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CDC Water Fluoridation Stance Long Influenced by Dentists

Jul 26th, 2011 by

I received an email from a client/friend with a link to new information about the fluoride cover-up by dental professionals and a suggestion not to re-invent the wheel.

The link is to a blog on Dr. Joseph Mercola’s website and following is an excerpt:

“In April, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) responded to an FOIA request asking for the names and job descriptions of all parties at the CDC who have had input into the agency’s decision to support water fluoridation.

As it turns out, ever since the mid-1970′s, when fluoridation activities transferred from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to the CDC under the directorship of William Bock, dental health professionals have been the sole body of experts directing the agency’s stance on water fluoridation. Glaringly absent from this list are… well, any health expert outside the Oral Health Division. Apparently, no toxicologist has ever been directly involved in the decision process; nor any minority health professionals, or experts on internal medicine or diabetes, for example.

This flies in the face of what the agency claims, and what water-, health- and political leaders have believed about the way the CDC operates. Without these additional experts from other fields, can we reasonably believe that the agency has properly assessed the research on whole-body harm from fluoridation”?

“The documentation intensifies focus on the motivations behind CDC’s and EPA’s fluoride safety statements that appear at odds with current scientific knowledge,” the Fluoride Action Network says in its press release.

For those of you who would like to read the complete blog post, please click here.

In my next blog post, I will be discussing who this outspoken Dr. Mercola is and why we can trust his advice!

I’d love your feedback. Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv.  This plug-in gives you the opportunity to leave a link back to your own site when you leave a comment.

Until next time,

Kathleen

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Health Canada Report: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Jul 14th, 2011 by

In this week’s FAN (Fluoride Action Network) newsletter, we were informed that Health Canada released its final report on water fluoridation on June 20, 2011.

In the words of FAN’s director, Paul Connett:

“Their preliminary report made available for public comment in 2009 looked very much like the self-fulfilling prophecy that we had expected.  In this, their dismissal of concerns on fluoride’s impact on the brain, which was both superficial and incomplete, was based largely on the conclusion of the “panel of six” which imperiously had declared that the “weight of the evidence” indicated that fluoride did not lower IQ.  What “weight of evidence”?  By 2009 there had been 23 studies published in China, India, Iran and Mexico that had found an association between lowered IQ and moderate exposure to fluoride and only 1 small study from NZ published in 1986 that had reported no association!  Not to mention over 100 animal studies indicating fluoride can enter and damage the brain, and three human fetal brain studies and two human behavioral studies”.

FAN along with other concerned citizens and scientists submitted their comments to Health Canada specifically pointing out the scientific inadequacies of their 2009 preliminary report and sadly, virtually all their concerns and references were ignored by Health Canada in their final report.

I agree with Mr. Connett’s key question:

“Why are civil servants at Health Canada (and the health agencies in other fluoridated countries) determined to keep this practice going at all costs, including forsaking honest science and the public’s health”?

Meanwhile, I received a notice in my mail last week from the Region of York announcing important information about changes to the King City Water Supply.  It would appear that due to the water supply upgrading occurring in the community of King City with lake-based water from the York Water System, residents will now be subjected to fluoridated water.

While I am on well water personally, I am greatly concerned about the health and well-being of my neighbors and challenge all of my King Community to educate themselves on the dangers of water fluoridation and the fact that you do not have a choice about this drug being added to your drinking water.

What do you think?  I’d love your feedback. Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv. This is an opportunity to leave a link back to your own site when you leave a comment.

Until next time,

Kathleen

 

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New Study: Fluoride Can Damage the Brain

Jun 28th, 2011 by

Avoid Fluoride Use in Children

As many of my readers know, I am a member of FAN (Fluoride Action Network) and I vehemently oppose water fluoridation.  The two major reasons for this are due to its much studied/documented toxicity and the fact that it is a violation of our human rights to have a drug added to our municipal water supply.

