HealthBeat News

Category: Dental Health

  • Root Canals and Painful Dentists

    Root Canals and Painful Dentists

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    There is a similarity between health care providers and politicians that seems to be increasingly missed these days.

    That is, doctors, dentists, and politicians all work for us – not the other way around!

    We seek these people out when we need them, because we need their skills and experience. But none of them are imbued with god-like qualities, and none of them should ever cause us to fear them or cause us to feel that we must blindly follow their dictates.

    Dr. Myatt recently received this note from a fellow who had been reading our information regarding the dangers of root canals:

    Dentists who perform root canals obviously must feel the need to do so because of too much nerve exposure. I’ve had two and because of recent readings I do not care to have any more done. I fear my next visit to the dentist, because of a cracked molar, [since I] may require yet another one.

    What are the options? Should I refuse to have one done I’d expect to be at odds with my dentist. That being said, he could make that visit a very painful one. Let me repeat, A VERY PAINFUL ONE, in cleaning up the tooth to prep it for a crown.

     

    Yikes – I was hurting just reading that note!

    Here is Dr. Myatt’s reply:

    If I thought I had a dentist who would hurt me deliberately just because I refused a root canal, I’d be looking for a different dentist in a heart-beat. And if my dentist ever DID cause me pain or even a little discomfort (I’m a “dental wuss”), I’d have him stop, I’d leave, and find a new dentist. In fact, “been there, done that!”

    Your dentist is your EMPLOYEE. Get that straight in your mind and then find a dentist who will do it your way. There are plenty of competent, gentle dentists in the world. You don’t have to settle for Atilla the Hun.

    In Health,
    Dr. Myatt

     

    Our correspondent wrote back to say thanks:

    Thanks so much. Perhaps it’s unjustified paranoia on my part. I just dread another root canal, especially if it really isn’t  necessary. I’m just exploring my options.
    Again, thanks.

     

    And Dr. Myatt sent a final note back:

    I agree. I’d skip the root canal.

    But just because you disagree with your dentist doesn’t mean he/she should be Dr. Pain.

    Another option: have the bad tooth pulled and wear a bridge. Root canals are evil, even when done “correctly.”

    A possible exception might be a VERY cosmetically important tooth. Even then, I’d be exploring my other options.

    You can learn More about dental health and the dangers of root canals here: Three Hidden Causes of Disease Lurking in Your Mouth

    And our cautionary article regarding “silver fillings” (mercury amalgam).

  • Does Your Family Drink These Poisons?

     

    Does Your Family Drink These Poisons?

     

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    Soda pop is slop. File this under “more good reasons to avoid soda pop.”

     

    Tooth decay, overweight, diabetes and osteoporosis are the lesser problems associated with soda pop consumption.

    But there is an even more sinister side to America’s favorite beverage.

    Benzene, a highly toxic compound that can cause liver cirrhosis, Parkinson’s disease and accelerated aging — is found in many sodas.

    In my opinion, soda pop is one of the most harmful beverages a person can drink. Let’s review the evidence.

    Each 12-ounce can of soda pop contains between 10 and 12 teaspoons of sugar. The increase in soda pop consumption parallels our current epidemic of obesity, overweight and diabetes.

    Soda pop rots teeth, but it is not the sugar alone that causes this. The acidity of soda pop combined with high sugar levels form a tooth-destroying combination.

    Phosphates in soda pop, combined with the fact that soda often replaces calcium-containing drinks like milk, are associated with an increased risk of bone loss.

    And these are the “lesser problems” that soda causes:

    Most soda contains the chemical preservative sodium benzoate. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is another common additive. When sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid interact, the highly toxic chemical benzene is formed. Benzene is an aggressive carcinogen, even in minute amounts. Any drink which contains both sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid can contain benzene.

    But now there is more evidence which suggests that sodium benzoate by itself can cause DNA damage. Research from Sheffield University in Britain shows that sodium benzoate, a common preservative in soda pop, pickles, sauces, and many other “food stuffs” has the ability to shut off vital parts of DNA known as the “mitochondria.”

    Mitochondria are the “power stations” inside the cell. According to lead researcher Piper, “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: They knock it out altogether.”

    When the mitochondria are damaged, the cell begins to malfunction in a serious way. Conditions such as Parkinson’s, cirrhosis of the liver, and accelerated aging, can be linked to this type of cellular damage.

    Here’s the bottom line. We have no idea how many of these “harmless” artificial ingredients and chemical preservatives in our food can cause disease. Short-term effects are studied in the lab but long-term effects are unknown until the public acts as “guinea pigs” by consuming these chemicals for many years.

