3 Quick and Easy Ways to Stay Energized this Winter
Last week on the blog, we discussed how seasonal affective [...]
Toxic Tea: How Fluoride in Tea Might Be Hurting Your Body
New studies show that green tea leaves and extracts contain toxic levels of sodium fluoride, leading many health professionals to question the safety of this powerful source of antioxidants. Once celebrated for the ability to fight cancer, improve cardiovascular health, and stimulate natural weight loss, green tea products are now the subject of increased scrutiny and study.
Can B Vitamins Help to Prevent Alzheimer’s?
It has been estimated that 5 million Americans suffer with Alzheimer’s disease, the most prevalent of all forms of mental dementia. On a global scale, the condition affects a reported 26 million. At early onset, Alzheimer’s is known to cause memory loss, mood swings, confusion, paranoia, and social withdrawal from both family and friends. The disease can progress rapidly, causing the decline of cognitive functions and even death. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, which makes it vital for young adults to understand the nature of this devastating condition as well as the ways in which it can be prevented.
How Does Fluoride Affect the Pineal Gland?
For much of the 1900s, very little research was conducted to study the effect of fluoride accumulation on brain health. By the 1950s, the subject started to garner attention among a number of scientists, researchers, and dental health professionals. In 1990, a major milestone was reached when Dr. Jennifer Luke asked the question: How does the accumulation of fluoride affect the hard and soft tissues of the body?
Fluoride's Effect on the Brain
Fluoride’s damaging effects on the brain has been documented by both human and animal studies. Eighteen human studies from China, India, Iran and Mexico and more than 40 animal studies show evidence that fluoride toxicity negatively affects the brain. A Chinese study [Wang SX, ZH Wang, XT Cheng, J Li, ZP Sang, XD Zhang, LL Han, SY Qiao, ZM Wu and ZQ Wang. 2007. “Arsenic and fluoride exposure in drinking water: children's IQ and growth in Shanyin County, Shanxi province, China.” Environmental Health Perspectives 115(4):643-7.] examined 524 children, ages 8 to 12, for “fluoride exposures in relation to intellectual functioning and growth.” The children who were exposed to high concentrations of fluoride through well water -- as high as 8.3 (mg/L)—were compared to a control group of children from neighboring villages whose well water contained 0.5 mg/L of fluoride. The high fluoride group had a four-point IQ score reduction compared with the control group, and the high fluoride group’s urine fluoride level was five times higher than the control group.