THEY QUACK FOR YOU

THEY QUACK FOR YOU

ANN MILTON, UNDERSE-CRETARY OF HEALTH

A visit to Wikipedia to find out more about Ann Milton is quite revealing and certainly much more so than visiting her apparently official Web site which appears to be full of figures and mumbo jumbo demonstrating her generosity. Wikipedia, which could be wrong of course, tells us that she was a nurse trained at St Barts in London and that she is married to a doctor. It frankly appalls me that an alleged Doctor and Nurse can be completly ignorant of medical ethics which proscribe a doctor from forcibly medicating or prescribing any medication to an indivisual without their consent, even one of their own patients. This is especially heinous when they are doing it or even advocating or sanctioning it en mass without any prior knowledge of a person or persons, medical history and other medication.

Milton's assertion that the cost of fluoridation only works out at 80 pence per person is of course ludicrously wrong. As usual its not backed by any facts and proper costings. For starters it not effective at all on anyone who is not a child, assuming of course that its effective at all which in itself has not been proven. It should never be given to infants and young children and by the time they are old enough, whatever that really means, it doesn't work anyway. It would of course be nice to get some figures on the cost of treating fluorosis, of dental coatings, varnishes etc. but as these things are not available on the NHS its not surprising that they don't want the figures published.

Of course there is no mention of the possible costs of treatment NHS or otherwise for various other complaints which may be caused or complicated by the intrusion of fluorides. Presumably because this is "perfectly safe and effective," optimal, "comparison with non fluoridated areas," " pain and suffering of poor little children, trouble etc etc waffle blather. continued page 94.

Sorry Ms Milton but we refuse to be drawn into this kind of junk science. They haven't produced any reasonable stats on fluoride in donkeys years yet still hold with the old mythology and dogma and I for one will not be dragged any further into that swamp. Ms Milton must be prepared to discuss the details and not make sweeping statements without adequate proof of povenance. Fluorides in all their forms are unnecessary poisonous crap and we will not tolerate them or pay for them.

Ms Milton in backing fluoridation is being suckered by people such as Andy Burnham, and Alan Johnson MP and their cohorts in the apparently Labour controlled and partially or wholy financed, ( at least until recent parliamentary changes occured ) pro-fluoride organisation aka, the British Fluoridation Society. It is sad to see the same old junk science and quackery being perpetrated yet again and this time by a new gang of suckers that have apparently not studied any up to date research or even the statements of their leaders. My ex-MP Gordon Prentice had the ordacity to claim that he had read all the data but in discussion with him it quickly became clear that this was probably not the case. But i digress....

In the run up to the General Election, Friends of the Earth wrote to all the party leaders and asked them for their views on fluoridation and expressed concern that the Labour Government had produced legislation (the Water Act 2003 and its amendments) which was clearly produced to satisfy the whims of the Pro-Fluoride lobby which apparently holds sway in the Department of Health. It pretended to support full public consultation of the public before any decision was made but in actuality enshrined the ability of the SHAs to promote fluoridation, spending tens of millions on it of course, and then to compel the Water companies to fluoridate even if 100% of the public strongly objected to it. Not surprisingly, the responses we received were generally warmly welcomed and widely publicised.

David Cameron was opposed to compulsion without consultation and consent, Nick Clegg was totally opposed to fluoridation and even Gordon Brown said that people would not be compelled to accept water fluoridation without their consent. Sadly it would appear that a lack of scientific and medical training amongst the majority of Politicians of all persuasions, (who do not understand the science of fluoride, or the varied dangers it presents to our population and the natural environment, and which leads them to believe outdated dogma and orthodoxy, dating from a time when even asbestos, lead and even cigarettes were thought to be harmless or even beneficial. This can only damage the reputation and credibility of the recently formed coilition government when they appear like so many flat-earthers.

All the latest studies have shown that any benefits from fluoridation are minimal if at all, and are well outweighed by the dangers of exposure to fluorine productsl which include dangers to the kidneys, the teeth and bones, the thyroid and pineal gland, weight control and obesity, and childrens IQ. As for compulsory mass medication, it does not seem to be treated as a serious issue at all which must really lead us to question, sincerity, and competence.

All this creates the impression that Government health policy is being led by quacks and snake oil salespersons who would not be supporting such pseudo-science without an ulterior motive. Lots of money has swilled from the fluoride producing industries and much of it seemingly handled by few Labour MPs as mentioned earlier. For the benefit of democracy, the economy, stability and restoration of trust The Coilitions' best policy is to avoid suspect and useless, wasted money. They must honour their collective pledges to protect and nurture the priceless NHS and concentrate on spending money on point of need dentistry rather than squandering it on dodgy data, fighting the wishes of its own democratically elected majority in the courts, illegal and unethical medical practice and embellishing the pockets of vested self interest and a good start would be for junior ministers to at least get behind their leaders and present a united and coherent front. Pure drinking water is becoming an increasingly rare and of course expensive commodoty and arguably the most vital in many parts of the world including the UK. We need to use water carefully and efficiently. Only a nut case would advocate adding toxic industrial waste to something so precious. Only by such careful and concerted action then can they bring stability and trust back into our so-called democracy.

BRIAN JACKSON