"Tea and coffee contain naturally-occurring fluoride . . ."

On the heels of my recent post of "Toothhealth is dependent on gum health, and gum health is . . . related to vitaminC . . ." I was reading Sarah C. Corriher's article How to Cure Cavities at Twitter. And I thought I would comment on it a bit.

And I will start with a caveat.  This applies only to teeth that do not already have fillings, amalgam or otherwise.  Once your tooth has an amalgam filling inside your tooth, your tooth's movement is greatly restricted.  And if your tooth's movement is restricted, healing seems rather difficult.  In fact, one of the reasons why a filling might pop or fall out is because your tooth might be trying to regrow.  Sounds crazy, I know.  But this is what happens.  As long as bone is in your mouth and connected to roots that are connected to your jawbone that is connected to other bone structures, it means that your bones are being fed from somewhere.  And if they're being fed from somewhere, likely they are moving.  And by moving I don't mean they are doing somersaults or spinning like whirling dervishes.  I mean they move around.  So as they grow upward, they move upward or outward or to the side.  If they grow, they move. 

So there's that.  

Let's see what Ms. Corriher says about curing cavities.  I always learn something from the Corrihers.  When I first came across their site in 2014, I spent way too many hours combing through all of the different and helpful articles.  

WESTON A. PRICE

Anyone old enough to fly through cyberspace for more than a decade or so knows--boy do we know--how extensive all of the health information is.  And the one shining light in all of this information, the light on which so many other have launched blogging efforts is Weston A. Price's Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, 1939.  Corriher opens her essay by citing Weston A. Price and conclusions he reached from his travels and studies that conflict with prevailing information that was accepted as knowledge.  

While traveling to some of the most remote regions and cultures of the world, Dr. Weston A. Price discovered that some groups which had no access to traditional medicine had extremely low incidences of cavities. He discovered that the cultures which consumed foods that were high in fats and minerals had the best dental health. Some of those groups did not even brush their teeth.

So, wait, ". . .some groups which had no access to traditional medicine had extremely low incidences of cavities"?  That in itself is remarkable.  Foods high in fat and minerals provided people with the best dental health.  Good to know.  But what stunned me was that last statement in that paragraph, "Some of those groups did not even brush their teeth."  How can that be?  My guess is that these groups did not consume large amounts of sugar that kids in more advanced, modern societies did. 

It's funny how things work.  My mom and dad were of the WWII generation.  For dates my dad would buy her a Snickers or Powerhouse candy bar, and they would split it.  And a Coke.  Very little concern, if any, given to the destructive effects of concentrated sugar consumption.  And if any concern was given, it was probably brushed away as something that the dentist would take care of.  There was so much trust in this and other medical professions.  I don't know why.  Actually, I do.  She explains here:

When people are malnourished, dental problems are often the first indicator. Most people from the Western world believe that teeth naturally decay with age, so everyone will inevitably get cavities. Popular consensus is that teeth self-destruct. However, a person’s diet primarily determines his dental health. The myth that people have no control over the deterioration of the teeth is one of the justifications for the fluoridation of water supplies, because it is tacitly contended that human teeth disintegrate without help from the chemical industry. In truth, cavities and dental malformations occur as a result of malnutrition, which is actually exaggerated by chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals and fluoride. Western foods are not only deficient in vitamins and minerals, but they also contain chemicals which impair the utilization of nutrients in the body. Tooth decay is more common in pregnant and nursing women, because these women have greater nutritional needs.

Ah, so it's the municipal monsters who wanted to put fluouride in the water supply and tell gullible citizens that it is good for your health.  Don't worry.  Be happy. 

But it wasn't just the municipal authorities.  It was the chemical industry that forced it or bribed it on them.  And we've been paying the price ever since.  Though I must say that I see many kids today with large, healthy, full teeth.  And that is excellent.  It's a sign that at least awareness on the topic is alive. 

Yet there are things that people continue to consume that ain't so good for them.  Yes, the fluouride in the water supply is one.  People still eat sugar--donuts, cereals, candy, cakes, you name it.  So we still need to be careful.  Me?  Rarely, if at all.  Heck, I don't even eat breads. 

On fluouride, she explains the how and the why it is such a terrible chemical not only on bone, tooth enamel but also on brain tissue.  Ever heard how bad fluouride is on brain tissue?

Fluoride, in particular, pulls calcium and phosphorus into areas of the body that they would not normally travel, such as the pineal gland and the arteries, so these minerals are not properly used for strengthening the bones. Teeth too are bones. Fluoride can prevent the healing of cavities, because it disrupts the proper mineral usage of the human body.

