"Natural" Does Not Always Mean Safe

 This post will be a brief one. I want to report on an experience I had that I hope will be a warning to others.

Last week, I spent a lot of money buying "natural" dental care products because I wanted to cut down on plastic in the landfills.  Since plastic contains compounds that leach into the environment--and our bodies--and which can exert powerful effects on hormones and other physiological systems, it seemed like a good thing to do. 

I bought bamboo toothbrushes with bristles made from castor beans. The problem? The material from the castor beans has been put through so many chemica changes in the factory that it is no longer a natural product.

I bought bentonite clay to use as tooth powder. It may contain lead, which really damages the nervous system. The FDA has issued lead warnings on bentonite clay.  My clay comes from India and I have no idea if it contains lead or not.

Bamboo dental floss is woven together with nylon, another synthetic fabric that does decompose but only after a very long time.

Remember that the word "natural" is not regulated by the federal government and therefore means nothing.

It is easy to say "Do your homework before buying something but it is sometimes nearly impossible for a non-specialist to know what homework to do.

A few recommendations: 

Search for the product you intend to buy and enter words like contaminants or FDA warnings along with the product you intend to buy. 

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