Thursday, January 22, 2009

Health check for ladies

After lipstick, its female hygiene that needs a makeover.
Pasting a forward that might be useful:

Using pads for more than 3 hours can cause cervical cancer & bacteria infection.


FOR THOSE OF US WHO USE SANITARY NAPKINS/PADS:
IF u ever wondered what were the ingredients that made popular brands so
'free! and light and carefree', well here's the bit:
The material that makes the pad so paper THIN, is cellulose gel. YEap,
it's not even cotton!!!!!!
DO NOT wear the same pad for more than 3 hours of a maximum!!! After
this duration, the genital area is prone to bacterial action and may
result in cervical cancer or other complications!

REMEMBER! NEVER NEVER NEVER WEAR THE SAME PAD FOR MORE THAN 3 HOURS!!!!


No wonder so many women in the world suffer from cervical cancer and
womb tumors. Have you heard that tampon makers include asbestos in
tampons? Why would they do this?

Because asbestos makes you bleed more, if you bleed more, you're going
to need to use more. Why isn't this against the law since asbestos is so
dangerous? Because the powers that be, in all their wisdom (not), did
not consider tampons as being ingested, and, therefore, didn't consider
them illegal or dangerous.
This month's Essence magazine has small article about this and they
mention two manufacturers of a cotton tampon alternative. The companies
are: Organic Essentials @1-800) 765-6491 and Terra Femme @(800)755-0212.


HERE ! IS THE SCOOP:
Tampons contain two things that are potentially harmful: Rayon (for
absorbency), and dioxin (a chemical used in bleaching the products). The
tampon industry is convinced that we, as women, need bleached white
products in order to view the product as pure and clean. The problem
here is that the dioxin, which is produced in this bleaching process,
can lead to very harmful problems for a woman. Dioxin is potentially
carcinogenic cancer-associated) and is toxic to the immune and
reproductive systems. It has also been linked to endometriosis and lower
sperm counts for men. For both sexes, it breaks down the immune system.


Last September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that
there really is no set 'acceptable' level of exposure to dioxin given
that it is cumulative and slow to disintegrate. The real danger comes
from repeated contact. Karen Couppert 'Pulling the Plug on the Tampon
Industry'). I'd say using about 4-5 tampons a day, five days a month,
for 38 menstruating years is 'repeated contact', wouldn't you? Rayon
contributes to the danger of tampons and dioxin because it is a highly
absorbent substance. Therefore, when fibers from the tampons are left
behind in the vagina (as usually occurs), it creates a breeding ground
for the dioxin. It also stays in a lot longer than it would with just
cotton tampons. This is also the reason why TSS (toxic shock syndrome)
occurs.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?

Using feminine hygiene products that aren't bleached and that are all
cotton. Other feminine hygiene products
(pads/napkins) contain dioxin as well, but they are not nearly as
dangerous since they are not in direct contact with the vagina. The
pads/napkins need to stop being bleached, but, obviously, tampons are
the most dangerous.


So, what can you do if you can't give up using tampons? Use tampons that
are made from 100% cotton, and that are UNBLEACHED. Unfortunately, there
are very few companies that make these safe tampons. They are usually
only found in health food stores.

9 comments:

Banno said...

This is really scary. My mind's going all bonkers now.

By the way, was looking for your book at Crossword yesterday, and they didn't have it. Is it going to be at specific bookshops?

Manjushree Abhinav said...

Banno,
Yes, it is scary. I just read a book about how the monks used to bleed patients back then. Medicine hasn't changed much since then has it?
Its safest to go organic, to buy the cheapest sanitary napkins, they are cotton, and avoid doctors as much as possible.
I have stopped coloring my hair with chemical dyes and gone back to henna, at the risk of looking like an orange carrot.
Do warn your daughter and other girlfriends to avoid tampons...

I have spoken to the distributor and he is sending me an email with the list of the shops that has my book. I will put it up as soon as I get it.

Nino's Mum said...

good god. I've been using tampons for ever now, and this is an outrage to my safety.
Pads are more uncomfortable - especially in our summers - but safer, now that I've read this.
Good god. *am still shuddering*

Manjushree Abhinav said...

Nino's mum,

Ladies, I didn't mean to scare you so much. Hopefully nothing has gone as wrong as these guys are implying. And if it has, there is nothing much we can do now, except stop using the white tampons.

I knew one lady who used medicated cotton instead of tampons! Home made tampons, in other words. Soon we shall have organic tampons in the market, I am sure.

Sukhaloka said...

I'll suggest a twist in the tale - what about medical grade silicone menstrual cups? Anything harmful found out about those yet?
Or sea sponges, homemade cloth pads(nylon backed for leak protection) etc?

The consumerist culture of today just annoys the hell out of me!

Anisha Zaveri said...

False again.

http://bit.ly/Gkoq

A lot of these mails circulated around the internet are false. One can make out by characteristic patterns. Either there is someone dying asking for help. Or there is some fable about Einstein/ Hitler. Or there is a alarm about a product.

I would suggest that you research before posting. A simple Google/ Snopes.com search suffices. Spreading false unscientific news isn't something any blogger is trying to achieve, I am sure.

Rgds,
Anne

Manjushree Abhinav said...

Dear Anne,

I hope you are right, but darling, why should I believe you? Where is your research?

I don't have much faith in the medical system of allopathy and I know there are a lot of crooks in white collars making money at our expense.

Regarding research, it is a lamp in a big dark forest. I would rather go by my gut feelings, which say that pure white means bleach.

Genital Bleaching said...

This is a bit scary. Is it definitely true or is it someone playing with us?

Genital Bleaching said...

IS this actually true? It seems very tedious to me!