BARRINGTON – Naomi N. Malik, 30, shares both a home and an office with her husband, Michael. Both are chiropractors and met at a college in Iowa. Years of medical training also helped Ms. Malik investigate a possible health risk that has been given little thought by most people in the past five decades: fluoride in the water.
This is a topic she feels strongly about; at her home, she uses a filter capable of removing the fluoride, and at the office, bottled water. Those interested in learning more about the possible risks of fluoride can log onto the couple’s website: malikchiro.com and click on the “community action” link.
Career choice: Ms. Malik decided to go to school to become a chiropractor because of a desire to combine a career in the health care field with natural healing. “I researched a lot of things and that’s what made the most sense.”
The truth about fluoride: “Most people aren’t informed at all on water fluoridation, and most think it’s a good thing, but it’s actually toxic. It destroys the enzymes in your body. This is all very well documented. If we said, for example, lead is good for your teeth, let’s add it to your water, people would be up in arms, but fluoride is even more toxic.”
New policy on water: “I just think policy should be reviewed after 50 plus years. My big thing is, if there is even the slightest chance that it’s harmful, why do it.”
Time in Iowa: “Chiropractor school is five years, which we finished in three and a half years, attending all year, through the summer. Who wants to spend five years in Iowa?”
Roots: “I grew up in northern Maine. I prefer winters in northern Maine. We have a lot of snow, and you can actually do things. Here, it’s just cold. In Maine, everyone has snowmobiles and goes cross-country skiing. I noticed no one plugs in their car here, which means it’s warmer here. You have to use a block heater for your car a lot of times in Maine or your car doesn’t start.”
Baby duty: Their first child, Nixon, was born just a year ago, so the couple trade off time at the office and caring for their son.
Motherhood: “Being a new mom is great, now that I sleep.”
Spare time: “I like to run, I take the baby and the dog. I have a baby jogging stroller and I run on the bike path.”
Other interests: “I like to read everything. I do read a lot of Oprah’s book club stuff.”
Time in town: “We’re still relatively new, almost two years in Barrington. My husband’s parents live in Seekonk. This area is home for him. Last spring we opened our office in Barrington. I love the water. My husband loves to windsurf. He can just walk down the road and drop it in.”
Favorite food: “I like a lot of types of food. My husband’s mother is from the Philippines and his father is from India. If I could choose anything for supper tonight … Singapore noodles from Apsaras, a Thai/Vietnamese/Cambodian place in Providence. ”
She’d love to meet: “Candace Pert. She is a neuroscientist and a research scientist. She discovered the ‘opiate receptor’ in grad school. She wrote a book called ‘Molecules of Emotion.’ It’s really interesting, it talks about how your brain and your body are in constant communication.
Favorite music: “I like Sarah McLachlan and Alicia Keyes. They both write and play their own music. They play the piano.”
Thinking out loud
Naomi Malik, a Barrington resident and chiropractor, recently shared her thoughts on the dangers of fluoridated water. Here’s what she said:
* Fluoride accumulates in your body, so it’s not a matter of a ‘safe’ level in the water.
* Fluoride was first added to the water system locally in the 1950s.
* When it came to a community vote, it has been defeated in places as close as Massachusetts, and in the West Coast — “the West Coast is more progressive.”
* Ingesting fluoride has been associated with an increased risk of health problems such and cancer and kidney damage.
* On medical research: “Medical training also makes it easier for me to research issues and to understand the interconnections of your body and brain. Realizing the interconnectedness of everything helps.”
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