What’s in Your Toothpaste?
Dear Rebecca, I used to use a popular, major brand of toothpaste. It advertises “12-hour germ-fighting protection.” Until, that is, I discovered triclosan was in it. You may remember triclosan. It was in the hand sanitizer that even my staff was using at the office until I called them out on it and had them replace it with a natural alternative. I just wrote to you about this on Wednesday. Now, I’m just as concerned as you about having healthy teeth and gums. But there’s no way I want triclosan to be part of the solution. It’s a pesticide.There’s no benefit to putting an antibacterial in toothpaste. And it may even be harmful. Because it allows bacteria to grow stronger and more resistant to medication. So, the next time you get an infection, your body might not be able to fight it.1 As bad as triclosan is in a hand sanitizer, it’s even worse when you put it in toothpaste. Because triclosan is easy to absorb in your mouth. And researchers have identified it in deep tissues within 3 hours.2 Once it gets there, it disrupts your thyroid gland. It can also make testosterone drop by over 30 percent.3,4 Even worse, I’ve seen scientific studies that concluded that tricolosan increased cancer risk.5 In Europe, triclosan is banned in food. But here in the U.S., the FDA is still sitting on the fence. They recently posted a report they called “Triclosan: What Consumers Should Know.” But rather than making a clear recommendation, they said they were “reviewing all of the available evidence.”6 So, in the mean time, what should you do? I’ll tell you what I do. I just don’t use toothpaste any more. Instead, I brush my teeth like the native people I’ve been lucky enough to live with in my travels. What’s that? I use salt. It’s been around since biblical times and even before. It’s all you need to freshen your breath, whiten your teeth, toughen your gums, cure gingivitis, and protect your enamel. I think you should give it a try. It’s completely safe. It’s inexpensive. And it’s available in every grocery store. Here are a few tips on how to brush using salt: 1. Use sea salt if possible. Sea salt is naturally occurring and it isn’t processed. Table salt can have residual chemicals from the bleaching and refining process.To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD 1 “Use of Antimicrobials in Consumer Products. Report 3 of the Council on Scientific Affairs (A-00).” American Medical Association. 2000. |