Fibroids Linked to Relaxers?

[myoung]

Thanks for the info firecracker. I guess I assume that fibroids are hereditary and have little to do with what you use on your body.

IMO it's also not about being defensive about relaxers. It's about educating each other. Some may read this info and assume everyone who uses relaxers will be doomed to suffer from fibroids.

I don't that anyone will make that assumption but it is always beneficial to discuss the possible risk factors with anything.

 

[Sugar]

OP there are at least 2 other threads that I've seen posted in the Hair Care Discussion forum about this very same topic. One of them was actually closed. So that is probs why some ppl feel like this is beating a dead horse but u obvs didnt come across them and some others didnt either I guess.

What annoys me is that the authors of these articles seem to to be writing without all the facts. The study 'linking' relaxers to fibroids is completely seperate from one talking about early puberty in girls. The researchers also concluded they didnt have enough evidence to support their hypothesis and further research needed to be done. So idk where the 2-3x more likely to get fibroids came from. And lastly the link is not based on sodium/calcium hydroxide like many of us would've guessed but some other additive usually disguised as 'fragrance' that can be found in other things we use regularly apprently.

Fragrance???? As in a chemical that could be in any cosmetic product? Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I'm sure that was overlooked by many people.

 

[RainyDaze]

I have fibroids, as does my mother. I have heavy/painful menstrual periods and history of anemia. I know they are hereditary for the most part. I have no clue why black women are more prone to getting them, though.

 

[Supergirl]

ITA, thanks Supergirl. I'm sorry you have fibroids....oh, man

I have read where there are white women who get relaxers because of their curly hair. I also wonder if the permanent chemicals that they use to get curls on their straight hair could be a factor.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hair-relaxers-for-white-people.html

Even though we don't know what causes them, the fact is that they are here in women and they are here in record numbers. The women are getting younger and younger too who get these fibroids.

I'm grateful that I am in menopausal state now so that they are going away....thank the Lord! I surely didn't want surgery again

Thank you. To my knowledge, my fibroids are just kind of there but not causing any major issues, praise God. My periods aren't heavy or painful and the fibroids didn't cause any fertility or pregnancy problems except that i always measured larger during pregnancy.

^ That makes perfect sense and is partially why I give this article side-eye.
Fibroids are more common in black women anyway, and then when you consider that more black women relax than are natural, no duh you're gonna get higher rates of relaxed black women with fibroids than natural black women with fibroids. The odds are higher just by virtue of the sample size being bigger.

And I've also noticed that the majority of my friends who have gone natural have turned it into a whole body thing, where they also stop eating processed foods and such. I'm not sure if that's common, but it makes sense, since if you don't want unnatural chemicals in your hair, you shouldn't want them in your body either.

I bet you money that they didn't look at the differences in the way that these women eat or their living situations as well as how they treat their hair.

Love what you said. You're right. More black women with relaxers + black women with fibroids = more black women with relaxers AND fibroids. They seem to have found a correlation but not causation.

 

[beloved1bx]

Sugar yes, I posted the actual name of the ingredient in one of the other threads about this same topic. I can't remember it right now (has a funny/difficult spelling) and i'm on my phone (which is new and i can barely use, LoL) so i'm not going to look for it right now. I also posted a link in a diff thread so that people can read the original research paper in its entirety but i don't think anyone did.

 

[Sugar]

Sugar yes, I posted the actual name of the ingredient in one of the other threads about this same topic. I can't remember it right now (has a funny/difficult spelling) and i'm on my phone (which is new and i can barely use, LoL) so i'm not going to look for it right now. I also posted a link in a diff thread so that people can read the original research paper in its entirety but i don't think anyone did.

Thanks...I'm going to go search for the other threads.

 

[CurlyMoo]

My step-mother had fibroids and my sister has fibroids. Both have/are seeing the same herbalist to get rid of them. My step-mother is now fibroid free and had been without a relaxer for years and is a vegitarian. My sister hasn't relaxed in years, but does flat iron and had a poor diet. With this herbalist she has a better diet and her fibroids are disappearing.

This is a very helpful article because the chemicals in relaxers are strong and there is no telling what effect those chemicals have on the body. However, based on what I've seen fibroids start to disappear when there is a change in diet. There are foods that actually encourage fibroids and there are foods that kill fibroids.

