Fluoridated water doesn’t make you stupid
When I was growing up in East Tennessee, there were some who claimed that water fluoridation was a communist plot. If that’s the case, then God is a communist because in many parts of the world, water is naturally fluoridated. Indeed, it was the recognition that natural fluoridation was associated with fewer dental caries that helped drive artificial fluoridation.
The anti-fluoridation fear mongers never said exactly what the commies intended by fluoridating the water supply, but if they were trying to dumb us down, that was a fail.
“A massive 40-year study in the US has concluded that adding fluoride to drinking water does not reduce people’s cognitive ability. In fact, kids who grew up with fluoridated tap water performed slightly better in mathematics and reading in later life compared to those who didn’t.”
Seems to me that the anti-fluoridation folks were the subversives. By attacking sound science, they were not only undermining dental health, they were undermining Americans’ trust in science. Whether they were fools, dupes or intentionally evil, I can’t say. They were certainly wrong.
Water fluoridation doesn’t impair cognitive ability
The anti-fluoridation fear mongers never said exactly what the commies intended by fluoridating the water supply, but if they were trying to dumb us down, that was a fail.
“A massive 40-year study in the US has concluded that adding fluoride to drinking water does not reduce people’s cognitive ability. In fact, kids who grew up with fluoridated tap water performed slightly better in mathematics and reading in later life compared to those who didn’t.”
Seems to me that the anti-fluoridation folks were the subversives. By attacking sound science, they were not only undermining dental health, they were undermining Americans’ trust in science. Whether they were fools, dupes or intentionally evil, I can’t say. They were certainly wrong.
Water fluoridation doesn’t impair cognitive ability
The conspiracy theories I’ve read it makes you docile, not unlike lithium, and open to suggestion, not necessarily cognitively impaired. But … I guess when you’ve got a bowl of Fruit Loops it doesn’t really matter what color they are …
Similar to Ten Bears, a pretty common argument in anti-fluoridation activists is a hypothetical impairment of pineal gland activity which doesn’t show up as reduced cognitive potential, but rather interferes with other aspects of consciousness. Contrary to what Joel contends here, there actually is a lot of published specific commentary on how fluoridation is supposed to harm people., but not so much in professional journals. Not vouching for the value of it but the docility argument is much closer to mark than cognitive measures. For whatever it’s worth, I do know that it is common among Reiki practitioners, shamans and other ‘healers’ to avoid as much as possible fluoride in one particular chemical form, which is the one added to water. They feel it makes their activities harder to realize.
@Eric,
” . . .there actually is a lot of published specific commentary on how fluoridation is supposed to harm people., but not so much in professional journals.”
Opinions are like nose hairs: everybody’s got ’em. Much more valuable are rigorous scientific studies that survive peer review. As a scientist, hypothetical doesn’t cut it with me; I’ve always relied on facts and evidence as guides to action. YMMV.
” . . . it is common among Reiki practitioners, shamans and other ‘healers’ to avoid as much as possible fluoride in one particular chemical form, which is the one added to water.”
LOL! The fluoride added to public water supplies is chemically identical to the fluoride that occurs naturally in water. Once added, the fluoride compounds dissolve into fluoride ions, which are identical to those found in nature.
It is also common among Reiki practitioners, shamans and other ‘healers’ to make up unscientific claptrap. As with homeopathy, their practice relies on infinite dilutions of facts, which comprises the potent solvent they use to extract money from the gullible.
Anti-fluoride movement is one of the golden oldies of America’s strident right wing initiated by the all but forgotten John Birch Society. It was beaten back in the 1950s and Americans have benefitted from the science ever since. That’s how uncreative conservatism is to argue the truth is just another point of view.
The movie Dr. Strangelove had World War III start when an American general jacked up on anti-fluoride propaganda decided to deny the enemy his bodily fluids or something like that.
Measure of how uncreative conservatism is they’re still pulling stuff out of their hindquarters that are seventy-five years old … !