Currently, I am in the process of
writing a three part series on the sanctity of life. As I looked in
the mirror this morning during my daily hygiene preparation, my
thoughts strayed to what I am working on. I found Me asking Myself,
“How am I cherishing my own life?” As I approach
the three year anniversary of my successful heart surgery I
find my thoughts are often turned to the wonder of the human body:
How it works, the creativity and sacredness that went into creating it, what we do
to nurture the precious bodies that were entrusted to us for this
lifetime.
About 6 years ago, I took the time to
educate myself in the area of deodorant ingredients. Truly, I
was stunned that such toxins were being put into our
bodies….willingly. Why?! We do this because we are programmed by
society, by TV commercials, newspaper ads, and care all too often
about the opinions of others. Think about it: for most items
purchased, a large amount of money goes into advertising, to convince
us that we are better off in our health if we partake of a certain
pill, less smelly if we use a particular perfume, body wash, or
deodorant, or a better parent than our neighbor if we take our kids
to a specific eating facility with a play place attached. (link) In
furthering my research, I learned that some of these ingredients
cause (specifically) breast cancer. Not only did I not want to
get a dreaded illness, I noticed that over the years, I would get
some kind of fungal infection in my underarms, the only way of
ridding my body of it was to cleanse with vinegar. Not wanting to go
through what many women I know have endured, I threw out my
store-bought, toxic roll-up container and looked into making my own.
After finding one particular recipe
that seemed much
safer than what I had put on my skin for decades, I was pleasantly
surprised to find that it worked: my underarms did not stink! The
ingredients were very safe: Coconut oil, baking soda or arrowroot,
and corn starch, plus essential oils if you desired to add them. (I
preferred to keep them out because I like the smell of basic clean.)
For 5 years I had great success in wearing this, until it caused
another problem. No longer did I have the fungal infections during
that time and I still sweat there but was no longer stinky. (Sweat is actually a good thing, folks! Our bodies were created to sweat. It cools us down and is one way the body rids itself of toxins, in case you were not aware.) After 5 years, something really weird happened. My underarms
developed what I initially thought was a rash. Then, I felt a
lump.... make that lumps... in both locations of where I wore it. Of
course, I was terrified at first. By the next day, the lumps were
super itchy and even begin to have some fluid coming out of them. It
was terrible. My underarms had large, red, burning, oozing, itching,
lumps! Praying about how to take care of my body, I felt very
strongly not to go to a doctor, for there was nothing they could do.
I felt strongly a doctor would want me on anti-biotics, which I cannot take. I knew I really just needed to purge my body of what
was happening, and I would have to do it on my own, so I did more
study.
In
my seemingly countless hours of research, learned that I had
inflamed, clogged sweat glands and there really nothing medically
anyone could do about it. My understanding was that I would just have
to deal with them the rest of my life. Not willing to have that
happen, I prayed for more guidance about how I could solve this
physical ailment. “Stop wearing your deodorant” came the feeling.
“Say what? Be stinky there? No way!” That was my initial
response. After weeks of this torture, I finally wore my homemade deo
less and less. After a few months, I was cleansing with vinegar
(Seriously, that stuff is amazing!!) a few times a week, but
still wearing my homemade creation when I was to leave home. Still, I
suffered great pains... and severe itching. Finally, at the beginning
of this summer (now a year later from my initial breakout) I stopped
wearing any kind of deodorant- be it store bought or homemade. Guess
what happened? My sweat glands are no longer blocked, the oozing is
gone, the pain is gone, I am rarely itching, and my underarms are
only unpleasantly scented on occasion. I sweat normally again, as my
body needs to, and I am thrilled!
 |
| Photo from DietofLife.com |
I
realize this entire write-up must seem too personal of information
for some, but I felt very compelled to share it, though it is out of
my normal subject range. One might wonder, “What is your point to
sharing this?” which is a very legitimate question. My message is
this: Advertisers pend ludicrous amounts to convince to making
purchases that are not
necessary
for your survival or health. You
are in charge of your body and if you do not care for it, how will
you be able to accomplish the things you are put here to do? You do
not
have to conform to a Deodorant-based society just because “everyone
is doing it!” Do your research, pray for guidance, and make an
educated decision.
Taking out this particular toxin from my daily regimen is just the
beginning of many changes I am making to regain my health and take
back my life. I have almost completely eliminated shampoo and
conditioner, as well as nearly all chemical household cleaners out of
the equation as well. I look forward to when I no longer spend money
on the items that are gradually bringing harm to our family. I am
grateful for the opportunity to cherish myself just a little bit more
and will continue to do so as I become a Guardian of my own Light.
Mama Dragon
No comments:
Post a Comment