Newsletter 4-10-09

1. What is Neuropathy?
2. Neuropathy, what to do about the pain, the tingling and the numbness.
3. Warning: Never Swallow Regular Toothpaste - by Dr. Mercola

Neuropathy has many symptoms. It may start with a tingling feeling and end up with numbness. It can be a pricking, or burning sensation, loss of reflexes and muscle shrinkage, abnormal sensations, or sensitivity to touch. Its worse symptom is pain, sometimes so excruciating that a person would amputate rather than continue the pain.

It is called many names such as paresthesia, neuritis, neuralgia, dysesthensia, hypoesthesia, hypesthesia, hypalgesia, hypealgesia and hyperesthesia due to its many different kinds of symptoms.

They are created by a specific type of nerve damage. This nerve damage can come from too much sugar in the blood (the reason it is a side effect of diabetes). It can be caused by exposure to chemicals such as cancer treatments, poisons, alcoholism, or a side effect of some medications. It can be the result of kidney or liver failure, infectious disease or nutritional deficiencies especially B vitamins. The reasons are many; the damage they produce is the same.

What creates the problem is damage done to the outer lining of the nerve cell. Cells have coverings much like an electrical wire has an insulation of plastic. Have you ever seen a wire whose insulation is damaged – the electrical current doesn’t flow correctly. It can send electricity out from the area where it is damaged, it can stop the flow of electricity or it can damage what it's supposed to be supplying electricity to.

A damaged nerve covering does the same thing. It can send out “sparks” that cause tingling, it can stop the flow resulting in numbness. It can create feelings of hot or cold or sensitivity due to crossed signals. It can definitely cause pain especially as the damage gets worse.

The idea is to fix this outer covering. This is called the myelin sheath. What is needed are specific B vitamins. The only question is how to get these B vitamins in sufficient amounts so that the body can actually build healthy nerves. Isolated B vitamins that are sold at the health food stores or local drug stores get washed out of the system too quickly to fix the damage. It would be hard to take enough of this type of nutrients to make a difference. You can’t get it from vitamins made in a laboratory.

What is needed is a whole food supplement with methylcobalamine and benfotiamine and other B vitamins that the body can use to build healthy nerve cells. That is one of the functions of the body, to build health. But it does need specific nutrients to do its job.

Nutrients are what a body runs on. A car runs on gas. If you drive the car down the road, it uses up a steady amount of that gas. If you take that same car and speed down the freeway, you will use up a lot of gas. When you take a body “out on the freeway”, or put it under physical stress, it uses up a lot more nutrients. Thus, getting the right supplements in the right amount is important.

Just as a car won’t drive without giving it gas a body can’t or function correctly or build health without the proper nutrients it needs to “drive”. In the case of neuropathy, it needs these B vitamins.

Neuropathy can be a side effect of many things. Although most often it is caused by too much sugar in the blood - Diabetes - there are many factors. Chemotherapy and some drugs have neuropathy as a side effect and it can be caused by surgery damaging the nerves - there are others.

We got lots of different people who got nerve damage from many different reasons who have written up what happened to them.

Fluoride, one of the most consumed drugs in the United States, is deliberately added to about two-thirds of U.S. public water supplies, theoretically to reduce tooth decay, even though there’s no scientifically-valid evidence proving either safety or effectiveness.

In this video, Dr. Bill Osmunson, general and cosmetic dentist for 30 years, talks about how he came to change his mind about water fluoridation, which he promoted aggressively for the first 25 years of his practice. He thought he saw the benefits, but it wasn’t until he actually reviewed the information for himself that he began to realize that fluoridation is a serious problem.

One of the first things he did was look at a tube of toothpaste, which clearly carries the warning: “Do not swallow,” and “in case of accidental ingestion, contact the poison control center.”

The amount of fluoride they’re talking about is a quarter milligram of fluoride, contained in a pea size amount of toothpaste.

But here is the kicker, This is the same amount of fluoride you find in 8 oz of water. Yet toothpaste carries a “Do not swallow” warning, whereas you’re typically told to drink eight 8oz glasses of water each day, without any concern for the amount of fluoride you will ingest.

One of Dr. Osmunson’s main concerns is water fluoridation for infants. The American Dental Association (ADA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that infants NOT receive fluoridated water for drinking, nor for making their formula, as fluoridated water contains 250 times more fluoride than mother’s milk.

Personally, I also strongly advise you do not give your children fluoridated water.

Unfortunately, the only way to ensure your water is pure enough to drink is by installing a good water filtration system in your house, such as a reverse osmosis filter that can filter out fluoride and other dangerous water contaminants like disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Bottled water also typically contains fluoride, even though it’s not stated on the label.

The next thing Dr. Osmunson looked at was dental fluorosis. These are the white and brown spots on your teeth. The only thing that causes dental fluorosis is fluoride – typically due to ingesting too much fluoride during your developing years, from birth to about 8 years of age. According to the CDC, about one third of children and adolescents 6 to 19 years have enamel fluorosis on their teeth.

When dental fluorosis occurs, it can be an indication that the rest of your body has been exposed to too much fluoride also, such as your bones and the rest of your organs, including your brain.

Depending on the source, water fluoridation has been said to reduce tooth decay by anywhere from 20 to 80 percent. But when you compare the statistics between different countries, you see that no matter whether they fluoridate their water or not, tooth decay has steadily been reduced by the same amount.

Likewise, when you compare states in the U.S., you find that increased amounts of fluoride in the drinking water make no difference. We have the same amount of good healthy teeth, regardless of water fluoridation.

The evidence points to it being little more than a well-orchestrated PR stunt to aid an industry in trouble – a fascinating story in and of itself, as described so well in Christopher Bryson’s book The Fluoride Deception and in one of the best web sites on this topic, Fluoride Action Network (FAN).

Other pro-fluoride advocates go so far as to try to make you believe that fluoride is a nutrient that naturally helps build strong teeth and bones. One such example is the Directive 2002/46/EC of the European Parliament and the Council, which lists “fluoride” as one of only 28 vitamins and minerals permissible for sale for human consumption within the European Union.

But let’s make this point clear: fluoride is NOT an essential nutrient. The fluoride added to your drinking water is in fact a chemical waste product! It is NOT something you should use as a supplement to your diet.

There are plenty of studies showing the dangers of fluoride to your health, such as:

The Key to Healthy Teeth is in Your Diet!

If you’re wondering how to keep your teeth healthy, remember that fluoride was never the answer in the first place. Instead, look to your diet for naturally healthy teeth. In fact, most people whose diet includes very little sugar and few processed foods have very low rates of tooth decay.

Limiting, or eliminating sugar, and avoiding processed foods -- along with regular cleanings with your natural dentist -- will ensure that your teeth stay healthy naturally.

What You Can Do to Help Eliminate Water Fluoridation

Dr. Osmunson suggests you talk to your dentist and health care provider about water fluoridation. For example, ask them if they’ve seen the National Academy of Sciences report on fluoridation. You can help educate them by giving them information they may not have on water fluoridation and excess fluoridation exposure.

He also suggests that professional health care providers and dentists take the time to look at both sides of the issue. If you are a professional in the field, you may also want to add your name to the online Professional Statement at www.FluorideAlert.org. As of April 2009, 2,221 medical and environmental health professionals have signed this statement, calling for an end to water fluoridation.

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