Can Deoderant Cause Breast Cancer?

Today's blog isn't necessarily about food or fitness, but about a very popular health subject. Breast Cancer has become a big issue among woman in the recent decades mainly because it's one of the leading causes of death in woman in the U.S.  If you are a female you have a 1 in 4 chance of getting breast cancer.  That's pretty alarming...that means that most likely you or one of your close friends/loved ones will get breast cancer at some point in your life.  The good news is that with all the breast cancer awareness and fund raising groups out there,  lots of research has been done and methods of finding early signs of it and treating it has grown by leaps and bounds. However, the best way to fight breast cancer is to prevent yourself from getting in the first place.

Not all causes of breast cancer are known and you can't 100% prevent yourself from getting it, but by educating yourself on the subject you already have a much better chance of  preventing yourself from getting it, or at least finding it early. One theory that has been floating around for the past decade is that underarm deodorant  and antiperspirants can cause breast cancer. This theory is that it is caused by the aluminum, yes an aluminum bi-product is in deodorant and antiperspirants, that is absorbed into the skin through the armpit. Aluminum causes a spike in estrogen, which is a known to increase the chances of breast cancer. The other suspect product in antiperspirants is parabens, a class of preservative that is found in many beauty products. They have been found to cause tumors, although benign, parabens mimic the action of estrogen.

Much research has been done on this and at this point there is no conclusive evidence linking the deodorant or antiperspirants alone directly to cancer, but what was found is that if a woman shaves her underarms frequently along with wearing antiperspirants than this increases the risk.  I'm guessing it's because of the nicks and small cuts caused by the raiser allowing for the aluminum to be absorbed into the body easier.

So the jury is still out as to if this really is an issue, and we may not find out for some time if it is a cause of cancer.  But to me it makes sense and we all know the FDA has a knack for not telling the whole truth and is mostly controlled  by lobbyist, so I wouldn't put my life in their hands.  So what can you do to make sure your not unnecessarily putting yourself at risk. Well for one you could stop wearing any antiperspirants or deodorant, but I'm sure that's not gonna fly well with the man in your life..or anybody else you are in close quarters with on a regular basis.  Or you can keep everyone happy and  skip antiperspirants all together and buy all natural deodorant.  Brands like Tom's and Burts Bee's are made with natural ingredients and do not contain aluminum bi-products. You can get even more natural products than this it just depends on how much you want to spend since they can range upwards of $20 per stick. For more info on the subject check out these sites below
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/AP-Deo
http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/healthmedical/a/antiperspirants.htm

P.S.  Don't forget that it's also important to get your self a breast exam and screening every so often too.  It can save your life!

Workout accountability partners and fitness goals.

I know most of you have heard of an accountability partner...someone to ask you tough questions on a daily/weekly basis about an area in your life you struggle and are trying to do better at. Most people have them to keep them away from bad habits, but they work just as good to help produce good habits.

Let's face it, the average person needs a little push, sometimes a shove to get their butt motivated to exercise, otherwise we wouldn't need personal trainers. This is also the reason group fitness programs like Bootcamps are so popular.   But not everyone can afford a trainer, or to take a group class, so the next best thing is a workout accountability partner. Brooke and I are each others accountability partner, but it's also part of our jobs to stay in shape, so that helps motivate us too.  However, there are still days when we don't feel like doing anything and all it takes is a little questioning to keep each other motivated. 

A workout accountability partner doesn't have to actually work out with you, or even exercise at all.  Of course it helps a lot more if they do, since they can relate better, but sometimes that's not an option.  This person can be a friend, relative, co-worker, even someone you know from online. That's pretty much how Beachbody's WOWYgym works.  Everyone puts in a workout schedule and then it  pops up when your supposed to be working out. You can even invite people all around the country to do the same workout....Talk about motivation.

  If you struggle with sticking to an exercise schedule, but want to get healthy the best thing you can do is tell other people about it. If possible get someone to actually come workout with you, and it will be a great bonding experience. Trust me people will be excited and want to help you succeed in hitting your fitness goals, and you may end up being their motivation.  Ask them to send you an e-mail or call you every so often to see how it's going and it will make a world of difference. 

So stop beating yourself up for skipping or putting off getting healthy and start telling people about it. It's never too late to start, but always hard to take the first step.