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Antiperspirant Containing Aluminum Can Harm Your Health
You may have heard or read about how aluminum in your antiperspirant is bad for you. You probably took this news, went shopping and found that most of the antiperspirants on the shelf have aluminum in them. So you tossed your old favorite into the cart and moved on.
I agree it’s frustrating. But I am here to explain why using antiperspirants containing aluminum can be harming your health in more ways than one.
First let me start by explaining the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant. You’ll actually find that almost all the choices in your average personal care section are antiperspirants, not deodorants.
- Deodorant – this product masks your underarm odor by killing the bacteria that causes the odor.
- Antiperspirant – uses aluminum to block the sweat from getting through your pores, essentially stopping you from sweating.
Now you will find many websites stating that your body only absorbs a very small portion, if any, of what is put on your skin. You can choose to believe this, but I want you to think about this: How do you think a nicotine patch and a birth control patch work?
Aluminum and Inflammation
So if antiperspirants work from keeping your underarms dry, how are they bad for you? Well, aluminum is a known neurotoxin, which has been known to cause inflammation in the body.
Inflammation is your body’s response to an injury or virus. It can be a good thing for your body to properly heal, but chronic inflammation is when something goes wrong with the response and your healthy cells come under attack.
Weston A. Price Foundation has reported that glyphosate (a chemical in herbicides) acts as a transporter of aluminum to the brain.This is how aluminum has been linked to degenerative brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. Chronic inflammation can shut down energy production in cells, including in the brain. BrainFacts.org has gone as far as to say that brain inflammation can also cause other brain issues, like depression, and schizophrenia.
Inflammation and Cancer
Rudolf Virchow was a 19th century physician who studied cell pathology. He found that chronic inflammation can increase a person’s risk of getting cancer. Chronic inflammation is known to leave an immune system vulnerable, so when that happens, our bodies cannot effectively fight off cancer cells and allow them to spread.
Some researchers believe that the link between aluminum and cancer can also be because aluminum mimics estrogen in the body. And like I have mentioned with other hormone disrupters (like those found in cow’s milk and plastics), mimicking estrogen can promote cancer in hormone-sensitive organs, like the breast and prostate.
Keep in mind that aluminum is not only found in antiperspirants. You should also check the ingredient labels for baking powder, feminine hygiene products, baby formula, antacids and your cookware.
Want to know what deodorant I use? Click here (includes your doTERRA wholesale membership, read more here). And if you’d like help finding aluminum-free products, check out my list on Amazon.
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Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.
