It’s that time of the month when Auntie Flo comes around and you ride the crimson wave. It’s shark week… but also strawberry week…and also lingonberry week if you’re Swedish. It’s code red! Granny’s stuck in traffic! Les Anglais ont débarqué! If you think I’m describing a doomsday scenario with a side of red fruit and your grandma, I understand. In reality, I was describing something much more common via a hefty helping of obscure albeit artful euphemisms. 

You probably know this: There are certain words you just don’t say. This includes the p-word: “Shark week” (Australia) or “strawberry week” (Austria, Hungary, Latvia, Norway, Switzerland, and Germany); the m-word: “reverse puberty”, “second spring”, “the change”; or the v-word: papa (Used in Spain, slang for a double-chin), ke manju (Japanese for “hairy bean paste bun”). If you know what the p-word, m-word, and v-word are but cannot say them out loud, this is your turn to try. Say it with me: Period. Menopause. Vagina. These are natural and normal parts of life, but many cannot even say these words out loud, let alone hear someone else saying them without cringing. 

After indulging myself in a fascinating deep dive into why period poverty is such a pressing issue, how dance can be used to dismantle the shame surrounding menopause, how art can tackle the stigma surrounding menstruation, and the centuries-old marriage between material science and menstrual technologies, I was left with another question that called for more than just a brief web surf: Why can’t we talk about it? And more questions: When did our societal silence start? What makes menstruation and menopause different from other taboo topics like politics and religion? Why do these natural, normal, perfectly-healthy, and near-universal experiences evoke shame? 

Despite what I’d initially thought, a dig into the origin of menstrual and menopausal stigma suggested that even among the experts, it is unclear where it comes from. It was, however, clear that the stigma pre-dates the dawn of language in almost every culture, with a few exceptions. This article from Clue draws heavily on the theory proposed by Christ Knight, a social anthropologist at London University who has researched the “deep historical roots of menstrual taboo”. 

Knight’s view is that the original taboos were born of “female-led” and “female-advantaging” behaviors in early humans, which allowed them to assert menstruation as a time when their bodies were untouchable. While this originally reinforced female autonomy, it became a negative taboo when big animals became more scarce and the traditional hunter-gatherer rhythms were altered. This disrupted female solidarity as it became necessary to gather food more frequently, meaning that the menstrual cycle was no longer synchronized with the process of hunting large game. 

Knight then goes on to suggest that the response to this was men beginning to ritualize their own version of menstruation by cutting their penises and sometimes other parts of the body. The menstrual huts that females used to gather in to menstruate together were reassigned for the “new, better synced, male bleeding ritual” in which they would bleed together.  According to Knight, this is at the heart of all the world’s patriarchal religions, in which temples and churches reflect this male-controlled and dominated atmosphere. “At the base of all the world’s religions, we find one fundamental idea. Some things are sacred. And if the body isn’t sacred, nothing is,” he says. “Blood was a mark of the sacredness of the body. So the paradox is, that the very thing that benefited women throughout evolution is now made to be, and experienced as, the most disempowering.”

Regardless of whether you believe Knight’s theory is accurate, he acknowledges the paradox of power and struggle that is a hallmark of the shame surrounding menstruation and menopause. If the body isn’t sacred, nothing is, he says, and yet there is some nagging sensation that for a large chunk of history, the body is the farthest thing from sacred that there is. To speak of menopause and menstruation specifically, you need only consider the over 5000 slang terms used to describe these natural and healthy processes to bear witness to this attitude. Not only is the body not spoken of as sacred, but it is spoken of as repugnant, dirty, and worst yet, shameful. 

Shame. It’s an unassuming five-lettered word with big implications on the individual and societal level. It thrives on silence and feasts on your inner doubts, leading to symptoms such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and more. Here you might be thinking that this is making a mountain out of a molehill- or a crimson wave out of a puddle- but the excessive use of hurtful euphemisms and slang actually serves to reinforce the much more ominous force of shame. 

Brené Brown highlights this in her breathtaking TED talk on vulnerability. As she explains throughout her research, shame is something we all experience. It is part of what it means to be human and impacts who we are and how we behave. Despite how universal it is, most of us don’t want to talk about shame, as it makes us uncomfortable. Unfortunately, this is exactly what perpetuates it. “Shame derives its power from being unspeakable,” Brown writes. It feeds on silence, judgment, and secrecy. The solution? Vulnerability. 

But what about the slang, euphemisms, and centuries of casual misogyny surrounding menopause and menstruation? How do they evoke shame? According to this article by the Independent, an international survey with over 90,000 responses from 190 countries and ranging across ten different languages found over 5,000 slang words and euphemisms for the word “period”. 78% of the participants believed slang words were used when talking about periods, and in France and China, periods were spoken about in 91% slang terms, followed by Denmark at 86%. Nevertheless, many other countries were on the bandwagon as well. English-speaking participants often cited euphemisms such as Aunt Flo, code red, bloody mary, shark week, the crimson wave, code red, and “the blob”. In Finland, the expression hullum lechman tauti was used, which translates to “mad cow disease”.  In Brazil, participants used eusou com chico, which means “I’m with Chico”, referring to the socialist Chico Mendes. In France, it was Les Anglais ont débarqué, or “The English have landed”. In Denmark they said Der Er Kommunister i Lythuset– “There are communists in the funhouse”- while in South Africa they said “Granny’s stuck in traffic.” As much as  this range of morbid and obscure language might have made you roll your eyes, it still highlights a widespread discomfort surrounding the topic.   

The question that follows, of course, is what to do about it. After all, in maintaining a culture that masks the natural and healthy processes experienced by the female body, the shame surrounding these processes is only left to fester. To develop resilience toward shame, Brené Brown and her colleagues did research into Shame Resilience Theory, in which they identified that those who were able to move through shame and toward empathy all shared the following four elements of shame resilience: (1) recognizing shame and understanding its triggers, (2) practicing critical awareness, (3) reaching out, and (4) speaking shame (i.e. asking for what you need). 

In Brown’s research, she suggests using researcher Kristin Neff’s three elements to improve self compassion: practicing self-kindness over self-judgment, common humanity over isolation, and mindfulness instead of over-identification. 

For now, let’s just start with the linguistic part of self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness as it pertains to menstruation and menopause. Fortunately, there are some straightforward changes that you can make to the language you use. 

Step one is to just say the bloody word. Say “period” instead of “the blob” and “menopause” instead of “reverse puberty”. Use the clearest words possible when describing the female- or male- anatomy, and make an effort to know how your body works. 

