Hey guys! I am currently on Day 13 of my water fast for Lyme and thought it would be a good time to check in. 🙂
I am taking lots of downtime from social media, regular work, and all distractions right now which has been a huge blessing and very needed in this stage of my healing journey. If you are able to during this time, I highly recommend taking more time for yourself — even if that doesn’t mean taking time off of work but perhaps spending the weekends sans social media to cleanse from the noise surrounding what’s going on in the world right now. Whatever you can do for you, do it!
So my fast so far… wow you guys. I will of course do a big update post when I finish, but for now what I can say is that if I had to choose one word to describe these 8 days thus far it would be TRANSFORMATIVE. I already feel utterly transformed. It feels very different than my previous water fasts, in that it has been more of a spiritual detox as well as a detox for my body. So, so much internal stuff has come up for me. I have met my shadow, gone through intense healing crises, and endured more pain than I even thought possible.
I have also been surprised and impressed that after my first big healing crisis on Day 2 (which I posted about on Instagram here), where I was vomiting, nauseous, lightheaded, had chills, aches and pains, throbbing migraines, the whole works, it has been shockingly smooth. *Knock on wood*!! I have definitely had discomfort but overall I feel the Lyme being killed in my body, and that is what I came here for.
I want to reiterate: I am doing this fast for healing. There is immense research on water fasting healing and eradicating Lyme disease, and co-infections of Lyme like Babesia, Bartonella, mold, heavy metals, and more. It is not for the faint of heart. Every night on the phone I tell Jonathan, “I literally don’t think 99% of people could do this,” and I mean that in the way that you have had to hit a SERIOUS rock bottom with your health, and have lived in chronic pain for a long long time, in order to gather the strength to carry out something as intense as a water fast.
I will share a lot more about my experience in the coming days and week, but for now wanted to leave you guys with that little update. I am not sure how long I will be here because I am listening to my body every step of the way, so we shall certainly see. 🙂 I am grateful for this downtime as well, which has been healing and nourishing on a soul level.
Now, it’s time for some girl talk.
What are we going to talk about, you ask? We are going to talk about periods, and specifically period protection that is safe, free of as many chemicals and toxins as possible, and sustainable.
I can’t actually believe when I look back on my adolescence and early 20’s that I wore regular old chemical-laden tampons during every period. It actually makes me shudder, even though I know I didn’t know any differently… nor did anyone around me at the time! We did what we were taught, and we did the best we could. But holy F, knowing that you’re putting something inside of you, in one of the most sensitive and absorbent areas in your entire body (our vaginas), that could possibly give you Toxic Shock Syndrome the way they warn you about in school?!
LIKE HOW!!!! WAS I! OKAY! WITH THAT!
I vividly remember being on a field trip to Boston in 8th grade and having one of the girls in my class have a full on (justified) meltdown in the middle of the night because she was convinced she had TSS from her tampon. She was feeling sick and off, and what we had been taught in school the year prior was that it can kill you within days. We were terrified! And she was hysterical. Our teachers rushed to her room and luckily it was just her mind freaking herself out (we’ve all been there) and she ended up being totally fine.
But even back then, in 8th grade at the age of 14 (!!!) I knew something was OFF about tampons. I knew it was just not right to be putting something in our bodies that could hurt us in those ways.
Fast forward to now, after being diagnosed with Lyme and having several autoimmune issues as a result, I have become very educated on period protection ALTERNATIVES that are not dangerous or harmful to our bodies. If only this info had been so available when we were 14!
I learned that toxic ingredients found in tampons today include aluminum, alcohols, fragrance additives and hydrocarbons that mess with our hormone regulation and can even cause serious disease over time. Worst of all, tampon bleaching processes leave behind dioxin. Dioxin is a toxic chemical (chlorine-compound) linked to cancer and perhaps now to endometriosis, and is said by most manufacturers not to appear in bleached tampons at “detectable” levels. (As seen in this Goop article.)
That’s where Thinx comes in — I know you’ve heard of it! They are the best of the best, in my opinion. And they are a period underwear so they are also sustainable, cost effective, and safe for our bodies. In Thinx’s words, “We know the vagina is one of the most sensitive and absorbent areas of the body, which is why making period products that are free of harmful toxic chemicals is integral to our mission. It’s also why rigorous chemical testing and compliance certifications are part of our manufacturing process.”
I mean… this is what we all need! All of their underwear are rigorously tested for harmful chemicals, they are REACH compliant, and independently certified by OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (the type of fabric they use). And did you guys know that the US is not nearly as strict as the EU when it comes to harmful chemical regulations? While the US has banned 11 chemicals from cosmetics, REACH has banned 1,328! By complying with REACH, Thinx makes me feel very safe and comfy with the measures they have taken.
Not to mention, they are super transparent! They share all of their lab results as well as their certifications on this website so that those of us who are SUPER DUPER careful before buying any period products can feel armed with knowledge and make an informed decision. As always to be The Balanced Blonde approved, they are certified ORGANIC and use 100% organic cotton in their underwear.
And then let’s talk about how they actually work. I have fluctuated between using period cups, organic tampons, period underwear, etc. and I can definitely say that Thinx has had the LEAST leakage because their technology really works.
I am a huge fan of Thinx, and I wanted to share the love with you guys! It is so important to make informed decisions about our health, especially as women because our bodies go through so much. It is wild to me that there are so many products out there that are deemed as “safe” by our faulty US regulations when really… they are not! Just like food, which is a whole different story and something you guys know I am ridiculously passionate about as well.
Lastly, Thinx is currently working on a safer chemicals management program that will be released soon and I can’t wait to see where they go with that. They are a leader in the period category for a reason, guys!!! Check them out, I know you will love them as much as I do — and your body will thank you!
Now I am off to chill out, drink more water, rest, and give my body the downtime it so, so needs and deserves. Will you guys try Thinx? How is everyone doing during this time in the world? Check out my latest episode of Soul on Fire to learn more about my thoughts on what is going on + how we can all stay calm, meditate, and use this time for the greater good!