HEALTH PRODUCTS ARTICLE
What's in Your Toothpaste?
By Dr. Al Sears
The job of
looking after your health today is quite a
challenge. Even I don’t always get it right.
I used to use
a popular, major brand of toothpaste. It
advertises “12-hour germ-fighting protection.” Until, that is, I
discovered
triclosan was in it.
You may
remember triclosan. It was in the hand sanitizer
that even my staff was using at the office until I called them out on
it and
had them replace it with a natural alternative.
Now, I’m just
as concerned as you about having healthy
teeth and gums. But there’s no way I want triclosan to be part of the
solution.
It’s a pesticide.
There’s no
benefit to putting an antibacterial in
toothpaste. And it may even be harmful. Because it allows bacteria to
grow
stronger and more resistant to medication. So, the next time you get an
infection, your body might not be able to fight it.1
As bad as
triclosan is in a hand sanitizer, it’s even
worse when you put it in toothpaste. Because triclosan is easy to
absorb in
your mouth. And researchers have identified it in deep tissues within 3
hours.2 Once it
gets there, it disrupts your thyroid gland. It can also make
testosterone drop
by over 30 percent.3,4 Even worse,
I’ve seen
scientific studies that concluded that tricolosan increased cancer risk.5
In Europe,
triclosan is banned in food. But here in the
U.S., the FDA is still sitting on the fence. They recently posted a
report they
called “Triclosan: What Consumers Should Know.” But rather than making
a clear
recommendation, they said they were “reviewing all of the available
evidence.”6
So, in the
mean time, what should you do?
I’ll tell you
what I do. I just don’t use toothpaste any
more.
Instead, I
brush my teeth like the native people I’ve been
lucky enough to live with in my travels.
What’s that?
I use salt. It’s been around since biblical times and even before. It’s all you need to freshen your breath, whiten your teeth, toughen your gums, cure gingivitis, and protect your enamel.
I think you should give it a try. It’s completely safe. It’s inexpensive. And it’s available in every grocery store.
Here
are a few tips on how to brush using salt:
1.
Use sea
salt if possible. Sea salt is
naturally occurring and it isn’t processed. Table salt can have
residual chemicals
from the bleaching and refining process.
Sea salt has
minerals in it like potassium and magnesium.
You can also buy sea salt that’s iodized. We’re not getting iodine from
our
diet any more, and this is an easy way to increase your daily level.
There
are many kinds of sea salt: Mediterranean,
Himalayan, Pacific, and many more. They all have slightly different
tastes. You
can choose whichever you like best.
2.
You can use table salt if you don’t have access to sea
salt. But you don’t want it too fine. You need the abrasive action you
get from
coarser salt. On the other hand, don’t use salt so coarse it hurts your
gums.
3.
For extra breath freshening, chew on mint or spearmint.
It’s easy to grow, or most grocery stores carry it. Chew on a leaf or
two after
brushing. Mint also has many health benefits; among them curing
headaches and
improving digestion.7
4.
For extra whitening, once a week, mash a strawberry
into a pulp and make a paste with the sea salt. Strawberries contain
malic acid
which will increase the whitening effect of the sea salt.
***
***
Sources
1 “Use of
Antimicrobials in Consumer Products. Report 3 of
the Council on Scientific Affairs (A-00).” American Medical
Association. 2000.
2 Sandborgh-Englund, G. Adolfsson-Erici, M. et al. “Pharmacokinetics of
Triclosan Following Oral Ingestion in Humans.” Journal of
Toxicology and
Environmental Health, Part A. 2006, Dec; 69(20):1861-1873.
3 Ibid.
4 Kumar V, Chakraborty A, Kural MJ, Roya P. 2009. “Alteration of
testicular
steroidogenesis and histopathology of reproductive system in male rats
treated
with triclosan.” Reproductive Toxicology 27:177-185.
5 Gee RH, Charles A, Taylor N, Darbre PD. “Oestrogenic and androgenic
activity
of triclosan in breast cancer cells.” J Appl Toxicol
2008; 28:78-91.
6 “Triclosan: What Consumers Should Know,”
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm205999.htm. Accessed
May
2010.
7 Sharathchandra, JNN., Kalpana, Patel,. Srinivasan, K. “Digestive
enzymes of
rat pancreas and small intestine in response to orally administered
mint
(Mentha Spicata)leaf and garlic (Allium Sativum) oil.” Indian
Journal of
Pharmacology. 1995;27(3):156-160.
Health and Humor
Voltaire
(and your grandmother) recognized long ago
that humor and laughter are good for you. You've probably noticed
yourself that
you simply feel better after a good belly laugh. The problem, of
course, is
that your sense of humor generally abandons you right when you need it
the most
– on the tough days. But if you manage to bring your sense of humor to
your
daily conflicts on your job, your relationship with your spouse and
children,
and your health or financial problems, you'll go a long way toward
improving
the quality of your life; and you'll boost your physical health and
well-being.
– Paul E. McGhee, PhD
“Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. ”
- Erma Bombeck
Note: The good
folks at the FTC require me to disclose that I am an affiliate of the
companies that manufacture and market the health products you will find
on this website, and that these companies will compensate me if you buy
any of these products.
– Dave Tishendorf