Deodorants, Antiperspirants and Health
Okay, this is my OPINION which is rooted in fact. It can be wrong, it probably is wrong and NOTHING I say should be taken as anything, but an opinion, except the stuff coming out of actual tests and that’s quoted. There are a lot of websites out there that post opinion as fact. If they have no GOOD studies that can be duplicated and are double blind to back up their statements, they are just stating opinions. My favorite right now? “Everyone knows talc causes cancer.”
We do? Really? There are no links between purified talc and cancer, but we let an old study and fear mongering chase us away from talc. A perfectly lovely product, that no one will touch because of a study in the 80’s. Johnson and Johnson is a big company, but even they cannot afford to be sued over talc that’s linked to cancer. They can’t be. Why? Find out tomorrow. That’s right. You’re going to get a couple days of, “What Nancy has learned,” every week. Do I want to hear opposing sides? 100% yes. However, you better not rant with opinion. Back up your thoughts with facts. Opinions that, “everybody knows,” will be made fun of. You must back it up with a study that has been scrutinized by the scientific community and duplicated.
“Why? Those nasty scientists are all in the pockets of the drug companies and will sell you anything.”
Like any other profession, there are good and bad scientists. That’s why studies need to be done by independent labs for me to buy them. Why I need more than one. Why it has to be duplicated. I am not going to run around screaming because of one study that’s hit the airwaves on a slow news day. I’m not that gullible. No one should be.
I am a consumer. One who has learned to read studies and do good research, but not a scientist. I don’t play one on TV, or the Internet. I’m sharing what I believe based on science. That’s all. Of course I also believe all-natural can kill you just as easily, or more so, than man-made. Don’t believe me? Read about what happens to people who eat hemlock.
Many people are afraid antiperspirant will give you Alzheimer’s. Most antiperspirants are made with Aluminum and aluminum is found in the brains of Alzheimer patients, post mortem.
So, what are you to do??
I am going to loosely write why people are so afraid of aluminum in antiperspirants and explain why I think it’s a bad theory.
Aluminum traps sweat inside your body, by bocking it from leaving the pores, therefore, your body retains toxins that would normally be released through sweat. Can you die from blocking your pores? Yes. You don’t get it out, organs start to fail. Further the concern reads the aluminum is entering our bodies through some sort of reverse osmosis. This is where I stop reading. Aluminum is comedogenic. Which means, by it’s very nature it blocks pores. Everyone has had a monster zit under their arms at one time or another as teens. Everyone, but the lucky ones. If Aluminum blocks pores, it’s not swimming up stream like a salmon.
I just read two actual studies and I’m overwhelmed. I wish all studies had a, “cut to the chase,” section, but theory isn’t cut and dry most of the time. It’s theory. A theory can be really good, or simply crap. You don’t just need one study, you need to read how the study was done, was it double blind? That means does the person administrating the tests know who is being given what? Usually, they don’t. It’s all coded by a computer now. Which is good and a simplistic answer to complicated question. I’m a simple person. You get simple answers and they are a little bit of this and that, well thought out, but again, I can be wrong.
Aluminum has been shown to not cross skin barriers in micro-dermabrasion, I just read the study link and now I can’t find it. Need coffee. The molecule is bigger than a pore. That’s how it works. It blocks your pores. Getting into your body through the skin barrier would be like giving birth to a beach ball. Our skin is very effective at keeping things out. That’s why only a very few meds are available in patch form. Wish more were. Shots give me headaches. Those are not caused by shots, but screaming children. It’s like the studies, there are relationships, but no direct-connects, yet.
What the National Cancer Institute Says:
“Aluminum-based compounds are used as the active ingredient in antiperspirants. These compounds form a temporary plug within the sweat duct that stops the flow of sweat to the skin’s surface. 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 (3). 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 (3). “
Stuff not related to aluminum removed from this section.
“What have scientists learned about the relationship between antiperspirants or deodorants and breast cancer?
In 2002, the results of a study looking for a relationship between breast cancer and underarm antiperspirants/deodorants were reported (6). This study did not show any increased risk for breast cancer in women who reported using an underarm antiperspirant or deodorant. The results also showed no increased breast cancer risk for women who reported using a blade (nonelectric) razor and an underarm antiperspirant or deodorant, or for women who reported using an underarm antiperspirant or deodorant within 1 hour of shaving with a blade razor. These conclusions were based on interviews with 813 women with breast cancer and 793 women with no history of breast cancer.
Findings from a different study examining the frequency of underarm shaving and antiperspirant/deodorant use among 437 breast cancer survivors were released in 2003 (7). This study found that the age of breast cancer diagnosis was significantly earlier in women who used these products and shaved their underarms more frequently. Furthermore, women who began both of these underarm hygiene habits before 16 years of age were diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier age than those who began these habits later. While these results suggest that underarm shaving with the use of antiperspirants/deodorants may be related to breast cancer, it does not demonstrate a conclusive link between these underarm hygiene habits and breast cancer.
