Lessons from the Miracle Doctors
Chapter 12
Your Mouth Is Killing You
Aluminum Cookware
It has been known for some 20 years that aluminum, once it enters our bodies, has the tendency to accumulate in our brains, where it kills off neurons—leading to memory loss. And thanks to the significant amounts of aluminum found in food emulsifiers, antiperspirant deodorants, hair sprays, baking powder, many toothpastes, much of our drinking water, and most of our cookware, we are exposed to quite a lot of aluminum over the course of our lives. There has been much speculation, therefore, that aluminum may be one of the prime factors in the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The connection between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease became even stronger, when in 1995, Neurotoxicology reported that the widespread use of aluminum salts to purify
water could account for the large numbers of people suffering from Alzheimer's.
And now, the final piece of the puzzle may have just fallen into place: the connection between aluminum and fluoride.
Gifts from Your Dentist
Dentists have accomplished many great things in this country in terms of promoting oral health, but on three key issues, they stand on the wrong side of history and health.
1. Fluoride
2. Mercury fillings
3. Root canals
Fluoride
In Chapter 11, Dying of Thirst, I discussed in some detail the evidence that fluoride is a dangerous toxic substance that has no business being added to our drinking water. But it is worth repeating here that new research has revealed that fluoride in drinking water makes the aluminum that we ingest more bioavailable. In the presence of fluoride, more aluminum crosses the bloodbrain barrier and is deposited in the brain. As was reported in Brain Research, Vol.7 84:98, the bottom line is that the combination of aluminum and fluoride causes the same pathological changes in brain tissue that are found in Alzheimer's patients.
Mercury fillings
The American Dental Association has resolutely maintained for years that "when mercury iscombined with the metals used in dental amalgam, it's toxic properties are made harmless."
If this were true, it would be miraculously fortuitous.
Amalgam, which consists of mercury, silver, tin, copper, and a trace amount of zinc, has been used by dentists for well over several hundred years—as far back, actually,
as the 7th century in China. Here in the United States, mercury-based fillings made their appearance in the early 1800s.
From the beginning, there were a number of dentists who were concerned by the presence of mercury, since by that time it was fairly well known that mercury was poisonous. In fact, these
concerns were so strong, that by the mid-1940s, several dental societies, including the American Society of Dental Surgeons, had joined together to stop the use of amalgam fillings.
But amalgam was just too easy to work with, and whatever ill effects people experienced were too far down the road to matter, and so, in 1859, the American Dental Association was founded—primarily to promote the use of mercury amalgam as a safe and desirable tooth filling material. There were no tests done. No studies. Nothing. Amalgam was promoted because it was easy to work with. The reason the mercury was used in it was because mercury serves to "dissolve" the other metals and make an homogenous whole.
It would be miraculous indeed if you could use one of the most toxic substances known to man with no ill effect. How was it defended? Well, the early position was that the mercury reacts
with the other metals to form "a biologically inactive substance" so that none of it ever makes its way into your body. That too would have been miraculous indeed if that were true—but, of course, it is not. Numerous studies conducted in the 1970s and 80s have proven conclusively that the mercury from fillings (primarily from mercury vapor created when we chew) makes its way into the body, ending up in our lungs, heart, stomach, kidneys[1], endocrine glands, gastrointestinal tract, jaw tissue, and our brains.[2]
[1 Studies have shown that within 30 days of receiving amalgam fillings, kidney function is reduced some 50%.]
[2 In effect, the denser the tissue, the greater the concentration of mercury.]
Once it became irrefutable that mercury from the fillings was ending up in our bodies,[1] it then became mandatory that the ADA find a new defense. Again, not based on study, but rather on
convenience, it became the position of the ADA that: Well yes, maybe some mercury does make its way into the body, but at levels that are so low it has no effect on our health. And once again,
it would be miraculous indeed if that were true. Unfortunately, it is not. Like so many other toxic
substances, the real problem with mercury is that it is a cumulative poison. The body holds onto a
significant percentage of the mercury that enters it.
