5 REASONS WHY FLUORIDATED WATER IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH

As mentioned in the History of Fluoride article, the history of fluoridated water is laced with deception and misinformation.  (Click here to read the article.).  In short, “fluoride” (but more accurately hydrofluorosilicic acid) was a by-product of the manufacture of the phosphate fertilizer and aluminum about 100 years ago.  For decades this by-product was dumped in the local waterways resulting in the death of livestock and sea life.  As a result Big Business (in particular Alcoa and Dupont) cajoled unscrupulous university scientists into fabricating studies showing the beneficial effects of fluoride for oral care.

From there it was just a question of massive propaganda to convince the trusting populace of the benefits of fluoride as well as coaxing the American Dental Association (ADA) to add fluoride to the curriculum of dental schools across America.  For the last 80 years, bought-off “change agents” and “useful idiots”from science and dentistry have parroted the mendacious pronouncements that fluoride is beneficial and exhorted in the name of public health that it must be added to the water.

Contrary to independent studies and occasional whistleblowers throughout the decades denouncing its toxicity, the vast majority of Americans are ignorant to fluoride’s deleterious effect on the body.  Here at Naturopathic Earth, we wanted to highlight just a few reasons why fluoridated water is bad for your health and some ways you may reduce your exposure to it.

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Fluoridated Water is Linked to Lower IQs

Ancedotal studies dating back to the 1940s demonstrated that fluoride was a neurotoxin that decimates nervous system neurons.  Overall there are have been over 30 studies from China, India, Mexio, and America demonstrating the link.  Even as recently as 2012, Harvard University released a study which stated that fluoridated water lowers the IQ by 10%, in particular in young children.  Click here to read it.

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Fluoridated Water Damages the Thyroid Gland

Fluoride tablets were commonly given to patients in the middle of the 20^th century who suffered from hyperthyroidism for even then they knew that fluoride slows the thyroid.  More recently, a study out of England showed water fluoridation in England is linked to 30% increase in the rate of hypothyroidism. The thyroid gland, situated in your throat, is responsible for metabolic function.

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Fluoridated Water May Cause Infertility

Fluoride administered to lab animals at high amounts damaged sperm production leading to infertility.  Studies out of the U.S. and China demonstrated increased rates of infertility among couples living in cities where the parts per million (PPM) of fluoridated water was at its highest.

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Fluoridated Water Leads to Osteoporosis, Increased Hip Fractures, and Bone Cancer

Excess fluoride in the body typically accumulates in bone tissue resulting in a host of bone maladies.  In particular a 1990 U.S. Government study showed that animals given higher dose of fluoride have a great incidence of osteosarcoma (bone cancer).

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Fluoridated Water Leads to Fluorosis

Too much exposure to fluoride leads to an accumulation of it in the body.  This is mostly seen in tooth enamel and bones.  The rate of fluorosis is as high as 80% in some parts of the fluoridated world.  Remember that Europe and Japan do NOT fluoridate their water.  (Fluoridation is mostly seen only in America and Canada.)  Skeletal fluorosis leads to the hardening of bones and joints precipitating fractures and other bone maladies.

Ways To Limit Fluoride Exposure

So we have seen some ways that fluoridated water is bad for your health.  No one wants the proverbial “lightbulb in their head” to be dimmed.  Nevertheless, limiting your exposure to fluoride is more difficult than you think.

There are obvious products that contain fluoride, such as toothpaste, some brands of gum, baby formula, water used for baby formula, but as a whole, limiting your exposure to fluoride will require a significant amount of gumption and fortitude.  Here are some daunting facts.

• Most processed foods (e.g. cookies, cereals, crackers, etc.) are processed using fluoridated water. Though your exposure to fluoride in these products is minimal compared to drinking water, it is still prevalent and the cumulative effect of these foods with water year after year compound the problem.  Adhering to a Primal/Paleo diet in which you drastically limit your processed foods would help.
• Breastfeed your children.  Breast milk has negligible amounts of fluoride.
• Teflon pans, pesticides, medications, teas and other common household items also contain fluoride.
• The largest exposure to fluoride is in fact NOT from drinking water, but rather from inhaling the toxic compound from shower steam.  This is largely undiscussed yet should be.  To drastically reduce your fluoride exposure you need to shorten the time of your showers to ideally less than 5 minutes.

(Read our article on the effect of BPA and plastics on the body and 6 items that secretly have BPA.)

(Read our article on the lie that is BPA-Free.  Listen to our podcast on plastics.)

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Filters

Purchase a water filtration system that explicitly removes fluoride.  Most filters found at the local store do NOT.  Berkey has long made great filters.  Click here to see one on Amazon.

Purchase a shower filter.  Shower filters tend to be cheaper than drinking water system.  Click here to see one on Amazon.  Again, make sure that it specifically removes fluoride (chlorine and radon would be great as well!)

It is impossible to remove fluoride from your life even with these devices.  But with these products, along with purging your diet of processed foods, you can drastically reduce your exposure.  Give it a shot!  “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Fluoridated water is bad for your health.  Pass on the news to others!

Subscribe to Naturopathic Earth Radio podcast for more great tips on reducing household exposures.

Subscribe to Kate’s Naturopathic Essentials podcast for great aromatherapy and herbalism advice.

A. Gregory Luna

Double-certified Health Consultant.