Sometimes, if we would just stop and think a little bit about what we believe or say, really consider the things we read and throw those concepts up against what we know to be true, then we can discern between what is correct and what is not. If we simply go along and believe everything and anything that comes down the pike (and there is a lot of it coming down), then there is no 'holding fast' to that which is true.* There is confusion and failure. If there is no 'holding fast' to infallible truths, then how can we have a solid foundation from which to operate and succeed? Those who think otherwise are delusional. First, though, we need to know the truth. Dr. Joseph Mercola is a successful internet marketer. There is absolutely no doubt about that. According to Compete.com, his web site ranks within the top 2,000 sites of all the millions and millions of existing websites and is one of the very top-ranked Health web sites out there. We might conclude, then, that since Dr. Mercola is so popular and with so much traffic coming into his servers that he must be telling the truth in order to achieve such success. How could millions of people be wrong? Well... Bernie Madoff was a pretty successful guy too. Lots of folks believed in his message, didn't they? I'm in no way implying that Mercola and Madoff are ethical equivalents, rather, trying to point out that successful marketing of a message does not necessarily verify the validity of the message. "But I like doctor Mercola! ...and what has this got to do with Dr. Weston Price?," you ask... Mercola misses the mark by promoting Dr. Weston A. Price on nutrition & tooth decay Here is why
Dr. Weston A. Price's theory is flawed...
First, we know that tooth decay and gum diseases are primarily the result of the acidic waste by-product of specific, colonized oral pathogens in combination the the body's own immune response to the damage cased by that waste from the pathogens. That's it, that's been proven years and years ago, over and over. In fact, some of these little colonized pathogens and their connection to decay... ...all of that was discovered at least a century before Dr. Weston Price wandered into the wilderness. Now, Dr. Price claims that, during his travels, he came across reclusive 'natives' with wonderfully healthy teeth. These native people had previously little or no interaction with civilized peoples. He concluded, after much observation, therefore, their teeth were in such a great state of health because they had not been introduced to the terrible foods which the 'civilized' were eating, such as refined flours and sugars - they were eating locally grown, totally nutritious, healthy foods. Dr. Price concluded that it was their good nutritional diets, alone, which was the sole reason for their healthy teeth. After all, according to Dr.Mercola's comments following this particular article, 'Secrets your dentist doesn't want you to know,' they did not brush nor performed any hygiene on the teeth. According to Dr. Mercola... "If you,
too, eat
properly and maintain optimal health, you’re highly unlikely
to develop cavities or other dental problems. They really only occur when you're eating the wrong foods. So pay attention to your diet, as this is a key to keeping you safely out of the dentist’s chair -- at least for visits that involve more than routine cleaning." My question, when I first learned of this many years ago, "Why did good science and Dr. Weston Price's nutrition theory seem to contradict themselves?" What was missing? Something was not right. Well, if these natives had little or no previous interaction with civilized people, and their teeth were very, very healthy - and one KNEW all of the credible scientific research irrefutably pointed to the acid production of specific oral pathogens (tooth decay), coupled with the body's immune system response (in the case of gum disease), then could one not also conclude that perhaps these people had also never been INFECTED by the oral pathogens carried by the civilized folks? And if that was the case, couldn't that also be a reason for all the good teeth? One or the other has to prove out, correct? So, you might ask, "Well, how do you know they WEREN'T infected, and their diets of fresh local fruits and vegetables, unpastuerized dairy and animal fats were STILL the factor keeping their teeth healthy, anyway??" My answer to that is that, had they BEEN infected, their teeth would have rotted, despite the diets. Why? Because the culprit pathogens feed on ferment-able sugars. Of course, that means the white, crystallized refined stuff, but also includes the sugars in fruits and other 'natural' foods. In addition, many carbohydrates will quickly metabolize and convert to sugars - beginning in the mouth, in fact. So, regardless of their fresh and local diets, they may just as well have been eating a diet of candy bars for all the good their natural foods were doing for them - in this respect. (Please, don't write and say I'm now claiming that junk food is nutritionally equal to 'whole' foods! In this respect, I use that correlation to make a point. That's all.) That's why I know that Dr. Price's theory is bogus. I have heard the complaints from folks on the perfect (cooked or raw), local diets - diets packed with such an abundance of nutrition and so devoid of any sort of substance which would defile the delicate biological state of perfect balance... And they are emailing me, asking why their teeth are rotting and their gum tissue is rotting with festering pockets of stenching, oozing pus. WHY? They are doing everything right!!!
"Do you snack throughout the day?"
"Yes! Good healthy organic fruit and raw veggies!" "Do you brush and irrigate afterward?" "Huh?" "No! I'm eating healthy! I shouldn't have to!" "Oh. OK. Why would you think you wouldn't have to clean up after you eat?" "Well... didn't you ever read Dr. Weston Price?" "Yea. Didn't you ever read Dr. Robert Nara...?" I know that Dr. Weston Price overlooked something else very important at play. But he wasn't looking for that 'something else.' He was a dentist and nutritionist, and nutrition is the sole conclusion he arrived at. Is nutrition even important? Absolutely - VERY important. But if we accept as true a statement such as... "If
you, too, eat properly and maintain optimal health, you're highly
unlikely
to develop cavities or other dental problems." Bull____! Now that's just pure ignorance, and I am well aware of a the popular book out there promoting that very thing (Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel), based on that same concept. I will say that the odds of your avoiding tooth decay, due to your neglecting the hygiene of your teeth - over the idea that, 'if you eat good foods you will not suffer decay,' well, those odds will simply not be in your favor. That's my thought on the issue. Try reading Dr Nara's work. I know it sort of bothers people that I push Nara and Loesche and Keyes, etc., and I am not 'open' to every fad coming out or being re-discovered. Tough. This site was never meant to be a catch-all circus of alternative concepts (sorry, oil-pullers and glycerin fear-mongers). You know, there are other groups for the mystics. This isn't one of them. This is for the folks who want the true science-based alternatives to the ADA-promoted idea that the dentist is your only hope to dental salvation. You have more ability at your personal disposal than they would lead you to believe. This edited article originally appeared in the People's Dental discussion group. |