Yearly Archives: 2014

Is Fluoride the Answer or the Problem?

A recent article in Great Britain’s Daily Mail pointed out that in some parts of the United States naturally occurring levels of fluoride in well water may be reducing IQ levels in children.

Forgetting for a minute, the continuing debate over what IQ levels really measure, the article does raise, once again, the continuing controversy over whether there is really any safe level of fluoridation.

Europe has largely banned the practice, but in the US it continues, with proponents saying that it prevents tooth decay. Opponents, including me, contend that there is no safe level of chemicals to be added to water especially if children are involved.

Studies, which the FDA and local municipalities choose to ignore, suggest that any benefit of fluoride, are more than offset by long-term nuerological problems which are just beginning to surface.

It’s tough to do a double-blind study on children raised on water with and without floride, but I believe strongly that fluoride is among a host of chemicals contributing to the widespread increase in autism, ADHD, and a number of other disorders.

I urge all my clients to avoid fluoridated water, especially in children. You can either buy a whole house filter to get ride of it, or simply use bottled water for anything going in your mouth.

This is just one more step toward wellness for you and your children.

Cell phones in the bedroom

A recent MacWorld Magazine article guided readers on how to choose the right application for white noise to help them get to sleep.

Unfortunately the editors completely ignore the fact that your smartphone (whether Android or Apple) should not even be in the bedroom, much less sitting on your night stand. Unfortunately smartphones might let you download an application to help you sleep, but the device itself broadcasts EMF radiation, which does exactly the opposite.

EMF’s destroy the melatonin that helps get you to sleep. The dangers of EMF are well documented, and while some localities have tried to get manufacturers to put warning labels on phones, the industry has fought back and will not even tolerate labels which list radiation levels.

This means that even everyday use of cellphones can be dangerous, but that’s a subject for a future post. My point here is to warn you away from keeping your cellphone anywhere near your bedroom. This means that you should not use it as an alarm clock or to help you get to sleep.

Certainly allowing youngsters to keep their phones by their bed, for late night texting or web browsing, should be strictly prohibited. It won’t be a poplar decision, but the damage to young brains can be even more harmful.

It’s tempting to put your phone on ‘airplane mode’ so no signal is sent, but that won’t negate the impact of the electronics in the phone. The best option is to turn it off completely and leave the phone in another part of the house.

The Right Choice

It’s easy to get confused about the right approach to your wellness. Every day it seems there’s another theory about the perfect program for health living.

The reality is that there is no “one size fits all” model for wellness. Everyone’s history, background and genetic makeup is different, so it’s important to work with someone who knows you and your family.

It’s important that you have confidence in the guidance you get and that you ask your wellness advisor about any issues that concern you. The absolute worst scenario is to jump from one approach to another.

There may be multiple theories ad they may be in conflict. Often, one approach might actually interfere with the goals of another. The result can be confusing and in some cases, dangerous.

To get the results you want you need consistency, that’s the only way any program will have long term results.