Fluoride Detox: 7 Ways to Get it Out of Your System
It’s not a very clear-cut topic. Fluoride has been at the center of controversy for quite some time, with experts and research colliding on the benefits/risks of water fluoridation. Either way, many people simply don’t want to risk any ill health effects from questionable fluoride exposure – so here we will cover some options for a fluoride detox so you can potentially cleanse your body of this controversial chemical.
I won’t get into all of the potential downfalls of ingesting fluoride, but one of the most referenced is a Harvard study finding that fluoride could be associated with lowering IQ. And it isn’t even the only study to come to such findings.
Even if you somehow managed to escape the ingestion of fluoridated water, chances are you’ve been exposed to food items that contain fluoride – up to about 180 times the sodium fluoride content as fluoridated water, according to fluoride expert Jeff Green.
This has to do with how what’s known as aluminum fluoride, or Cryolite. Used as a pesticide due to its ability to kill bugs, conventional farmers will oftentimes spray excessive amounts of the sticky substance onto crops. As a result, the aluminum fluoride substance will reside unless thoroughly washed off of the produce.
Fluoride Detox Protocol – 7 Solutions to Help Cleanse the Body
The realm of fluoride detox, or fluoride detoxification, is often left untouched. But this article isn’t about the history of fluoride, it’s about getting it out of your system.
Thankfully, a number of fluoride detox methods do exist that may help remove sodium fluoride from your body in addition to other unwanted body invaders.
1. Selenium
Selenium is one nutrient that oftentimes is the first answer given to those seeking to combat the existence of sodium fluoride in their bodies. It has actually been found to help block the effects of fluoride as well as fluoride elimination.
A great natural source of selenium is Brazil nuts, but is important to keep your intake in balance. I don’t recommend you start eating handfuls of Brazil nuts.
Many in the field of natural health recommend a dose of 100 to 200 micrograms, though this does fall below the National Institute of Health’s ‘upper limit’ of 400 micrograms.
Brazil nuts vary in selenium content depending on a number of factors, but on average you can expect 70 to 90 micrograms per serving. Selenium is also found in fish, meat, and nuts.
Don’t forget also that taking selenium along with high doses of vitamin C and zinc can actually inhibit proper absorption.
Here is a useful list of foods that contain selenium that includes microgram count.
2. Nascent Iodine
Numerous studies show that fluoride exposure worsens the impact of iodine, leading to a ‘defective’ thyroid that can lead to numerous health problems.
Here’s what one study had to say:
“Fluoride and iodine are both halogens. The fluoride, the negative ion of the element fluorine easily displaces iodine in the body because it is much lighter and therefore more reactive. In fact, the activity of any one of the halogens is inversely proportional to its atomic weight.
In other words, one halogen can displace another one of a higher atomic weight but cannot displace one of lower weight thereby, resulting in fluoride- thyroid-iodine antagonism which in turn lead to interference with iodine uptake.”
It concludes with:
“The results of this study question the validity of the fluoridation of drinking water, milk, fruit juices, and salt by public health authorities and also the step taken to prevent ill effects of excess fluorine and iodine deficiencies in endemic fluorosis areas. The children with dental fluorosis living in endemic fluorosis areas may not have a frank thyroid disease due to excessive fluorine consumption but they do show thyroid disease leading to many health effects hence they require special care and attention.”
Some health practitioners say that iodine helps to remove sodium fluoride through the urine as calcium fluoride.
Although it does take some calcium with it (calling for an adjustment in diet or calcium supplementation), iodine and lecithin both remove fluoride from the body.
3. Tamarind
Have you ever heard of tamarind? It’s a staple in the ancient Ayurvedic medicine system, which is considered to be the ‘mother’ of natural medicine. In addition to yielding delicious teas when added to your favorite tea beverage, tamarind also helps expel fluoride through the urine.
A study in the journal Fluoride in 2002 indicated that tamarind ingestion could increase the urinary excretion of fluoride in humans, suggesting a potential detoxification effect.
4. Liver Cleanse
Because the liver is responsible for clearing toxins out of the body, it makes sense to go through a liver cleanse to detox from fluoride.
You can do a standard cleanse at home over a week or so; just be sure to undergo a safe and trustworthy cleanse per instructions. If the cleanse is absolutely not for you (although you can read up on 5 reasons you should do it today), you can cleanse your liver daily with these liver-cleansing foods.
Note that Cleansing the liver is essential for fluoride treatment.
5. Boron
Some people have recommended mixing a very small amount of a product called Borax, which contains boron (borax does not mean boric acid) with distilled water as a method of detoxification. This isn’t new but is a trend on TikTok at present.
