Last night I was watching the local news about the chemical Triclosan, an active ingredient in a number of consumer products including hand sanitizers, antibacterial soaps, and toothpaste. I knew that using hand sanitizer and antibacterial soaps probably wouldn’t be good as they kill good bacteria too, but I had no idea that Triclosan was being investigated by the FDA, and comes from a pesticide family. Anyhow, I thought to myself, “How did I not know this? I’m really glad they’re doing this report on this. But there are many more stories like this that need to be told?”

Can you think of any underreported health concerns? Have you seen any local news stories on, say, certain carcinogenic fertility suppressants?

Perhaps you saw a little bit in the news some time ago about the FDA’s wrist-slap of a correction on Yaz’s hyperbolic claims of feminine healing? Well, I’m sure once Bayer got wind of it all hitting the fan over two years ago, their team of corporate fixers went to work. Do you think they decided to give up? Maybe they had a change of heart? Since Bayer’s profits off Yaz are not inconsiderable, you guessed it–they retooled the chemistry and yup, the marketing. The FDA decision should have been the canary in the coal mine for pill pushers (and takers) the first time around, so here’s hoping more comes to light.

This great guest post by Hillary Grigg-Spall of Sweetening the Pill Blog on Re: Cycling, the blog of the Society for Menstrual Research, unveiled for me the real sneakiness of these companies. You see,  Beyaz, the new version of Yaz by Bayer, and has a surprise for you–your daily dose of folate, a B Vitamin! Isn’t that nice of them? I’m sure there’s no catch there.

But, wait…Ms. Grigg-Spall has some information to share. Taken from Beyaz’s own web site and some very basic research, she points out some simple facts. The folate, by the company’s own disclosure, “…lowers the risk of having rare neural tube defects in a pregnancy occurring during Beyaz use or shortly after stopping.” Wait. lowers the risk of a birth defect? In the bullet point above, they list its primary function in order to “Prevent pregnancy – 99% effective when taken as directed.” Yet, its secondary function–not even qualified with a “this hardly ever happens” (because we all know pregnancy on the Pill is much more common than 1%) is to yes, help prevent a birth defect while either on the pill or shortly after getting off it. What?

But there’s more. Grigg-Spall reveals,

“A little research reveals folate supplementation has been linked in studies to a decrease in stroke and thrombosis risk – a subtext Bayer could not print without admitting blame and accepting the law suit claims.” (My emphasis.)

And adds,

“The production of pharmaceuticals is a billion dollar industry and it is, unfortunately, necessary to assume moves are made for money and the market and not in the hope of improving the lives of women. The less sick, or deceased women, the less lawsuits, and the more money to be made for Bayer. The creation of Beyaz suggests Bayer cares, and has the interests of women at heart, but essentially it is a cynical ploy to win back the loyalty of the many women who have become suspicious of Yaz, and consequently the Pill as a whole, due on the controversies and, most importantly, their own experiences.” (My emphasis.)

I could not agree more. But the questions running through my mind are (to which I partially know the answers): Why is this not more widely known? Why is the FDA and other supposedly protective agencies so blind to these details? Why hasn’t there been more investigative work on the pharmaceutical industry done? What’s more, why do the myths of the safety of chemical and hormonal contraceptives persist, and why are so many medical professionals (and the people who train them) complicit in perpetuating these myths? Why are the opponents of chemical and hormonal contraception not banding together despite their differences? What can we do to change that?

The obvious answer to the first couple of questions is the dangerous triumvirate of money, ideological sacred cow, and ignorance. But what do you think the answers to the last two questions?

This is not breaking news, but a oldie but goodie article link I didn’t get a chance to post before.

Contraceptives May Double Risk of Stroke.

My favorite line: “benefits [of contraception] still outweigh the risks for most users.” Growing numbers of “most users” would disagree.

A recent article in a Denver weekly by Susan E. Wills, Esq. Unfortunately, the print is a little small, but it’s a good piece. The danger of contraception is not news to me, but one of the top search terms to find my blog consistantly is “dangers of birth control,” so I think it’s news to someone.

 Developed migraines since starting the Pill? Have you had a pesky blood clot go to your lung or brain? Those darn birth control Pills may have been at it again!

I just found this great web site, a feminist support site devoted to educating people on the dangers of the Pill, aptly named “Ditch the Pill.” About the group whose entire non-sectarian goal is to empower women:

DitchThePill.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to the understanding, research and treatment of women’s health concerns caused by the toxic side effects of birth control pills (BCP’s).  It was created in response to what is becoming a growing epidemic of health problems in women over the last 50 years, beginning with the introduction of oral contraceptives.

DitchThePill.org strongly feels that women should have a vital part in managing medical decisions regarding their own health.  Prescription medications, particularly in the form of oral contraceptives, have unknowingly caused an epidemic of health problems in women since the advent of the Pill in the 1960’s.

Have you been told that taking BCP’s are the only way to prevent your family history of ovarian cancer? Oops, that’s not entirely supported anymore.

What’s the alternative, to a hormone-free, pro-fertility, pro-woman approach?

Shockingly (!), I’m going to suggest natural methods of family planning. You’re going to have to go elsewhere from this site to find information on Natural Family Planning (NFP), because, strangely enough, they don’t know all that much about modern NFP. Guess who’s going to give them a call today? Maybe you should too (281-962-4264).

NFP/ Fertility Awareness Resources:

• Secular NFP, or Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)–this is a great book and educationally amazing for women, although it advocates the option of using barrier methods during a woman’s fertile time, which some readers may be opposed to.
• NFP Background info–religious base (same science)

While his views of celibacy were not on par with western Judeo-Christians, Gandhi understood that the Pill is wrought with personal and social poison.