Mercury is one of the most toxic metals known—more toxic even than lead. And while there
is no conclusive evidence that the mercury from fillings causes any particular health problems,
there are, on the other hand, a number of studies that "imply" such a relationship. First of all, there
is strong evidence that mercury lowers T-Cell counts.[2]
This, alone, implicates amalgam fillings in cancer,[3]autoimmune diseases, allergies, candida overgrowth, and multiple sclerosis.[4]
It has also been shown that mercury interferes with the ability of the blood to carry oxygen—actually cutting its oxygen carrying capabilities by half. This would account for many instances of chronic fatigue. Mercury also has an affinity for our brains and is implicated in brain tumors and dementia.[5] And, finally, mercury has an affinity for fetal tissue—reaching higher levels in the fetus than in the mother herself—which accounts for mercury's implication in birth defects.
What about other sources of mercury entering the body? Well, seafood is of course a source.
And some of the foods we eat are too. But, when all is said and done, the amount of mercury entering our bodies from amalgam fillings represents anywhere from 50-90% of the total amount.6
So why in the world does the ADA continue to support the use of amalgam fillings? One simple
answer is: if you're in for an inch, you're in for a mile. What would the legal ramifications be if
the ADA suddenly announced that they, and all the dentists connected with them, had been wrong
for well over 100 years and had been slowly poisoning all Americans? Can you spell tobacco?
Root canals
If a tooth's pulp, which contains nerves and blood vessels becomes infected or damaged because
of decay or injury, your options are often limited. Effectively, your dentist will offer you two options. You can either have the tooth pulled or the nerve removed—better known as a "root
canal treatment." A root canal consists of removing the infected or diseased pulp from the tooth and sterilizing and refilling the canals with ...
[1 There have been something over 12,000 papers published to date elucidating the dangers of amalgam fillings, but the most compelling detailed the use of radioactively tagged amalgam fillings in a controlled experiment. In less than 30 days, substantial levels of the tagged mercury was found throughout the body and brain and especially in the liver and kidneys.]
[2 A number of studies have shown removing amalgam fillings can cause T-Cell counts to rise anywhere from 50-300%.]
[3 In fact, there have been several studies that have shown that white blood-cell abnormalities, such as found in leukemia, tend to normal out when amalgam fillings are removed.]
[4 Mercury levels in MS patients is, on average, 7.5 times higher than normal.]
[5 The famous mad hatters of England were the hat makers who worked with mercury and eventually went mad.]
[6 Every single amalgam filling in your mouth pumps, on average, some 3,000,000,000,000,000 mercury atoms into your body each and every day.]
... a sealer[1] to prevent recontamination of the root canal system.
In order to understand the problem, you need to first understand that a tooth is not a solid inanimate structure. Each single tooth is a living structure sustained by some 3 miles of microscopic
tubules running through the solid dentin. In a healthy tooth, those tubules, which make up a full 90% of the actual tooth, can be thought of as the tooth's "arteries and veins."
Once a tooth has had it's root filled, it no longer has any nourishment circulating through it's
tubules, but the tubules themselves remain—unfilled. And therein lies the problem. It is physically impossible to fully sterilize the miles of microscopic tubules in a tooth. Some bacteria survive [2] and thrive in these empty tubules. And once sealed in your tooth, no part of your immune system can reach those bacteria and destroy them, because you have sealed off the root of the tooth stopping all blood supply to the tooth's interior. And for the same reason, no antibiotics that you might take can reach the bacteria. Nevertheless, because the tooth itself is porous, those bacteria, and/or their toxins, can migrate out into surrounding tissue where they can "hitch hike" to other locations in the body via the bloodstream. The new location can be any organ or gland or tissue, and the new colony will be the next focus of infection in a body plagued by recurrent or chronic infections.
Understand, every single root canal leaks—without exception. Bacteria and/or toxins leach out from every root canal-treated tooth. Every single person who has had a root canal has
had their immune system compromised by having to fight a continual low-grade infection that it can never fully eliminate, because it can never reach the source of that infection in the tooth itself. About 25% of all people seem to have immune systems that are strong enough to resist the continual infection coming from the tooth,thereby preventing it from taking hold anywhere else in the body for many years. But as for the other 75%...they can look forward to a whole range of chronic and debilitating diseases, including:
>Arthritis
>Heart disease
>Chronic infection
>Chronic fatigue
>Eye problems
>etc.
