CDC and ADA Now Advise to Avoid Using Fluoride

A new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association finds once again that, contrary to what most people have been told, fluoride is actually bad for teeth.

Exposure to high levels of fluoride results in a condition known as fluorosis, in which tooth enamel becomes discolored. The condition can eventually lead to badly damaged teeth. The new study found that fluoride intake during a child's first few years of life is significantly associated with fluorosis, and warned against using fluoridated water in infant formula.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is of a similar opinion. According to their website:

"Recent evidence suggests that mixing powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with fluoridated water on a regular basis may increase the chance of a child developing ... enamel fluorosis."

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

It was 2007 when the American Dental Association (ADA) first warned that parents of infants younger than a year old "should consider using water that has no or low levels of fluoride" when mixing baby formula, due to concerns about fluorosis.

Now the Journal of the American Dental Association has published a study that found increased fluorosis risk among infants who were fed infant formula reconstituted with fluoride-containing water, as well as used fluoridated toothpastes.

The authors noted:

"Results suggest that prevalence of mild dental fluorosis could be reduced by avoiding ingestion of large quantities of fluoride from reconstituted powdered concentrate infant formula and fluoridated dentifrice."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also followed suit, warning on their Community Water Fluoridation page that mixing powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with fluoridated water on a regular basis may increase the chance of a child developing enamel fluorosis.

They also state:

"In children younger than 8 years of age, combined fluoride exposure from all sources—water, food, toothpaste, mouth rinse, or other products—contributes to enamel fluorosis."

This is as far as the CDC warnings go, however, and they continue to state that water fluoridation is safe -- and dental fluorosis is only a "cosmetic" problem. In reality, neither of these assertions is true.

Dental Fluorosis is a Sign of Excessive Fluoride Intake

Dental fluorosis results in white and brown spots on your teeth. It is only caused by fluoride -- typically due to ingesting too much fluoride during your developing years, from birth to about 8 years of age. According to the CDC, about one-third of U.S. children aged 12 to 15 years have very mild to mild forms of enamel fluorosis on their teeth.

Promoters of fluoridation say that these markings are "just cosmetic," but it can also be an indication that the rest of your body, such as your bones and the rest of your organs, including your brain, has been exposed to too much fluoride also.

As Dr. Paul Connett, a chemist specializing in environmental chemistry, explained in our recent interview:

"We know that 32 percent of American children have been overexposed to fluoride because you have this telltale sign of dental fluorosis, which in its mildest form is little white specs. But when it gets more serious, it affects more of the surface of your teeth and it becomes colored; yellow, brown and orange mottling of the teeth …

The teeth are the window to the bones. If you've seen the damage to the teeth, what damage can you not see?"

In other words, if fluoride is having a detrimental, visual effect on the surface of your teeth, you can be virtually guaranteed that it's also damaging something else inside your body, such as your bones.

Bone is living tissue that is constantly being replaced through cellular turnover. Bone building is a finely balanced, complicated process. Fluoride has been known to disrupt this process ever since the 1930s.

Why it's Dangerous to Swallow Fluoride

The United States is one of only eight countries in the entire developed world that fluoridates more than 50 percent of its water supply. It is added under the guise that it helps prevent and control tooth decay …

This is in spite of the fact that there never been any demonstrated difference in tooth decay between countries with fluoridated and non-fluoridated water, and no difference between states that have a high- or low percentage of their water fluoridated.

Even promoters of fluoridation concede that the major benefits are topical; fluoride works from the outside of the tooth, not from inside of your body, so why swallow it?

The fluoride added to your drinking water is in fact a chemical waste product! It is NOT something you should use as a supplement to your diet.

There are plenty of studies showing the dangers of fluoride to your health, such as:

• Increases lead absorption
• Disrupts synthesis of collagen
• Hyperactivity and/or lethargy
• Muscle disorders
• Brain damage, and lowered IQ
• Arthritis
• Dementia
• Bone fractures
• Lowers thyroid function
• Bone cancer (osteosarcoma)
• Inactivates 62 enzymes
• Inhibits formation of antibodies
• Genetic damage and cell death
• Increases tumor and cancer rate
• Disrupts immune system
• Damages sperm and increases infertility

As far as tooth decay is concerned, this is not caused by lack of fluoride.

Tooth decay is caused by acids in your mouth, typically created from sugar being metabolized by bacteria (Streptococcus mutans), and as you may already know, the number one source of calories in the United States is high fructose corn syrup.