    To protect yourself, just avoid soda pop, period. Eat more “real” (unprocessed) food. Look for “sodium benzoate” on food labels and when you see it (as they say on those old TV “Cop Shows”), set the drink down and back away slowly, and no one gets hurt.

     

    Product Acid
    (Low Number=BAD)

    Sugar per 12 oz
    Pure Water 7.00 (neutral)

    0.0
    Barq’s 4.61

    10.7 tsp.
    Diet Coke 3.39

    0.0
    Mountain Dew 3.22

    11.0 tsp.
    Gatorade 2.95

    3.3 tsp
    Coke Classic 2.63

    9.3 tsp.
    Pepsi 2.49

    9.8 tsp.
    Sprite 3.42

    9.0
    Diet 7-Up 3.67

    0.0
    Diet Dr. Pepper 3.41

    0.0
    Surge 3.02

    10.0
    Gatorade 2.95

    3.3
    Hawaiian Fruit Punch 2.82

    10.2
    Orange Minute Maid 2.80

    11.2
    Dr. Pepper 2.92

    9.5
    BATTERY ACID 1.00

    0.0
    Source:
    Minnesota Dental Association *

    The threshold pH for enamel dissolution is 5.5 (and lower)

    		  

     

    Nurse Mark Adds:

    You may be interested to know that our mighty, ever-vigilant, and ever-protective FDA (which we think really stands for “Fleece and Dope Americans”) sets no limits to benzene in any beverages sold in America except bottled water – this according to the FDA’s own website! Unbelievable, but true – the FDA is happy to let the soda pop industry “develop guidance” that it claims will “minimize” (not eliminate, just “minimize“) benzene in it’s products.

    Most (if not all) of the so-called “Sports Drinks” and “Energy Drinks” – especially those labeled as “Diet” and containing artificial sweeteners – are little more than a chemical soup of potential carcinogens and neurotoxins.

    Many of our patients have told us that one of the most difficult things that they have had to do in order to restore their health was to give up their favorite soda pop or other flavored drink. Dr. Myatt searched high and low to find a satisfying and healthy replacement and discovered a product called ZipFizz. This is a powdered drink mixture packaged in tough, convenient little single-serving tubes that add easily to a standard size bottle of water. ZipFizz is an excellent, healthy alternative to sugary sodas and “sports drinks” – perfect to take to work or the office for a healthy break or to send to school with the kids – stop allowing them to poison themselves with tooth-rotting, bone-leaching, cancer-causing junky soft drinks!

    References:

    1.) Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet 2001;357:505–8.
    2.) Soft drink consumption among US children and adolescents: nutritional consequences. J Am Diet Assoc 1999;99:436–41.
    3.) Carbonated beverages, dietary calcium, the dietary calcium/phosphorus ratio, and bone fractures in girls and boys. J Adolescent Health 1994;15:210–5.
    4.) Consumption of soft drinks with phosphoric acid as a risk factor for the development of hypocalcemia in children: a case-control study. J Pediatr 1995;126:940–2.
    5.) Phosphates and caries. Lancet 1968;i:1431.[letter]
    6.) Beverage ingredients can form carcinogen. Consum Rep. 2006 Oct;71(10):7.
    7.) Benzene in beverages. FDA Consum. 2006 Sep-Oct;40(5):9-10.  http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2006/506_benzene.htm
    8.) Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health: Expert links additive to cell damage. The Independent, Sunday, 27 May 2007

  • Beat The Bacteria That Cause Tooth Decay

    You are infected with Streptococcus Mutans! – How you can beat this tooth-destroying bug.

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    James wrote recently to ask us if we could prescribe him an antibiotic or some treatment to deal with strep (streptococcus) mutans – an all-too-common bacteria that is found in the mouth and that contributes to dental decay and other problems.

    James texted us to ask:

    Can u prescribe me anti biotics for STREP MUTANS
    I’ve tried every wholistic treatment i can find
    and they have all failed
    I’m hoping to knock it out then keep it at bay with continued remedies
    thanx
    James

     

    What is Streptococcus Mutans?

    S mutans is a bacteria that is common in the human oral cavity (the mouth) and it has been detected in children even before they have teeth for it to attack. It is widely recognized as being the main cause of dental caries (cavities). Since the conditions in the human mouth vary widely and tend to be generally quite harsh and toxic to most organisms (though not to us fortunately!) S mutans is a very tough and resilient bacteria – not much bothers it.

