Inspired with Nika Lawrie

Toxic Beauty: Uncovering Hidden Chemicals and Their Impact on Women’s Health with Amanda Baca

• Nika Lawrie, Amanda Baca • Season 2024 • Episode 105

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What if your beauty products were secretly sabotaging your health? Join me, Nika Lawrie, and Amanda Baca as we uncover the hidden dangers of chemicals like phthalates, parabens, and formaldehyde lurking in personal care products. Learn how these substances can disrupt hormones and contribute to conditions like PCOS and endometriosis.

We dive into “forever chemicals,” share practical tips for identifying truly non-toxic products, and explore tools like the Yuka app to help you reduce toxic exposure. Plus, we tackle the impacts of hormonal birth control, post-pill syndrome, and nutrient deficiencies, offering a holistic approach to achieving health, beauty, and confidence naturally.

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Nika Lawrie:

Hey everybody, welcome back to the show. I, of course, am your host, nika Lawrie, and today we are flipping the script again. I've invited one of my very best friends, amanda Baca, to the show, and Amanda is going to ask me a whole bunch of important questions about women's health and reproductive health and kind of you know, the sensitive areas of our body questions about that, and we're going to have some conversations about health issues that we've struggled with. So, amanda, welcome to the show. I'm so glad to have you back on. Thank you.

Amanda Baca:

I'm excited, I'm so proud of you.

Nika Lawrie:

Oh, thank you, I appreciate it. I'm super grateful that you're going to come on and just ask questions and we get to have this really cool conversation. So with that I'll hand it to you as the host for today to start. Yeah.

Amanda Baca:

Ask away today to start. Yeah, ask away, sure, um, you know I have a lot of questions on because, as you know, as one of my best friends, that I've dealt with a lot of reproductive health issues, women's health issues, along with cardiovascular issues yeah, a lot of things going on in my, in my life that, um, you know, just talking with you throughout the years, I've learned a lot about you know, more natural remedies, more natural causes. But you know I am very into beauty products. I always have been, yeah, and it's always been a part of my life and I just, you know, I think that there's just more to it than going and buying something that says it's organic.

Amanda Baca:

Yeah definitely so. Like for me, my reproductive health has really taken a shot. What would you say like, what common beauty, like personal care products, what effects does it have on reproductive health? Like what are these products really doing to me?

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, so there's several ingredients that are in a lot of personal care and beauty products that we really need to be aware of and concerned about, honestly. So the big three would be phthalates, parabens and formaldehyde. All three of those are common chemicals. And then fragrances let's say fragrances are another big one. So the four of those are found in tons of different cosmetics or personal care products. You'll see phthalates and parabens in a lot of like lotions and shampoos and things like that. They tend to be either fragrances, or they help fragrances last longer or they help things stay shelf stable. They're like a preservative as well. Formaldehyde is also used as a preservative and then, yeah, so formaldehyde on your body.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, like so when people die right and they're embalmed, we use formaldehyde, so we're putting that into our beauty and personal care products and then lathering that all over our body on a daily basis.

Amanda Baca:

Are they putting formaldehyde for the same concept as they do to use it to embalm people? Yeah, to basically make it long-lasting.

Nika Lawrie:

To embalm people, yeah, basically, make it long lasting. Yes, to make it long lasting. That's exactly what it's for. It's a, it's a preservative that's used to make it last a long time. And then the other thing I'll add to this this isn't going to affect your hormones as much, but it can also be kind of an unhealthy thing.

Nika Lawrie:

A lot of women will buy makeup because makeup is so expensive. They'll hang on to it for a very long time, right, like you buy a lipstick or a lip gloss and it's your favorite, so you don't want to use it all the time, right, but you use it here and there. Well, over time, bacteria from just using it will grow in there and then you can have issues with the bacteria that's in the makeup. This happens in powders and foundations and all kinds of stuff too. So it's not just the kind of more liquid or soft makeups you have to be really careful about, you know, not keeping makeup for a really long period of time, because they do go bad. But going back to, you know, the phthalates, the parabens, the formaldehydes. There's some other chemicals as well, but those are kind of the most common ones.

Nika Lawrie:

What happens Sorry, go ahead, oh, common ones. What happens is that these chemicals can disrupt your hormones. They're known as endocrine disrupting chemicals, EDCs and so these EDCs disrupt your hormones in your body, and so what they can do is they can mimic hormones like estrogen, so you have too much estrogen in your body. They can disrupt your ability to produce hormones correctly, so then you don't have enough of the hormones in your body, and then they can also disrupt how the hormones communicate throughout the body, and so when your hormones are the messenger system of your body right, and so when those are out of whack, right and so when those are out of whack, your body is having a hard time communicating with itself, telling itself what to do, and this is especially important when it comes to women's kind of reproductive health. So things like infertility, pcos, different things like that, can be caused or triggered by these hormone disruptions.

Amanda Baca:

Yeah, I mean, as you know, I've suffered with PCOS and endometriosis now for years and I used to kind of blame myself, like something I'm doing is doing this to myself. But I, you know, slowly learning like I didn't. I didn't purposely do this to myself. No, of course not. No, and women are kind of not. They're not allowed to think, they're not allowed to give themselves grace when they have endometriosis and PCOS. You know, like there has to be another cause. Yeah, and to hear, well, it's just your body, it makes me feel guilty that I did it. I did this to myself, but it's not.

Nika Lawrie:

No, absolutely not. I mean, there are parts of it that can be genetic, but usually what's happening is that these issues are being triggered or disrupted by different chemicals coming in your body. There's other environmental factors too, so glucose or insulin resistance can be a big issue for PCOS. So when your sugar is out of balance, your blood sugar is out of balance, that can help trigger not help, but it can cause the trigger of PCOS as well. So there's a lot of different factors that play a role in this, and so, even if you are kind of genetically predisposed to these health issues, what happens is that these chemicals and different factors in your life can cause them to, um, get worse yeah, and you know, growing up in the 80s, 90s, early 2000s, what all the junk that we ingested.

Amanda Baca:

I mean, yeah, but it was also because our parents didn't know. But you know they had no different, they didn't know better and but it was also because our parents didn't know. But you know, they didn't know different, they didn't know better, and it was, it was what we were given. And so you know, I was predisposed to diabetes and my A1C now is shot. It's horrible and thankfully I've made lifestyle changes to to help that. But you know, now I'm having to work twice as hard.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, the thing is that you can come back from issue. By making lifestyle changes and changing what you're exposing your body to, both on the outside and inside, like the things that you're eating and drinking, you can bring your body back into homeostasis and heal your body.

Amanda Baca:

I'm doing it so you know, besides like formaldehyde and all those parabens and everything, are there any like other toxins in beauty products, like what else is in there? Because, like I read the back of my foundations, the ones I used to use, I mean the list was like this and I couldn't pronounce half of it.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, so there are tons of different ingredients and chemicals that can cause issues.

Nika Lawrie:

So right now in kind of the general chemical industry there's about 90,000 chemicals.

Nika Lawrie:

Of those, about 42 to 45,000 chemicals are in what's considered active use, so they're in products that are being used kind of on a daily basis, and that's a whole range of things, you know, that can go from, like you know, oil for your car all the way down to, like the plastic silverware that you're using at a picnic to the products that you're putting on your body right.

Nika Lawrie:

So there's tons of different chemicals out there. Of those about 45,000, very few of them have ever been tested for safety or efficacy on human or environmental health, and so we know that a lot of these different chemicals are causing health issues for both humans and the environment. But because the industry is primarily regulated by the manufacturers of the chemicals themselves, very few are being tagged as a danger. In the US there's only five chemicals that have ever been banned use because we know for sure that they are causing health. When you compare that to the EU, where there's about 1,500 chemicals that have been banned, and so we know that the EU has much stricter regulations on the approval of different chemicals and how they're allowed to be used in different products that you buy in the store in the shelves right and so in the US, we're very bad about really putting human safety first and so.

Amanda Baca:

Imagine, imagine.

Nika Lawrie:

Tons of different chemicals in these different ingredients. The easiest way to go about it is one you kind of just look and see. You know, do they have phthalates, parabens? Usually the ones that don't have it. A lot of the products will say paraben-free or phthalate-free. But the easiest way to go about doing that is actually just to download some of the apps. So there's Yuka Think Dirty. The Environmental Working Group has an app as well where you can just scan barcodes on products and it'll tell you in like a red, yellow, green scale or a zero to 100 scale of what's safe and what's not.

Amanda Baca:

That's pretty cool.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, For me. I try to stay completely in the green. There are maybe two products that all sit in the yellow. If it's a high yellow or red, I absolutely don't buy them at all. So that helps you kind of navigate which one's that one. So Yuka is my favorite. Y-u-k-a Think Dirty is the other main app, and this really helps for beauty and personal care products. Oh perfect, the Environmental Working Group has two apps. They have a beauty personal care app and then they also have a food app as well. So that makes it as easy as possible to scan those.

Amanda Baca:

So okay. So like I get ingest in how I would ingest. You know, if I go to a fast food restaurant chain, I get how I'm ingesting those toxins. But like, if I'm putting something just on my skin, how is it ingesting into my body? How is that affecting the insides?

Nika Lawrie:

So your skin is the largest organ of your body, right, okay, and your skin, yeah, and your skin. The main purpose of your skin is for detoxification. So you think about your sweat. Like your pores, the sweat's coming out of that. That's one way that your body is releasing toxins within your body.

Nika Lawrie:

The other piece of that is that when you put these chemicals like lotion, for instance, like a high fragrance lotion you put those chemicals onto your body. Some of that not all, but some of those chemicals can then be absorbed through the skin and eventually end up in your bloodstream or moving throughout your body. And the issue that happens is that it's not like a one-time thing, like, oh, this one time I used it, and then you know I didn't, and it's like fine. What happens is it's a cumulative issue, and so you use, you know, lotion here and then sunscreen here, and then eyeshadow here, and then lip gloss here, and then shampoo here, and then eyeshadow here, and then lip gloss here, and then shampoo here and perfume here, like, yeah, right, and so all of these products are overlapping each other and it's building up in your body and your body can't detox it fast enough, and there are some chemicals that are considered forever chemicals that just never leave your body as well.

Amanda Baca:

So I mean, it makes sense. I mean, especially like, if you're using mascara, you're directly putting that into dry, yeah, or you know, I think about like, how many times do I put lip gloss on a day A day? Yeah, and I'm literally eating it. Yeah, yeah, and I'm literally eating it.

Amanda Baca:

Yeah, yeah, or you know and it just popped up in my head, speaking of feminine products and stuff that's going directly either in you, on you, especially like feminine wipes, feminine, you know, those lotions and creams and washes that are supposed to mask smells and stuff.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah.

Amanda Baca:

God, I read those, those things like how much crap is in that?

Nika Lawrie:

and you're like it's going, it's going right up. Yeah, like, there's been a huge thing over the last few months talking about tampons and how tampons have, um, lead and cadmium in them, how a lot of them will still have residues from pesticides because, like, if they're made from cotton and then they were sprayed with a pesticide, then they're still absorbing that and then that's going up into your vag, you know, and then your body absorbs those chemicals and it has a real impact on your health.

Amanda Baca:

You know, we've obviously we've talked about the tampon issue before. We've obviously we've talked about the tampon issue before. I, like everybody else, everyone that's coming out of the well, some stark ages of our moms and our grandmas, we've been using the same brands over and over and over again and I started to feel very, very ill every time I had to use them. I was cramping, I was sick, my bleeding was very irregular. And it was you, you, you know, made me try this, you know, and you gave me a few brands to try, and I did, and I will. You know, I no longer have a period anymore, but I'm fine. But you know, having a preteen now girl, I am adamant about the products she uses, Absolutely, because you really don't realize it's not just cotton yeah, you're not you're not just no.

Nika Lawrie:

A lot of them have either a thin plastic wrap around them or a plastic mixed in as well, and then your body is absorbing the chemicals from the plastic too. So, yeah, it can be a real issue yeah, um, it's just how, and and speak.

Amanda Baca:

I mean. So I, I go to the store and I'm I'm looking for feminine products for my daughter, right, and you know she's not old enough to use what I use, but she needs something. So I'm looking around and everything says organic. Now, literally everything, even in beauty products lotions, candles. You know, everyone says organic. How can I tell if it really is? Because it says organic. And then I turn it over and there's that list of parabens and all that stuff. Like how?

Nika Lawrie:

can I tell? So two things to consider when it comes to that. One is understanding a concept called greenwashing. So companies put logos or words or verbiage on their marketing that'll say organic or natural or you know some kind of thing that sounds like it's healthy when reality that's just marketing. That's just marketing speak that they'll put on there. Most of those terms are not actually regulated.

Nika Lawrie:

The only thing that you'll see that is regulated here in the United States is USDA approved organic. You'll see a circle stamp on it and that means that it's met the qualifications of the USD to call itself organic. So it's the only time. Even that can still be slightly questionable, because they usually only test the places where those products are coming from maybe once a year to prove that they are organic. Right, that they did their due diligence Exactly.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, but it's the best we have right now. So if you're looking for organic, you look for that USDA approved organic stamp. Otherwise, I would say again, refer back to like the Yuka, I think dirty apps, because those will at least tell you, you know, whether or not the ingredients or the materials used to make, say, the tampons or the pads or whatever, are non-harmful to the body. But it is still kind of just a crapshoot when you go. So it's, you know it's walking through a minefield and doing the best you can to you know, find the product.

Amanda Baca:

So you just kind of hope for the best, yeah and yeah, but there are things that you can do.

Nika Lawrie:

I mean, even if it's not perfect, by reducing your exposure, by buying the products that are as clean as we can find and good, reducing your exposure substantially, and that's huge exposure substantially and that's huge.

Amanda Baca:

You know, and I think that's how I kind of got started with you and in this whole journey of more of a clean living is I didn't go full throttle. You know, I do still allow myself some junk, because I like it, but adding those little things bits and bits, like starting with tampons and then, you know, moving through my huge vanity of stuff, you know, and replacing them, like it was easier that way. Yeah, yeah, and some are not 100%, and I just love the product.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, and that's okay. You know, like the idea for me, like I said earlier, you know there's like one or two personal care products that I use that aren't like totally in the green and perfect. But it's taken me time but I found products for everything I need that are in that clean space, right, and so you just do the best you can for time replacing things and then you just get more and more diligent with it as you start to understand or find the products and then eventually you just find the products and then that's just the product you buy because you just like yeah, you just like I think you changed me, I think you changed my mascara.

Amanda Baca:

I think you bought me mascara like five years ago, just because you said you liked it, but it happened to be like super clean and I got addicted to it. Yeah, you're just sneaky in your way.

Amanda Baca:

You didn't find things that you like and work and then you know you can share them with people too, definitely, yeah, yeah. So you know, kind of getting back onto feminine issues, because you know we have a lot of them and this is something that's really close to me and you know that and we can talk about my journey with it. But what are your thoughts on your role of birth control pills In women's reproductive health? What potential harm are these pills doing to us?

Nika Lawrie:

So I could probably get on a total soapbox about birth control pills. Specifically Hormonal-based birth control is where I run into an issue. So let me first say I think birth control is a really important thing and women should have access to it without question, right.

Amanda Baca:

Any way, in any way, in any shape. They need it.

Nika Lawrie:

Any way, in any way, in any shape. They need it. Yeah, but I think there needs to be a very, very clear, direct conversation between women and their physicians before they get on some type of hormonal-based reproductive protection, right? The reason being is that hormonal-based birth control, so let's talk about the birth control pill. There's also an IUD with hormones. There's shots that you can get. There's different things, right.

Amanda Baca:

But let's just talk about the pills to keep it simple.

Nika Lawrie:

So what happens is that these pills put these hormones into your body. They're synthetic hormones that they put into your body so your body stops producing the same hormone in your body and so your body starts dysfunctional. It's not functioning the way it normally would because of these pills coming into your body and putting these hormones, these synthetic hormones, into your body.

Nika Lawrie:

And now I don't have an issue with synthetic hormones in general, because I think as you move into perimetopause and menopause, having synthetic hormones or bioidentical hormones is really important. It can really help women. But on the other side of that, when you're using birth control, when your body doesn't make its natural hormones and it's not functioning the way it normally would, a lot of health issues can come from that. One thing is it can actually mask PCOS or endometriosis and so women actually don't know that these issues are starting to occur, where there could have been treatments and things that could support these women earlier on to help relieve or eliminate the symptoms that come from those kind of issues. The other thing is that because your body becomes so used to having these hormones put into their body opposed to making it themselves, it can also lead to infertility issues long-term. So the irony is, you know, women get on birth control like 15, 16 years old, sometimes even earlier, and they're on it for 10, 15 years because they're not ready to have children. But then they get into their 30s and they're like this is my time to have kids and then they run into infertility because the body no longer produces the hormones the way it would have had you not been on the hormonal pills. And so that's the issue I have is that, you know, birth control can be a really great, powerful tool, but women need to be informed Informed consent is the key here of long-term repercussions of being on these hormonal pills or hormonal inflammation, especially for those who are using it for long periods of time.

Nika Lawrie:

So yeah, and then the other side of that too is is so women use these pills, right, and then there's something called post-pill syndrome. When they get off of it, women can experience that. There's a whole host of things that come with that. So there's, you know, infertility. Like I mentioned, you can have mood swings, you can have severe acne issues, you can have sexual dysfunction. So where you don't have interest in having, like your libido is gone, there's weight gain or weight loss. It's usually weight gain, but it can be different in different people.

Amanda Baca:

It'd be cool if it was weight loss sometimes.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah right, it's usually not, though. Hair loss is a big thing. Digestive issues Women can run into metabolic issues. So the metabolic issues are what kind of cause that? Weight gain or weight loss, and so there's all these other factors that come with it once you get off the pill too right, and so women are just like it's like a triple hit. That I really dislike.

Amanda Baca:

It's just so not fair. And you know we can, we, you're, you're, you're you're telling my story, um, you know it's, and, but you're telling the story of hundreds of thousands of other women, probably millions of women, million, yeah, for sure. So I, I was predisposed to endometriosis and and other issues. You know it's genetic, um, and when I started to experience really horrible cramping and really horrible periods early 14, you know, my mom, of course, did what moms do took me to the doctor and the cure was hormonal-based birth control at 14. Yeah, I didn't even know what a sex was, you know. Yeah, absolutely, but here I was taking hormonal birth control and I stayed on it because, yeah, it helped. And I stayed on it then when I was a teenager because I was active and I didn't want to go pregnant. And then in my 20s, but then when it came down to, I mean, my kiddos, uh, dad wanted to try.

Amanda Baca:

I had a hard time yeah and kind of very common, yeah, yeah, and got got the talk of it may not be possible for you to have kids, and I'm like I, how is that fair? Yeah, like you know, my mom didn't do this to me. She just didn't know she this was the only option we had yeah um, but no one.

Nika Lawrie:

No one took the time to tell us what else we could do and the problem is that we know now we've actually known we're a long time the doctors. You know the information was out there even back in, like the you know, the 80s and 90s when all these girls put on birth controls and birth control. But you know, the information is very much out there now and these conversations are still not happening, and that's a big deal. One thing I wanted to add that I didn't mention earlier too is these birth control pills can actually disrupt nutrient absorption too, and so vitamin B, magnesium and zinc are big ones that are impacted nutrients that are often impacted by these pills, and so you have this inability to absorb the nutrients and vitamin B, magnesium and zinc. Do you know what? They play a big role in Depression and feeling like crap and feeling sad and blue, so weird all these women.

Amanda Baca:

So you mean us women aren't crazy? Yeah, we're just, we're deficient. Yeah, and we're not even doing it to ourselves. Yeah, but like it's a big issue. Yeah, and we, you know, I I was given these pills by a doctor and at the time I trusted my doctor. My mom trusted my doctor because they were a doctor. Why would a doctor give me anything that I don't need?

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah.

Amanda Baca:

I have learned, doctors are people. Doctors don't know everything.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah.

Amanda Baca:

And you as a woman, as a person, as a human, you have the right to challenge that Absolutely. But at that time back in the 90s, we could never fathom that, yeah, you know a doctor tells you to take this pill, you take the pill, but no, I just don't think that there's a lot of talk of advocacy for women to say, hmm, that didn't sound right, I want to try something else first, and I think the shift is happening that people like you, the other, you know people out, you know doing the good work they're inspiring women to say, hmm, I want to hear my options.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, I think that's the biggest thing is that the problem is is that it's been put on the woman to have that conversation and be you know. I think all people should be empowered when it comes to their own health. You should never just put your health in the hands of somebody else ever. Because, to be very clear, when you go into a doctor's office, you are a number on a list and the doctor is there for a business to make money. That's how it works. So it is your responsibility to take action with your own health and to get somewhat educated on whatever it is that you are dealing with, so that you can have a real conversation with your doctor and get second or third opinions if you need to.

Amanda Baca:

Absolutely. Yeah, with my healthcare journey. I have a gaggle of doctors I mean I just do, but they were all placed there personally by me. I have built my team. I have made relationships with these doctors, you know, and we have the conversations and we, you know, I trust these people that they will listen to me. And if I didn't trust that they would listen to me and take what I didn't trust, that they would listen to me and take what I have into consideration, they wouldn't be on my team. And people don't know that they have that. They have that ability to say no.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, absolutely. They have the ability to say no and they have the ability to find other people to help them on their healthcare journey if they need to.

Amanda Baca:

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, speaking of saying no to procedures, hysterectomies, and you are more than welcome to have me talk about my journey with this. But you know what's the deal with hysterectomies. You know what information like what long-term effects can hysterectomies have?

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, so do you want to? I mean, I can get on my whole soapbox. Do you want to share anything about your hysterectomy journey-ish? Well, sure.

Amanda Baca:

So, as I kind of expressed, like I have had a lifelong journey with endometriosis, pcos, infertility issues. It got to a point where I was having two-week, three-week long periods. I was bleeding heavily. The pain was so excruciating and you have actually seen me in that pain. I was on I don't know how many different pain meds, from oxycodones to Tylenol 3s, anything and everything. I was just drugged when I was on my period and that's not the life I wanted to live. So I finally decided, after discussions with my heart team at because you know, I got to consult them. Yeah, um, I, I went and saw a local in where we live. I, I, I visited a local OBGYN. Seemed to be a good gal and I went with her in desperate help. Need of help.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah.

Amanda Baca:

And instead of well, let's start here, it was all right. Well, let's schedule you for a hysterectomy, yep, well, that seems kind of heavy. Like that you're taking a part out of me. Yes, and at the time, at the time I think it was only maybe, you were probably 35, maybe, yeah, yeah yeah and was like I think that's, that's something.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah.

Amanda Baca:

Like one. Having a hysterectomy at 35 seemed pretty drastic. But offering me a hysterectomy as the first and only option, yeah, did not seem proper. So I I listened to you and I took some advice and I decided to get some other opinions. So I came to a doctor here in San Diego who knew my heart team, who knew you know kind of my history and everything, and she's like, well, no, let me talk to you about options. You know, it was kind of one of those things where, okay, let's you, you, you don't have to say yes to the doctor right away. If you don't feel comfortable, you can go get other opinions, which I did, and I'm so thankful that I did because I um, we explored the idea of doing uh, endometrial, um, shoot, an endometrial ablation which is less invasive, it stops the journey of endometriosis, it stops your periods, and it sounded wonderful.

Amanda Baca:

But unfortunately, with my heart transplant, I would not be able to properly heal from an ablation. So, okay, so, instead of stopping there, my wonderful team was like, well, hey, there's actually this new medication that, although we know you don't want to take any more meds and I don't, but I got to do what's going to keep me healthy, right, yeah, so there's this new medication. It's a specific endometriosis medication. Why don't we start here? And if it doesn't work out, we know we tried everything before we go something more invasive. And Lord, I am four months out with no cramping, no periods, no issues. I have. My hormones have been balanced.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah.

Amanda Baca:

I go and get my hormones checked all the time I have wonderful sex drive, I mean everything is great and it's all. Because I kind of said, no, that just doesn't sound right, like that's just not for me. But yeah, there's. You know, it was scary that somebody can just be like let's just yank it out.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, well, I remember, so I remember you. When that first happened, you told me about it and the first thing I said is, please don't get a hysterectomy. Yeah, and I was like, did you know? Yeah, and yeah, you were like, well, that's what the doctor says I need. And I said, yeah, but did they tell you all the side effects and all the horrible things that can happen? No, and they had not. And so I remember specifically sharing with you several things that could potentially come from having a hysterectomy, and I went oh yeah.

Nika Lawrie:

And then I'm so glad that you went and got second and third opinions, because here's what happens is, women go into a gynecologist office or their physician's office, right, and they say I have endometriosis. The doctor says, ok, here's a hysterectomy piece of candy, right, they literally handed out a piece of candy their physician's office, right, and they say I have endometriosis. And the doctor says, okay, here's a hysterectomy piece of candy, right, they literally hand it out like a piece of candy. And so all these women get hysterectomies like that.

Nika Lawrie:

And the problem with that is that there are small cases here and there where hysterectomies are absolutely needed. That's not that no hysterectomy should ever be done. I'd say probably 90% of the hysterectomies, even partial hysterectomies, do not need to be done. And what happens is that these women again are not informed it's informed consent is the key here right Of all the side effects that can come from having hysterectomies. So you can have things like hormonal imbalance I don't know why I'm having a hard time. Hormonal imbalance is one right and like we've been talking about hormones and why it's so important to make sure that they're-.

Nika Lawrie:

And I'm trying to get away from my hormonal imbalance Exactly, or I'm going to go for more and so we're going to do more by taking out our ovaries and all the whole thing right, the post-surgery side effects. So women don't heal the same. They can have pelvic floor issues. So what happens when your pelvic floor you have kind of a disorder is other organs in your body like your bladder and different things can move and then that can cause really big health issues like incontinence. You can have constipation. That is basically permanent constipation. You constantly struggle because all your organs have moved into a different place and so things don't flow and function the same way. There's different things like mood swing issues and weight changes and sleep disruption.

Amanda Baca:

Because I need more of that. I need more.

Nika Lawrie:

Right.

Nika Lawrie:

We're already struggling with all of those things you know, on top of the fact that this is happening to a lot of younger women that are still in their kind of fertility stage right where they could still potentially have children, and so a lot of them are told that they have to have a hysterectomy because that's quote unquote the only option, and then they can't have children, and that can be a really devastating thing for a lot of women, especially these women who are getting hysterectomies in their 20s or early 30s.

Nika Lawrie:

Options that can help treat some of these issues, like this medication for endometriosis, pcos, can be supported by balancing your blood sugar. There's all kinds of different factors that can impact your health overall and help you feel better without removing an entire chunk of your body. You don't need to just remove organs from your body usually, so there's different things that you can do that help support it. So I'm always, when I hear a woman say I've been told I need a hysterectomy, I will always get on my soapbox and tell them go get a second, third, even fourth opinion. Go talk to a functional medicine doctor first, or somebody who is outside of the traditional medical world, because there's lots of alternatives to help support the health issue that that woman might be dealing with.

Amanda Baca:

You know, it was kind of interesting because I had this OBGYN here to tell me let's yank it out, obgyn here to tell me let's yank it out, and I had called randomly.

Amanda Baca:

I actually talked to my electrophysiologist because I just my mind was blown and he was like he was the one who absolutely no, no, um, but it it just took me to talk, just talking to other people, talking to you, talking to my heart team, a functional doctor. I saw a functional doctor and I saw two other GYNs. Like, I did my research and you are allowed to do your research. Yeah, it's your body, absolutely. Yeah, I've had enough things yanked out of me that I don't want anything else, you know, taken out or put back in or whatever. Um, and I'm proud of myself for for doing that because, like I said, you know, four months now, I've never felt this good, yeah, like in that arena, um, everything else is wrong, but but that part of me is, you know, it's great and I'm entering into my 40s just soon, but, um, it's one part of my life I never thought that I would have control over and now I do.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, yeah.

Amanda Baca:

And it's. It feels good, it's not scary. Yeah, you know this, this perimenopause is cake. Yeah, for me anyways. Yeah, so you know. So Go ahead, sorry, go ahead.

Nika Lawrie:

Sorry, there's things that come with it and I don't think people understand how much power our uterus holds. Yeah, absolutely. I mean. There's a lot of research talking about women who feel grief or the fact that they feel less feminine after they've had it removed.

Nika Lawrie:

I mean, that's like your feminine kind of soul, right, like that's the mass that makes you kind of a woman, and I mean, obviously you're a woman through no matter what ever, but that's, you know, societally we think about women and having children and that fertility piece and everything, and so there's a lot of grief that comes with that, and then on top of that you have, you know, the mood swing issues, and then, when your hormones are out of balance, depression and anxiety can come in, and so there's a ton of mental health factors that go with that too, and so it can be really, really devastating for some women.

Nika Lawrie:

I know a couple of women who are older, who are now in their seventies and eighties, who had hysterectomies years and years ago, and every single one of them regrets it.

Nika Lawrie:

every single one of them says I wish I had known more at the time and done something different and so you know, I just want to reiterate like there are certain situations where hysterectomies are needed, but for the vast majority, there are other things that we can do to support um women's health, outside of absolutely cutting pieces out. Yeah, so I think we have time for one more question, if you have one.

Amanda Baca:

Yes, I want it to be a good one, so give me a sec, okay, okay, okay. So someone who's new to the non-toxic living style.

Nika Lawrie:

Yes.

Amanda Baca:

And I was this quite a few years ago. I was brand new. I mean, I loved fast food, I loved my sodas, and sometimes I still do, but I was, you know, I was dead set on that stuff, right, yeah, what's a good starting point? How do you help people and what do you recommend? Where do we start? Where do we start by switching?

Nika Lawrie:

So I think the easiest place to start is personal care products, because you're the least attached to those than anything else, right? So food can be a difficult place to start, because people have really strong cravings or they have cultural connections to food, or they just have habits that they are so accustomed to. Right, you go to the store and you buy the same five brands for your food over and over again, and so it can be harder to break those habits.

Amanda Baca:

And some of us, every time we go to a certain gas station we have to get a certain gas station chimmy.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, right, and I will not give that up.

Amanda Baca:

Yeah right, there's different types of food that people really love, and I will not give that up.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah right, there's different types of food that people really love. So I think food is the harder spot to start, but probably, honestly, it's the most important spot to change. So you have to get to that point at some point. Beauty, I'd say, is the second hardest spot to change because once you find makeup that you like second hardest spot to change because once you find makeup that you like, you don't want to change it, because women become very accustomed to the way the makeup feels on their skin, on their face, right, like how long it lasts throughout the day, and so it's a little bit harder to change that.

Nika Lawrie:

So what I'd say is personal care, because changing your shampoo or changing your toothpaste or changing your deodorant, you have that less attachment to, and so shampoo, conditioner, hairsprays, deodorants, toothpaste, all of those things. Start with that first and go use those apps, start scanning. Go to the store and start scanning. Scan the products you have in your house, and then you can either make the decision to you know, clean everything out, as once I've done that multiple times or you can use up what you have and then, once you go to the store, replace it with a cleaner option. But again, be very careful of greenwashing. Don't just buy something because it's on the label. Actually scan it and look at what the ingredients are. The cool thing about the apps, too, is like when it red flags an ingredient, it will tell you this is crappy because of X, y, z, like. So you'll start to learn what these different ingredients are and how they impact you. So that's a big thing.

Nika Lawrie:

Toothpaste is a big one. I would say get toothpaste without fluoride. That was my first one. That was my first change. Yeah, right, and so toothpaste can be easy, because most toothpaste still sort of tastes the same, no matter where you go. Right, there's nothing special about it.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, but get something without fluoride, and it is a big one. For those who think fluoride is a big controversy, the issue with fluoride is it actually lowers your IQ, like it literally is destroying your brain cells, and so that's why there's this big fight over fluoride right now In the water Fluoride in the water and fluoride that we put on our teeth and fluoride in toothpaste. And so the simple there's actual data, there's real research that shows that fluoride is impacting Americans' IQs, and so let's reduce our exposure to it. And then so, yes, yes. And then shampoos and conditioners I mentioned earlier, but that's a big one because you lather that all over and then it runs down your whole body when you're showering and that stuff can get absorbed. And, um, those are big areas that have a lot of phthalates and parabens, shampoos and conditioners and big fat. And then the last one I didn't mention, which is really, really important, is perfumes. Um, perfumes are like super toxic, and so I buy pretty much only clean perfumes.

Nika Lawrie:

they're actually pretty hard to find, um, but there, are some out there, um, and then I do have a few perfumes that I had prior to um, cleaning everything. But I use them only once in a while, on very special occasions, right, like if I'm going out, you know, for my wedding anniversary, to a dinner or something, I'll spray one of my favorite perfumes, but otherwise I either don't wear perfume or I wear a very clean perfume. And then lotions are the last big one, and lotions are so key because they have tons of fragrances in them usually too. Start with that, then go to beauty and makeup. Try to get all of your makeup clean as possible, especially your foundations and your primers and the creams that you're rubbing on your face. Those are the big ones.

Nika Lawrie:

Moisturizers are really big. And then move to food and water and go from there. There's a whole host of other toxic things that we can talk about. You know, your air filters in your house and your bed spreads and the clothes you wear Like it's a whole other thing that we can get into my thing is the.

Amanda Baca:

I'm addicted to those things I plug in my wall, so we get smell.

Nika Lawrie:

Throw those out. I hate them. Throw those out.

Amanda Baca:

Yes, but I'm so just, oh, I love them, but I get it, and with the perfumes like I you know which store, but I used to work at a certain clothing store and I have always worn this specific perfume. Yeah, the smell brings me back to happiness, you know that, and I'm not going to get rid of it. But, like you said, I use it sparingly now and if I do use it, I put it on my clothing instead of my skin On your skin.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, that's a good way to do it too. Going back to the air fresheners that you plug into your wall, if there's one thing I could ask you to throw out, that would be the biggest one. Those things are so freaking toxic. They're horrific for your health, including the ones that you put in the car. There are two options that you can rent. So you can buy a diffuser for your house and it's got the water and you put in a couple drips of essential oils and then it diffuses into your house and makes your house smell great. So that's a healthier option. And then two, you can actually get little plug-in like they sit onto your car air, like AC, like the little slits right where the air comes in. Oh, okay, okay, yeah. So they clip onto that and you can put drips of essential oil on them. And then you can put that on your car too. Yeah, so healthier option if you have to have the scents in your house I know, but they're so cute.

Amanda Baca:

But I know, I mean I can either be, I can either care about vanity, and in my life I have cared about vanity biggie big time. It's a big part of me.

Nika Lawrie:

But the thing is is that I can is that I wear makeup all the time. I still wear perfume. I put, you know, hairspray in my hair, you know, on and off throughout the week, right, like? I still do all of those things, but I figured out how to do it without these toxic chemicals, so you can still have, you can still be vain and care about the beauty of things without the toxic chemicals. You just have to decide to make that decision. So why?

Nika Lawrie:

not prioritize your health and vanity at the same time. They can go hand in hand. Health does not have to exclude vanity. That's a misnomer that we need to get rid of.

Amanda Baca:

You know, I think, when people think here I live organically and I use clean products, they're expecting some like dreadlock. No, that's not the case at all anymore Like that's totally, this is all natural stuff. I am all natural right now, except my nails, and I will not get rid of those, but like it's, like it's easy to do.

Nika Lawrie:

And it's okay. You pick one or two things. Like you know, I still get my nails done too, but everything else is super clean, and so you just make that decision to prioritize your health alongside your beauty.

Amanda Baca:

Yeah, yeah.

Nika Lawrie:

Absolutely.

Amanda Baca:

Well, thank you so much.

Nika Lawrie:

Yeah, thank you. This has been a wonderful conversation. I'm really glad we've been able to get this information out there. I really appreciate you sharing your stories with us too. I know it can be hard to discuss all this stuff, so I'm grateful, thank you.

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