DEA in your TLCToday's post is about health. I know I don't usually write things about physical or practical health so much as I do spiritual or mental health, but recently I've taken light to a new trend of healthy and natural cosmetic/hygiene products. I used to think that this whole movement was a bit of a fad designed to make women pay more for their makeup remover just because, but I've learned that actually, governing agents that claim to filter out 'unsafe products' don't do their job as well as we'd hope they do. Articles like this by Traci Pedersen give insight into how dangerous unnatural products can be for women especially, whose hormonal circuits are highly delicate and complex. Various writers, medical professionals, naturopaths, and experienced women all over the world have testified to how cunning parabens can be for the body, and the very presence of formaldehyde or other DEA products should make you cringe upon hearing about them. The sad truth? such compounds find themselves in the majority of any and every cosmetic or hygiene product you use on a day-to-day basis. Look at your conditioner, look at the products in your skincare routine, look at your deodorant! What's so sad about the 'dirtiness' of all of these products is that they are usually used on intimate or sensitive places like your underarms, which provide a direct route into your endocrine system. To find a full length list of chemicals and additives to look out for in your hygiene products, see this article by the David Suzuki Foundation. self-care... or so you thought.I think the most startling discovery about all of this to me was the high impact that all of this hormone disruption by health products has on my anxiety and emotional state. These endocrine disruptors literally trick your body into thinking that it has already supplied a necessary hormone that it actually has not, all because of how these chemicals enter into your body and bind to cells where hormones should. This small replacement strategy has a huge impact on your body's regulation, and if we're not careful about the products we use, we can have an increased percentage of being diagnosed with a form of cancer, a reduced libido, drastic mood swings, and other bodily stress reactions. All this to say, using the wrong kind of deodorant for too long can actually play a negative role in your quality of life. For me, this was huge because I struggle with anxiety and a mood disorder. My mind is under constant attack from disaster-causing chemicals that do nothing more than screw up my brain chemistry. From a Biblical Perspective Besides the fact that these death machines of 'health products' are not as good for you as they claim, I also thought it important to look at this issue from a biblical perspective. Everyone knows the 1 Corinthians chapter 6 passage that talks about your body being a temple that God paid a high price for, that we should take care of our bodies in that respect; but do we really take it seriously? especially when the "health" of what goes into our bodies is ambiguous? As I've been pondering all of this, I just keep coming to the same conclusion over and over again, which is that not only am I supposed to respect and care for the body that was provided to me, but also that if my moods are out of whack or I'm constantly getting sick, I can't work towards growing the kingdom or representing the love of Jesus nearly as effectively. If I continue to walk around representing heightened anxiety, ridiculous mood swings, and no consistency whatsoever, I'll have a much more difficult time acting out God's love on the people around me. People will more often be concerned with my sickness than with the good news I have to bare. to concludeTherefore, I'm making the decision to trade out all of the hygiene products I own for more natural and healthy alternatives. My old deodorant irritated my skin badly, and looking at its ingredient list I can see why; so I think that's where I'll start. I also think this 'wardrobe change' will help me focus more on self-care. I tend to neglect caring for myself, which is something I've struggled with for years; but with more active focus on health, I might be more often reminded of the importance of investing in myself.
Besides, you can only get out what you put in. I'll be posting occasionally on what products and methods I discover to be holistic. If you have tips or questions, don't hesitate to comment!
1 Comment
10/4/2019 05:35:12 am
Sorry it took so long for me to post a comment about this, Rebekah. I liked this blog post and I really appreciated the section that explains the connection between our physical health and our Christian witness - we need to take care of our bodies so that we can be the best possible vessel for God's love and word and share them with everyone around us. Hope you have found that the changes you've made have resulted in even a small difference. Thank you again for your wonderful writings.
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