It’s Pinktober!

October 1st...Welcome to Pinktober! The month where everything is sporting pink...from buckets of chicken to football players.

Pink ribbons are usually used to support awareness of breast cancer. Think about your people. Chances are you know someone who has it, or you yourself are a survivor or are currently fighting it. 

Every 4 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, and every 13 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer. 

Y'all, this is NOT ok.

Companies that plaster pink ribbons and have cancer-causing ingredients knowingly in their products claim to be "for the cure."  Why don't we focus on prevention in the first place, especially since the majority of cancers are caused by environmental and lifestyle factors?!

This is beyond irritating, frustrating, and disgusting!!! Cognitive dissonance at it's finest. Every dollar you spend on these items supporting "the cause" creates the demand and goes to continuing the cycle.

So what exactly IS Pinkwashing? Breast Cancer Action coined the term pinkwashing as part of their Think Before You Pink® campaign. 

Pinkwashing: supporting the pink ribbon cause or promoting a pink ribbon product while producing, manufacturing, and/or selling products linked to disease. In recent years the term has expanded to include any company or organization that exploits the breast cancer cause to make money.

Examples of Pinkwashing: 

- KFC teaming up with Susan G. Komen & selling pink buckets of chicken. Saturated fat can lead to cancer and that high fat consumption in teen girls increases the risk of breast cancer. Ironically, Susan G. Komen's own website points this out! 

-Cambell's soup cans adorned with pink ribbons. The cans are lined with BPA, a chemical KNOWN to change the mammary tissue and structure. BPA mimics estrogen and disrupts the hormones in the body. 

-Cosmetics. Many cosmetic companies will slap a pink ribbon on their jar and/or partner with a cancer-research company, like, Susan G. Komen. Majority of these products are loaded with parabens, toluene, petroleum products and more, which are all linked to breast cancer. 

Here's some quick info on two ingredients EVERYONE should avoid like the plague!

PARABENS 

They are found in 99% of breast cancer tumor tissue samples. Look for the following on your labels:

-- propylparaben

-- methylparaben

-- butylparaben

-- ethylparaben

-- isobutylparaben

You will find these preservatives in everything from sunscreen to moisturizers to chapsticks to shampoo. They can actually interfere with the effectiveness of cancer drugs, like tamoxifen (California Pacific Medical Center 2011 study.) A total double whammy.

Another ingredient to avoid: ALUMINUM, which has also been found in breast cancer tissue and is the active ingredient in antiperspirants. Even 'natural' deodorants claiming to be aluminum free usually contain alum, aka potassium aluminum sulfate. Aluminum is aluminum. Have a teen or tween? Get them started on nontoxic deodorant young. You don't want their delicate systems absorbing these toxins especially in those fast-growing bodies. They are bio-accumulative, meaning they are stored in your fat cells. (And I don't know about you, but I have plenty of those!)

Did you know that ingredients in your deodorant have been directly linked to Breast Cancer??? Parabens, fragrance, and aluminum are the trifecta of toxicness and we apply it in an area which absorbs almost 100% of what we put there!!!! Simply switching this ONE SINGLE PRODUCT goes a long way to lowering your body's toxic burden and decreasing your risk.

Education and avoidance of cancer causing food additives and chemicals found in our personal care products is the key to lowering the alarmingly rising rate of cancer in our country. Not buying a box of pink Tic-Tacs.

Breast cancer charities raise an estimated $6 BILLION each year. However, only about 16% of that is spent on research of the disease. That means the other $5 billion is being funneled into other areas, including marketing and more pink products!!!

Before you purchase something pink this month make sure you are purchasing from a company that does not include cancer-causing chemicals. Research how much of the money raised is really going towards a cure - not just AWARENESS. We are well aware, what we need is PREVENTION!

Action, research and giving are all important, too. So I challenge you to think before you pink. These 4 quick questions will help you decide if a product is worth your money: http://thinkbeforeyoupink.org/site-content/uploads/2012/03/Share-Critical-Questions.pdf

*This is a great quick read and the questions will help you decide if you really need that product... especially if it’s not preventing cancer but CAUSING it!

Remember, we VOTE WITH OUR DOLLARS! Who and what are you supporting when you shop?

My motivation is educating you to BE the prevention, while they find the cure. Join me in pushing back on those companies. I can help you escape the pinkwashing this month (and all year long!)

Ready to join the movement?

**If you are looking to support an organization this is a great one to support! BCPP is working to prevent breast cancer by eliminating exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation (www.BCPP.org)