I received an email last week from FAN that a new study has recently been published and following is an excerpt from a news release pertaining to such:

New York – June 21, 2011 – “The prolonged ingestion of fluoride may cause significant damage to health and particularly to the nervous system,” concludes a review of studies by researchers Valdez-Jimenez, et al. published in Neurologia (June 2011). reports the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. (NYSCOF).

The research team reports, “It is important to be aware of this serious problem and avoid the use of toothpaste and items that contain fluoride, particularly in children as they are more susceptible to the toxic effects of fluoride” (1)

“Fluoride can be toxic by ingesting one part per million (ppm), and the effects are not immediate, as they can take 20 years or more to become evident,” they write. Valdez-Jimenez, et al. describe studies that show fluoride induces changes in the brain’s physical structure and biochemistry which affects the neurological  and mental development of individuals including cognitive processes, such as learning and memory.

“Fluoride is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, which may cause biochemical and functional changes in the nervous system during pregnancy, since the fluoride accumulates in brain tissue before birth,” they write.*

Animal studies show fluoride’s toxic brain effects include classic brain abnormalities found in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Valdez-Jimenez’s team reports.

Currently, I sit in the minority of dental professionals who are opposed to this practice but feel it is my duty as a health care professional to evaluate all research pertaining to this controversial subject and help to educate myself, my clients and my colleagues.

As Paracelsus, the fifteenth century alchemist credited with the practice of modern medicine said,

“All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous” and to which his critics responded, “Is the dose the poison or the poison the dose?”

I’d love your feedback. Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv. This is a plug-in that offers you the opportunity to leave a link back to your own site when you leave a comment.

Until next time,

Kathleen

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Warm Salt Water Rinses: Why They Work

Jun 14th, 2011 by

I have always recommended warm salt water rinses after clients have had a particularly difficult cleaning appointment to soothe the tissues and promote healing. Recently however, a number of my clients decided to start salt water rinsing daily and the results have been phenomenal. Given that this was the only behavioral change that we could find to explain the results, I decided I had better do a little more research into salt and its healing properties.

For thousands of years, people have used salt and water to heal the body. Egyptians recorded its effectiveness on wounds. Hippocrates, The Father of Medicine made use of remedies containing salt after noticing the therapeutic qualities of seawater on the injured hands of fishermen. Roman doctors dispensed drinks and ointments made with salt and during the Renaissance period doctors recommended salt baths for skin diseases and itching.

It would appear that salt water rinses are good because they alkalinize the mouth (opposite of acidify, which is what the bacteria create) and the alkalinity helps decrease the bacteria count because they like an acid environment. Additionally, salt water is astringent and speeds wound healing through reducing inflammation and contracting the tissues.

In a British Dental Journal Study published in 2003, it was determined that the heat of the solution produces a therapeutic increase in blood flow to the affected area that promotes wound healing and that the isotonic (balanced inside and outside the cell) environment created prevents destruction of the cells migrating into the area that are trying to repair the wound.

While most of us typically would grab the table salt, now knowing what I know about the differences in salt, I would advise clients to choose anything but as the natural chemical structure has been altered through processing and the many additional benefits of pure salt have been lost.

Once again, some of the old tried and true remedies are still around for good reason.
Give it a try! I’d love feedback. Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv. This is a plug-in that gives you the opportunity to leave a link back to your own site when you leave feedback.

Until next time,

Kathleen

 

 

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“You” Can Make a Difference

May 31st, 2011 by

click image to enlarge

In previous blogs I have spoken extensively about mercury amalgam and the health risks associated with not only its use but its removal.  In this blog post, we’ll talk about how “you” can make a difference.

In a recent turn of events, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States is once again reviewing the scientific evidence underlying its pronouncement less than 18 months ago that dental fillings containing mercury do not cause harm.

What is interesting to note here is that the review has nothing to do with new data that has come to light but rather, according to Nancy Stade, Deputy Director for policy in the FDA’s medical device center, they are re-evaluating the issue because of PUBLIC PRESSURE!

