“For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple—and wrong.” — H.L. Mencken
In an Aug. 7 Press Democrat story about Sonoma County’s new public health officer, Dr. Lynn Silver-Chalfin, we read that in her capacity as assistant health commissioner for New York City, she helped the city ban trans fats. This resulted in an 83 percent reduction in trans fat in restaurant food. Another innovation required fast food calorie labeling. Good for Silver-Chalfin.
In contrast to those forward-moving laws, however, Silver-Chalfin seems determined to bring fluoridation to Sonoma County, an idea that has fallen into such disrepute that most European cities which had it have given it up. She leads the public health department in waving that tired old banner that fluoride in the water will “decrease the rate of tooth decay, which is very high in our children, particularly low-income children.” …
Lauren Ayers, a retired teacher, is the Sonoma chapter Leader, for the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit, tax-exempt nutrition education foundation. She lives in Sonoma Valley.
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