All Articles, Health & Wellness
Protect Your Kid’s IQ
| November 16, 2009 | |
| Dr. Gary Huber : Head Medical Ego |
Are we contributing to our kid’s stupidity? Are we inadvertently making decisions that could affect our children’s intellectual quotient? I recently read several studies that showed fluoride intake had a profound impact on the IQ’s of kids.
Studies out of China and India show similar findings: fluoride intake from water supplies greatly lowered intellectual functioning, decreasing the measured IQ by more than 10 points. In one study from China that looked at 118 children living in 2 separate villages, 21% of kids drinking fluoridated water had either borderline retardation or overt retardation compared to only 3% of the kids in the non-fluoridated communities.
But our kids are also getting fluoride in other ways besides the water. Fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash and fluoridated dental floss may all contribute as they are being exposed to the mucous membranes, which absorb chemicals very efficiently. OK, so maybe the dental floss is not a big concern. If it’s anything like my house, getting my kids to floss is like asking my wife to go camping . . . in the woods . . . in a tent . . . with no running water . . . it just ain’t happening. There are better alternatives such as Cuprident that uses copper as its antibacterial instead of fluoride. Cuprident is a better product and much safer. There are also other non-fluoridated toothpastes on the market.
Is fluoride really that bad? Well let’s look at some of the other products that couldn’t be made without fluoride: insecticide, rat poison, serine nerve gas, it’s used to enrich uranium, phosphate fertilizers, Freon (which has been outlawed due to toxicity), and high octane gas. It’s nearly as toxic as mercury and it will attack collagen in the body so it leads to joint pain and weak tendons. It is stored in bone and contributes to bone fractures and arthritis. In communities with fluoridated drinking water there is an increased occurrence of infertility, thyroid disorders, and hip fractures in the elderly.
Medications such as Cipro, Prozac and Zoloft also contain a good amount of fluoride and much has been written about their dangers. I recently saw a gentleman in my office that was experiencing acute fluoride toxicity after several courses of Cipro for an inflamed prostate condition. If you are taking an antidepressant for years then you are at risk for chronic fluoride toxicity.
If you have been on such a medication and have experienced symptoms such as joint pain, cloudy thinking, headaches, bowel disorder such as bloating and constipation or diarrhea, then you may want to discuss this with your physician.
The best way to release this fluoride is a dry sauna and heavy exercise to help sweat the toxin out of your body. You can also consider calcium supplementation and large quantities of filtered water.
Studies of communities that have fluoride added to the water had no fewer cavities than communities that did not have fluoride. So the next time your dentist wants to offer you a fluoride rinse after your dental cleaning, you may want to reconsider.
Lastly, consider your iodine intake. Most mid westerners eat very little fish or sea vegetables and are at risk for low iodine intake. Iodine is easily displaced or lost in our bodies with fluoride ingestion. Fluoride will knock iodine off of the receptor and effect thyroid function. Iodine in proper amounts will have the opposite effect knocking fluoride off and out of the body via the kidneys. So make sure that you are getting some iodized sea salt or a good iodine supplement with your multivitamin.
To see a great discussion on the dangers of fluoride just Google, Dr. Monteith, fluoride video.
To get answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about fluoride visit the Fluoride Action Network.
[7 Comments] [7 Comments]
where do I find the cuprident locally (or do I have to order it?) Toothsoap is great too but it’s a bit pricey –I like it so much I might just pay for it again though. Any other suggestions for picky brushers for non-flouride options? …I don’t suppose they make cuprident in a sponge bob tube?
To get your kids to floss buy the little pre-strung floss tools. My kids love them.
Hi Phyllis,
I’ll give you the official report from my kids who have tried several different fluoride free toothpastes. At Whole Foods I found Pure Natural & Organic made by Jason in orange and strawberry flavors. These were wheat and gluten free and fluoride free. Both of kids gave two thumbs down to these options as taste was unacceptable.
A better option was the Plant Gel Toothpaste by Weleda in a spearmint flavor. It is fluoride free but only given an “OK” rating for taste.
The best, far and away for both kids and adults alike has been the Cuprident. I have found Cuprident at Hills pharmacy in Milford and we care it at my office at the LaValle Metabolic Institute. The taste is a mild mint and no after taste. The copper in Cuprident is the antibacterial and I have had some gushing testimonials with regard to it’s plaque fighting benefit. I’m a big fan.
Hope that helps,
Dr. Gary Huber
Hey Phyllis,
I just saw Cuprident at my local Bigg’s. Pricey, but I gave it a try too. So far I like it. (On an unrelated note – don’t buy your rice milk there. Their price is double what I pay at Trader Joe’s – eegads!)
Dr. Huber,
You mentioned drinking filtered water. What type of filtering device do you recommend? Also, is reverse osmosis a safe filtering system?
Hi JoAnn,
I like micro pore filter, charcoal filter or reverse osmosis as solid options. There is no perfect solution. Reverse osmosis is the most thorough filtering system taking out all pesticides, herbicides, drugs and chlorine but it can leave the water mildly acidic. Micropore filters and charcoal systems do a good job of getting the chlorine out which is step one and very important but do not do as good a job at getting all chemicals out. But the pH of the water is less affected than with reverse osmosis. In a perfect world I would have a reverse osmosis filter followed by a device to adjust the pH (they exist but are pricy). Or just monitor your body pH and use food or bicarb to adjust your personal pH. Lots of vegetables will help to raise your pH out of the acidic zone. See my article on dropping acid.
Sincerely,
Dr. Gary Huber
The connection you have made in this article to antidepressants is of particular interest to me. I have been taking them a long time and am currently going thru withdrawal. several informative sites I have looked at for help have mentioned many if not all the side effects you list for fluoride. I have already looked at the site you suggested and do not see a specific connection although it maybe I have not seen the specific pages you are referring to. Could you please offer more specific direction and or supply a link to scientific research that would prove you claims? It would seem that if fluoride toxicity was a contributing factor to the side effects and withdrawal effects of antidepressants that calcium may help ease the pain this information could be helping a good many people if it were correct. Is there a way of removing fluoride from drinking water that does not require an expensive filterations system like boiling ect.
Hi Susan,
I believe your questions centered around the issue of antidepressants containing fluoride. If you look up the chemical structure of Prozac, which is a very common antidepressant, you will see that there are three fluoride molecules in the drug’s structure.
To help you with the direction you seek – a search of Google Scholar (a great reference source if you don’t have memberships to medical journals) will turn up enough scientific research to keep you reading for days. We have to remember that the appropriate prescribing and the appropriate use of drug therapy is the fourth leading cause of death in this country. Note that I said the “appropriate” use.
When you add in prescription errors and the inappropriate use then this number increases to the THIRD leading cause of death. It is not surprising that prescription drugs carry significant risk of illness when we begin to look at drugs like Prozac that contain toxic elements. Teenage girls are given birth control pills by their well intended pediatricians and with the consent of their mothers but this common practice carries significant risk for causing disease, not the least of which is breast cancer. Birth control pills deplete the body of important nutrients such as vitamin B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, Vitamin C, magnesium and zinc.
These are all significant elements in your immune defense and liver detoxification process. This paves the way for many health issues not to mention the increased risk for blood clots. I use this as an example because it is a very common practice and is viewed by many as “safe” despite the mountain of science proving otherwise.
Drugs are powerful agents that can be used alleviate symptoms but they need to be respected and used judiciously as they also carry significant potential for harm.
See the above comment for a response to removing fluoride from drinking water.
Thanks for your interest and keep reading,
Dr. Gary Huber