Although few researchers have looked at the role of fluoride in the development of ME, there are conspicuous similarities between key features of ME/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and those seen in the very early stages of fluoride poisoning.
Dr John McLaren Howard of Biolab in London offers a few important clues as to why this may be. He discovered that ME patients experience reduced movement of white blood cells when exposed to quite low levels of fluoride. This effect on white blood cells might render patients less able to fight infections efficiently, or lead to an exacerbation of their health problems.
Fluoride also interferes with phagocytosis, as well as causing the release of superoxide free radicals in resting white blood cells. This means that fluoride slows down and weakens the very cells that serve as the body's defence system. Bacteria, viruses, chemicals and the body's own damaged or cancerous cells are then allowed to wreak havoc. Minor infections take longer to clear and can cause more serious illness. This is precisely what appears to be happening in many cases of ME.
