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Health officials delayed report linking fluoride to brain harm

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Re: Health officials delayed report linking fluoride to brain harm

#91
post #24

As a biochemist, this seems to be a very complex issue that has been unnecessarily politicized. What happened with this report is interesting in and of itself, but I would not draw any conclusions (or make any inferences) from this, frankly.

As someone who comes from an area with clean fresh water, that does not contain added fluoride, this is not a complex issue. It's simply not a question that comes up. People have good dental hygiene here. To my mind, yes sure you can over complicate the entire debate, but all of that is irrelevant in the face of these basic points: - Is there a chance that fluoride ingestion could be detrimental to human health? - Ca…

My understanding is that some water sources naturally contain fluoride anyhow so this isn’t a great comparison. From the sources I read awhile ago they started fluoride additives because it was known that certain areas like Texas had bad teeth.

Re: Health officials delayed report linking fluoride to brain harm

#92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Statins on a wide scale could make for the single greatest life expectancy increase we could get anywhere...that would be awesome.

I hear that every few years from press releases written by people who sell statins.

Doesn't make it wrong.

Re: Health officials delayed report linking fluoride to brain harm

#93
post #24

As a biochemist, this seems to be a very complex issue that has been unnecessarily politicized. What happened with this report is interesting in and of itself, but I would not draw any conclusions (or make any inferences) from this, frankly.

As someone who comes from an area with clean fresh water, that does not contain added fluoride, this is not a complex issue. It's simply not a question that comes up. People have good dental hygiene here. To my mind, yes sure you can over complicate the entire debate, but all of that is irrelevant in the face of these basic points: - Is there a chance that fluoride ingestion could be detrimental to human health? - Ca…

It seems pretty simple. Stop putting toxic waste in the water. If you’re worried about dental health, cut the sugar and use those little interdental brushes in addition to flossing and brushing well.

Re: Health officials delayed report linking fluoride to brain harm

#94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The harmful dose is many orders of magnitude higher than the concentration in tap water. Dose makes the poison. Literally any chemical in sufficient dose is poisonous

Actually, the article says the report says harm happens at 2x the current recommended fluoridation level.

> But the report did find a possible link to cognitive harm at approximately two times the current

Keyword possible.

Re: Health officials delayed report linking fluoride to brain harm

#95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because they added it to salt and toothpaste instead.

I can tell you that salt is not fluoridated in the Netherlands (most people who care about cooking use pure sea salt anyway). As for toothpaste, almost every toothpaste anywhere in the world has it. There is evidence both ways, the original reports were that children's dental health improved after they stopped fluoridation in the 70s.

We don’t fluoridate our water but from 12-18 we do “fluor happen” (loosely translated: “fluor biting”), where we are given an upper and a lower bit which are both filled with heavily fluoridated gel, you bite into it and after a couple of minutes you take the bits out, rinse your mouth and then spit out any left-overs.

Re: Health officials delayed report linking fluoride to brain harm

#96
post #24

As a biochemist, this seems to be a very complex issue that has been unnecessarily politicized. What happened with this report is interesting in and of itself, but I would not draw any conclusions (or make any inferences) from this, frankly.

As someone who comes from an area with clean fresh water, that does not contain added fluoride, this is not a complex issue. It's simply not a question that comes up. People have good dental hygiene here. To my mind, yes sure you can over complicate the entire debate, but all of that is irrelevant in the face of these basic points: - Is there a chance that fluoride ingestion could be detrimental to human health? - Ca…

My wife comes from a country that did not add fluoride to the water. She has very good dental hygiene but here teeth are not in good shape for her age. That's one data point that I have observed.

Re: Health officials delayed report linking fluoride to brain harm

#97
Twenty years ago, I moved from Michigan (a state that uses fluoride) to Mississippi (a state that doesn't use fluoride). My dentist at the time told me that I was going to end up with tooth decay if I stayed down there for more than a few years. Sure enough, five years later I moved back to Michigan and ended up with a cavity in an unusual place. My (new) dentist in Michigan was completely unsurprised.

He said there are two problems with tooth decay in Mississippi:

1. They don't use fluoride in their water. 2. No decent dentist would ever work in Mississippi.

Fifteen years later, with no changes in dental hygiene in my entire life, and I've had no other problems with my teeth. Anecdotal evidence, maybe. But that is my experience.

Re: Health officials delayed report linking fluoride to brain harm

#98

There are significant lobbies now trying to put both statins and lithium into the tap water.

Statins on a wide scale could make for the single greatest life expectancy increase we could get anywhere...that would be awesome.

Statins are dangerous... they block cholesterol, which incidentally, is fundamental, crucial, even, to the formation of both cell membranes and innumerable important hormones.

They are no solution at all. Just a fad.

Re: Health officials delayed report linking fluoride to brain harm

#99
post #20
post #17

I don’t brush my teeth because I don’t want the residual fluoride there. It’s healthier to just slosh some vodka around to kill the germs (this wouldn’t work with kids, but hey they’ll lose their first teeth so who cares).

whiskey work better apparently due to acidity

Neither are a good idea but vodka is virtually pure water and alcohol. Whisky has a bunch of other stuff in it, including sugar.
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