SPEEDING UP THE AGING PROCESS - FLUORIDE: THE AGING FACTOR

They called it "Das Dorf der jungen Greise", the village where people age before their time. In 1978, the German magazine "Stern" reported on this village of Kizilcaoern, Turkey, describing it as a place where even the young looked and felt old. At the age of 30 they  would look like old men, their facial skin was wrinkled, muscle tone weakened with walking difficulties.
There were numerous premature births, with babies stillborn after four or five months of gestation.

Dr. Yusef C. Ozkan and his colleagues at the Medical faculty of the University of Eskisehir suspect that the cause of all this suffering is to be sought in the high content of fluorides. The medical people say that the fluoride content of the water is 5.4 parts per million. Similar symptoms have been reported elsewhere. Dr. Frada and co-workers from the University of  Palmero reported that the people in the Sicilian village of   Acquaviva Platani experienced a premature hardening of the arteries and premature senility, as well as an increase in mortality which Dr. Frada attributed to the 5 parts per million fluoride found in their drinking water. Similar findings have been found in certain areas of India where fluoride levels are high.

FLUORIDE AND PREMATURE SKIN WRINKLING
Fluoride at levels as low as 1 part per million in the drinking water give rise to an irregular formation of collagen in the body. Collagen, which makes up about a third of our bodies, is a major component of skin, ligaments, tendons, muscles, cartilage, bones and teeth.

The disruption of this collagen is what results in wrinkling of the skin, weakening of the ligaments, tendons and muscles. When fluoride induces the breakdown or irregular formation of collage in cartilage, irreversible arthritis and stiffness of the joints is observed. Moreover, fluoride interferes with the production of collagen in cells responsible for laying down tooth enamel and bone. This results in deformed teeth and bones which is characteristic of high fluoride intake.

Today, two-thirds of US public drinking water is fluoridated. Many municipalities still resist the practice, disbelieving the government's assurances of safety. Since the days of World War II when the US prevailed by building the world's first atomic bomb, the nation's public health leaders have maintained that low doses of fluoride are safe for people and good for children's teeth. That safety verdict should now be re-examined in the light of new research that is emerging.

The impact can be seen literally in the smiles of our children. Large numbers (up to 80 per cent in some cities) of young Americans now have dental fluorosis, the first visible sign of excessive fluoride exposure according to the US National Research Council. (The signs are whitish flecks or spots, particularly on the front teeth, or dark spots or stripes in more severe
cases.) Less known to the public is that fluoride also accumulates in bones. "The teeth are windows to what's happening in the bones," explained Paul Connett, Professor of Chemistry at St Lawrence University, New York, to these reporters. In recent years, paediatric bone specialists have expressed alarm about an increase in stress fractures among young people in the US. Connett and other scientists are concerned that fluoride-linked to bone damage in studies since the 1930s-may be a contributing factor.

SYMPTOMS OF FLUORIDE POISONING IN THE WESTERN WORLD
The United States Pharmacopoeia lists some of the side-effects that can result from the daily ingestion of the amount of fluoride found in 1 to 2 pints of artificially fluoridated water. The side-effects are as follows: black tar-like stools, bloody vomit, faintness, nausea, shallow breathing, stomach cramps or pain, tremors, unusual excitement, unusual increase in saliva, watery eyes, weakness, constipation, loss of appetite, pain and aching bones, skin rash, sores in the mouth and on the lips, stiffness,
weight loss, white, brown, and black discoloration of teeth.

FLUORIDE AND CNS EFFECTS
Animal studies which Dr. Phyllis Mullenix, former head of toxicology at Forsyth Dental Center in Boston and now a critic of fluoridation and co-workers conducted at Forsyth in the early 1990s indicated that fluoride was a powerful central nervous system (CNS) toxin and might adversely affect human brain functioning even at low doses. (New epidemiological evidence from China adds support, showing a correlation between low-dose fluoride exposure and diminished IQ in children.) Mullenix's results were published in 1995 in a reputable peer-reviewed scientific journal ("Neurotoxicity of Sodium Fluoride in Rats", Neurotoxicology and Teratology, vol. 17, no. 2, 1995, pp. 169-177). During her investigation, Mullenix was astonished to discover there had been virtually no previous US studies of fluoride's effects on the human brain. Then, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) turned down her application for a grant to continue her CNS research, when an NIH panel flatly told her "fluoride does not have central nervous system effects".

