Thursday, September 20, 2007
Does Your Antiperspirant Cause Cancer?
Mercola answers:
Let’s get one thing straight, folks. There are certain metals that are toxic to humans; they are poison and most people do not understand this. They are NOT nutrients in small quantities -- if anything they are anti-nutrients.What are these commonly misunderstood toxins?
Mercury, fluoride, and aluminum.
You don’t need any of these poisons in your body, so remember to avoid them. Unfortunately, if you use antiperspirants, you are most likely exposing yourself to aluminum -- the heavy metal that’s been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and now possibly breast cancer. Aluminum salts can account for 25 percent of the volume of some antiperspirants. Antiperspirants work by clogging, closing, or blocking the pores that release sweat under your arms -- with the active ingredient being aluminum. Not only does this block one of your body’s routes for detoxification (releasing toxins via your underarm sweat), but it raises concerns about where these heavy metals are going once you roll them (or spray them) on. Given that antiperspirants are used on your armpits, the aluminum salt concentration is highest near your breast tissue. Further, when women shave under their arms it can result in a higher aluminum-salt absorption rate due to the damaged skin.
The aluminum in antiperspirants has been linked to breast cancer before. A 2006 study found that aluminum salts can mimic the hormone estrogen, and chemicals that imitate that hormone are known to increase breast cancer risk.
Fortunately, reducing your exposure is pretty simple -- simply ditch your antiperspirant and deodorant.It’s worth mentioning that deodorants are not the same thing as antiperspirants. They may actually be less problematic than antiperspirants, as they work by neutralizing the smell of your sweat and by antiseptic action against bacteria, but do not prevent sweating. However, many deodorants also contain aluminum, along with parabens, which have also been linked to breast cancer. So, you’re clearly better off avoiding both antiperspirants and deodorants.
Personally, I have not used any antiperspirants or deodorants for over 25 years. Simple soap and water has served me quite well, and I don't ever recall anyone telling me I had an offensive odor. When I stopped using them I noticed the stains I was getting on the underarms of my shirts stopped. It was clear that they were NOT related to my sweat but to the chemicals in the antiperspirant I was using. If you get stains in the armpit areas of your shirts you can virtually be guaranteed it is from the antiperspirant.
Please remember that most chemicals you put on your skin are absorbed quite nicely into your bloodstream. So if you wouldn’t eat something you would put on your skin, I would advise not using it. If you simply can’t imagine going without antiperspirant or deodorant, you can find aluminum-free varieties in your local health food store. (But I would encourage you to at least TRY going without before making your mind up.)
Let’s get one thing straight, folks. There are certain metals that are toxic to humans; they are poison and most people do not understand this. They are NOT nutrients in small quantities -- if anything they are anti-nutrients.What are these commonly misunderstood toxins?
Mercury, fluoride, and aluminum.
You don’t need any of these poisons in your body, so remember to avoid them. Unfortunately, if you use antiperspirants, you are most likely exposing yourself to aluminum -- the heavy metal that’s been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and now possibly breast cancer. Aluminum salts can account for 25 percent of the volume of some antiperspirants. Antiperspirants work by clogging, closing, or blocking the pores that release sweat under your arms -- with the active ingredient being aluminum. Not only does this block one of your body’s routes for detoxification (releasing toxins via your underarm sweat), but it raises concerns about where these heavy metals are going once you roll them (or spray them) on. Given that antiperspirants are used on your armpits, the aluminum salt concentration is highest near your breast tissue. Further, when women shave under their arms it can result in a higher aluminum-salt absorption rate due to the damaged skin.
The aluminum in antiperspirants has been linked to breast cancer before. A 2006 study found that aluminum salts can mimic the hormone estrogen, and chemicals that imitate that hormone are known to increase breast cancer risk.
Fortunately, reducing your exposure is pretty simple -- simply ditch your antiperspirant and deodorant.It’s worth mentioning that deodorants are not the same thing as antiperspirants. They may actually be less problematic than antiperspirants, as they work by neutralizing the smell of your sweat and by antiseptic action against bacteria, but do not prevent sweating. However, many deodorants also contain aluminum, along with parabens, which have also been linked to breast cancer. So, you’re clearly better off avoiding both antiperspirants and deodorants.
Personally, I have not used any antiperspirants or deodorants for over 25 years. Simple soap and water has served me quite well, and I don't ever recall anyone telling me I had an offensive odor. When I stopped using them I noticed the stains I was getting on the underarms of my shirts stopped. It was clear that they were NOT related to my sweat but to the chemicals in the antiperspirant I was using. If you get stains in the armpit areas of your shirts you can virtually be guaranteed it is from the antiperspirant.
Please remember that most chemicals you put on your skin are absorbed quite nicely into your bloodstream. So if you wouldn’t eat something you would put on your skin, I would advise not using it. If you simply can’t imagine going without antiperspirant or deodorant, you can find aluminum-free varieties in your local health food store. (But I would encourage you to at least TRY going without before making your mind up.)