It’s important to note that, officially, doing this is not considered safe by medical professionals. Exposure to sodium borate may cause adverse side effects in some cases, according to the National Institutes of Health’s Toxicology Data Network.
According to research published in Toxicology, fatal doses of borax for humans are estimated to be 5-6 grams for children and 10-25 grams for adults.
Boron, though, is available in dietary supplements containing only boron and in supplements containing boron in combination with a few other nutrients, often other minerals. It’s also found in numerous foods:
| Food | Milligrams (mg) per serving |
|---|---|
| Prune juice, 1 cup | 1.43 |
| Avocado, raw, cubed, ½ cup | 1.07 |
| Raisins, 1.5 ounces | 0.95 |
| Peaches, 1 medium | 0.80 |
| Grape juice, 1 cup | 0.76 |
| Apples, 1 medium | 0.66 |
| Pears, 1 medium | 0.50 |
| Peanuts, roasted, salted, 1 ounce | 0.48 |
| Beans, refried, ½ cup | 0.48 |
| Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons | 0.46 |
| Apple juice, 1 cup | 0.45 |
| Chili con carne, with beans, 1 cup | 0.41 |
| Grapes, ½ cup | 0.37 |
Does Borax Remove Fluoride from Water?
In a study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, researchers discussed methods for fluoride removal – one is the use of boron to decrease fluoride concentration in water. However, they didn’t indicate that boron or borax can detox fluoride from the human body.
Sodium Borate Removes Fluoride – in Sheep
One study on sheep titled “The effects of sodium borate and sodium bicarbonate upon fluoride retention and serum calcium and phosphate in sheep” did find a positive relationship between fluoride excretion and sodium borate intake:
- Sodium borate treatment increased fluoride excretion, primarily in the feces, and temporarily reduced serum fluoride concentration.
- Serum phosphate levels decreased during sodium borate administration, while serum calcium levels remained unaffected.
- Sodium bicarbonate reduced serum fluoride concentration over three days, and fluoride excretion increased, mainly through urine. The urinary pH remained largely unaffected.
- Serum calcium and phosphate levels were temporarily affected to a minor extent.
Be aware of potential symptoms and do your due diligence.
6. Turmeric / Curcumin
Curcumin, a principal component of
7. Dry Sauna
Intense but safe sweating from heat as well as exercise may help bring out sodium fluoride from fatty tissues. Just be sure to keep hydrating—with distilled water—and to protect your kidneys with chickweed tea.
Detoxifying fluoride from your body can be challenging, but it is a process that can help alleviate the massive build-up of this toxic chemical.
As with any kind of detox, use caution and go at the pace that feels good for you and your body. In addition to detoxing the fluoride out, you can also limit the amount of fluoride coming in by investing in a water system that filters out fluoride, such as a reverse osmosis water system.
As you incorporate any fluoride detox method and the fluoride leaves your system, you’ll experience overall health improvements, and you’ll never look at the faucet the same way again.
Excellent article…gives succinct info, references, amounts, etc..thanks!
Thanks for doing the footwork to bring that good news to us who are still in fluoride territory.
Very good article… In regards to the dry sauna method… It would kind of defeat the purpose if the water you're drinking to replenish your fluids contain fluoride though. I am also wondering if the body's natural defences in the form of the master anti-oxidant: Glutathione will also help flush out fluoride… as one of Glutathione's functions is to flush toxins out of the body…
nothing about borax?
what about borax Flutetramp?
Nice article. I have used tamarind to remove sodium fluoride from my system. I stopped using toothpaste and brush my teeth with baking soda, and I filter my water to remove fluoride.
i buy fluoride free toothpastes at my healthfood stores/co-op's too theres a ton of good ones they usually contain baking soda/clay the one i buy is sls free free of about 7 thing labled and it tastes yummy no fake sweateners either!! just to give you more options that plain ole b/s. 🙂
Thanks for the helpful advice.
Borax is a very potent detoxifier/inhibitor of fluoride. Sprinkle some in your water and the fluoride passes right through your system. Boron binds to the fluoride ion and makes it unabsorbable. It also prevents fluoride from binding to calcium.
I thought fluoride would build up on your bones ..
read the Cancer Control Society paper on fluoride!
it is more than you can stomach !!
Borax is a simple and cheap way of removing fluoride as well.
Make sure that you buy genuine borax, not the chemical borax equivalent and also research the correct dosage.
Can anyone suggest a good fluoride removal system to purchase? Thanks.
I also heard that Holy Basil works.
Potassium iodide & EDTA work well too!!
Useful to know about the various ways in which one can remove fluoride from our bodies. However, because Indian and China tea contain fluoride surely one should not drink tamarind and tea together since this would defeat the whole purpose of drinking tamarind.