An article in the Los Angeles Times says it all.  “The issue is potentially thorny because if the FDA determined that amalgam fillings posed a risk, millions of people would have to decide whether to have them removed , and if so, how to pay for that”.

Seriously, if the FDA were indeed to ban mercury fillings what would the ramifications be?  Besides the enormous burden of replacement costs, huge lawsuits would probably result involving regulators, individual dentists and their respective associations and therein lays the problem. Do the powers-that-be have the courage to make the right decision?

While things are quite quiet here in Canada regarding the mercury amalgam issue (we typically wait and see where the Americans are headed on these issues), we are not so quiet on the anti-fluoride front.

As a member of the Fluoride Action Network, I am kept up-to-date with various initiatives and I am happy to say that on May 26th, I received a copy of this report:

Unregulated, Uncontrolled, Unsafe Fluoridation Products

Sale and Promotion is Illegal and Must Cease Immediately

by

Carole Clinch B.A., B.P.H.E.

Gilles Parent N.DA

Pierre Morin Ph.D.

Submission to the Auditor General of Canada and the Attorney General and

Justice Minister of Canada

May 28, 2011

I have been informed that I am able to distribute the attached executive summary freely so if anyone would like a copy please feel free to contact me and I will forward it to you.

Remember that “You” can make a difference!

I’d love your feedback. Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv. This is an opportunity to leave a link back to your own site when you leave a comment.

Until next time,

Kathleen

 

 

 

 

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Something Has Changed

May 18th, 2011 by

I am safely home and back into somewhat of a routine after my quasi business trip with Paul, my husband, to Italy and Spain, but something inside me has changed!

Our twelve day tour starting in Rome and ending in Barcelona was filled with the shared company of family and friends as we delighted in a sensuous journey of history, art, architecture, food and drink.  There is nothing quite like an afternoon spent lazily sipping wine under a shaded canopy in a centuries-old piazza, watching the locals and the tourists intertwined as they pass in a casual stroll.  No loud voices, no frantic rush to beat that clock…… La Dolce Vita!

Alas, it is but a holiday, a break from the routine of the everyday life as all great holidays should be and reality is but a plane ride away.

The first leg of our return home began with a two hour Lufthansa flight from Barcelona to Frankfurt.  I picked up and scanned the airline’s magazine as we settled in and read an article highlighting the very important work of a lifetime Lufthansa mechanic (my father performed the same job in the Canadian military), responsible for re-tooling parts of the landing gear at regular intervals to insure its safety.  This story caused me to reflect on the efficiency and preciseness that embody for me the essence of the German people and with this in mind I settled back to enjoy our daylight flight over the French and Swiss Alps.

Paul and I viewed the landscape below as we began our descent into Frankfurt and discussed what an agriculturally rich area this appeared to be.  Interspersed with a multitude of tiny villages and forests, from the air it looked lush and enchanting, definitely a destination to explore in the future.

Looking out the window as the tarmac came into view I instinctively knew that something was not right!  We were on too steep and angle for our approach and we were moving much too fast.  Within a split second we slammed onto the runway and because of the incredible velocity of the downward-thrust of the plane, we immediately bounced back into the air and then slammed down onto the ground a second time.  Out-of-control, our aircraft lurched into the air again and this time began to careen to the left!  Within seconds, by the grace of God, an incredible upward thrust lifted the nose and we shot back into the air!

I am writing this blog so you know that we landed safely, but a different person got off that plane!

Have you had an experience like this? I l’d love your feedback.

Until next time,
Kathleen

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Triclosan: Is it in Your Toothpaste?

Apr 26th, 2011 by


I have been vaguely aware that Triclosan has found its way into many preventive oral health care products and due to a recent posting by a dental hygiene colleague about its safety and efficacy, I have decided to do a little research this week and share what I found.

Triclosan is an antibacterial/antifungal agent and is used in toothpastes and mouthwashes to prevent Gingivitis.

