Are you a tea drinker? Some people love the stuff so much, they drink it hot and iced, all day long. Thinking that tea is a health alternative to boring old water, you may keep a pitcher of tea in your refrigerator during warmer months. If you like your tea darker, you probably use an extra bag or two when you brew the liquid. However, there is such a thing as too much. A Michigan woman went far beyond the norm in brewing a daily pitcher of 100 tea bags. She then proceeded to consume the entire brew throughout the day. Read on to find out more about this cautionary tale.
Mystery Symptoms
The tea loving woman went to her doctor with mysterious, intense aches and pains in her legs, arms, hips, and lower back for about five years. She also required multiple dental extractions due to unexplained brittle teeth. Her general physician couldn’t find an obvious underlying health issue, yet her bones were remarkably dense. Also, her blood fluoride levels were high. Stumped, the doctor turned the woman’s case over to Dr. Sudhaker Rao, director of the bone and mineral research laboratory at Henry Ford Health System, in Detroit.
Brewing Disaster
Dr. Rao ordered an immediate bone biopsy on the patient. He took a thorough history of her dietary habits, and that’s when it was uncovered that she was brewing approximately 100 to 150 tea bags and consuming the ultra-strong elixir throughout a 24 hour period, day after day. Why the overkill? It seems the woman believed that tea was a healthy drink, so she figured the more bags, the healthier. Unfortunately, in fact she was exposing herself to 20 milligrams of fluoride a day. Normal fluoride levels should measure less than 0.10 mg per liter. The female tea drinker tested with a blood fluoride of 0.43 milligrams per liter. Dr. Rao diagnosed her with skeletal fluorosis which is seen more commonly in India, where he is from.
ABOUT YOUR WINNETKA DENTIST:
Dr. Brent Engelberg and his highly-skilled team proudly serve patients and their families from Arlington Heights, IL, and all surrounding communities, including; Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, and the Northern and Northwest Chicago Suburbs. To learn more, schedule a consultation online, or call our office today at 847-259-8030.
Leave a Reply