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Tap Water Toxicity!

What’s in your water? Most of us never think twice about this because we assume that our water supply is government regulated and therefore safe. If it’s the public water supply, then it has to be regulated, right? And we can just buy bottled water if we don’t trust public water…….Well the public water supply is regulated, but not very well at all. And bottled water? It’s barely regulated at all!

It’s important to know what is actually coming out of your kitchen faucet. Ignorance isn’t always bliss. Sometimes what you don’t know can really harm you.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) found 316 chemicals in tap water throughout the country, 202 of which aren’t regulated. And over 60 million of us have been exposed since 2004 to concentrations of chemicals or contaminations that don’t even pass outdated guidelines. And then the guidelines get tricky too.

While the number of compounds found in our tap water are alarming and highly toxic, this article will focus on the dangers of Flouride.

ADA Confirms toxicity of Flouride

Advocates of fluoridated water insist that the chemical additive is good for teeth, but actual science routinely shows otherwise, including a new study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association confirming fluoride as a toxic substance that actually destroys teeth, particularly those of developing young children and babies.

When people are exposed to excessive levels of fluoride through sources like drinking water, foods and beverages and even swallowed toothpaste, it often results in a condition known as dental fluorosis. The internal uptake of fluoride into teeth over time causes their enamel to become mottled and discolored, the end result being damaged teeth that have essentially rotted from the inside out.

Dr. Steven Levy, D.D.S., and his team found during their study that "fluoride intakes during each of the first four years (of a child's life) were individually significantly related to fluorosis on maxillary central incisors, with the first year more important." They went on to warn that "infant formulas reconstituted with higher fluoride water can provide 100 to 200 times more fluoride than breast milk, or cow's milk."

In other words, young children have the highest risk of severe tooth damage from fluoride, especially those that are six months of age or younger, a time during which children's blood-brain barriers have not fully formed. Even low ingestion levels cause the direct depositing of fluoride into the teeth, brain and other bodily tissues and organs which, besides causing fluorosis, also causes disorders of the brain and nervous system, kidneys and bones.

And the American Dental Association (ADA) has known that fluoride exposure causes dental fluorosis since at least 2006, but the group has done nothing to warn the 200 million Americans that live in communities with fluoridated water to avoid its use in babies and infants. Many dentists still recommend that children and adults not only drink fluoridated water, but even advise parents to add fluoride drops to their children's drinking water if the family lives in unfluoridated areas or drinks private well water.

Crash Course in Flouride-ology

Fluoride is a chemical ion that is derived from the element fluorine. It is found in other minerals, soils, water, and some foods naturally. As you know it is also added to the public drinking water supplies in the United States.

Fluoride is most commonly associated with preventing tooth decay. It is thought to work in two ways; first by interfering in the decay process of the teeth from food and sugars that form into acids and erode teeth, and second by re-mineralizing already decaying teeth.

Fluoride is also found in toothpastes and mouthwashes.

While many support fluoride as beneficial to prevent tooth decay, others are concerned that adding fluoride to drinking water is unnecessary and in fact, harmful.

Those against adding fluoride to drinking water remind us that having too much fluoride can cause many more health issues than just problems with the teeth. And, when we do consume too much fluoride, the teeth can actually suffer as a result.

Fluorosis is an all too common problem often found in children who receive too much fluoride. Fluorosis shows as discolored teeth; brown, yellow, or even white spots on the teeth are evidence of fluorosis.

It’s important to remember that we are not just getting fluoride from our drinking water (if yours is public), toothpaste, and mouthwashes, but also in our foods that either naturally contain fluoride or have been cooked in water containing fluoride.

Too much fluoride is a serious health concern.

Are You Getting Too Much?

Too much fluoride results in fluorosis and with that comes many other serious health implications. Research continues to show that this is something we all need to take a closer look at to determine if drinking fluoridated water is the best choice.

Exposure to fluoride may lower children's intelligence says a study pre-published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a publication of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (online December 17, 2010).  “Some recent studies suggest that over-consumption of fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland,”

And almost all of us are being exposed to this risk many times with no knowledge of this threat. According to Paul Beeber, President of New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, fluoride is the most widely consumed drug in the United States.

One of the worries is that there is no standard, acceptable level of fluoride that’s safe to consume. Many researchers think that the current 1 mg added to drinking water is too high.

As stated by Scientific American above, too much fluoride is now being shown to cause many serious health problems. From the brain to the bones to the delicate thyroid gland, fluoride can alter the body chemistry and in many ways pollute it causing health issues that are just beginning to be discovered.

In one fluoride study in Iowa (Iowa Fluoride Study) 700 children were tracked for sixteen years according to study director Steven Levy. The results? According to Levy children who lived in areas with fluoridated water showed a fifty percent higher rate of having mild fluorosis. Remember fluorosis is a sign of too much fluoride. This should be a warning of more serious, undiscovered health problems.