Labels: aluminum, antiperspirant, deodorant, toxins
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Take Action to End Fluoridation
Online Petition to End Fluoridation and call for a Congressional Hearing
http://www.actionstudio.org/public/page_view_all.cfm?option=begin&pageid=8276
Sponsored by the Fluoride Action Network http://FluorideAction.Net
End Fluoridation, say 800+
In a statement released August 9, 2007, over 600 (now 800) dentists, physicians, scientists and environmentalists urge Congress to stop water fluoridation until Congressional hearings are conducted. They cite new scientific evidence that fluoridation, long promoted to fight tooth decay, is ineffective and has serious health risks. (http://www.fluorideaction.org/statement.august.2007.html)
Signers include a Nobel Prize winner, three members of the prestigious 2006 National Research Council (NRC) panel that reported on fluoride’s toxicology, two officers in the Union representing professionals at EPA headquarters, the President of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment, and hundreds of medical, dental, academic, scientific and environmental professionals, worldwide.
Signer Dr. Arvid Carlsson, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Medicine, says, “Fluoridation is against all principles of modern pharmacology. It's really obsolete.”
Paul Connett, PhD, Executive Director of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), announced that an Online Action Petition to Congress in support of the Professionals' Statement will soon be available at FAN's web site, www.fluorideaction.org.
“The NRC report dramatically changed scientific understanding of fluoride's health risks," says Connett. "Government officials who continue to promote fluoridation must testify under oath as to why they are ignoring the powerful evidence of harm in the NRC report,” he added.
An Assistant NY State Attorney General calls the report “the most up-to-date expert authority on the health effects of fluoride exposure.”
The Professionals’ Statement also references:
-- The new American Dental Association policy recommending infant formula NOT be prepared with fluoridated water.
-- The CDC’s concession that the predominant benefit of fluoride is topical not systemic.
-- CDC data showing that dental fluorosis, caused by fluoride over-exposure, now impacts one third of American children.
-- Major research indicating little difference in decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities.
-- A Harvard study indicating a possible link between fluoridation and bone cancer.
-- The silicofluoride chemicals used for fluoridation are contaminated industrial waste and have never been FDA- approved for human ingestion.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a DC watchdog, revealed that a Harvard professor concealed the fluoridation/bone cancer connection for three years. EWG President Ken Cook states, “It is time for the US to recognize that fluoridation has serious risks that far outweigh any minor benefits, and unlike many other environmental issues, it's as easy to end as turning off a valve at the water plant.”
Take Action to End Fluoridation. Sign the Online Petition to End Fluoridation and call for a Congressional Hearing
http://www.actionstudio.org/public/page_view_all.cfm?option=begin&pageid=8276
SOURCE: Fluoride Action Network http://www.FluorideAction.Net
Online Petition to End Fluoridation and call for a Congressional Hearing
http://www.actionstudio.org/public/page_view_all.cfm?option=begin&pageid=8276
Sponsored by the Fluoride Action Network http://FluorideAction.Net
End Fluoridation, say 800+
In a statement released August 9, 2007, over 600 (now 800) dentists, physicians, scientists and environmentalists urge Congress to stop water fluoridation until Congressional hearings are conducted. They cite new scientific evidence that fluoridation, long promoted to fight tooth decay, is ineffective and has serious health risks. (http://www.fluorideaction.org/statement.august.2007.html)
Signers include a Nobel Prize winner, three members of the prestigious 2006 National Research Council (NRC) panel that reported on fluoride’s toxicology, two officers in the Union representing professionals at EPA headquarters, the President of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment, and hundreds of medical, dental, academic, scientific and environmental professionals, worldwide.
Signer Dr. Arvid Carlsson, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Medicine, says, “Fluoridation is against all principles of modern pharmacology. It's really obsolete.”
Paul Connett, PhD, Executive Director of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), announced that an Online Action Petition to Congress in support of the Professionals' Statement will soon be available at FAN's web site, www.fluorideaction.org.
“The NRC report dramatically changed scientific understanding of fluoride's health risks," says Connett. "Government officials who continue to promote fluoridation must testify under oath as to why they are ignoring the powerful evidence of harm in the NRC report,” he added.
An Assistant NY State Attorney General calls the report “the most up-to-date expert authority on the health effects of fluoride exposure.”
The Professionals’ Statement also references:
-- The new American Dental Association policy recommending infant formula NOT be prepared with fluoridated water.
-- The CDC’s concession that the predominant benefit of fluoride is topical not systemic.
-- CDC data showing that dental fluorosis, caused by fluoride over-exposure, now impacts one third of American children.
-- Major research indicating little difference in decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities.
-- A Harvard study indicating a possible link between fluoridation and bone cancer.
-- The silicofluoride chemicals used for fluoridation are contaminated industrial waste and have never been FDA- approved for human ingestion.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a DC watchdog, revealed that a Harvard professor concealed the fluoridation/bone cancer connection for three years. EWG President Ken Cook states, “It is time for the US to recognize that fluoridation has serious risks that far outweigh any minor benefits, and unlike many other environmental issues, it's as easy to end as turning off a valve at the water plant.”
Take Action to End Fluoridation. Sign the Online Petition to End Fluoridation and call for a Congressional Hearing
http://www.actionstudio.org/public/page_view_all.cfm?option=begin&pageid=8276
SOURCE: Fluoride Action Network http://www.FluorideAction.Net
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