Holistic Approach to Health and Healing

Do you know what you are putting into your mouth and into your body?

We’ve added another short article to our article library.  This one is actually an editorial by Andrew W. Saul that was published in the Orthomolecular Medicine News.   This editorial is a particularly  easy read, yet it is important.  How often do you drink fluorinated water, or use fluorinated toothpaste and mouth wash? Are you aware of your total fluoride intake in a single day?  More important – are you aware of the fluoride intake of your children?

Here’s a quick preview.

Anyone who has watched television at all could not have failed to see toothpaste ads. They always showed the brush loaded, with decorative overhang tips flared out on each end. When “AIM” brand toothpaste first came out, I distinctly remember toothpaste being displayed in two or even three layers on the brush. The number of children that used the product so generously, and swallowed half of it, will likely remain unknown. As for me, I immediately switched my family to toothpaste with no fluoride in it. As for toothpaste labels, they rather quickly were re-written. They now read:

“If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately.”

But all children swallow more than is used for brushing. The only question is, how much? The US Centers for Disease Control states:

“Fluoride toothpaste contributes to the risk for enamel fluorosis because the swallowing reflex of children aged less than 6 years is not always well controlled, particularly among children aged less than 3 years. Children are also known to swallow toothpaste deliberately when they like its taste. A child-sized toothbrush covered with a full strip of toothpaste holds approximately 0.75-1.0 g of toothpaste, and each gram of fluoride toothpaste, as formulated in the United States, contains approximately 1.0 mg of fluoride. Children aged less than 6 years swallow a mean of 0.3 g of toothpaste per brushing and can inadvertently swallow as much as 0.8 g.” 

For children age 6 and under, that is an average swallow of a third of the toothpaste they use, and a possibility of inadvertently swallowing 80% or more. There is about a milligram of fluoride in a single “serving” of toothpaste. I am calling it a “serving” because fluoride in toothpaste is regulated as if it were a food, not a drug. How is this true? Adding even less than one milligram of fluoride to a single serving of children’s vitamins instantly makes them a prescription drug. It is truly odd that fluoride toothpaste remains an over-the-counter product.

Fluoride is systematically pumped into our water system and added to toothpastes and mouthwashes with the claim of improved dental health.  But what about the total health of the individual?  We’ll be covering this topic in future posts and articles.

For the full article please click here.