Why Change Anything?

I remember getting a sample of the new feminine pad with “wings”, delivered to my house in the mail. It was a genius marketing campaign, that allowed me to personally try out this revolutionary feminine pad, before they hit the stores. I am not sure why I was so excited? Maybe because a sixteen-year-old is thrilled to get anything addressed to them in the mail. Or maybe it was because my Mom had never used wings on her pads before, and I was cooler than her by trying something radically new.

For thirty years I have used that brand, and that style of pad. From that day forward, I was hooked on that feminine liner, and became a devoted customer. Over the years I am not sure if I ever took the time to analyze my feminine pad. I don’t think I questioned if it was the best product on the market. I guess it just became a habit, and I ritually bought the exact same brand, every month from then on.
Most women buy their feminine products exactly this way. They use a certain brand in those early years, and they stay with it most of their lifetime. Nine times out of ten, that brand is what their mother, older sister, or best friend used. A girl at that age is influenced by someone she knows on which brand to buy, and once she does, she usually stays loyal forever.

So why change? Why switch from a trusted brand you have known for years, to something new? I’ll tell you why…

Studies have shown that “those” brands, (the ones we have been using for years), are making products not so healthy for our bodies. Many of them contain perfumes, bleaches, and astringents to make them smaller, lighter, and cheaper. The majority of disposable products on the market, contain harsh chemicals and unwanted toxins. These by-products get absorbed into the skin and affect our health drastically. To me, that seems like reason enough wouldn’t you think?!
Imagine how great it would be if you could feel better every month. If you could have more energy, avoid getting cramps, and skip feeling moody, crabby and fatigued. If switching your feminine product could improve how you felt, wouldn’t you want that? I used to get the worst cramps. They would have me laying on the couch with a hot water bottle on my abdomen and a cold cloth on my forehead. I would ache and groan, driving my family crazy. I would miss school, miss work and later in life, miss hanging out with my kids. Cramps dominated my month. My husband counted my days so he was prepared, and by five-years-old, my son knew what it meant when mommy said she was having her “woman’s” day.

Fast forward to today. I never get cramps, I never feel moody, and half the time I never have any signal my period is coming, until it just shows up. Gone are ALL my symptoms of pain, hormonal outrage, or crying fits. Also gone is the itch and dryness that came with wearing disposable pads against my skin. I have been using washable liners for five years and those traditional menstrual symptoms have completely disappeared. I attribute it to the fact no chemicals, bleaches, astringents, perfumes or toxins are present in these pads. There is no chemical absorption happening for seven days each month to deplete my system. If you sprayed a Q-tip with perfume and put it against your eye, what would happen? If you put bleach on a cotton ball against your tongue, how would you feel? Yet, we are doing the same sort of thing with our private parts, month after month for hours at a time… no wonder we feel awful.

I was once told a mind stretched by a new idea can not go back to thinking as it once did. As soon as I knew chemicals from disposable pads were leaching into my body, I was ready to change. Once I knew I could feel better if I stopped using them, the choice was easy. I decided my body deserved to feel better. I knew ending horrible menstrual cramps, would be a game-changer in my life. I figured out it wasn’t normal for my body to absorb chemicals for seven days every month, and that HAD to be affecting my well-being. As soon as I knew all that…I had to make a change, and the change was easy. Convenience meant nothing, because my health was more important. Habit was gone because feeling better ruled my actions. Washing my pads was simple if it resulted in me loving my life, and feeling great throughout my entire period. I decided to change, and I am so happy I did it.