Within the realm of language surrounding menopause and menstruation, there is also debate surrounding the use of the terms menstrual hygiene versus menstrual health, as the term menstrual hygiene has connotations more with cleaning, whereas menstrual health encompasses all aspects of menstruation, which include overall wellbeing, gender equality, education, equity, empowerment, and human rights. By placing menstruation with health rather than hygiene subsequently encourages the view that it is natural, healthy, and heavily intertwined with all other aspects of a female’s wellbeing. This is an important shift in thinking, as menstruation is about so much more than just cleaning up something “unsanitary”. 

In Liz Kleinrock’s TED Talk How to Teach Kids About Taboo Topics, she says that she believes “the first step towards holding conversations about things like equity is to begin by building a common language.” While she didn’t discuss menstruation or menopause, it is still highly relevant, particularly as her point links with the way we educate future generations. By signaling to others, especially those as malleable as children, that discussing the natural processes of their bodies is disgusting, confusing, and taboo, shame only lives on. As such, it is necessary to be open and curious in order to tackle the stigma that exists. This brings me back to Brené Brown’s words: “Shame derives its power from being unspeakable.”

To speak, and how we speak, is an immensely powerful and underappreciated force. According to this Forbes article, verbal communication through language is one of the qualities that make us unique in the animal kingdom. While scientists are not absolutely sure when humans first spoke, they think that language began two million years ago from the need to communicate while making tools. Today, about 6,500 languages are spoken around the world. That is 6,500 ways to tell a stranger “hello”, 6,500 ways to tell the loves of your life “I love you”, and 6,500 different canvases by which to paint a new attitude toward menstruation and menopause. 

The human voice is one of the most powerful instruments in the human body. The Swedish Musicologist Johan Sundberg once said that “the human voice has been called ‘the mirror to our soul’”, particularly in reference to singing, but also to the speaking voice. This voice is even more than just a tool; It is an instrument for change. Indeed, saying “period” instead of “that time of the month” or “menopause” instead of “the change” might seem small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. In reality though, it’s not. When many people like you and me make these small and barely-perceptible changes over time, we eventually rewrite the centuries-old narrative of how we perceive our complicated, confusing, evolving, beautiful, messy, miraculous, stardust-laden bodies. And that narrative starts with a word. And that word comes from you. 

Thought to Action:

1. Check out the Netflix documentary Period. End of Sentence. Which won an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject for 2019
2. Education: Teach yourself what a period is and how it works by watching this phenomenal TED Talk, Why Can’t We Talk About Periods?, by Dr. Jen Gunter, a renowned gynecologist and author of The Vagina Bible and The Menopause Manifesto. 
3. Consumption: If you menstruate, you can opt for products that are kind to the environment and kind to your body.
4. Language: How we talk about issues like period poverty affects the way we think about them. Update some of basic linguistic habits to remove the stigma around menstruation by checking out this link. 
5. Support: Support the women in your life going through menopause by using some of these tips:
   1. Encourage open discussions about menopause with everyone, even husbands, sons, brothers, fathers, etc. A supportive community is needed to make women feel more comfortable during this transition. 
   2. If you have already experienced menopause, share your experience with others to demystify the process and alleviate the shame surrounding it.
   3. Be mindful of the “little” things women might experience during menopause, like the discomfort of a hot flash in the middle of the night, the need to keep the room a bit cooler, sudden mood swings, and the difficulty of coping with menopause in the workplace.
   4. Read this article to find out more.
6. Read: Check out Emilia Clarke’s three-issue comic mini-series M.O.M.: Mother of Madness about a single mom, Maya, who uses the secret powers rooted in the various points in her menstrual cycle to take on a group of evil human traffickers.

Sources

Barth, F. Diane. “7 Ways to Fight Debilitating Shame | Psychology Today.” Www.psychologytoday.com, 23 Mar. 2018, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-couch/201803/7-ways-fight-debilitating-shame. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Calderwood, Imogen. “12 of the Weirdest and Worst Euphemisms for the Word “Period.”” Global Citizen, 22 Nov. 2017, www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/weird-period-euphemisms-around-the-world/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Devlin, Hannah. “Breaking the Menopause Taboo: “There Are Vital Stories We Should Continue to Pursue.”” The Guardian, 21 Sept. 2019, www.theguardian.com/membership/2019/sep/21/breaking-the-menopause-taboo-there-are-vital-stories-we-should-continue-to-pursue. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Druet, Anna. “Clue: Period and Ovulation Tracker for IPhone and Android.” Helloclue.com, Clue, 2019, helloclue.com/articles/culture/how-did-menstruation-become-taboo. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Gordon, Ali. “Period Taboo: Why Can’t We Talk about Menstruation?” BBC News, 24 Feb. 2019, www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-47254222.

“HEALTH – Top 10 Weird (and Funny) Names for the Menopause.” Heart London Magazine, 7 Sept. 2021, heartlondonmagazine.com/2021/09/07/health-top-10-weird-and-funny-names-for-the-menopause/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Kleinrock, Liz. “How to Teach Kids to Talk about Taboo Topics.” Ted.com, TED Talks, 2017, www.ted.com/talks/liz_kleinrock_how_to_teach_kids_to_talk_about_taboo_topics. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Morgan, Lindsay. “Talking about Taboos: How to Create an Open Atmosphere for Discussing Difficult Subjects.” THE Campus Learn, Share, Connect, 10 Nov. 2021, www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/talking-about-taboos-how-create-open-atmosphere-discussing-difficult-subjects. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

O’Connor, Roisin. “There Are More than 5,000 Ways to Say “Period” around the World – These Are the Best Ones.” The Independent, 1 Mar. 2016, www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/menstruation-study-finds-over-5-000-slang-terms-for-period-a6905021.html. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Ph.D, Jeremy Sutton. “Shame Resilience Theory: Advice from Brené Brown.” PositivePsychology.com, 14 June 2017, positivepsychology.com/shame-resilience-theory/#overcoming-and-dealing-with-shame. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Prisk, Jenni. “Civic Nation BrandVoice: Mark My Words: There Is Power in Your Voice.” Forbes, 26 Feb. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/civicnation/2020/02/26/mark-my-words-there-is-power-in-your-voice/?sh=4ae5cd6e3b77. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

read, Dr Sarah Jarvis MBE15-Jan-22 · 5 mins. “How to Alter Your Language around Menstruation to Be More Inclusive.” Patient.info, 15 Jan. 2022, patient.info/news-and-features/how-to-alter-your-language-around-menstruation-to-be-more-inclusive. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Sack, David. “5 Ways to Silence Shame.” Psychology Today, 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/where-science-meets-the-steps/201501/5-ways-silence-shame. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Selva, Joaquin. “Shame Resilience Theory: How to Respond to Feelings of Shame.” PositivePsychology.com, 14 June 2017, positivepsychology.com/shame-resilience-theory/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Sheesley, Maddie. “How to Talk about Menstruation.” Helloclue.com, Clue, 6 Nov. 2017, helloclue.com/articles/culture/how-to-talk-about-menstruation. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