Borax: you can buy decahydrate tetraborate from off the Internet. It's sold as a cosmetic additive and not as a food supplement. 5-6 gm is added to 1 litre of water. Add 1 teaspoon of this diluted solution to a glass of water. That's the maximum daily dose. I once overdosed on borax and it gave me restless leg syndrome throughout the night. I still don't know if this has detoxified my pineal gland. How does one know when the pineal gland has been detoxified? Is there any research on how long it will take to detoxify the pineal gland of fluoride by following the detoxifying protocols?
How can I test my home water? I am beginning to think the once-trusted ‘Brita’ filter is probably a waste of my money and time… Any recommendations on good systems?
Brita filters do NOT filter out fluoride so if you’re using it for that then it’s indeed a waste of money and time. Reverse Osmosis and distilling are the best at removing fluoride. There are filter systems that use aluminum media to remove fluoride but I didn’t like mine. It was inexpensive but I don’t think it worked very well and I was always nervous about using aluminum to remove fluoride. Bone char filters supposedly work well but those systems are hard to find.
After a few years of using the aluminum-media system, I finally got sick of it and bought an RO system. It works really well (and it was made in America) but it wastes a lot of water, like any normal RO system. I capture and reuse the waste water because I don’t like the idea of wasting such a precious resource and having my water bill go up dramatically. I have two 5-gallon buckets in the house and I put the drain tube from the RO system down into one bucket before I dispense water out of the little tap on the sink. I dispense the RO water into clear glass gallon jugs so that I always have good water sitting around when I need it. I fill half of a gallon at a time and the system wastes almost 5 gallons of water to replace it. So when the first bucket is almost full (about 20 minutes after I first dispense), I switch the drain hose over to the second bucket which I set right outside the cabinet in front of the first bucket (which is under the sink in the cabinet). I use this waste water to flush the toilet, and also I warm up some of it on the stove in a big pot to use for washing dishes.
I bought a dozen glass gallon moonshine-looking jugs several years ago from Freund, but I also reuse the glass gallon jugs that hold the organic apple juice I buy for my kid. I probably have 25 glass jugs now, which enables me to easily store drinking/cooking water.
We do the same, RO into used apple juice gallon jugs. I carry a jug in my truck for drinking water at work. We don’t recover the waste water though and that’s a valid concern I haven’t figured out what to do??
Did you install the system yourself, or are you familiar with the different hoses coming off the unit? If so, locate the hose that goes to the drain pipe. If it’s like mine, there should be a saddle valve installed somewhere along one of the drain pipes under the sink. The drain tube from the RO system should be connected to this saddle valve. Mine has a quick-connect on it so when I want to dispense the water into my gallon jug I can easily take the drain hose out of the saddle valve and stick it into a 5-gallon bucket sitting next to the system under the sink. I then fill the jug half full. Very soon after you turn the tap on, the system will start regenerating water. I’ve found this isn’t true if someone just turns the tap on for a few seconds. But I don’t let anyone use the tap. Lol. They know by now to take their drinking/cooking water from the glass jugs sitting on my seed-starting shelf in the kitchen.
I manage all the water coming out of that system, though it is hooked up to the refrigerator water/ice maker system. That’s why I leave the drain hose in the saddle valve for most of the day–just in case the ice machine takes water. I’ve finally figured out, though, that even when it takes some water, it’s not enough to trigger the RO system to start regenerating. What happens is the next time I draw a half gallon of water from the tap, the waste water level is much higher because it’s right then that it regenerates the water for the small amounts used by the ice machine or someone getting water from the fridge. I actually was caught off guard the first time until I figured out what happened. The bucket almost overflowed!
I’ve had a few accidents with overflow of the 5-gallon buckets, but that was just in the beginning when I was learning how much waste water was produced, and how long it took to produce it. I now have the amounts and timing down pat and there aren’t any overflows, unless by accident because of the ice machine. For my system, it takes 20 minutes to almost fill the first 5-gallon bucket, so I just set my timer as I’m dispensing the half gallon of water (I don’t do a full gallon at a time because I don’t have enough buckets sitting around to accept all that waste water). After 20 minutes I switch the hose to the other bucket and let it finish out. It’s usually about a gallon there in the second bucket; it really depends on how much water I drew. Every system will be different but one can always just observe and experiment as I did.
I keep a 5-gallon bucket under the sink at all times, along with a 4-cup measuring cup which I use to transfer water from the first bucket to the second when the first bucket is too full to move. I keep the second 5-gallon bucket in the bathroom with enough water in it to do one flush (I even figured out how much that requires). It gets used as needed then comes back into the kitchen to be refilled from the first bucket. When all of the waste water is gone, I dispense half gallon of RO water and start all over again.
