Over the past couple years, I’ve been on a journey of change… gradually changing what is familiar to me in terms of food, stress, environment, beauty, and cleaning. One step at a time, I am discarding the unhealthy items and adding in new, unusual items like chia seeds, coconut oil, and kefir. My current focus is on the stuff we put under our armpits everyday. Deodorant, antiperspirant, whatever you want to call it – we learned at the age of 13ish just how important it is to our morning routine. So, when I found out how dangerous my usual product is and realized I had to get rid of it, I experienced a little anxiety. Stinking is not an option!
You may have heard news reports that antiperspirant can cause breast cancer. What is the basis for this claim? It’s all about the aluminum. I looked at the active ingredient in my Secret and it read “aluminum zirconium trichlorohydrex”. Go check your deodorant – what is the active ingredient? Aluminum? Yep! So, why does this matter? Well, aluminum is the active ingredient because it effectively blocks the pores that release sweat. Sounds like a good thing, right? After all, that’s the whole point! Hmm, let’s take a closer look.
It’s easy to think of our skin as simply a covering for our body, but it’s so much more. It’s the largest organ on our body and the largest detox organ. We have a few different ways of getting rid of toxins such as what we do in the toilet. Think of the skin as an equal partner to those other organs because it is. Just imagine what would happen to your body if you blocked your pee hole and your poo hole from getting rid of toxins… okay, stop imagining that – it’s gross!! Essentially, this is what you’re doing when you put aluminum in your armpits. Take it a step further, and you’ll realize that our skin not only outputs wastes, but it also absorbs whatever is put on it. So, it’s a two-way street. It takes in and puts out. Yep, you got it! That aluminum is going in!
This is bad in many ways, but a big concern is the risk of breast cancer. I don’t want the men to stop reading at this point because you don’t need to sport a pair of knockers to be at risk from antiperspirant use. It’s also been linked to Alzheimer’s and kidney issues. The point is: It’s bad for any body to block excretion and absorb aluminum. In terms of breast cancer, some studies show that those with the cancer have high levels of aluminum in their breast tissue. Aluminum is NOT something typically found in the human body. It has to be absorbed or ingested or injected to be found in your tissue. So, it had to come from somewhere. Maybe it came from that stick of Secret in the medicine cabinet. Scary!
I know what you’re thinking? So, we all just go around sweaty and stinky?? No…I don’t know about you, but that’s not an option for me. So, I’ve been on a journey to find a natural ant-stinky stick. Taking this journey is almost as anxiety-producing as using the aluminum booby killer product. What if it doesn’t work, and I smell but no one tells me? Well, I’ve been using it for over a month now and… so far so good. I ask my husband repeatedly, “Are you sure I don’t smell?” He would tell me if I did (right?). I’m trying a few different products, and this is just my first trial. I’ll keep you posted on what I like best.
The scariest part is that I actually sweat now. To be quite honest, I actually believed that I am just someone who doesn’t sweat. That’s how well my antiperspirant was working. When the commercial says “Strong enough for a man but made for a woman,” they ain’t joking! For 20 years I have not sweated in my armpits, and now I do. Hmmm…that is disturbing! Think of how many tons of toxins have been held inside my body all this time. Think of how many toxins you are keeping inside your body right now. Last year I developed a cyst in my breast near my armpit. I had a mammogram thinking that it was a serious lump. Thankfully, turns out it was just a cyst. But, why was it there? Toxins maybe? I’m glad I made the switch before something worse developed.
So, if you see me with sweat rings when I raise my arms…I apologize…but that’s the price I pay to keep my boobies and to keep my life.
Want more information? Here’s a good article that links to some of the studies I referenced.
Photo Credit: David Compton via Compfight cc