As new scientific evidence continues to reveal the dangers of mass fluoridation, an increasing percentage of American households are switching to bottled water or installing expensive water filtration systems. But the kitchen tap isn’t our only source of fluoride exposure. What about breakfast cereals, organic hot dogs, and even (gasp!) homemade chicken broth?!
Surprised? Really?? You didn’t expect that a chemical that’s been added to the public water supply for the past fifty plus years wouldn’t infiltrate the entire food chain, did you? Most of us –dental authorities included –are unaware of how much fluoride we are consuming on a daily basis or even where that fluoride comes from. So how does ANALYST know all this? She recently discovered a nifty little radar that picks up on foods that contain high amounts of fluoride. It’s called fluoroderma, and for years she thought it was plain old acne. But fluoroderma is a form of cystic acne caused by fluoride ingestion.
While suffering with bouts of adult acne over the past decade or so, it became obvious that ANALYST’s particular problem was geographically specific. Living in certain towns caused her to break out within hours. Yet the condition completely disappeared when living overseas, regardless of country or continent. After her latest move to South Florida, the condition was worse than ever. A consultation with a lymphatic expert at the Upledger Institute led her to the possibility that fluoride could be to blame. At first, this seemed like a simple theory to verify –just stop drinking fluoridated water and see if the problem goes away, right? But the fluoride hypothesis was much more difficult to test than ANALYST expected, due to the extent that this pervasive chemical has inundated the American food supply.
Just think of all the products that have a high fluoride content: soft drinks, juices, beer, bottled water… Foods such as cereal that are pressure cooked can contain even more fluoride; boiling fluoridated water merely concentrates the fluoride while the rest of the water evaporates. Many of the pesticides used in modern agribusiness are fluoride based, as well. Cryolite is one such pesticide, popular with California grape growers. A single glass of California wine can deliver as much fluoride as a liter of fluoridated water.
Yet fluoride has permeated the American food supply in even more insidious ways. As with humans, fluoride accumulates in the skin and bones of the animals who ingest it. Sadly, ANALYST experienced her most extreme fluoride reactions following many a delicious dinner of roast chicken or soups made with homemade stock.
After several months of trial and error, ANALYST’s fluoroderma is finally under control. Her fluoride radar is so well calibrated that she can pick up on a high fluoride food or drink within hours. Won-ton soup from the local Chinese take-out place? Heavily fluoridated. That European beer she ordered to cut her chances of a fluoride reaction? Who would have guessed that Newcastle is one of the few British cities that fluoridates its water supply? And while she’s still gathering the courage to test her luck with another roast chicken, ANALYST is optimistic she’ll someday find a local farmer whose pastured poultry is fluoroderma friendly.
Surely, ANALYST’s condition is an extreme case. But how many other people suffer from fluoroderma without realizing it, just as ANALYST did for all those years? Few dermatologists or health care professionals would think to diagnose it. Do you know someone with dental fluorosis who also suffers from cystic acne? Perhaps fluoroderma is more common than we think.
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This post is a part of Fight Back Fridays hosted by Food Renegade.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, I knew you could get a skin problem when flouride is used topically, like from toothpaste. But I had no idea it could cause reactions from drinking it. Or in this case, eating it. You're fortunate you found someone who could diagnose the problem. I do wonder how common it really is.
The story is kindof crazy about how the condition was diagnosed. I will have to write about that in an upcoming post.
I've read that 1 percent of people are thought to have some kind of sensitivity to fluoride. I think that's a really high number, considering they dump the stuff in 60 percent of the public water supply without a second thought.
Well you reconfirmed my desire to buy fluoride-free toothpaste. We have well water so I would assume it has very little fluoride in it (though it might have some from run-off of other fluoride treated water). I guess we are still getting plenty of fluoride in our diets, whether we want it or not.
Hi, Hippygirl! Thanks for dropping by The Cellulite Investigation. I must admit, I am a bit jealous of your well water at this point. Some well water does have higher levels of naturally occurring fluoride, but I suspect it's not nearly as worrisome as the stuff they use at the public treatment plants. A lot of the larger plants use Fluorosilicic acid, which is a byproduct from the manufacturing of phosphate fertilizers. Seriously.