Triclosan is registered as a pesticide and may be found in many personal care products as well as clothing and toys.

Manufacturers of Triclosan-containing products claim that they are safe and The American Dental Association endorses its use!

“ADA.org: ADA News: Triclosan study not relevant to toothpaste”.

However…..Many recent studies are suggesting the following:

  • A Virginia Tech Study found that products containing Triclosan, when exposed to tap water, produce chloroform or other chlorine byproducts.

Rule KL, Ebbett VR, Vikesland PJ (2005). “Formation of chloroform and chlorinated organics by free-chlorine-mediated oxidation of triclosan”. Environ. Sci. Technol. 39 (9): 3176–85.

  • The United States Environmental Protection Agency considers this Triclosan by-product, chloroform, to be a probable carcinogen that could cause cancer.  Here is a link to the article.
  • A study found that in the environment, Triclosan reacts with sunlight, forming chlorophenols and dioxins which act as endocrine disruptors which mimic thyroid hormones thereby blocking normal hormones from being used. Here is a link to the study.
  • Chemically, Triclosan is very stable and therefore is eliminated very slowly, causing toxic bioaccumulation in all living tissues as well as the environment.

Calafat, A., “Urinary Concentrations of Triclosan in the U.S. Population: 2003-2004.”

In researching Canadian legislation and safeguards I found the following:

  • Environment Canada states that Triclosan is inherently toxic to aquatic organisms and because of its persistence does not break down and builds up in the environment.
  • The Canadian Medical Association called for a ban on all antibacterial consumers’ products such as those containing Triclosan.

Now, what does the Canadian Dental Association have to say?  I did a search on their site inputting Triclosan and came up empty-handed!  Typically, the American and Canadian Dental Associations share the same stands on many issues so I know what I expect to hear!

I will be making a call to the CDA later today to see if I can get a statement to pass on to the public but in the meantime, here’s a Pop Quiz to generate some excitement!

What is the number 1 selling toothpaste on the market today that contains Triclosan?

Please remember to be diligent with what you put-on and take-in to your body.  Read your toothpaste label today and consider choosing products carefully to enhance not only your health but the health of the planet!

What do you think? I love getting feedback on my blog. Here you’ll get commentluv. This is a plug-in that allows you to leave a link back to your own blog when you leave feedback.

Until next time,

Kathleen

 

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Dr. Oz on Dental X-rays, Mammograms and Thyroid Cancer

Apr 19th, 2011 by

Once again, a client of mine sent me a link to information from Dr. Oz  relating to a topic that we had previously discussed in my office: Radiation and Dental X-Rays.

Here is a link to the TV show segment. Thyroid Guards: Do You Need One? Pt 1.

It would appear that Dr. Oz, forever challenging the status quo, devoted an entire show to the rapidly growing prevalence of Thyroid Cancer and its possible relationship to Dental X-rays and Mammograms

My blog “Dental X-rays and the Risk of Thyroid Cancer” which I published on August 5, 2010, discussed this study by Dr. Anjum Memon and his team that was published in the medical journal; Acta Oncologica.

The study demonstrated that thyroid cancer increases as the number of dental X-rays grows.  The scientists studied 313 patients in Kuwait who all had thyroid cancer, where the incidence of thyroid cancer is very high and interestingly, dental treatment is free!

To quote Dr. Memon:

Our study highlights the concern that like chest (or other upper-body) x-rays, dental x-rays should be prescribed when the patient has a specific clinical need and not as part of routine check-up or when registering with a dentist”.

Personally, I believe that this approach for prescribing should also apply to Mammograms!  The public forgets that they involve exposure to Ionizing Radiation.

What Dr. Oz recommended is that in light of women being more susceptible to Thyroid Cancer, that they all request a Thyroid Guard the next time they have to have a Dental X-ray or Mammogram.

Evidently, his advice went viral and Doctors and Dentists were inundated with requests for Thyroid Guards.  In response, two powerful medical societies responded to Dr. Oz’s advice and called his show erroneous.

