By Dr. Kris G McGrath MD

The underarm (axillae) is a very unique, complex, and delicate environment.  The axillae consist of skin, hair and 2 main types of liquid secreting glands which form the underarm sweat. One set of glands puts out liquid of water like consistency while the other set of glands puts out, a thicker liquid, containing fatty acids and a chemical know as a pheromone. Naturally, if all is left well and good, sweating helps cool the body, and in animals pheromones help attract the opposite sex. The reason women in college sororities begin having their periods on the same day is due to their underarm pheromones. This is a powerful biological messenger, despite research downplaying it as an evolutionary left over useless biological messenger.                                                                                    

Of course what you want to know is where the smell comes from. The odor, more correctly, malodor, is from 2 sources. The ecrine sweat glands that produce the water like consistency have no odor. The odors are from the odor free fatty acids secreted by the apocrine glands. These fatty acids are converted to other fatty acids by underarm bacteria. These fatty acids have odor as well as the underarm bacteria.                                                                           

The natural, unadulterated, underarm environment is not acidic due to sweating. When underarm products are used, such as antiperspirants, sweating is reduced, creating an acid environment. The breakdown of fatty acids by bacteria also adds to the acid environment. This is similar to acid rain. Acid rain releases aluminum from rocks and soil. This unleashes the dangerous form of aluminum into rivers, lakes, and streams causing disease in plants and water life. Antiperspirants contain aluminum salts. An underarm acid rain is produced potentially releasing the dangerous form of aluminum which has been shown to affect DNA, RNA, messenger RNA and histones, all which is an avenue to cancer.

Antiperspirants are used for sweat reduction and to a lesser degree to reduce odor, while deodorants or used for malodor, these 2 ingredients are oftened combined in underarm products.                                               

Just under the skin of the underarms lies the lymphatic system which collects excess fluid from surrounding cells, returning it to the circulation. More importantly the lymphatic system is part of the immune system fighting off infection, disease and removes foreign particles. Interesting the lymphatic flow in the underarms and breast is bi-directional (a 2 way street), not one way controlled by valves as in other parts of the body. So chemicals applied to one underarm could expose the nearest as well as the farthest breast.

The desire for an underarm product prevails and these hygiene habits begin by age 9 or 10!  So, take care of your underarms and breasts, just like your teeth, skin, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and brain.

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In response to: Why Breast Cancer is spreading around the World.
TIME: 10-15-2007 (Cover below)

In his message to readers regarding breast cancer going global, Richard Stengel, managing editor, states, “It’s truly vital that we share what we know about how to detect and treat the disease, especially in the Third World, where resources may be woefully lacking.” I would like to share what I know about breast cancer prevention, an important issue as evident in tobacco related disease.

What I know, and have worked on for over 2 decades, is that only 5-10% of breast cancer is genetic, leaving up to 90% from the environment and lifestyle. Prevention is possible. Much evidence supports Western lifestyle as the culprit, including fatty diets, less exercise and use of estrogen. None of these Western lifestyles solely explains such an ominous growth in global breast cancer incidence.

An environment near the breast is the underarm, and the closest Western lifestyle to the breast is the daily application of deodorants/antiperspirants often preceded by underarm shaving. The cartographic support of my concern over this Western lifestyle lies upon your cover, October 15th, 2007. Here lays a poignant graphic depiction of the underarms’ proximity to the breasts. The overlying map visually connects the region of Western underarm hygiene to the rest of the world. This cover is a powerful graphic pathway towards a breast cancer cause and prevention.

Time’s July 23rd issue, the medicine section, continues connecting the dots. In that issue, skin patches were featured, using the skin as an FDA approved drug delivery system. Designed for convenient medication delivery to treat disease, pain and dependency, harm may occur. The FDA now requires a warning label for opioid based pain relieving patches to prevent overdose. The Chicago Sun-Times (6-10-07) reported the death of Arielle Newman, a New York teen, dying form excessive skin application of an anti-inflammatory drug. The Chicago-Sun times also reported on the death of 22-year-old college student, Shiri Berg, from an overdose of a prescription-strength pain relief gel.

The CBS Evening News featured my concerns on December 5th and 6th, 2005. This was in response to my study on breast cancer survivors published in 2003, suggesting a relationship between breast cancer and underarm hygiene. In that study, the group of women who most frequently used underarm products and more frequently shaved their underarms, had an earlier age of breast cancer diagnosis. Shaving the underarms may facilitate underarm product component absorption by disrupting the protective skin barrier. Aluminum salts are the active component of antiperspirants and aluminum’s potential mechanism towards cancer in discussed in my paper. Deodorants and antiperspirants contain other chemical components as well.

Western lifestyles including fatty diets and less exercise have infiltrated Third World countries. I expect also, has Western underarm hygiene practices. Without the presence of large Third World department stores an increasing number of kiosks may be the source of underarm product distribution, supported by economy, media, entertainment, and the internet.

Solutions are so often right under our nose, but may be right under our arms.

