At 04:00 PM 4/17/01 -0500, you wrote:
>Topics of the day:
>
>  1. fluoride (3)
>  4. Green tea was Re: drinking water with meals
Stacie Tolen wrote:
>A question: is it all fluorides which are harmful or it is especially sodium
>monofluorophosphate (the one that's in your toothpaste, "industrial
>fluoride")? I am wondering if saying that fluoride is "bad for you" is like
>saying that sodium is "bad for you". Whether or not a trace mineral is "bad
>for you" depends upon a lot of factors, yes?
>
   When I was participating - in the Environmental Engineering Dept. at
Texas A&M in College Station in the early 1970s - in a study of hazardous
materials shipped by sea, I ran across a book on fluorine & fluorides,
which pointed out that fluorine - as well as bromine - has the tendency to
replace chlorine because it is more chemically active (chlorine, bromine, &
fluorine are members of the chemical family called halogens - oxygen &
iodine are also in that particular lineup of oxidation chemicals).
Remembering my biology classes from college, the term "Krebs cycle" came to
mind. I took a few minutes out in that library to review the function of
the Krebs cycle. This cycle is a description of what happens when the cells
break down nutrients in order to function. Chlorine plays an important part
in this cycle. Fluorine is not even mentioned. I ran out of time to pursue
this further.
   From an "armchair philosophical" view, I would say that fluorine
floating around in the bloodstream, side by side with chlorine, could
easily bump the chlorine out of its important niche, causing only God knows
what - perhaps runaway cells that produce cancer, for one minute guess. I
know that, from that moment on I have tended to try to drink
non-fluoridated water every chance I  get.

PaleoBabe  (Irene) wrote:
>And speaking of the effect of tea on teeth:
>I have pretty much given up having coffee at home, and save it for a
'treat' when I'm out. Now if I want a hot beverage in the morning, I
usually have green tea,...
>Anyway, since I've been doing this, I've noticed that my mug has become
stained inside. It never got stained with the coffee! ...I really HATE
stained teeth. Yech!
>Not to mention what it's doing to my favourite souvenir mug :-(.

 You may not have noticed the staining effect of coffee, but it's there.
   As for your mug, make a paste of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate - the
stuff one sticks in the fridge sometimes) and mash into the stain in the
cup. You have to use your fingers - a swipe with a cloth or a brush is
practically useless. Mash until the cup sounds squeaky clean (if ceramic),
then rinse well.

Mary Anne Unger