Thank you to everyone who attended our first Women’s Workshop last night. I have to admit, it was an eye opener doing my research for this one. You see, I’ve always turned a blind eye to the ingredient label on my cosmetics. For years I have spent on organic food, whole food vitamins and non-toxic house cleaning agents. But truth be told, I had chosen to put the white light around what I have been using on my skin, until now.
You might be surprised, but being a “girlie girl” is at times a genetic need for me. (Really.) I love clothes, things that sparkle and shoes that aren’t chiropractic endorsed. With girl status also comes hair products, make-up and smelly lotions made from I-don’t-want-to-know-what. The scent, the colors, the cute packaging… I might be compared to a kid in a candy store at the cosmetics counter. But at age 34, my innate, the little voice inside my head, was telling me that I couldn’t ignore the facts any longer.
According to the Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.org/) a woman uses an average of 12 personal care products per day. Shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream, cosmetics, deodorant, lip balm, sunscreen… the list goes on. The frightening part, the FDA does not require health studies or pre-market studies. The EWG states that “Nearly 90 percent of the 10,500 ingredients FDA has determined are used in personal care products have not been evaluated for safety by the CIR, the FDA, or any other publicly accountable institution.”
The concern for what we put on our skin should not be minimized. Our skin is our largest organ and does absorb to varying degrees what we put on it. Toxins that are absorbed can accumulate in the body and pose real health threats.
As a chiropractor, I am concerned about our toxic exposure because it stresses our spine and nervous system. TOXINS, along with STRESS and TRAUMAS, can create SUBLUXATIONS (vertebral misalignments) in our spines. Subluxations are a silent stressor on our bodies, often causing no outward symptoms. These misaligned vertebrae compromise our nervous system and the function of our internal organs. Subluxations interefere with our immune systems, and cause a state of dis-ease within our bodies.
As a Mom, I am concerned that my daughters will accumulate even more toxic crap in their bodies than I have. The EWG published that many children’s products were among the 22% of all personal care products may be contaminated with the cancer-causing impurity 1,4-dioxane.
Still not convinced?
- 61% of tested lipstick brands contain residues of lead (CSC 2007).
- “Studies find health problems in people exposed to common fragrance and sunscreen ingredients, including elevated risk for sperm damage, feminization of the male reproductive system, and low birth weight in girls” (Duty et al. 2003, Hauser et al. 2007, Swan et al. 2005, Wolff et al. 2008).
- “Biomonitoring studies have found cosmetics ingredients – like phthalate plasticizers, paraben preservatives, the pesticide triclosan, synthetic musks, and sunscreens – as common pollutants in men, women and children. Many of these chemicals are potential hormone disruptors” (Gray et al. 1986, Schreurs et al. 2004, Gomez et al. 2005, Veldhoen et al. 2006).
- “More than 500 products sold in the U.S. contain ingredients banned in cosmetics in Japan, Canada or the European Union” (EWG 2007b).
At our Women’s Workshop, Erika (Norwex) and Trieste (Ava Anderson) shared their product lines with us. I’m excited for my new finds to come in the mail next week. My favorite? The non-toxic lip gloss for my twelve year old. Not only do I keep her spine well-adjusted, but I now am making sure she isn’t licking lead off her pretty lips!
Until next time, be beautiful the non-toxic way,
Dr. Stephanie 🙂