The following article by Dr. Joseph Mercola was transcribed verbatim from:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/01/paul-connett-interview.aspx
[Please click on the above link to view the video of Dr. Mercola's interview with Paul Connett.]
Warning: This Daily Habit is Damaging Your Bones, Brain, Kidneys, and Thyroid
Posted By Dr. Mercola | July 01 2010 | 143,833 views
Amazingly, the United States is only one of eight countries in the entire developed world that fluoridates more than 50 percent of its water supply. (The other seven are: Australia, Colombia, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.)
In Europe, Ireland is the only country that fluoridates more than 50 percent of its drinking water, and England fluoridates 10 percent.
Most of mainland Europe is not fluoridated, and yet, according to World Health Organization data, their teeth are just as good, if not better than Americans'.
One of the central challenges in this debate is that the United States claim to have one of the most advanced scientific countries in the world, yet we're still engaging in a practice that is questionable at best, and extremely harmful at worst.
This interview is part of an ongoing effort to help provide you with the tools to take action in three primary areas, and help you understand that indeed you CAN make a real difference in this area .
Canada also fluoridates about 40 percent of its drinking water, and there, the efforts to eliminate fluoride seem quite optimistic. The fluoridation there is concentrated in Alberta and Ontario, so if Ontario stops water fluoridation, the entire country of Canada could conceivably get rid of it in short order.
In the US, the current focus is on two specific communities: San Diego, California, and Austin, Texas. These areas already have leadership backing this cause, along with favorable media support.
There may be other communities that we're not aware of, and if you're interested in starting a movement in your local community, please let us know you're interested by adding your remarks in the Vital Votes section below.
If you're not already registered, you can do so here. It only takes a moment. We can then help you to get the process rolling.
Is Water Fluoridation Really in the Best Interest of Public Health?
As you may know, the theory behind the introduction of fluoride in your water supply initially seems beneficial – to reduce the incidence of dental caries in children.
However, the health dangers of fluoride are so numerous; they far outweigh any potential benefit to your teeth.
"First of all, water fluoridation is very bad medicine," Dr. Connett says, "because once you put it in the water, you can't control the dose. You can't control who gets it. There is no oversight. You're allowing a community to do to everyone what a doctor can do to no one, i.e. force a patient to take a particular medication."
Secondly, it's both unnecessary and avoidable.
Today, 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? Why put it in the drinking water when you could just brush your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste if you choose – in addition to drinking it!
Please note that I do NOT believe you should use fluoride in your toothpaste but I am just emphasizing the point that it might work topically but does not work at all when you swallow it. There are far better options for decreasing tooth decay than using a topical poison.Third, water fluoridation is ineffective.
There is practically no difference in tooth decay between fluoridated and non-fluoridated countries, and no difference between states that have a high- or low percentage of their water fluoridated.
Meanwhile, fluoride can cause significant harm.
"We know that 32 percent of American children have been overexposed to fluoride," Connett says, "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."
Promoters of fluoridation scoff at these signs, saying that they're "just cosmetic."
But, since we already know that water fluoridation does NOT effectively reduce dental caries, this is an unnecessary cosmetic defect, and, worse yet, it is a worrisome indication that your body has been overexposed to fluoride. If it's 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.
"The teeth are the window to the bones," Connett says. "If you've seen the damage to the teeth, what damage can you not see?"
Bone is in fact 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. We have huge concerns about the potential of fluoride to damage the bone and cause symptoms like arthritis and making them more brittle and more prone to fracture.
Water Fluoridation is an Assault on Your Freedom of Choice!
"We now have 23 studies from four different countries; Mexico, Iran, India and China, which indicate that moderate exposure to fluoride is lowering IQ in children," Connett says.
"The lowest level at which they estimate this is happening is 1.9 parts per million of fluoride.
If you've got an effect at 1.9 parts per million with a few hundred children in the study, then there is not enough margin of safety to protect every child that's being exposed to fluoride."
You need a much larger margin of safety to protect children living in fluoridated communities.
Meanwhile, the US has not yet studied the impact of fluoride on IQ.
"The countries which are fluoridated are doing practically no health studies," Connett points out. "They are far more concerned about protecting this policy for some reason than protecting health."
In 2003, the National Research Council appointed one of the most balanced and objective panels of experts that have ever objectively investigated fluoride. They spent about three years studying it and determined that the current "safe" drinking water standard of 4 ppm (parts per million) set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for fluoride is too high and it should be lowered.
But in the four years since, the EPA has not completed a new health risk assessment and thus we still live with this outdated and unsafe standard, even though the NRC study was specifically requested by the EPA.
