Is Your Toothpaste Doing More Harm than Good?

This past week I was away at a workshop to learn more about flexibility, fascia and stretching (future fascinating article coming soon).  I was sharing a room with another friend and when I was washing up one evening I noticed his toothpaste on the sink counter and it got me thinking about the controversy surrounding the popular brand-name tubular tooth polishers.

It’s been about five years now since I have used conventional toothpaste.  I am a bit of a contrarian by nature and have a deep drive to buck society’s trends, especially when it comes to the topic of what the main-stream considers healthy.

I too was originally captivated by the fancy toothpaste commercials guaranteeing fewer cavities, a barrier against gum disease and a whiter smile.  Years ago I was brushing my teeth one night and got bored and started reading the label and something caught my attention.  The label explained that only a very small amount should be used and the paste itself should never be swallowed and children should be supervised while brushing so they do not swallow excessive amounts.

This didn’t sound like a health product but more like a potentially dangerous cleaning product.  The toothpaste warning actually made me more alarmed because at least most household cleaning products have an intended use that does not involve accidental ingestion.  With toothpaste, the label specifically states not to swallow, however it is a product that goes directly into the mouth, so the chances of swallowing even a small amount are high.  Was I potentially harming myself by using this product?

Problem Number One: Conventional Toothpaste May Not Protect Your Teeth    

I’m going to skip over discussing the dyes and artificial ingredients found in the popular toothpaste brands and simply focus on the two main ingredients that are touted for health that are a healthy façade in my opinion.  Upon researching conventional toothpaste I found that the claims made by the big companies that their product helps protects against cavities might not be entirely true; in fact, the ingredient advertised to do just that might actually do the exact opposite.

One of the primary ingredients in big-brand toothpaste is “glycerin” which gives the paste its silky smooth texture, a slightly sweet taste and makes brushing a breeze, however this convenience my lead to the slow demise of dental health.  Glycerin leaves a coating on the teeth that seals them and may prevent teeth from remineralizing by not allowing saliva to penetrate the teeth with the minerals it contains.

Over time the teeth may become softer, cavities may form and gum degeneration and bone loss may occur.

Problem Number Two: Don’t be Deceived by Fluoride

We have been bombarded by the idea that fluoride is necessary and healthy for us especially when it comes to the health of our teeth; this notion could not be further from the truth.  We are exposed to dangerous amounts of fluoride from all angles not just from big-brand toothpaste but even in our drinking water.  An article from The Weston Price Foundation put it best when they said:

Fluoridation is not about “children’s teeth,” it is about industry getting rid of its hazardous waste at a profit, instead of having to pay a fortune to dispose of it.

 

Only calcium fluoride occurs naturally in water; however, that type of fluoride has never been used for fluoridation. Instead what is used over 90 percent of the time are silicofluorides, which are 85 times more toxic than calcium fluoride.

 

They are non-biodegradable, hazardous waste products that come straight from the pollution scrubbers of big industries. If not dumped in the public water supplies, these silicofluorides would have to be neutralized at the highest rated hazardous waste facility at a cost of $1.40 per gallon (or more depending on how much cadmium, lead, uranium and arsenic are also present). Cities buy these unrefined pollutants and dump them–lead, arsenic and all–into our water systems. Silicofluorides are almost as toxic as arsenic, and more toxic than lead.^{1, 2}

 

The dangers of fluoride are numerous and quite alarming.  The major threats to our health include:

• Kidney Problems
• Brain Damage
• Thyroid Damage
• Bone Disease
• Bone Fractures
• Cancer

As I mentioned earlier in the article, the toothpaste label warns about not swallowing the product, however, the label does not give the specifics as to why you should not swallow it.  The reason why is because of the known harmful effects of fluoride.  If you need more information about the dangers check out The Fluoride Action Network.

Safe Toothpaste Alternatives

It does not make logical sense to me to avoid consuming a product that is intended to go into your mouth.  I decided that I wanted to avoid this harmful type of fluoride all together I stopped consuming my local tap water almost entirely and looked for a toothpaste alternative.  I read about making my own toothpaste using baking soda and coconut oil but I never really had the strong desire to put the effort in.  What I did find was a product I had seen my grandfather using years ago when I was a young kid: tooth powder.

The brand I have been using for years now is Eco-dent (note I do not make any money recommending this product).