“It is most remarkable and should be one of the most challenging facts that can come to our modern civilization that such primitive races as the Aborigines of Australia, have reproduced for generation after generation through many centuries — no one knows for how many thousands of years — without the development of a conspicuous number of irregularities of the dental arches. Yet, in the next generation after these people adopt the foods of the white man, a large percentage of the children developed irregularities of the dental arches with conspicuous facial deformities. The deformity patterns are similar to those seen in white civilizations.” – Dr. Weston Price, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, 1939

One of the most demoralizing aspects to this fluouride problem are the lies.  Advised by their corporate masters deep within the pharmaceutical industrial-war complex is the instruction to peddle repeatedly the lie that fluouride is good for you.  So the city lies with impunity.  It's tradition.

   

HEALING CAVITIES

On healing cavities, she starts off like this:

When provided with the right diet, cavities can heal. This healing process is known as remineralization, because it is a process of giving the teeth the minerals that are needed to repair them. The two minerals that are most important for dental health are calcium and phosphorus. To use calcium properly, the human body also needs adequate amounts of vitamin D from sunlight or fish (not the chemical type found in milk), and the body also needs magnesium from vegetables and nuts. In addition, the fat-soluble vitamins are invaluable. Fat-soluble vitamins include A, D, E and K. These vitamins can be found in butter, eggs, dairy products, and meats. A healthy diet that heals cavities is the opposite of the low-fat diets that are most often promoted by the media, and the ideal diet is reminiscent of the Atkins Diet.

Ah, yes, diet.  Diet seems to be implicated in almost every ailment.  Her opening statement goes "When provided with the right diet, cavities can heal."

Vitmain C and Your Teeth

Check out the roots of your teeth!

"Tooth health is dependent on gum health, and gum health is . . . related to vitamin C . . ."

I've written previously on how Vitamin C is a kind of anti-plaque, anti-cavity fighter.  See here: 

VITAMIN C: YOUR INVISIBLE TOOTHBRUSH

Dr. Emmanuel Cheraskin presents evidence that serum vitamin C levels are just as important as brushing for the prevention of tooth decay.

Now I read over at Andrew Saul's site, DoctorYourself.com, how one's Vitamin C load is a direct link to oral health, questioning even the daily health habit of brushing and flossing.  I would not forego that latter two, for we need to remove the excess debris following a meal, but it looks as though when it comes to tooth health Vitamin C is indispensable.  A bit like an invisible toothbrush.  Keep your teeth healthy.  Dr. Andrew Saul tells you how:

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF THE TEETH: TEN WAYS TO KEEP SMILING 

1.  Eat less sugar. All nutritionists and dentists agree that sugar promotes tooth decay, yet Americans consume over 120 POUNDS of sugar per person annually. Sugar contains no vitamins, no minerals and no fiber. Decay-promoting bacteria love sugar, so starve them. 
 
 2.  Clean between your teeth. Use dental floss or those wonderful, easy-to-use, plaque-removing, inter-dental cleaning sticks. 
 
 3.  Take extra vitamin C. Tooth health is dependent on gum health, and gum health is more closely related to vitamin C than to any other nutrient.  The first symptom of scurvy is easily bleeding gums.   
 
 4.  Finish meals the way people did in past centuries: with cheese. Cheese inhibits bacterial growth in the mouth. Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Swiss, and Aged Cheddar cheeses are all good for this purpose. 
 
 5.  Rethink fluoride. Fluoride is so toxic that only one milligram constitutes a prescription dose. In spite of this, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows up to this amount in a single glass of drinking water. Virtually every country in Europe has stopped fluoridation.  Studies have shown that fluoride confers little, if any, real benefit. Persons who have grown up with fluoridated water have, on the average, only 1/2 of one filling less than people who did not drink fluoridated water (Chemical and Engineering News, May 8, 1989).

 
6.  Eat organically-grown foods, preferably from your own organic garden. Hereford, Texas became famous during the 1940's as "The Town Without a Toothache." Why was there practically no dental disease in this town? Lots of organic minerals in the soil and the foods grown in it. So, any teeth grown there were also better fed and stronger. The local dentist practically went broke. (A. W. Erickson, "Deaf Smith's Secret," Field Notes Crop Reporting Service, 1945) 
 
 7.  Pregnant women especially need calcium and multiple-mineral supplements to enable their developing baby to form strong teeth before birth.  These same mineral supplements help her to make milk for the baby's continued tooth and bone development after delivery. 
 
 8.  A baby's tooth enamel is constructed in the womb. Ameloblasts adequately form the enamel in the fetus only if Mom gets enough vitamin A.  Carotene is best because too much fish oil vitamin A (over 25,000 IU daily for many weeks) can be harmful during pregnancy. All green and orange vegetables and, of course, carrot juice are ideal. You cannot easily harm Mother or child with produce. 
 
