Tampons, Organic, Super, 16 ct

Certified organic cotton
Made without chemicals, rayon, binders, or fillers

By choosing 100% organic cotton tampons, women will prevent themselves from being exposed to dangerous chemicals, pesticides, and synthetics while also helping keeping harmful dioxins out of our waer systems. And since the average woman will us 11,000 tampons in her life, choosing organic can make a huge impact, both for our bodies and our planet.

After years of using tampons, I started becoming aware of all the toxins and contaminates present in regular cotton tampons. Not only is cotton the most pesticide-intensive crop in the US, but conventional cotton is also bleached and therefore contaminated with harmful and carcinogenic dioxins. Many tampons also contain rayon, which is bleached with dioxin-producing chlorine bleach as well. And because the skin on the vulva is the most sensitive in the body, contact with these contaminants can cause irritation, inflammation, discharge and toxic shock syndrome.

I had begun experiencing irritation and discomfort that became heightened after using conventional tampons. I also had to undergo a LEEP procedure, removing pre-cancerous growths, that we were not able to pinpoint the cause of, according to my gynecologist. That is the point when I decided to "go organic", and I've never looked back. The slightly extra expense is well worth it, when I think about the health benefits I have achieved.

By the way, did you know there are currently no regulations requiring tampon manufacturers to list ingredients. How scary!

Here is an excerpt from the article "Welcome to the Cotton Club" by Emma Lindsey, published in The Guardian:

Today our demand for products that are ever-more absorbent yet still small has led to an increase in the use of synthetics in their manufacture. Unless it is stated otherwise, most "Tambrands" (the generic term for Tampax, Playtex et al) and pads, are made from a blend of bleached cotton and/or synthetic products, such as rayon, viscose and plastic - and that is where the trouble lies.

According to Dr Nunns, consultant gynaecologist at Nottingham City Hospital, who recommends his patients change to all-cotton products, the skin of the vulva is the most sensitive on a woman's body and easily irritated by polypropylene, perfume and bleach, common ingredients in sanitary ranges. He says: "All too often, women are sent away with a prescription for Canesten or whatever, as thrush is the easiest thing for a GP to diagnose. They don't have the time or inclination to think beyond that. Most patients report that they aren't even examined."

Irritation from sanitary products can make you miserable, but far more serious is Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). If left untreated, it can kill, and the latest figures suggest that as many as five out of 100,000 menstruating women still experience varying degrees of it.

Dr Philip Tierno, professor of microbiology at New York University Medical School, has spent 23 years doing independent research into TSS and its link to tampons. It boils down to the fact that the toxin that causes TSS grows in the sort of environment created inside the body around a tampon. What goes into a tampon and how long it is left in the body are both major contributing factors.

Dr Tierno has come up with a persuasive argument for going organic. As with other organically grown crops, because non-intensive farming methods are used, there are no pesticide residues to contend with. "The bottom line is that you can get TSS with synthetic tampons but not with an all-cotton tampon," says Dr Tierno. He says there are strict case criteria defining TSS, including a temperature of 102, rash and hypo-tension. However women can have variations on these reactions; a slightly lower temperature, for example, and those symptoms might go unreported because they don't meet the strict definition.

"People think TSS was a health scare of the 80s, that it has gone away, and it's true that manufacturers changed the blends in their tampons and people got educated about the right way to use them. But the problem is coming back as manufacturers start trying to increase the absorbencies of their products." His advice is clear: "Never use tampons if you have ever had TSS. Use all-cotton products, don't use higher absorbencies and don't leave a tampon in for longer than eight hours. Above all, you are the proponent of your own health - do your bit by raising your brand of tampons as a concern with your doctor."

Like many women, as it turns out, I had been feeling increasingly ill at ease with my usual brand of rocket launchers. Although I had used them for years without question, suddenly I felt it was time to start looking at alternatives. Rachel Murray, 29, from Milton Keynes, had similar doubts. She also suffered from soreness, inflammation and discharge, which resulted in repeated visits to her doctor. It got to the point, she says, where she felt like a fraud because nothing seemed to work.

"My GP didn't examine me, but just prescribed thrush creams and pessaries, which didn't help. Finally I was referred to a gynaecologist, who thought the problem might be an allergic reaction to the tampons and pads I'd been using, and gave me the telephone number of a company that makes organic cotton products. After using them, the symptoms cleared up right away. I put a friend who had been having similar problems on to them and she has found her symptoms cleared up too."

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

 

STARS: 5 out of 5 stars for naturalness
COMMENTS: By switching to organic cotton tampons, you will reduce your exposure to carcinogenic dioxins, bleached rayon, pesticides, fillers, and plastics, all of which increase your risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome, irritation, inflammation, discharge, and other complications.

Additionally, using organic cotton porducts helps to keep harmful dioxins from the bleaching process out of our water systems and away from delicate eco-systems.