To the Editor:

I am an RN with a master’s of science in adult health & wellness and 2 years post grad work in functional medicine. Functional medicine looks for the root causes of client’s ill health symptoms and diagnostic labels.

Lifestyle education, around the root causes of their ill health and how to change/remove these factors from their lifestyle, supports the client’s work to heal their own health.

I see private clients to support their return to health. A significant percentage of my clients have autoimmune and/or thyroid – glandular issues. Education around removing toxins from their lifestyle is important in their self-healing process.

I teach them to remove fluoride, chlorine, and bromides to enhance their glandular systems functioning. These substances are all halogens on the periodic table of chemical elements. Our body cells have iodine receptor sites that uptake iodine into the cells for metabolic purposes.

Fluoride is chemically quite similar to iodine – they are both halogens in the period table of elements – fluoride can wreak havoc on the thyroid both through direct competition (with iodine) for uptake into thyroid hormone and also by calcifying thyroid tissue itself.

We are still early in the clinical exploration period of the long-term effects of fluoride on health. Given early evidence and because exposure is unavoidable in so many products and community settings, my recommendation to my clients is to avoid fluoride wherever possible. I educate clients to filter village/municipal water to avoid drinking, cooking with, and bathing in chlorine and fluoride and to do their best to avoid it in public places (restaurants, etc.).

Another important ethical concern in this fluoride debate is medicating the public via the water supply and calling this preventative medicine. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease are huge health problems in our culture. How many people would be advocates of medicating the public, via the water supply, for prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disease?

The decision to remove, or no longer continue, fluoridation of public water supplies is a critical ethical issue.

Further reading: http://media.khi.org/news/documents/2012/07/23/FJ2006_v39_n3_p163-172.pdf

Paula Youmell

Potsdam

*Original article online at http://northcountrynow.com/letters/opinion-potsdam-woman-wonders-if-we-should-medicate-public-water-supply-0242576

See past articles on the Potsdam fluoridation issue:

Sept 18, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Village of Potsdam to continue fluoridating the water
Sept 18, 2018 North Country Now Village of Potsdam approves controversial fluoridation of municipal water by 4-1 vote
Sept 18, 2018 North Country Now Opinion: Colton man makes five point plan to ‘Keep Potsdam Smiling’
By Jerry Bartlett, Colton
Sept 16, 2018 North Country Now Medical and dental professionals urge Potsdam to continue fluoridating water; vote could be Monday
Sept 11, 2018 North Country Now Opinion: Fluoride won’t fix oral health problem, says Potsdam resident
By Susan E. Powers, Potsdam
Sept 11, 2018 North Country Now Opinion: Potsdam woman wonders if we should medicate public via water supply
By Paula Youmell, Potsdam
Sept 8, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam residents voice opinions on water fluoridation as the village plans to vote on matter on Sept. 17
Sept 5, 2018 North Country Now Fluoridation meeting draws crowd in Potsdam, residents suggest alternative dental health programs
Sept 5, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam residents voice opinions on water fluoridation as the village plans to vote on matter on Sept. 17
Aug 23, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam Village board hears professional and public comments on fluoridating the water
Aug 21, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Letter: Potsdam needs to consider facts on fluoride
By Dean Laubscher
Aug 21, 2018 North Country Now Potsdam meeting draws out those in support of fluoridation
Aug 11, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Letter: Potsdam: Fluoridated water has proven health benefits
By Stephen A. Jennings, Jefferson County Public Health Service
Aug 9, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Editorial: Chew on this: Potsdam should continue adding fluoride to its water supply
Aug 5, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam gets engineering report on fluoride
Aug 5, 2018 North Country Now Potsdam village board will vote on fluoridation before end of September
July 29, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam forum focuses on choice about fluoridation
July 19, 2018 North Country Now Fluoridated water opponent to speak at Potsdam town meeting July 26
June 3, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam water quality flagged with violations, then rectified; fluoride decision awaits research
June 2, 2018 North Country Now Most Potsdam village respondents say services worth the cost
April 20, 2018 North Country Now Potsdam will study fluoridation system with help from grant funding
March 8, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam Village Trustees discuss fluoridation
Jan 30, 2018 Watertown Daily Times Letter: Look into effects fluoridation has on body
By Dean Laubscher
Dec 6, 2017 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam receives legal advice on water source, fluoridation
Oct 3, 2017 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam holds public hearing on fluoridation
Sept 24, 2017 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam: Local dentists express support for water fluoridation
Sept 11, 2017 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam: Village trustee meeting brings comments on fluoride
Aug 27, 2017 Watertown Daily Times Potsdam trustees consider whether to end fluoridation
Aug 10, 2017 North Country Now Letter: Fluoride expert willing to help Potsdam with issue
By Paul Connett
July 30, 2018 North Country Now Potsdam village might stop fluoridating water, might not; study sought