When evaluating the issue of water fluoridation it is also important to understand that fluoride is a drug. You can't get fluoride without a prescription! Yet it's being added to your water supply on a mandatory basis at various levels that may or may not be safe for various individuals, especially children, the sick, and the elderly.
Water fluoridation is a major assault on your freedom of choice – to be drugged or not.
Sodium fluoride, which is a far simpler toxin than the fluoride compounds used for most water fluoridation, has also been used for rat and cockroach poisons, so there is no question that it is highly toxic.
Have a Glass of Water, then Call Poison Control!?
"The sad irony here is that the FDA, which does not regulate fluoride in drinking water, does regulate toothpaste," Connett says, "and on the back of a tube of fluoridated toothpaste… it must state that "if your child swallows more than the recommended amount, contact a poison control center."
The amount that they're talking about, the recommended amount, which is a pea-sized amount, is equivalent to one glass of water.
The FDA is not putting a label on the tap saying don't drink more than one glass of water. If you do, contact a poison center. So you got this tweedledum and tweedledee…
There is no question that fluoride -- not an excessive amount -- can cause serious harm. There have been examples of children who swallowed the gel that is used for topical treatment and they died as a consequence. So fluoride is extremely toxic."
According to Dr. Connett, you also increase your child's risk for dental fluorosis if he brushes his teeth with fluoridated toothpaste twice a day compared to just once.
"We're not talking about killing people outright with drinking water," Connett says.
"What we're concerned about is the chronic exposure… It's poisonous."
Fluoride Breaks Down Your Bones and Damage Your Thyroid
Approximately fifty percent of the fluoride that you ingest each day ends up accumulating in your bones over a lifetime. So you're steadily increasing the fluoride levels in your bones over time.
Dr. Connett recounts the evidence gleaned from India and China, where some areas have high natural fluoride levels. There, the initial symptoms of fluoride poisoning are arthritis-like symptoms such as joint pains.
Despite these findings, no study has ever been conducted in the US to investigate whether there's an association between people living in fluoridated areas and increasing arthritis rates.
Fluoride also lowers thyroid function. It was used in medicine during the 1930s through 1950s in Europe to treat patients with overactive thyroid glands. This is a very real and significant concern, especially today as millions of people suffer with low thyroid function.
Women seem to be particularly sensitive to this. I've seen tens of thousands of patients, and low thyroid function is a very common problem.
If you exhibit symptoms of low thyroid function you'll want to get a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test. If it's above 1.5 then you probably need to address your thyroid, at which point it becomes mandatory to avoid fluoride from all sources.
Common symptoms of decreased thyroid function include:
- Low body temperature
- Lack of energy
- Dry skin
- Tendency toward constipation
- Not sweating well
Your drinking water and fluoridated toothpaste are the two most obvious sources, but you may also be exposed to fluoride from certain drugs, if they are metabolized to free fluoride in the body. This may occur with some antidepressants and some antibiotics, especially the fluoroquinolones.
Another source is pesticides, so it also becomes more important to eat organic.
Where Does the Fluoride Come From?
It's important to make a distinction between the natural fluorides found in the environment versus the toxic chemicals used for fluoridating your water. Ninety percent of the chemicals used in fluoridation in the United States do not occur naturally.
"It's a substance called hexafluorosilicic acid or its sodium salt: silicon fluorides," Connett explains.
"These silicon fluorides are captured pollutants from the phosphate fertilizer industry. When you're making phosphate fertilizers… the process generates two very toxic gasses; hydrogen fluoride and silicon tetrafluoride.
For about a hundred years, these decimated the local area -- the vegetation; crippled cattle and so on. Eventually, they were required to capture these toxic gasses, using a spray of water. That spray of water produces silicon fluorides.
That scrubbing liquor cannot be dumped into the sea by international law. It can't be dumped locally because it's too concentrated. But if someone buys it, it's no longer a hazardous waste, it's a product.
… Who buys it?
The public water utilities buy this stuff and put it in our drinking water. It's absolutely absurd."
Dr. William Hirzy from the EPA has pointed out that if it goes into the air, it's a pollutant. If it goes into the local water, it's pollution. But if the public water utilities buy it and pour it in our drinking water, it's no longer a pollutant. All of a sudden like magic it's a beneficial public health measure.
"So not only are we doing something quite unique, using the public water supply to deliver medicine... we're using the public water supply to get rid of hazardous waste from the phosphate industry," Connett says.
It makes a lot of money for them [this way, because otherwise it would cost] a lot of money to get rid of it as hazardous waste."
