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Fluoridated Water–Los Angeles Resident Beware

By On · Add Comment · In American Dental Association, cavities, dental caries, fluoridation, fluoride, fluorosilicic acid, good, Martin Sheen, skeletal fluorosis, tooth decay, water, water supply

I know nobody in L.A. drinks tap water–it’s bottled water for everyone. However, all Los Angeles residents need to be aware that the Metropolitan Water District is adding fluoride–a known toxin–into the city’s water supply. Water fluoridation has been a topic of controversy for decades, and L.A. water has gone unadulterated for years, but not any longer.

As of last month, fluorosilicic acid has been added to L.A.’s water supply in an attempt to decrease dental caries (cavities). Fluorosilicic acid is a known poison, even in small amounts. Proponents–the American Dental Association, the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–believe that minute amounts help in fighting cavities. But fluorosilicic acid is highly unstable; that means it dissociates in water. It is potentially linked to skeletal fluorosis (check out some gnarly pictures, here), bone cancer, thyroid disease and other diseases. It is so toxic that an accidental spill of fluorosilicic acid on a Florida interstate a few years ago sent more than 50 people to hospitals. According to the Los Angeles Times, “Drinking an ounce would probably kill a person.” Yet, we are being fed this stuff by health organizations and government as a health remedy. Doh!

I spend quite a bit of ink on this topic in my upcoming book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health, collaborating with an expert in the area to get much of my information. No surprises how I feel about it. Despite the purported benefits, many European countries have bypassed the practice and continue to have low rates of tooth decay anyway.

If you don’t mind having a known toxin added to your drinking water, or you think it’s a good thing, then do nothing–ignore this post and move on. But if you think like Martin Sheen that “We are not lab rats and reject any attempt to be treated as such,” then you might want to keep informed and do what you can to stop the practice. That’s all I’ve got to say…for now.

Check out 50 Reasons to Oppose Fluoridation.

Get Smart!

By On · Add Comment · In alternative, alternative therapy, calcium, conventional wisdom, cow's milk, health practices, medical paradigm, mommy, natural health, phytates, soy, soy milk, tooth decay, vitamin D

My wife told me today of a mommy she met at the park. The mommy asked my wife if she gives my daughter soy milk. My wife said no – we don’t drink it so she didn’t really see the point in starting my daughter on it. The mommy then said she only gives her child soy milk, and never cow’s milk, although she has been noticing her child’s teeth were decaying.

Now, pediatricians will o.k. a child’s drinking soy milk instead of cow’s milk if the soy product is fortified with vitamin D and calcium. That’s because soy milk is not as great a source of these two nutrients. Furthermore, soy milk contains compounds – called phytates – that decrease the absorption of calcium and other minerals. Vitamin D is necessary for proper bone development, immune function and cell growth. Calcium is necessary for healthy bones, muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. Both nutrients play a major role in tooth development and health. Deficiency in either can cause weakened or underdeveloped bones and teeth, including tooth decay.

O.k. here’s my problem with what my wife told me. I think there is a major cultural shift happening in this country, and it’s towards natural health. I’m all for natural health – heck, I’m a chiropractor, for crying out loud (and I did write a book about it – The Six Keys To Optimal Health) – however, I think that if you are going to do things naturally, you’ve got be smart about it.

You see, the medical paradigm is actually the safest alternative for people who do not want to think for themselves. On a purely statistical basis, medical wisdom is the safest, lowest maintenance way to care for your body. Do what your doctor tells you and, for the most part (probably around 75% – I’m pulling this number out of my keester, but it’s more for illustrating a point, anyway), you should be o.k. True, for the minority of people, following the conventional wisdom might be harmful, useless, or minimally beneficial at best. So for these people, thinking outside of the box is often necessary.

That’s where “alternative” health practices originated (and in this case we’re discussing natural, but it can just as well mean any other alternative therapy – magnets, leaches, exorcisms, whatever); they came from man’s desire to heal himself outside of what he was told worked, but, unfortunately, hadn’t for him (or his parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, etc.). As the alternative therapy began helping more people, it began to rise within the mainstream, moving closer, itself, to becoming conventional wisdom.

Here’s the point: if you are going to practice natural or alternative health methods, be informed. Don’t give your child a product without knowing everything about that product, and definitely do not substitute a well-known health product (vitamin/nutrient) for one of today’s latest health-food flavors of the month. I know, I know, soy is safe – I just said it, didn’t I? However, if you notice your child’s teeth decaying – WAKE UP! Either look it up and educate yourself, or call your pediatrician or dentist and find out if there’s a vitamin deficiency causing it.

The bottom line is this – if you are going to be the master of your own health, then you gotta know the way to do it: read the instructions, watch the demonstration video, take the weekend seminar. If you don’t have the time to buck up, then just do what conventional wisdom (read: modern medical science) tells you – it’s simply the safest way to go.

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