In 2006, researchers examined antiperspirant use and other factors among 54 women with breast cancer and 50 women without breast cancer. The study found no association between antiperspirant use and the risk of breast cancer; however, family history and the use of oral contraceptives were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer (8).
Because studies of antiperspirants and deodorants and breast cancer have provided conflicting results, additional research is needed to investigate this relationship and other factors that may be involved.”
Me Again:
What on EARTH does this mean? Aluminum plugs pores so you can’t sweat. Cut yourself and the molecule can get into pores, it would appear, anyway. So, don’t shave as often. Seriously. Why are we all worried about hairy pits in the winter, when no one sees them? In the summer, don’t shave every day. That’s what I do, but because of my heritage, I don’t grow hair.
This is a HYPOTHOSIS on my part, from looking at the aluminum molecule and reading about breast cancer and Alzheimer’s in women in France, where shaving is optional, at best. Me don’t regard breasts to be as sexy as we in America do. True.
Okay, so remove the antiperspirants on shaving days. Simple. It’s never that simple, but it’s what I do.
Men get breast cancer too and Alzheimer’s, and unless a man is a drag queen, they do not shave their pits. Well, I hope they don’t. So, what is causing Alzheimer’s and breast cancer and is it in Antiperspirant? If not, how is it getting in our bodies? Do brains with Alzheimer’s attract the aluminum in our bodies? It’s a naturally occurring element, OR does aluminum cause Alzheimer’s through deposits that change the brain chemistry enough to cause this disease? We don’t know. We do know that since non-stick pans were developed and aluminum in our cookware became the norm, that we have an increased risk of Alzheimer’s, but it could all be really something else. We switched to Stainless steel in the kitchen, or are in the process and my cast iron frying pan gets passed down to a daughter in law who will appreciate it.
What do I do. Wear antiperspirant most days. Why mask my natural scent? If you were around me after a day of heavy workouts, you’d never ask that question. EVAH!
On days I shave, I’m playing with a recipe for deodorant that would also make it harder, but not impossible to sweat through. Sounds impossible? Making m own deodorant? Nancy’s nuts!!
Well, I am, but anyone can make a powder based, or non comedogenic oil based deodorant. Heck, all oils and you don’t even need a roller, or any preservative. You don’t need it, unless you add water. That reminds me, I need to put up a YouTube video today.
You can put homemade deodorant in a large lotion tube, that pushes up from the bottom. Like a big lip balm tube. I have links to sites that offer them and as soon as I get a viable recipe (for my husband’s birthday and the boys, who NEED it, desperately!!!). All will be posted just the moment I have something I love.
Every single recipe I see uses Essential Oils, which I love. I just don’t love that burning feeling and the cost. Right out, right now. Fragrance oils can be very natural and are the same from batch to batch. I can post the reports for that, later.
Is aluminum cancer causer in deodorant? Probably not. If the molecule is so large and in charge it blocks pores, it can’t fit through them. Is it a good idea to use it after shaving? I’m not sure, yet. So let’s cook! Besides, it’s fun to say, I made it myself!”
A note regarding my recipes. Lists of ingredients cannot be copyrighted. Feel free to read recipes online. It’s a hoot, but watch them. Some of that stuff is not a good idea. I’m not putting Tea Tree oil on freshly shaved pits, no matter how effective. OUCH!!!!!!
Also, just because it’s on the Internet does not make it true. I may not have read the best study. My findings may be erroneous. It’s a theory, which means an idea with decent facts to back it up, but is not 100%. Satisfying any scientist 100% is dang hard. They all want amazing proof before they will leap to a conclusion. That conclusion is never a leap anyway. That’s the media. True scientists are hard to convince and read statistics and play with things all day to come up with the best answers. They want studies that can be duplicated time and time again. Just like a recipe. That’s why it’s so hard to get things through the FDA in the US. They want to ensure it’s going to work and be safe.
My recipes are copyrighted and all mine. I may start with a list of ingredients, but that’s a starting place only. When I say I work tirelessly on a recipe that is for myself, or my family, clients, etc, I mean I dream in Titanium Dioxide. I keep a pen and paper next to my bed. I am pretty new to lotion making and brand new to deodorant, but soap and I have been buddies for years. So have homemade face washes and treatments, including Essential Oil blends for sleep for the kids (little dream pillows) and adding things to my shampoos. You know I write my own recipes in the kitchen. So take all I post, but for cripes sake, give me credit!!! I do.
March 26th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
I’m an odd bird. Though it has no basis in fact (except for one old study I found in a google search) I feel bras have some impact on breast cancer.
I know that sounds nuts, but that’s how I feel. A bad fitting bra chafes and cuts off circulation in certain areas of the breast. This leaves red marks and often an itching sensation as the blood flow returns.
How good could this be for you over a long period of time? Especially in an area of tissue as delicate as the breast?
March 26th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
And here is that lone link: http://www.all-natural.com/bras.html
I was searching about the topic because in my own mind I wondered about any correlation.