    Antibiotics tend to not be useful against it, in part because oral S mutans is not a “systemic” infection and in part because any antibiotic powerful enough to deal a blow to this tough bug would also cause widespread  and serious side effects and problems in other areas of our bodies – and as we know all too well, the overuse, misuse, and inappropriate use of powerful antibiotics is producing deadly and untreatable “superbugs” at an alarming rate.

    S mutans has also been proven to cause bacterial endocarditis – a potentially fatal infection. In this circumstance, powerful antibiotics such as erythromycin, lincomycin, penicillin, methicillin, vancomycin, and tetracycline were found to be the most active, depending upon the exact serotype and strain of S mutans – there are some 82 strains in 7 serotypes that were identified in one research work on antibiotic sensitivity!

    Attempts have been made to develop a “vaccine” against it, but these have been unsuccessful – perhaps fortunately, for some research has suggested that S mutans itself may paradoxically produce certain antibodies that inhibit the formation of dental cavities! Also, as we will see, S mutans is but one of many bacteria living in a delicate balance in our mouths – and we know what happens when we upset the balance of nature…

    It simply laughs at mouthwashes and “antibacterial rinses”. While brushing and flossing are effective at removing food particles following a meal and at scraping away some of the plaque, Streptococcus mutans is a bacteria – it will come back out of hiding after such oral hygiene and it will continue to thrive, producing it’s tooth-damaging effects 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year.

    Even so, this bacterial tough-guy is not without chinks in it’s armor – weaknesses that we can exploit as we seek to minimize it’s destruction.

    There are some 25 species of Streptococci that are known to inhabit the mouths of healthy people – these bacteria normally live in a delicate balance, each different species (or “tribe” to put it into a different context) living in different areas of the mouth and serving to keep other, competing species at bay and resisting external attacks. If this balance is upset then one species may gain the upper hand and begin to dominate – to the detriment of our oral health.

    When Streptococcus mutans gains the upper hand and becomes more prevalent that it should be, dental caries (cavities) are the result. It may also cause other problems, and has even been linked to Sjorgens Syndrome – an auto-immune condition characterized by extreme dry mouth and lack of saliva production.

    The main health-damaging effect of S mutans that we are concerned with right now is it’s ability to create both a sticky plaque that coats teeth and to produce an acid that combines with that plaque to demineralize tooth enamel and cause teeth to decay.

    How does Streptococcus mutans do it’s “Dirty Work”?

    Streptococcus mutans is a very specialized organism that is actually equipped with receptors that allow it to adhere (stick) to the slick surface of our teeth – no small feat!

    Once stuck to the teeth S mutans then digests the sugar Sucrose and creates a sticky polysacchride coating that we call plaque. Sucrose is the only sugar that S mutans can use to produce plaque, and even if that was all it did that would be bad enough. “But wait – There’s More!”

    S mutans likes other sugars too. Glucose, fructose, and lactose (and others – these are just the main ones that we think of as being “healthy sugars”) are all digested by this hard-working bacteria which then excretes the end product lactic acid.

    The combination of this sticky plaque and the lactic acid is what causes tooth decay.

    What can be done?

    As was mentioned earlier, Streptococcus mutans is a tough bug. Antibiotics are largely ineffective, vaccines useless, and it laughs at our feeble attempts with mouthwashes, toothbrushes, and flossing. Is there no hope at all for our poor, beleaguered teeth?

    Perhaps our best way of dealing with Streptococcus Mutans is to not deal with it at all! As we saw, it is not the bacteria that causes the problem, it is the plaque and the lactic acid that it produces that results in tooth decay. Why not just stop it from making plaque and acid?

    To make plaque, S Mutans needs the sugar Sucrose.

    To make lactic acid, it needs other sugars such as glucose, fructose, and lactose.

    Why not simply starve S mutans into submission? Just take away it’s sugar! (That means starches too – for these are quickly converted into sugars by the saliva in your mouth.)

    No sugars means no plaque and no acids. No Plaque and no acids means no tooth decay. The math is simple.

    Your mom was right when she warned you that all those sugary treats that you loved as a kid would “rot your teeth!” 50 years later I can still hear my mom’s words ringing in my ears, and mom, you were right!

    What else can be done?

    Xylitol, a “tooth-friendly” non-fermentable sugar alcohol is widely known to inhibit S mutans and to alkalinize saliva in the mouth. It also has properties that actually promote the remineralization of tooth enamel. And it is sweet! What’s not to love?

