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A systematic review by Harvard researchers of eligible studies examining the adverse effects of exposure to fluoride reveals the potential for lower IQ and delayed neurobehavioral development in children.
Are you still drinking fluoridated water, using fluoride toothpaste, or permitting the dentist to administer fluoride treatments on your children? Â
Even worse, are you using fluoride tablets thinking this will somehow help prevent cavities?Â
If so, you may need to consider using a boron supplement to detoxify fluoride.
Parents: It’s time to wake up about this neurotoxic substance and its effects on growing children.Â
The strong evidence that fluoride negatively impacts neurological development even to the point of lowering IQ just keeps growing.
One of the strongest nails in the coffin for fluoride comes from the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
A thorough and systematic review of eligible studies published by Harvard researchers found adverse effects of exposure to fluoride and the potential of delayed neurobehavioral development in children.
Fluoride and IQ
The findings of the Harvard researchers are nothing short of disturbing.
… children in high fluoride areas had significantly lower IQ scores than those who lived in low fluoride areas. (1)
As a result of their analysis, the researchers concluded the following about fluoride exposure:
The results support the possibility of an adverse effect of high fluoride exposure on children’s neurodevelopment. Future research should include detailed individual-level information on prenatal exposure, neurobehavioral performance, and covariates for adjustment. (1)
EPA Classifies Fluoride as Neurotoxic
This research dovetails with what the EPA already knows having classified fluoride as a chemical for which there is substantial evidence of toxicity to neurodevelopment. (2)
Some communities around North America are taking action by voting to have fluoride removed from the drinking water, something that most other countries have already done. (3)
While important, having your children drink pure, clean water not treated with fluoride is only the first step in protecting them from the devastating neurological impact of fluoride exposure.
10 Ways to Limit Fluoride Exposure
These ten tips are recommended by the Fluoride Action Network as the best ways to protect from the neurological ravages of excessive fluoride exposure. (4)
- Stop drinking fluoridated water immediately. These water filters remove fluoride (most do not!).
- Be sure to use only non-fluoride toothpaste brands. Even if a child doesn’t swallow any fluoride toothpaste while brushing, this tiny mineral easily gets into the bloodstream via ultra-thin gum tissue. Consider making an easy DIY remineralizing toothpaste.
- Do not allow fluoride gel treatments at the dentist for any reason. Find a holistic or biological dentist who will let you opt out without any hassle!
- Eat more fresh food and less processed food as the more processed a food is, the more fluoride it will actually have.
- Buy organic grape juice and wine.
- Use organic tea or reduce tea consumption. Another option is to use white tea made from younger tea leaves. Beware: bottled teas are the worst possibly including commercially made kombucha. Be sure to avoid fluoride in homemade kombucha with the simple tips listed in the linked article.
- Avoid cooking in Teflon pans.
- Don’t take Cipro if you can possibly avoid it and be aware of the fluoride content of many pharmaceuticals.
- Avoid mechanically deboned chicken as fluoride concentrates most heavily in the bone and bone fragments end up in machine processed meat.
- Avoid fluoridated salt. Opt for natural, unprocessed sea salts instead (this is my favorite, tested to be free of contaminants).
(1)Â Developmental fluoride neurotoxicity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
(2)Â EPA Toxicity Forecasting (snapshot from internet archive as original PDF censored from EPA website)
(3) Countries that do not fluoridate water
(4) Ways to Reduce Fluoride Exposure
It’s not just IQ that’s at risk:
http://www.fluorideresearch.org/364/files/FJ2003_v36_n4_p241-251.pdf
Ive been looking at the Pelican whole house water filter, but it doesn’t filter fluoride. I need to buy a separate filter for that, which would total like $1600 (which is why we haven’t bought it yet). :(. Do any of you own this or an Aquasana?
I have been using Aquasana filtration systems for both my drinking water and my showers. It is reasonably priced and allows me to retain the essential minerals (water is supposed to have) while eliminating chlorine, Cysts, VOCs, Lindane, Alachlor, Atrazine, Benzene, TCE, Lead and last I heard was working on documenting the removal of fluoride. I got a discount by going to
Anytime natural minerals or anything is altered from its natural state, the body does not know what to do with it, and problems will arise. Chemical-based believers don’t want to face it, and it’s too bad – for them.
If fluoride concentrates in the bones, what does this mean for bone broth??
This is what I am wondering too.
Any info on fluoride exposure during pregnancy, especially from black tea consumption? Had no idea tea was high in fluoride.
Sarah, do you have any knowledge or information about using Borax (boron) for fluoride neutralization/detoxification? There are a few sources online (none very reputable) that make the claim that borax bonds to fluoride and has it pass through your body and can leach fluoride out of your bones. They also claim it helps mobilize calcium, but that’s a separate issue. 🙂
Any information you have would be worthwhile.
Thanks, Irena
First of all, like all the other lazy asses who took one look at a headline and then copy-pasted all the sources, your title is misleading. The Harvard study did not confirm that fluoride lowers IQ. You actually quoted what they really said in your article: “results support the possibility an adverse effect of high fluoride exposures on children’s neurodevelopment”. Support. Not Confirmed.
Then there’s this whole other thing you didn’t notice while you were busy thinking of all the ways to protect your and all your readers from the “neurological ravages” of fluoride. That study that you cited? The authors were actually talking about the fluoride in the waters of China and India (You will see this in fine print in the study itself). Countries where mega-doses of fluoride seep into the water from the soil. So unless you think your toothpaste can compete with that… then I think you’re all pretty safe.
So in conclusion, what “possibility” actually means here is that the authors couldn’t find any really conclusive answers (despite going all the way to china and india) yet their study still gets eaten up by the likes of you because you saw the word “Harvard” attached to their study.
Maybe next time you jump on the bandwagon you should dig a bit deeper. Oh and not rub any salt in your wounds but here’s an example of what a well researched fluoride article is: http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/fluoride-lowers-your-iq-b.s.-headline-week/. Oh and look it’s from last month. If it’s any consolation… your other stuff is ok. I like the fizzy chocolate thing. Good job with that one.
I think that article lowered my IQ more than any fluoride exposure…geez. (gab’s article).
As Oliver alluded to above, you’re exposed to all the nasty chemicals in your water when showering. Therefore, a good shower filter is paramount, not only for your skin. You absorb a fair amount of water through your skin when showering.
And you absorb fluoride and chloride through your lungs while taking a shower.
I just got a new berkey filter (I switched over from dr. mercola’s filter) and am LOVING it! I can taste all the mineral goodness. I got the extra filters that remove the flouride and arsenic.
Just curious – Does this filter retain the other elements, the other minerals ( iron, calcium, sodium etc) that is in natural water. Does the filter know to distiguish and separate? Was it designed specifically to target and remove only flouride (and arsenic). Do they tell you what is actually left behind?
As far as I know, the Berkey removes chlorine, organophosphates, fluoride, and other toxins — more than any other system. But yes, it does leave in iron, calcium, sodium and other trace minerals. I am not sure how it works nor sure they would tell you, trade secret and all. We’ve been using a Berkey for a year and a half.
Sarah or other readers: Fluoridation of my drinking water has always irked me. Any idea where I can go to look up the fluoride concentration in my local drinking water? (I live in Arlington, VA).
Thanks!
Nevra @ ChurnYourOwn
http://www.cdc.gov/Fluoridation/
Call Perry Sasser at 703-228-6578
for information about the next
opportunity for public participation
in decisions about your drinking
water. You may also consult the
DPW Website at
w w w . c o . a r l i n g t o n . v a . u s / d p w / i n d e x . h t m