In the beginning when I got the RO unit, I wasn’t able to go through enough waste water to meet my filtered-water needs (I was also using RO water for my seedlings this winter). Now that I’m ahead of the game and my seedlings have gone outside, I find that I can play catch-up and start filling the extra water jugs I have sitting around. I find that I’m actually needing the waste water before I have a need to fill a jug because we’ve become accustomed to using it for flushing the toilet. It all took some time to get used to (including using a bucket of water to flush), but I’m totally okay with it now, and everyone in the house is educated on the water usage system I have set up.
Let me know if you have any questions. 🙂
Berkey
works well.
My excellent naturopath, who follows up her work with stringent blood and other tests to see if what she’s doing actually works, is adamant that saunas are not effective for fluoride toxicity, although selenium an iodine are. (She is a fan of saunas for other forms of detox – again based on before and after tests on her patients). Can you cite anything that actually proves that fluoride is removed from the body through sweat?
Calcium is lost through perspiration, so if fluoride is attached to calcium, it is logical that perspiration excretes fluoride along with the calcium.
is 20 mule borax the chemical equivalent??
99.5% pure
Fluoride in water? Oh, I forgot that in the internet, if it’s not mentioned separately everyone are from USA. Or at least they think that everyone are. 😉
Fluoride is not added to water world widely -from which I am very happy about.
Still, I used tooth paste with added fluoride to the age of 38 so I guess I should detox myself aswell… and I also have amalgam in my teeths. 🙁
Borax does much better than iodine.
I don’t see what all the hype is about concerning Nascent Iodine, other than good marketing. It doesn’t contain a combination of iodine and potassium iodide, both of which are needed by the body for different organs. Lugol’s Solution contains both iodine and KI, as does Iodoral (the pill form). They both have quite a bit more iodine than the nascent stuff, too, so they are more helpful for deficiencies.
When I first started supplementing with Lugol’s I had severe acne-like breakouts for 2 or 3 months on the upper portion of my body. That was a detox effect as the bromide and fluoride were being displaced. This is normal and should just be tolerated until the worst detox is over. {An allergy to iodine is very rare, but it can occur, so make sure you’re not having an allergic reaction.} Just drink plenty of non-fluoridated water in the meantime and try to do general detox methods such as sea-salt and/or baking-soda baths (also epsom salt or magnesium chloride baths).
See my reply above to Alikat since she asked the same question.
agreed, google borax and fluoride, lots of info
When detoxing from fluoride, I used to get headaches at night. I found out that by supplementing magnesium at night, when fluoride is most active in the body, is a big help. Fluoride blocks the absorption of magnesium so fluoride toxicity often has the same effects as magnesium deficiency.
Almost forgot, when detoxing from fluoride DO NOT DRINK GREEN TEA. It is poisonous. Loaded with calcium fluoride, although not as toxic as sodium fluoride it WILL calcify the soft tissue. Creatine, magnesium, and working out can remove calcium fluoride from the muscles, but be careful, as this can place a huge load on the kidneys.
Hello, Does anyone know if a dry sauna also includes a far-infared sauna? I just got a new far-infared sauna and I wonder if it also works on flouride as well as the mercury I am trying to eliminate from my body. Thank you for any responses. Cynthia
clary sage essential oil can remove mercury lodged in the brain, I would take 7 drops a day it will disappear quickly it only gets stuck in the one place in the brain the corpus callosum.
Great article however borax was not mentioned. I take a tsp in one liter of distilled water in glass jar, for the entire day. That’s 20 Mule Team borax. Cheap at WM. Also add an ounce of Food Grade H202 to the mix. See at Earth Clinic website.
I have also heard boron rids the body of fluoride in a similar fashion as chelation. EDIT: after reading the other comments, i see many people agree. Sorry for the redundancy!
makes bones brittle, and easier to break.
needs practical information, such as how many brazil nuts per day
Thank you very much. Also, a major and possibly the second worst source of exposure can be from showering with town water, i am sorry to those of you out there that this will scare if it does but when you have the chemical on your skin it can leach through directly into the bloodstream. This must be addressed with
1: an activated alumina or specialised fluoride removal ion exchange resin
2: shower only in rainwater from tank.
3: if it is wirth the extra 💵 then have a well drilled and pump water from there into your tank (‘if you are rich enough’)
Oh abd as for the water source you should feed all water through a reverse osmosis system then an extra activated alumina filter after the ro, then into a Glass distiller. (if you are so verry weiry (and rightfully so) this is the purest water science allows (for now)
When you find answers to problems without having to put much if any effort into thinking, it is functioning at it’s highest, it should be everyones goal to achieve a healthy pineal gland.
It’s funny you mention putting tamarind in tea, considering tea has some of the highest flouride content. That’s a bit counter-intuitive, don’t you think?