The acid produced then attacks your enamel. Eventually the bacteria can get into the dentine, at which point tooth decay sets in. So there are far better options for decreasing tooth decay than using a topical or ingested poison, with a chief one being minimizing your intake of sugary foods and eating a healthful diet.

You typically don't find dental caries in more primitive societies that do not consume vast amounts of sugar like in the United States.

Make Sure Your Children are Not Exposed to Fluoride

One of dentist Bill Osmunson's main concerns is water fluoridation for infants. The ADA and the CDC now both recommend that infants NOT receive fluoridated water for drinking, nor for making their formula, as fluoridated water contains 250 times more fluoride than mother's milk.

"We shouldn't fluoridate water and harm our most vulnerable," Dr. Osmunson says.

It is my strong belief and recommendation to avoid giving your children fluoridated water.

Unfortunately, the only way to ensure your water is pure enough to drink is by installing ahigh quality water filtration system in your house, such as a reverse osmosis filter that can filter out much of the fluoride and other dangerous water contaminants like disinfection byproducts (DBPs).

Remember that most bottled water also typically contains fluoride, even though it's not stated on the label, and whatever you do, avoid using "nursery water," which is fluoridated water sold specifically for infants.

Fluoride in your drinking water is one more reason why breastfeeding your infant is so essential. Nature has kept breast milk virtually fluoride-free for a reason.

If you are unable to breastfeed and are instead using formula, make sure the water you use is fluoride-free. Again, for now the best way you can provide pure, fluoride-free water to your family is by using a reverse osmosis filter, which you can install in your home.

Even better, if you are unable to breastfeed use this recipe to make homemade infant formula using raw milk and no water at all.

Keep in mind also that if you are a pregnant woman it is equally important for your water to be fluoride-free, as this chemical can harm your developing fetus.

The Ultimate Solution is to Get Fluoride Out of Tap Water

Even though the ADA and the CDC have issued warnings that parents not use fluoridated tap water to make infant formula, neither of them has openly informed the public!

So there are millions of parents out there using tap water to make up formula, oblivious of the fact that the agencies that promote fluoridation in this country have issued a specific warning against using fluoridated water for this purpose.

Not only that, but by fluoridating the municipal water supply you doom many low-income families to fail to protect their young children from this dangerous drug, even if they have this information, as they simply don't have the resources to install a reverse osmosis system.

This is why the only real solution is to stop the archaic practice of water fluoridation in the United States.

The Fluoride Action Network is an absolutely phenomenal resource for further education, and they're doing much to pressure the US government for change. We will be working together to devise a complete game plan to tackle this issue head on. Once we reach the tipping point, which may be as little as 5 percent of the population, we will be able to reverse the policies of water fluoridation.

Our strategy will begin with addressing Canada, because 60 percent of Canada is already un-fluoridated. If we can get the rest of Canada to stop fluoridating their water, we believe the U.S. will be forced to follow.

You can visit www.FluorideAlert.org for the most recent updates and progress, as well as tips on how you can get involved and take action in this important cause.

In addition, I highly recommend getting a copy of Dr. Connett's new book, The Case Against Fluoride, for more information on the bad science and political agendas that got this toxic chemical in our drinking water and is, at least for now, keeping it there.

Sources:

• Journal of the American Dental Association October 14, 2010; 141(10):1190-1201
• CDC May 28, 2010
• Dr. Mercola's Blog

Epsom Salt for Autism?

We're always looking for light reading between tasks on what we can do for our son to overcome the negative effects of Autism, and so I was intrigued when I found an article on Epsom Salt.  I guess what kind of stuck out in my mind was the fact that lately, we've had to give him Miralax for constipation and I know that the active ingredient in Miralax is actually Magnesium.  Well, Epsom Salt is not really salt, it's really just Magnesium Sulfate.  Not to go too much into another subject, but another article we wrote here, about a Tylenol and Allergy Link, it turns out that the Sulfates in Epsom Salts, can replenish the Sulfates used up in the Liver, due to taking Tylenol.  It should be noted however, that some studies make it unclear if both should be taken at the same time, so talk to your doctor.

To make a long story short, I've been putting a cup in Jonathan's bath every other day and I've found that he sleeps better, has less allergic outbreaks and seems to be able to concentrate on tasks we give him a bit longer than before.  The only thing I would like to say though, before continuing on to read the article, is to double check with your doctor, since the Magnesium or the Sulfate might interact negatively with Medication your child might be on.

