This is one summary of the recent report from a blue-ribbon scientific panel of the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council. (Read about the report now.) NAS panel member Robert Isaacson, a distinguished professor of neurobehavioral science at the State University of New York in Binghamton, said in the Portland Tribune 3/29/06) that the possible effects on the endocrine system and hormones from water fluoridation are "something I wouldn't want to happen to me" The twelve-member NRC fluoride Committee unanimously decided that current maximum allowable fluoride levels must be lowered.
So now, it is not just Richard and Karilee Shames and the so-called "small group of anti-fluoridationists" who are trying to warn people about fluoride's effect on the thyroid gland, as well as other body systems. Now, it's some of the top-credentialled people in the country.
In doing the research for our books Thyroid Power (HarperCollins 2001) and Feeling Fat, Fuzzy or Frazzled? (Hudson St./Penguin 2005), it became clear to us years ago that a great many scientists and researchers already knew of fluoride's hazards, but that this information was not getting through to the general public. In fact, a release of July 2, 1997 (from the National Treasury Employee's Union which represents 1500 scientists, engineers and other professionals at the Environmental Protection Agency's headquarters in Washington, DC) showed that this Union of Scientists unanimously opposed the practice of adding fluouride to public drinking waters.
The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in 1998 suggested that there are at least 13 million people in this country who have a thyroid problem - but don't know it. The thyroid doctors at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in NY estimated in 2000 that at least 20 million people are currently being treated for a thyroid problem. A 2001 article in the Journal of Epidemiology reveals that one of every four menopausal women is suffering from some degree of hypothyroidism. Clearly this is a massive epidemic, and it appears to be getting worse. No longer should people be puzzled over what could be a cause of the enormous epidemic of low thyroid and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Look no further than the kitchen faucet!
Depending upon which side of the fluoride debate you've heard, all this news could come as either a quizzical shock, or a welcome relief. Either way, the next likely thought might be "Why is this news coming out now?" and perhaps also "What does it mean to me?"
It is happening now because the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence for public safety has finally turned the tide against the special interest groups. Despite common lore, fluoridation did not come about because of careful professionals' altruistic desire to lessen children's cavities. Christopher Bryson, an award-winning investigative reporter, has recently revealed in shocking detail in his book The Fluoride Deception (Seven Stories Press, 2004) the unsavory story behind the birth of this questionable practice.
But aside from all the sordid history, the suppression of scientific concern, and the labeling of dissenters as off-balanced "fluorophobes," what should a sensible person do? Here are three appropriate actions for regular daily life, especially if you are bothered by feeling fat, fuzzy, frazzled, fatigued, depressed, beset by intolerance to heat or cold, annoyed by problems with skin-hair-nails, or suffering with severe constipation, low libido, infertility, or uncomfortable menopause.
First, if you are not a thyroid patient, have your thyroid status carefully checked. Insist on more testing than the simple AMA panel of TSH and Free T4. Add a Free T3 and the Thyroid Antibody Panel. You may be one of the millions of people whose fluoride exposure over the years has finally made you low thyroid.
Second, if you are already a thyroid sufferer and treatment is not going as well as you would like, consider an enhanced fluoride avoidance program. Stop drinking and cooking with tap water if it is fluoridated. Well-chosen bottled water is preferable. Start buying non-fluoridated tooth paste. It's available at the health food store if you really look closely. Decline the fluoride dental treatments and make sure it is not in your mouth wash. The various other food sources are probably not a significant factor.