The Sanitation Learning Hub. “Call a Period a Period: Exploring the Language and Knowledge of Menstruation.” Sanitation Learning Hub, 27 May 2021, sanitationlearninghub.org/2021/05/27/call-a-period-a-period-exploring-the-language-and-knowledge-of-menstruation/. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Thorpe, J.R. “41 Awesome Euphemisms for Vagina around the World, Because Your Pupusa Speaks All Languages.” Bustle, 26 Feb. 2015, www.bustle.com/articles/66680-41-awesome-euphemisms-for-vagina-around-the-world-because-your-pupusa-speaks-all-languages. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

West, Mary. “Female Reproductive Organ Anatomy, Parts, and Function.” Www.medicalnewstoday.com, 8 Oct. 2021, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/female-reproductive-organ-anatomy#uterus. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

The post Time To Bleed The Room: Unlocking the Magic of Saying the Bloody Word appeared first on Green Also Green.

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If you’re one of the lucky ones among us who menstruate- or ever has or will- you should know a decent chunk of the humans that have ever existed would think you had a magical ability. Pliny the Elder, a Roman author and natural philosopher, believed a nude menstruating woman could prevent hail storms and lightning, even scaring insects away from farm crops. In some cases in Mayan mythology, menstrual blood is believed to have the potential to turn into medicinal plants too. In some cultures, this blood was used as a kind of charm based on the idea that it could purify, protect, or cast spells. In ancient Egypt, the Ebers Papyrus (1550 BC) suggested it could be used as an ingredient in certain medicines. 

There is also a flipside to this wonderful ability though. In biblical times, ancient Hebrew laws of Niddah meant that menstruating women went into seclusion and had to be isolated from the rest of society for seven “clean” days. Pliny the Elder, who certainly believed in the mystical power of periods, thought their power was for the destruction of crops, turning “new wine sour”, making entire hives of bees die, and turning crops barren. Mayan mythology taught that, despite its medicinal potential, menstruation first began as a punishment for the Moon Goddess after sleeping with the Sun god. Her blood was then stored in thirteen jars, where it turned into snakes, insects, poisons and diseases. And thus began the long history of stigma that persists even today. There was blood, lots of it, coming out of women regularly, even when nothing was wrong, and it appeared to be synced with the moon and the tide. Yikes! The female body must be magical. 

That said, while deriving superhuman abilities from your period sounds cool enough to be the modus operandi of the next Marvel superhero, menstruation has lived largely in the shadows for centuries…and when it wasn’t in the shadows, it was allegedly sabotaging harvests and being taken as medicine. Historians assume the ancient menstruators- the ones living among good old Pliny the Elder- used rag cloths which were constantly rewashed, or tampons made of papyrus, wooden sticks wrapped in lint, or loincloths if you were in Egypt. In medieval times, similar methods were used, but researchers believe that many women also simply bled their clothes. This method was used for most of history throughout the world. 

Truth be told, little is known about how menstruation was handled in the distant past, because most of the scribes were men. Nevertheless, there is a wonderfully amusing story about Hypatia, one of the first female mathematicians, throwing a used menstrual cloth at a man in an effort to get him to go away. This provides a glimmer of insight into what it was like to be a menstruator in the 4th century. I, for one, don’t envy Hypatia.

Fast forward a few centuries and it was only in the late 19th century that products for “feminine hygiene” were even advertised somewhat publicly, and only in 1985 that the word “period” was first spoken on television. It was by Courtney Cox as part of a Tampax commercial, in case you were wondering. 

So what happened to period technology in the course of two and a half centuries to go from rags and papyrus to tampons, maxi pads, menstrual cups, and period underwear? A lot, my friend. It involves a world war, lots and lots of blood, a spoonful of sexism, some cotton, silicone, and plastic, and of course a hint of sketchy advertising.  

What finally got the ball rolling in the 19th century was a growing concern in the medical community around whether bleeding into the same clothes over the course of many days was healthy and sanitary. For reference, it was in the mid to late 1800s that Louis Pasteur demonstrated that microorganisms can cause disease, so you can imagine how the fear of bacterial infection served as a call to action in terms of menstrual health. This is when advertisements for the first commercial pads and tampons started to surface, albeit filled with euphemisms and awkwardness.  

Between 1854 and 1915, 20 patents were filed for menstrual products, including rubber underwear, Lister’s towels, elastic belts you could attach to a pad and antiseptic pad- which would be the main option for menstruators until the 1970s- and the first menstrual cups, which were made of aluminum or hard rubber. These were first made available through catalogs in the 1890s, which was quite a contrast to the occasional door-to-door marketing that occurred by the 1870s. 

When World War I struck, the menstrual product industry was forever changed. Nurses observed that cellulose, the most abundant organic polymer, was better at absorbing blood than cloth bandages. This inspired the Kotex sanitary napkin, which was made from surplus high-absorption war bandages and became the first commercial success for sanitary napkins. Not only did this revolutionize what pads were made of, but it revolutionized the career paths of women. As they started to work in factories as a result of the second world war, advertisements for menstrual products encouraged them to “toughen up”, working longer hours without having to weigh up their menstrual health. This newfound autonomy only grew with the new menstrual product industry. Menstruators were able to participate in activities that had previously been restricted and to pursue career paths that were initially reserved for men. 

