Fluoride - to be or not to be that is the Question?

When I asked my Pediatrician about the safety of ingesting fluoride, I got the American Academy of Pediatrists speech... bla bla bla. More medical rhetoric that has been funded by some chemical or Pharma company.

Something in my gut tells me DO NOT ingest Fluroide. Im not a medical professional nor do I pretend to know all when it come to my children's health. But lately I am really pissed about all of the crap doctors throw down our throats because 'it is better for us'. Look at the recent studies with tylenol and it causing tens of thousands of people to have liver damage/failure every year! Yea that is safe...

Personally, I do not believe in systemic fluoride for me and my family. And I think people should be able to make their own choice about it. I am lucky enough to live in a town that does not put fluoride in our water. Also, I have never used fluoride products for myself or my family. I ask you 'read this article' fuel your mind with information and then make your decision if you want your town to put Fluoride in your water, or if you want to take fluoride vitamins:

If you are looking for fluoride free products, I highly recommend what I use: toothpaste, http://www.shaklee.net/anastasia/product/31780 and the vitamins my children take are a variety of Shaklee supplements proven safe for more than 50 years! http://www.shaklee.net/anastasia/product/ChildrensHealth

Fluoride study raises fresh questions about water fluoridation safety

Excerpted from KABC News Los Angeles new report June 3, 2009

A new cancer study from India suggests that fluoride is a contributing factor to osteosarcoma, or bone cancer - but just how much fluoride intake causes the disease is not clear.

Fluoride in Americans’ tap water has spurred controversy since its introduction in 1945. Anti-fluoride activists say the risks are too high to add “medication” to the water, while government officials cite studies that prove fewer cavities and no serious risk. In Europe, most countries refuse to treat their water with fluoride with the exception of the United Kingdom. According to the British Medical Journal, fluoridation was introduced in 1963, and the Department of Health reports that rates of dental decay have been reduced 70 percent.

But experts remain divided over epidemiological research that has suggested that water fluoridation might be linked to osteoporosis, dental fluorosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and other health problems. The latest cancer study indicates blood fluoride levels were significantly higher in patients with osteosarcoma than in control groups, according to research published in Biological Trace Element Research (April 2009).

Osteosarcoma occurs mostly in children and young adults. According to the study, status of fluoride levels in the serum of osteosarcoma is still not clear. Other reports have also indicated that there is a link between fluoride exposure and osteosarcoma. “The more studies that we have which talk about osteosarcoma with fluoride, the more the scientific community will take notice and eventually blind politicians will do the same,” said Paul Beeber, president of the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation.

Over 405 million people in approximately 60 countries drink water with added fluoride. While those drinking “optimally” fluoridated water have seen tooth decay rates decline, questions remain about other impacts of fluoride in the body.

In addition to fluoride in tap water and toothpaste (which is not supposed to be ingested), the element can be found in a number of beverages and food. The United States Department of Agriculture maintains a fluoride database. Fluoride can also be found in food and vegetables grown in fluoridated areas as well as tea, sodas and bone meal. Boiling fluoridated tap water increases the amount of fluoride in the water.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a “maximum contaminant level” of 4ppm of fluoride in drinking water. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends a range in the drinking water of 0.7 to 1.2 ppm fluoride as the optimal amount to prevent tooth decay and minimize fluorosis. The range was developed based on average fluid consumption in regions of various ambient air temperature (i.e. lower fluoride range in hot areas where you would expect higher fluid consumption and higher fluoride range in colder climates.)

However, CDC scientists note it’s a complex issue. They are currently re-examining the fluid consumption assumptions because outdoor activity has decreased, indoor air temperature control is prevalent and there is widespread consumption of fluids other than water.

But scientists do agree that too much fluoride is dangerous and can cause fluorosis — a condition that causes staining and pitting of the enamel surface of teeth when small children get too much fluoride.

A 2007 recommendation from the American Dental Association urged parents not to use fluoridated tap water to mix infant formula. Researchers say the amount of fluoride in safe tap water is still too much for an infant when ingested as the primary source of nutrition. The child may develop very mild or mild fluorosis, according to the ADA.

