The lead content of surface enamel at that time was determined to be high. A number of widely used dentifrices were tested for lead since it was suspected that they could be a source of this element. Every single sample tested positive for lead.

Toothpaste samples taken from certain brands showed high levels of lead in the areas immediately surrounding the product container’s walls. When squeezed from nearly empty tubes, the paste contained substantial levels of lead in these tests. These findings left little doubt that these products contained a neurotoxin that could cause harm if ingested. How many years ago was that? Yes, that was 45 years ago, and we have continued to use products that may not be as safe as they should be. But what’s the specific problem, and shouldn’t we have been protected by the agencies given that charge?

Children and Lead Exposure

There are several well-documented negative impacts of lead exposure on children’s health, including:

Brain and neurological system injury
Decreased development
Issues with learning and conduct disorders
Speech and hearing impairments

Resulting in:

Reduced intelligence of a lifelong nature
Minimal capacity for sustained attention
Academic underachievement

In children, we need to be especially concerned, as this is where the most damage can occur, and the consequences can be lifelong. Lead is harmful to children because it enters the bloodstream rapidly. Once in the bloodstream, lead is transported to the brain, bones, and every part of a child’s body. It is insidious and may not be detected immediately except when specific blood tests are performed. The question here, of course, is whether or not lead is suspected to be the culprit, and testing is ordered.

A child’s blood lead level will increase if they ingest lead. However, blood lead levels decline over time when a child’s exposure to lead ends. However, despite decreasing levels of lead, not all lead will be eliminated, and this is where the damage lies.

Kidney, perspiration, and feces are excreted by the body as a portion of the lead. Bones are another repository for lead. Lead levels in bones can decline over decades. But there’s more here than we would suspect, and we would be lulled into a false sense of security that the body has a natural ability to read itself of lead. The story is more complex than that.

Due to its ability to penetrate and remain in the body, lead is extremely harmful to children’s health. Lead can enter the blood circulation and even reach the brain when a kid breathes lead dust or consumes lead particles. Remember the toothpaste that we mentioned earlier? Lead, alarmingly, can lodge in bones and soft tissues, where it can stay for decades, unlike many poisons that the body removes.

One reason lead is so harmful is that it resembles calcium and iron, two essential minerals necessary for a growing body. Lead, when ingested, mimics these essential nutrients and fools cells into utilizing them instead. This change disrupts the brain’s normal development and functioning.

Like insulation, the protective myelin layer around nerve cells is likewise damaged by lead. Damage to this coating prevents the normal transmission of nerve signals throughout the brain. Physical and mental development, as well as learning and processing information, are all impacted by this harm. It is crucial to limit lead exposure in youngsters because the consequences can be long-lasting and happen at very low exposure levels.

Toothpaste Current Research

After all these years, researchers decided to revisit the exploration of currently available toothpastes and other potential sources of metal contamination. The results are anything but heartening and have raised new concerns for even the most well-known brands of toothpaste.

Many of the popular brands were included in a 2025 research project, and a chart is available here. In fact, you can find information on multiple products and their safety regarding contamination by lead or other materials here. It’s not only toothpaste that we need to be concerned about because we’ve recently been made aware of contaminants, such as metals, in baby food.

In the area of toothpaste, especially for children, 51 Brands were tested and, unfortunately, even those that were supposed to be “green” had issues with contamination. Lead was present in approximately 90% of toothpastes, arsenic in 65%, mercury in slightly less than half, and cadmium in one-third. Many brands have some harmful substances. Many popular brands were found to contain harmful substances, including Crest, Sensodyne, Tom’s of Maine, Dr. Bronner’s, and others.

In their defense, several corporations have pointed out that lead is ubiquitous in nature and thus impossible to eliminate. Currently, the federal Baby Food Safety Act of 2024 is stuck in Congress, which would limit lead levels in children’s food to 10 parts per billion. The lead limit in infant food in California is six parts per billion; however, this does not apply to toothpaste. The majority of toothpastes surpassed those levels.

You can find arsenic in nature just about everywhere: rocks, dirt, water, air, and even some living things. Organic chemicals, including those found in seafood (such as fish and shellfish), are one possible form they can take. However, when we detect unacceptable levels of any heavy metal, such as lead, in a product intended for oral use or ingestion, it is mandatory that we take every possible step to eliminate it. To do less is unconscionable and damaging to children and adults.

As always, it is wise to inform yourself about all the foods and materials that you will either ingest or apply to your body. This research would not have seemed necessary, except that almost 50 years ago, lead was found in toothpaste. Now that we have the information, we can act intelligently with it and protect ourselves and our children.

The post STOP! Brushing Your Teeth May Expose You to Deadly Neurotoxins appeared first on Medika Life.

For survivors, the infection extends hospital stays for up to 15 days and increases the chances of readmission within a month. The National Organization for NV-HAP Prevention offers these observations.

These disturbing figures are likely an underestimate of the incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia. Now comes evidence that two simple maneuvers can significantly improve the statistics. Can you guess what they are?

Hospital-acquired pneumonia — improving the odds

The two things with the best evidence of preventing hospital-=acquired pneumonia are not particularly expensive or challenging to implement. Here they are:

• Brushing teeth
• Getting patients mobilized

Limited data suggest that it is that simple.