Dr. Oz clarified that he never said that Mammograms or Dental x-Rays are the only causes of Thyroid Cancer but he does think it’s worth minimizing radiation in whatever ways we can.

So…… please remember as Dr. Oz does, that the effects of radiation are cumulative and question the necessity of all X-Rays and insist on a Thyroid Guard when they are done.

How about you? Have you been offered the Thyroid guard when you’ve had x-rays? I love getting feedback. Here on this blog, you’ll get commentluv. This is a plug-in that allows you to leave a link back to your own site when you leave a comment.

Until next time,

Kathleen

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Soap For Teeth

Apr 13th, 2011 by

In response to last week’s blog I received a comment from the maker of Tooth Chips – a natural & safe toothpaste alternative for cleaning teeth to which I will be responding to today as well.

Not only does this product come in a variety of flavor and ingredient combinations, it’s what it doesn’t have that excites me!

1.       No Fluoride

2.       No Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)

3.       No Triclosan(anti-bacterial agent)

4.       No Artificial Dyes

5.       No Artificial sweeteners

6.       No Glycerin

Some of the ingredients these products do have, include Xylitol which I have written extensively about in the past due to its antibacterial/saliva stimulating properties and Neem Bark.

Neem Bark has anti-inflammatory properties and comes from the Neem tree which is predominately found in Asia and India.  Natives typically chew the ends into bristles and then gently clean the teeth with them.

I have a client who grew up in India who told me of these sticks many years ago and how effective they were.  I should have done the research then!

While I am quite happy with my current Rotadent electric toothbrush, I would like to try a few Tooth Chips products as some of my clients and I are currently testing a number of natural oral health care alternatives to see which ones we like, provide results and are cost effective.

I will be calling to place my order within the next few days, so if anyone reading this information would like to try them, let me know and I will add to the order and if they prove to fit my criteria, look for them on the product shelf at Woodland Dental Hygiene in the near future.

I’d love your feedback. Here on my blog you’ll get commentluv. This is a plug-in that allows you to leave a link back to your own site when you leave feedback.

Until next time,

Kathleen

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Cure Tooth Decay

Apr 6th, 2011 by


Remineralize Cavities & Repair Your Teeth Naturally With Good Food

This is the title of a book I purchased recently, written by author Ramiel Nagel.   Nagel spent five years researching tooth decay after his one year old daughter developed cavities in her front teeth.

Not wishing to subject his young daughter to the trauma of surgery and general anesthesia, Nagel embarked on a fact-finding mission to uncover the real cause of tooth decay and how to cure this disease with a therapeutic/non-surgical approach.

It is important to point out that Ramiel Nagel is not a dental professional!  I had a problem with this fact from the first time I landed on his web-site, thinking, “Who is this guy?  How could he possibly write a book about tooth decay when he is not even in the dental field”? The answer came to me after listening to a radio interview with Nagel.

The theories that he presents are not his.  They are based upon the pioneering works of many great doctors such as; Francis Pottenger, Weston Price and Melvin Page.  He has merely compiled their work and presented it in a manner that the general public may understand and put to use easily.

Much of the information presented in the book has been around for decades, but once again, I, in the field of preventive oral health care, had never heard of this research!

The other reason that I think a non-dental professional had to write this book has to do with the controversy it could cause.  It flies in the face of the traditional theories of what causes tooth decay and how to treat it and therefore will probably be challenged by organized dentistry.   Ramiel Nagel does not have a license to lose should someone decide to challenge his work.

Next week I will explore some of the key concepts presented in the book.

As always, people’s entire health and well-being are my concern as a health-care provider.  I delight in being allowed the opportunity to explore and present exciting information that the public can take and use as they educate themselves and endeavor to make health care choices that are right for them.

I love getting feedback. Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv. This is a plug-in that allows you to leave a link back to your own site when you leave feedback.

Until next time,

Kathleen

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