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Cancer in Your Shampoo?
Charlotte Colby
You may be amazed to discover that some of the common ingredients
found in everyday personal care products are known to be
potential carcinogens. Read the warning labels!
It has been a widely held belief that our skin protects us, like
a barrier, against potentially harmful chemicals that we would
not ordinarily eat or drink. At the same time, medical science
has found a much more efficient delivery system for
pharmaceutical products in "the patch," which is now used for
everything from weight loss to smoking cessation to insulin.
Obviously, the skin is not as "solid" as we had imagined.
So we read the list of ingredients on the shampoo label, and we
find things like propylene glycol, and sodium laurel (or laureth)
sulfate. In the chemical world, these are industrial antifreeze
and engine degreaser. On top of our skin, they are irritants.
Inside our bodies, they are free radicals and cellular mutagens.
Sodium laurel sulfate is used because it is cheap, it creates
mountains of foamy suds, and when salt is added it thickens up
into that "rich" consistency we have been taught to expect and
even admire. However, sodium laurel sulfate has been documented
(see the Wall Street Journal, 11-1-88) to cause improper eye
development in children, and cataracts in all ages; penetration
into the brain, heart, and liver; nitrate absorption equal to
eating an entire pound of bacon! (Nitrates are known
carcinogens.) Yet, almost 20 years later, this ingredient is
still found in nearly every cleansing product on the market.
By the way, the salt (yes, regular table salt) that is added to
thicken it up is extremely drying to the skin.
SLS stays in the body and brain for five days. So if you wash
your hair more often than once a week, you have a constant level
of this chemical in your eyes, brain, organs, body, at all times.
SLS is found in baby shampoos and body wash and toothpaste,
including many so-called "natural" brands. Read the labels for
yourself!
Propylene glycol is found in many beauty creams, cleansers, and
makeup, as well as children's products, such as baby wipes. A
clinical review published in 1991 by the America Academy of
Dermatologists, Inc., showed that propylene glycol has been found
to cause contact dermatitis (skin irritation), kidney damage, and
liver abnormalities; it inhibits skin cell growth and damages
cell membranes.
Propylene glycol is used because it is cheap and available. Its
purpose in personal care products is to retain moisture content:
for example, it keeps shaving cream from drying out. It works by
drawing moisture to itself, either from the surrounding air (in
high humidity) or, once applied to the body, from the lower
layers of skin. So although it gives a surface feel of moistness,
it is in reality drying the skin from the inside out.
Propylene glycol is used in the production of varnishes; the
Material Safety Data Sheet states that through skin contact it
causes liver and kidney damage. Is it in your body lotion? Read
the labels!
Other ingredients of concern include coal tar, a known carcinogen
used in shampoos to prevent scalp itching; PEG and nitrosamines
which are both easily absorbed and are known carcinogens; PAH in
petrolatum (petroleum jelly) which is a probable carcinogen;
ethylene oxide which is usually found with PEG and is a probable
carcinogen.
There are actually over 10,500 ingredients available for use in
cosmetics and personal care products, and nearly 90% of them have
NOT been evaluated for safety by the FDA or other governmental
groups. Independent research has uncovered substantial data in
the area of harmful ingredients and toxins, and some of the
research goes back to the Cold War when Russia was looking for a
way to “subdue” America for an easy takeover (the chemical to be
used was fluoride).
So, what is a person to do? As the public is growing in awareness
of the problem, thanks to more and more news articles (such as
the June 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times mention of MIT (linked to
nerve damage in lab tests) in some hair care products), a few
health conscious companies are going to become very well known in
the near future. Some of the companies specialize in a certain
few products, mostly cosmetics and skin care, but only one has
the broad range including skin care, cosmetics, dental, hair,
household, pets, plants, as well as nutritional supplements of
all types: antioxidants, Noni, trace minerals, weight loss,
muscle building, anti-aging, and more.
Neways International manufactures a tremendously wide range of
safe products all without the use of harmful ingredients or
toxins. It is the only company of its kind in the world. The
mission is to produce the safest, most effective consumer
products in the world without the use of harmful ingredients or
toxins, and to improve the health, wealth, and happiness of
people around the world.
Neways has helped hundreds of thousands of Independent
Distributors in over 23 countries to achieve financial
independence, greater freedom, and improved health. Even if you
decide to simply be a consumer only, the safest alternatives
available are with Neways International.
Charlotte Colby is an Executive Level Independent Distributor
with Neways. She has had a lifelong interest in health and
nutrition, and currently seeks to educate the public about the
dangers of harmful ingredients and toxins in common everyday
personal care products and cosmetics.
http://www.ineways.com/healthshop
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