This was, however, only the beginning. The first tampon wasn’t invented until 1929 by Dr. Earle Haas, who got the idea for the tampon after learning his friend in California used a sponge tucked into the vagina to absorb blood. Don’t ask me who he tested this on, but when Dr. Haas decided to take strips of cotton fiber and connect it to a cord extending out of the vagina, the tampon we all know and love was well on its way. Kind of… At this point in time, the stigma surrounding menstruation still meant that to purchase “feminine” products, women had to discreetly place money into a box specifically for these items rather than paying directly to a salesperson. The clip below sums it up nicely… 

With the 1930s there came several more innovations, including modern disposable tampons patented under the name “Tampax”, and the first patent of a menstrual cup by Leona Chalmers in 1937. In 1956 Mary Kenner, an African-American inventor, invented the first sanitary belt which included an adhesive to secure the pad in place. In 1956, Leona Chalmers then improved the design of the menstrual cup, using softer materials more akin to the silicone cups used today. 

1972 saw the introduction to the first beltless pads, finally leading to the demarcation between heavy flow, light flow, and mini-pads. Feminist and environmental movements throughout the 70s led to reusable menstrual cups, period sponges, and biodegradable options becoming more popular. The 1980s brought us modern maxi pads, pads with wings. By this point the belted sanitary napkin was totally fazed out and pads with adhesive strips could be attached to underwear, with the ergonomics being constantly improved to make pads more absorbent and less leaky. Between 1979 and 1996, over 5,000 cases of Toxic Shock Syndrome were documented. This was related back to a particular brand whose products are no longer available, but Toxic Shock Syndrome is still a reason many give for not wearing tampons. 

Phew! Deep breath. That was a lot of dates, names, and inventions. Now we’re up to today, in which the global menstrual market is expected to grow to $27.7 billion by 2025. Compared to our ancestors, we are overflowing(no pun intended) with period products. As of 2000, over 80% of women used tampons, with pads and panty liners coming in just under. More and more reusable options are also gaining traction, including menstrual cups and reusable pads.

All in all, this blast through the history of period products highlights to me not only the important place of scientific innovation in empowering women, but the importance of asking the right questions. Period poverty is still a pressing concern for millions around the world, which means that the zero to hero story of how menstrual products have developed still has a long way to go. And its future lies with us. 

This begs the question: What’s next? There are several factors to consider. Firstly is the environment. According to Health Line, the average nonorganic pad takes 500-800 years to decompose. In comparison, a cotton tampon takes six months. Non organic tampon brands, however, aren’t biodegradable as they are likely wrapped in plastic or used with a plastic applicator. To top all this off, an estimated 45 billion menstrual products end up in the trash every year, which is equivalent to more than five times the number of people on this planet. Considering that a disgraceful 91% of all plastic doesn’t get recycled and a large portion of it doesn’t biodegrade, we’ve got a huge problem on our hands- especially considering the amount of plastic found in menstrual products. 

Nonetheless, there are some fascinating innovations taking place including hemp pads and tampons, recycled nylon from ocean waste, reusable medical-grade silicone, and more. One company innovating in this arena is Rif, which uses “regenerative, plant based” inputs to make period products out of hemp fiber, a breathable, durable material made using fiber from the Cannabis sativa plant that has been used for millennia. With more innovations like this, the menstrual product industry is gradually becoming less wasteful and more environmentally-friendly. 

The other big factor: access. Read over my article Closing the Comma on Period Poverty to look into this on a deeper level, but to summarize, period poverty is a global health crisis which prevents about 500 million menstruators worldwide from fully partaking in their careers, education, and day-to-day lives. It results from a lack of access to period products, a lack of education and safe health and waste management facilities, the stigmatization of menstruation and menopause, or any combination of these. In this sense, ‘access’ not only refers to having access to the right products, but also having access to the right education, facilities, and emotional support. This also includes addressing the issue of stigma toward menstruation. I delved into this in my article Menstrual Menstralas: Why Art is the Path Out of Stigma, but must reiterate its message, so beautifully summed up by Dr. Jen Gunter: “It shouldn’t be an act of feminism to know how your body works.” It seems radical to suggest out loud, in a room full of people, that menstruators should be empowered to know their basic physiology, but it is truly a reasonable request. 

Ultimately, while we’ve certainly come a long way from Pliny the Elder’s day, menstruation and menopause are still highly stigmatized throughout the world due to cultural pressures, religious beliefs about menstrual blood, stereotypes about how menstruators behave on their period, and overall gender discrimination. Chances are that even you, as enlightened as you might be, would still cringe if someone brought up the topic in normal conversation. This is why the first step to breaking the vicious chain of period poverty is so difficult- because no one wants to bring it up first.  

This is how we start: by asking the right questions. Whether you are the upcoming Leona Chalmers, patenting the next evolution of the menstrual cup, or are finally building up the courage to ask that-question-you alway-wanted-to-ask about that-part-of-your-body-you-never-talk-about, you are taking an important step. There is no need to cure diseases or turn new wine sour; menstruation can be magical all on its own. 

Thought to Action:

1. Check out the Netflix documentary Period. End of Sentence. Which won an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject for 2019
2. Education: Teach yourself what a period is and how it works by watching this phenomenal TED Talk, Why Can’t We Talk About Periods?, by Dr. Jen Gunter, a renowned gynecologist and author of The Vagina Bible and The Menopause Manifesto. 
3. Consumption: If you menstruate, you can opt for products that are kind to the environment and kind to your body.
4. Language: How we talk about issues like period poverty affects the way we think about them. Update some of basic linguistic habits to remove the stigma around menstruation by checking out this link. 
5. Support: Support the women in your life going through menopause by using some of these tips:
   1. Encourage open discussions about menopause with everyone, even husbands, sons, brothers, fathers, etc. A supportive community is needed to make women feel more comfortable during this transition. 
   2. If you have already experienced menopause, share your experience with others to demystify the process and alleviate the shame surrounding it.
   3. Be mindful of the “little” things women might experience during menopause, like the discomfort of a hot flash in the middle of the night, the need to keep the room a bit cooler, sudden mood swings, and the difficulty of coping with menopause in the workplace.
   4. Read this article to find out more.
6. Read: Check out Emilia Clarke’s three-issue comic mini-series M.O.M.: Mother of Madness about a single mom, Maya, who uses the secret powers rooted in the various points in her menstrual cycle to take on a group of evil human traffickers.

Sources

Fact check…period! 

