- [Editor's Note: Dr. Meinig's Root Canal Cover-Up describes
the extensive and meticulous root canal research of Dr. Weston A. Price,
carried out over a period of 25 years. Originally published in two massive
volumes, totaling 1174 pages, Price's work remained unknown to the world
until Dr. Meinig'sRoot Canal Cover-Up translated Price's scientific findings
into layman's terms. The following report describes Price's findings on
root canals, and details Dr. Meinig's efforts to make them known to the
public.]
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- The Price Pottenger Nutrition Foundation was organized
on September 11, 1965, in order to make Dr. Weston A. Price's monumental
workNutrition and Physical Degeneration available to the public. This book
clearly demonstrated to the world that human physical degeneration was
basically a nutritional problem. The book made Dr. Price famous.
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- During the last 31 years, the Foundation has reprinted
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration eight times, in order to meet the growing
interest in his work.
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- The Foundation has also had custodial care of Dr. Price's
vast dental research data. Documenting his incredible accomplishments are
220 articles, which can be found in the dental and medical literature,
along with two additional books. Unfortunately, until recently, Price's
dental research remained unknown.
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- Much of Price's research is contained in two monumental
volumes entitledDental Infections Oral & Systemic and Dental Infections
and the Degenerative Diseases. While these works have long been in the
PPNF library, it was only just four years ago that the Foundation became
aware of their importance. These volumes have moldered in obscurity because
Dr. Price's research was suppressed and buried over 70 years ago by the
autocratic action of a minority group of dentists and physicians who refused
to accept the focal infection theory.
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- In spite of the thousands of experiments conducted on
5,000 animals, and in spite of the thoroughness and excellence of his root
canal research, all of Price's 25 years of scientific efforts were so well
covered up that there is hardly a dentist alive today who has ever heard
about his discoveries.
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- When Pat Connolly, our beloved Executive Director, was
alerted to the importance of these volumes, she brought them to my attention.
Pat knew of my graduate studies with Professor Edgar Coolidge, the foremost
root canal teacher and researcher in the world. She knew that I was one
of 19 dentists that founded the Root Canal Association, and that I had
a long association with the American Association of Endodontists. (Endodontists
are specialists in root canal therapy.) In fact, my background in nutrition
and root canal therapy led to my appointment as manager for the new dental
office at the 20th Century Fox Movie Studio.
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- Pat forwarded PPNF's precious copies of the two volumes
to me and suggested that I review Dr. Price's root canal studies and report
back to the PPNF Board of Directors my findings and interpretation of his
work.
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- I immediately realized, upon reading the volumes, that
Dr. Price's research was thorough and sound. It was easy to see why he
was so revered as a dental research specialist.
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- The gist of the research and of the thousands of animal
studies is this: That root-canal-filled teeth always remain infected no
matter how good they might look or how good they might feel.
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- Dr. Price suspected that bacterial infection accompanied
many degenerative illnesses. In the beginning, he didn't know what bacteria
were involved or just how they contributed to so many disease conditions.
But he did recall that in medical practice doctors made cultures from the
infection site, grew the organism present in a culture medium and then
injected the bacteria into an animal to see if they could reproduce the
disease and thereby prove it was the cause of the illness.
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- Dr. Price suspected that these infections arose from
the teeth. He decided to implant an extracted root-filled tooth under the
skin of an animal. He felt that if bacteria were present and carrying illness,
their presence in a tooth might offer the same kind of proof physicians
found when they injected the bacterial culture to produce disease in an
animal. That is exactly what took place. He found that by implanting the
root-filled tooth, the disease of the patient was transferred to animals.
Whatever disease the patient had, the animal with the extracted tooth under
its skin developed the same disease as the patient.
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- In other words, if the patient had heart disease, the
animal developed heart disease. If he had kidney trouble, disease of the
kidney was transferred to the animal. If he had a problem in his joints,
the animals' joints became similarly involved. The principle held true
for the whole spectrum of human ailments. Whatever the disease, the animal
would develop that of the patient.
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- Most of the time Dr. Price found the bacteria involved
were of the streptococcus family, but he also found staphylococcus, spirochetes
and fungi. He found that if a patient had more than one root-canal treated
tooth, he could actually have a different organism infecting each one of
the treated teeth. That is the reason some people have various ailments
from their teeth, all at the same time. In addition, infected root canals
have a detrimental effect on the immune system, causing a number of different
illnesses.
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- For a long time, Dr. Price had trouble finding out just
how the bacteria existed in the tooth. His own experience in treating infection
present in root canals led him to believe that disinfectants controlled
the organisms. Thousands of experiments proved this assumption to be incorrect.
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- Price discovered that the dentin, which makes up 95 percent
of the structure of the teeth, was not a solid stone-like mass but consisted
of very tiny tubules. Undamaged dentin tubules contain a nutrient-dense
fluid that keeps the teeth alive and healthy. These nutrients are supplied
daily to each tubule by the artery that accompanies the nerve and vein
in the root canal. The artery does this in the same way that other arteries
supply nutrients to every cell of the body.
