RFK Jr. as health czar--- he wants to eliminate all "toxins", starting with fluoride

[outside shooter]

As a medicinal chemist, I deal with the concept of toxicity every day. Simply put, the concept of toxicity is meaningless without an association with a dose. The old saying (from the physician Paracelsus, in the 1500s!), is “it is the dose that makes the poison”. Everything is toxic at some dose: salt, sugar, baking soda, vinegar, tabasco sauce, aspirin, and even pure water. That doesn’t mean that each of those substances should be banned. Certainly, some things are toxic at even vanishingly small doses (many of the components in tobacco smoke, for instance), and so the logical recommendation is to avoid tobacco smoke (even secondhand smoke) completely. But that is not the case with most things, including fluoride.

I am not a dentist, but evidence shows that at the doses present in drinking water and toothpaste, it has clear benefits without measurable adverse effects. It’s why at my alma mater (Indiana University) chemists and dentists together invented fluorinated toothpaste in the 1950s, licensing the patent rights to Proctor and Gamble, who gave us Crest. 70 years ago, the clinical trials run in Bloomington Indiana showed a 30% reduction in cavities. Such studies have been validated over and over again, not just for toothpaste but also for fluoride added to public drinking water at a defined low dose.

This is another case where science is true, whether you choose to believe it or not.

RFK Jr. is a bigger quack than any duck.

 

[IUCrazy2]

As a medicinal chemist, I deal with the concept of toxicity every day. Simply put, the concept of toxicity is meaningless without an association with a dose. The old saying (from the physician Paracelsus, in the 1500s!), is “it is the dose that makes the poison”. Everything is toxic at some dose: salt, sugar, baking soda, vinegar, tabasco sauce, aspirin, and even pure water. That doesn’t mean that each of those substances should be banned. Certainly, some things are toxic at even vanishingly small doses (many of the components in tobacco smoke, for instance), and so the logical recommendation is to avoid tobacco smoke (even secondhand smoke) completely. But that is not the case with most things, including fluoride.

I am not a dentist, but evidence shows that at the doses present in drinking water and toothpaste, it has clear benefits without measurable adverse effects. It’s why at my alma mater (Indiana University) chemists and dentists together invented fluorinated toothpaste in the 1950s, licensing the patent rights to Proctor and Gamble, who gave us Crest. 70 years ago, the clinical trials run in Bloomington Indiana showed a 30% reduction in cavities. Such studies have been validated over and over again, not just for toothpaste but also for fluoride added to public drinking water at a defined low dose.

This is another case where science is true, whether you choose to believe it or not.

RFK Jr. is a bigger quack than any duck.

Impact of fluoride on neurological development in children

July 25, 2012 — For years health experts have been unable to agree on whether fluoride in the drinking water may be toxic to the developing human brain. Extremely high levels of fluoride are …

www.hsph.harvard.edu

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

As a medicinal chemist, I deal with the concept of toxicity every day. Simply put, the concept of toxicity is meaningless without an association with a dose. The old saying (from the physician Paracelsus, in the 1500s!), is “it is the dose that makes the poison”. Everything is toxic at some dose: salt, sugar, baking soda, vinegar, tabasco sauce, aspirin, and even pure water. That doesn’t mean that each of those substances should be banned. Certainly, some things are toxic at even vanishingly small doses (many of the components in tobacco smoke, for instance), and so the logical recommendation is to avoid tobacco smoke (even secondhand smoke) completely. But that is not the case with most things, including fluoride.

I am not a dentist, but evidence shows that at the doses present in drinking water and toothpaste, it has clear benefits without measurable adverse effects. It’s why at my alma mater (Indiana University) chemists and dentists together invented fluorinated toothpaste in the 1950s, licensing the patent rights to Proctor and Gamble, who gave us Crest. 70 years ago, the clinical trials run in Bloomington Indiana showed a 30% reduction in cavities. Such studies have been validated over and over again, not just for toothpaste but also for fluoride added to public drinking water at a defined low dose.

This is another case where science is true, whether you choose to believe it or not.

RFK Jr. is a bigger quack than any duck.

I don't think there's any chance that he'd be confirmed for Health and Human Services Secretary. He's an anti-vax nut. If Trump is elected the only chance he'd have for any involvement with health would be a staff job like "Health Czar," whatever the heck that is.