Aduviri, Brooke. “Material Sciences in Menstrual Health and Hygiene.” Events.engineering.oregonstate.edu, 14 May 2022, events.engineering.oregonstate.edu/expo2022/project/material-sciences-menstrual-health-and-hygiene. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Ali, Zoia. “The Evolution of Menstrual Products: From the 1800s to Present.” The Girls Company, 12 Mar. 2021, thegirlsco.com/blogs/news/the-evolution-of-menstrual-products-from-the-1800s-to-present. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Bell, Jen. “What Advertising Teaches Us about Periods.” Helloclue.com, 12 Sept. 2017, helloclue.com/articles/culture/what-advertising-teaches-us-about-periods. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Bushak, Lecia. “A Brief History of the Menstrual Period: How Women Dealt with Their Cycles throughout the Ages.” Medical Daily, 23 May 2016, www.medicaldaily.com/menstrual-period-time-month-history-387252. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Davies, Jack. “Primrose, Pearl and Period Pads: Menstrual Products in the Collection.” Science Museum Blog, 15 Apr. 2019, blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/primrose-pearl-and-period-pads-menstrual-products-in-the-collection/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Hennegan, Julie, et al. “Menstrual Health: A Definition for Policy, Practice, and Research.” Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 29, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2021, p. 1911618, https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2021.1911618.

Kotler, Jennifer. “A Short History of Modern Menstrual Products.” Helloclue.com, Clue, 20 Nov. 2018, helloclue.com/articles/culture/a-short-history-of-modern-menstrual-products. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Lapidos, Juliet. “Do Plastic Bags Really Take 500 Years to Break down in a Landfill?” Slate Magazine, 27 June 2007, slate.com/news-and-politics/2007/06/do-plastic-bags-really-take-500-years-to-break-down-in-a-landfill.html. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

“Menstruation and Modern Materials.” Science Museum, 7 May 2020, www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/everyday-wonders/menstruation-and-modern-materials. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Parker, Laura. “A Whopping 91% of Plastic Isn’t Recycled.” National Geographic, 20 Dec. 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/plastic-produced-recycling-waste-ocean-trash-debris-environment. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Praderio, Caroline. “Organic Tampons Aren’t Worth Your Money — Here’s Why.” Insider, 2 Aug. 2017, www.insider.com/are-organic-tampons-safer-better-2017-9. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Ross, Charley. “Why Is There Plastic in Tampons?” HuffPost UK, 10 Mar. 2018, www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/why-is-there-plastic-in-my-tampon_uk_5a96cc5be4b07dffeb6ec7bb. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Spinks, Rosie. “Disposable Tampons Aren’t Sustainable, but Do Women Want to Talk about It?” The Guardian, 27 Apr. 2015, www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/apr/27/disposable-tampons-arent-sustainable-but-do-women-want-to-talk-about-it. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

Trowbridge, Meg. “What I Learned from Switching to Organic Menstrual Brands.” Healthline, 20 May 2019, www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/organic-tampons-review#L.:-regular-and-super-tampons. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.

The post From Cloth To Comfort: A Menstrual Revolution In a Material World appeared first on Green Also Green.

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Throughout the world, almost 500 million people are affected by period poverty, which is the term used to describe a lack of access to menstrual products, education, hygiene facilities, waste management, or a combination of these. Anyone who’s ever been in the situation where their period begins without the adequate supplies knows that this is an issue stretching way beyond what they teach you in high school biology. It is also a matter of politics, culture, history, psychology, and social attitudes. I’m talking about the shameful stigma surrounding menstrual health. 

This is what I want to hone in on: the shame. Make no mistake, of course the economics, medical research, and biology lessons all have a vital place. However, there is something else underneath all the well-intentioned interventions to this problem. There lies a very sinister habit of staying rather hushed, as though the topic of how a female body functions is fundamentally unclean and impure. 

In fact, this attitude has been perpetuated all throughout history. According to Painting Blood: Visualizing Menstrual Blood in Art, many societies throughout time- and even in the modern day- have imposed a “strict set of rules about the visualization of menstrual blood in art and visual culture”. Ruth Green-Cole, the author of this work, then goes on to state that the “hegemonic and patriarchal codes controlling discussion, commemoration, or visualization of menstruation” have led countless women now and in the past to view their own bodies as negative and shameful. 

For a minute let’s set aside the rigidity of big scholarly words and academic writing. What Green-Cole describes is deeply personal. After all, there is unfathomable power in how we think, talk, represent, and commemorate the female body. This stretches beyond mere physiology. To attack the value and purity of the womb, the blood, a person’s sex itself is to attack the person whose soul is held within that body. This is no small matter. 

Lewis, Jen. “Is the Grass Always Greener?,” Beauty in Blood, www.beautyinblood.com/gallery.html. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

On the other hand though, there is always another side to power. Through channeling this power into the right places, it is possible to flip the script from one of shame to one of empowerment. Now the big question is How?

As always, there are multifarious approaches to tackling stigma, but for now I’d like to discuss one which I find particularly fascinating: visual art. In Aisle article, Menstruation in Art, Ariane Bell Vila states, “Making art about menstruation is one of the ways in which we can normalize it. It allows people to see a reflection of themselves through someone else’s eyes and feel less shame. It also (ideally) allows folks who don’t menstruate to maybe understand it and sympathize a little bit more. Art can help us unpack loaded or taboo subjects; periods are ready for the palette.”

Make no mistake though- art has a complicated history of representing menstruation and menopause. Returning to Green-Cole’s Painting Blood,  the concept of ‘gendered blood’ is heavily embedded in patriarchal traditions. These cultures “suppress images of menstruation” while European and American art “valorize women’s bodies as vehicles for male scopic desire”.This highlights a paradoxical interplay between embracing the female body as a sexual object while thoroughly denying its natural healthy processes. The association in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions between menstrual blood and immorality only furthers this. While Christ’s blood is elevated in the Eucharist as “the blood of heroes lost on the battlefield”, female blood is seen as a punishment for Eve’s temptation of Adam. This arbitrary divide between female and male blood in artwork was a common theme for centuries. 

That is, until the 70s. At this time, feminist art emerged, producing works which were both radically honest and startling. Green-Cole describes them as not “easy to look at or decent and palatable”, as they bluntly contravene the “requirement” that female bodies in art must be timid and chaste. In doing so, they revalue “gendered blood”, transforming it gradually into a positive, defiant, or ambiguous symbol. 

This heavily contrasts with works like Marc Chagall’s 1910 oil on canvas Birth or Paul Gauguin’s 1892 painting Parau na te Varua ino (Words of the Devil), which depicts a young Tahitian woman standing naked amidst lush green foliage, a masked she-devil lingering in the background. The she-devil watches as the embarrassed woman covers her genitals with a white cloth, symbolizing purity. Her posture is “that of a woman fallen from grace” and all around her feet are pink flowers, evoking associations with blood, impurity, and the “passage that has just occurred from virginity into the status of a ‘fallen’ Eve”. 

