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What is Fluoride Anyway?
What is fluoride?
It is an ingredient…in pesticides. Sodium fluoride is a registered insecticide and rodenticide that is used in rat and roach poisons. It is a waste product from the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers and from the aluminum refining industry. According to David Getoff, CCN, Naturopath, it is a toxic waste byproduct which often has a lot of lead as well as other toxic substances in it. Definitely not something we would want to consume.
What isn’t fluoride?
Well, according to the Fluoride Action Network, it is not an effective tooth decay preventative when ingested. It was initially believed that fluoride needed to be swallowed to be most beneficial. However, the Centers for Disease Control have stated that fluoride’s predominant effect is when it’s applied directly to the tooth itself. In addition, many studies have shown that there is little to no difference between those countries with fluoridated water and those countries with unfluoridated water. Bottom line? It just doesn’t do what we’re told it’s supposed to do.
Why do we have fluoride?
Well, according to David Getoff, in addition to the false belief that it would be beneficial in aiding tooth decay, it’s because there’s a lot of money behind it. Fluoride is a toxic waste byproduct and its producers have a lot to get rid of. It’s cheaper to put it into our water supply (based on the false belief that it’s beneficial) than to pay toxic waste disposal fees.
In California, it was recently mandated that all the major municipalities have to fluoridate their tap water. The Golden State is putting it in, while others are pulling it out. This is an example of a non-funded mandate. In other words, they didn’t pay for all the cities to do it; they just said you have to do it. It’s expensive. Plus, fluoride is a very aggressive toxic oxidant and it wrecks the water purification equipment. Who knows, once it’s all paid for and in the municipal water supply, they may have to take it back out again with even more expense – and no benefit to show for having added it to the water in the first place.
…97% of western Europe has chosen fluoride-free water. This includes: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and Switzerland
Why don’t we want fluoride?
According to the documentary, Let the Truth be Told, there are approximately 10,000 calls to the Poison Control Center regarding children who are injured by swallowing toothpaste containing fluoride. Even the U.S. Public Health Service has recommended limiting fluoride in water. They know of its potential dangers. It can cause cancer, hip fracture, dental fluorosis and spots on the teeth, neurological impairment, lower IQ in children, and learning disorders.
Fluoride is not only found in toothpaste and drinking water, but can also be found in major brand food products which are made or processed in areas where the water is fluoridated. This leads to a large amount of fluoride coming into our bodies on a daily basis. According to the Fluoride Action Network, “…97% of western Europe has chosen fluoride-free water. This includes: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and Switzerland. While some European countries add fluoride to salt, the majority do not. Thus, rather than mandating fluoride treatment for the whole population, western Europe allows individuals the right to choose, or refuse, fluoride.” For more information on European fluoride laws, visit the fluoridealert.org website.
What can we do?
Find out who in your local area is fighting against fluoride and join or support them in their efforts. Natural News also offers great tips on fighting fluoridation in your area. The more people behind the endeavor, the better chance we have of a better result.
It’s also not easy to get fluoride out of your water. For instance, the substances that do pull fluoride out – activated alumina and bone charcoal – apparently are not lasting as long as expected. In addition, the activated alumina puts aluminum in the water which also has to be removed.
The following methods are recommended by David Getoff. While studies are still going on as to how to remove fluoride thoroughly and effectively, these will give you an excellent start:
Install a reverse osmosis system for the drinking water in your home. Make sure it has one or more charcoal filters in the system as that will help remove other unwanted substances such as chlorine. Or, you can have a separate charcoal filter installed. Either way, you’re improving your drinking water by ridding it of undesirable chemicals.
When using a reverse osmosis system, the good minerals are filtered out along with the bad minerals. To make your water healthy with good minerals once again, you can re-mineralize the water. This can be done with a product called ConcenTrace Trace Mineral Drops by Trace Mineral Research, which you can get at most health food stores.
In addition, you can install a KDF filter for your bath and shower water. Why? One 20-minute shower will expose you to a greater absorption of chlorine, fluoride, whatever’s in your water, than 5 days’ worth of your drinking water. Price-Pottenger carries a very good filter for this purpose. Click here for a shower filter with shower head connector and without shower head connector.
And finally, take care of your health. Fluoride gets into your body and it starts damaging things. The amount of fluoride currently in your body isn’t as much of a problem as the fact that your body has been damaged by it. So, improving your diet, increasing your antioxidants (vitamins A, C, D, & E – as well as a few others), and minerals (re-mineralizing your drinking water) are good ways to help your body recover, undo the damage, and rebuild itself.
If you’d like more information on what fluoride is and how it affects our health, read The Fluoride Deception and The Case Against Fluoride. Or, listen at your leisure to our two-hour CD-lecture by Dr. David Kennedy, The Truth About Fluoride-Mercury Controversy.
If you’re healthcare professional, interested in detoxification from fluoride, check out David Getoff’s presentation on detoxification from the PPNF store, Detoxification: Your Path to Better Health DVD.