Fluoride and Hypothyroidism

[MartinGibbs]

In trying to wade through the anti-fluoridation nuts and credible evidence is difficult--is there any data to show that fluoride intake (e.g., in city water) leads to hypothyroidism or conditions of the thyroid?

 

[Forty-Two]

I apologize for not being able to seriously address your question in the first reply to your post, but I wanted to say:

1. Nice avatar.

2. Protect Our Essences! P.O.E.! O.P.E.! Fluoridated water!

 

[sophia8]

I have hypothyroidism and I've never heard of a link with flouride.

 

[MartinGibbs]

Thanks, I didn't think there was a link, either. There's too much dang woo-woo when it comes to fluoride;

 

[fuelair]

Thanks, I didn't think there was a link, either. There's too much dang woo-woo when it comes to fluoride;[/QUOTE

Here's the problem - because of the woo that has been involved, it's hard to seperate out the real research from the fake/junk stuff. At least, the output of the hypothyroid-fluoride link shown in some of the (I am trusting here since my ability to absolutely verify is very limited)sources I found on a quick www.dogpile.com hunt ( entered hypothyroidism fluoride hit fetch) has potential for accuracy or otherwise but: the stuff that makes sense: 1) halogens can and do replace each other in chemical reactions under various conditions. Fluorides break down to provide fluorine in reactions, iodides break down to provide iodine. Unless the thyroid has an enzyme I am unaware of (quite possible - I am not a physiologist/biochemist)
fluorine/ides could easily be taken up in place of iodine and would have a deleterious effect. 2) the fluorides that are used in water vary, different fluoride compounds would provide different amounts and have different rates of decomposition in the body (as in decomp reaction - not like bodies decaying) and excess fluoride has to something - unless it streams on out of the body pretty quickly - I do not know the rate it departs in the yellow stream. 3) it is true that fluorides are in dental cleansers, regular water (fluoridated or not), water used in food processing and/or making soft drinks, fruit juices (from concentrates anyway) so you will probably get above the recommended level for fluoridation - the question would be how was that amount chosen. Good luck on clarification beyond this!!

 

[Zep]

Can you reduce that to half-a-dozen bullet-points??!

 

[sophia8]

Fuelair - that's pretty much what I got from googling. There's an unbelievable amount of rubbish out there about flouridation - how it's an industrial waste, how it causes cancer, autism and Alzheimers etc. Like you said, sorting through it is difficult to say the least.
But there does appear to be some problem with flouride replacing iodine in the thryroid. I'd really appreciate it if somebody here were give the unvarnished , unbiased facts on that.
I live in an area with unflouridated water, use unflouridated toothpaste; the only flouride that I'm aware of ingesting comes in the 4-5 cups of tea I drink daily. But I still managed to develop hypothryroidism. So I doubt there's a strong link.

 

[dissonance]

Man, is there anything that doesn't lead to autism nowadays?

 

[fuelair]

Fuelair - that's pretty much what I got from googling. There's an unbelievable amount of rubbish out there about flouridation - how it's an industrial waste, how it causes cancer, autism and Alzheimers etc. Like you said, sorting through it is difficult to say the least.
But there does appear to be some problem with flouride replacing iodine in the thryroid. I'd really appreciate it if somebody here were give the unvarnished , unbiased facts on that.
I live in an area with unflouridated water, use unflouridated toothpaste; the only flouride that I'm aware of ingesting comes in the 4-5 cups of tea I drink daily. But I still managed to develop hypothryroidism. So I doubt there's a strong link.

Well, it is an industrial waste - so is water (which is part of what makes the dihydrogen oxide thing so funny)- and industial waste is whatever is left over after you have finished making what you wanted - if you can't use it again or in another process, it is ,by default, waste. In large amounts (probably fairly small ones for certain forms as well as pure fluorine) it is a carcinogen. BUT.....so are many other necessary/useful chemicals. Too much of any chemical (sorry natural fans, it's ALL chemical - and carbon is carbon whether I make it in an accellerator or a plant pulls it from CO2). Do not misunderstand ,though - they are not (most anyway) saying all hypothyroidism is caused by fluorides, they are saying some hypothyroidism may be caused or exacerbated by fluorides - of certain types. (Some iodides would like mess up too!!