Nutritional Tidbits

Readers of this blog will remember that I am not in favor of adding fluoride to our water supply. The argument for adding fluoride to our water supply rests strongly on the possibility of it reducing cavities. I am not a dentist and not an expert on this issue. Let’s assume for the moment that fluoride indeed does reduce cavities (not a universal opinion by the way). Does that alone justify treating the entire body of every single person in the community in order to reduce cavities?

When we add chlorine to our water supply, we are treating the water in order to reduce  water-borne diseases like dysentery. When we add fluoride to the water supply, we are not treating water (because  water does not need fluoride  to be safe), but the population at large. Thus we are medicating the entire population, whether everyone likes it or not. For those of us who do not like fluoride, removing it is very problematic,  in that fluoride is very difficult to remove from water once it has been added. Is it ethical to be treating everyone in order to benefit some?

What are the effects of fluoride on the rest of our body? Has fluoride been proven to benefit us in other ways than preventing cavities? If one looks at properties of fluoride, it is considered not as a micronutrient, something we need in small quantities, but rather as a toxin, much like mercury, lead or cadmium. Toxins are something that are harmful to us in any quantity. Fluoride, like lead, is concentrated in our bones and teeth, resulting in a disease called skeletal fluorosis. It takes a considerable amount of time for skeletal fluorosis to develop. Depending on  the amount of fluoride intake, it can take from 10 to 20 years for this condition to become manifest. Most of the effects are upon the vertebral column where bony overgrowth are noted. Spinal stenosis (shrinkage of the vertebral canal containing the spinal cord), foraminal stenosis (shrinkage of the openings for the spinal nerves), calcification of the  anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments (reducing forward and backward flexibility), and  bony overgrowth of the vertebral  bodies, limiting twisting.

When an effect occurs  closely after a cause, it is usually fairly easy to identify. When cause and effect are separated by 1 to 2 decades, the link be comes  difficult at best. This is why it is difficult to prove that it is the fluoride in the water that is causing such problems. I will  wager that every single one of us knows someone who is suffering from some kind of spinal disease. Pinched nerve, siatica, herniated disc are all terms that  we use to discuss these issues. Many of them can be explained on the basis of skeletal fluorosis.

The fluoride we add to our water is not pharmaceutical grade fluoride, but the industrial waste produce of the aluminum  and fertilizer industry. Fluorine is the most reactive element in the periodic table. So reactive it etches glass. The fluoride they use in our water can’t be transported in stainless steel tanker trucks, as the fluoride literally corrodes the stainless steel. Thus they have to use a think rubber liner that protects the tanker truck. However, these liners themselves are attacked by the fluoride to the point that they only last a year or so. It doesn’t take much imagination to know where the dissolved  rubber ends up. Yes, in the water. Has anyone done any studies on the toxicity of these rubber products? I think not.

At the very least we ought to re-examine this whole issue of adding fluoride to our water systems. This issue ought to have a public discussion and a vote. It seems to be to be the very least we should expect on this very important public health issue.

In the last issue of a local newspaper, an article by a local dentist just opening his office appeared. In this article he extolled the virtues of fluoride.

I would like to correct his conception about fluoride being a nutrient. A nutrient is something that benefits us. For example, selenium is a micronutrient that is essential for our health. It is only required in amounts of 100 to 200 micrograms daily. Since it is a micronutrient, larger amounts of selenium are toxic. Selenium, in the proper amount, has been shown to reduce rates of many different kinds of cancer.
As opposed to nutrients, toxins are not healthy for us in any amount. Fluoride is one of those. Mercury, lead and cadmium are other notable examples. Toxins are always detrimental to us in any amount.

Chlorine is added to our water to eliminate harmful bacteria which can make us sick. It is a treatment for the water. Fluoride, on the other hand, does not treat the water at all. It is to treat us. Thus we are medicating the public whether we want it or not.

One of the major problems with the long-term intake of fluoride is skeletal fluorosis. This consists of calcification of the anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments, meaning that flexion and extension of the spinal cord become severely limited. Additionally, there is stenosis (shrinking) of the spinal canal, leaving little room for the spinal cord. There’s also shrinkage of the spinal foramina, causing impingement of the nerves exiting and entering the spinal cord. Overgrowth of the vertebral bodies is another thing noted on x-rays, causing limitation of twisting and torsion of the spine. All of these things cause significant symptoms in the elderly. Skeletal fluorosis does not occur overnight. It often takes more than a decade to manifest itself. When you see a cause and effect that are separated by a short time span, it is easy to figure out what happened. When cause and effect are separated by a decade, it becomes much harder. We are keeping neurosurgeons and orthopedists quite busy operating on painful backs caused by fluoride in the water. It is time we recognized the danger of adding fluoride to our water.

If you are interested in learning more about fluoride and its detrimental effects on us, I recommend Health and Nutrition Secrets, a book by Russell Blaylock, MD. He is a recently retired Neurosurgeon who also has a strong interest in nutrition. The chapter on fluoride is the most researched piece on fluoride I know. I highly recommend it.