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- When tooth decay spreads and attacks a tooth, it can
usually be removed by a dentist and the tooth saved with a filling. However,
if the decay is neglected or not discovered until after it spreads into
the root canal of the tooth itself, then the nerve and blood vessels become
infected from the bacteria which are part of the tooth decay process.
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- The bacteria easily and rapidly travel the entire root
canal and of course they easily discover those tubules and their nutrient
supply. The organisms have, in fact, found a new home, one in which they
grow and rapidly reproduce.
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- Dr. Price's microscope photographs, published along with
his research, show the dentin tubules with bacteria in them. Although most
dentists know about dentin tubules, it is only in the last few years that
any have ever heard of bacteria residing in them. I personally never heard
or knew about their presence until just four years ago when I saw Dr. Price's
photographs. Remember that his work containing the photos was published
way back in 1923!
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- You will find these pictures in my book Root Canal Cover-Up,
along with several recent electron microscope pictures. The electron microscope
photographs magnify these tubules and bacteria up to 5,000 times, making
the bacteria, which are much smaller than the period at the end of this
sentence, appear as big as peas in a pod.
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- Most dentists are unfamiliar with the presence of bacteria
in the dentin tubules and are ignorant of the fact that these bacteria
escape and spread throughout the body, causing a vast number of degenerative
diseases.
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- Your dentist may think that the disinfecting treatment
he uses during root canal therapy would cause the death of these bacteria.
Treatment does kill most bacteria in the root canal, but Price found that
not one of the over 100 disinfectants he studied was capable of penetrating
the tubules. The same holds true for antibiotics today.
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- Some dentists argue that the bacteria die off because
the root canal filling blocks off their source of nutrients. Unfortunately,
this is not the case. In fact, the bacteria are capable of mutating and
changing their form. Price found that the challenge of a changed environment
actually caused the organisms to become more virile and their toxins much
more toxic. It will interest you to know that this discovery of Dr. Price's
was confirmed in recent times by a German oncologist named Dr. Josef Issel.
He was able to identify these toxins and found them to be closely related
to the same chemicals used by the Germans in World War I to make mustard
gas.
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- The bacteria which contribute to most of today's diseases
no longer can be killed by antibiotics because the same polymorphic ability
of bacteria to mutate, change and adjust that happens in root canals is
happening to these organisms in response to antibiotics. These bacteria
are involved in most illnesses.
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- How do bacteria -- apparently trapped in the dentin tubules
-- escape to other parts of the body? There are billions of germs in tubules
of root canal-treated teeth and those in the vicinity of any of the lateral
accessory root canals present in all teeth, can escape into them. From
there they travel into the tooth's surrounding periodontal membrane. This
is the hard, fibrous membrane that holds the tooth in its bony socket and
keeps it from falling out.
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- The bacteria then spread throughout the periodontal membrane
and from there it is easy for them to escape into the surrounding bony
network. Everybody knows that cancer cells can metastasize and break away
from the main cancer and travel to another gland, organ or tissue. Similarly,
when bacteria get into the tooth's bony socket, they also get into the
blood supply of the jaw, allowing them to metastasize and travel in the
blood vessels to another gland, organ or tissue and establish a whole new
infection.
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- This is called focal infection -- caused when an infection
in one part of the body travels to another part and sets up a new site
of infection. The American Association of Endodontists-- which I helped
organize and which lists me as a life member -- states that they have proven
over the years that the focal infection theory is invalid. The arguments
they cite are incorrect. They are based on false assumptions.
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- There are several reasons why they have been misled about
this. One is the fact that 25 to 30 percent of people seem to get along
with root-canal-filled teeth for many years without any detrimental effects.
Dr. Price studied that very problem. He found that those people who had
no history of degenerative diseases usually had strong immune systems which
were capable of engulfing any bacteria present and prevented them from
becoming sick. However, Price found that if these same people suffered
a severe accident, a bad case of the flu or some serious stress problem,
their immune systems that had been protecting them would become so compromised
that they would then become ill with a degenerative disease.
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- What about the 70 percent of our people who have poorer
immune systems to start with? Price found -- and we are finding today --
that they develop degenerative diseases much sooner, many of them right
after completion of the root canal treatment.
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- The endodontists' efforts to save teeth are desirable
and admirable, but in their enthusiasm for saving teeth they too often
lose the patient. They cite numbers of studies that they believe establish
the efficacy of root canal treatment but they never mention the bacteria
in the dental tubules. It they want to deny the finding of Dr. Price in
this regard, it behooves them to come up with peer review research to prove
his findings are inaccurate. Their assertion that this is "old research
that has been disproved" is only a statement -- a statement without
scientific backing.
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- In the April 1944 Journal of Endodontics, the message
from outgoing President Eric J. Hoveland, DDS, MEd, MBA stated that formerly,
endodontists took great pride in being scientists, but "now it is
much different." The talk is on new products and "manufacturer
led" innovations in equipment. Where is the science, the biology?
