The Hemp Connection:
tampons

It's Earth Month 2011, a good time to think about our connection to things much bigger than ourselves. It's easy to become overwhelmed when thinking about a problem as daunting as infertility, and to narrow your focus down to what you need to do to fix your personal problem. Nothing else can seem to matter except your own hormones.

At inCYST, one of our most important missions is to help our readers understand, that the reason many people these days are struggling with infertility, is because our unsustainable lifestyle has changed the balance on our planet. The more respect with which we treat the earth, the better the earth treats us.

I was thinking about this yesterday while running on the canal trail behind my home. I've been waiting several weeks for the baby ducks to come and they finally arrived! My run is so much more enjoyable when I can watch the little fluffballs swimming behind their mother, learning how to swim, how to dive for food, how to preen. I never cease to be amazed at how these ducks just seem to know how to do what they do.

Something that biologists are learning is that other species are having trouble reproducing as well. We've put chemicals in the water they drink, we've put pesticides in the food chain, we've encroached on their breeding grounds…and they're paying a heavy price. The only difference is, they don't have reproductive doctors and nutritionists to guide them to better fertility. Their populations decline and we lose them.

So when I was admiring the fuzzballs I thought a lot about how inCYST is about more than helping all of you. Though that's important!

It's about rallying all of you to adopt lifestyle choices that benefit EVERYONE on the planet, no matter the genus, no matter the species. I hope that this is a value that gradually blends into your pursuit of personal health.

Speaking of sustainable living as a value, we had a wonderful radio chat yesterday with Julia Bucciero of Maxim Hygiene, makers of organic, all cotton, pesticide-free, chlorine and dioxin-free feminine hygiene and personal care products. If you had not thought about the opportunity for hormone imbalance your current personal care purchases poses, it's time you should.

And consider what unnecessary amount of plastic accumulates in landfills and floats down waterways when we make certain choices! You can make a hormone-friendly, 100% biodegradable choice and with that, make a difference.

Maxim Hygiene has created a product that makes personal sense for women with PCOS, and an opportunity for each of us to live more sustainably.

If you can't find these products in your local store, be sure to contact Maxim Hygiene and let them know. They're happy to work with stores to increase their product availability. I found them on amazon.com if you prefer to purchase them online.

It can help to feel less personally picked on when you take a step back and understand how a bigger imbalance may be affecting your personal imbalance. The best way out of that corner, is to collectively start making choices that promote balance outside, as well as within, ourselves.

It's one of those really obvious things once you think about it, but feminine hygiene products are so much a part of a woman's life she may have overlooked this part of her hormone-friendly routine.

Monday, at noon EDT, on BlogTalk Radio we're going to be talking to Julia Bucciero of Maxim Hygiene about why you should pay more attention to the details of your pads and tampons.

Broadcast time is Eastern Daylight Time. If you cannot attend live, the recording/podcast will be available afterward at the same URL.

Some of the most intimate contact we have with manufactured products, comes through our use of tampons and pads. Yet, very little is taught to us about how to choose the products that best promote comfort, health, and environmental sustainability.

Julia Bucciero of Maxim Hygiene will be with us …to share how these concerns drove the creation of her company, as well as to teach us a little bit about using feminine hygiene products in a way that doesn't intefere with your goals of best managing your PCOS.

Maxim Hygiene products provide a Softer, Safer and Natural Alternative to Standard Conventional Feminine Hygiene Products with its dynamic line of organic and natural tampons, pads, and cosmetic accessories. Started by a father-daughter duo, Maxim Hygiene is a medium size family run company that believes in and supports quality products and services that offer true health and lifestyle benefits. Maxim Hygiene products use the beneficial qualities of organic and natural cotton to help address and resolve major health and environmental concerns associated with the use and production of conventional feminine hygiene products.

Company story: Maxim was developed after twenty-five years of manufacturing and distribution experience in the feminine hygiene industry, held by company Founder, Kenneth Alvandi. His extensive work on every angle of the business, values for producing quality products, and having three very special women in his life (his wife and two daughters), led him to his vision of taking his years of experience 'to the max' by creating safer and more natural products for women. Inspired by her father’s vision, Rebecca teamed up with Kenneth for Maxim’s official launch in 2008, and since then they've been working to change the face and feel of feminine hygiene with Maxim, a Soft, Safe and Natural alternative to conventional feminine hygiene products. As a father and daughter team, Kenneth and Rebecca combine Ken’s industry knowledge and Rebecca’s feminine perspective with their homegrown values for the Body, Earth and Health, to provide a range of natural lifestyle products to best suit personal hygienic needs. Kenneth and Rebecca, now joined by the rest of the Maxim Hygiene team, plan to make many more exciting advances in expanding the Maxim Hygiene product line under the Maxim Hygiene philosophy.
If you cannot attend live, be sure to find the recorded broadcast in our archives, you can listen to it on your computer or download it as a podcast!

I was surprised and flattered recently when our friends at Maxim Hygiene asked me to answer questions for an interview as their"Fierce Woman of the Month". It is the first time I've ever talked much about why it is that I do what I do, and it was an opportunity to think about that, and clarify for myself what I want to do with inCYST.

Here is the interview if you haven't had an opportunity to see it. I appreciated the opportunity to say that even though I don't have PCOS and I've not struggled with infertility…what I do here did not come easily. I just wanted it badly enough that I was willing to do whatever it took to see it happen.

If you haven't heard my radio interview with Julia Bucciero of Maxim Hygiene, take a listen! This is a company that genuinely cares about women's health and wants the best for each and every one of you.

I'm so glad we met at Expo West this past March! Looking forward to more joint projects that help women everywhere.