Even Procter and Gamble, the makers of Crest toothpaste, admit that "theoretically, at least, a tube of toothpaste contains enough fluorine to kill a child". When the toothbrushing habits of 12-24 month old children was examined, it was found that 20% of children ingested more than 0.25mg of fluoride a day by toothbrushing alone. It was found that a 4-6 year old child will consume 25 - 33% of the toothpaste on their brush. Swedish scientists, who have now banned the use of fluorine in the water, warn that children should not brush their teeth more than once a day if they live in a fluoridated area. Sodium fluoride, the type used in toothpaste, is one of the most frequent causes of acute poisoning in young children.

PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM DISASTER!
On November 11, 1979, up to 50 parts per million fluoride was dumped into the Annapolis, Maryland public water system. This resulted in the poisoning of 50,000 people. After conducting an epidemiological study, Dr. Yiamouyiannis found that approximately 10,000 people exhibited acute symptoms of fluoride poisoning. Of those that had suffered fluoride poisoning, 62% complained of musculoskeletal symptoms, 65% of neurological symptoms, 81% gastrointestinal symptoms, 59% urological symptoms, and 13% dermatological symptoms.

DENTISTRY AND FLUORIDE TREATMENT
There are also many cases of children dying of fluoride treatment by a dentist or dental hygienist. Surveys showed that over 6% of the children receiving fluoride treatments at the dental office complained of side effects, including nausea and vomiting, either immediately or within one hour following treatment. Unfortunately, there are cases of children dying after a routine cleaning of teeth at the dentist, as in the tragic case of a 3-year old Brooklyn boy in 1974 whose parents were awarded $750,000 after a lethal dose of fluoride at a dental clinic. There are many other such tragic deaths of children for fluoride poisoning.

Physicians have observed that acne-like eruptions can be caused by fluoridated toothpaste with areas around the mouth.
Some teachers are currently administering fluoride mouth-rinse programs to children. This is illegal, as fluoride is classified both as a drug and a poison.

THE DESTRUCTIVE MECHANISMS OF FLUORIDE
For those that have an inquisitive mind, I will briefly list some of the major destructive mechanisms of fluoride:

IMMUNE SYSTEM DAMAGE
a) Fluoride decreases the migration rate of lymphocytes (leukotaxis) - as little as 0.2 parts per million fluorides (the amount found in the blood of people living in fluoridated areas) is enough to inhibit the movement of while blood cells.
b) Researchers have found that fluoride can increase the urinary levels of cyclic AMP (adenosine monophosphate). Cyclic AMP inhibits the migration rate of lymphocytes, as well as the ability of white blood cells to destroy foreign agents such as bacteria, viruses, etc. (phagocytosis). These phagocytic cells secrete a chemical called superoxide, which aids the ultimate destruction of the foreign agents - fluoride inhibits the synthesis of superoxide, therefore depleting the ability of the white blood cells to properly destroy these foreign agents.

COLLAGEN BREAKDOWN
a) There are 5 different cells that produce collagen and other collagen-like substances in the body. These are fibroblasts (ligaments and muscles), chondroblasts (cartilage), osteoblasts (bone), ameloblasts (tooth enamel) and odontoblasts (tooth dentine). Collagen protein contains two additional amino acids, hydroxyproline and hypdroxylysine, not found in other proteins.
Fluoride breaks these amino acids down, where they are found to increase in the blood and the urine. Again, as little as 1 ppm of fluoride is enough to interfere with collagen metabolism, leading to its breakdown. Abnormal bone and cartilage growth occurs as the collagen-producing cells try to compensate by producing larger quantities of imperfect collagen.

