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

Oxytocin: A New Treatment for Autism?

There are a few studies out there showing promise for helping our kids by utilizing the "Love Hormone", Oxytocin.  Unfortunately, most of these studies are YEARS away from completion and in the mean time we as parents wonder, should we gamble and use the nasal spray or the drops now, not knowing the possible side effects or should we wait for the research, possibly too late for our kids.

Please keep in mind that since the FDA has not categorized Oxytocin as a "Food Supplement", most of the Oxytocin products you see out there for sale MIGHT be scams, not containing any real Oxytocin at all.

Fortunately, there are things you can do right now to naturally increase Oxytocin levels in your child, without worrying about any harmful side effects.  While most of our kids are past the breastfeeding years, which naturally creates huge quantities of Oxytocin, certain things like cuddling and massages definitely helps to increase those hormone levels.  Many of our kids have an aversion to regular hugs and closeness, but at the same time, they might be OK with a back rub or a foot massage.  We usually give our son a massage of sorts putting lotion on him after an Epsom Salt bath, when putting him to bed.  This kind of routine might be just what our kids need to raise those Oxytocin Levels, without resorting to trying an untested hormone on our kids.

Here's some interesting reading we've found on this subject:

The ‘Bonding Hormone’ That Might Cure Autism

News about autism is almost always controversial, but the latest report that has people abuzz—about researchers who have successfully treated some symptoms of the disorder using a nasal spray of oxytocin—shouldn't come as much of a shock. Scientists have been experimenting with oxytocin as an autism treatment for years. In the new study, conducted by French researchers, 13 subjects with "high-functioning autism" (a.k.a. Asperger syndrome) became more trusting and socially engaged under the hormone's influence. It's a small study, but it has big implications, and it tracks with findings from other researchers. Mary Carmichael spoke with one of those scientists, Eric Hollander, who is the director of the compulsive, impulsive, and autism spectrum disorders program at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York. Excerpts below, with our easier-to-understand translation:

What is the oxytocin spray actually doing in the brains of these patients? 

Hollander: In patients with autism, the fusiform gyrus doesn't seem to light up in response to human faces. They light up an adjacent region called the inferior temporal gyrus, which normally gets lit up when people are looking at man-made objects. But we seem to get more recruitment of the fusiform gyrus when we administer oxytocin.

This means: Unlike a healthy brain, an autistic one may not recognize human faces as something special—it puts them in the same category as regular objects. By boosting levels of oxytocin, researchers may be able to fix that problem, causing the autistic brain to respond to faces in a more normal way.

Hollander: We've seen effects in another region, called Brodmann Area 25, which is very active in individuals who have treatment-resistant depression. High-functioning adults with autism also have a very active Area 25, and in response to the oxytocin, there's a big reduction in activity.

This means: Oxytocin tamps down activity in a part of the brain that's linked to depression and stress. "Area 25" activates the "fight-or-flight response." If it malfunctions and starts firing all the time, it causes people to feel chronically stressed out. By calming down the activity in Area 25, oxytocin also calms down patients.

Do people with autism have abnormally low levels of oxytocin? 

Hollander: It's challenging to measure the blood-plasma levels of oxytocin—it can be released in blips throughout the day, so it varies—but studies in children have found abnormalities in the plasma levels, and the subgroup of children with autism who are the most socially aloof tend to have the lowest levels of oxytocin. There are also studies in monkeys that have measured oxytocin levels in the spinal fluid as well as in the plasma. These studies show if you inhibit nurturing behaviors early in life, the spinal fluid and plasma levels of oxytocin are low, and they stay low throughout life.

This means: The data isn't perfect, but children with autism, especially severe cases, seem to have low oxytocin levels. Primate research, which is in some ways more rigorous, has shown that monkeys deprived of maternal love as infants tend to have chronically low levels of oxytocin throughout their lives.

Monkeys deprived of love have low oxytocin levels, and so do kids with autism? Doesn't that sound an awful lot like the discredited“refrigerator mother” hypothesis? 

Hollander: In extreme cases of maternal deprivation, like children raised in orphanages without any early maternal behavior, there can be a long-lasting effect on oxytocin that's associated with social deficits. However, that probably is not the case with good or bad mothering. These are extreme cases of total lack of nurturing.