    Xylitol’s beneficial effects are well-known even in conventional medicine and dentistry – there are hundreds of articles in the archives of the conventional medical resource Medscape alone that discuss the benefits of Xylitol and Xylitol gum in preventing dental cavities. Here is an excerpt from just one of those articles – a 39-month study involving 8-year-old children who were given Xylitol gum to chew at school:

    CONCLUSIONS: Long-term use of xylitol-containing chewing-gum can reduce the growth of streptococci mutans in saliva and dental plaque, and lactobacilli-type bacteria in saliva, even if xylitol is used only on school days. The results also suggest that xylitol gum use can have a long-term, delayed growth-retarding effect on these micro-organisms, since reduced bacterial growth was still observed 15 months following the termination of xylitol use. http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/18350853

    Wow – kids love to chew gum, and Xylitol gum can protect their developing teeth! (And it can protect us older folk too…) This is far better than the toxic flouride treatments that are now being shown to be worse than useless!

    What about knocking out the S mutans bug itself?

    As we discussed earlier, S mutans is a tough little bug(ger), requiring some risky “Big Guns” antibiotics to kill it. Still, recent research is showing that while there may not currently be any Big Pharma solutions that are both safe and effective, some natural substances are looking very promising:

    Curcuminoids, the active part of the spice Turmeric, are being shown to have numerous pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, anti-mutagenic, anticancer and antimicrobial activities. These studies are promising enough that even Big Pharma has taken notice of this age-old spice! Will we see your turmeric disappear from your grocers spice rack, only to reappear as a prescription-only item at your local pharmacy? Let’s hope not…

    It is important to remember though that because S mutans lives in the mouth and on the teeth – not “systemically” – turmeric taken internally in capsule form may not be as effective as turmeric spice in foods or a tea made from the purified and potent turmeric found in supplement capsules and allowed to remain in the mouth, in contact with the S mutans bacteria, before being swallowed.

    Licorice root is coming under scientific scrutiny as well. One study found that a compound found in licorice roots, Glycyrrhizol A, had strong antimicrobial activity against cariogenic bacteria like S mutans. Researchers then produced herbal extracts that could kill bacteria such as S. mutans. Subsequent studies on humans showed a reduction of cariogenic (cavity-causing) bacteria in the oral cavity after eating sugar-free lollipops made with these herbal extracts that contain Glycyrrhizol A.

    At this time these experimental “lollipops” are not available – but a product derived from licorice root called Rhizinate 3X is available and has a great soothing effect on the digestive system and “heartburn” or GERD as well as having antimicrobial effects. Since it is chewable (and has a great German Chocolate flavor) we can assume that it will deliver it’s important polyphenol compounds directly to the oral cavity (the mouth) allowing them to work directly on the S mutans bacteria.

    Licorice teas are widely available, but be aware that excessive consumption of licorice can cause elevated blood pressure in some individuals.

    So, here is a summary of this rather long-winded answer to James’ question:

    • Streptococcus mutans is the primary causal agent and the pathogenic species responsible for dental caries (tooth decay or cavities)
    • Streptococcus mutans is hardy and resistant to antibiotics, vaccines, mouthwashes, toothbrushes, and flossing.
    • Streptococcus mutans metabolizes sucrose to create plaque and glucose, fructose, and lactose to produce lactic acid. These two by-products of sugar metabolism combine to cause dental caries (cavities).
    • A diet low in sugars can result in less production of both plaque and lactic acid by the bacteria.
    • Xylitol, and specifically Xylitol chewing gum has been proven to reduce the growth of S mutans in plaque and saliva, and can have other benefits as well.
    • Curcumins, found in turmeric have been shown to have many beneficial effects, including being antimicrobial in action against S mutans bacteria.
    • Licorice root, containing a polyphenol compound called Glycyrrhizol A is being investigated as a potential antimicrobial (like an antibiotic) against the S mutans bacteria.

     

    Resources:

     

    To make turmeric tea:

    • Bring 4 cups of water in a small pot to a boil.
    • Add 1 tsp. of turmeric spice or the contents of several turmeric capsules and 1 tsp. of ginger powder or the contents of several ginger capsules to the boiling water and allow to simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. This will extract the beneficial polyphenolic compounds from the turmeric and ginger. Ginger also has many health benefits.
    • Remove the pot from the stove and strain the tea into a cup. The particles of turmeric and ginger will be filtered out.
    • To make this tea more palatable you might sweeten with xylitol and add a slice of lemon.