It must continue to be the basis for this specialty.
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- As I began to present Dr. Price's research about root
canals, I had hoped that the American Association of Endodontists would
take a serious look at his discoveries and that they would then initiate
research to discover how to kill the bacteria in the dentin tubules and
successfully treat tooth infections. At present, they have failed to face
these issues. However, numbers of independent-minded dentists have been
using new and different approaches. Ultrasound, lasers, colloidal silver,
garlic, Enderlein sanum remedies, nutrition, the French calcium oxide treatment
and prayer are among the approaches being investigated. It is gratifying
that people have at last become concerned about the extraction of infected
teeth and are impatient for a better solution. Keep in mind, to be scientific
and actually prove the safety of any treatment procedure takes time. Such
research challenges our patience and ability to face the conditions that
currently confront us.
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- For those facing the dilemma of existing root canals,
the status of one's health and its maintenance is the paramount consideration.
The effect of dental infection upon one's immune system must be considered.
People with degenerative disease often live long lives, but unfortunately
such longevity is marred by suffering and disabilities. At the same time,
the resulting degenerative diseases do cause many to die before their time.
This is the main question that one must face in considering whether or
not to remove root-canal-filled teeth. The problem is: How good is our
immune system and how long will it be able to protect us?
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- The spirit of "alternative" or "functional"
medicine demands that each individual assume responsibility for his own
health. In order to do so, one must learn everything he can about his problem.
If you have a root canal or periodontal disease, the best way to gain this
information is to read and study my report of Dr. Price's research, Root
Canal Cover-Up, so that you will have sufficient background to assess the
opinions of doctors and dentists with whom you consult, as they often know
nothing of research discoveries.
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- If you are a professional or are capable of digesting
technical data, you can contact the PPNF office for copies of Dr. Price's
original two volumes.
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- Having performed root canal therapy for many years, I
read Dr. Price's two volumes of documentation with utter shock. I became
very concerned about the millions of people who are suffering illness from
the infection still present in their root canal-filled teeth.
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- I worried about how PPNF would ever find someone with
sufficient background to adequately bring the subject to the public and
to health professionals. It would have been easy enough to make copies
of Dr. Price's two volumes available to health professionals alone, but
such an approach would have ensured that Dr. Price's research remained
obscure. The public had to be told.
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- Because of my 30-year service with PPNF, as well as my
extensive professional background, it seemed that I was the logical person
to take on the task of informing the public and medical profession about
Dr. Price's root canal research discoveries. It wasn't an easy decision
as it was obvious that anyone doing so would risk alienating many colleagues
and friends, and would certainly invite resentment and anger. On the other
hand, I knew that many were ill because of these dental and oral infections.
In dwelling on their plight, I began to realize that I was being given
an opportunity, a calling, and a privilege to inform people everywhere
of the relevance of Dr. Price's work to the state of their personal health.
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- On June 25, 1993, the first edition came off the press.
It sold out in seven months. During that time, I learned much more about
the problem of jawbone cavitation infections that often occur where infected
teeth have been previously extracted. Therefore, I rewrote Chapter 24 for
the second edition, and made some other minor changes. The title was shortened
and the cover changed. This somewhat larger printing sold out in one year.
In April of 1996, our fourth printing came off the press.
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- Book publishers and authors tell us that this is a very
good record for a self-published book. In 1996, 1 gave lectures to 21 organizations
(mostly medical, dental and other health professionals) and was interviewed
on 28 radio and two television stations. These appearances have been a
great boost to book sales.
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- The word about the serious side effects of root canal
therapy is getting out. Those who have been suffering from these infections
are talking. Three years ago, the Root Canal Association stated that there
are 20 million root canals being treated each year. The logical conclusion
is that a high percentage of our current degenerative disease epidemic
can be laid at the door of the cover-up of Dr. Price's research over 70
years ago.
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- You are all aware that many of the great medical discoveries
sometimes take years and years of research to locate the organism causing
the disease. In almost all cases it is one organism causing one disease.
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- Dr. Price found that at least 20 organisms were responsible
for infections in the teeth. These 20 organisms caused not one disease
but numbers of oral and dental illnesses. But more importantly these germs
are responsible for an enormous number of medical diseases manifesting
in other parts of the body. These discoveries of Dr. Price greatly overshadow
any single medical disease discovered by other physicians. Dr. Price should
have received the Nobel Price for all his discoveries, but that eluded
him when his work was covered up.
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- In the hours and hours of time I have spent with the
studies of the work of that genius, I have concluded that Dr. Weston Price's
25-year root canal research ranks as one of the greatest discoveries in
the history of medicine.
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- Click here to obtain Dr. Meinig's book, Root Canal Cover-Up.
Click here to purchase Dr. Price's book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
is available for $19.95, and click here to buy his two-volume work Dental
Infections and Degenerative Diseases for $120.
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- http://chetday.com/rootcanal.html
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