I'm thanking OP for putting Fibroids on the front burner. It's a serious issue with Black women and many are having surgeries to take out their uterus. The medical profession is not trying to find a cure but take advantage of the situation and getting rich!

 

[Solitude]

damn, people are defensive about their relaxers

No, some of us black women are tired of reading article after negative article, many of which are baseless or poorly researched like this one. I watched my mother suffer with severe, large fibroids for 10 years before she opted for a hysterectomy and accepted that she would never bear more children. Her hair was natural.

Articles like these are distractions that aim to make it look like black women are hurting themselves with chemicals when, in fact, there is very little evidence linking relaxers to any major health problems. I'm all for relaxing, but I am currently transitioning, so there is no great love for relaxers influencing my commentary in this thread or the last one. I believe in a focus on overall health.

 

[Kurlee]

No, some of us black women are tired of reading article after negative article, many of which are baseless or poorly researched like this one. I watched my mother suffer with severe, large fibroids for 10 years before she opted for a hysterectomy and accepted that she would never bear more children. Her hair was natural.

Articles like these are distractions that aim to make it look like black women are hurting themselves with chemicals when, in fact, there is very little evidence linking relaxers to any major health problems. I'm all for relaxing, but I am currently transitioning, so there is no great love for relaxers influencing my commentary in this thread or the last one. I believe in a focus on overall health.

Well it seems like it. I don't have anything against relaxers. used to have one and wear my hair straight sometimes. I think "shutting up" about potential health risks is dangerous though. People need to have information to make informed decisions.

 

[JerriBlank]

bronzebomb , I wanna see your fibroids too.

 

[myoung]

Well it seems like it. I don't have anything against relaxers. used to have one and wear my hair straight sometimes. I think "shutting up" about potential health risks is dangerous though. People need to have information to make informed decisions.

Knowledge and information is the only intent that I took from this article. I had major problems with Fibroids most of my life. I had surgery and they grew back and then last year I finally got rid of them for good.

I had been relaxed for a long time but I truly believe that the problems with the fibroids stemmed from diet and stress. However, while I was suffering from them, any little bit of information and research that I could get was welcomed. I then decided what to or not to believe.

Thanks OP

 

[KiWiStyle]

Both my sisters just had surgeries two weeks apart in the month of February to remove fibroid tumors. Sister #1 decided to have her uterus removed and sister #2 had nine fibroid tumors removed and has since has decided to go all natural because of the link to black women and the use of relaxers and fibroid tumors. BTW, sister #2 is also a hair stylist with the greatest amount of exposure to the creamy crack chemical. Go figure ladies...just saying it's nice to be informed of these types of things. I'm going to get my self checked out because I know I have fibroids, the dr. told me so when I had my ultrasound when I was pregnant with my last child almost 10 years ago. They may have grown significantly but I too am slowly weening myself off relaxers but mostly because I want healthier, thicker hair. Relaxers are awful on my fine/4b hair. Thanks OP for posting this.

 

[topnotch1010]

No, some of us black women are tired of reading article after negative article, many of which are baseless or poorly researched like this one. I watched my mother suffer with severe, large fibroids for 10 years before she opted for a hysterectomy and accepted that she would never bear more children. Her hair was natural.

Articles like these are distractions that aim to make it look like black women are hurting themselves with chemicals when, in fact, there is very little evidence linking relaxers to any major health problems. I'm all for relaxing, but I am currently transitioning, so there is no great love for relaxers influencing my commentary in this thread or the last one. I believe in a focus on overall health.

Solitude, very well said. It summed up everything I was thinking. I can almost guarantee diet is the #1 factor in fibroids, not relaxers.


at this article being posted a third time.

 

[Kurlee]

Knowledge and information is the only intent that I took from this article. I had major problems with Fibroids most of my life. I had surgery and they grew back and then last year I finally got rid of them for good.

I had been relaxed for a long time but I truly believe that the problems with the fibroids stemmed from diet and stress. However, while I was suffering from them, any little bit of information and research that I could get was welcomed. I then decided what to or not to believe.