Here's the Article, and you decide.

My mother taught me about Epsom salts for aches and pains. She would swear by it and I would ignore it; chalking it up to another old wives tale she told me. But then autism entered our lives and suddenly I was reading about the magic of Epsom salt baths. Could my mom actually have been right about this? Well, yes.

The reason I learned about Epsom salt baths for my son with autism was due to the research I was conducting on some of his physical and behavioral symptoms he displayed. It turned out that he has trouble with his PST (phenol-sulfotransferase) system and the processing of phenols and salicylates.

Symptoms of PST/sulfate deficiency (problems with phenols/salicylates) are reddened ears, hyperactivity, inappropriate laughter, night sweats, black under eyes, excessive thirst, eczema, facial flushing, trouble falling to sleep, disturbed sleep and odorous bed-clothes.  Your child doesn’t have to exhibit all of these symptoms in order to have trouble with phenols.  My son gets most of these symptoms and he not only becomes very hyper, but he starts to stim and he has trouble with emotion regulation.

Ready for the medical science behind this? One very important sulfotransferase enzyme is the one that attaches sulfate to phenol compounds, called phenol-sulfotransferase (PST). The PST is under active in the majority of autistic children. Without the PST enzyme working properly, the liver will have trouble eliminating the phenols in food.  PST is a Phase 2 liver enzyme that detoxifies leftover hormones and a wide variety of toxic molecules, such as phenols and amines that are produced in the body (and even in the gut by bacteria, yeast, and other fungi) as well as food dyes and chemicals.

OK, so what are phenols?  Phenols are present in food dyes, artificial flavors, preservatives and in highly colored fruits and vegetables, in bioflavonoids, and in carotenoids (carotene, lutein, lycopene, xanthophylls, and zeaxanthin).  Almost all foods have phenols, but in varying amounts. Salicylates are a subgroup of phenols.Salicylate is a group of chemicals related to aspirin. There are several kinds of salicylate, which plants make as a natural pesticide to protect themselves.  Foods high in natural salicylates are tomatoes, apples, peanuts, bananas, oranges, cocoa (chocolate), red grapes, coffee, all berries, peppers (bell & chili) to name a few.  My son can’t tolerate too many phenols/salicylates. He reacts to tomatoes (yes, ketchup and pasta sauce!), chocolate, red grapes, and artificial colors/flavors.

Most children on the autism spectrum are very low in sulfate due to a deficiency in this PST pathway.  Since sulfur intake is low, and its oxidation is slow in many autistic children, phenols and salicylates that requires or uses up sulfate ions during its metabolism, will make the situation worse.  Tylenol is phenolic and one or two minutes after a dose of  Tylenol, the entire supply of sulfate in the liver is gone!

So, what’s a mother to do? Well, listen to their mother. Epsom salt baths. One way to enhance detoxification is to supply more sulfate.  This increases the amount of toxins processed out. Sulfate ions may not be absorbed well from the gut, so simply giving more sulfur directly by swallowing supplements may not produce satisfactory results.  This may be because their body is unable to convert the sulfur to the needed sulfate form. Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate which is readily available to support the PST pathway. You can purchase Epsom salts at Costco, Wal-Mart or your local grocery and health food stores. Be sure to purchase U.S.P. (United States pharmaceutical grade).

When given an Epsom salt bath, the magnesium and sulfate in the salts are absorbed into the body through the skin. Because the sulfur is already in the sulfate form, it does not need to be converted like other forms of sulfur do. Sulfate is thought to circulate in the body up to about nine hours. Any Epsom salts left on the skin may continue to be absorbed as long as it is still on the skin, offering continuous ‘timed-released’ input into the bloodstream.

I put 1.5 to 2 cups of Epsom salts in hot bath water to dissolve and then add the cold water to balance the temperature. My son will soak for about 15 minutes before I use natural soaps or shampoos. Others add baking soda and lavender oil to enhance the relaxation effects.  I give my son an Epsom salt bath at least 5 nights a week, others do less.  It really soothes and calms him for bedtime.

I’ve finally decided to take heed to my mother’s old wives tales she’s been sharing with me for the past 40 years. There is something to be said about listening to your mother.  But perhaps we should refer to them as “old wise tales” from now on.