Eco-Dent is composed of baking soda, sea salt, herbs & essential oils to deliver its cleaning benefits.  Carbonic acid is also another key ingredient in the product which dissolves the minerals in the sea salt and allows for the effervescent, low-abrasive cleaning.  The sea salt provides more than 70 coral minerals, necessary to optimal human health; the minerals are found in the same proportions as those found in our teeth, bones and blood.

Conclusion:

Call me a cynical person but I always use a critical eye when it comes to major household products, especially when it comes to my health.  My suggestion, look at your products, read the labels and understand what’s really inside and make the best decision for you.

 References:

Fluoride Action Network: www.fluoridealert.org

George Glasser, Journalist, St. Petersburg, FL, “Fluoridation: A Mandate to Dump Toxic Waste in the Name of Public Health,” July 22, 1991.

R.E. Gosselin et al, Clinical Toxicology of commercial Products, 5th ed., 1984. U.S. EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) EPA/NSF Standard 60.

Shattuck, Anita: Fluoridation: The Fraud of the Century, Weston Price Foundation, 2004.

Tags: Fluoride, health, teeth

How Sweet is Sugar? The Hidden Dangers

This article might seem a little clichéd due to the holidays coming up as many authors like to write about the dangers of all of the fun holidays treats.  I know I have a very intelligent and practical audience who understand the common dangers that sugar can have on our health so in this article I wanted to focus on some of the lesser known health risks associated with sugar so you can keep them to moderate levels during the year and be able to splurge a little more during special holiday occasions.

Sugar: Getting up to Speed

One of the biggest problems with the attempt to keep sugar consumption to moderate levels is that sugar can be found almost everywhere.  Even if you think you are avoiding the obvious locations like candy and soda there are many other products that have sugar as an ingredient that you might not be aware of.  Ketchup, energy bars, specialty coffee, dried fruit and even common lunch meats all have added sugar.

It’s not enough to avoid the obvious, we have to check the labels and see if the other unassuming products that we consume have unnecessary sugar in them to enhance the taste and texture.  With all of the consumption of sugar from different sources it won’t take long for our total daily sugar consumption to reach astronomical levels.

Lesser Known Health Risks

• There are some common diseases associated with over-consumption of sugar including: obesity and type II diabetes but there are several other lesser know health risks associated with excessive sugar consumption; enough of which should make anyone want to keep consumption to an absolute minimum.
• Sugar disrupts the mineral balance in the body by disrupting the pH levels in the blood.  Several different minerals like sodium, potassium, magnesium, copper and chromium are used to correct this imbalance, however when they are used for this function they are not utilized for their intended use like proper bone and muscle building and function.
• Too much sugar increases the rate of aging of the skin causing the decrease in skin elasticity.  Skin requires healthy collagen to maintain its shape and structure.  Too much sugar in the blood decreases the use of the minerals necessary to build and maintain healthy collagen in the body.
• Testosterone can decrease in the blood up to 25% with the consumption of sugar because of the high insulin levels associated with excessive amounts of sugar in the blood.
• One of the most alarming correlations is found in a recent US study where cancer cells use sugar (fructose) to fuel their division and proliferation.  With cancer being one of the most prominent diseases facing mankind and with the average American consuming about 100-120lbs. of sugar per year who knows if cutting down on sugar consumption would also decrease the risk of cancer.

Conclusion

It’s a shame that we can’t simply just trust the food that we consume to be beneficial to our health and well being.  We must take it upon ourselves to truly understand that what we eat can have either significant benefits or repercussions towards our health.  We must also dig deeper beyond the basics good and bad foods and truly know what is in the other sources we are consuming.  A healthy and balanced diet comes down to the decisions we make and the dedication we instill.

References:

Cancer Cells Slurp up Fructose

Effects of Sugar on Skin and Aging

Shocking: Sugar Content of Common Food Products

Sugar: A Sweet Invitation to Disease

Sugar Kills

Tags: health, Nutrition

Sources with High Vitamin D

I have observed that there are plenty of people interested in Vitamin D, its health benefits and best supplements to take to reach optimal levels.  As you may know by now I am an eat first supplement if necessary person, so the intent of this article is to give you the basic facts about the health benefits of Vitamin D and the best sources with the highest contents found so you can decide if you need to supplement or not.