Read the TIME article ‘Why Breast Cancer is spreading around the World’ at:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1668219,00.html

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Only 5-10% of breast cancer has a genetic link, while 90% is linked to the environment or a particular lifestyle, primarily a Western lifestyle. The closest environment to the breast is the underarm and the closest Western lifestyle is the daily application of antiperspirants, deodorants, or more commonly in combination. This daily routine is more often the not, preceded by underarm shaving. In the United States 90% of the population uses antiperspirants/deodorants.

The skin is the largest organ of the body; it is one of our first lines of defense, protecting us from dehydration, infection, as well as chemical and radiation exposure. Surprisingly, modern pharmacology is using the skin for drug delivery, including medications for blood pressure and pain control, hormone replacement, contraception, motion sickness, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and soon, insulin delivery for diabetes. This delivery system has not been without risk, including an FDA required warning label for the opioid based pain-relieving patch, Duragesic, after several overdoses were reported. In early 2007 a New York teenage girl died from over applying anti-inflammatory creams and patches to her skin. The upper extremities and shoulders have the best absorption as compared to the lower extremities and trunk.

A great amount of research is done before FDA approval of these skin applied medications. On the contrary, the many ingredients in antiperspirants, deodorants are not as rigorously studied and use is daily over decades. Some of the ingredients in Antiperspirants have been shown to enter the skin, shaved and unshaved.
Shaving removes hair and skin cells as well as causing small abrasions. Without the hair and skin there to “grab” these compounds, more absorption may occur.

Just under the skin lies the lymphatic system which collects excess fluid from surrounding cells, returning it to the circulation. More importantly the lymphatic system is part of the immune system fighting off infection, disease and removes foreign particles. Interesting the lymphatic flow in the underarms and breast is bi-directional (a 2 way street), not one way controlled by valves as in other parts of the body. So chemicals applied to one underarm could expose the nearest as well as the farthest breast.

So in summary, Westernized women are applying chemical compounds in antiperspirants/deodorants on the skin daily over decades. These compounds have not been studied long term with respect to skin absorption and possible toxicity. Skin transport is an FDA approved delivery system for many well studied drugs. The under arms are located in the upper extremities which by research is the most efficient site for skin delivered drugs. The breasts and the underarms are directly linked by the skin and lymphatic system. This antiperspirant/deodorant exposure occurs daily over decades, likely facilitated by underarm shaving. Interesting when the incidence of breast cancer since the 1940’s is plotted against the same time period of antiperspirant/deodorant sales, an eerie parallel is seen.

USA breast cancer incidence and antiperspirant/deodorant sales (Roush et al., 1987; SEER Cancer Incidence Public-Use Database, 2001; US Cosmetic and Toiletries Market, 2001).[1]

My study published in 2003 revealed a significant earlier age of diagnoses in those women who more frequently used antiperspirants and shaved their underarms, than those women who less frequently did these habits and especially than those who did not use these products or shave. The most active group was diagnosed 22 years earlier than the non users. And those women starting these habits before the age of 16 were diagnosed 9 years earlier. To put this in perspective, individuals who start using tobacco at an earlier age, especially with heavier use are diagnosed with a tobacco related illness at an earlier age. I am most concerned with the aluminum in antiperspirants. The active component of aluminum, Al+3 has been shown to alter DNA, one of the ways cancer can start. Dr. Darbre in England also is concerned about the estrogen like activity of a common group of preservatives the parabens, as well as aluminum affecting estrogen receptor sites. Estrogen has long been linked to breast cancer. By all means I’m not suggesting all breast cancer may be related to underarm hygiene habits since breast cancer has been around since Hippocrates, long before these current underarm habits began.

For underarm hygiene the best recommendation would be soap and water, and no underarm shaving; however, I am then asked what products do you, your family and patient’s use. Underarm hygiene habits begin by age 9 or 10! I have reviewed and studied labels on countless products. I am most impressed with Terra Natural’s product line of deodorants. Terra natural’s share my concern over the proximity of the underarm to the lymphatic system and the breast. The daily application over decades of compounds, all that well not studied, concerns them as much as me. Their motto is, “Why take a chance if you don’t have to?” Terra Naturals products work in controlling odor by using all natural ingredients. The ingredients are all plant or food based, not containing any synthetic petroleum based ingredients. Their’s is a plant based preservative system and the use of healthy antioxidants and anti-tumor herbs. Future plans include the addition of ingredients that are well studied with published results in peer reviewed science and medical journals. These future ingredients assist the immune system in fighting cancer, inflammation and microorganisms.

Click here on the banner to visit Terra Naturals:

Click here to read more about Antiperspirants and Breast Cancer.

Reference

1. McGrath, K G. “An Earlier Age of Breast Cancer Diagnosis Related to More Frequent Use of Antiperspirants/Deodorants and Underarm Shaving.” European Journal of Cancer Prevention 12 (2003): 479-485. 24 Jan. 2008.
   Also Available at: http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/KGM_paper.pdf

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