Water fluoridation - govt dental recovery plan published. Hypothyroidism doubled in West Midlands which has fluoridated Water

[BB001]

Water Fluoridation: What Doctors Need to KnowDr Sheena Meredith|Disclosures|15 February 2024

'The government's dental recovery plan, published last week, includes new legal powers for expansion of water fluoridation. NHS England described this as a "first time ever" roll out, and said the proposals "could reduce the number of tooth extractions due to decay in the most deprived areas of the country". However, the programme is likely to attract controversy. Medscape News UK looked at different perspectives on what is often a polarised debate.'

This is the excerpt on hypothyroidism

'Fluoridation Linked With Hypothyroidism

In 2015, the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published a population level study that raised concerns about a correlation between fluoride levels in water supplies and the prevalence of hypothyroidism.

The study showed that general practices in the West Midlands, a wholly fluoridated area, were almost twice as likely to report high hypothyroidism prevalence as those in nonfluoridated Greater Manchester. It concluded that there were "particular concerns about the validity of community fluoridation as a safe public health measure". '

medscape.co.uk/viewarticle/...

[Buddy195 Administrator]

This paper posted by the late (& greatly missed) Diogenes is interesting

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[mrskiki]

I despair at this for so many reasons, the immediate one is that it’s so difficult to remove once it’s in there.

[humanbean in reply to mrskiki]

I am hoping that there will be filter jugs developed that can remove fluoride. I know that my Brita filter jug doesn't remove it.

I also hope that increased levels of hypothyroidism affect men and women equally, then fluoridation might actually be stopped sooner rather than later. If it affects mainly women we'll have it forever.

I think adding fluoride to water is completely unfair on the population. And England is going in the wrong direction. Some countries that used to add fluoride to their water don't any more (or so I've read, although I can't remember the details).

[mrskiki in reply to humanbean]

Yes other countries are starting to remove it, I think the concern over expectant mothers drinking it impacting the babies IQ played a part more than the thyroid impact. Plus the fact that like thyroid papers, they are quoting old largely irrelevant data in support of fluoridation.

Businesses when losing a market often seek out a country to sell their unhealthy wares to, think of BAT and its targeting of new countries once they were largely rejected by the west.

Ireland has a long history of fluoridation, and not sure it’s helped much there.

Personally I think that adding stuff to water should concentrate on just to make it safe to drink and getting that right.

[mrskiki in reply to humanbean]

Im in a slightly natural fluoride area at moment, so doubt they’ll add more, but who knows. I think as a basic jug type filter solution, zero water might, but when I last looked (quite some time ago) it was still expensive, and the water gets a foul taste when the filter runs out. Then there’s suggestions you need to remineralise the water.

[Tantara]

I have lived in the West Midlands (Severn Trent Water area) for most of my life, I have Hypothyroidism, as does my Mum and Grandma, now also my Daughter who all also live in the West Midlands. Three of our five neighbours also have it. Dad has Parkinson's disease. It would appear Fluoride can attack so many parts of the body and interferes with many functions, fluoridealert.org/key-topic...