Thanks OP

Wow, it would be interesting to see what some of the chemicals we are exposed to are doing to our bodies. There is definitely an effect, but it's not well researched and consumers are not informed. Look at what we are finding out about our food, our juices and BKT; I'm sure there is some type of cumulative effect with relaxers and other hair products.

 

[Aireen]

What is with these threads lately?! I swear this is like the third time this has been posted. It's good to have the information out there but dang it's getting overbearing and depressing.

 

[Nice & Wavy]

Look....for all the people who don't like the fact that I put this thread here, you don't have to read it. It's that simple.

I WANTED TO PUT IT HERE WITH MY OWN WORDS IN IT....ok

Geez, some of you think that you are the "how many times someone can actually put a thread out there" police

It's going to be alright. As you can see, some people WANT to be informed about it. If there were other threads posted, apparently it wasn't seen, so what's the point with the beating of horses and what not?

E'rbody paid their six-fifty to be on this sight. I've been here since the beginning of 2006. I KNOW HOW TO USE THE SEARCH ENGINE, thank you very much. If I want to go and make more threads....I can...I'm getting a hotflash, so don't get me started cause I might just do that...I'm just saying

Some people just love drama....gosh, I forgot this is the hair forum

I'm laughing cause it's so funny to me....lmbo.

Anyhoo....thank you to all of the people who appreciate the fact that I put the information here. Whether it cause fibroids or not, its good to be able to think about it, at least....one never knows.

Have a great night, ladies.

 

[Nice & Wavy]

I appreciate information like this. I have relaxed in the past and I do have fibroids. Whether relaxers were a factor, who knows? When it comes to fibroids there are lots of contributing factors.

But as a person who is very conscious of her health, I like to be informed of what could possibly cause potiential harm to my health, be it now or decades from now.

Also, I've always wondered why African American are more likely than any other race of women to get these tumors.

@ the bolded, I do too, HoneyComb. I love learning, even if its goes against the grain, you can always learn something...chew the meat and spit out the bones!

One thing that I have read across in my research of fibroids, no matter what the source, is that African American women come out on top (and not in a good way) in regards to having them or being diagnosised with them.

You are so right about this!

Don't speak too soon. I didn't have them til now. Hell I'm two steps away from 50.

I know so many women young and old that suffer from them some knowingly and some unknowingly. My daughter more than likely has them slowly growing inside her with her heavy heavy long painful cycle and she is anemic. Symptoms vary among women also.

I wouldn't wish this labor like pain etc on nobody. Its just a very common thing for us for some reason.

Yup, I wasn't diagnosed until I was 40....no one else in my family had them....my great-grandmother, grandmother, mother...never relaxed, they didn't have to relax. I didn't have to relax either, but I was going along with everyone else and wanted that straight hair, cause my hair is so curly, it doesn't stay straight. I relaxed for years and although I stopped relaxing since the end of 2005, I still deal with the problem, however....it's getting better because of the change I'm going through now....yayyyy!

I relax my hair periodically throughout the year and I personally don't find this article offensive. I am into health issues so I can look at this with an objective lens without getting touchy about it.

I would like to see more experimental studies on the topic that can help to support the assertions made in the article. It has been suggested that hormonal imbalance or overabundance over certain hormones could lead to fibroids. Could relaxers alter the hormonal chemistry of our body. Sure, but only for a very brief period. Most people do not leave relaxers on their hair long enough or do them frequently enough for this to have a huge contributing factor to fibroids developing. I think that the foods and beverages we consume have more of an affect on hormonal fluctuations then relaxers.

I don't know though. Be interesting to see other studies done on what could contribute to the development of fibroids.

