If you are like most, it has been drilled into your head that fluoride is very important for dental health, and that the best way to delivery this fluoride into your body is through fluoridated municipal water, and fluorinated toothpaste.
As you might know, fluoride occurs naturally in a variety of foods such as fruits, vegetables, and dairy. Fluoride, however, is a toxin (when present above certain levels in the body) which can result in bone deformities, neurodevelopmental issues, and kidney failure (to name a few). So, how did fluoride, a toxin, end up as a recommended additive to our drinking water and toothpaste? You can thank Sigmund Freud’s nephew, Edward L. Bernays.
Edward Bernays was a public relations expert and propagandist, referred to as “the father of public relations” in his obituary.
The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, and our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of…It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind.
Propaganda (1928), Edward L. Bernays
Bernays biggest manipulation occurred when he was hired by ALCOA (the Aluminum Company of America) to design a public relations campaign to convince politicians that adding fluoride to municipal water supplies would benefit the oral health of the public. The by-product of ALCOA’s manufacturing process were fluoride salts.
Bernays’ propaganda managed to not only get laws passed that required the addition of fluoride to municipal water supplies, but also convinced the American Dental Association to promote the use of fluoride as a tooth decay preventative.
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