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The average American bathroom cabinet is a veritable “chemi-copia” of soap, mouthwash, toothpaste, shampoo, and hygiene products. These products contain a wide variety of chemical compounds and syn¬thetic substances, the safety of many of which remains questionable. In spite of this important point, federal government regulations continue to allow incomplete ingredients disclosure on the labels of many per¬sonal care products. As a result, consumers simply don’t know what chemicals they are applying to sensitive areas of their bodies every day. There are a number of natural products on the market. The best ones will provide a list of ingredients, and most of these ingredients will have familiar names. (Natural soaps, for instance, will contain coconut or olive oil.)
Of particular concern are tampons, which are made from rayon (highly chlorine-bleached wood pulp) and/or low-grade cotton, which has often been grown overseas and has been treated with DDT. Many tampons are subjected to chlorine-based bleaching. The best rule of thumb is to look for products that have minimum impact. For example: unbleached is better than bleached. Organic cotton, if you can find it, is better than non-organic. Sanitary pads are less invasive than tampons; these also come in non-chlorine-bleached varieties.

<span style="color: #ff6600;"><span style="font-size: larger;">Q.:</span></span> <em>Are eco-fri</em><em>endly feminine hygiene products safer to use?</em>

<span style="color: #ff6600;"><span style="font-size: larger;">A.:</span></span> Yes. Pads and liners made with 100% cotton are hypoallergenic because they’re free of plastic and wool cellulose. I recommend pads instead of tampons to avoid introducing anything foreign into the body and to eliminate the risk of toxic shock syndrome. But if you prefer tampons, the safest ones are made with organic cotton, which isn’t grown with pesticides and hasn’t been genetically modified (which can disrupt vaginal flora). Always buy fragrance free and chlorine free.

Yours In Health,

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