YUM. fertilizer byproducts. hah. Our farm is being farmed organically to avoid pesticide residue in our well water, though we obviously cannot control what others do and how much of their water runs off into ours. I'm sure someone downstream from us will thank us, though.
I just found your site today from Fight Back Friday. I'll definitely have to explore it some more!
Awesome! It would be great to have a sociologist's viewpoint on some of this cellulite research
(just checked out your blog. What an adventure!)
It's strange that Americans accept mass medication in the water supply. Many people probably just don't know or think about it. If I want flouride I'd rather go to the dentist rather than drink it every day.
It does seem to go against the American credo. But "out of sight, out of mind," I suppose. It's amazing how many EPA scientists and dental professionals are against mass fluoridation. They even created a non-profit organization to help educate the public on the scientific research against fluoride. Their website is a great resource for anyone who is interested in looking into the issue further:
http://www.slweb.org/index.html
Analyst (and others) might want to read a book by Dr. David Brownstein "Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It". Fluoride is a halogen and has the ability to attach to Iodine receptors in the body (as does Bromide, another big problem.) Since we get so little Iodine in our diets these days (unless you're into seaweed) we can start getting toxic build-ups of both fluoride and bromide in our systems — and both of these are toxic to our bodies. Dr. Guy Abraham has found that by increasing one's Iodine intake, the body starts to flush out the bromide and fluoride, and the Iodine takes up it's proper place in it's receptors. There are studies by Dr. Guy Abraham posted on the web, which include graphs of the results. It's a bit scientific for me, which is why I found Dr. Brownstein's book helpful.
Thanks for the recommendation, earthview! There's so little information out there about how to treat fluoride toxicity. I think you are right on with the iodine connection. Even though the fluoroderma is under control (if I am exceedingly careful about what I eat and steam my face several times a week), I suspect that the excess fluoride is affecting my body in other ways, as well. I did start adding kelp into my diet, but I am still confused about the iodine issue. Maybe Brownstein's book will shed more light on the matter. Thanks again!
A post-script to my previous post. The skin also needs lots of Iodine. It would be interesting to see a study on the affects of Iodine supplementation on cystic acne. Since it has already been found to be helpful for turning around fibrocystic disease of the ovaries and breast, there may be something to the cystic disease of the skin as well.
It's strange how fluoride concentrates in the skin, bones, and teeth. Those are the same parts I have to avoid with chicken (not sure if chicken have teeth, but if they do, I'm avoiding them!).
If you ever come across any more good info about the connection between fluoride, iodine, and the skin, please pass it along! Thanks!
This makes me glad we have our own spring water, and raise our own chickens. We live near one of the most pristine watersheds in the nation and there is a movement to fluoridate the the water unfortunately. It would not affect us as we maintain our own watershed, however it would be a shame for the people who have no choice whether to consume that water or not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_Run_Watershed
Great post – thank you.
Wow! According to the Wikipedia link that you sent, the quality of the water is so high that the city doesn't even filter it. And they are thinking of adding fluoride?! It almost makes me want to cry! There's so much evidence against fluoride. Why is it still perfectly acceptable to add it to the public water supply? I suppose its like Sherlock Holmes said, "there's nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact."
If you think the fluoride issue is bad look at this, new EPA requirements will lower the water quality. Rules must be followed, no matter what…
http://www.friendsofreservoirs.org/
It's a good thing there is such an organized group of individuals to help protect the water supply in Portland. I hope they succeed; the pictures of the reservoirs are beautiful. It's easy to see how they inspire so much passion in those who are trying to protect them.
Thanks for this important site! I am really learning a lot. My family lives in an area with terrible water and I refuse to drink it, cook with it, and I even hate to wash my babies in it. I can smell the chlorine when the faucet is turned on. In Summer it takes on a yellow tinge and we have to run the shower for a few minutes to get the strong chemical fumes to stop. My husband is a county planner and knows the ins and outs of the water supplies for all our rural mountain neighborhoods and can't believe what is "legal" to drink. We are moving in a month and can't wait to be freed from the health concerns.
I understand exactly how you feel! I just moved out of fluoridated water and I'm SO HAPPY! It's so easy to take care of my skin now. No more cystic acne!! And I FEEL so much healthier. It's such a relief. Most people don't consider the water when they're looking for a place to live but for me, it's my number one concern. So important! I imagine it would be even more important with little babies around!