     

    Further Reading:

     

    Growth inhibition of Streptococcus mutans with low xylitol concentrations. Curr Microbiol.  2008; 56(4):382-5 

    Thirty-nine-month xylitol chewing-gum programme in initially 8-year-old school children: a feasibility study focusing on mutans streptococci and lactobacilli. Int Dent J.  2008; 58(1):41-50

    Oral Manifestations of Sjogren’s Syndrome http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/584927

    Antibacterial compounds from Glycyrrhiza uralensis. J Nat Prod.  2006; 69(1):121-4

    Antibiotic Susceptibility of S mutans: Comparison of serotype profiles. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC352679/?page=1

  • The Deadly Poison in Soda Pop

    The Deadly Poison in Soda Pop

     

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    Soda pop is slop. Regular and diet – both are poisonous. File this under “more good reasons to avoid soda pop.”

     

    Tooth decay, overweight, diabetes and osteoporosis are the lesser problems associated with soda pop consumption. But there is an even more sinister side to America’s favorite beverage. Benzene, a highly toxic compound that can cause liver cirrhosis, Parkinson’s disease and accelerated aging — is found in many sodas. In my opinion, soda pop is one of the most harmful beverages a person can drink. Let’s review the evidence.

    Each 12-ounce can of soda pop contains between 10 and 12 teaspoons of sugar. The increase in soda pop consumption parallels our current epidemic of obesity, overweight and diabetes.

    Soda pop rots teeth, but it is not the sugar alone that causes this. The acidity of soda pop combined with high sugar levels form a tooth-destroying combination.

    Phosphates in soda pop, combined with the fact that soda often replaces calcium-containing drinks like milk, are associated with an increased risk of bone loss. Further, a recent study suggests that these high levels of phosphates may accelerate the aging process and even shorten lifespan.

    “Diet” pop comes with it’s own dangers – all of the above, plus the synthetic sweeteners that the drinks are filled with.

    • Cyclamates were popular sweeteners for a time but have been banned in the U.S. for their ability to cause cancer.
    • Aspartame, perhaps the most popular artificial sweetener in use today, has a long list of reported ill effects – not the least of which are neurological. In addition to headaches, various neuropsychiatric disorders including panic attacks, mood changes, visual hallucinations, manic episodes, and dizziness have been ascribed to it’s consumption.
    • Saccharine is less frequently used these days, and is suspected to be a carcinogen by some authorities.
    • Splenda (aka sucralose), a chlorocarbon or “chlorinated sugar” is becoming popular in diet soda formulations. The FDA insists that it is safe, but a number of experts disagree claiming that it has been found to shrink thymus glands (important for immunity) and produce liver inflammation in rats and mice. One researcher even likens this molecule to it’s chemical cousin DDT for it’s ability to damage cells.
    • Acesulfame potassium or Ace K is another new kid on the artificial sweetener block, and again the makers and the FDA insist that it is perfectly safe. Some critics are not so sure though, citing concerns over possible increased rates of cancer. A study by The National Toxicology Program showed no increased cancer risks in rats fed very large amounts of the sweetener. There is also concern that Ace K causes increased insulin secretion which could lead to blood sugar dysregulations.

    There is even research that suggests that diet sodas can actually cause an increase in obesity and overweight.

    There are a very few diet sodas sweetened with safer xylitol (a sugar alcohol) or stevia (an herb with a long history of safe use) but these are relatively rare and even though their sweeteners are thought to be safe, they may still contain phosphates and sodium benzoate.

    Most soda contains the chemical preservative sodium benzoate. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is another common additive. When sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid interact, the highly toxic chemical benzene is formed. Benzene is an aggressive carcinogen, even in minute amounts. And drink which contains both sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid can contain benzene.

    But now there is more evidence which suggests that sodium benzoate by itself can cause DNA damage. Research from Sheffield University in Britain shows that sodium benzoate, a common preservative in soda pop, pickles, sauces, and many other “food stuffs,” has the ability to shut off vital parts of DNA known as the “mitochondria.”

    Mitochondria are the “power stations” inside the cell. According to lead researcher Piper, “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: They knock it out altogether.”

    When the mitochondria are damaged, the cell begins to malfunction in a serious way. Conditions such as Parkinson’s, cirrhosis of the liver, and accelerated aging, can be linked to this type of cellular damage.

    Here’s the bottom line. We have no idea how many of these “harmless” artificial ingredients and chemical preservatives in our food can cause disease. Short-term effects are studied in the lab but long-term effects are unknown until the public acts as “guinea pigs” by consuming these chemicals for many years.

