Fluoride accumilates over time.

Fluoride accumilates over time.

While it has long been believed that fluoride has a half life of 3.5 hours (the timethe body takes to process it and clear it from the body systems like the liver, kidneys etc), experience of victims of fluoride poisoning suggests that the chemical's half life is much longer.

When a community in Alaska was poisoned with fluoride due to a malfunction of the fluoridation equipment system, researchers noted that blood fluoride levels did not return to normal within 24 hours as would be expected. Nineteen days after the poisoning, mean blood levels of fluoride were 0.092 mg/L or put simply, nearly three times the levels in the few non poisoned individuals residing in the same community (Fluoride, 1994; 27: 32-6).

Studies now show that, far from clearing quickly from the body, fluoride accumulates over time, reaching toxic levels as a person ages. Fluoride has a particular affinity for bones and has been widely linked to the development of osteoporosis and a high rate of hip fractures (JAMA, 1992; 268: 746-8; JAMA, 1990; 264: 500-2; JAMA, 1991; 266: 513). This has been my observation from working in Newcastle over the past three years.

Accumulation of fluoride, which begins in infancy because of its presence in foods, water supplies and toothpastes, can reach the lower levels of toxicity needed to produce bone damage after only 38 years. That means the average man or woman living in an eara with fluordated water supply runs the risk of osteoporosis in later years, plus all the other side effects associalted with flouride toxicity. In fluoridated communities where the level of fluoride in the water is 4 ppm (the maximum allowable in water - toothpaste has much less!), many people will reach mid to high dose accumulation by this age. As a general rule, approximately half of each day's fluoride intake is retained. Healthy kidneys can eliminate only about 50 per cent of daily fluoride intake. The rest gets absorbed into calcified tissues such as bones and teeth as well as some organs. And remember: you get fluoride from other sources like food. Even meal replacements, such as Fortisip by Nutricia intended for ill patients, contain 0.15 mg of sodium fluoride per 100 ml. Black tea, or Indian tea, is grown on soils recognised to be high in their levels of flouride. Don't forget, flouride is a naturally occuring substance. Adding it to water and toothpaste is the un-natural part.

Minimising your flouride exposure

Although you can't eliminate your exposure to fluoride entirely, you can minimise your risk of overdosing.

To help avoid fluoride toxicity:

Eat foods low in fluoride, like eggs, red meats (but not organ meats like liver), furits with a protective rind (watermelon, lemon, banana, coconut), fruits packed in their own juices (pineapple) and those canned in non fluoridated or low fluoridated countries if you must eat canned fruits. Organic apples and pears are safer than non organic.

Take adequate amounts of vitamins B6 and vitamin C in a supplement form and from a practitioner only supply (see The Natural Dispensary for more information).

Supplement with calcium and magnesium salts to help decrease fluoride absorption from the stomach and assist in elimination. Magnesium salts can also be added to bathwater. These are available in Holland and Barrett. You can also buy filters to remove much of the fluoried from water, but these can be beyond most people's budgets. (see below*)

Maintain good general and dental health with varied vegetables (lightly cooked or raw), fresh fruits, pulses and avoid all refind sugars, flours and hydrogenated fats.

For dental health, maintain adequate levels of calcium and phosphorus, as well as magnesium, strontium, molybdenum, vanadium and zinc (read 'Fluoride: The Great Dilemma' available on amazon.co.uk)

If possible, avoid moving to areas that presently fluoridate water supplies, which in the UK include much of Birmingham, Newcastle, all of Warwickshire, parts of Carlisle, Coventry, Doncaster, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Wolverhampton and isolated areas elsewhere. (A bit of a tough one if you already live there)

Avoid the following drugs, which contain fluoride: Prozac (fluoxetine), Rohypnol (flunitrazepam), Diflucan (fluconazole, Flixonase or Flixotide (fluticasone), Stelazine (trifluo perazine, Fluanxol or Depixol (flupenthixol) or Floxapen (flucloxacillin)

Contact your local water authority for analysis figures of your water's fluoride content, or the National Pure Water Association for more information: 12 Dennington Lane, Crigglestone, Wakefield, WF4 3ET (Tel: 01924 254433)

Use fluoride free toothpaste, like Tom's, Tea Tree, Sarakan, Kingfisher, Natural Propolis, Weleda, Aloedent and others, available from health food shops

**Install a water purification system that removes fluoride, by contacting: Ecowater, Mill Road, Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP14 3TP; Fresh Water Filters Co Ltd, Carlton House, Aylmere Road, Leytonstone, London, E11 3AD; or Crouch Water Softener Services, 631 London Road, Westcliffe on Sea, Essex, SSO 9PE.

To test for fluoride poisoning: this is best done through a practitioner who can interpret the results:

Contact Biolab Medical Unit, 9 Weymouth Street, London, W1N 3FF, for a test on fluoride sensitivity and white cell depression; or the British Fluoridation Exposure Group from PO Box 5484, Leicester, LE3 3WH, and Dr Peter Mansfield, Templegarth Trust, PO Box 6, Louth, Lincs, LN11 8XL, for a test measuring 24 hour urine output of fluoride.

Before taking the test, avoid all fluoridated water (use distilled, other non fluoridated or low fluoride water), fluoridated drinks (tea), fluoride rich food (ocean fish, gelatine, chicken skin), fluoridated toothpaste and any other source of environmental fluoride, like cigarette smoke and industrial pollution

The postive information is that it is possible to reduce considerably the fluoride levels in your body with a programme designed to support detoxification. The Healing Touch Therapy does a Metabolic Detox which seriously reduces all toxic element stored within the body. For more information please contact Cynthia Sillars on 07599520406. If symptoms are caused by fluoride, they should diminish markedly within days or weeks, and will arise again once re exposed to source of fluoride (Professor AK Susheela, October, 1998)