Editor:

Regarding Dr. John York’s letter two weeks ago, I have re-read my letter and can not find anywhere that I stated my opinion or made up any facts.

Again, I and members of my family are personally medically affected by artificial fluoride.

My mother always said we got sick after going to the dentist. Now we know why – artificial fluoride. I have found people proven by double blind tests to have reactions to the chemical as far back as the 1960s.

These people just like me are speaking out against what is known as fluoride.

York says there is no such thing as synthetic fluoride. I apologize: artificial fluoride (man-made – look up the definition of synthetic). I just know it is not natural calcium fluoride, which I keep pointing out causes no reaction.

I think we all can agree that we were taught and believed that fluoride’s only beneficial and good for our teeth. We also were led to believe that what is added to our water is a “naturally occurring mineral.”

But what is actually added to our water is a byproduct of the phosphate fertilizer industry.

Regarding York’s letter, my point about FDA’s classification of fluoride as a drug and not a nutrient is that you can not purchase fluoride without a prescription except in toothpaste and mouthwash, which we are told to spit out and if swallowed contact poison control.

The EPA states it does not regulate fluoride for the purpose of prevention of dental cavities, only as a contaminant. Fluoride is listed under the same inorganic contaminants as lead, mercury, and arsenic.

Pay close attention to York’s wording: “Drinking fluoridated water may reduce the risk of dental cavities or tooth decay.” He’s not saying definitive scientifically that is does.

York states there are no scientific studies that we absorb any through our skin. Of course, would we absorb the corrosive chemical through the soft tissue of the largest organ of our body (skin) when it bonds (absorbs) to the hardest tissue in our body (teeth and bone)?

Again pay close attention to York’s wording: “Appears to have no significant impact on bone mineral density or risk of bone fracture.” He’s not saying that it does not impact bone density.

I’m not sure where York gets his information about water fluoridation but I get mine off the CDC’s website and called some of the water companies. Hanceville had purchased water from Cullman (which does add the chemical). Three years ago Hanceville started purchasing water solely from Blountsville.

So Hanceville stopped artificial water fluoridation three years ago. Blountsville stopped it 11 years ago. There are 538 water systems in Alabama and 273 do not add artificial fluoride.

I can eat in towns that do not artificially fluoridate. But if I eat a salad or anything cooked in water in a town that artificially fluoridate water I have symptoms.

People you cannot boil it out of your water – heating only concentrates it and regular carbon filters will not filter it out.

York mentioned Israel, so I had to check it out. I noticed something interesting in The Jerusalem Post from Monday, March 21, 2016. It states: “as soon as they sign the regulation fluoridation will resume and local authorities will inform the public so those who have been giving children fluoride drops or using fluoride toothpaste can stop doing so.”

Here we use both – fluoridated water and fluoride toothpaste?

I never meant that having fluoridated salt and water co-exist. My point is that if we only had fluoridated salt people would have the choice to use it our not. Artificial water fluoridation eliminates the choice and forces it on everyone exposed to municipal water.

I was mistaken in my first letter as York pointed out – The National Kidney Foundation, (I said American Kidney), which did endorse fluoride until 2008, when it asked to be taken off the list of ADA endorsers of fluoridation.

On The American Thyroid Association’s website (vol. 8 issue 6, June 2015 pg.3) data suggest if you live in regions with drinking-water fluoridation you have a higher risk of low thyroid hypothyroidism.

Go to website yourself. I do not think it would be on the website if it did not have concerns.

Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum M.D. in a four-page article in First for Women magazine said about 95 percent of women drinking water for weight loss do not see results because the water they are drinking is slowing their thyroid. He says hypothyroidism is nearly twice as common in area where fluoride is added to the water.

In the past when people had hyperthyroidism (high) they treated it with fluoride.

I am not sure what in York’s letter could be referred to as being well documented facts but I would love to see any data that states definitive proof that fluorosilicic acid is safe for injestion, as well as effective for prevention of tooth decay and in compliance with all regulations already in place by the safe drinking water act.

Lastly something to think about: York’s theory that we ingest artificial fluoride, it goes through our bodies, the fluoride ions know to only bond to the calcuim in our teeth, nothing else.

We do not absorb any through our skin – it does not accumulate in our bodies. No one has any side effects. No one can be allergic.

It does not affect our thyroids – does not affect bone mass – does not affect people with reduced kidney function – does not affect children’s IQ – does not do anything to our digestive system.

That would be an opinion.

Melissa Thrower