The bottom line is that root canals, at this point in time, are to be avoided. Also, for what it's worth, with better dental care and by following the dietary principles outlined in this book, you should never have to face the need for a root canal. Incidentally, if you already have a root canal and need to have it removed, it is not enough to simply have it pulled. It is almost a surety that the bacteria have migrated to the bone and tissues adjacent to the tooth's root. You will need to find a ...
[1 The traditional sealer of choice in this country has been gutta percha, although new options are becoming available that overcome the major problem associated with gutta percha (microscopic shrinkage as it dries, leaving
empty space in the root, which bacteria love to fill). Nevertheless, the one problem that no sealer can overcome is that no filling can reach into the miles of tubules in the tooth.]
[2 Including strains of streptococcus, staphylococcus and spirochetes. ]
...dentist experienced in the procedure for removing a root canal tooth, which includes removing the periodontal ligament (which is always infected with toxins produced by streptococcus bacteria living in the dentin tubules) and the first millimeter of bone that lines the socket (which is also usually infected).
General Recommendations
>Aluminum. Make sure it's not in the water you drink, and you might want to think twice about the antiperspirant you use. And finally, you might want to think about stainless steel cookware. It's okay to use cookware that has an aluminum core, as long as the food never touches the aluminum itself.
> Fluoride. If there's any way to keep it out of your city water supply, fight to do that. If it's already there, you have to make sure you remove it at your house so that it doesn't make it into your drinking water, bath, or shower. Also, you'll probably want to avoid fluoride toothpastes, and you'll definitely want to avoid fluoride "treatments" from your dentist.
>Mercury fillings. Unless you have some chronic health condition, you may not want to go through the expense of having your fillings replaced.[1] However, you would be well advised to go on some of the cleansing program we have described earlier—particularly the colon cleanse and some form of blood cleansing, such as chelation therapy(or the use of cilantro pesto and malic acid). And if you need any new fillings, don't.
> Root canals. Don't. And if you have one, you may want to consider having it pulled.
[1 And if you are going to have your fillings removed, go to a dentist who specializes in the removal of amalgam fillings. There's a whole procedure involved so that you don't end up getting huge amounts of powdered mercury down your throat and clouds of mercury vapor up into your nasal passages as a result of the high-speed drill used to remove the amalgam.]
Chapter 12
Your Mouth Is Killing You
Aluminum Cookware
It has been known for some 20 years that aluminum, once it enters our bodies, has the tendency to accumulate in our brains, where it kills off neurons—leading to memory loss. And thanks to the significant amounts of aluminum found in food emulsifiers, antiperspirant deodorants, hair sprays, baking powder, many toothpastes, much of our drinking water, and most of our cookware, we are exposed to quite a lot of aluminum over the course of our lives. There has been much speculation, therefore, that aluminum may be one of the prime factors in the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The connection between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease became even stronger, when in 1995, Neurotoxicology reported that the widespread use of aluminum salts to purify
water could account for the large numbers of people suffering from Alzheimer's.
And now, the final piece of the puzzle may have just fallen into place: the connection between aluminum and fluoride.
Gifts from Your Dentist
Dentists have accomplished many great things in this country in terms of promoting oral health, but on three key issues, they stand on the wrong side of history and health.
1. Fluoride
2. Mercury fillings
3. Root canals
Fluoride
In Chapter 11, Dying of Thirst, I discussed in some detail the evidence that fluoride is a dangerous toxic substance that has no business being added to our drinking water. But it is worth repeating here that new research has revealed that fluoride in drinking water makes the aluminum that we ingest more bioavailable. In the presence of fluoride, more aluminum crosses the bloodbrain barrier and is deposited in the brain. As was reported in Brain Research, Vol.7 84:98, the bottom line is that the combination of aluminum and fluoride causes the same pathological changes in brain tissue that are found in Alzheimer's patients.
Mercury fillings
The American Dental Association has resolutely maintained for years that "when mercury iscombined with the metals used in dental amalgam, it's toxic properties are made harmless."
If this were true, it would be miraculously fortuitous.
Amalgam, which consists of mercury, silver, tin, copper, and a trace amount of zinc, has been used by dentists for well over several hundred years—as far back, actually,
as the 7th century in China. Here in the United States, mercury-based fillings made their appearance in the early 1800s.