Making matters worse, if that's even possible, is that in recent times the US has started purchasing these industrial fluoride products from China, as phosphate-producing industry in Florida has been reduced. However, some communities in the US have stopped using China-made fluoride because it was producing a white sludge that jammed up the delivery system.
"The Center for Disease Control engineer said, "We don't know what this sludge is but we know it's safe," Connett says. "But if you don't know what it is, how can you say it's safe?"
Since I've taken a personal interest in this, my team will try to obtain some of this fluoride from China and have it analyzed by a third-party, independent laboratory to see what's really in it… Once I have those results, I will share them with you in this newsletter.
The REAL Cause of Tooth Decay
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.
You typically don't find dental caries in more primitive societies that do not consume these vast amounts of sugar.
"We need education, not fluoridation," Connett agrees. "That education would have a double dividend. By avoiding high fructose sugar, we'll not only score a huge benefit with dental decay but also with obesity and health."
A Special Note about Using Tap Water when Making Infant Formula
Most of the people who are educated about fluoride will avoid drinking municipal tap water that is fluoridated, and will use a reverse osmosis system in your home to rid your water of fluoride.
However, there are many who simply don't have the resources or the know-how to protect themselves and their young children.
In November of 2006, the American Dental Association (ADA) sent out an email to alert its members of their recommendation to parents to not use fluoridated tap water to make infant formula. A few days later, the CDC followed suit. But neither of them 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.
Help End Water Fluoridation in Canada and 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.
Their statement calling for an end to fluoridation worldwide now been signed by over 2,800 professionals.
We encourage all medical and science professionals to sign this statement.
In addition, I highly recommend getting a copy of Dr. Connett's new book, The Case Against Fluoride. It is scheduled for release in late September, but is available for pre-order.
Last but not least, stay tuned, as 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 five 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.
If you live in Ontario, Canada, please join the ongoing effort by contacting Diane Sprules at diane.sprules@cogeco.ca.
The point-of-contact for Toronto is Aliss Terpstra. You may email her at aliss@nutrimom.ca.
We're also going to address the two US communities: Austin, Texas and San Diego, California.
If you live in Austin, Texas, you can join the effort by contacting Rae Nadler-Olenick at either: info@fluoridefreeaustin.com or fluoride.info@yahoo.com, or by regular mail or telephone:POB 7486
Austin, Texas 78713
Phone: (512) 371-3786If you're in San Diego, California, contact Patty Ducey-Brooks, publisher of the Presidio Sentinel at pbrooks936@aol.com .
You can always visit www.FluorideAlert.org for the most recent updates and progress.
In addition, we're willing to support any credible activist for this cause, who is scientifically based and grounded, regardless of where you live in the US. We can provide resources to help support you in your effort to eliminate fluoride from your local community – and it really needs to be a community battle.
We're not going to be able to pass a federal law against fluoridation. There is not going to be a Presidential mandate or even a State-wide elimination. This change will occur one community at a time.
"It's politics that is interfering with science in this issue,"Connett says . "It's a matter of political will, and you cannot change political will if you don't get the people. We must involve the people."
So please, get informed; stay involved.
Replies
http://www.naturalnews.com/029229_moringa_drinking_water.html
The Moringa Tree: Find a Natural Home Water Purification System
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 by: Fleur Hupston, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) One of the big problems in developing countries is the availability of clean drinking water. Is there an inexpensive, natural, home water purification system that will allow poor people access to clean drinking water? Indeed, there is. The seeds of Moringa tree can be used as an effective water clarifier and home water purification system.
Uses of the Moringa Tree
The Moringa tree (Moringa Oleifera) has been dubbed "The Miracle Tree" by many. This is because every part of the Moringa tree, from the roots to the leaves has beneficial properties that can serve humanity. It is a deciduous, perennial tree that grows to about 10 m tall with drooping branches. The tree provides shade, nutritious food, medicine and oil for biodiesel and other products and can even purify and clarify water. In addition, the Moringa grows best in dry sandy soil and is drought resistant, thus providing a source of food and medicine in arid regions.
According to Baptiste Nduwayezu, leader of the Moringa Oleifera Project in Southern Africa, the tree can be dubbed "The Green Diamond of Africa" because it can also generate revenue if fully utilized for its medicinal and nutritional values. He added that "Moringa leaves and seeds can improve health conditions of HIV positive people, increase breast milk in lactating mothers, lead to improved health of babies and also treat a number diseases such as TB, diabetes, heart problems, lower blood sugar levels, eye and ear infections and other diseases".