DENTAL FLUOROSIS
a) With as little as 1 ppm of fluoride, ameloblasts, the collagen-producing cells of the tooth, begin to secrete an abnormal collagen matrix. Depending on the degree of this interference, the tooth enamel loses its translucent appearance.
b) Disruption of the collagen laid down by odontoblasts to form dentin, which makes up the structural bulk of the tooth, results in part of the tooth fracturing off, leading to pits and parts of the tooth breaking away.

SKELETAL FLUOROSIS
a) Fluoride has been shown to interfere with collagen formation in osteoblasts and chondroblasts. There is an increased production of imperfect collagen or collagen-like protein resulting in mineralization of tissues, which should not be mineralised, leading to a calcification of ligaments, cartilage and tendons.
b) Drs. Singh and Jolly, internationally recognised experts on the clinical effects of fluorosis on bone, point out that the most noticeable changes are detected in the spine, with calcification of various spinal ligaments, resulting in pronounced bony outgrowths.
c) Researchers have also found a correlation between the rate of hip fractures and the degree of fluoridation in the USA. A study in Britain found that by increasing the concentration of fluorine in the water for 0 to 1 ppm would increase the hip fracture rate by about 40%.
 
PREMATURE AGING
a) Disruption of collagen metabolism leads to the calcification of tissues, which should not be calcified, and a reduction of calcification in tissues, which should be calcified. Examination of tissues of people exposed to fluoride shows calcified ligaments, tendons, muscles and thyroid cartilage.
b) Fibroblasts in the arterial cells again produce larger amounts of imperfect collagen, resulting in hardening of the arteries or
arteriosclerosis, one of the leading causes of death.
c) The wrinkling in the skin is probably a result of a breakdown in collagen structure or to a slight calcification of the skin collagen (scleroderma), or both.

GENETIC DAMAGE
a) Researchers have reported that 1-ppm fluoride inhibits DNA repair enzyme activity by 50%. When a cell is damaged, it provides a group of enzymes called the DNA repair enzyme system which repairs the DNA damage. Fluoride inhibits these repair mechanisms, leading to an increase in genetic or chromosomal damage. Most of the damage is in the testes cells, which could lead to birth defects and other metabolic disorders which can be passed on from generation to generation.

CANCER
a) Substances like fluoride that cause genetic damage are called mutogenic substances, which could also be carcinogenic, as supported by various research studies. Japanese scientists have shown that fluoride does not only cause genetic damage but was also capable of transforming normal cells into cancer cells.  These researchers found that cells treated with 34 and 45-ppm
fluoride produced cancer (fibrosarcoma) when injected under the skin of otherwise healthy adult hamsters.
b) Mouse studies have shown that fluoride can cause a rather rare liver cancer called hepatocholangiocarcinomas.
c) Other researchers have shown a 33% to 50% increase in oral and pharyngeal cancers in fluoridated areas of the USA.
d) In 1991, the National Cancer Institute found that the incidence of osteosarcomas (bone cancer) was about 50% higher in men 0-19 years of age exposed to fluoridated water as compared to those who were not.
e) According to estimates, over 10,000 people in the USA die of cancer each year due to fluoridation of public drinking water.

There has been a lot of research that has tried to show that fluoride is indeed an essential nutrient. None of these studies proved this; not one person has ever been found with a fluoride deficiency. Quite the contrary, fluoride interferes adversely with the body's normal biochemistry, causing disruption and damage. This activity is what would be expected from what is
now categorized as "poisons". It should not surprise us then, to discover that fluoride is frequently used as a rodenticide and insecticide!

For those that want to learn more about the effects of fluoride, I strobgly recommend one of the books that I have used for researching this article entitled "Fluoride - The Aging Factor: How To Recognize and Avoid the Devastating Effects of Fluoride" by Dr. John Yamouyiannis. You can order direct from: www.amazon.com