Rotton Teeth Vs. Cancer....Which Would You Choose?

To fluoride or not to fluoride? That is the question being debated by our community and local officials at a town meeting coming up. Many cities in the United States add fluoride to the water supply in an attempt to improve dental health even though critics of the practice claim it is unsafe. I don't know much about fluoride, but I know that a lot of people don't like the fact that it is added to the water supply. In an attempt to become a more informed citizen and able to voice my opinion, I've spent a few minutes researching the pros and cons of a fluoridated water supply. I've discovered some awesome stuff. Really awesome. NOT.

I realize that anyone can post anything on the Internet and claim it's true. This blog is a perfect example. For instance, I could say I'm an fungi expert and that it is a proven scientific fact that if one finds a moral mushroom growing underneath a walnut tree, eats it while walking backwards and humming "Surfin' USA", and then carves the name of a sworn enemy on the bark of the walnut tree, that person's cellulite will vanish overnight, and some crazy person searching Google for a cure for cellulite would try it. Wow, that was random. So, anyway, the Internet information about fluoride may or may not be true, but there's some crazy stuff out there.

Some of the anti-fluoride info make me want to run out and buy a water filter. On this site, the author claims fluoride can lead to brittle bones, arthritis, increased aluminum in the brain (which has a connection to Alzheimer's, right?), and lower fertility rates. PEACHY. This holistic medicine site states fluoride in water can cause cancer, A.D.D., and increased lead exposure. These are just a few of the supposed drawbacks to putting fluoride in the water supply. SPLENDID.

Before you run out and buy a lifetime supply of bottled water, keep in mind that there are just as many websites that say fluoride in the water is a good thing and that "Safe Water" proponents twist fluoride facts to scare you" (see here). Sites like this one say that fluoride is a safe and effective way to increase dental health and there is not enough research to back up the information provided by the crazy, health-nut, anti-fluoride people. That seems like an odd statement because the websites with tons of information about the negative effects of fluoride sure have a lot of links to research backing up their claims.

There's two sides to every story, and someone will always be able to find some kind of study to back up their claims, so I'm not 100% sure where I stand on this issue. I'm not sure it matters though, because WHY in the world does whoever is in charge of the water supply think they have the right to force fluoride on all of us? Shouldn't we have the right to choose whether or not we're poisoning ourselves and our children if, in fact, we are? Why can't those that want fluoride take some sort of fluoride supplement and those that wish to ingest something that may or may not cause lower IQs, skip it? What do YOU think?