Thyroid Function Destroyed by Fluoride Over-Exposure
Iodide is essential for endocrine health and if it is in short supply (as is the case for many people in the UK) and if the body is over-exposed to fluoride, the entire endocrine system in imperilled. Dr James B Sumner, a Nobel prize winner is on record as saying:
In the Austria of the 1930s, the concentration of iodide in Vienna's drinking water was quite high and although iodide is required for efficient endocrine systems, some people were sensitive to this highish concentration and developed hyperthyroidism, then known as thyrotoxicosis. The disease is typified by a racing metabolism and a failure to put on weight. It was often fatal: people just wore themselves out unintentionally. The linked document by Viktor Gorlitzer von Mundy which was translated for us from the original archaic Austro-German by a thyroid researcher, is revealing.
Put simply, exposing the patients to very small amount of Hydrofluoric Acid added to tepid bath-water had the effect of lowering the metabolic rate and thus increased weight. Gorlitzer's patients were returned to a normal (euthyroid) state. Thereafter, the patients had to take care to avoid Vienna's iodide-rich tap water.
Had the patients continued the hydrofluoric acid treatment, they would have been tipped over into hypothyroidism. In 2014, in fluoridated West Midlands (UK), there was almost double the amount of hypothyroidism diagnoses when compared to non-fluoridated Greater Manchester. In England as a whole, there were 30% more diagnoses in fluoridated areas when compared to non-fluoridated areas. (Peckham, S., D. Lowery and S. Spencer (2015). “Are fluoride levels in drinking water associated with hypothyroidism prevalence in England? A large observational study of GP practice data and fluoride levels in drinking water.” J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2015; 0: 1-6.)
It has long been known that fluoride is antagonistic to iodide in the endocrine system. Iodide would normally occupy the active sites and its presence "completes the circuit" thus catalysing the production of thyroid hormone. Should the body be deficient in iodide and over-exposed to fluoride, the fluoride atoms occupy the active sites preventing any iodide recently ingested from occupying those active sites. Fluoride's electrical charge and size means that it cannot prompt the endocrine system to produce thyroid hormone, and low levels of this hormone means that metabolism slows down and the patient puts on weight.
In the main, hypothyroidism strikes women, especially in their menopausal years. The illness causes distress, depression, lack of energy, hair loss and weight gain. It ruins lives and causes loss of income and self-esteem. It can so easily be prevented by removing fluoride from the patient's environment and supplementing with controlled concentrations of iodide, with the advice of a medical doctor. It takes months to diagnose hypothyroidism, especially if symptoms are not fully developed; that is, they are sub-clinical. We are not aware that conventional GPs advise abstention from fluoride though and conventional medicine cannot entirely cure the patient - just address the symptoms. Indeed it's unlikely that the medical profession knows anything about fluoride toxicity and in addition, it is known that the NHS favours the further development of the Water Fluoridation programme. One only has to read NHS Choices in relation to the type of water which young parents should use for adding to baby formula. (Bottled water apparently, is not sterile and contains too many sulphides and sodium. Neither pieces of "fact" hold water! This is discussed on our Sodium and Sulphates in Water page.)
If fluoride can be antagonistic to a the overactive thyroid gland, why can't it also be antagonistic to the normally functioning thyroid gland? It is for the DHSC to prove that fluoride is benign. In the absence of any research to counteract the 2015 Kent University research, the DHSC is attempting to travel upstream without a paddle!
Had Gorlitzer's treatment continued after the patients had reached the stage of normal (euthyroid) function, the fluoride would have had the effect of tipping them over into the hypothyroid state. Thus, people who have normal thyroid function and who are over-exposed to fluoride experience a slowing down of metabolism and put on weight.
Template Letter to MPs regarding Fluoride and Hypothyroidism
The 2015 research study from Kent University mapped hypothyroidism prevalence against fluoridated areas of England. Their findings were statistically significant. Fluoridated communities had more cases of hypothyroidism than non-fluoridated communities. However, the study demonstrated correlation and not causation. For Government policy to change direction, proof of causation is seen to be essential. The DHSC has been tardy, even reluctant, to damage the reputation of fluoride. It is regarded by the Establishment as being "safe and effective". Thus, unless pressure is put on Civil Servants and their Ministers to seek evidence of harm, nothing is going to be done.
The template letter below can be freely adapted for sending to MPs and it asks the MP to request Government research into why fluoridated populations have more diagnoses of hypothyroidism. The Agency responsible for sponsoring government-funded research is the National Health Research Institute (NHRI) which until August 2021 was in the charge of Dr Chris Whitty.
The letter is a Word file which can be edited. Click on the link below and the file appears bottom left. Click on it to open it. Remove all square brackets and fill in the suggested information. "Save as" with a different filename and save to your Documents' folder. Then send an email to your MP with the letter as an attachment.
