Tamp-loco
Archived from February 01, 2001
Hello friends, family, and internet community,
Back in the olden days of my frosh year of college, a fwd came my way that nicely explained some of the horrors and dangers of tampon usage. I immediately fwded it to everyone I knew.
At the end of the message it gave some phone numbers to call and some brand names of organic tampons and things of that nature, ones that reduced your risk of toxic shock.
As someone concerned with not only the health and safety of myself and women, but also the environment, I thought to myself, hm, wouldn't it be great if we could not just reduce our risk of toxic shock, but how about eliminate it. Not only that, how about reducing waste.
I've found some amazing products that are not simply less dangerous
versions of what is readily on the market, but real and accessible
alternatives. These are some fabulous options that I
STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXPLORE AND SPREAD THE WORD.
1)GLAD RAGS.
These are cotton menstrual pads. If you're living in
Portland, OR you can find them at Natures for about $18.00 for three. I'm
sure they can be found at almost any natural foods/products establishment.
Theycome in many different colors. If you know any pregnant women, this is
ideal for the six weeks of bleeding that comes after having a baby.
Why?
because even "scentless, dye-free" plastic pads have enough traces of
chemical that women will often get yeast infections during that time, glad
rags, and cloth pads in general can eliminate that risk, according to my
ob-gyn. If you'd like to send for some, you can go to:
http://gladrags.com/
PO Box 12648
Portland, OR 97212
1.800.799.4523
2)THE KEEPER.
This is a tampon alternative made of natural rubber. It costs about $35 and lasts at least ten years. There are no trees
destroyed in its manufacture, since rubber is tapped. Furthermore, it doesn't create the dryness that tampons do, and therefore doesn't produce an environment conducive to toxic shock.
When faced with the phrase "reusable tampon" our first reaction might be "that's totally sick," harkening back to our socialization that menstration is a dirty, dirty curse and menstruating is unclean and impure. Ok, that's fine, but give it a chance, if for no other reason than insatiable curiosity.
I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO TO THE WEBSITE. http://www.keeper.com/
There is not only discussion of the product, but other resources, in particular article references regarding health and environmental issues.
email them at: info@keeper.com
I suggest emailing them right now and saying "hi, this is my address, please send me a brochure." Or write them at:
THE KEEPER®, Inc.
P.O. Box 20023, Cincinnati, OH 45220
Information: 1-800-500-0077
To order via Toll-Free
Worldwide Voice Mail: 1-877-AKEEPER, Fax: (513) 221-1464
3.) RE-USABLE, NATURAL SPONGE TAMPON.
I know very little about this product. I saw it one day at the People's Co-op in SE Portland, OR. It is natural sponge, it is $8.00. I would imagine it is very comfortable.
You can order it online at www.gladrags.com
The address of the establishment where I found it is:
People's Food Store Co-op
3029 SE 21st
Portland, OR 97202
4.) THE DIVA CUP
I've never used nor seen this product in person, but it is a silicon version of The Keeper for people who have reactions to rubber/latex.
You can order it online from
http://www.divacup.com/
Or you can do a search and other sites will come up which sell this product.
It is said that tampon and pad companies target young girls who are first
menstruating because the brand a girl starts with is going to be the brand
she sticks with for the duration of her menstruating adult life.
With that philosophy in mind, imagine if the general public were informed of all the options. We could offer our daughters body friendly and earth friendly choices, instead of making them risk their health for corporate pimps.
*** Please pass on this information****
| Posted by Starr at 1:03 AM | >>
