Alcohol In Mouthwash... BAD.
Alcohol has been used for many years by leading oral care manufacturers as a way to "kill the germs" that people at one time associated with bad breath. Research has shown that it is not really the bacteria that we want to kill, but rather what is known as the "volatile sulfur compounds" produced by this bacteria. For too long people have been using alcohol mouthwashes as a way to eliminate bad breath but it has not been effective. When we expose our mouths to the minute or two of rinsing with an alcohol mouthwash we are actually drying out the mouth & also destroying the "good" bacteria we need to maintain proper oral health. Most mouthwash contains more alcohol than wine, anywhere from 6.6% to 26.9% alcohol. Percentages of alcohol in mouthwashes are as follows: Listerine 26.9% ~ Scope 18.9% ~ Signal 14.5% Cepacol 14.0% Listermint 6.6%
CHILDREN AND ALCOHOL
Mouthwash is sold in large containers which hold enough to be fatal to young children. When swallowed in large quantities, mouthwash that contains alcohol can cause seizures, brain damage, & death. Most products that use dyes & color, such as mouthwash, attract a child's attention. The three most widely used dyes, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6, are contaminated with known carcinogens, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Another dye, Red 3, has been acknowledged for years by the Food and Drug Administration to be a carcinogen, yet is still in the food supply. Tartrazine (Yellow) affects adversely & alters biochemical markers in vital organs, e.g., liver and kidney, not only at higher doses, but also at low doses.
Fluoride In Mouthwash... FACTS:
ENDOCRINE EFFECTS
A Natural Resource Council report cites many endocrine effects of fluoride exposure, including decreased thyroid function, impaired glucose tolerance (Type II diabetes), and earlier sexual maturity.
NEUROTOXICITY AND NEUROBEHAVIORAL
The committee also cited research indicating adverse health effects such as lower IQ in children, behavioral, and histopathological changes in the brains of laboratory animals (some of these resembling the brains of Alzheimer’s patients), cerebral impairment of humans, and enhancement of effects in the presence of aluminum. The report concludes: “fluorides have the ability to interfere with the functions of the brain and the body by direct and indirect means.”
SKELETAL EFFECTS
“Fluoride can weaken bone and increase the risk of fractures.” Mobility is not significantly affected, but it is characterized by sporadic pain, stiffness of joints, and osteosclerosis of the pelvis and spine.” Thus within the broad category of arthritis, the condition of Stage 1 skeletal fluorosis due to exposure to fluoride, with the symptoms of joint pain and stiffness, may be placed alongside approximately 100 other forms of arthritis, such as gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthropathy, ankylosing spondylitis, and postinfectious arthritis. Previously, only the effect of actual crippling was regarded by the NRC as an adverse health effect. Fluoride exposure can now be officially listed as one of the causes of arthritis.
REVIEW OF THE 2006 UNITED STATES NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL REPORT: FLUORIDE IN DRINKING WATER ~ Robert J Carton ~ Averill Park, NY, USA back to top