 9.  A good multiple vitamin is a good idea for everyone. Prenatal for Mom, liquid for baby, chewable for little kids, and don't forget teenagers, Dad, and the Grandparents. Research continues to show, decade after decade, that Americans continue to eat meals that are deficient in SEVERAL vitamins, not just one. 
 
 10.  Read Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston Price, D.D.S. (Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, La Mesa, CA, 1970). This may be the best book on dental health ever written.
 
Copyright C 2004 and prior years Andrew W. Saul.

LEMON JUICE HELPS PREVENT GOUT & KIDNEY STONES

"lemon juice . . . prevent[s] . . . uric acid crystals, . . . the precursor for gout and kidney stones."

Start here.

How Do Your Kidneys Work?  

The answer is, constantly! 24 hours a day, your two kidneys filter your blood somewhat like an aquarium filter filters the water in a fish tank. The functional unit of the kidney is the nephron, a tissue unit that not only filters, but also recycles and excretes. 

The nephron filters blood (except red blood cells and protein); maintains the body's acid-base ion balance; recycles needed substances (water, minerals); and excretes wastes in a concentrated urine. In a manner of speaking, urine is filtered blood, or more exactly, blood is filtered urine.

Kidney Diseases and Problems: Inflammation and Infection
The role of massive doses of vitamin C is profound in this case, providing prevention and treatment at saturation levels. Since vitamin C is filtered and "wasted" through the kidneys, it is a virtually custom-made therapy.

Degeneration (resulting from inflammation, etc.) A chronic excess of dietary protein almost certainly taxes the kidneys and leads to gradual degeneration. (Williams, SR  Nutrition and DietTherapy, page 856, "The Aging Western Kidney"). Vegetarianism is a virtually automatic solution to our nation-wide pattern of protein abuse. Protein restriction is generally considered to be an important treatment for progressed glomerulonephritis. Reducing protein intake is obviously an ideal way to prevent a protein-breakdown induced nitrogenous overload in the first place.

Increasing carbohydrates is recommended. “Carbohydrates should be given liberally. This will also reduce the catabolism of proteins and prevent ... ketosis." (Williams)  Again, a regular vegetarian diet, which is high in complex carbohydrates, will assure just this.

from Susan Kaye at Livestrong . . . 

The kidneys play a pivotal role in clearing the body of toxins and waste matter as well as helping to regulate blood pressure. According to the National Kidney and Urologic Disease Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) website, healthy kidney or renal function can be compromised when the kidneys suffer an injury, are damaged by disease such as diabetes or hypertension or polluted through poisoning from various ingested chemicals. You can include some of the best supplements and foods in your daily routine to restore and maintain kidney health.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C supports the kidneys and helps keep them clear of kidney stones, especially urate stones which form as a result of uric acid crystal deposits, says DoctorYourself.com. It recommends consuming oranges, grapes and carrots as well as their juices, all high in vitamin C. Buffered vitamin C ascorbate supplements, available in health food stores, are also helpful in maintaining kidney health.

On Vitamin C, Linus Pauling wrote

I started using vitamin C in massive doses in-patients in 1969. By the time I read that ascorbate should cause kidney stones, I had clinical evidence that it did not cause kidney stones, so I continued prescribing massive doses to patients. To this day (2006) I estimate that I have put 25,000 patients on massive doses of vitamin C and none have developed kidney stones.

Vitamin B

Adding a vitamin B complex supplement to your diet, one that especially has B6, is important to prevent kidney stones, points out the DoctorYourself website. B6 deficiency has been shown to contribute to the development of kidney stones.

Lemon Juice

High in potassium, lemon juice may be added to the diet to prevent the formation of uric acid crystals, which contribute to the formation of uric acid, the precursor for gout and urate kidney stones, according to Health911.com. The potassium in lemon juice helps create calcium carbonate, a chemical that alkalizes the body causing the system to neutralize acids. Potassium is a mineral and one of the electrolytes needed to help the kidneys balance blood pressure, heart function and electrical impulses in the body according to the University of Maryland 

Medical Center (UMMC).

Apple Cider Vinegar

Organic apple cider vinegar is recommended by Dr. Theodore A. Baroody in his book, Alkalize or Die, as a method to help keep the body in a slightly alkaline state. Baroody explains, although an acid, it has the ability to create an alkaline-forming state in the system by neutralizing acids in the digestive process. He goes on to explain that the body is able to maintain good health when it is slightly alkaline. This applies to the kidneys because when the urine is alkaline, they are protected from damage formed by uric acid.

L-Carnitine

L-carnitine also referred to as Carnitine is an amino acid and a nutrient that helps the body and convert fat, especially in the liver and kidneys to energy. Sometime the body needs supplementation with L-carnitine according to the UMMC, because it is produced by the kidneys. If there is kidney malfunction, L-carnitine supplies may be greatly diminished. Speak to your doctor before starting this supplement.   

