It recently came to light that there is a belief, among some members of the Springs community, that drinking the fluids of sanitary goods or ingesting the insides of sanitary towels detoxes the body, pulling out all the toxins.
This practise is, however, far from healthy.
The procedure was demonstrated by putting a small amount of water on the blue or coloured part of the towel (pictured) until it becomes a gel-like mixture.
This is then eaten by people believing it will cleanse them.
According to www.livestrong.com and ladyanionsanitarynapkins.weebly.com, there are a few harmful toxins in this product including Dioxin.
Dioxin is linked with the following effects in the body:
- Endometriosis,
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease,
- Breast cancer and Ovarian cancer,
- Birth defects in offspring,
- Immune system damage,
- Hormone dysfunction,
- Miscarriage,
- Impaired fertility,
- Lowered concentration ability,
- Diabetes, and
- Impaired thyroid function
House Resolution (HR) 890, the Tampon Safety and Research Act of 1999, reported that Dioxin is a by product of chlorine-beaching processes used in the manufacture of paper products, including tampons, sanitary pads and panty liners.
Because this is such a rare occurrence many local doctors could not provide information on short notice.
However, the Addie was able to get comment from a local Springs doctor, Dr Wiets Steyn Jr, who says Dioxin causes a hormonal imbalance and is highly toxic.
He adds that this toxin can cause various types of cancers and damage the immune system of the person taking this gel-like mixture on a daily basis.
However, he was unable to elaborate fully because he did not have time to study the symptoms and ingredients in-depth.