Vitamin D has many health benefits necessary for optimal function and health including:

• Absorption and transfer of minerals across cell membranes including; magnesium, iron and zinc, as well as calcium.
• Controlling levels of calcium in the blood. Low calcium levels in the diet will draw calcium out of the bones and into the blood thus resulting in bone loss.  Vitamin D and calcium are both needed to maintain proper balance.
• Effective antioxidant properties
• Reduction of cataracts
• Maintains proper synthesis and release of insulin to control blood glucose levels which helps reduce the risk of diabetes

These are just some of the benefits of Vitamin D, and the benefits are significant enough to concern us that being deficient may bring with it several health concerns.  One of the biggest concerns with Vitamin D deficiency is the association of low vitamin D and several diseases including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and Crohn’s disease along with many cancers like skin breast, prostate and colon.

With its various functions, getting enough Vitamin D is necessary for optimal health.  However, some have stayed away from known sources of Vitamin D for fear or toxicity.  According to the Weston Price Foundation:

Vitamin programs usually omit vitamin D because of concerns about toxicity. These concerns are valid because vitamin D in all forms can be toxic in pharmacological (drug-like) doses. The dangers of toxicity have not been exaggerated, but the doses needed to result in toxicity have been ill defined with the unfortunate result that many people currently suffer from vitamin-D deficiency or insufficiency.

Even if you have fear of toxicity, supplementation may be unnecessary due to the number of ways to obtain Vitamin D and therefore toxicity from supplementation can be avoided.  I will list the five sources that are some of the best sources of Vitamin D.

Seafood

The most varietal food source containing Vitamin D is found in seafood.  Did your mother ever give you a big, hearty teaspoon of cod liver oil before you went to school?  You most likely didn’t like the taste, however she was doing you a great favor because cod liver oil ranks really high on the list of vitamin D sources.

One small serving of cod liver oil can contain anywhere around 750-900 IUs of Vitamin D.  The RDA guidelines are around 200-400IUs daily.  This range is considered low by some researches including the Weston Price Foundation who suggest that people were consuming around 3,000-6,000 IUs before the establishment of the western die; so if you follow their guidelines then you will be all set after one serving of cod liver oil.

I suggest that you get a good cod liver oil brand that is considered pure and high vitamin.  The one I take is from Radiant Life (I do not make any money off of this suggestion).

If you really enjoy your seafood and want to add a little more Vitamin D to your diet, other seafood considered to have substantial vitamin D levels are: Atlantic herring, oysters, catfish, sardines, and mackerel.

Meat

The meats with the highest levels of Vitamin D usually come in the form of different liver varieties and organ meats.  Also look for grass-fed beef and lamb as your best source for higher Vitamin D content.

Eggs

I always get a little upset that people throw away the yolks when they cooks eggs thinking they are somehow bad for them.  Hopefully this will shed some perspective on the situation.  Egg yolks contain anywhere from 24-35IUs of Vitamin D; whereas egg whites contain ZERO!   It’s true that most of the protein is found in the egg whites but the rich vitamins our bodies need are found only in the yolk.  So either keep the egg intact or mail the yolks off to me so I can eat them.

Sun Light

Us humans have the ability to produce vitamin D from cholesterol catalyzed when our skin is exposed to the sun, however it would take a large amount of sun exposure (approximately 24 hours of UV-B ray exposure) to produce the recommended daily amount of Vitamin D; you would get a massive sunburn before this even happened.

However, don’t get discouraged.   Minimal exposure to the sun a few times a week can help add some more Vitamin D towards the optimal levels.  According to the Weston Price Foundation, sun exposure of hands, face and arms for 10-20 minutes, three times a week, provides 200-400 IU of vitamin D each time or an average of 100-200 IU per day during the summer months.

Conclusion

The necessity for optimal levels of Vitamin D in our bodies is obvious for disease prevention, hormone stabilization and maintaining a strong, healthy body.  Unlike other vitamin sources Vitamin D is primarily obtained through seafood sources and organ meats.

With sun exposure contributing only minimal amounts of Vitamin D synthesis, it is important to eat a diet rich in seafood and organ meat.  Also, supplementation with high quality cod liver oil may be necessary to reach these optimal levels.

 

Resource:

Weston Price Foundation

Boston Globe: Vitamin D deficiency tied to a host of dangers

Tags: vitamin supplementation