As to the worst foods for your kidneys, I would watch out for coffee and caffeine.   This site also cites dairy products.  But I would add a caveat of completely doing without dairy.  Yogurt is a healthy dairy food for many of your organs, including your intestines.  

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, 1948: an excellent drama that shows behind the scenes how institutional bureaucracies exert diabolical control upon their hired staff.

The movie, Behind Closed Doors, 1948, starring Lucille Bremer and Richard Carlson is an excellent drama that shows behind the scenes how institutional bureaucracies exert diabolical control upon their hired staff.  What did Hannah Arendt say about Nazis?  "The banality of evil." As a friend of mine says of managers overseeing other employees, "People with $.69 worth of power are used to control and degrade their underlings."  The movie is a rare, brilliant piece.  Steven Torrey in the comments below the show notes writes "A taut drama in sixty-one minutes." It is an excellent look into the ghoulish jailers who control patients with drugs, bullying violence, and locked wards.  Wow, that almost describes to a tee the kind of control that local administrators exert on high school students in your own backyard.  Schools enjoy the unique privilege of being appointed the purported centers for higher education.  They are not.  That "higher education" has always been a joke, at least an inside joke.  But it is Salman Khan and the home-school movement who are undoing the liberal control on schools.  This is revolutionary, a peaceful regeneration of society toward peace, prosperity, and individual freedom.  It's happening now.  

The movie was released in 1948, three years after WWII.  So the audience for sure was primed by stories of Nazi atrocities while told how virtuous the communist state of the Soviet Union was.   I particularly enjoyed hearing, in the movie, the doctors offended by having their reputation impugned as if it were gold.  Fool's gold maybe.

Some folks might be incredulous. But recall the classic books in the field of psychiatry, a "science" that has effectively been declared a farce by some of the most brilliant minds in psychiatry, like Dr. Thomas Szasz.  See also this list of his articles.

There is Mass Murderers in White Coats: Psychiatric Genocide in Nazi Germany and the United States, Lenny Lapon, 1986. 

There is Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl, 1942. 

Dr. Ray Sahelian seems like a health-conscious, ethically-centered physician who does a pretty good job of assessing the true effects of supplements.  I like his site because his language is thoughtfully circumspect.  If he doesn't know the benefits of a particular supplement, he'll state as much.  And his recommendations seem cautious or at least contingent upon specifics.  That is rare for the internet.  Below is a sample question and answer on the supplement Benfotiamine.

QUESTION

Vitamin Supplement Little More Than 'Snake Oil,' Researcher Claims. Science Daily (2008)  — A popular vitamin supplement is being advertised with claims that are demonstrably untrue, as revealed by research published in the open access journal BMC Pharmacology. Benfotiamine is a synthetic derivative of thiamine (vitamin B1). It is marketed heavily as a dietary supplement using a selection of unsubstantiated, 'not-quite-medical' claims that tend to characterize this field. A large part of this campaign has been built around the belief that benfotiamine is lipid-soluble and, therefore, more physiologically active. Scientific research led by Dr Lucien Bettendorff of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology at the University of Liège, Belgium, has entirely disproved these claims. According to Lucien Bettendorff, "We suspect that those companies selling benfotiamine have poisoned much of the recent literature in an attempt to bestow it with properties that it does not have". Benfotiamine has been previously shown to prevent several diabetic complications in experimental animal models. The researchers carried out experiments in mice in which it was administered using several different techniques and the resulting levels of thiamine were measured in various parts of the body. Contrary to other claims about its solubility, the results show that it is only sparingly soluble in water under physiological conditions and cannot be dissolved in octanol or oils. As Lucien Bettendorff explains, "Benfotiamine is very often considered a 'lipid-soluble' thiamine precursor from the disulfide derivative family though it is neither lipid-soluble, nor a disulfide. Sometimes, it is considered to have more biological activity than thiamine disulfides, but our study shows that it does not even penetrate cell membranes, except in those cells containing an ecto-alkaline phosphatase. There is no evidence that benfotiamine would be more effective than other precursors as a therapeutic agent for complications of diabetes." Journal reference: Marie-Laure Volvert, Sandrine Seyen, Marie Piette, Brigitte Evrard, Marjorie Gangolf, Jean-Christophe Plumier and Lucien Bettendorff. Benfotiamine, a synthetic S-acyl thiamine derivative, has different mechanisms of action and a different pharmacological profile than lipid-soluble thiamine disulfide derivatives. BMC Pharmacology, 2008.     

ANSWER

As with many supplements or medications, it often takes many years of research from various centers to finally have a good understanding of whether the supplement or medication works or whether is is ineffective. We happen to be in the early stages in terms of benfotiamine research and it is not easy for me to predict the outcome.