In 2002 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) asked the National Research Council (NRC) to investigate fluoride dosages and the current standard level in the United States. These levels are referred to as the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal or MCLG. The current MCLG is 4mg/L. On March 22, 2006, NRC reported that the MCLG in the United States is not low enough to prevent adverse health effects and recommended this level to be lowered.

There were five main health concerns revealed in this investigation. They were as follows:

5 Health Problems from Fluoride as reported by NRC

1. Dental Fluorosis

This previously thought to be only a cosmetic problem is now reported to be an ‘adverse health effect’ and occurs when the MCLG is at just 0.7 to 1.2 mg/L.

2. Bone Fractures

All twelve members of the NRC committee agreed that too much fluoride weakens bones which lead to fractures.

3. Skeletal Fluorosis

Similar to arthritis, symptoms are joint pain, stiffness, and weakness.

4. Endocrine Effects

The NRC found that among other endocrine problems, the thyroid function was one of the most significant. Disrupted thyroid function was found when fluoride dosages were just 0.05 to 0.13 mg/L per day.

5. Neurotoxicity and Neurobehavioral Effects

Lower IQ, behavioral concerns, Alzheimer-like symptoms are all connected in animal studies and human studies out of China from fluoride particularly when found in conjunction with aluminum.

These are all reported to the EPA by the NRC in its investigation. While many cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, the evidence is in and growing.

DR. DANIEL’S ACTION STEPS

1. Invest in a high quality water filter or filtration system that removes fluoride from your drinking water and shower.
2. Decrease your intake of fluoride from water and the other sources.
3. Switch to a natural toothpaste and mouthwash that does not contain fluoride.
4. Spread the word! Young children are especially susceptible to problems from too much fluoride.

According to the CDC, 3 out of 4 Americans are either overweight or obese. 1 out of 4 or 25% of Americans are clinically obese. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that 35.5% American women are overweight compared to 32.2% of American men. It’s no secret that America has a weight problem. In fact, As American obesity rates have continued to climb, there are now 71 million dieters and more weight loss programs and options than ever before. But according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) despite the goal set in 2001 by the U.S. Surgeon General, called the Healthy People Objective 2010, obesity rates have not declined but risen.

The goal of Healthy People 2010 was to reduce obesity amongst American adults to 15%. As of today, no state has yet to reach that objective.

Obesity isn’t just about how you look either. In fact, what you can see on the outside should be the least of your worries. Obesity contributes to premature aging and death by increasing the risk for developing life threatening diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Furthermore, obesity is really not an exercise or calorie issue but a hormone/toxicity problem.

If you’re one of my patients, I know you’ve heard me talk about how health is not based on how you feel, but how your body is functioning. If you’re overweight – there is no way you can be healthy because your body is not functioning the way it was designed.

Like many other overweight people, particularly women, you may have tried time and time again to lose weight (maybe with no success). You may even feel discouraged or have come to accept a growing lie that it’s all in your genetics so nothing can be done. While you’re not alone in these feelings and frustrations there are some key components involved in weight loss you might not know about or have not addressed.

Listed below are 4 common reasons why people are overweight:

Reason #1: You are eating the wrong foods!

Anyone with a sensible mind can walk down the grocery store and realize that “We are Marketed to DEATH”….literally, marketed to death with food products of all kinds. WARNING: IF you see a product inside of a box or bag that claims to help lose weight, turn the other way. These are the same foods that have helped to create the obesity epidemic to begin with. This is largely due to the fact that these products are PRODUCTS, not FOOD. These ‘fake’ foods actually starve your body for nutrients and you end up craving more to eat, because despite the meal you just consumed your body still is lacking in the vital nutrients it needs. You end up eating more and more of these calories but not giving your body enough nutrients.

How to Know:

Take a look in your cabinets and pantry. Any foods stored in boxes, bags and cans are fake foods. Check the labels of these foods. If they have ingredients that you cannot read or ingredients such as preservatives, additives, and dyes they are fake. If you eat more processed foods every week than fresh foods you could be thwarting your own weight loss goals.

What to Do:

Eliminate or drastically cut down on the amount of fake food you put into your body. Choose raw, real whole foods that are provided by the EARTH rather than processed by man.

Load your plate with fresh fruits and veggies that are grown organically and locally. Choose meats and dairy that are free range and not from animals that have been loaded up with hormones and other toxins.

Reason #2: You are doing the wrong type of Exercise

Are you one of the die-hard exercisers who despite your dedication can’t seem to shake that extra weight? Recent research has shown that BURST training can burn far more calories than when you keep a steady pace throughout your workout. In other words, a 10 minute workout of sprint training or running as fast and hard as you can will burn the same amount of calories as a 1 hour workout running a slow steady pace.