Thank you and I too want to see other studies. I tell you, I never thought about it until this article

I am on my 2nd natural hair journey and haven't been relaxed in about a year. I am still interested in the topic because this isn't just about relaxing to me, it's about what I should and shouldn't be putting on my skin. I've been researching this topic, just out of curiosity. Here is a bit from an article I've read:

Beyond the fact that skin can absorb chemicals is the danger those chemicals pose in the body. Many experts agree that absorption through the skin is more dangerous than through the mouth. Substances absorbed into the digestive system go through the kidneys and the liver where enzymes break them down and often detoxify them, whereas substances absorbed through the skin go through no such process. “Chemicals taken in by the mouth are absorbed by the intestines and pass into venous blood, which is taken to the liver,” Epstein says. “Carcinogens absorbed through the skin bypass the liver and enter blood circulation without this protection.”

http://cincovidas.com/toxic-alert-skin-can-absorb-what-we-apply-to-it—including-cosmetic-chemicals/

I keep looking for information on how fast chemicals are absorbed into our skin, but it's difficult because the speed depends on the chemical in question. I also keep coming back to "if you rub a garlic clove on the bottom of your foot, you can taste it in your mouth 15 minutes later." Anyone care to test this theory? LOL What I have read is that areas of the body with many hair follicles will absorb what you put on it faster than areas without as many hair follicles. Sounds rational, yes?


Okay, so defenses down ladies, no one is judging your choice to relax. Your relaxer doesn't potentially give ME fibroids, you can do whatever you like to your body, but many of us WANT this information and will continue to beat this dead horse because we like to speculate. If you've participated in an older thread and included your 2 cents there feel free to not comment on this new thread then. I hope everyone is confident in the choices they are making in regards to their health and hair so that 1. Relaxed Heads don't take this article as a personal attack on them and 2. Natural Hair Nazis don't use this article as a tool to berate women who choose to relax. Live and let live, y'all.

Can't we all just get along? LOL

Thank you, thank you! Good information shared!

But those three threads WERE posted on the hair forum. Whatever happened to doing a search before posting a topic? Especially if the topic was posted about multiple times within a month?

What is wrong with ya'll? I said that I did do a search and it didn't come up so if they WERE posted, I would have seen it and MAYBE NOT put it here, but it's here now, so relax.

My step-mother had fibroids and my sister has fibroids. Both have/are seeing the same herbalist to get rid of them. My step-mother is now fibroid free and had been without a relaxer for years and is a vegitarian. My sister hasn't relaxed in years, but does flat iron and had a poor diet. With this herbalist she has a better diet and her fibroids are disappearing.

This is a very helpful article because the chemicals in relaxers are strong and there is no telling what effect those chemicals have on the body. However, based on what I've seen fibroids start to disappear when there is a change in diet. There are foods that actually encourage fibroids and there are foods that kill fibroids.

I'm thanking OP for putting Fibroids on the front burner. It's a serious issue with Black women and many are having surgeries to take out their uterus. The medical profession is not trying to find a cure but take advantage of the situation and getting rich!

Thank you for sharing!

Well it seems like it. I don't have anything against relaxers. used to have one and wear my hair straight sometimes. I think "shutting up" about potential health risks is dangerous though. People need to have information to make informed decisions.

ITA with you...thank you!

 

[Nice & Wavy]

Ok.....after doing ANOTHER search, I finally found the 2 threads that apparently were posted about this topic.

First of all, it was not found that easily and one thread had to be closed.

What in the world......

I have been posting too long for my little ole thread to be closed cause of nonsense. The whole point of me putting it on here was for information, that's all.

I am not a natural nazi.

I am not a hater of relaxed heads.

I do not want to see relaxed heads stop relaxing.

I do want people to be informed...that's what I do in life.

I do want people to get along.

I do want us as women to stop fighting over our hair....it looks so messy.

Allandra, I hope you don't have to close this thread too, but if you do, then I will know NOT to post on this side again, just doesn't make any sense.

 

[Raspberry]

Nice & Wavy it'll be alright .. there is never going to be a time when everyone gets along and agrees, we're all grown. Please don't let someone disagreeing with a thread make you stop posting in the hair forum, it's not nearly that serious.

 

[Nice & Wavy]

@Nice & Wavy it'll be alright .. there is never going to be a time when everyone gets along and agrees, we're all grown. Please don't let someone disagreeing with a thread make you stop posting in the hair forum, it's not nearly that serious.

Raspberry, thank you. I do agree that everyone will not agree with everything, but I just ask that people listen and try to understand first before responding with negative posts without understanding the reason why it was posted in the first place.

You are right, its not that serious, but I know for a fact that the hair forum can go hard and I'm not into that kind of thing so before I get outside of myself, I dust my feet and walk away.

ETA: grown people know better...and when they know better they should do better. Just had to put that out there.