Milk Egg and Soy Free Cake

I found this FANTASTIC Recipe at Milk Allergy Mom

Milk and Egg Free Cake

This is our go-to cake recipe every time! It's yummy, moist cake that nobody will know is dairy/egg free.

Known as 4-H cake/depression cake/crazy cake/wacky cake.

This recipe is for 12 cupcakes, a 9x9 cake, and an 8x8 cake.

Double ingredients for 24 cupcakes, double layer round cake, or 9x13" cake.

Heat oven to 350.

Grease pan(s) with an allergy safe food if you are making this for someone with food allergies. We have luck with most Pam sprays and Fleischmann's Unsalted Margarine Sticks.

1.5 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup oil
1 c cold water

Combine ingredients and pour into greased pan or muffin tin. Bake in oven until done, when cake springs back to the touch or a toothpick comes out clean. Time varies on the pan you use, 15 to 30 minutes possibly.

Our favorite icing for this cake is Pillsbury Creamy Supreme from a tub. It comes in flavors of Chocolate Fudge, Classic White, and Cream Cheese, and for now they are all dairy free. They all contain soy. Check labels because Pillsbury WHIPPED icings DO contain milk.

Substitutions:

Vanilla Cake: Omit cocoa. Double the vanilla. Add 1/4 more cup flour. 

Spice Cake: Omit cocoa. Add 1 Tb pumpkin spice. Add 1/4 more cup flour. 

Orange Cake. Omit cocoa & vinegar. Use orange juice for the water. Add 1/4 more cup flour. 

Lemon Cake: Omit cocoa. Use lemon juice for vinegar. Can add some lemon extract. Add 1/4 more cup flour.

Tylenol May Not Be Safe For Our Kids

We need to use our brains with this research, obviously if your kid has a high fever, you don't want to risk brain damage, but at the same time for a little boo-boo, try to avoid the Tylenol.

Acetaminophen May Cause Asthma in Children

The huge rise in Asthma among kids may be caused by
excessive acetaminophen usage.

Summary
A comparative study involving children from many countries across the world was conducted to investigate the increased risk of asthma and other allergic disorders like rhinoconjunctivitis (characterized by itchy watery eyes and a runny nose) and eczema (skin rashes) upon intake of acetaminophen. The results suggested a dose-dependent increase in the symptoms of asthma when acetaminophen had been used in the past 12 months.

Introduction
The use of acetaminophen to treat fever is very common and has been practiced for more than 30 years. Although acetaminophen is easily available and commonly used, it has been previously reported that its frequent use could increase the risk and severity of asthma in young children. Hence, a study was done on adolescent children aged 13 to 14 years, to assess the impact of acetaminophen use on asthma and related symptoms. According to the findings, “acetaminophen use may represent an important risk factor for the development and/or maintenance of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in adolescents.”

Methodology
•    This study was conducted as a part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC).
•    More than 300,000 children aged between 13 and 14 years from 50 countries were asked to complete three questionnaires: one video and two written questionnaires.
•    The first written questionnaire was designed to obtain data on the symptoms of asthma and the general prevalence of asthma in that particular region. The second questionnaire gathered information about the risk factors as well as protective factors for asthma. The questions were simple and were either “yes/no” type or a “multiple-choice” type. The video questionnaire had a video presentation of asthma and its symptoms.
•    The answers from each questionnaire were sorted and interpreted with respect to certain statistical methods.

Key Findings
•    There was a significant increase–almost two-and-a-half times–in asthma (specifically, wheezing) on exposure to acetaminophen at least once a month.
•    A dose-dependent correlation was also seen between the use of acetaminophen and symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis in some children.
•    A few children had eczema–skin rashes and itching, which again were related to the acetaminophen medication.

Next Steps
This study theorizes on the association between acetaminophen use and asthma-based responses of adolescent children. Although there are some ideas on scientific explanations for this association, they have yet to be confirmed. Randomized controlled trials are needed to further investigate this connection. Additional research in this area can be helpful in advising consumers on use of acetaminophen and other fever-reducing drugs.

Conclusion
This study significantly linked the worsening of asthma symptoms with acetaminophen use. Acetaminophen was also shown to increase symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema. This information was already available for younger children aged 6 to 7 years. This report extended the findings to adolescent children. Thus, use of acetaminophen may not be safe in all patients and it should be taken with caution and under medical supervision.

Read the entire report

Read more at FYI Living: http://www.fyiliving.com/health/allergy-asthma/is-tylenol-safe-for-kids/#ixzz1szuib4HM