The lowdown on feminine hygiene
On Valentine’s Day, let’s get intimate and talk about something close to every woman’s heart. For all ye women out there who use sanitary pads or maternity/nursing pads, have you ever stopped to think whether they’re safe?
They’re clean and white, right? So there’s nothing to worry about, right?
Wrong. According to health activist Joseph Mercola, “the realm of feminine hygiene is like a “ticking time bomb.”
And the men out there, this is for you, too, says Mercola. Here’s vital info you can pass on to the precious women in your life — your mother, wife, sister, daughter.
For ages, women have trusted their favorite feminine hygiene products to protect them from leaks. But Mercola asks, “Could it be that in ‘protecting’ you from leaks, your feminine hygiene products may potentially be subjecting you to an unexpected risk?”
But the good news is it’s a potential risk that you can avoid, if you choose to.
Let’s get the facts straight from the expert’s mouth: The skin is the largest organ of the body — and also the most absorbent. So, what you put on your skin passes right through it, straight into your bloodstream. For instance, hormonal or seasickness patches work because the skin absorbs most of what it comes in contact with.
The vaginal tissue is no exception.
Mercola asserts, “The feminine hygiene industry has done a terrific job deceiving and misinforming women, freely using words such as ‘cotton-soft’ and ‘cottony feel’ in slick advertising campaigns. The truth is, today’s feminine hygiene products are made mostly from rayon, viscous, and cellulose wood fluff pulp … and not from cotton. And that just may be the source of the problem. Rayon is made from cellulose fibers derived from bleached wood pulp. Viscose is a form of wood cellulose acetate that’s fabricated to have a pleasing cotton-like touch. Fluff pulp is manufactured from tree wood and is the major filler used in conventional sanitary pads. None of these tree-derived substances come close to natural cotton.”
Mercola adds, “Rayon is most commonly bleached with chlorine. And whenever you bleach something with chlorine, there is a possibility of creating the toxic carcinogens, dioxin and disinfection-by-products (DBPs) such as trihalomethane. Dioxin, in the same family as Agent Orange, is found in the air, water, and ground, thanks to decades of pollution. It’s a by-product of pesticide spraying, pollution from incinerators, and the production of paper and rayon products such as coffee filters, toilet paper, disposable diapers, and even possibly, feminine hygiene products. Studies show that dioxin collects in the fatty tissues of animals and humans. And published reports show that even low or trace levels of dioxins may be linked to: abnormal tissue growth in the abdomen and reproductive organs; abnormal cell growth throughout the body; immune system suppression; hormonal and endocrine system disruption.”
According to a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, there is no “safe” level of exposure to dioxin — even trace amounts are a risk as they accumulate in tissue.
A leading doctor of microbiology and immunology at a major university medical points out that though dioxins exist in the environment, they have a worse effect when they get into contact with mucous surfaces like the vagina.
Your best bet then is “natural” cotton or cotton without dioxins and chlorine by-products. Soft and fluffy, and naturally absorbent, it feels comfortable to the skin, allowing it to breathe. It is compatible with the body’s pH, it is hypoallergenic.
And to be down-to-earth about it, natural cotton pads use sustainable natural cotton, thus saving countless trees from being cut down.
Now, that’s wetness protection like no other.
* * *
We’d love to hear from you. E-mail us at ching_alano@yahoo.com
