Cent4dent Blog

With the FDA advising that mercury fillings “may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetus,” www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/amalgams.html, it’s time for the manufacturers of this toxic device to switch to non-toxic alternatives.

The two largest manufacturers are Danaher (which owns Kerr), based in Washington D.C. and Dentsply, based in York, Pennsylvania. Both are publicly traded, and hence must answer (in theory) to their shareholders.

So here’s the big news: in early December shareholders filed Resolutions to each of these companies to write reports on how they could exit from making mercury-based dental products. If the companies ignore their own shareholders — as expected — then folks, we are going to have an old-fashioned floor fight at their annual meetings this spring.

Leading this fight, I am proud to say, are several Catholic religious orders, including the Sisters of Ursula and the Dominican Sisters of Hope (they have pension funds), along with Boston Common Asset Management, an employee-owned social investment firm, www.bostoncommonasset.com. The leaders are, respectively, Valerie Heinonen of the Sisters of Ursula and Steve Heim of Boston Common Asset Management. You can thank Sister Valerie at HeinonenV@juno.com and Steve Heim at sheim@bostoncommonasset.com, Working with Consumers for Dental Choice to initiate this project was the Mercury Policy Project (Michael Bender), www.MercuryPolicy.org .

This project began via educational work (of me) by Dr. Mark Mitchell of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, www.environmental-justice.org — the leading state organization focused on environmental injustice. Earlier this year, Consumers for Dental Choice recognized Mark as Nonprofit Advocate of the Year. Dr. Mitchell enlisted Dr. Rich Liroff of the Investor Environmental Health Network, www.iehn.org, who in turn broadcasted an appeal for help to his membership.

Sister Valerie points to the growing injustice of who still gets mercury fillings. Although we all used to get them, increasingly — according to an NAACP witness testifying before the old Burton committee of Congress — we have “choice for the rich and mercury for the poor.” If those with both money and knowledge get mercury-free dentistry, so should everyone.

Yes, you can help — by finding shareholders to support this splendid resolution. Do you or does your pension own stock in Danaher (DHR on the stock exchanges) or Dentsply (XRAY on the stock exchanges)? Can you enlist a nonprofit group or government agency which owns stock in DHR or XRAY? Let me know.

Charlie

20 December 2008

Charles G. Brown, National Counsel

Consumers for Dental Choice

316 F St., N.E., Suite 210, Washington, DC 20002

Ph. 202.544-6333; fax 202.544-6331

charlie@toxicteeth.org, www.toxicteeth.org

At the GNYDM I was pleasantly surprised to see that Dr Oz, Oprah’s appointee for the nation’s top medical authority, was giving the address at the Presidents Luncheon. Hey if Oprah can appoint a US president she certainly has the pull to put her favorite doctor in the national spotlight. In fact Dr Oz will have his own Oprah-produced show beginning in the fall of ’09. If you haven’t heard of him yet you certainly will be hearing plenty from him very soon. The good news here is that he’s a valuable friend of the dental profession. He understands oral-systemic and he promotes it in his best selling books (“You Staying Young” and others in the series). He was actually assigned to be the “dentist” when he was in the Turkish army. He opened his talk by saying that it has been clearly established that gum disease has a role in cardiac disease.

Some other highlights of his talk are as follows:

- There is only a 1 in 7 chance that a pregnant woman with gum disease will have a regular healthy child that will grow to normal size

- The real challenge facing the health of our nation is educating people about their health. The public doesn’t “get it” because we in the medical community aren’t giving it. We are not communicating to the public in a way that they understand. He recommends using metaphors to describe health problems in terms that people can understand. He also recommends using emotion. People will respond better to a story about how someone’s health was challenged by gum disease and then improved after getting the gum disease under control.

- 40% of the population will have their lives changed by medical error. Educate yourself and become a smart patient. Similarly smart patients will find you, the educating practitioner, and you will be rewarded

- Optimal blood pressure is 115 / 75 (lower than conventional thought)

- The common characteristics of geographic zones where the population has a 4 times greater chance to live to 100 are: 1. they all eat real food! 2. they all get physical activity! 3. they reduce stress

- Dieting by willpower is impossible. The best diet is to reduce your caloric intake by 100 calories every single day. It’s the only system that works and you’ll lose 10-12 pounds in 1 year.

- Belly fat is the deadliest. It squeezes the kidneys which poisons the body. It poisons the liver and causes LDL cholesterol production. It blocks insulin which can lead to diabetes.

- Measure your patient’s necks! Men should be 17 and women 16. If greater than that you will have sleep apnea.

- A handful of almonds 30 minutes before a meal will reduce the ghrelin levels (an appetite-stimulating hormone) and you won’t feel so famished.

- If all cancer was eradicated the average life span would only increase 2.8 years. (How would life spans be affected if gum disease were eradicated?)

- 99% of us do not eat right and should take supplements. Any multivitamin will do. Make sure it has 1000 IU of vitamin D which he considers the #1 vitamin to reduce cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. For minerals get 1200 mg of calcium and 400 mg of magnesium. The most important supplement of all is omega 3 (fish oil). Also an aspirin each day.for anti inflam. and possible reduction of cancer.

- SLEEP! It’s the #1 thing to do for vitality. 50% of the people over age 50 do not sleep well. Learn sleep hygiene- 20 minutes before bedtime reduce all stimulation and cool the room.

- You have a civic responsibility to speak up! People need our advice to make health a bigger priority. You don’t have to be a Dr Oz because you already have patients who know and trust you. Start by talking to them and then do what you can to reach your community as well!

I believe the next wave in dentistry is oral-systemic and our friend Dr Oz will help make that happen for us.