Effects of fluorides on physiological processes
The most evident problem of skeletal fluorosis for me is persistent fatigue.
I do not want to call it "chronic fatigue", as that could well be a different medical condition and it could be treated differently, as compared to what I do to combat my fatigue.
An important reason for this persistent fatigue is the fact that the ability of the organism to maintain calcium concentration in blood plasma is compromised.
Calcium is crucial for many biochemical processes, that is why the nature "made it available" in ionized form in blood plasma.
Almost half of all the calcium in the body, which is not in bones, is in ionized state.
As a result of various biochemical processes, ionized calcium is continuously being used up and has to be replaced.
When intake of dietary calcium is inadequate, the deficit of ionized calcium in plasma has to be made up with calcium from bones.
When bones are healthy, calcium can be "washed" out from them by parathyroid hormone, which is produced by the organism just for this purpose.
However, this process is compromized in individuals, who have some part of their bone mass affected by fluorosis.
Continuous ingestion of fluorides, as is the case with consumption of fluoridated water, changes the chemical composition of the natural mineral component of the bone from hydroxiapatite to the fluoroapatite, thus making the bone physiologically dead.
Fluoroapatite is denser, because of that, fluoridation promoters claim that it helps to protect teeth from caries.
But they somehow "forget" to mention that fluoroapatite does not respond to hormonal stimulation and thus calcium cannot get deposited into the bone structure, when there is sufficient dietary intake.
It cannot be washed out from bones either, when the dietary intake is inadequate.
Inadequate concentration of calcium ion in blood plasma results in disruption of many biochemical processes.
The most obvious manifestation of it for me is fatigue.
Onset of symptoms is gradual, just as the change in the chemical composition of the bone, when a person ingests fluorides in small amounts on a daily basis.
Ingestion of relatively large amounts of fluorides at one time causes different effects - fluoride ion binds ionized calcium in blood. Depending on the amount ingested, symptoms can range from some degree of muscle paralysis to brain damage and even death.
This happens as a result of partial asphyxiation or even total asphyxiation, since the chest muscles, as well as diaphragm, cannot function, when deprived of calcium, thus causing insufficient lung ventilation.
Cardiac arrest can also take place, since the heart muscle also requires ionized calcium for proper functioning.
Continuous ingestion of trace amounts of fluorides has no such drastic effects, instead, the organism is being poisoned gradually.
The most obvious manifestation of gradual poisoning is the development of skeletal fluorosis.
Proponents of fluoridation refer to it as "dental fluorosis" or "enamel fluorosis".
This sly substitution of terms is apparently designed to create an impression that it is merely a cosmetic problem, whereas it is a very serious bone disease.
Skeletal or bone fluorosis is a pathological condition, which is the result of a change in the chemical composition of the bone as a result of it being exposed to a fluoride ion.
It is only logical to assume that the greater degree of change would be on that "side" of the bone mass, which is more exposed to the carrier fluid.
The main carrier fluid for fluorides is blood and the more likely areas of a bone mass, which get affected, are those adjacent to the blood vessels.
Other carriers of fluoride ion can be interstitial, synovial and lymphatic fluids. Areas of the bone, which are in close proximity to those fluids, are more likely to react with fluoride ion, if it is present there.
I have not found any studies, which showed the pattern of change of the chemical composition of the bone as a result of continuous ingestion of fluorides.
But I think it is reasonable to assume that those areas of the bone mass, which are closer to the blood vessels, as well as to the insterstitial fluids, are more likely to be the first to change to fluoroapatite.
You can read about the physical structure of bones on another page, it shows that bones have two components - biological and mineral.
If we visualize that a mineral component is removed, while leaving the biological one intact, then it would look as a mesh of blood vessels, as well as other tissues, which penetrate the bone mass.
In a similar fashion, the mineral component is also a "mesh".
It is not a solid mass, instead, it is porous like a sponge.
There are also larger holes in a bone through which larger blood vessels enter.
Naturally, the effects of fluorides on a real bone are much greater, than they would be on a solid mass of hydroxiapatite.
If we visualize a solid block of hydroxiapatite immersed into a fluoride solution, then only the outside surface would be affected.
But with a bone, which has a structure similar to that of a sponge, with tiny blood vessels penetrating every microscopic section of it, the entire bone mass can be affected.
There is no possible way for fluorides to only affect the outer layer of teeth and to "ignore" the rest of the bone mass.
And yet proponents of fluoridation claim essentially this!
By saying that fluorides "strengthen dental enamel" and forgetting to mention that the chemical composition of the entire bone mass in the skeleton is being changed, they mislead those who do not know enough to understand what is really involved there.
When organism requires more calcium than is available from dietary sources at any given time, it produces parathyroid hormone, which "washes out" calcium from bones.
Healthy organism can rely on the entire bone mass, from which calcium can be washed out.
But if a certain percentage of bone has its mineral component changed to fluoroapatite, then those areas no longer respond to hormonal stimulation, no calcium can be obtained from those, nor deposited into them.
Calcium metabolism thus slows down. It produces almost a chain reaction, with a wide range of biochemical processes getting affected.
Excess calcium in blood can also be a potentially serious problem.
Healthy organism can deposit calcium into the bone mass, thus maintaining the level of ionized calcium in blood at the required level.
But if bones no longer respond, then the excess calcium has nowhere to go.
"Calcium rigor" can set in.
I heard of at least one study linking Alzheimers to disorders of calcium metabolism.
Somehow the areas in brain are formed, which contain some crystallized calcium salt, and those are sufficiently numerous and large to result in a serious brain damage, with everything that comes from it.
From my own experience, the first sign of reduced blood calcium level is fatigue, which becomes progressively more disabling, as the calcium level continues to drop.
I also get the feeling of numbness in my legs ("pins and needles").
I would imagine that not my entire bone mass is affected by fluorosis, certain amount of calcium exchange does take place, but it is apparently not fast enough to satisfy the needs of my body.
Because of that I have no choice but to rely on daily consumption of calcium supplements.
I lead an active lifestyle, I maintain a regular running routine, but all that running and other activities are only possible because of regular calcium supplementation.
At one time I have overdone it and ended up in a hospital with a perforated ulcer.
This was caused by "acid rebound", a condition, which is precipitated by consumption of carbonates or certain anti-acids.
Because of these risks, one has to be aware about the issues regarding calcium supplementation.
This site has a page with some important information about it.
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