General Discussions

**webspace** · 02:10 PM

Fluoride Is Bad For You

I just read this article in Scientific American They are saying that fluoride causes a whole bunch of health problems. It's in the water that most of drink and the in toothpaste we use to brush our teeth.

There was a two year study done and they are saying that Fluoride weakens bones and may actually cause disfigurrement of adult teeth. There are also effects on the brain and thyroid gland.

There's a bit of information you should probably consider in this article.

**Learning Newbie** · 02-05-2008, 02:20 PM

Hippies have been saying this forever, and more scientific types are picking up the drum.

But from what we seem to know now, the amount of flouride exposure the average American gets from water vs from other sources is pretty low.

**webspace** · 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Learning Newbie

Hippies have been saying this forever, and more scientific types are picking up the drum.

But from what we seem to know now, the amount of flouride exposure the average American gets from water vs from other sources is pretty low.

That's true. There's toothpaste and the fluoride we ingest in foods and other sources. Great for teeth not so good for the rest of your body. I think this is a fairly important issue we will likely see some news about over the next year or so.

**LmT** · 02-05-2008, 03:30 PM

I have two things to say:
A. My roommate doesn't brush her teeth for three weeks at a time and she's never had a cavity.

B. If there weren't any health problems, there wouldn't be any dentists. I suppose this is democracy's way of ensuring taxes and employment.

**Learning Newbie** · 02-05-2008, 03:40 PM

Some ways people get flouride into their bodies are

Tap Water
Soda
Toothpaste
Diet Supplements & Vitamins
Food

From Environmental Health News . org, which sounds like a left wing slanted source

Quote:

Chinese children drinking well water with very high levels of fluoride scored poorly on intelligence testing compared to those with lower exposures.

This is one of the first studies in humans to find that too much fluoride is associated with low performance on intelligence tests. More information is needed to ascertain if the sum total amount of ingested fluoride from tap water, consumer products and other sources are enough to inhibit brain development in children living in the US and other countries where fluoridation is common.

A holistic medicine site says it's involved from everything arthritis to learning disabilities.

I don't know that flouride is the end of the world by itself, but putting a foreign chemical into the human body regularly over the course of a lifetime probably isn't a good idea unless that chemical has had thousands of years of testing.

But flouride is hardly the only chemical we do this with. There probably isn't a person in America who doesn't have tefflon in their blood.

**angele803** · 02-05-2008, 04:35 PM

If fluoride strengthens your teeth, how does it make your bones weaker???

**Learning Newbie** · 02-05-2008, 05:17 PM

That's a good question, and I haven't looked very far into it.

A guy named Terrence McKenna suggests the fact that so many people need glasses is evidence we ate lots and lots of magic mushrooms when we were a brand new species. The logic is that since psylocibin improves eye sight, we would direct our energy into fixing problems we couldn't solve through diet, and evolved with not so great eyes.

**serandfae** · 02-05-2008, 07:50 PM

What's this, the hippie version of Dr. Strangelove?

I don't know about this one. City water in the US has been chlorinated and fluoridated for several generations now. I find it hard to believe that we're all several IQ points lower than we should be. Thank the good Lord they didn't put lithium carbonate in the water like they suggested in the fifties, though.

As far as fluoride in toothpaste--you do know you're supposed to spit, not swallow? Even dentists will tell you that. You don't drink the Listerine, either, you gargle with it, unless you're the town drunk.

**ForrestCroce** · 02-05-2008, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by serandfae

I find it hard to believe that we're all several IQ points lower than we should be.

So do I, but when I say this, one of my friends always points out that I don't have a television. Apparently there's some fair-haired maiden named Brittney who pulls the country's average down those few points.

**Aadriyah** · 02-05-2008, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angele803

If fluoride strengthens your teeth, how does it make your bones weaker???

Good point girl... However if they say that fluoride really is bad for us, why did dentists recommend products with fluoride in the first place? Ironic and confusing at the same time

**Cryxellis** · 02-07-2008, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angele803

If fluoride strengthens your teeth, how does it make your bones weaker???

Yeah teeth was also a part of the bone. And fluoride was making it
strong. But do you use toothpaste to make your bone strong?
Isn't it calcium you needed for strong bones?

**webspace** · 02-08-2008, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Learning Newbie

Chinese children drinking well water with very high levels of fluoride scored poorly on intelligence testing compared to those with lower exposures.

This is one of the first studies in humans to find that too much fluoride is associated with low performance on intelligence tests. More information is needed to ascertain if the sum total amount of ingested fluoride from tap water, consumer products and other sources are enough to inhibit brain development in children living in the US and other countries where fluoridation is common.

Right I wouldn't exactly call well water a phenotype for low intellegence either. Those kids probably live in rural areas with lower educational standards and less visiual stimili and environmental compications as well so scoring lower on IQ test would likely be common since kids in urban areas typically score higher on intellegence tests according to statistics.

But you never know. It could cuase some serious issues with brains.

I'm not really a scientist, but I do use the scientific method and I do read.

I don't really do the whole left wing/right wing thing.

**webspace** · 02-08-2008, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForrestCroce

So do I, but when I say this, one of my friends always points out that I don't have a television. Apparently there's some fair-haired maiden named Brittney who pulls the country's average down those few points.

Yeah, there are some pretty stupid people out there. I won't lie, I love TV. There's always YouTube and Metecafe though. Gotta love social media.