Dear Health Conscious Reader,
Your body is exposed to aluminum every day.
Why is this something I want you to be aware of?
Long-term exposure to aluminum can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 60%.1
Absorbing any amount of aluminum is harmful. But the way it gets in your body makes a difference.
Aluminum enters your body when you breathe, eat, or drink. But only a fraction is absorbed by your body this way, because your lungs, stomach, and kidneys work together and eliminate over 95% of ingested aluminum.
But aluminum applied to your skin can build up to toxic levels. One of the most common ways this happens is through something most of us do every day.
It happens when you put on antiperspirant.
Aluminum is a major ingredient in most name-brand antiperspirants. And while you may apply only a small amount of antiperspirant to your skin, using it day after day can result in chronic exposure to aluminum. And this can lead to Alzheimer’s.
I came across an interesting study showing that you will retain 40% of aluminum that bypasses your body’s natural elimination pathways like the kidneys.2
And evidence shows that aluminum stays in the body for 15 days after using an antiperspirant.3
It is now clear that long-term exposure to aluminum in the brain can cause not only neurological disorders, but real neurodegenerative damage.4,5
In 2003 the FDA published a study concluding that antiperspirants were safe. Don’t let the FDA give you a false sense of security. There’s an established link between aluminum intake and Alzheimer’s – contrary to what the FDA implies.
Most commercial antiperspirants contain aluminum, and that’s why I don’t use them. What I think most of us want is to make sure we smell fresh and natural.
Here are three alternatives I use:
- Baking soda and water: Mix one half teaspoon of baking soda with water and apply to your underarm area. Baking soda can neutralize the bacteria that causes odor. One application can last up to 24 hours.
- Rock crystal salts: These salts are effective at stopping odor for as much as two full days. You want to make sure you get the ones that are completely natural and made from mineral salts. These kind are not absorbed by the skin which prevents toxins from accumulating. They also allow your body to sweat out the normal toxins that are already in your body.
- Natural alternatives made with essential oils: Many of my patients use these. Try and find ones that use natural oils from plants. You can also make these yourself at home if you prefer. Just mix some of your favorite oils with a small amount of alcohol. You can then put the mixture in an old perfume bottle and use it as a spray. There are many oils you can choose from including cypress, lavender, or orange blossom. Some of the most popular natural antiperspirants on the market also use melted beeswax and cocoa butter in their stick products. These are gentle on the skin and can mask body odor for a full day.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
- Jansson, Erik T. “Aluminum Exposure and Alzheimer’s Disease.” Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 3 (2001): 541-549. 9 Jan. 2008.
- Brown RO, Morgan LM, Bhattacharya SK, Johnson PL, Minard G, Dickerson RN. “Potential aluminum exposure from parenteral nutrition in patients with acute kidney injury.” Ann Pharmacother. 42(10):1410-5. Oct, 2008.
- Rodella LF, Ricci F, Borsani E, Stacchiotti A, Foglio E, Favero G, Rezzani R, Mariani C, Bianchi R. “Aluminium exposure induces Alzheimer’s disease-like histopathological alterations in mouse brain.” Histol Histopathol. 433-9. 23 Apr. 2008.
- Flarend, R, T Bin, D Elmore, and S L. Hemb. “A Preliminary Study of the Dermal Absorption of Aluminum From Antiperspirants Using Aluminium-26.” Food and Chemical Toxicology 39 (2001): 163-168. 22 Jan. 2008.
- Exley, C, and M M. Esiri. “Severe Cerebral Cognophilic Angiopathy Coincident with Increased Brain Aluminium in a Resident of Camelford, Cornwall, UK.” Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 77 (2006): 877-879. 18 Jan. 2008.