REPRINTED FROM BEYOND HEALTH® News
The Waste in Toothpaste
by Raymond Francis
Ordinary toothpaste is more than a minor contributor to our modern epidemic of chronic and degenerative disease. Toxicity is one of the two causes of disease. We live in a polluted world with thousands of unnatural, man-made chemicals that our bodies have never seen before and don't know how to handle. Almost all of us are in some degree of toxic overload. That's why it's so important for each of us to minimize our exposure to the environmental toxins over which we do have some control. To be healthy, each of us has to make hundreds of choices on a daily basis to optimize our nutrition and minimize our toxic exposures. Remember, it's not one specific toxin that is making America sick, but many different toxins gradually accumulating in our tissues. Something as simple as toothpaste can be "the straw that breaks the camel's back."
Are there toxins in toothpaste? You bet! And they are highly bioavailable. Just read the box on an ordinary tube of toothpaste. You will find a government required warning label that reads something like, "If you accidentally swallow more than the amount needed for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately." Why a poison control center? Immediately! Because ordinary toothpaste contains a list of highly toxic chemicals that are dangerous to health and can even kill a small child.
The mucus membranes in the mouth are extremely permeable. This means that certain chemicals will go right through those membranes like there is nothing there. People who have accidentally taken some insecticide in their mouth, and instantly spit it out, have died of insecticide poisoning because it instantly went right through the mucus membranes. Likewise, toxins in toothpaste can go through these membranes and add to your toxic load. In addition, who can help but swallow a little bit of the toothpaste, especially small children who may swallow quite a bit.
Most toothpaste contains fluoride. Fluoride is one of the most toxic chemicals in our environment. The almost insurmountable and very expensive task of disposing of extremely dangerous, fluoride toxic waste from the aluminum and phosphate fertilizer industries has been solved. These industries sell their toxic waste at a profit to water suppliers who dilute it into billions of gallons of water. The problem is the toxic effects of the fluoride from toothpaste, water, and elsewhere is cumulative. Current doses are clearly excessive. A significant percentage of the population have already had their health damaged by getting too much fluoride. One form of this damage is dental fluorosis. Fluorosis is a malformation of tooth enamel characterized by brittleness and slight to major discoloration. A recent national study found that 22% of U.S. children have some degree of dental fluorosis. More serious is that X-rays of children with dental fluorosis can also show bone structure abnormalities. At the same time, there is no credible scientific evidence indicating that fluoride has benefited anyone.
Almost all toothpaste contains a toxin called sodium lauryl sulfate. This synthetic detergent and its chemical cousins will go through mucus membranes and bioaccumulate in eye, heart, and liver tissue. People who are having eye trouble never stop to think that their toothpaste may have contributed to their problem. Two years ago, a German study published in a British medical journal concluded that sodium lauryl sulfate caused gum disease. Do you really want this in your toothpaste?
In addition there are many other toxic chemicals routinely found in toothpaste including artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. If these were the only toxins we were exposed to, perhaps it wouldn't matter. But this is not the case, and we are all in toxic overload. Fortunately, toothpaste toxins are easily avoided by using the right brand.
A few years ago I spent eighteen months and considerable expense to find a toothpaste I could recommend. I sorted through over 200 products and was unable to find a single U.S. brand that met my standards. Finally, I selected a Swiss formula called Weleda. Weleda tastes good, cleans your teeth, and is non-toxic. Weleda is available at quality health food stores or at Beyond Health online or by calling 800-250-3063.
Raymond Francis is an M.I.T.-trained scientist, a registered nutrition consultant, author of Never Be Sick Again and Never Be Fat Again, host of the Beyond Health Show, Chairman of the The Project to End Disease and an internationally recognized leader in the field of optimal health maintenance.
Reprinted with permission from:
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Copyright 1999, Raymond Francis