Are tampons safe?

I was never a really big fan of wearing tampons...and actually I didn't even start wearing them till I was 20, when my friends and I had a big beach trip planned and I got my period.  Why did I avoid wearing tampons?  In my mind, they were always so unnatural...the idea of sticking bleached cotton up into my body freaked me out.  The idea keeping something that is naturally trying to get out of my body from getting out was creepy.  I was scared of getting toxic shock syndrome or just damaging something up there in general.  A lot of women get grossed out by the idea of having to wear pads all day, with a lot commenting that they feel like digesting diapers.  Ok, it's true, they definitely don't feel amazing.  But I dunno, I just always sucked it up for that one week a month because of my fear of tampons.  Only occasionally does it get on my nerves.  

Normal tampons contain harmful ingredients.  Rayon (for absorbency), and Dioxin (a chemical used in bleaching the products).  The tampon industry is convinced that we, as women, need bleached white products in order to view the product as pure and clean.  The problem here is that the Dioxin, which is produced in this bleaching process, can lead to very harmful problems for a woman.  Dioxin is potentially carcinogenic (cancer-associated) and is toxic to the immune and reproductive systems.  It has also been linked to endometriosis and lower sperm counts for men. For both sexes, it breaks down the immune system.  Last September the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that there really is no "acceptable" level of exposure to Dioxin, given that it is cumulative and slow to disintegrate.  The real danger comes from repeated contact.  Women complain about migraines, increased cramp pains, and tons of other effects that are the direct cause of wearing tampons with these ingredients.  There is no way anyone can convince me that wearing normal tampons is natural and safe. 

Tampons are cosmetics and are many times tested on animals (you have to check your brand/company, testing laws in your country for more info).  If you have to wear tampons, please make sure to buy vegan, cruelty-free (and of course organic/bleach-free) tampons. 

So anyways, I suggest giving your body a break from tampons and giving cloth pads a try! (see my post on cloth pads here)

DIY Cloth pads

I decided to stick with the period theme this week since it's my special time of the month, and share some cloth pad info.  I guess by now most women are aware of the cloth pad fad...I remember first reading about it like 5 years ago on the net and being totally shocked.  I was at work and my female co-workers and I were looking at the pics and thinking about the idea and laughing about it.  But then while the other girls continued to laugh, I started to realize that cloth pads were actually not that crazy of an idea.

-environmentally friendly (reusable, so you don't have to create more trash)

-economical (reusable, so you don't have to constantly buy new pads or tampons)

-cute (lots of fun patterns)

-customizable (different shapes, sizes, and functions, add layers, etc)

-vegan!

-better for you than tampons (see my post on tampons here)

Today there are so many sites and shops where you can buy pads, wet bags (to store used pads in while you are on the go), storage bags (for unused pads) and all kinds of accessories.  But, if you're like me and you don't want to spend the money (even though it's actually cheaper in the long run to buy a bunch of cloth pads at one time than to buy disposable period products every month) then maybe you could try to make your own! Here is just one site I found that offers tons of free DIY cloth pad tutorials, patterns, and info: http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~obsidian/clothpads/DIYpads/

I really recommend checking it out.  I know a lot of people out there still think this is a gross idea, but it's really not.  I mean, think about what women did throughout history when they were on their period...they tied rags around themselves.  That's where we get the phrase "on the rag" actually.  It's just something we gotta go through.  So why not have at least a little bit of fun with it by getting some cute rags?? 

Period relief

Woohoo! It's that time of the month.  At least I don't have to work again till Tuesday.  The worst thing is having to stand in front of a room full of people for hours and teach while having cramps, feeling bloated, tired, and bleeding out of your vagina.  Ughhhh.

So today I will post a few tips to reduce menstrual cramps!

-Elevate legs by putting a pillow under your knees

-Use a heating pad on your lower abdomen

-Try to avoid chocolate/greasy foods and eat more cleansing foods like fruits/veggies to restore some balance.  Also avoid sugar and flour based products, pastas and stuff with preservatives if you can!

-Light exercise is good.  Even though all I wanna do is lay on the couch with my compter, some low impact moving around is actually good- light yoga, walking, pilates, etc

-Drink some tea.  Chamomile helps you relax. **if you have excessive bleeding you should stay away from tea.

-Sleep ;)