Apart from the problem of poor nutrition in many developing countries, there is the problem of disease due to polluted drinking water. The fact that the seeds of the Moringa tree can purify and clarify water, thus eliminating most of its turbidity and bacteria, means that this tree truly is a miracle tree for many poor people.
Using Moringa Seeds as a Home Water Purification System
In order to make an effective water purification system, the Moringa seeds are dried and then ground into a powder. Unlike other particles in the water such as clay, bacteria, and other toxic materials which are negatively charged, the protein in the Moringa seed powder is positively charged, thereby attracting the negatively charged particles like a magnet. The flocs formed by the floculation process can then be easily removed by allowing the water to settle, or removed by filtration. This process is said not only to clarify turbid water significantly, but also to remove 90-99% of bacteria contained in water.
It would appear that there is overwhelming evidence to warrant giving the Moringa tree the title "Miracle Tree". Not only can the Moringa provide highly nutritional food to the people who need it the most, but it can also clean their drinking water.
Sources:
http://allonhealth.com/health-news/...
http://www.miracletrees.org/WaterPu...
http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/Herbs...
http://www.tfljournal.org/article.php
http://www.healthiertalk.com/safely-avoid-and-remove-dangerous-man-...
Safely Avoid and Remove Dangerous Man-Made Fluoride
By Tony Isaacs on 07/08/2010
Thanks to the mass fluoridation of our municipal water supplies and the inclusion of man-made fluoride in toothpastes and other dental and consumer products, most of us regularly consume dangerous amounts of a dangerous form of fluoride. Instead of promoting dental health, as has been the justification for including man-made fluoride in our water and other products, such fluoride actually leads to worse dental health as well as a host of other very serious health consequences. Though it may be next to impossible to avoid fluoride entirely, there are many steps one can take to avoid much of the fluoride we consume as well as eliminate existing fluoride in our bodies.
Natural versus Man-made Fluoride
Contrary to what we have been told for many decades, man-made fluoride actually leads to fluoridosis, a condition that is marked by stained and weakened hole-filled teeth. Notably, in Europe and US communities where there is no water fluoridation, cavities are less than in fluoridated US communities. Even worse, fluoride can result in hyperactivity and/or lethargy, arthritis, lowered thyroid function, lowered IQ, dementia, disrupted immune system, genetic damage, cell death, cancers, deactivated essential enzymes and lower life span.
Fluoride in its natural form is actually considered an essential trace element, but we only need very tiny amounts and the natural form of fluoride is a far cry from the man-made form added to our water and products. The natural form of mineral fluoride found in your teeth and in nature is called Apatite (calcium fluoro-chloro-hydroxyl phosphate). The unnatural form of fluoride added our municipal water supplies and is sodium fluoride - a chemical by-product of aluminum, steel, cement, phosphate, and nuclear weapons manufacturing. Such fluoride has no nutrient value or health benefits whatsoever.
The Nazis used fluoride to dumb down the population and make it more docile and subservient. Besides being one of the most potent rat poisons, fluoride is also one of the basic ingredients in both Prozac (FLUoxetene Hydrochloride) and Sarin nerve gas (Isopropyl-Methyl-Phosphoryl FLUORIDE).
Before the public was sold on the idea of added fluoride, the aluminum and nuclear industries were having an increasing problem disposing of all their highly toxic fluoride waste by-products. Now, thanks to the big lie sold to an unwitting public, we dispose of toxic fluoride waste, ingesting it and flushing it down the sewage system back into our environment. Besides solving their toxic waste disposal problem, the manufacturing industries also reap quite the tidy profit by selling their fluoride at a markup of over 20,000 times!
Avoiding and Minimizing Fluoride
Avoiding products with added fluoride, such as most commercial toothpastes and dental products, fluoridated bottled water, soft drinks and commercial milk helps reduce fluoride consumption. Of course, living in an area whose water supply is not fluoridated is the best way to avoid most fluoride. However, since 65% of our water supplies are fluoridated, other steps may be needed to reduce fluoride intake.
Water filters for the kitchen which contain activated alumina reduce most of the fluoride from drinking water, but that still leaves the water used in showers and baths, swimming pools and hot tubs, and watering vegetables. The best solution would be to purchase a whole-house fluoride filtration system; however those range upwards of $2500 in price, plus installation.
When it is not feasible to filter your entire water supply, limiting time in the shower or bath and reducing the temperature helps minimize the amount of fluoride absorbed. Another possibility is to purchase a self-contained shower system such as are used in camping and rustic cabins and use filtered tap water. Some of the better ones include gas or electric heating elements and, as a bonus, their use decreases overall water use.
