Fluoride in water

Did you know that fluoridation of water was first explored and implemented by the Nazi gestapo? They used fluroide in the water, seemingly, in the concentration camps to keep the inmates quieter.

The UK Government is proposing to introduce fluoridation far more widely than across the UK currently - are you living in an area that has fluoridation eg Birmingham or Newcastle? Check here

Despite the fact that there is little scientific evidence to back the claims that this will reduce dental caries problems significantly, and historical evidence showing that it can actually have a negative impact, the UK gummint seem determined to go ahead. There are other issues such as the fact that fluoride is of most use when used topically ie swilled around the mouth and spat out, than when it is ingested. Which, of course, would be the result if all drinking water were to have fluoride added. Fluoride is also a toxin so the impact of adding it to a nation's drinking water needs further discussion. Not least by those who will be most affected by such a move. Yet there seems to be very little information available to the electorate from the gummint.

Once again, the nanny state we live in is making decisions that will affect the whole populace and giving us very little choice in the matter. If, for instance, dental problems are most profilic in areas where poverty is also an issue, then surely one way to deal with it would be by firstly ensuring that all such areas have a glut of dentists, including dentists in schools as we had until they were cut by a previous gummint (like we had nit nurses), so that any such teeth problems were caught early on. Additionally, the lack of decent nutritonal education (not helped by removing domestic science etc from schools) means that many children are growing up completely unaware of what they ought to be eating.

The supermarkets also price 'good food' far higher than crap processed food full of salt, sugar, fats etc, thereby putting it out of the reach of the most impoverished. Additionally, the cheapest drinks are not bottled water or real fruit juices, but fizzy drinks full of artifical sweeteners etc which are most definitely not good for your teeth nor health. And because our country is now so full of people, there is little space to encourage allotments etc where even the poorest of the poor could grow wholesome food to supplement their meagre incomes.

I could go on and on about all the different positive policies that could be put in place to begin to attack the reasons for poverty, and supposedly hence dental caries, in this country.

However, one can only guess at the cost for putting in a nationwide fluoridation scheme. And if that fluoride is also put into water in Middle England, where many people do not have dental problems, we are not just wasting money but potentially putting people's health at risk.

Why not issue bottles of fluoride to those who most need it? Teach them to swill their mouths out, and not swallow, and target those who most need it with some one to one advice about nutrition, tooth cleaning, etc. There potentially is about to be yet another generation of parents giving their kids coca cola or similar in their drinks bottles, which is by far one of the most efficient ways to trash your kids teeth.

Educate the masses. Target those who most need this treatment. Encourage people to become dentists and use their dentists. Stop feeding kids crap in schools. Force the supermarkets to bring decent food to affordable prices 9without ripping off the producers and farmers). Get a few celebrities and nutritionists to give those who shop in supermarkets 7 recipes for the week and a full shopping list to suit their budgets. The major religions, like Islam and Judaism, offer support to their followers by advising what to eat and what not to eat, what should be eaten together, and what should not. It is not some foppery, but actually teaches nutrition and common sense.

Our gummint should keep its hands off our drinking water. If it wants to help prevent dental caries etc, then it needs to focus on which of the policies implemented over the last couple of decades have allowed this to happen. And take a long hard look at what they allow food producers and supermarkets to get away with.