Lets talk about Fluoride!

One of the major things I do to keep my family healthy is try to reduce the amount of toxins in their body and thier environment. One of the major toxins that we have eliminated from our house is fluoride. We installed a Reverse Osmosis water filtration system to remove the fluoride, among other toxins, from our drinking water and all our toothpaste is fluoride free.

There is a battle waging in this country (ok little dramatic) between those for and those against fluoride. Fluoride may help to protect teeth and a few decades back someone figured this out and had the bright idea to put it in the drinking water so we all could have better teeth, how sweet of them.

Well now (not really now, it has been while) we are finding that the way fluoride helps teeth is to put it on topically, not ingest it. Ingesting fluoride can cause a host problems from fluorosis, to brittle bones, to cancer, to lower IQ, to thyroid disease and more. Click on each link to get more information. And the kicker is that they can't control the dose that people receive through the water and this is a highly dangerous compound. Its even classified as a neurotoxin and yet they say it is safe to give to our children sometimes even in supplement form, yikes!!

Keep in mind, if you are ready to take the stand against fluoride and get a water filtration system for your home, not all water filtration systems remove fluoride from drinking water. Make sure and do your homework. We got our RO system from Costco for $180 and it has been great and it was easy to install.

Here is some more information from the fluorideactionalert.com
According to the current consensus view of the dental research community, fluoride's primary - if not sole - benefit to teeth comes from topical application to the surfaces of teeth (while in the mouth), and not from ingestion.
It is also acknowledged by dental researchers that fluoride has little effect on preventing cavities in the pits and fissures (chewing surfaces) of teeth - where the majority of tooth decay occurs.
Perhaps not surprisingly, therefore, tooth decay rates have declined at similar rates in all western countries in the latter half of the 20th century - irrespective of whether the country fluoridates its water or not. Today, tooth decay rates throughout continental western Europe are as low as the tooth decay rates in the United States - despite a profound disparity in water fluoridation prevalence in the two regions.

Excessive ingestion of fluoride during the early childhood years may damage the tooth-forming cells, leading to a defect in the enamel known as dental fluorosis.
Teeth impacted by fluorosis have visible discoloration, ranging from white spots to brown and black stains.
Teeth with fluorosis also have an increased porosity of the enamel. In the milder forms, the porosity is mostly limited to the sub-surface enamel, whereas in the more advanced forms, the porosity impacts the surface enamel as well, resulting in extensive pitting, chipping, fracturing, and decay of the teeth.
The discoloration induced by fluorosis - particularly in its advanced forms - can cause significant embarrassment and stress to the impacted child, resulting in adverse effects on esteem, emotional health, and career success.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 32% of American children now have some form of dental fluorosis, with 2 to 4% of children having the moderate to severe stages (CDC 2005).