Original post: October 6, 2010
The latest findings by environmental researchers have shed some light on possible causes of frequent bone and joint diseases we face in our human and companion animal populations today. Fluoride!
Fluoridation of our water supply has been a controversial subject since its inception but the evidence against fluoridation continues to mount. In large doses beyond those recommended, fluoride can have the opposite effect. That is, it can degrade bone, tooth and joint health. Research indicates that overexposure can cause a three-fold increase in the risk of bone fracture and hip disease and more recent research is showing a possible negative effect on intellectual capacity. Further investigation is also shedding light on possible higher risk of cancer and tumors with fluoride overload.
The problem is not fluoride but the method of delivery; fluoridation of water is not conducive to standardized dosing. Fluoride can be applied directly on the teeth to deliver its proven carriogenic benefit but it doesn’t have to be swallowed by the glass. In my opinion no-one is considering the lifestyle changes and variances which we have evolved to adopt. In the past it was determined that men and children were at greater risk for fluoridosis (toxic overload of fluoride); men were because they were amid the elements drinking more water than women and the child’s risk was a function of the lower bodyweight.
We all value and drink water at different levels and today’s health directives which generally include more abundant consumption of water increases the risk of fluoride overkill.
Athletes drink more water; we drink more water throughout the summer; and the more processed food we eat the more water we drink. Processed food typically tends to have an imbalanced electrolyte status; primarily a sodium elevation. With this as a staple for too many North Americans more water is consumed than was consumed when whole food made up more of our diet. The processed, bagged and canned food which we have deemed acceptable for our companion animals is also dehydrated from its natural state causing our pets to consume far more water than we might proportionally need. More water carries more fluoride.
The original premise on which fluoridation was principled is no longer appropriate today due to our current social, economic, agricultural and general tendencies. The biggest one to impact humans and their pets and compound the fluoride problem is that of bone meal addition to supplements and feed. Bone meal is a source of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc and other bone minerals but it carries with it a compounding fluoride risk. Our farmers conventionally feed livestock dry man-made feed and hay. Dry feed creates demands for greater water consumption by livestock. This increases water-derived fluoride beyond that which we’ve calculated to be standard.
Our human drinking patterns were used as the original standards by which the fluoridation parameters were determined.
Our livestock does not live long enough to exhibit the ill-effects of fluoride overload, however, the concentration in their tissues and secretions can be found to be abnormally high;
primarily bone and even milk. Although research has demonstrated that the fluoride in cow’s milk varies directly with the fluoride concentrations in the drinking water, the claim is it falls within healthy levels. However, research is showing that bone concentrations of these animals is also high. Investigation of poultry tissues prepared for human consumption unveils that ground muscle meat contains traces of fluoride which may come from the muscle meat itself or might be from minute bone fragments of the bon e. When we add up all of these small but acceptable doses, the final total is unacceptable. How much water, milk and animal protein did you, your children or your pet consume this week?
Not only do these animal tissues make up our own food supply, their by-products can also be cycled back to these livestock as bone meal and protein sources of their own feeds.
This in turn further concentrates the fluoride concentration in the tissues of the animals that are slaughtered for human
and companion animal foods. Fluoride has found its way from our drinking water to irrigation systems which water our vegetable crops and livestock to intensely concentrate itself up the food chain. Humans and their four legged companion animals are at the top of this food chain absorbing fluoride from almost everything we put in our mouths.
The repercussions are formidable and the cause of these illnesses not easy to pinpoint. Bone disease, and joint disease and cognitive disorders are on the rise in both the human and pet populations and the horrifying practice of supplementing with bone meal is not helping. Bone tissue is a by-product of the slaughter house and this toxic throw-away has now made it into expensive human and pet supplements and foods. The cost of raw bone meal is mere pennies per pound compared to standardized mineral formulations which actually deliver guaranteed mineral levels and no incidental fluoride. In addition, the actual mineral composition of bone meal can vary drastically from batch to batch based on carcass status and nutritional state when the livestock was alive. It’s not a reliable source of nutrition.
It’s a sad state when we consider that the fluoride source used to treat our water supplies is actually a toxic chemicalby-product of industry which is sold to government and forced down our throats as though we were biological degrading and disposal mechanisms. Furthermore, both humans and their companion animals are being utilized as dispensing channels for the fluoride-dense bone meal which has no value and no business being in our food and especially not in concentrated forms in our nutritional supplements.
Fluoridosis is most commonly characterized by white or brown mottling of the teeth and brittle teeth and bones. However, the deeper metabolic problems that this overload may pose are not yet known. Tooth and unexplainable bone breaks are becoming more and more common in our human and companion canine populations. Hip and other joint disease is at epidemic levels.
How do we avoid the potential toxic build up? First of all avoid using food sources which include bone meal. And definitely don’t use bone meal as a supplement to further exacerbate the problem. Alternate your source of water for your companion animal to use tap water one day and distilled water the next especially if your community water source delivers excessive amounts of fluoride. Your own water supply for the rest of the family might have to be reconsidered if fluoridosis is suspected.
Some community water supplies have been augmented with more fluoride than others and the state of the community’s teeth, such as mottling, can be a tell tale sign.
Lastly, make certain that vitamins D, C and E are more than sufficient in the diet; glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM are supplied in low molecular weight and sufficient quantity daily; and ensure that adequate intakes of calcium, magnesium, boron, potassium, zinc and copper are supplemented daily in an appropriate form.
Your pet requires a species-specific formulation – one designed specifically for their distinct metabolism and gastrointestinal tract. This supplementation, over and above what food supplies daily, will support healthy bone and joint development to help circumvent the health challenges which probable fluoride elevation can cause. We can’t do much to help ourselves and our companion animals when we are uninformed but once we have been made aware prevention and maintenance of health is a much easier feat we have some control over. Prevention is the best cure.
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