Removing Fluoride from our Bodies
The use of liver cleanses can be very effective in eliminating fluorides and other toxins. There are two basic types of liver cleanse protocols, both of which can be performed easily at home in one to two weeks. One liver cleansing protocol focuses primarily on the liver itself, while the second type of protocol also cleanses the gall bladder, which is connected directly with liver function. Instructions for both kinds of liver cleansing, as well as liver cleanse products and kits can be found online with simple searches.
Boron has been studied in various parts of the world with marked success in fluoride elimination. Also, common borax such as one may find in the laundry aisles of most supermarkets, has history of anecdotal success for detoxing sodium fluoride. Borax should be taken in very small quantities in pure water.
As little as 1/32 to 1/4 of a teaspoon of borax in one liter of water consumed in small quantities throughout the day has been found to be safe and effective. About 1/8 of a teaspoon with a pinch of sea salt consumed in such a way has been found to be particularly effective, One may also substitute food grade sodium borate for common borax.
Iodine supplementation has been clinically demonstrated to increase the removal of sodium fluoride (in the form of calcium fluoride) from the body via the urine. Since such elimination depletes calcium, make sure to take an effective calcium/magnesium supplement. The important mineral iodine is deficient in most diets. Seaweed foods and iodine supplements that combine iodine and potassium iodide are recommended most. Lecithin is recommended as an adjunct to using iodine.
The pulp, bark, and leaves from the tamarind tree can be converted to teas, extracts and tinctures eliminate fluorides through the urine. Tamarind was originally indigenous to Africa but migrated into India and Southeast Asia, and has been used medicinally in Ayurvedic Medicine.
Fluoride stored in fatty tissues can be released and eliminated with the help of dry saunas combined with exercise. Since such a combination can be strong enough to cause some side effects or an occasional healing crisis, it is advisable to keep water intake high and drink some chickweed tea to protect the kidneys. As is the case with iodine, it is also advisable to take a highly absorbable calcium/magnesium supplement and add lecithin.
Vitamin C in abundance is a great addition to any fluoride removal program. However, do not use ascorbic acid as your vitamin C source. Instead take in as much natural types and sources of vitamin C as you can tolerate, along with a couple of tablespoons of lecithin daily.
Though it has not been proven conclusively, many believe that melatonin helps remove fluoride by increasing decalcification of the pineal gland. In addition to melatonin supplementation, plenty of daytime physical activity and/or exercise, a healthy diet, not overeating and meditation/relaxation exercises all contribute to higher melatonin production from the pineal gland.
Other items, which may help eliminate fluoride, include apple pectin, zeolite minerals, turmeric, cayenne, parsley, chlorella and cilantro.
Thus, even though dangerous man-made fluoride is exceedingly difficult to avoid entirely, by making the right choices and taking simple steps we can all greatly reduce our exposure to fluoride and eliminate much of what we do have in our bodies.
http://www.naturalnews.com/028384_deodorants_essential_oils.html
Make Natural, Harmless Deodorants with Essential Oils
March 17, 2010 by: Fleur Hupston, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) Using deodorants and antiperspirants are considered by many to be essential in order to prevent body odor. Finding a good deodorant that does not contain aluminum oxide, aluminum compounds, synthetic fragrances and stabilizers makes for a tough search. Brands advertised as organic, all natural or herbal often contain the same chemicals, either with lesser quantities or with certain additives removed but others added. Alternative, natural deodorants can be home-made, are cost effective and very simple to make. Best of all, they are not damaging to health.
Natural Alternatives to Chemical Laden Deodorants
- By mixing corn starch and baking soda with a few drops of essential oil, an effective and natural dry deodorant can be created.
- A wet deodorant can be created by mixing witch hazel and glycerin combined with essential oil of choice.
- Blending pure essential oils with a base oil such as olive oil or jojoba oil or blending a few drops of essential oil to use directly on the skin can make a delightfully scented, natural deodorant.
- Crystals or salt rocks that leave an almost unnoticeable residue when applied can take care of underarm odor. Salt rock crystal deodorants are safe, even for people with allergies and skin sensitivity, and they do not leave behind any noticeable residue on skin or clothing. Though there are several brands available, the only thing to really watch for is that a pure salt crystal is chosen and does not have additives or artificial fragrances added.
Essential Oil Blends - What to Consider
For body odor, use essential oils that will limit the bacterial growth that causes odor. Be careful of oils that may irritate the skin, however, especially the sensitive skin under the arms. Try lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus and patchouli, cinnamon and clove essential oils.