From the beginning, there were a number of dentists who were concerned by the presence of mercury, since by that time it was fairly well known that mercury was poisonous. In fact, these
concerns were so strong, that by the mid-1940s, several dental societies, including the American Society of Dental Surgeons, had joined together to stop the use of amalgam fillings.
But amalgam was just too easy to work with, and whatever ill effects people experienced were too far down the road to matter, and so, in 1859, the American Dental Association was founded—primarily to promote the use of mercury amalgam as a safe and desirable tooth filling material. There were no tests done. No studies. Nothing. Amalgam was promoted because it was easy to work with. The reason the mercury was used in it was because mercury serves to "dissolve" the other metals and make an homogenous whole.
It would be miraculous indeed if you could use one of the most toxic substances known to man with no ill effect. How was it defended? Well, the early position was that the mercury reacts
with the other metals to form "a biologically inactive substance" so that none of it ever makes its way into your body. That too would have been miraculous indeed if that were true—but, of course, it is not. Numerous studies conducted in the 1970s and 80s have proven conclusively that the mercury from fillings (primarily from mercury vapor created when we chew) makes its way into the body, ending up in our lungs, heart, stomach, kidneys[1], endocrine glands, gastrointestinal tract, jaw tissue, and our brains.[2]
[1 Studies have shown that within 30 days of receiving amalgam fillings, kidney function is reduced some 50%.]
[2 In effect, the denser the tissue, the greater the concentration of mercury.]
Once it became irrefutable that mercury from the fillings was ending up in our bodies,[1] it then became mandatory that the ADA find a new defense. Again, not based on study, but rather on
convenience, it became the position of the ADA that: Well yes, maybe some mercury does make its way into the body, but at levels that are so low it has no effect on our health. And once again,
it would be miraculous indeed if that were true. Unfortunately, it is not. Like so many other toxic
substances, the real problem with mercury is that it is a cumulative poison. The body holds onto a
significant percentage of the mercury that enters it.
Mercury is one of the most toxic metals known—more toxic even than lead. And while there
is no conclusive evidence that the mercury from fillings causes any particular health problems,
there are, on the other hand, a number of studies that "imply" such a relationship. First of all, there
is strong evidence that mercury lowers T-Cell counts.[2]
This, alone, implicates amalgam fillings in cancer,[3]autoimmune diseases, allergies, candida overgrowth, and multiple sclerosis.[4]
It has also been shown that mercury interferes with the ability of the blood to carry oxygen—actually cutting its oxygen carrying capabilities by half. This would account for many instances of chronic fatigue. Mercury also has an affinity for our brains and is implicated in brain tumors and dementia.[5] And, finally, mercury has an affinity for fetal tissue—reaching higher levels in the fetus than in the mother herself—which accounts for mercury's implication in birth defects.
What about other sources of mercury entering the body? Well, seafood is of course a source.
And some of the foods we eat are too. But, when all is said and done, the amount of mercury entering our bodies from amalgam fillings represents anywhere from 50-90% of the total amount.6
So why in the world does the ADA continue to support the use of amalgam fillings? One simple
answer is: if you're in for an inch, you're in for a mile. What would the legal ramifications be if
the ADA suddenly announced that they, and all the dentists connected with them, had been wrong
for well over 100 years and had been slowly poisoning all Americans? Can you spell tobacco?
Root canals
If a tooth's pulp, which contains nerves and blood vessels becomes infected or damaged because
of decay or injury, your options are often limited. Effectively, your dentist will offer you two options. You can either have the tooth pulled or the nerve removed—better known as a "root
canal treatment." A root canal consists of removing the infected or diseased pulp from the tooth and sterilizing and refilling the canals with ...
[1 There have been something over 12,000 papers published to date elucidating the dangers of amalgam fillings, but the most compelling detailed the use of radioactively tagged amalgam fillings in a controlled experiment. In less than 30 days, substantial levels of the tagged mercury was found throughout the body and brain and especially in the liver and kidneys.]
[2 A number of studies have shown removing amalgam fillings can cause T-Cell counts to rise anywhere from 50-300%.]
[3 In fact, there have been several studies that have shown that white blood-cell abnormalities, such as found in leukemia, tend to normal out when amalgam fillings are removed.]
[4 Mercury levels in MS patients is, on average, 7.5 times higher than normal.]
[5 The famous mad hatters of England were the hat makers who worked with mercury and eventually went mad.]