This patriarchal image of women as the defective, leaky “other” is nonetheless challenged by artists like Paula Modersohn-Becker and Frida Kahlo, who were contemporaries of Gaugin and Chagall. Green-Cole remarks that in actual fact, Kahlo never explicitly worked with menstruation as a theme. Nevertheless, the image of blood is common throughout her work, such as in Henry Ford Hospital and Mi Nacimiento(My Birth), both painted in 1932. Modersohn-Becker contributed similarly through works like Selbstbildnis am 6. Hochzeitstag (Self-Portrait on the Sixth Wedding Day) in 1906 and Mutter mit Kind auf dem Arm, Halbakt II (Mother with Child in Her Arms, Half-Length Nude II) in 1907. 

So even at the dawn of the 20th century there were hints that a shift in perspective was coming. In the 70s this really took off. Now there is a whole wave of feminist art celebrating menstruation. Among these artists are Ellie Kammer, who creates breath-taking paintings depicting the experience of endometriosis; Natalie Byrne, who wrote and illustrated the book Period. on “everything you need to know about periods”; Sarah Naqvi, whose embroidery work depicts menstrual blood in a celebratory way; Vanessa Tiegs, the creator of “menstralas”; and too many others to list. 

Lewis, Jen. “The Crimson Wave,” Beauty in Blood, www.beautyinblood.com/gallery.html. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

I particularly enjoyed the Beauty in Blood project, in which photographs of menstrual blood in water are photographed to depict a plethora of mesmerizing shapes and shades of color. It seemed to provide a stark contrast to the attitudes of disgust and vulgarity that have been held toward female blood traditionally. Instead, each image is delicate and detailed. It even takes a moment to remember that it’s a photograph of blood…in a toilet! Each image must go through a four-step process of media collection, pouring/designing the layout, photographic capture, and photograph selection. By using photography to capture this taboo subject matter from an elegant angle, the artist, Jen Lewis, challenges the many taboos surrounding menstruation that paint it as something vulgar and repulsive. 

Another project I found particularly thought-provoking was Vanessa Tiegs’ Menstralas, which consists of 88 paintings, or “menstralas”,  to highlight the importance of menstrual cycles. In this project, Tiegs uses her own blood as a medium, which has evoked mixed reactions among the public. However, other projects, like Sarah Naqvi’s feminist embroidery to depict menstrual blood, are also both aesthetically appealing and provocative. “Most of my art uses the medium to start a dialogue,” she says in an interview with Feminism in India. “As long as it starts a conversation, it has made an impact.”

Tiegs, Vanessa. “Ruby Red,” Menstrala Galaxy Crossing, www.vanessatiegs.com/menstrala/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023. “Finding one’s voice is a critical step in healing this challenging aspect of womanhood that is too easy to joke about merely because it stays hidden and ignored. When I published “Ruby Red,” girls with endometriosis thanked me for helping them break their conditioned silence. ” -Vanessa Tiegs.

Perhaps this is overall what must guide artists in the realm of menstrual health advocacy: starting a conversation. As I mentioned before, this open discussion is yet another way of crushing the dangerous stigma surrounding menstruation. 

“Art is not what you see,” Georgia O’Keeffe once said. “It’s what you make others see.” It is through this subtle but powerful ability of artwork that social stigmas surrounding menstrual health can be crushed. When stigmas are crushed, normalization occurs. When normalization occurs, menstruators are empowered to take control over their health by asking questions and starting conversations. Still the work so many artists are doing today is only the start. As Belle Vila declares, “Periods are ready for the palette.”

Thought to Action

1. Education: Teach yourself what a period is and how it works by watching this phenomenal TED Talk, Why Can’t We Talk About Periods?, by Dr. Jen Gunter, a renowned gynecologist and author of The Vagina Bible and The Menopause Manifesto. 
2. Sign the petition: Sign this petition to end period poverty in the U.S.
3. Consumption: If you menstruate, you can opt for products that are kind to the environment and kind to your body.
4. Consumption…For a Cause: Check out Accessory Junkie and Period.’s joint project to sell Peri earrings in order to support menstruators worldwide. Proceeds from the sale of 100 pairs of the Peri earrings supports 1,500 menstrual cycles around the world. There is currently a waitlist, so make sure to sign up for an update on when it becomes available!
5. Language: How we talk about issues like period poverty affects the way we think about them. Update some of basic linguistic habits to remove the stigma around menstruation by checking out this link. 
6. Support: Support the women in your life going through menopause by using some of these tips:
   1. Encourage open discussions about menopause with everyone, even husbands, sons, brothers, fathers, etc. A supportive community is needed to make women feel more comfortable during this transition. 
   2. If you have already experienced menopause, share your experience with others to demystify the process and alleviate the shame surrounding it.
   3. Be mindful of the “little” things women might experience during menopause, like the discomfort of a hot flash in the middle of the night, the need to keep the room a bit cooler, sudden mood swings, and the difficulty of coping with menopause in the workplace.
   4. Read this article to find out more.
7. Read: Check out Emilia Clarke’s three-issue comic mini-series M.O.M.: Mother of Madness about a single mom, Maya, who uses the secret powers rooted in the various points in her menstrual cycle to take on a group of evil human traffickers.
8. Advertising: Inform businesses of how their advertising might promote bodily shame. Watch some of these empowering new ad campaigns that challenge toxic beauty standards.
   1. Dove’s #MyBeautyMySay
   2. Always’s #LikeAGirl

Sources

Hlola ukucabanga kwakho! is Zulu for Check your assumptions!

Bell Vila, Ariane. “Menstruation in Art.” Aisle, 22 May 2020, periodaisle.com/blogs/all/menstruation-in-art. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

Bloody Good Period. “MENSTRUAL EQUITY RESEARCH.” Bloody Good Period, www.bloodygoodperiod.com/bloody-data. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

Cardoso, Lauren F., et al. “Period Poverty and Mental Health Implications among College-Aged Women in the United States.” BMC Women’s Health, vol. 21, no. 14, 6 Jan. 2021, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7788986/, 10.1186/s12905-020-01149-5.

Geng, Caitlin. “What Is Period Poverty?” Www.medicalnewstoday.com, 16 Sept. 2021, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/period-poverty#how-it-affects-people. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

Green-Cole, Ruth. “Painting Blood: Visualizing Menstrual Blood in Art.” The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies, 2020, pp. 787–801, 10.1007/978-981-15-0614-7_57.