Be sure to use very good quality essential oil, since some oils are poorly processed or contain additives that may irritate the skin. Look for organically sourced oil, pressed at low temperatures and safe to use topically.
Recipe for Deodorant Powder Using Essential Oils
Deodorant powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup bicarbonate of soda
3/4 teaspoon pulverized lavender flowers
15 drops pure lavender essential oil
Mix lavender oil with the pulverized lavender flowers
Mix with the other ingredients and allow it to sit in an airtight glass container away from any light for a day or two.
To use, lightly dust the underarms using a shaving brush or blush brush and/or apply to any other area of your body you wish to feel fresh.
Recipe for Natural Spray Deodorant Using Tea Tree Oil
Pour 2 ounces of clean water
4 drops of tea tree essential oil
Mix together, shake up and spray whenever necessary for a natural deodorant that can even double up as a mosquito repellent.
http://www.healthiertalk.com/10-make-your-own-safe-natural-and-heal...
10 Make-Your-Own Safe, Natural and Healthy Tooth Pastes and Tooth Cleansers
By Tony Isaacs on 06/14/2010
Virtually all commercial toothpastes contain one or both of two problematic ingredients: fluoride and glycerin. Fluoride, a mining by-product, is one of the bigger scams perpetrated on an unwitting public. Instead of being beneficial it actually is damages teeth. Glycerin coats the enamel and prevents natural re-mineralization of teeth. The solution in avoiding those two items may be making your own tooth paste or tooth cleanser at home.
Here are some recipes you can make at home which contain neither fluoride nor glycerin:
1. Old Fashioned Tooth Powder
Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp dried lemon or orange rind
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
Directions:
Grind the rinds in food processor until they become a fine powder. Add baking soda and salt then process for a few more seconds until you have a fine powder. Store in an airtight container. Dip moistened toothbrush into the mixture and brush as usual.
Mix to ingredient to make a paste, dip toothbrush into the mix and then brush as usual.
2. Basic Toothpaste
Ingredients:
• 1 Tsp of the above Old Fashioned Tooth Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Hydrogen peroxide
Directions:
Mix into a paste and brush as usual.
3. Vanilla, Geranium and Honey Toothpaste
Ingredients:
• 1/2 ounce powdered chalk
• 3 ounces powdered orris root
• 4 teaspoons of tincture of vanilla
• 15 drops oil of rose geranium
• Raw honey, enough to make a paste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients and mix until you have the consistency you want. Scoop the paste onto brush. Store the paste in an airtight container.
4. Simple Mint Toothpaste
Ingredients:
• Bicarbonate of soda
• Salt
• Water
• Bentonite clay powder
• Peppermint oil
Directions:
Mix 3 parts bicarbonate of soda with one part salt. Add 3 tsp of bentonite clay for every 1/4 cup of this mixture, and then add enough water to make a thick paste. Add a few drops of peppermint oil for better taste.
5. Herbal Mint Toothpaste Recipe
Ingredients:
• 1/4 tsp peppermint oil
• 1/4 tsp spearmint
• 1/4 cup arrowroot
• 1/4 cup powdered orrisroot
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp ground sage
Directions:
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add water until paste is desired thickness/consistency. Store at room temperature in a tightly covered jar.
Substitute 1/2 tsp each of oil of cinnamon and oil of cloves for peppermint/spearmint if desired.
6. Refreshing Super Mint Toothpaste
Ingredients:
• 6 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/3 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 teaspoons bentonite clay powder
• 15 drops peppermint
Directions:
Mix thoroughly until you get the toothpaste consistency you desire. If desired, add a few drops of peppermint or wintergreen.
7. Super Healthy Toothpaste
Directions:
Combine baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, xylitol, and a drop or two of cloves for flavoring.
The first 2 ingredients have been known for cleaning the teeth gently, effectively and safely, while the xylitol is a natural sweetener that is also known for it's fantastic tooth protective qualities. It's the only sweetener that is actually good for your teeth and it has the ability to prevent plaque from adhering to the tooth surface. Cloves are a powerful disinfectant and painkiller for mouth problems with no rebound pain effect. A drop or two in this mixture will be antiseptic and make it taste good, but you could opt to use peppermint if you don't like cloves.
8. Strawberry Tooth Cleanser
Ingredients:
• 1 tsp of the above Old Fashioned Tooth Powder
• 1 tbsp crushed ripe strawberries
Directions:
Mix strawberries and powder into a paste and brush as usual.
9. Basic Tooth Cleanser
Ingredients:
• Hydrogen peroxide (a few drops)
• Baking soda
Directions:
Make a paste by combining the two ingredients. You can also gently rub this paste along your gums twice a week for maximum benefit.
