Study Links Fluoridated Water During Pregnancy to Lower IQs

An influential medical journal published a study Monday that links fluoride consumption during pregnancy with lower childhood IQs—a finding that could undermine decades of public-health messaging, fire up conspiracy theorists, and alarm mothers-to-be.

The research was expected to be so controversial that JAMA Pediatrics included an editor’s note saying the decision to publish it was not easy and that it was subjected to “additional scrutiny.”

“It is the only editor’s note I’ve ever written,” Dimitri Christakis, editor in chief of JAMA Pediatrics and a pediatrician, told The Daily Beast. “There was concern on the journal’s editorial team about how this would play out in the public eye and what the public-health implications would be.”

About three-fourths of the United States drinks fluoridated tap water—which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared one of the 10 greatest public-health achievements of the 20th century because it dramatically reduces tooth decay.

A handful of earlier studies have suggested that prenatal fluoride exposure could affect neurodevelopment, but many experts considered those to be substandard. The new study, vetted by the premier medical publisher in the U.S., is seen as more rigorous.

“When we started in this field, we were told that fluoride is safe and effective in pregnancy,” said study co-author Christine Till of York University in Toronto. “But when we looked for the evidence to suggest that it’s safe, we didn’t find any studies done on pregnant women.”

See 60. I missed your post the first time around.

Around 2007, the DEA had full-strength, large volume Lugol’s outlawed, ostensibly because it could be used to manufacture illicit drugs (a pretext, I say). It can only be bought in half strength (6.25 mg.), and small amounts (2 fl. oz.), which makes it much more expensive peer unit.

The original Lugol’s contained 12.5 milligrams of iodine (7.5 iodide/KI, 5 iodine/I2); that is 12,500 micrograms per dose!

The FDA has aggressively discouraged use of iodine (and all nutritional supplements), and the recommendation is typically 150 mcg. (0.15 mg.) That is why a typical “seaweed” capsule or tablet is standardized to 150 mcg. per dose.

Since the law applied only to liquid solutions, Iodoral came on the market with a full-dose-per-tablet pill. Not all tablets are a blend like Iodoral, however.

Either way, the combination is considered superior. Apparently the ionic form (KI) is better assimilated in some tissues, while the elemental form (I2) is better absorbed elsewhere.

Iodized salt is not a good remedy. That is pure NaCl, and is too harsh, and lacks other trace minerals. Natural salt contains dozens of trace minerals, although no iodine. The better solution is to use sea salt or rock salt, and sea vegetables, especially brown sea algae (so-called sea weeds).

Celtic Sea Salt, by Selina Naturally, is a particularly good product.

Brown Macro-Algae:
Kombu (Lamminaria)
Kajime (Ecklonia)
Bladderwrack (Fucus)
Wakame (Undaria)
Rockweed/Kelp (Ascophylum)

Dulse (Palmaria) is a nutritious red macro-alga; it is also very tasty. It is lower in iodine, but still a source.

[NB: Algae, whether macro-, like Rockweed/Kelp, or micro-, like Chlorella, are neither plants nor weeds. They have no roots to plant into the ground. They are a different kind of vegetation than true sea weeds that grow in watery soil.]

Lethargy and brain fog are common symptoms of iodine deficiency and/or fluoride toxicity.

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