 

[Bowlmania]

As a medicinal chemist, I deal with the concept of toxicity every day. Simply put, the concept of toxicity is meaningless without an association with a dose. The old saying (from the physician Paracelsus, in the 1500s!), is “it is the dose that makes the poison”. Everything is toxic at some dose: salt, sugar, baking soda, vinegar, tabasco sauce, aspirin, and even pure water. That doesn’t mean that each of those substances should be banned. Certainly, some things are toxic at even vanishingly small doses (many of the components in tobacco smoke, for instance), and so the logical recommendation is to avoid tobacco smoke (even secondhand smoke) completely. But that is not the case with most things, including fluoride.

I am not a dentist, but evidence shows that at the doses present in drinking water and toothpaste, it has clear benefits without measurable adverse effects. It’s why at my alma mater (Indiana University) chemists and dentists together invented fluorinated toothpaste in the 1950s, licensing the patent rights to Proctor and Gamble, who gave us Crest. 70 years ago, the clinical trials run in Bloomington Indiana showed a 30% reduction in cavities. Such studies have been validated over and over again, not just for toothpaste but also for fluoride added to public drinking water at a defined low dose.

This is another case where science is true, whether you choose to believe it or not.

RFK Jr. is a bigger quack than any duck.

That poor guy (RFK Jr.) is not right in the head. Brain worms and/or 'roids, maybe.

Trump is old enough to remember RFK's public life, JFK's presidency, "Camelot" and America's first and only royal family. He has compared Melania to the iconic Jackie (not even close) and I'm sure he loves the Kennedy name and associated cachet. That's the only thing that explains his apparent infatuation with RFK Jr.

 

[outside shooter]

An aside...

If we could go back in time and re-do that licensing deal that IU made with P&G, say, with IU getting even just 1% of Crest sales in perpetuity, IU's endowment would dwarf that of all power 5 schools, combined.

I think IU got a cash payout for the duration of the patent rights. Of course, Crest remained the market leader long after those rights expired.

 

[mrhighlife]

Impact of fluoride on neurological development in children

July 25, 2012 — For years health experts have been unable to agree on whether fluoride in the drinking water may be toxic to the developing human brain. Extremely high levels of fluoride are …

www.hsph.harvard.edu

I am not against someone like RFK Jr looking through all of the allowed chemicals in our food and drink in this country. I think its long overdue. What chemicals are we regularly ingesting that are banned in other countries? Why do we allow them? Has advancements happened where we no longer need those chemicals to be used? I don't know any that but the FDA should.

I will say though the article you linked is not that helpful in so much that's it's 12 years old, hasn't been updated, comes to no conclusions, and admits that more research is needed. My issue now is...why isn't that research being done?

 

[BadWakeboarder]

Impact of fluoride on neurological development in children

July 25, 2012 — For years health experts have been unable to agree on whether fluoride in the drinking water may be toxic to the developing human brain. Extremely high levels of fluoride are …

www.hsph.harvard.edu

It mentions high doses in that study.

 

[outside shooter]

There have been several studies of how very high doses of fluoride negatively affect children. These studies were done in areas of the world with lots of fluoride in the drinking water. Why so much? Because it's a natural mineral and in many areas is present in well water many times times higher than in fluorinated public drinking water.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) set the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water at 0.7 mg/L

The group of kids in the most-cited study had access to drinking water with fluoride concentrations ranging from 5.7 mg/L to 11.5 mg/L.

That is 8.4x to 16.4x the recommended amount

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0892036214001809?via%3Dihub

The authors clearly state that Fluoride is necessary for the human body. A proper amount of fluoride not only prevents dental caries, but also promotes the use of calcium and phosphorus and the calcium sediment in the bone, stimulates bone growth and maintains bone health.

But you don't want babies taking 8-16x the normal amount.

Just like you shouldn't take 32 aspirin tablets instead of two, as recommended.

One action item has been the development/popularity of non-fluoride toothpaste for babies and toddlers. They don't know how to spit it out after brushing, so they would swallow much more of it than an adult would.

 

[Ohio Guy]

That poor guy (RFK Jr.) is not right in the head. Brain worms and/or 'roids, maybe.

Trump is old enough to remember RFK's public life, JFK's presidency, "Camelot" and America's first and only royal family. He has compared Melania to the iconic Jackie (not even close) and I'm sure he loves the Kennedy name and associated cachet. That's the only thing that explains his apparent infatuation with RFK Jr.

Trump not only compared Melania to Jackie Kennedy, he compared himself to Elvis.

