important role in your body’s health. Dr. Edward states in his article that “..it’s responsible for melatonin synthesis (which plays a role in maintaining normal rhythms and sleep cycles), and also helps convert signals between our nervous and endocrine systems.” Why is the calcification bad? “Fluoride can accumulate and calcify on the gland, blocking its effectiveness, and these deposits can get worse as we age. A blocked pineal gland could lead to things like trouble sleeping or weight gain.” (Dr. Edward, Global Healing Center) The pineal gland creates melatonin, an important chemical that helps control those daily functions.

However, there are ways to avoid fluoride consumption:
  • Drink spring and bottled water
  • Buy a fluoride water filter
  • Eat organic
  • Use fluoride-free toothpaste
  • Drink less soda and concentrated drinks
  • Eat less processed food

  

Since toothpaste is high in fluoride content, changing your toothpaste is a relatively cheap way to greatly decrease your intake of fluoride. Some brands that offer fluoride-free toothpaste options are Tom’s of Maine, Honest, and Colgate. Most children’s toothpaste is fluoride-free as well, to prevent poisoning if swallowed. Natural spring waters and bottled waters are also a good way to lower your consumption. Most popular brands of water are in fact fluoride-free such as Evian, Aquafina, Smart Water and Sparkletts. Fluoride water filters can get to be pricey, but it is a smart investment if you’re serious about avoiding this chemical. It will also save you money in the long run if you drink a healthy amount of water, as well reduce the amount of waste from the bottles.

Eating more organic food is another way to lower your fluoride intake. Organic foods aren’t treated with fluoride pesticides. Also less processed foods will contain lower levels of fluoride. Most processed foods use a lot of public water and methods such as concentration. These methods add up the fluoride very quickly. In general, methods of avoiding fluoride will lead to a healthier lifestyle.


- by Megan Moberly -

0 comments :

Post a Comment

Thank you for commenting on O ZINE! It may appear soon.

Translate