Public Enemy

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" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

HSI e-Alert - Public Enemy

Mon, 15 Aug 2005 07:00:00 -0400

HSI e-Alert - Public Enemy

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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August 15, 2005

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

Let's face it, Henrik Ibsen is just not as much fun as Neil Simon.

 

Safe to say that most of us are more familiar with Simon's " The Odd

Couple " than Ibsen's " An Enemy of the People " (a dour five-act drama

written in 1882). And although it's lean on comedy, this Ibsen script

has striking parallels with a current health issue that affects nearly

everyone in the U.S.

 

In " Enemy, " a doctor discovers that the public baths in a small

Norwegian town are contaminated. At first he's praised for his

discovery. But when town officials discover that the baths will be

expensive to repair and will need to shut down for two years, they

balk at the effect this will have on the local economy. Through

misinformation and innuendo the doctor's reputation is attacked, his

career ruined and his family shattered. He vows to fight on, but at

the end of the play the unhealthy (and possibly deadly) baths remain open.

 

Like I said: Ibsen is not as much fun as Oscar throwing a plate of

Felix's spaghetti at the wall. But I thought of Ibsen's tale of public

health pitted against political manipulation when I came across a

report that reveals an appalling effect that fluoride may have when

ingested by young boys.

 

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Harvard's " odd couple "

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As most HSI members are aware by now, nearly every public water supply

in the U.S. is treated with fluoride. For six decades this policy has

been accepted as a reasonable means of preventing tooth decay. Just

one problem: Fluoride isn't good for us. And it's been shown to

actually HARM teeth in some cases. Even more troubling: A number of

studies have linked fluoride to as many as 10,000 cancer deaths each

year, with a high incidence of bone cancer among men exposed to fluoride.

 

That bone cancer link has been confirmed by research results that have

not been published. In fact, it appears that someone may have tried to

bury those results.

 

Last month the Associated Press (AP) reported that Harvard University

officials have launched an investigation into a 1992 study that found

no statistically significant link between fluoride intake and bone

cancer (osteosarcoma). The study was conducted by a Harvard Medical

School professor who received a research grant for more than $1

million from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

 

The investigation was prompted by the recent uncovering of a 2001

thesis paper from a Harvard doctorial candidate in which data showed

that boys who drink fluoridated water between the ages of five and 10

may have an increased risk of osteosarcoma. Some of the data in the

student's study was taken from the 1992 study, raising the question:

Did the professor of that earlier study intentionally bury or ignore

data that would point to a link between fluoride intake and bone cancer?

 

And here's the kicker: The AP reports that the professor is editor in

chief of the Colgate Oral Health Report; a quarterly newsletter.

Colgate-Palmolive, of course, manufactures fluoridated toothpaste.

 

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Selective oral health reporting

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But the situation at Harvard isn't what made me think of the Ibsen

drama. There's a much larger dilemma here than the possible misuse of

a government grant.

 

A write up of the Harvard scandal that appeared in the UK newspaper

The Observer speculated on fears of a growing recognition of the

dangers of fluoride. If court decisions should ever begin to establish

harm caused by fluoride, decades of litigation could be triggered

throughout the U.S. And all of those costly lawsuits would be aimed at

local governments. " Consequently, " The Observer notes, " scientists

have been inhibited from publicizing any adverse findings. "

 

Just as in the Ibsen play, the identity of " The Enemy of the People "

all depends on your perception of who is in the right and who is in

the wrong.

 

And cancer isn't the only concern. In a Daily Dose e-letter titled

" Fighting Back Against Fluoride " (10/31/03), William Campbell Douglass

II, M.D., listed a few of the other health problems associated with

fluoride intake:

 

* In animal trials, fluoride has been shown to enhance the brain's

absorption of aluminum (the toxin shown to contribute to Alzheimer's

disease)

* Several osteoporosis studies have associated hip fractures with

fluoride intake

* When too much fluoride is consumed, teeth can become discolored

and crumble

 

And how can you tell when you're consuming too much fluoride? You

can't! This dental treatment, supplied by your local municipality

(whether you want it or not), arrives in an unknowable dosage level.

That's like your doctor saying, " You have no choice; you must take

this medication. No one knows what the dosage is, so just take a lot

of it. "

 

Any doctor who tried that wouldn't be practicing medicine for long.

 

 

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

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Sources:

 

" Harvard Looks Into Prof's Cancer Research " Denise LaVoie, The

Associated Press, 7/14/05, wireservice.wired.com

" Fluoridated Water Can Cause Bone Cancer in Boys " The Observer,

6/13/05, taipeitimes.com

" Fighting Back Against Fluoride " William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.,

Daily Dose, 10/31/03, realhealthnews.com

 

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