    To protect yourself, avoid soda pop, period. Eat more “real” (unprocessed) food. Look for “sodium benzoate” on food labels and when you see it (as they say on the TV “Cop Shows”), set the product down and back away slowly, and no one gets hurt.

    Soda Pop destroys teeth with it’s high acid content:

    Product Acid (Low=BAD) Sugar per 12 oz
    Pure Water 7.00 (neutral) 0.0
    Barq’s 4.61 10.7 tsp.
    Diet Coke 3.39 0.0
    Mountain Dew 3.22 11.0 tsp.
    Gatorade 2.95 3.3 tsp
    Coke Classic 2.63 9.3 tsp.
    Pepsi 2.49 9.8 tsp.
    Sprite 3.42 9.0
    Diet 7-Up 3.67 0.0
    Diet Dr. Pepper 3.41 0.0
    Surge 3.02 10.0
    Gatorade 2.95 3.3
    Hawaiian Fruit Punch 2.82 10.2
    Orange Minute Maid 2.80 11.2
    Dr. Pepper 2.92 9.5
    BATTERY ACID 1.00 0.0
    Source: Minnesota
    Dental Association*    		    

    The threshold pH for tooth enamel dissolution is 5.5.

    Nurse Mark Adds: You may be interested to know that our mighty, ever-vigilant, and ever-protective FDA (which we think really stands for “Fleece and Dope Americans”) sets no limits to benzene in any beverages sold in America except bottled water – this according to the FDA’s own website! Unbelievable, but true – the FDA is happy to let the soda pop industry “develop guidance” that it claims will “minimize” (not eliminate, just “minimize“) benzene in it’s products.

    References:

    1.) Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet 2001;357:505–8.
    2.) Soft drink consumption among US children and adolescents: nutritional consequences. J Am Diet Assoc 1999;99:436–41.
    3.) Carbonated beverages, dietary calcium, the dietary calcium/phosphorus ratio, and bone fractures in girls and boys. J Adolescent Health 1994;15:210–5.
    4.) Consumption of soft drinks with phosphoric acid as a risk factor for the development of hypocalcemia in children: a case-control study. J Pediatr 1995;126:940–2.
    5.) Phosphates and caries. Lancet 1968;i:1431.[letter]
    6.) Beverage ingredients can form carcinogen. Consum Rep. 2006 Oct;71(10):7.
    7.) Benzene in beverages. FDA Consum. 2006 Sep-Oct;40(5):9-10.
    8.) Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health: Expert links additive to cell damage. The Independent, Sunday, 27 May 2007
    9.)  James Bowen, M.D. The Lethal Science of Splenda
    10.) Olney, J. (1994). “Excitotoxins in Foods”. Neurotoxicology 15 (3): 535–544.
    11.) Olney JW, Ho OL (August 1970). “Brain damage in infant mice following oral intake of glutamate, aspartate or cysteine”. Nature 227 (5258): 609–11.
    12.) Ferland A, Brassard P, Poirier P. (2007). “Is aspartame really safer in reducing the risk of hypoglycemia during exercise in patients with type 2 diabetes?”. Diabetes Care. 30 (7): e59
    13.) Mutsuko Ohnishi, M Shawkat Razzaque. “Dietary and genetic evidence for phosphate toxicity accelerating mammalian aging”. FASEB J. 2010 Apr 23. [Epub ahead of print]
    14.) DeNoon, Daniel J. Reviewed by Charlotte Grayson Mathis MD. “Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight? Overweight Risk Soars 41% With Each Daily Can of Diet Soft Drink”, WebMD Medical News (2005).
    15.) Swithers SE, Davidson TL (2008). “A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats”. Behav Neurosci 122 (1): 161–73.
    16.) Public Health Service. “Toxicity Studies of Acesulfame Potassium”. Retrieved 30 March 2008.     

  • More Dental Questions – Is Careless Amalgam Removal Dangerous?

    Georgia wrote to ask: What are the possible problems associated with careless removal of mercury from teeth in the conventional manner?

    Much of the answer has been covered previously in our HealthBeat News articles and on the Dental Health pages of our website, so the answer here is brief:

    Neurological toxicity from increased mercury burden, and altered mouth-currents with possible increase in neurological and cardiac activity (causing things like seizures in susceptible individuals, or altered heart rhythm).

    Mercury amalgam removal can be a health-saving procedure, but like anything, it must be done right – this is no place for amateurs! More information from an holistic dentist whom we have come to trust and work with frequently in amalgam removal cases can be found here: Amalgam Removal