Wisconsin Revisiting Fluoridation

March 17, 2006

Activists go after fluoride [Excerpts]

By Ann Marie Ames

Correspondent for The Capital Times

MOUNT HOREB - Rinse and spit. Spit really, really well.

On Wednesday night, village resident Michetti spoke about possible

adverse health effects of fluoridated drinking water, a topic she has been

researching since January.

Jim Walters, a naturopath practicing in Mount Horeb, attended Michetti's

presentation, which was hosted by the Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives,

because he has been concerned about the effects of fluoride for many years.

" After 20 years, fluoride is one thing that will push my hot button, " said

Walters. " I feel that fluoride is a toxic drug, and that if we want to put it

in our body, we should be able to choose to go to the dentist and have it put

on our teeth. We should not have it put in our drinking water. "

Aside from educating the public, Michetti plans to speak to village

officials, asking them to stop adding fluoride to Mount Horeb's drinking water.

While Michetti describes research on the subject as limited, she lists many

health issues she believes to be caused by fluoride toxicity. Dental and

skeletal fluorosis, which is caused by fluoride crystallizing instead of healthy

tooth enamel and bone tissue, is one of Michetti's leading concerns.

Brittle bones are a result of skeletal fluorosis, which Michetti said is

often misdiagnosed as arthritis. Dental fluorosis causes teeth to be spotty,

discolored and improperly developed.

Other health concerns include pineal and thyroid dysfunction, reproductive

difficulties, gastrointestinal irregularities, decreased IQ, chronic fatigue

and bone cancer. Michetti's greatest concern is that fluoride builds up in the

body over time.

Boiling water does not eliminate fluoride, but rather concentrates it as the

water evaporates, according to Michetti. Only steam-distilled water or

expensive reverse osmosis systems can reduce the amount of fluoride in drinking

water.

Therefore, Michetti is concentrating on eliminating fluoride from municipal

drinking water as an additive. She said that people can further protect

themselves by making unprocessed meals, not reusing water left in teapots and

using non-fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash.

Published: March 16, 2006

Recommended Posts