Fluoride - Not all it's cracked up to be

"Have you started giving her a fluoride supplement, 
we recommend that for all breastfeeding babies."

I have several issues with this statement, and it is one of the reasons we try not to see that practitioner any longer. We have choose not to give Madison any supplements, I'm a healthy woman with a well balanced diet, she's getting all the vitamins and minerals she needs from my milk. But today we're focused on one; Fluoride. Especially because when we stated that the CDC and WHO no longer recommended fluoride supplements, she looked at us in disbelief, like I had looked it up on Wikipedia.

Fluoride has beneficial effects on teeth at low concentrations in drinking-water, but excessive exposure to fluoride in drinking-water, or in combination with exposure to fluoride from other sources, can give rise to a number of adverse effects. - WHO, p2.

{From the start}

Okay, so here's why it's in your water in the first place. In some small town in Illinois, I think, in 1930 they found that there was an extremely low level of dental cares (cavities) and also a high level of fluoride in the water. Obviously then this 'fluoride' needs to be added to everyone's water. The didn't go far after that until recently, when the adverse effects of all this fluoride have been surfacing.

Fluoride is found in everything tooth related and not these days. Fluoride is naturally found in all water, sea water and lake/river water usually contain a low level, while the levels found in ground water can vary greatly based on the rock composition in the ground. Fluoride particles drift around in our air {in extremely low levels}. It's found on fruits in vegetables {also in very low levels}, taro, yams, and cassava beans have been found to have much higher levels, and although you levels in meats are also low, fluoride is stored in bones making fish and other meats canned with the bones {such is typical for salmon and sardines} lead to much higher levels. Wheat and barley also contain high levels, as well as tea leaves. How many of those things have you consumed lately?

So with all this naturally occurring fluoride, I ask you, Why add more to our water?

They think they're doing us a favor.

So what's the big issue, you ask? We over indulge is so many things these days, does a little extra fluoride really hurt anyone?

This recently published study has found that areas with higher fluoride levels also have children with lower IQs. The CDC has warned against the risk of dental fluorosis due to elevated exposure. Skeletal fluorosis can also occur because the fluoride interacts with calcium absorption. And in several studies, elevated fluoride exposure has been linked to cancer {but seriously, what hasn't been linked to cancer}. It is notable, however, that since the majority of fluoride is excreted through the kidneys, elevated levels may cause damage to the kidneys.

So let's review. If I give my kid fluoride she will have a lower chance of cavities BUT may have discolored and/or damaged teeth, brittle bones, cancer, kidney disease, and will be dumb. Please, sign me up for that one!

{Recommendations}

To be fair, there are areas where fluoride levels are extremely low and supplementation is recommended. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends supplementation ONLY if your local drinking water contains less that 0.3 ppm (parts per million) of fluoride. If you're on well water, you can have it tested, if you're using city/county water, a quick google search will usually turn up the information you're looking for {ensure you're using information from official sites, usually .gov}.

Alright, so yes your breasts do filter out the fluoride you take in, leaving very little given to your baby. My personal opinion, don't be a water snob. Use tap water in life. Let them drink from play with a sippy cup of tap water with every meal. Vary their diet. Cook their food with tap water. I'm sure we all use tap water for baths and if you're child is anything like mine they've drank their fair share of 'washcloth water'. Let them drink from the water hose. Let kids be kids and I think they'll turn out just fine.

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{For more information}

World Health Organization http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/fluoride_drinking_water_full.pdf

Center for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/safety/dental_fluorosis.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/safety/infant_formula.htm

American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Fluoride-Supplements.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token