You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

Do you ever find out stuff that the entire world already knows except you? And then you feel stupid, like you lack the knowledge base of most humans? 

I recently found out from my mammogram radiologist that there is aluminum in most underarm deodorants. I think I had heard this at some point in my life, but must have dismissed it as fake news or nothing I needed to concern myself about. But when the radiologist told me, it was in response to the fact that my health history included both a mother and father with Alzheimer’s Disease - and apparently aluminum is 

considered an etiological factor in neurodegenerative diseases.

“I’m so sorry to read this,” she said. “That’s tough.” 

“I know, it sucks,” I said. 

“But you know some of that is preventable, right?” She looked up from her computer.

I was, indeed, aware there were prevention tactics. I often scoured the Alzheimer's Association website for anything new about the disease. Each time I did, I got discouraged. I cannot believe that a disease that affects over five million people hasn’t made more definitive strides towards a cure. There are promising clinical trials in the works, studies occurring all over the world to determine how to stop it, and philanthropists paying to fund current research, but still, Alzheimer’s runs rampant - slowly taking people away from their loved ones and the life they love. But lifestyle changes can thwart the disease a bit, such as exercising regularly, limiting alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, maintaining low blood pressure, and getting enough sleep. Participating in cognitive activities and socializing also lowers someone’s risk of dementia. I knew of these things, and I implemented these things - all with the fear that what Mom and Dad have won’t catch me. 

“Yes,” I answered the radiologist, “I read up on Alzheimer’s all the time and try my best to live a lifestyle that prevents dementia.” 

“Oh, great,” she said, “so you don’t have contact with aluminum.” 

I immediately thought of wrapping my son’s morning bagel in aluminum foil. “Aluminum? Like aluminum foil?” The radiologist, who was nice and chatty and smiley, suddenly looked at me with a crooked brow and the slightest hint of a scowl. 

“No,” she continued, ”the aluminum that you spread on your body. It’s in most standard deodorants and laundry detergents. There’s a direct link to them and dementia. You rub it all over you, and it gets absorbed through the skin. It’s horrible!”

“Oh,” I said, sheepishly. “I had no idea.”

“I assumed you knew this, having two parents with Alzheimer’s,” she said. “You need to get rid of all your aluminum-based products!”

I was embarrassed. How did I not know about this? I listened to the radiologist and her advice on getting rid of my tube of “Secret,” what kind of deodorant I should buy, how to replace my laundry detergent pods, and the safety of dryer wool balls. She pulled up her personal Amazon cart and went to “purchases” so I could take photos of the exact brand names she buys, and we chatted about the importance of me taking this very, very seriously because of my health history. I had been schooled. 

I went home and emailed my sisters the new information I had just acquired, along with photos of Salt & Stone deodorant and Truly Free detergent. I was happily surprised they had not heard of this aluminum phenomenon as well. I felt like less of an idiot for being unaware. 

The next day at work, I told a few of my female coworkers the news.

“Hey,” I said to my boss in the morning. “Did you know that we’re supposed to be using aluminum-free deodorant? Apparently, there’s a correlation between aluminum and dementia.” She replied that yes, she did know, and had been using aluminum-free deodorant for years. Then I asked a workmate at lunch. She, too, was aware of the dangers of aluminum in deodorant and had also ditched her standard antiperspirants. 

“You didn’t know that?” My workmate asked over lunch. 

“Nope!” I said.

“Oh, I’m surprised,” she continued, “I feel like that’s something that most women are aware of.” I felt my face getting hot.  

“Well, obviously not,” I said sheepishly.  “I only found out yesterday.” That abruptly ended the conversation. We ate for a bit in silence. On the inside, I was screaming, “Does everyone in the world know this about aluminum deodorant except me and my sisters?!” I wondered how many other things I was blissfully unaware of that could kill me. I wondered how other women just know these things - like how to Gua Sha and which vitamins to take. I felt stupid. 

That evening, I spent some time Googling the effects of using aluminum-based deodorant on one’s skin. I searched for research studies, trials, and white papers proving that what the radiologist said was true. I found nothing on the internet. There is currently no evidence that standard deodorants cause cancer or lead to dementia. Is it better to use aluminum-free products? Sure, probably. But not for reasons science can back up. I felt vindicated. 

But, still, the aluminum-free thing was a lesson that there are tons of things I don’t know and trillions of tidbits of information that are still out there waiting to enter my brain - in a doctor’s office, within a conversation, in a book I read. It’s endless. The next time, however, I’ll need to breathe through it and not beat myself up for not knowing what I don’t know. 

By the way, has anyone heard of “grounding” sheets? I hadn’t. Add it to the list of things I thought I should have known about and, yet, had no clue!

Grounding sheets, also called earthing sheets, connect to a grounding outlet and are supposed to retrieve an electrical connection to the Earth, which then seeps into your body as you sleep. (What?) Users claim it reduces inflammation, improves sleep, increases energy, and reduces muscle pain. All sounds good! Why didn’t I know about these? However, they should be used with caution as they might pose a risk of electrical shock if not properly grounded. (That would be my luck!)