Gunter, Jen. “Why Can’t We Talk about Periods?” Www.ted.com, 2019, www.ted.com/talks/jen_gunter_why_can_t_we_talk_about_periods. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

Marcus, Hannah, and Rose Crabb. Understanding Experiences of Periods. 2022.

Martinčič, Julia. “Let It Bleed – Art’s Revival of Menstrual Blood.” The Guardian, 12 Dec. 2016, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/dec/12/let-it-bleed-arts-revival-of-menstrual-blood. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

read, Dr Sarah Jarvis MBE15-Jan-22 · 5 mins. “How to Alter Your Language around Menstruation to Be More Inclusive.” Patient.info, 15 Jan. 2022, patient.info/news-and-features/how-to-alter-your-language-around-menstruation-to-be-more-inclusive. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

Steinem, Gloria. “If Men Could Menstruate.” Women’s Reproductive Health, vol. 6, no. 3, 3 July 2019, pp. 151–152, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23293691.2019.1619050, 10.1080/23293691.2019.1619050.

Vellore, RutuChakra. “Art Depicting Menstruation: A Perspective.” Medium, 12 Oct. 2021, rutuchakra-vellore.medium.com/art-depicting-menstruation-a-perspective-68099b017736. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

Water Aid. “In the Red: WaterAid Finds 1 in 4 UK Women and Girls Struggle to Afford Period Products as Cost-of-Living Crisis Takes Its Toll | WaterAid UK.” Www.wateraid.org, 25 May 2022, www.wateraid.org/uk/media/wateraid-survey-uk-women-and-girls-struggle-to-afford-period-products. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

The post Menstrual Menstralas: Why Art Is The Path Out of Stigma appeared first on Green Also Green.

There is a moment every female-bodied tween dreads- the day your sporadic, temperamental period comes early and you’ve forgotten your pad. You’re stuck in the bathroom stall on a muggy summer afternoon in the middle of French and you know your only option is to stuff toilet paper into your panties and say a prayer. After class you’ll have to ask around to see if anyone will let you have one of their pads, but you’ll still have to sit in class for what feels like millenia, dreading any of several incriminating stains that could seep through. In school. In front of everyone. Blazed into your memory. After waddling back to class cautiously, precariously sitting yourself back down, you grab your pen and look up, trying to focus, but you can’t. Your mind is conjuring up a bloody red menagerie of worst-possible-scenarios, and now you’re starting to feel some cramps too. How do you say ‘to be on your period’ in French anyway?

Well it’s avoir ses règles, and for many menstruating people worldwide, a lack of adequate supplies to handle menstruation safely has led to what we now call period poverty. In fact, period poverty is considered a global health crisis. 

Let’s take a step back though, because the word ‘period’ makes sense and so does ‘poverty’, but when the two are put together it starts to get a bit confusing. Truth be told, many definitions are circulating, some which center around being able to financially afford menstrual products, others with focus on access, education or awareness. In reality, period poverty counts as all of these. The definition I found to be most aligned with this all-encompassing definition is the one on Medical News Today, which states that “period poverty is a lack of access to menstrual products, education, hygiene facilities, waste management, or a combination of these”.

Now while that sounds like a definite issue, what elevates it to the status of a global health crisis? In short, why should you care? Perhaps you’re even reading this as someone who has never menstruated or never will. 

cottonbro studio. Pexels, www.pexels.com/photo/sanitary-pad-on-white-background-3926751/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023.

If you’re a proponent of utilitarianism and appreciate a bit of hedonic calculus, join me as we crunch some numbers: There are about 8 billion people on this planet. According once again to Medical News Today, 500 million people who menstruate lack access to menstrual products and hygiene facilities. That’s about 6.25% of the global population having several days of discomfort on a monthly basis due to lacking access to menstrual products and hygiene facilities. If every person on the planet were a grain of sand, all 8 billion of us put together would weigh as much as a grand piano. If you were to take all 500 million of the people lacking menstrual products and hygiene facilities, they would weigh as much as three full size watermelons. Now let’s say you took the estimated 16.9 million people who menstruate living in poverty in the U.S. alone. If they were all grains of sand and you put them together, it would weigh as much as an iPad. In fact, a 2021 study found that almost two-thirds of women in the U.S. with a low income could not afford menstrual products in the last year, while nearly half sometimes had to choose between buying food or menstrual products. 

This kind of constant stress at the back of someone’s mind every month for several days can prevent them from participating in their education or careers, which has significant economic implications for their ability to financially support themselves and their families, as well as their participation in the wider economy. 

Undoubtedly, this is a concern from the very first time a young person gets their period. One widely-quoted statistic is that one out of every ten African girls misses school due to menstruation, although there is admittedly much difficulty in measuring absences and the reasons for them. That said, poor school attainment nevertheless “reduces girls’ economic potential over her life course, impacts population health outcomes; which extends to girls’ sexual and reproductive health outcomes, self-esteem, and sense of control”.

The impacts of this also affect women already in the workforce. According to the University of Leeds Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development’s 2019 report, results from a pilot menstrual health intervention by Business for Social Responsibility’s (BSR) HER project show that 73% of women working in factories in Bangladesh missed work for an average six days a month. When the HER project provided pads and a behavior change work-based intervention, absenteeism dropped to 3%.

Vaitkevich, Nataliya. Pexels, www.pexels.com/photo/red-and-white-heart-decors-5712294/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023.

With that in mind, we can imagine what it would look like to eradicate period poverty. In this ideal world, where menstrual health is neither stigmatized nor out of reach, people would have access to information about menstruation, life changes, and hygiene practices. They would be able to take care of themselves during menstruation. They’d have access to water, sanitation, and healthcare, the ability to receive a diagnosis for menstrual cycle disorders, a positive and supportive environment in which to make decisions, and the empowerment necessary to participate in all aspects of life, such as going to work, school, and anywhere else.

The tricky thing is how to get there. Of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, I could think of at least nine which tie into the trials and tribulations of period poverty, indicating that there is definitely a need for a solution. 

