Have you noticed how difficult it has become to find a deodorant on the shelves whether in the pharmacy or supermarket or wherever it is that you normally purchase these products? The products you will mostly find are all called ‘antiperspirants’. You might want to believe that they are one and the same however they are not. Deodorants act to neutralize the body odour that comes from sweating, while antiperspirants on the other hand prevent the body from sweating by using aluminium to block the pores. Many antiperspirants these days also have a deodorant component as they will also try to mask the odour. The only deodorants that you will find these days are the natural ones found in health food or natural vitamins stores! Why do you think this is so? I only discovered this in recent years since I have become such a fan of these stores! Well thank God because for years I have been searching and wondering what became of deodorants! I never did like the idea of antiperspirants blocking or clogging my pores and rendering my natural body function inactive, I simply had a feeling that something is not right about this.So having discovered that it is mainly the natural stores that carry deodorants these days, it led me to believe that it might not just be the fact that antiperspirants block your sweat glands but that there is something in the ingredients of antiperspirants that might not be good for the body. I therefore decided to check this out. So in my ongoing quest to open your eyes to things that we are unconsciously exposing our bodies to that might be harmful to us I have decided to share my findings.
As mentioned before, all antiperspirants contain aluminium and some of them also contain a substance known as paraben which are preservatives used in some deodorants and antiperspirants that have been shown to mimic the activity of estrogen in the body’s cells. Parabens are usually easy to identify by name, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, or benzylparaben [so go check your antiperspirant ingredients and see]. If what you are using has in any ingredient that ends with ‘paraben’ then throw it out immediately! For a number of years now there have been links of antiperspirants to breast cancer. This was taken directly from the National Cancer Institute website: “Some research suggests that aluminum-based compounds, which are applied frequently and left on the skin near the breast, may be absorbed by the skin and cause estrogen-like (hormonal) effects. Because estrogen has the ability to promote the growth of breast cancer cells, some scientists have suggested that the aluminum-based compounds in antiperspirants may contribute to the development of breast cancer”. What is interesting however is that notwithstanding these observations, both deodorants and antiperspirants are considered to be safe by the same National cancer Institute, the FDA, the American Cancer Society, and the Mayo Clinic! The National Cancer Institute’s website also confirms that of a total of 20 samples that were taken from women with breast cancer, 18 out of 20 were found to contain high levels of paraben! You can be the judge as to whether this is conclusive enough to still be considered safe!
Other studies have found that the artificial compound Aluminium is shown to cause genetic damage. Aluminium Zirconium Trichlorohydrex is in fact classified as a toxic chemical by the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Database, because it has been found that it damages the human nervous system.
Aluminium is often used in a lot of items such as cooking utensils, containers, appliances and building materials. It is also used in paints and to manufacture glassware, rubber and ceramics. When it comes on to consumer products, it can be found in astringents, antacids, food additives and of course antiperspirants. Aluminium is also used in water purification and so ti can therefore be in your drinking water. We therefore inhale aluminium by breathing and we ingest aluminium through our food and water, however aluminium is very poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract because roughly only 0.1% of what occurs in our diet is absorbed. Studies have shown however that a very high level of exposure to aluminium can affect the lungs and can cause neurological damage. What I am focusing on right now however is absorption through the skin (through the use of antiperspirants). Studies have found that the absorption of aluminium through the skin causes a greater burden on the body than oral ingestion. A study that was done in 2001 found that aluminium was still present in blood samples for up to 15 days after one application of aluminium to the armpit!! It is therefore well proven that applying aluminium to the skin is a very effective way to get aluminium into your system and conclusively into your brain. Aluminium has been recognized as a human neurotoxin from back in 1886 (this was before it was adopted for use in antiperspirants). A neurotoxin is a substance that causes damages to nerves or nerve tissues. You can be the judge of this, how many persons do you know out there that are now suffering from some form of autoimmune illness (such as Lupus, MS (Multiple Sclerosis); ALS (Lou Gherig’s Disease) to name a few? If you know 5 more than you knew 5 years ago then it tells you the rate of growth!
Be Blessed and keep healthy!
sharbs
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