Oh Boy, don't forget about fragrances and increased risk

MsBliss

I just read a paper from the Environmental Working Group.  Apparently fragrance is not covered by the FDA vetting process.  Fragrance ingredients are specifically exempt from disclosure laws, and guess what, most of the fragrances are synthetic composites of petrol chems that mimic aromas like cherry or vanilla. 

For example, one of the worst offenders is Glow by JLo.  Also, Britney, Juicy Coutoure, American Eagle, so many more.  Apparently, when analyzed it has undisclosed ingredients known to disrupt estrogen and thyroid pathways.

Here is the link:

http://www.ewg.org/notsosexy 

Ladies, I would say to toss it all out, but then it would end up in the water and landfills!  At least stop using it.  It is the last thing we need.

CrunchyPoodleMama

Ugh -- that makes me glad I gave up perfume 8 years ago when I met my husband! (He's allergic -- thank goodness!)

somanywomen

Ms Bliss, thanks for website link.....I have always thought of myself as the canary in the coal mine....since I was very young, fragrances, cleaning products, just about anything that has a scent has made me sick..Somehow whether it is on me or just someone near me, I can taste the offending chemicals on my tongue..I have done a lot of research on this subject and have read that 60% of what you put on your body is consumed by your skin and therefore has a direct effect on your health...I believe that thier are so many people that have desensitized themselves to what fragrance they are wearing and don't even smell it anymore therefore they put more on and have no idea that these products could be a major cause of a health concern they may have..To me it is like putting poison on...I stay away from as many chemicals in all daily products as I can, there are a lot of great non-chemical personal and cleaning items and I for one hunt them down...

MariannaLaFrance

It makes me very sad, since I've always been a fan of perfume.... and have noted that a lot of my favorite fragrances are on the "bad" list. Strangely, over the past couple of years, I have started getting headaches from certain fragrances. I will purchase them, wear them once or twice, then won't be able to use them again.  Just received Juicy Couture as a gift.... what a drag that I now need to find a new fragrance that is not poisonous!!!

Anonymous

That's odd. I've been getting headaches the past few years from fragrances. Also, I recently went into a photography shop for a passport photo and got a headache. As soon as i got out in the fresh air the headache went away.

I can't stand to be around fragrance now. The guy who put the new roof on our house wore aftershave and I had to keep opening the windows whenever he came to discuss business. It was embarassing.

And the yoga center here burns scented candles so that's another place that's contaminated/off limits. Is it benzene???

althea

I briefly had an internet acquaintance who suffers from environmental illness (EI).  I learned so much from her.  I've never been a fan of perfume, but there's soooooo many things with fragrance -- candles, air freshener, laundry soaps.  I used to have a laundry with a fragrance I liked, and after making this one acquaintance, I changed laundry soap.  Later, I found a small bit of my previous soap and used it.  Much so my surprise, I found the scent overpowering and I sure didn't like it anymore. 

The main thing I learned from this acquaintance that stuck in my mind is this -- even 'unscented' items can contain something called 'fragrance' on the label, because if there's a smell from the initial mix, they can add chemicals to remove what's there to make it' unscented'.  Who wudda thunk?  She also said just about anything sold with a fragrance is a product filled with neuortoxins.  At the time, I thought she was just being overzealous in her attempt to avoid products that cause her unpleasantness, but now, I suspect she was very much correct.  Plus, she had a degree in chemistry.  

I'm wholeheartedly on board with the idea of avoiding products with fragrance that are basically products of a laboratory.  I buy handmade hand soap locally directly from  a vendor at the farmer's market.  I use 7th generation soap for my laundry and dishwasher.  I'm still looking for a shampoo that I'm comfortable with.  

hlth4513

althea -

I have been avoiding anything with fragrance since diagnosed, but I had never heard about the "unscented" still containing fragrance. Yikes!  Thanks!

Beth

bec3

Also, I have a deodorant that is fragrance free with "fragrance" as it's first ingredient so watch out for deodorants.

 I am new to this and am needing info on Myomin.  If any of you know anything about this could you please let me know?  I have heard this is a good alternative to Tamoxifen, and there is a Dr. Chi from Atwood, CA who has this product available.  I need some answers soon so if anyone out there has anything you could share I would appreciate it.  Thanks!

hlth4513

bec3-

I don't take Myomin -but there are some gals who do - I'm sure they will chime in - I know that some practioners feel that Myomin is better for postmenopausal than DIM.

 You might want to do a search for "Myomin" on this forum and it should come up with past posts. That way  you could "private message" those members, in case they are not seeing your request for help.

Beth

asschercut

Hi  bec3...   I'm premenopausal, so I don't know if myomin is of benefit to me right now. I'll have to look into it some more. As hlth4513 mentioned, some of the other ladies are on it, perhaps they may be of some assistance. Here's a little research l've come across. Hope it helps?

The Free Library has informative clinical studies on myomin...

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Myomin:+natural+aromatase+inhibitor+for+estrogen-related+conditions.-a0213722869

Some more on myomin...

http://theherbwoman.com/?p=247

http://dcforum.whathelps.com/webhelps/forums/Vitalzym_Board/526.html

All the best...x

Victoria

Lady_Madonna

Strong fragrances give me migraines, and since I've been in chemo so many common smells make me nauseaous.  This information makes sense, and I'm glad I've stopped wearing fragrances for the last few months.  I'm having trouble with the deodorant issue though- I live in Vegas and it's getting to be in the 90s.  I had stopped using antiperspirant with aluminum, but I'm not so sure I can keep it up. I have to have something that really WORKS...any ideas?