[6 Every single amalgam filling in your mouth pumps, on average, some 3,000,000,000,000,000 mercury atoms into your body each and every day.]
... a sealer[1] to prevent recontamination of the root canal system.
In order to understand the problem, you need to first understand that a tooth is not a solid inanimate structure. Each single tooth is a living structure sustained by some 3 miles of microscopic
tubules running through the solid dentin. In a healthy tooth, those tubules, which make up a full 90% of the actual tooth, can be thought of as the tooth's "arteries and veins."
Once a tooth has had it's root filled, it no longer has any nourishment circulating through it's
tubules, but the tubules themselves remain—unfilled. And therein lies the problem. It is physically impossible to fully sterilize the miles of microscopic tubules in a tooth. Some bacteria survive [2] and thrive in these empty tubules. And once sealed in your tooth, no part of your immune system can reach those bacteria and destroy them, because you have sealed off the root of the tooth stopping all blood supply to the tooth's interior. And for the same reason, no antibiotics that you might take can reach the bacteria. Nevertheless, because the tooth itself is porous, those bacteria, and/or their toxins, can migrate out into surrounding tissue where they can "hitch hike" to other locations in the body via the bloodstream. The new location can be any organ or gland or tissue, and the new colony will be the next focus of infection in a body plagued by recurrent or chronic infections.
Understand, every single root canal leaks—without exception. Bacteria and/or toxins leach out from every root canal-treated tooth. Every single person who has had a root canal has
had their immune system compromised by having to fight a continual low-grade infection that it can never fully eliminate, because it can never reach the source of that infection in the tooth itself. About 25% of all people seem to have immune systems that are strong enough to resist the continual infection coming from the tooth,thereby preventing it from taking hold anywhere else in the body for many years. But as for the other 75%...they can look forward to a whole range of chronic and debilitating diseases, including:
>Arthritis
>Heart disease
>Chronic infection
>Chronic fatigue
>Eye problems
>etc.
The bottom line is that root canals, at this point in time, are to be avoided. Also, for what it's worth, with better dental care and by following the dietary principles outlined in this book, you should never have to face the need for a root canal. Incidentally, if you already have a root canal and need to have it removed, it is not enough to simply have it pulled. It is almost a surety that the bacteria have migrated to the bone and tissues adjacent to the tooth's root. You will need to find a ...
[1 The traditional sealer of choice in this country has been gutta percha, although new options are becoming available that overcome the major problem associated with gutta percha (microscopic shrinkage as it dries, leaving
empty space in the root, which bacteria love to fill). Nevertheless, the one problem that no sealer can overcome is that no filling can reach into the miles of tubules in the tooth.]
[2 Including strains of streptococcus, staphylococcus and spirochetes. ]
...dentist experienced in the procedure for removing a root canal tooth, which includes removing the periodontal ligament (which is always infected with toxins produced by streptococcus bacteria living in the dentin tubules) and the first millimeter of bone that lines the socket (which is also usually infected).
General Recommendations
>Aluminum. Make sure it's not in the water you drink, and you might want to think twice about the antiperspirant you use. And finally, you might want to think about stainless steel cookware. It's okay to use cookware that has an aluminum core, as long as the food never touches the aluminum itself.
> Fluoride. If there's any way to keep it out of your city water supply, fight to do that. If it's already there, you have to make sure you remove it at your house so that it doesn't make it into your drinking water, bath, or shower. Also, you'll probably want to avoid fluoride toothpastes, and you'll definitely want to avoid fluoride "treatments" from your dentist.
>Mercury fillings. Unless you have some chronic health condition, you may not want to go through the expense of having your fillings replaced.[1] However, you would be well advised to go on some of the cleansing program we have described earlier—particularly the colon cleanse and some form of blood cleansing, such as chelation therapy(or the use of cilantro pesto and malic acid). And if you need any new fillings, don't.
> Root canals. Don't. And if you have one, you may want to consider having it pulled.
[1 And if you are going to have your fillings removed, go to a dentist who specializes in the removal of amalgam fillings. There's a whole procedure involved so that you don't end up getting huge amounts of powdered mercury down your throat and clouds of mercury vapor up into your nasal passages as a result of the high-speed drill used to remove the amalgam.]
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