 

[Shimmie]

Nice & Wavy...



My first time seeing this and I thank you for posting this for those who had no idea that it was something to be 'searched' for in the first place.

I truly don't get what the problem is, so what if it's been posted before. In 3 weeks, it will be at the bottom of hundreds of posts / threads.

I'll re-post it again for those who want to complain

 

[Nice & Wavy]

@Nice & Wavy...



My first time seeing this and I thank you for posting this for those who had no idea that it was something to be 'searched' for in the first place.

I truly don't get what the problem is, so what if it's been posted before. In 3 weeks, it will be at the bottom of hundreds of posts / threads.

I'll re-post it again for those who want to complain

Shimmie.......Thank you, sis!

 

[Shimmie]

For the record, I have no fibroids and have been relaxed since I was a teen.

I don't relax and I've never had fibroids. My daughter doesn't relax and she's never had fibroids.

My sister relaxes and one of my closest friends; they both have had fibroids.

 

[Nice & Wavy]

I don't relax and I've never had fibroids. My daughter doesn't relax and she's never had fibroids.

My sister relaxes and one of my closest friends; they both have had fibroids.

Oh wow...there may be more studies done because of this finding. I for one hope they do find out exactly what causes it...its no joke

 

[Shimmie]

Shimmie.......Thank you, sis!

It is ' I ' who thanks you.

I had no idea about this and there are a lot of important people in my life that I need to share this with. Especially my friends who have pre-teen daughters are thinking about 'relaxing' their hair. They need to see this information and then 'pray' for direction.

If this 'forum' was on fire, I wouldn't waste time with a 'search' before trying to alert everyone. Right now, someone among us may be planning to get their scalps 'burned' , this thread is the fire extinquisher ...

 

[Shimmie]

Oh wow...there may be more studies done because of this finding. I for one hope they do find out exactly what causes it...its no joke

Sis, right now one of closet friends has been trying to conceive and she is so heartbroken. She's been going to Naturalists, Changed her diet to Vegan, and several other changes. THIS may be the answer that she needs.

 

[Shimmie]

Good Information in Here:

My cousin shared this book with me and it's worth the price.

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Most importantly this way of eating is "realistic" and will keep you healthy for a lifetime! To say this program is revolutionary is an understatement. People who have studied nutrition for over 20 years are blown away by the specific nature of these protocols and their effectiveness. Everyone who likes eating needs to read this book!

 

[BrownBetty]

I wish more research was done to actually find the cause of fibroids. I can't really bother with the article. I am a member of a board that has 1000s of women suffering from fibroids and 80% of them are white women. I know women who are natural, relaxed, yt, black suffering from this awful condition.

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

I'm thanking OP for putting Fibroids on the front burner. It's a serious issue with Black women and many are having surgeries to take out their uterus. The medical profession is not trying to find a cure but take advantage of the situation and getting rich!

Thanks is not enough. When I was younger, I was diagnosed with fibroids and I had intense pain with week long cycles. Because of this my doctor proposed a hysterectomy. Fast forward to four months ago, I had an ultrasound, told the tech my story, she said," They recommended what?! There is nothing wrong with your uterus and your fibroid is the size of a DIME in a place that would NOT keep you from being able to conceive. I'm so glad you went with your gut instinct and refused that surgery because there's no way you'd need something that drastic."

Doctors are 80 some-odd percent (Forgive me as it's late and I don't remember the exact number) MORE likely to recommend hysterectomies to African American women. There are so many women (my older sister included) that were "sold" (aka told that they NEEDED) hysterectomies when in fact they didn't. We may not have all of the answers but we ARE in control of what we put on and into our bodies.

I personally am open to any and all information. What I can't use, I stick it in my mental filing cabinet so that I may use it later or share it with someone that could benefit from it. Whether they're caused by relaxers, hormones/toxins in food, various plastics, bad diets, etc., I want to know. So, Thank you OP. I appreciate the post. (This was my first time reading it.)

 

[Je Ne Sais Quoi]

I have fibroids, as does my mother. I have heavy/painful menstrual periods and history of anemia. I know they are hereditary for the most part. I have no clue why black women are more prone to getting them, though.

Me too as did my mother I believe.