MBROWNING

Lady Madonna~

I take a 1/2 full jar of coconut oil and let it sit outside until it becomes liquid. Then, I add aluminum free baking soda and stir it in gradually.  Then the mix solildifies and I use that as my deodorant - absolutely no odor issues.  It's a good idea to wait a few minutes after you put it on before you put your shirt on - just to make sure you don't get any oil spots.  So far, I've had no staining issues and this has worked the best for me - I've tried many natural deodorants and none of them were 100% successful in keeping me odor-free!

jessamine

As a person with severe fragrance sensitivities I say yay! to awareness around this- the chemical compund(s) called 'fragrance' are indeed neurotoxic as well as carcinogenic and estrogenic. I just want to add that, as mentioned above, it's not just perfumes but almost everything with any kind of scent, but the worst offenders (besides perfume) are laundry soaps and, especially, dryer sheets. Stay away! Please! Don't be the person in the waiting room of the breast care center that makes me have to go wait in the hall and still be sick the rest of the day because you used perfume or dryer sheets....

althea

mbrowning, I love your deodorant suggestion!  I've been using coconut oil on my skin for many months now.  If I remember to put some on my cuticles at night, my hangnails are history.  Hand lotions are filled with petroleum products.  Once I started using the grocery instead of the pharmacy for skin products, my skin started looking better than ever before in my life.  Melanie, I'm not sure there's really anything that's an antipersperant you'd want to use. They work because the aluminum molecule absorbs into the skin, then gets bigger, thus blocking the sweat.  Deodorants block some smell, but not the sweat. 

massagebyjulia

To somanywomen: Yes, you're right. What we put on our skin has to be processed/detoxed by the body somehow! Our skin is the largest organ and plays a large role in detoxing, just like the liver does. Why overload it with chemicals from fake fragrances or moisturizers? A better bet would be to use organic essential oils or all natural moisturizers. I sell homemade body sprays with the oils and also organic shea butter moisturizers. The body spray can also be used as a room spray. I rarely spray with a store-bought air freshener anymore because of all the chemicals. In my massage practice I look for lotions that are the healthiest for my clients/patients. I definitely don't want to cover them with chemicals and cause a reaction, especially not in my cancer patients!

To lucy88: ask your yoga center what kind of candles they are burning. If they are conscious, they are burning soy or beeswax candles--perfectly healthy. Regular candles are really falling out of favor because the wax is made from petroleum, some of the wicks are made with lead, and the fragrance is chemically made in a lab.

althea

I've been wondering about the soy candles.  Are the makers of them able to get organic soy, or is the soy derived from genetically modified crops? 

CrunchyPoodleMama

mbrowning, that deodorant "recipe" is BRILLIANT!!! Thank you for sharing that - I will definitely be trying it! What do you store it in?

pip57

I am very careful about what I put on my skin as well.  However, I am having more  trouble finding product on the shelf this year  than ever before.   I wonder why that is?

I am one of the 'lucky' ones that doesn't need deodorant since having chemo. It has been 3 years!

hlth4513

Love the deodorant idea! I had taken someone else's suggestion to use coconut oil alone and I don't think it was eliminating all the odor. Can't wait to try this!

Thanks!

Beth

massagebyjulia

For more natural moisturizers, etc, try Whole Foods Market. They have a good selection of personal care products that are closer to the earth.

Althea: Good question. I checked the company where I buy my soy candles. Here is their descriptive paragraph: 

Kür 100% Soy Aromatherapy 7 oz Candles

The wax in this candle is an all vegetable 100% natural soy wax without chemical additives. It is made with 100% USA-grown soybeans. The wax contains no paraffin, therefore no petroleum. Soy Candles burn clean and have a 50% longer burn time than normal paraffin candles. Choose from a variety of scents! 7 oz glass jar.

The website is massagewarehouse.com

MBROWNING

Crunchy~ I store my coconut oil/baking soda mix in the same jar I mix it.  I've been keeping it in my bathroom, but now that the weather is getting HOT (desert SW), it's getting a little soft, so I think I may have to store it in the fridge for the summer months.  I still get wet (which is a good thing), but I don't stink like I did when I tried the natural deodorants. 

Lady_Madonna

MBROWNING, thanks for your answer...and obviously many women appreciate it.  As a fellow southwesterner I'm feeling the heat too- when I wrote that it was hitting the 90's, today it was 108!  And the chemo has put me in menopause-it's misery.  Can't wait to try your deodorant.  I can barely tolerate the heat now that I'm in chemo.

Lady_Madonna

Wow, that last post really was rambling...well, obviously I'm hot and miserable.  Althea, I did want to let you know that I really want to avoid antiperspirant... but it's 108 degrees and I'm having hot flashes!  I guess at this point it doesn't matter, as long as mbrowning's deodorant works and I don't stink.... but I'm in such misery I'm thinking I'm going to have to move out of the SW.  I used to be able to tolerate the heat- no more.  Will this get better after chemo?!