This means: This research does not mean that autism can be blamed on bad parents. The only time there might be links between parenting, oxytocin, and autismlike behavioral problems is in cases when a child has had no meaningful interaction with caregivers whatsoever.

Some behavioral therapies seem to help people with autism, especially if they're delivered early in life. Is it possible that these therapies work by increasing oxytocin levels? 

Hollander: Those therapies are really important—that's the whole point of diagnosing autism early, because the therapies can really improve the long-term developmental trajectory—but nobody has specifically measured oxytocin in response to them. I can tell you that there are things we know of that can enhance oxytocin levels. Deep pressure massage does it, and breast-feeding, and sexual intercourse. We also know that patients with autism tend to calm down by doing certain physical activities, like lying underneath a mattress or using Temple Grandin's  squeeze machine."

 This means: Nobody knows how behavioral therapies for autism affect oxytocin levels. We do know that in healthy people, affectionate physical contact increases oxytocin, which is a "calming" hormone. We also know that many people with autism find that being "squeezed" (albeit not by people) is calming.

The study looked at oxytocin's effect on social behaviors. You've also found it can affect other symptoms of autism, as well as other disorders. What are those effects? 

Hollander: There is a group of behaviors that are self-stimulatory. When patients with autism are bored, they start to do things like hand-flapping or rocking back and forth to get up to their optimal level of stimulation. You actually see this in other species if you restrict input of sensory signals—if you put a tiger in a small cage, for instance, it will start to pace back and forth. With those types of behaviors, we saw a big decrease in response to the oxytocin. There are other, anxiety-related behaviors that seem to respond better to very low doses of SSRIs. We've also looked at patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), who are exquisitely sensitive to social rejection. What we found was that when they got a single dose of the intranasal oxytocin in a situation where they had stress, like if they had to do a mathematical computation in front of other people who were evaluating them, there was a normalized cortisol response. But patients with BPD also have impairment in their social decision making, so in situations where they should be cooperating, they tend to defect, and in situations where it would make sense to defect, they try to cooperate. Paradoxically, the oxytocin made that abnormal decision making even worse. It's possible that the oxytocin was stimulating their vasopressin receptors.

This means: When they're given oxytocin, patients with autism aren't as likely to engage in some odd behaviors typical of the disorder (hand-flapping, rocking), which are thought to keep them from getting bored. But they do still tend to engage in other behaviors (hand-washing, compulsively putting things in order), which are more about staying calm. This second group of behaviors can be decreased by giving low doses of antidepressants. Oxytocin also has an interesting effect on patients with another illness, borderline personality disorder—it helps them by making them less stressed out but hurts them by causing them to make very bad social decisions, possibly because it accidentally binds to receptors in the brain linked to aggression.

How long do the effects of the oxytocin last? 

Hollander: Even though it's staying in the plasma for a very brief period of time, we were getting effects in terms of enhanced social memories that seemed to persist two weeks later. Some of it is binding to central oxytocin receptors, and by stimulating those, it's allowing for the laying down of new social memories. Once those are laid down they seem to persist. So, we had people listen to neutral sentences, like "The boy went to the store," but we read those sentences with different tones—happy, sad, angry, or indifferent—and they had to recognize each tone. They developed an expertise in that. They were better at identifying the tones two weeks after the oxytocin was given. We don't know whether it's permanent.

This means: When it comes to correctly identifying others' emotions and recognizing social cues, oxytocin's effects last at least two weeks—possibly because while the oxytocin levels are artificially increased, the brain is better at creating new, long-lasting memories.

What would happen if nonautistic people used an oxytocin spray? 

Hollander: When you show people threatening faces, they have a marked activation of the amygdala. If you then give those people oxytocin, they don't get as much amygdala activation, so there's less of this fight-or-flight, threat, fear response. And normally, you'd get an elevation in blood pressure, clammy skin. You don't get as much of that either.

This means: They'd be less scared of things, and probably less stressed.

Do you worry that an oxytocin nasal spray would end up being abused by healthy people if the FDA approved it for treating autism? 

