• Could the underarm deodorant you’re using be linked to Alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer?
• Could the mouthwash you use be linked to oral/throat cancer?
• Could you be rubbing antifreeze and/or brake fluid all over you and your children without you even knowing it?

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You!

Take a look at the ingredients on the back of those lotions, moisturizers, hair conditioners, wrinkle creams, or baby wipes. Just about everybody has at least one of these five products in their homes. If you check the back of the label of those products just mentioned, most likely you will find an ingredient called Propylene Glycol. Did you know that you can find this same ingredient in the back of a container of prestone antifreeze.

That ingredient has been proven to cause kidney and liver damage once it’s absorbed into the bloodstream.Next, take a look in the back of a label of a bottle of shampoo, or a tube of toothpaste. Most likely, you will find something called Sodium Lauryl or Laureth Sulfate (SLS or SLES) which are found in engine degreasers and garage floor cleaners. Once these lethal ingredients are absorbed into the bloodstream, studies have shown that they can cause abnormal development of children eyes, cataracts, and even hair loss! That’s something I never knew and really surprised me!

This Information Is Not Meant To Scare You, But To Inform You

This information wasn’t given to you to scare you, but to help you make a wise decision about your health and your families as well when it comes to personal care products. Scientists say that long term exposure to ingredients such as Sodium Lauryl or Laureth Sulfate (SLS or SLES) could start to build up on your liver, kidneys, and many other vital organs and tissues, which could eventually lead to cancer. The government knew that these ingredients were being added to these personal care products and didn’t do anything about it.

Women Should Get Mammograms Before Age 50

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. women (other than skin cancer). A mammogram is an x-ray of the breasts that is used to help detect breast cancer in its early stages, before a lump can be felt.

In 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that women in their 40s should NOT get routine mammograms, which was a departure from other health agencies, which typically recommend screening begin at age 40.

Now, a new study once again recommends initiating mammograms before age 50, citing their findings that unscreened women accounted for 71 percent of breast cancer deaths over an 18-year period. They also noted that median age at diagnosis of fatal breast cancers was 49 years, compared with 72 years for women who died of other causes.

In all, the researchers found that more than two-thirds of breast cancer deaths occurred in younger women who had not received mammograms or those with two or more years between screenings.

“Our findings suggest decreasing the intensity of efforts to screen women older than 69 years while concomitantly emphasizing efforts to screening young women in particular,” the researchers said.

When is Mammogram Screening Right for You?

This is a personal decision that you should discuss with your doctor, taking into account your breast cancer risk factors and age. Because all x-rays expose you to radiation, there has been some concern that regular mammograms may actually increase your risk of radiation-induced cancer. This is a real risk, albeit most likely a relatively small one.

One unrelated study found, for instance, that annual mammography screening of 100,000 women from age 40-55, and biennial screening after that to age 74, would result in 86 radiation-induced cancers, including 11 fatal cancers, and 136 life years lost. They estimated that in the same group, 497 lives and 10,670 life years would be saved by earlier detection.

Keep in mind, too, that mammograms are only one type of screening that are important for women. You can learn about the most important health screenings for women depending on your age here.