Dodging pneumonia: Brush your teeth.

Let’s look at the experience of Orlando Regional Medical Center in Florida (USA).

Patients in the medical unit who received enhanced oral care had an 85 percent reduction in the risk of developing hospital-acquired pneumonia. Those in the surgical unit saw their risk cut by more than half (56 percent) compared with those who received routine care.

Not convinced? Perhaps a study from a Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Salem, Virginia (USA) will bring you around. Following the introduction of an oral care pilot in 2016, the rates of hospital-acquired pneumonia dropped by a whopping 92 percent.

That improvement in pneumonia rates translated to saving an estimated 13 lives in only 19 months. The Veteran’s Health Administration has broadened the approach across its system. Learn more about the so-called HAPPEN Initiative here:VHA Innovation EcosystemHAPPEN (Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Prevention by Engaging Nurses) began in October 2016 at the Salem VA Medical…www.va.gov

We should shout such outcomes from the rooftops. A simple and inexpensive maneuver can remarkably improve our patients’ outcomes.

Dodging pneumonia: Move

I knew well the perils of not getting patients moving. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot — a thrombus — forms in one or more deep veins, typically in the legs. Patients may report leg pain or swelling, but sometimes there are no symptoms.

Certain medical conditions, including some cancers, raise the chances of DVT. Another cause is not moving for long periods of time. When I travel long distances by car, train, or air, I always make sure to get up regularly.

Here’s the problem with deep venous thrombosis: The blood clots in the veins can break loose, travel through the bloodstream, and get stuck in the lungs. This phenomenon can blood blood flow in the lungs, a condition known as pulmonary embolism (PE). If DVT and pulmonary embolism occur together, we have venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Dodging pneumonia: Brush your teeth and move

Let’s look at some compelling evidence that brushing your teeth and moving can dramatically lower your chances of developing hospital-acquired pneumonia. A Kaiser Permanente study of 21 hospitals in California (USA) focused on oral care and getting patients out of bed. The results are impressive:

This dual strategy of oral care and mobilization dropped the rates of hospital-acquired pneumonia by around 70 percent.

The Smithsonian Museum (USA) observes that you could die from a broken arm not very long ago — and many did. That all changed with the idea that seems obvious today: surgery needs to be sterile.

In 1867, Dr. Joseph Lister published an article in The Lancet that revolutionized medicine. “An Address on the Antiseptic System of Treatment in Surgery” described a new way of practicing operations that he first presented in Glasgow, Scotland.

The great innovation? Kill germs. Lister used a carbolic acid spray on wounds, dressings and surgical tools. He also washed his hands. The acid killed the germs before they had a chance to cause infection, and the hand-washing kept the surgeon from introducing new germs to the surgical field.

Sound familiar?

Thank you for joining me in this look at a simple, practical, and inexpensive way to save the lives of our hospitalized patients.

The post Two Simple Ways to Lower Your Risk of Dying in the Hospital appeared first on Medika Life.

Brush (and floss)! Let me give you three reasons why you should do both. Admittedly, I do not floss each day. I am going to try to do better.

Plaque

Yes, it feels good to get the lingering piece of bread out from between your teeth. But there’s more: Floss, and you remove the invisible, colorless, and sticky film that collects between and around your teeth and your gumline.

Plaque is the product of mixing oral bacteria with sugary or starchy food and drinks. The bacteria release acids that disintegrate carbohydrates. Skip the brushing, and plaque bacteria will turn its acids on the protective enamel of your teeth. And then? The dreaded visit to the dentist to plug a cavity.

Moreover, plaque buildup can turn into hard tartar, collecting along your gumline. Now you have increased your chances of getting gum disease, offers the American Dental Association (ADA).

Gum disease

Gingivitis is an early gum disease, often marked by gum inflammation. You may notice bleeding as your brush or floss your teeth. If the gingivitis is left untreated, it can turn into periodontitis.

With periodontitis, the gums begin to pull away from your teeth, and the teeth may become loose. Without intervention, periodontitis may cause inflammation throughout your body.

Brush your teeth twice daily, and don’t forget to floss each day. And professional cleanings every six months to optimize your gum health.

Heart health

I became more fastidious about oral health (particularly flossing) when I learned that optimizing it might help my heart. My father died of a heart attack in his 86th year, so my ears always perk up when I hear about heart disease risk reduction.

A 2019 Korean study reported an association between good oral hygiene and a lower risk of atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

The researchers reported that over a median of 10.5 years, they discovered three percent of subjects had atrial fibrillation, while about five percent got heart failure.

Brushing at least thrice daily appeared associated with a slight reduction (about one-tenth) of atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

I grant that a ten percent drop from five percent is not much (0.5 percent), but brushing and flushing to get that slight absolute reduction is cheap to me (in terms of time and cost). And there is that bonus of fresher smelling breath.

You’ve got three reasons to brush and (I know I can do better) and floss regularly. Thank you for this brief exploration of oral health.

Action point — Floss first

Oh, one more thing: You should floss your teeth before brushing them. With flossing, you dislodge plaques and food particles. The brushing action helps remove the plaque and particles you’ve removed from your teeth and gum line.

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