10. Lemon and Cloves Herbal Tooth Cleanser
Ingredients:
• Small amount of finely powdered sage
• 1 ounce of finely powdered myrrh
• 1 pound powdered arrow root
• 3 ounces powdered orris root
• 15 drops oil of lemon
• 8 drops oil of cloves
• 10 drops oil of bergamot
• 10 drops of coconut oil (you may have to warm slightly to melt)
Directions:
Mix the powdered ingredients first and then add and mix the oils into the mixture.
Notes:
Supercharge any of the above recipes by adding tea tree oil or plant derived mineral powder (or both).
When you use items that contain lemon, rinse your mouth and teeth thoroughly afterward to prevent damage to teeth enamel.
The following article by Dr. William Campbell Douglass was transcribed verbatim from:
http://www.healthiertalk.com/drugs-your-drinking-water-1209
Drugs in your drinking water
By Dr. William Campbell Douglass on 12/11/2009
The contamination of our water supply is the biggest public health crisis that no one will talk about – probably because at least some of that poison is put in on purpose.
The latest incident starts out innocently enough: Researchers in Washington studying the Puget Sound have spices in the water. If you're a salmon there, you may have even noticed a distinct vanilla flavor these days.
But these fish aren't getting some kind of treat. They're getting a bi-product of human waste, because everything we eat and excrete is making it right back out into the environment.
Then, it goes into the ground water... and eventually into your tap water.
Think about that next time you fill your drinking glass or coffee pot.
Sure, you're probably thinking, "Dr. Douglass is just being paranoid. This water is treated and filtered, right?"
Right – and if you could see how ineffective this process is, you'd never touch the faucet again. And vanilla flavoring is the least of your worries.
In Spain, researchers recently ran 24 water samples at a treatment plant –AFTER the H20 underwent supposedly rigorous filtering. Twenty-two of those samples tested positive for cocaine byproducts.
In Italy, researchers say 44 pounds of pharmaceuticals flow down the Po River each day.
Think it's better here? Stop reading now and you can keep thinking that.
Antibiotics, painkillers, sunscreen, hormones, drugs and so much more are routinely found in U.S. waters. In some parts of our nation, male fish are growing female parts because they're literally swimming in hormones.
Most cities don't even bother testing for meds in the drinking water. When they do, they inevitably find them – pharmaceuticals have been found in the drinking water of 51 million U.S. homes. If we tested everywhere, I'm sure we'd find them everywhere.
Tests have even shown that American drinking water is contaminated with perchlorate – the chemical used to make rocket fuel. Still feel like drinking eight glasses a day of this stuff?
And that's not all! Take a look at this shocking video out of Fort Lupton, Colorado. A natural gas leak there has contaminated the water supply. They can actually set fire to the water as it comes out of the faucet!
Remember, natural gas is completely odorless – that rotten- egg smell is added later to help detect leaks. So if this stuff is getting into the water supply because of sloppy drilling practices at the source, you wouldn't know unless you had the water tested... or set it on fire.
All this and I haven't even touched on the dangerous noxious chemicals our own government proudly adds to the water, junk like fluoride and chlorine.
There's only one truly effective way to block most of these poisons – a reverse osmosis filter, installed where the water enters your home.
The following article by Jon Barron was transcribed verbatim from:
http://www.healthiertalk.com/what-s-really-your-tap-water-1370
What’s REALLY in Your Tap Water?
By Jon Barron on 02/02/2010
Ask any municipal water department if the tap water in the area is safe and you’ll get an "of course" in response. You’ll be told that the water meets all regulations for safety, meaning that contaminant levels fall under the maximum amount allowed. But here’s what you won’t hear: the Safe Water Drinking Act, which governs tap water safety, is 35 years old, and in the last 35 years, many thousands of new chemicals have been developed and released into the environment. The Safe Water Drinking Act regulates 91 chemicals, but at this point, the US uses over 60,000 chemicals, and trace amounts of at least some of those end up in the water supply, without any law in place to regulate them. And of course, not all those 60,000 unregulated chemicals are benign. In fact, according to an article in the New York Times, hundreds of those chemicals are known to cause cancer or other diseases. But that estimate ignores the fact that thousands more have not yet been investigated for health consequences. To date, government scientists have evaluated only 830 of the contaminants most often found in water supplies.
