Choose Your Deodorant Wisely
Are you putting toxic chemicals under your arms? Experts are increasingly worried about toxic chemicals in deodorants. You would not eat the various toiletries you keep in your bathroom because you know they contain chemicals that aren’t safe for ingestion. Well applying those chemicals to your skin could be even worse. Many of these chemicals penetrate through your skin and make their way into your bloodstream.
Here is a great quote from Heather Patisaul, Ph.D., an associate professor of biology at North Carolina State University: “When you eat something, it’s broken down by your liver and digestive system. But when you put something on your skin, there are times when it can enter your bloodstream without being metabolized.” Professor Patisaul has spent a lot of her career studying endocrine disruptors. These are chemicals that have the ability to disrupt the action of reproductive and developmental hormones in the body. Your armpits contain hormone receptors, and these chemicals may be causing hormonal problems in your body. The chemicals that are absorbed travel around your bloodstream. Some are eliminated but the majority end up getting stored in your body fat; that means areas like your thighs and buttocks, but also your brain and your bone marrow, compromising your cognitive health and immune function.
There are 5 chemicals you need to watch out for in deodorant; they are parabens, fragrance, triclosan, phthalates and aluminium. Aluminium is the most interesting when it comes to women’s health. Most people think aluminium is harmful because it can accumulate in the brain and raise the risk of dementia. It has other seriously harmful effects on the body. Research has shown that aluminium can cause gene instability in breast tissue, in a way that can cause changes that may promote the growth of tumors or cancerous cells. According to the researchers “Over 50% of breast cancers start in the upper outer quadrant of the breast local to the underarm region”. That isn’t proof aluminium causes breast cancer, but breast cancer incidence tends to line up with the use of products that contain this metal. It’s even worse if you shave your armpits and then apply an aluminium-containing deodorant to broken skin. Much more gets absorbed into your bloodstream that way.
Fortunately, there are so many chemical-free deodorants available now. You really don’t have to take the risk. You can also improve your liver’s ability to break down and excrete toxic chemicals with a liver tonic.