How to Know:

This one is pretty easy to determine. If you spend dedicated time exercising but aren’t dropping any pounds you may want to consider interval training instead of the classic cardio you’re doing now.

What to Do:

Instead of just running or walking on the treadmill do bursts of high intensity running or sprinting followed by a cool down. For example, you can sprint full force for thirty to ninety seconds, slow down and walk for two minutes, then rev it up sprints again for 30-90 seconds. Continue this routine for ten to twenty minutes. This type of training causes your body to burn fat for the next 36 hours to replenish your body’s vital energy (glycogen) stores. It really is possible to burn fat while you sleep!

Reason #3: Hormone Problem

Life is all about balance and when it comes to your body and proper functioning this couldn’t be truer. Our body operates on a delicate balance of chemicals that it must maintain to function properly.

Some of the most important chemicals when it comes to weight and metabolism are the thyroid hormones T3 and T4 as well as Leptin or Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone.

These hormones can be thrown out of whack by many issues (mainly toxicity from environmental exposure or fake foods). This includes a diet with too much or too little iodine, to toxicity from amalgam fillings, to an undiagnosed medical condition the thyroid can produce too much or too little T4 or thyroxine impacting your metabolism.

How to Know:

Hyperthyroidism (too much T4):

• Nervousness
• Insomnia
• Racing heart
• Unexplained weight loss
• High amounts of perspiration
• Muscle weakness
• Multiple bowel movements
• Thin, brittle hair

Hypothyroidism (too little T4):

• Fatigue
• Dry hair, skin
• Unexplainable weight gain
• Constipation
• Muscle weakness and discomfort

If you’re experiencing one or more of these symptoms consult your health care practitioner to learn more.

The three most commonly used tests to determine if you have a thyroid condition are blood tests, a thyroid scan, and the radioactive iodine uptake test. Your doctor can determine which one is best for you after a review of your specific conditions.

What to Do:

Instead of turning to hormone replacement therapies with the use of pharmaceuticals, natural hormones using animal hormones, or in extreme cases surgery, first look at any nutritional deficiencies like iodine or toxicity from things like amalgam fillings in your teeth. Consider supplementing with kelp, and if you have amalgam fillings, I highly recommend you seek a natural dentist to have them removed. Other areas of importance include measuring cortisol levels or undergoing an adrenal stress test.

Reason #4: TOXICITY (Medications, Environmental Pollutants, Molds, Pesticides, Harmful Food Ingredients, Heavy Metal Toxins, Birth Control, etc.)

A recent (March 2008) peer reviewed study published in the Journal of American Neurotoxicology and Teratology states that small to moderate amounts of pesticides in rats cause excessive weight gain by damaging brain structures like the hypothalamus and the pituitary.

When toxins enter your body they have an affinity for fat cells, due to the fact that they are fat soluble. When the toxins attach to the outer membrane of these cells, which is made of a lipid bi-layer (two layers of fat), it causes the cells to continually release Leptin. When Leptin is elevated too often, just like Insulin in Type II Diabetes, the receptors burn out and the message is not heard. Remember, Leptin is the hormone that tells the brain to burn fat for energy. Therefore, weight gain that does not respond to exercise or diet is inevitably due to Leptin resistance (which is due to toxicity).

According to the Mayo Clinic, taking the birth control pill can make you more likely to suffer from fluid retention and adipocyte preservation (fat storage). It also makes fat cells or adipose cells grow larger in size. This is due to the effect of estrogen in the birth control pill on the body chemistry.

How to Know:

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight and failed…you are toxic. If you currently have brain fog, fatigue, sleeplessness, irritability, muscle pains and aches, digestive difficulties, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disease….you are toxic.

What to Do:

Our bodies operate on a delicate balance. We throw so much at our precious bodies on a daily basis we often forget how important it is to protect. If you’ve been struggling to achieve your optimal weight (which we all should) consider these 4 very common roadblocks for trying to lose weight. Once you know the cause for you – take action!

Finally, if you are toxic – you need to DETOX. A common marketing myth on the internet, magazines and TV is Colon Cleansing. Colon cleansing products are designed to stimulate the colon and eliminate colon build-up/waste which may result in temporary weight loss and reduction in colon toxins. However, this does not translate into true fat reduction and a true decrease in your total toxic burden. True detoxification and fat burning (the hormone leptin) occur only by using products that detoxify your body at the cellular level.

Sources

Mayo Clinic (2009)

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (2010)

Dr. Daniel's Action Steps:

1. Switch from fake food to real food.
2. Try burst training for 2-3 weeks instead of your typical cardio exercise (or simply exercise if you don’t already!)
3. Reduce toxicity in your body by undergoing toxicity testing in our office!