But let’s pretend for a moment that only the 91 chemicals now included in the Water Act existed (not the 60,000 that in fact are there); would your water be safe? Not at all. The regulations don’t ensure safety even for the 91 because research in the past few decades has found some of the compounds cause disease at far lower levels than the law sets forth. This means that water deemed legal and safe may not be safe at all. For instance, the Times notes that the current levels allowed for arsenic are so high that one in every 600 people who regularly drinks water containing the allowable arsenic content will eventually develop bladder cancer from it. Actually, this is nothing new. As I wrote 10 years ago in the first edition of Lessons from the Miracle Doctors, water authorities accept a 93% increase in the risk of cancer from the use chlorine in water (as estimated by the US Council of Environmental Quality) in return for a reduction in cholera and other infectious diseases. Then again, maybe that’s not a trade off that you personally want to make.
As if these factors don’t give you enough to worry about, the Water Act isn’t necessarily enforced, at least in some areas. An analysis by the Times found that 20 percent of the nation’s water systems violated established standards within the past five years, allowing excessive levels of pollutants like raw sewage and chemicals such as rocket fuel additive and uranium to remain in the water. It’s not likely that compliance will improve any time soon unless something radical changes, because to date, only six percent of the locales found in violation of the Safe Water Drinking Act received fines or citations by the EPA or other regulators. The end result, according to the Times, is that 62 million Americans have been drinking water that may contain carcinogens or other disease causing agents. But again, that ignores chlorine, fluoride, and chloramines — all used as water additives, and all known carcinogens. Factor those puppies in and you’re looking at virtually all Americans consuming carcinogens in their drinking water.
The former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, William K. Reilly, comments, "For years, people said that America has the cleanest drinking water in the world. That was true 20 years ago. But people don’t realize how many new chemicals have emerged and how much more pollution has occurred. If they did, we would see very different attitudes." In fact, studies published in numerous medical and environmental journals as well as reports published by the National Academy of Sciences contend that millions of people in the US get sick annually from drinking contaminated tap water.
Drinking a glass of water filled with chemical residue isn’t going to give you cancer overnight. Rather, the chemicals build up on body tissue over years, and so by the time you get sick, you haven’t a clue what caused the problem. And remember, it isn’t necessarily a single chemical causing problems in your water. Many water systems have excess levels of multiple chemicals, and research hasn’t been done on how the chemicals interact in the body over time. Even if your water system has multiple chemicals at safe levels, it’s possible that the interactive effect won’t be so safe.
It doesn’t help that lobbying groups have pressured regulators into stepping back efforts to set limits on chemical releases or on costly clean-up efforts. For instance, after perchlorate, a rocket fuel additive known to affect the central nervous system, was found toxic at low levels in EPA assessments, the US military complained that clean-up would cost billions of dollars. Subsequently, a military spokesman called the assessments "biased, unrealistic and scientifically imbalanced," and military officials called EPA scientists unpatriotic. The dry-cleaning industry launched an equally vicious campaign to halt limits on the dry-cleaning solvent perchloroethylene, known to cause tumors.
In fact, the head of the EPA’s Environmental Risk Analysis division, Dr. Peter Preuss, describes the treatment he got from lobbying groups trying to prevent regulation: "It’s hard for me to describe the level of anger and animosity directed at us for trying to publish sound, scientific research that met the highest standards. It went way beyond what would be considered professional behavior."
And so, perchlorate and perchloroethylene remain unregulated. The end result is that public water supplies in California, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and eight other states have been found to contain these chemicals. Traces of perchlorate were recently found in every individual examined by CDC researchers. (It doesn’t help that the CDC also found perchlorate in all infant formulas tested.) And then, there are the other 59,999 or so chemicals to worry about.
Of course, there’s the rapidly growing problem of pharmaceutical drugs in your drinking water. They enter the water supply through virtually every toilet in the country, and practically no municipal water treatment plant has the capacity to remove them when treating water. The one piece of good news here is that some of those pharmaceuticals are highly toxic chemotherapy drugs. So yes, they may be killing you, but probably not from cancer. And with luck, maybe they’re even counteracting some of the carcinogenic chemicals in your water…or not.
In the end, the biggest offenders tend to be water systems serving fewer than 20,000 residents, because these systems lack resources and the expertise necessary to avoid problems. To find out how your tap water measured up in recent independent analyses, check here. Unless your public water supply turned up clean and problem-free (and none of the ones we checked did), don’t take chances, and don’t rely on bottled water, which often consists of repackaged tap water or spring water that’s as polluted as what comes out of your tap. Bottled water also has the plastic leaching effect, and does nothing about the water you absorb when showering. Your best bet is to protect yourself by installing high quality filters or steam distillation systems at the tap. And don’t forget your shower and bath, or better yet, get a whole-house filter if you can afford it.