For those who decide to avoid fluoride, the Fluoride Action Network offers these tips:

• WATER FILTERS: Use the proper water filter. The two types of filters which will reliably remove more than 90% of the fluoride are reverse-osmosis filters and activated alumina filters. (Note: Most filters unfortunately do not remove fluoride due to its small particle size. When purchasing a filter for the tap or for your refrigerator, ask to see the manufacturer’s spec sheet to confirm what the filter will remove.)
• SPRING WATER: Another way to avoid fluoride from the tap is to drink spring water. Most spring water has less than 0.1 ppm fluoride. (Note: Again, check the label or contact the company to confirm fluoride levels.)
• WATER DISTILLATION: A third way to avoid fluoride from the tap is to distill the water with a distillation unit.
• TOOTHPASTE: Consider switching to a non-fluoridated alternative. (Note: My favorite toothpaste, which I have used for 21 years, is Shaklee’s New Concept Dentifrice Spearmint.)
• DRINKS: Minimize consumption of processed beverages such as soda and reconstituted juice which are often manufactured with fluoridated tap water. If you regularly drink wine or grape juice, consider buying only organic varieties. Many commercially-grown grapes in the U.S. are sprayed with a fluoride pesticide called Cryolite. Be careful of drinking too much green or black tea. Tea almost always has elevated levels of fluoride - natural and otherwise.
• FOOD: Minimize consumption of mechanically-deboned chicken, such as nuggets. The meat includes ground bone particles which are high in fluoride.
• MEDICINE/PRESCRIPTION VITAMINS: Check to see if any prescription medicines or prescription vitamin formulas you are taking contain fluorine. (Note: if you choose to give your child a synthetic vitamin with fluoride such as Poly-Vi-Flor , Tri-Vi-Flor or any other that requires a prescription from your pediatrician, make sure to know the amount of fluoride in your water and the amount in your toothpaste and share that information with the doctor as too much is unsafe. If you want a non-fluoride children's supplement, consider Shakleebaby Multivitamin/Multimineral Powder andShakleekids Incredivites)

To read more on this topic, visit the "Green Living" section at KABC-TV Los Angeles online.

To receive information from me on any of the Shaklee products referenced in my notes, please contact me for the online product link and/or product talk sheet.

Anastasia

Wasteful - Just not thinking!

It always amazes me to see dumpsters drive away full of building construction debris.  It may be garbage to the contractor or the owner, but to me it is a box full of treasures.  Beautiful oak flooring that just needs a facelift, old doors that can be reused or even converted into something else, raw lumber that can be used to make a new wall or even a treehouse, large pieces of structural lumber that can become a new header for a door or window.  Just taking apart older homes, previous renovations and existing buildings leads to a lot of construction waste.  Mounds of waste, that can be saved.  

I want to scream out to the contractor just tossing it away = Hey Mr. Neighbor... Did you realize you can reuse that stuff? Or give it to Someone else?  On average over 8,000 pounds of waste are thrown into a landfill for the construction of a 2,000 sq foot home!  Yes you read that right! That is incredible. And then you go out and purchase more of the same stuff to finish your project!

During my own construction project we just finished I did my own "dumpster diving".   Yes its exactly what it sounds like. Jumping inside of the dumpster pulling out all things recyclable and then folding, cutting and tying it up putting it on the curb every other Friday. As we did demolition we saved 2x4's put them in a pile under the porch for use later, we saved old cabinets, repainted them and rebuilt them to suit our newer needs. Did you know PVC pipe can be recycled? Copper tube? iron pipes? Most likely not. 

What about separating your garbage in the dumpsters to make it easier to find the right place? Doing a bit of excavation are you? Well have a small dumpster on site for concrete and block, that can be recycled into new concrete, find you have clean fill because you are creating a basement? Well don't just put garbage on top of it, then it is impossible to reuse?  Being proactive in your project will allow your contractor to have a heads up on your garbage thoughts! 

Well here is my advice, you pay for everything you bring into your home, even packaging. They you pay to get rid of it, and pay a third time to by the new stuff replacing the old.  Why not recycle what you can, reuse what is good, reduce your expenses, and in the end save thousands of pounds of garbage from going into landfills! 

When your asked: are you kidding me? I always say no, Im not kidding, that old 2x6's could be reused, the old doors from your home may be great in someone else's.  www.freecycle.org is an excellent place to give away your unwanted items to people who do want them. 

Start to take responsibility for your own projects you will quickly see that others will follow in your shoes, each reducing our global impact!  I know my small circles have taken note, and now the contractors on my job are a little more guilty every-time they throw something away.  Perhaps I have even converted one or two. So now I'm know as the nutter to work for, but that is OK, because I know I've done my part today! 