I think being an extreme narcissist for close to 80 years probably reinforces a demented self view like that.

 

[mrhighlife]

There have been several studies of how very high doses of fluoride negatively affect children. These studies were done in areas of the world with lots of fluoride in the drinking water. Why so much? Because it's a natural mineral and in many areas is present in well water many times times higher than in fluorinated public drinking water.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) set the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water at 0.7 mg/L

The group of kids in the most-cited study had access to drinking water with fluoride concentrations ranging from 5.7 mg/L to 11.5 mg/L.

That is 8.4x to 16.4x the recommended amount

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0892036214001809?via%3Dihub

The authors clearly state that Fluoride is necessary for the human body. A proper amount of fluoride not only prevents dental caries, but also promotes the use of calcium and phosphorus and the calcium sediment in the bone, stimulates bone growth and maintains bone health.

But you don't want babies taking 8-16x the normal amount.

Just like you shouldn't take 32 aspirin tablets instead of two, as recommended.

One action item has been the development/popularity of non-fluoride toothpaste for babies and toddlers. They don't know how to spit it out after brushing, so they would swallow much more of it than an adult would.

Good stuff. Any thoughts on why most of the rest of the world has stopped adding fluoride to the water supply and we continue? Does the water in the US lack enough naturally occuring fluoride?

I see Switzerland stopped 40 years ago. How is their overall health compared to ours in regards to the things you mentioned fluoride is helpful for?

 

[Noodle]

They're just pandering to the dentists for votes.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Trump not only compared Melania to Jackie Kennedy, he compared himself to Elvis.

I think being an extreme narcissist for close to 80 years probably reinforces a demented self view like that.

He also said he could have played Major League Baseball. Not kidding.

 

[Ohio Guy]

He also said he could have played Major League Baseball. Not kidding.

I think I remember that. The sad thing is, I think he's so good at convincing himself how awesome he is, he fully believes it.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

I think I remember that. The sad thing is, I think he's so good at convincing himself how awesome he is, he fully believes it.

I linked it here. Thing is he wasn’t a good player.

 

[twenty02]

Good stuff. Any thoughts on why most of the rest of the world has stopped adding fluoride to the water supply and we continue? Does the water in the US lack enough naturally occuring fluoride?

I see Switzerland stopped 40 years ago. How is their overall health compared to ours in regards to the things you mentioned fluoride is helpful for?

Europe has the highest rate of tooth decay in the world

 

[twenty02]

Impact of fluoride on neurological development in children

July 25, 2012 — For years health experts have been unable to agree on whether fluoride in the drinking water may be toxic to the developing human brain. Extremely high levels of fluoride are …

www.hsph.harvard.edu

Only a loss of 7 IQ points... And you get to keep all your teeth! Sounds like a good trade-off.

Now some may not have those 7 points to spare.... 😂

 

[Ohio Guy]

Only a loss of 7 IQ points... And you get to keep all your teeth! Sounds like a good trade-off.

Now some may not have those 7 points to spare.... 😂

A bright, white smile full of pearly whites makes you look smarter. So, fake it 'til you make it, I guess....

 

[sweetsilence]

A bright, white smile full of pearly whites makes you look smarter. So, fake it 'til you make it, I guess....

Probably shouldn't judge people based on their physical appearance or condition since you know nothing about their medical or dental history.

 

[IUCrazy2]

Only a loss of 7 IQ points... And you get to keep all your teeth! Sounds like a good trade-off.

Now some may not have those 7 points to spare.... 😂

If you are brushing your teeth you don't need it....

 

[IUCrazy2]

It mentions high doses in that study.

High doses were worse than those having lower doses. I don't know if they did a control comparison to no doses or not. The study was in China as fluoride is apparently naturally in some of their water.

I am agnostic on the fluoride stuff, haven't dug enough into it to have a strong opinion. I just know that OS has a history of claiming things "settled" that aren't.

 

[ChicagoFineForNow]

High doses were worse than those having lower doses. I don't know if they did a control comparison to no doses or not. The study was in China as fluoride is apparently naturally in some of their water.

I am agnostic on the fluoride stuff, haven't dug enough into it to have a strong opinion. I just know that OS has a history of claiming things "settled" that aren't.

Declaring something static and shutting out any and all indications to the contrary is the least scientific mindset possible.

 

[IUINSB]

He also said he could have played Major League Baseball. Not kidding.

I too could have played MLB if it wasn't for LOFT.