Thank you for a very informative post.

FYI, there is an excellent alternative to chlorine/bromine for sanitizing pools - hydrogen peroxide. I think it is more expensive though, and not many people use it.

Trying to tie fluoride poisoning in to fibromyalgia is much more complicated than I had supposed. I still think fluoride poisoning is likely the direct cause or a necessary contributing factor to the development of most cases of fibromyalgia.

Here is an excellent site that discusses many aspects of fluoride poisoning. The first url discusses the symptoms of chronic fluoride poisoning. The second url is an interesting story about one person's experience with fluoride poisoning:

http://www.rvi.net/~fluoride/symptoms.htm
http://www.rvi.net/~fluoride/000017.htm

As you suffer from gluten intolerance, I would draw your attention to the following statement from the link on fluoride poisoning symptoms:

"Fluoride is known to combine with HCl of the stomach and is converted to hydrofluoric acid. Hydrofluoric acid is highly corrosive. The stomach and intestinal lining (Mucosa) is destroyed with loss of microvilli (the structure which is responsible for absorbing the nutrients from food), drying up and cracking of the cell surface and mucus (the slimy substance required for comfortable bowl movements) production is hampered."

Could it be hydrofluoric acid which causes the gastrointestinal distress when for instance, children consume too much fluoridated toothpaste?

Could hydrofluoric acid be involved in gluten intolerance - in triggering gluten intolerance; in perpetuating gluten intolerance?

Could hydrofluoric acid be involved in acid reflux? If hydrogen fluoride (a gas) is also being produced, this could account for esophageal burning and larynx/vocal cord irritation even without liquid reflux. It is conceivable that if hydrogen fluoride is being produced, it could even affect the lungs (there is a significant correlation between acid reflux and asthma).

You're right about tea. According to this article, tea can be very high in fluoride:

http://www.westonaprice.org/envtoxins/fluoride.html

"Fluoride content in tea has risen dramatically over the last 20 years due to industry contamination. Recent analyses have revealed a fluoride content of 17.25 mg per teabag or cup in black tea, and a whopping 22 mg of soluble fluoride ions per teabag or cup in green tea. Aluminum content was also high--over 8 mg. Normal steeping time is five minutes. The longer a tea bag steeped, the more fluoride and aluminum were released. After ten minutes, the measurable amounts of fluoride and aluminum almost doubled." (Analyses conducted by Parents of Fluoride Poisoned Children (PFPC) at Gov't -approved labs. Contact: pfpc@istar.ca)


At 1 part per million, it would take 22 liters of water to get as much fluoride as in one cup of green tea; and if you forget to take your tea bag out (I do that pretty often) you would have the equivalent of nearly 40 liters of fluoridated water in one cup of strong green tea...yikes!

Also rooibos (Masai) tea is high in fluorides.

Thank you for the links, Wasabi. The thought of hydrofluoric acid inside the human body ... yikes! I did take a little chem & biochem in college.

There are cases of villi destruction in the absence of celiac antibodies. Sometimes this is known to be attributable to an infection, or to use of NSAIDs. But sometimes, the cause just isn't known. I wouldn't be surprised at all if fluoride might contribute.

Best wishes.

The following statement by Dr. Phyllis Mullenix, Ph.D. is significant because sleep disturbances are a major problem with fibromyalgia sufferers.

"The new data showing fluoride's impact on melatonin biosynthesis, and the high concentrations in the human pineal gland, should be a real eye opener for many. I am ill at ease with this enzyme poison (fluoride) being that close to the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis functions in the body."

http://fluoridealert.org/pmullenix.htm


Fluoride exposed children have been found to have kidney and liver damage. The body's inability to filter out or detoxify certain chemicals could be a part of the fibromyalgia syndrome:

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/news/30.html