Enjoy your next construction project.  

Anastasia

Living with Liver Disease

Doing what we do every day leads to consequences.  At least that is what my mother always told me.  So pushing all of my dirty clothes under my bed, as I did EVERY time she asked me to clean my room resulted in no clean clothes at the beginning of the week.

    Doing the right thing in life has always been something I have sought out since both of my parents died from diseases either self exacerbated, or environmentally induced. I have been careful, eating organic, reducing chemicals in my life, becoming an advocate for healthier buildings bla bla. You know the rest. 

    So what to think when I was diagnosed with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Syndrome.  Well I was not totally surprised something was wrong with me. I did not feel well, had terrible gird, burning in my stomach, the feeling I needed to eat to suppress it, tired all the time and only wanting to sleep. 

    My three little girls were pulling and tugging at me saying ‘mommy please come play with me’, ‘your no fun anymore’. This broke my heart! After a complete medical work up and 8 tubes of blood, I was told to see a specialist.  

    Specialists in my opinion are nothing but a supplement to the encyclopedia of medical professionals. They have text book responses to typical tests and never offer the  ‘why’ this is happening to me!  Yes I know I am predisposed to metabolic conditions because my mother, and my grandmother, and my great grandmother all died from complications of diabetes (categorized as a metabolic disease).  But what was my WHY??  

    I’m not the same as my mother or all of my grandmothers. I am different, I take care of myself, take vitamins, eat well, exercise, live healthier, all of which my female ancestors never did. As I research and find out my WHY it scares me. 

    My why is most likely based on environmental and self induced toxic chemical exposure.  Yes I said self-induced.  I live with chronic pain in my back from a skiing accident when I was 16.  So I take ibuprofen, sometimes for weeks on end every 8 hours 2 or maybe even 3 tablets. Other times its not necessary.  But why would I ever think this can damage my liver? There is no large WARNING label on the bottle? 

    Plus now I find from my research that household products and cosmetics contain chemicals that exposure your liver totoxins that can lead to Fatty Liver. Ha, fatty liver, my husband so affectionately calls it my ‘chubby liver’! 

    So I wonder. Have I caused my own health issues unknowingly? Perhaps...

Here is a list of household chemicals that have been linked to Fatty Liver as posted on the website for the Huston Medical Center. 

If you have been diagnosed with Fatty Liver syndrome it is extremely important that you limit exposure to everyday chemicals that are already noted for their toxicity to the liver. It is important to use gloves or adequate protection when utilizing these chemicals in order to limit absorption. The following is a brief list of household chemicals that you should exercise care around:

Chlorinated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons 
Found in: Paint Thinner 
Can cause liver and kidney damage.

Naphthalene Also Known As: 1-methylnapthalene, and 2-methylnapthalene 
May be Found in: Mothballs, Moth Flakes, Toilet Bowl Cleaners, Deodorant Blocks for toilets and diaper pails

Para-Dichlorobenzene also known as: para-DCB, p-DCB, 1,4-Dichlorobenzene 
Para-Dichlorobenzene is a probable carcinogen that can also harm the central nervous system, liver and kidneys.

Perchloroethylene - Also Known As: tetrachloroethylene, tetrachloroethane, 1-1-1 trichloroethane solvents, PCE 
Found in: Dry Cleaning Fluid, Spot Removers, and Carpet Cleaners 
Can cause liver and kidney damage if ingested. Can accumulate and persist in human fatty tissues and breast milk.

Phenol and cresol 
Found in: Disinfectants 
May cause diarrhea, fainting, dizziness, and kidney and liver damage

Toluene - Also Known As: methylbenzene 
Found in: Adhesives, Nail Polish, Cosmetics, Rubber Cement, Paints, Paint Thinners, Lacquers, Stain Removers, Dyes and Inks. 
toluene in highly toxic, may cause skin, kidney, liver, central nervous system damage; may damage reproductive system.

    UGGGH I do my nails, I have used disinfectants, had my clothes dry cleaned, used deodorants in my life.  Now I do not use the same products that have these chemical compounds in them.  But who knew of the damage and self inflicted health problems I was causing for myself.  And what about my three precious girls when they were inside my womb?  Did I poison them too? I now protect myself with knowledge, even keeping them safe by limiting their exposures in our home, but I fear for their exposures outside our home. 

I hope to understand what consequences my actions will have on me in the future. 

Anastasia