Hollander: We're still far away from getting this approved in the U.S. for the treatment of autism. You'd need to do a large-scale trial, which hasn't been done yet. But the idea of people using this as a spray to enhance performance—I certainly wouldn't want to advocate that. I'm not sure it would be used in a recreational fashion. It has the potential for decreasing the sensation of social threat, and for enhancing social reward and reinforcement and facilitating trust, but I'm not sure it makes people feel euphoric or high. There are medicines that are on the market for the treatment of social anxiety disorder, and they don't seem to be abused in a recreational fashion. I don't see people who are a little shy going out and using SSRIs at parties. On the other hand, a lot of them do self-medicate with alcohol.

This means: Well, what he said. We think this message is pretty clear.

Free webinar on helping your child prepare for college

FREE webinar tomorrow:

Karaoke Fundraiser for CARD: All ages welcome

This event is FREE and has NO COVER CHARGE!

You only pay $5.00 to Karaoke (sing), of which ALL PROCEEDS will go to benefit Autism Programs.

Portions of Food and Drinks purchased will ALSO be donated.

National Kids to Parks Day

City of Delray Beach Parks and Recreation, National Kids to Parks Day, Pompey Park.
May 19, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm FREE
The entire family is welcome to join us for a variety of recreational games, swimming, and general play at Pompey Park! Pompey Pool (free admission): games, water safety, cannonball contest
Arts and Crafts
Field Events: Sack Race, Water Balloon Toss, 3-legged race
Football Throw, Soccer Slalom
Basketball: H.O.R.S.E., 3-point contest, spot shooting
Karate
Crazy Games

Playground, Free Snacks Mayor Nelson S. "Woodie" McDuffie recently proclaimed National Kids to Parks day in Delray Beach and encourages locals to participate by exploring Pompey Park.A special commemorative National Kids to Parks Day is being planned for 10:00 am until 1:00 pm at Pompey Park, and all are invited to start their day of play there and adventure out to all Delray Beach's other outdoor spaces throughout the day.For more information on National Kids to Parks Day at Pompey Park, please contact Danielle Beardsley at (561) 243-7277 or beardsleyd@mydelraybeach.comAbout National Kids to Parks Day Thousands of children nationwide, including here in Delray Beach will take part in a grassroots movement to reclaim America’s parks through play on Saturday, May 19, to commemorate National Park Trust’s (NPT) second annual National Kids to Parks Day.At a time when an obesity epidemic touches nearly 1 in 3 children who are either overweight or obese, communities are witnessing sky-rocketing rates of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated cholesterol levels in children. Like Delray Beach, other cities across the nation are committing to a simple motto: “active kids are healthy kids” and encouraging their residents to use National Kids to Parks Day as the first of many days spent outdoors, at local parks and recreation sites, to develop more active, healthy lifestyles.NPT is working with numerous cities and towns included those affiliated with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Cities and Towns program, which is designed to encourage mayors and elected officials to adopt policies and programs that create systemic changes, reducing childhood obesity. Mayor McDuffie joins mayors across the country, from Le Paso, to Santa Fe, to Reading and to Orlando, Florida, who have signed official proclamations declaring May, 19th National Kids to Parks Day in their city or town. This growing list of mayors has committed to urge their citizens to make time on May 19 to take the children and grandchildren in their lives to a neighborhood, state or national park.We encourage residents to visit www.kidstoparks.org and sign up so that local families can be counted in the national tally. Then, on May 19, families are encouraged to visit a park or recreation area and submit photos of their adventures to Buddy@BuddyBison.org for possible inclusion in NPT’s national map commemorating the day.National Kids to Parks Day has been endorsed by Department of Interior’s Youth in the Great Outdoors, America’s State Parks, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association, Children’s National Medical Center, Boy Scouts of America, US Army Corps of Engineers, Children & Nature Network, National Environmental Education Foundation and officially in support of the First Lady’s Let Move Outside! initiative to get more youth and families to be active and live healthier. ABOUT NATIONAL PARK TRUST

National Park Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving parks today and creating park stewards for tomorrow. As people spend more time indoors and as successive generations grow up with less of a connection to nature, NPT wants to build a greater awareness and appreciation for the importance of our country's public lands and parks. To learn more about our work visit, www.parktrust.org or our website for children www.buddybison.org.