Oh crap, I promised that whole thing on HIIT training was going to be my longest post and I totally broke that promise. I discovered some serious info here and I just needed to share it. Please forgive me!
In keeping with the theme of Oral Hygiene with last week’s post on oil pulling, I figured I would follow up with a chat about that toothpaste you are using.
Uh oh, she’s going to chirp about that fluoride isn’t she? Actually, no. This is a seriously debated topic and I don’t want to start a fluoride war. As of right now, I have no opinion on Fluoride. If you happen to have an opinion, I would love to hear it, but please be so kind as to provide sources that you used to form that opinion so that I can use it to educate myself! I genuinely want to learn more and reach a consensus. Information is power so share what you have! 😁
Anyway, I have another issue with commercial toothpaste that has nothing to do with fluoride. There is other stuff in there that we should be way more concerned about. Some people say Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Glycerin are the bullies. I did some investigating and, to be honest, I didn’t really find anything THAT bad about SLS. The well known issue with SLS is the fact that it is a skin irritant and it doesn’t even bother everyone. As far as Glycerin, I literally found nothing concrete or even suggestive. So don’t go giving up your usual stuff on account of those two. HOWEVER, big however here. There is another ingredient that made the alarm bells go off and there is (and I am going to sound like a geeky yuppy hipster for a sec) strong scientific evidence for the negative effects of this stuff. This big bully is called Triclosan.
So Triclosan is the ingredient in toothpaste used to prevent gingivitis. That is because it is antimicrobial, sort of. One of the early complaints was that it was causing antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria to emerge. Thats a problem. Bacteria is no Joke. We need to be able to rely on antibiotics. Antibiotic Resistant bacteria are ALREADY a problem, we do not need to make this problem even bigger.
Effects on hormones:
The biggest impact that Triclosan has on the human body is with our hormonal systems. Triclosan is really similar to Thyroid hormone and tricks the body into thinking there is enough so it will start producing less. Of course just because it looks like it, doesn’t mean it acts like it. Thyroid hormone is responsible for SO MANY things in our bodies. Women who have high amounts of Triclosan in their urine have beens shown to have babies with a lower birth weight and smaller features all together. We need thyroid hormone during pregnancy ladies!
Here’s another big problem. Triclosan also interferes with the break down of estrogen into an inactive form, so in other words, is elevates estrogen. NOT GOOD. Triclosan has been shown to stimulate the growth of ovarian cancer cells. It is now being lumped together with a new category of chemicals called “Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals” or EDCs. Parabens are also in this club. Triclosan inadvertently suppresses progesterone, the happy hormone that also maintains pregnancy. It also lowers HcG, you know that hormone that appears when you are pregnant. This is critical information folks. Triclosan is everywhere. The implications of these findings can be devastating. Is it not obvious?
Lets go in the other direction and talk about fertility: Have you noticed how many people are having fertility issues? I am not saying that Triclosan is the cause but there is evidence straight from the brains showing the correlation between infertility and Triclosan levels in the blood. The younger and leaner the woman, the more severe the infertility issue was when compared to the levels of Triclosan. This is crazy people. We need cant ignore this!
Do you want me to blow your mind even more??? Even the FDA does not deny these claims! They know its not great stuff. I do not know why they keep it on the market, but perhaps one of the reasons they get away with it is the fact that it prevents gingivitis. UHHHHHHHH I’ll take a little gingivitis over cancer, thanks. PLUS there ain’t no gingivitis in my Oil Pulling friends. Go back and read that post if you are interested in a natural way to keep that mouth free from bacteria.
Anyway, I’ll just go ahead and jump off my soap box and hop on another one. Here is where I jump in with your safe alternatives.
You can make your own toothpaste by mixing coconut oil and backing soda together. You can also throw in some bentonite clay, drop in some pepper mint, and call it a day. I am going to be honest, its pretty rough. I hated using homemade toothpaste. I eventually ditched it. Plus its more crap you have to remember to spit into the garbage and not down the drain. I’ve got enough to worry about. If you don’t mind spitting into the garbage (now you are up to three times a day if you are oil pulling and brushing your teeth at least twice a day) and dealing with the crazy weird texture and lack of foam. Personally, I found a toothpaste I love that is totally natural and free from all that, pardon my language, shit. An added bonus is that it is infused with my FAVORITE essential oil, Thieves. Go back to my thieves post to learn why its so amazing.
There are a couple different kinds of thieves toothpaste but they are all good. Ive tried most of them. Right now this is the one I use and I am loving it.
Careful with the other natural brands of toothpaste. Read your labels before you purchase. Sometimes they sneak things in there. I stick with my Thieves one because most of the time I have enough points racked up to get it for free, and there isn’t anything cheaper than free.
You can follow this link if you are itching to get the thieves stuff. I am always happy to welcome people to joint me on the dark side 😜 I am so passionate about this company’s products that I would prefer to sing from the roof top, however I am pretty sure I would then be responsible for a zombie apocalypse. So for now, I will just keep writing and sharing what I can and hope that someone will benefit from the information.
Have a Happy Swap It Sunday 🤗
PS: if you want to know what other products contain Triclosan, you can follow this link to the Environmental Working Group’s databse: