Fibroids Linked to Relaxers?

[Nice & Wavy]

I found this information online. Interesting what they found out:

http://www.bet.com/news/health/2012/02/23/new-study-links-relaxers-to-fibroids.html

You have to wonder.......What do you think?

ETA:

New Study Links Relaxers To Fibroids


Scientist found rates of fibroids two-to-three times higher in Black women who used chemical relaxers.



By Charlotte Evans, BlackDoctor.org
Posted: 02/23/2012 05:14 PM EST

Filed Under hair relaxer, Health News, uterine fibroids

A new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology has linked hair relaxers to uterine fibroids, as well as early puberty in young girls.

Scientists followed more than 23,000 pre-menopausal Black American women from 1997 to 2009 and found that the two- to three-times higher rate of fibroids among black women may be linked to chemical exposure through scalp lesions and burns resulting from relaxers.

Women who got their first menstrual period before the age of 10 were also more likely to have uterine fibroids, and early menstruation may result from hair products black girls are using, according to a separate study published in the Annals of Epidemiology last summer.

Three hundred African American, African Caribbean, Hispanic, and White women in New York City were studied. The women’s first menstrual period varied anywhere from age 8 to age 19, but African Americans, who were more likely to use straightening and relaxers hair oils, also reached menarche earlier than other racial/ethnic groups.

While so far, there is only an association rather than a cause and effect relationship between relaxers, fibroid tumors, and puberty, many experts have been quick to point out that the hair care industry isn’t regulated by the FDA, meaning that there's no definite way to fully know just how harmful standard Black hair care products really are.

Fibroids are tumors that grow in the uterus. They are benign, which means they are not cancerous, and are made up of muscle fibers. Fibroids can be as small as a pea and can grow as large as a melon. It is estimated that 20-50 percent of women have, or will have, fibroids at some time in in their lives. They are rare in women under the age of 20, most common in women in their 30s and 40s, and tend to shrink after the menopause.

For more information on fibroids and their risk factors, visit BlackDoctor.org.

 

[HappilyLiberal]

Seriously... how many times is this article going to get posted?

 

[GinnyP]

Seriously... how many times is this article going to get posted?

I am glad it did this is my first time reading it

 

[QueenAmaka]

Seriously?!! Folks can talk about the "association" until they are blue in the face and people will still relax - including me.

There are a lot of fat folk out there that hear that obesity kills but that doesn't stop them from eating that extra serving -myself included

 

[Danewshe]

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=603927&highlight=fibroids

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=601783

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=602989

 

[Raspberry]

How did she extrapolate "2-3 times more likely" from the data? I wish someone could explain statistical analysis to me..lol.

 

[Nice & Wavy]

Seriously... how many times is this article going to get posted?

I only posted once, so I guess as many as needed to get the information to be seen

I am glad it did this is my first time reading it

Thank you, my dear!!! Not everyone go to other forums to read things...some just stay on the Hair Forum and for those who are able to read without being full members need to see the information as well.

Seriously?!! Folks can talk about the "association" until they are blue in the face and people will still relax - including me.

There are a lot of fat folk out there that hear that obesity kills but that doesn't stop them from eating that extra serving -myself included

Didn't post this to tell you to stop relaxing...just sharing some information. What does obesity have to do with what's posted?

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=603927&highlight=fibroids

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=601783

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=602989

So? I made a decision to post in the Hair forum.

It's not that serious people. Geesh....

 

[gabulldawg]

The search feature wasn't working?.

 

[bronzebomb]

My fibroids were HUGE! (wanna see them). The doctor took a picture of them for me.

All joking aside, I think every(any)thing can lead to fibroids. At this point no one knows.

The Article is an interesting read.

 

[firecracker]

bronzebomb Yeah I wanna see the pictures. I have loads of big ones and I'm getting my biopsy in 2 hours. Tired of all this damn pain!

 

[BlaqBella]

I had planned to lurk in here and skim this topic when I first noticed it. I wanted to mention that I first heard about them from a young white female back in the mid 90s, so I wouldn't put alot of stock in these 'findings' per se. Similar to what the poster who said 'they really don't know the truth/or aren't sharing the truth'. But, also like posters mentioned those who haven't been exposed to these findings should be informed just like the rest of us. It seems that it makes some people think about things that they'd rather NOT, but we shouldn't attempt to get others to NOT spread the word on important issues- no matter what.

 

[danniegirl]

Well thanks for posting i passed this along to my cousin.

 

[Nice & Wavy]

The search feature wasn't working?.

Guess not

My fibroids were HUGE! (wanna see them). The doctor took a picture of them for me.

All joking aside, I think every(any)thing can lead to fibroids. At this point no one knows.

The Article is an interesting read.

Thanks for posting.

Well thanks for posting i passed this along to my cousin.

You are more than welcome!!!!

 

[Supergirl]

I mean it's good information to put out there (I'm relaxed). I need to read in detail and see what kind of instruments and analyses the study utilized. I do have a white friend, with no chemicals, that has fibroids. But yes, I hear that they are more common in "us."

I heard one doctor say that he thinks that the reason black women are more likely to get them is the same reason we are more likely to get keloids. He didn't know what caused keloids either, but he made that link. I thought it was food for thought.

My theory is that the cause is similar to why black folks are more often lactose intolerant than other races. I think it's because this land and this food supply is different than the one in the land where most of our origins lie. Our bodies don't work to process certain types of foods. Therefore one of the bodily responses is to make the unusual product fibroids as a result of having to deal with the processing of these foods. Again, just a theory...

I do have a few fibroids by the way.

 

[Nice & Wavy]

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

I mean it's good information to put out there (I'm relaxed). I need to read in detail and see what kind of instruments and analyses the study utilized. I do have a white friend, with no chemicals, that has fibroids. But yes, I hear that they are more common in "us."

I heard one doctor say that he thinks that the reason black women are more likely to get them is the same reason we are more likely to get keloids. He didn't know what caused keloids either, but he made that link. I thought it was food for thought.

My theory is that the cause is similar to why black folks are more often lactose intolerant than other races. I think it's because this land and this food supply is different than the one in the land where most of our origins lie. Our bodies don't work to process certain types of foods. Therefore one of the bodily responses is to make the unusual product fibroids as a result of having to deal with the processing of these foods. Again, just a theory...

I do have a few fibroids by the way.

 

[Chaosbutterfly]

^ 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.

 

[beloved1bx]

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.

 

[Nice & Wavy]

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.

@the bolded...exactly. I've been on this forum for years now, so I know how to use the search engine to look up previously mentioned posts and it did not show up, that's why I posted this.

Even if they didn't give all the facts in their study, they may have a point....we don't know. But, it does get you to think about it....at least it does for me and some others as we can see.

It's not that serious though. I didn't post this to talk about people who are relaxed, etc....just some information, that's all. I like being informed, even if I think I know the facts, nothing like learning and getting another POV!

Thanks for your post!

 

[gabulldawg]

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

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

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.

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

How did she extrapolate "2-3 times more likely" from the data? I wish someone could explain statistical analysis to me..lol.

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.

 

[firecracker]

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

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.

 

[Kurlee]

damn, people are defensive about their relaxers

 

[candy626]

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.

 

[yorkpatties]

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

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

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.

I didn't find out about my fibroids until I was 45 (they can appear in young women but for most you won't get fibroids or at least start noticing symptoms from them until late 30's 40's during the pre-menopausal period of life), and the pain is very similar to strong labor pains and can last continous for days depending on the severity.

. 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.

This right here is the bottom line be it from relaxers or whatever.

 

[sunnieb]

I wish a different article would get posted with more facts.

I'm still relaxed by the way....

 

[brooklyngal73]

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?

So? I made a decision to post in the Hair forum.

It's not that serious people. Geesh....

 

[beloved1bx]

@the bolded...exactly. I've been on this forum for years now, so I know how to use the search engine to look up previously mentioned posts and it did not show up, that's why I posted this.

Even if they didn't give all the facts in their study, they may have a point....we don't know. But, it does get you to think about it....at least it does for me and some others as we can see.

It's not that serious though. I didn't post this to talk about people who are relaxed, etc....just some information, that's all. I like being informed, even if I think I know the facts, nothing like learning and getting another POV!

Thanks for your post!

I meant the authors writing these small news articles (like on bet or fox news), not the researchers of the study. The person who wrote the snippet in the link you posted is crossing two completely different research studies and drawing conclusions that were not stated in the original study which makes me think that their reliability is questionable at best.

 

[gabulldawg]

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.