Below I’ve mentioned which ones I saw an immediate connection to and their number on the list of the seventeen total SDGs:

• 3. Good Health & Wellbeing
• 4. Quality Education
• 5. Gender Equality
• 6. Clean Water & Sanitation
• 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
• 10. Reduced Inequalities
• 12. Responsible Consumption and Production
• 13. Climate Action
• 16. Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions

So we’ve established that period poverty is a problem for everyone and that it’s necessary to overcome it in order to create a sustainable future. However, it’s a complicated quagmire of socioeconomic, cultural, biological, and anthropological factors that take creativity and collaboration to tackle. I can’t do it all by myself and nor can you, but we can make a start with a few simple steps and creative ideas. 

One way to deconstruct the stigma behind menstruation is through art. Through art we open ourselves up to bold curiosity; Through curiosity we open the door to normalization. As Dr. Jen Gunter, an outspoken gynecologist and science communicator says, “It shouldn’t be an act of feminism to know how your body works.” This attitude has been reflected by several artists already, such as Vanessa Tiegs, who creates menstralas to spread awareness about menstrual health; Sarah Naqvi, who uses embroidery to depict menstrual blood; or Rupi Kaur, whose controversial photograph of a woman with a menstrual blood stain was once temporarily removed from Instagram. 

Another way to approach period poverty is by diving into the marriage between material science and menstruation, a marriage involving menstrual cups, tampons, pads, and the environment which sits on the receiving end of all we dispose of. By understanding how best to balance comfort, finance, women’s health, the environment, and the other forces at play, we can prevent women from having to make unjust sacrifices. 

No one should have to choose between buying tampons or food. No one should have to compromise their career or education because they can’t access menstrual products. No one should have to feel ashamed of the way their body functions. No one should have to worry about whether they can make it twenty hours with the same pad. So now it’s the job of you and me, dear reader, to address the neglected global health crisis of period poverty one word at a time. 

Thought to Action 

1. Education: Investigate further about how to how to support menstruators and decrease the stigma relating to menstruation by:
   1. Asking questions & starting conversations about menstruation, menopause, period poverty, and bodily shame.
2. Consumption: If you menstruate, you can opt for products that are kind to the environment and kind to your body.
3. National Advocacy: Menstruators need the support of their government to provide the appropriate infrastructure and access to hygienic menstrual products. Protective legislation can ensure that everyone who menstruates receives this, while reducing taxes on menstrual products, making them available to all who need them. Check out this petition to end period poverty in the U.S.:https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-now-end-period-poverty
4. Language: How we talk about issues like period poverty affects the way we think about them. Update some of your basic linguistic habits to remove the stigma around menstruation by checking out this link. 
5. Advertising: Inform businesses of how their advertising might promote bodily shame. Watch some of these empowering new ad campaigns that challenge toxic beauty standards.
   1. Dove’s #MyBeautyMySay
   2. Always’s #LikeAGirl
6. Legislation: Protective legislation can ensure affordable access to proper facilities and menstrual hygiene products. Governments can also reduce taxes on menstrual products, making them more affordable.

Sources

“E nānā mau i nā kumu,” is Hawaiian for “Always check your sources.”

Action Aid. “Period Poverty.” ActionAid UK, 2021, www.actionaid.org.uk/our-work/womens-rights/period-poverty. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023.

Bodyform. “What Is Period Poverty? | Bodyform.” Bodyform.co.uk, Bodyform, 20 Sept. 2018, www.bodyform.co.uk/our-world/period-poverty/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023.

Brooksbank, Kate. “Period Poverty: One in Eight Likely to Struggle to Afford Sanitary Products They Need in next Year | YouGov.” Yougov.co.uk, 14 Sept. 2022, yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/09/14/period-poverty-one-eight-likely-struggle-afford-sa. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023.

geng. “What Is Period Poverty?” Www.medicalnewstoday.com, 16 Sept. 2021, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/period-poverty#what-is-it.

Hampton, Janie. “Call a Period a Period: Exploring the Language and Knowledge of Menstruation.” Sanitation Learning Hub, 27 May 2021, sanitationlearninghub.org/2021/05/27/call-a-period-a-period-exploring-the-language-and-knowledge-of-menstruation/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023.

Menstrual Health Coalition. “Menstrual Health Coalition.” Menstrual Health Coalition, www.menstrualhealthcoalition.com/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023.

Periods Matter. “Period Poverty – the Facts.” Periods Matter, www.periodsmatter.co.uk/period-poverty-the-facts. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023.

Sedghi, Amy. “14 Best Sustainable Period Products, Reviewed.” The Independent, 6 Aug. 2021, www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/fashion-beauty/best-sustainable-period-products-uk-review-b1821265.html. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023.

Unicef. “Menstrual Hygiene.” Unicef.org, 2020, www.unicef.org/wash/menstrual-hygiene. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023.

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After defending the bad press snakes get in Western culture and highlighting the potential their venom offers the field of medicine, I was struck by a dagger of guilt. More than 220,000 species- or approximately 15% of all animal diversity on earth – are venomous. What about their potential in medicine? I decided I couldn’t possibly move on from the topic of venom without giving a shoutout to the fascinating array of cone snails, spiders, scorpions, and other species that seldom get the spotlight they deserve. This guilt weighed me down heavily as I wondered with great futility how to resolve this moral conundrum. That’s when I came across Adam Roy’s article for the magazine Outside, Keep Your Bird-Watching- I’m a Spider Man. It was clear after reading it that my next venomous protagonists would be scorpions and spiders, both arachnids, which are members of the arthropod group and Arachnida class. 

Anon, (n.d.). [Online Image] Pixabay. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/animal-arachnid-close-up-creepy-219959/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

To paint the picture, I think it’s helpful to get to know the stars of the show. If you aren’t too clear on what constitutes the Arachnida class, according to Britannica, they have segmented bodies, tough exoskeletons, and jointed appendages. Most are predatory and almost all of them lack jaws.This is because instead, they inject digestive fluids into their prey before sucking out the liquefied remains into their mouths. 

(Sidenote: That might send a shiver down your spine, but please don’t go out killing spiders. They are important members of the ecosystem in your home, your garden, and the wild. In fact, they even act as a form of biological pest control for not only flies, but also disease-carrying insects, like cockroaches or mosquitos.)

Scorpions, on the other hand, only use their venom defensively, so as long as you don’t provoke them, you should be safe. They are otherwise fascinating creatures for so many reasons, for example because they glow in the dark for reasons scientists still debate, and have extremely low metabolic rates, allowing them to survive with one tenth the oxygen of other insects. 

G., S. (n.d.). [Online Image] Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-and-brown-insect-with-pincers-1981542/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

But apart from being absolutely mind-boggling little critters, spiders and scorpions have added to their repertoire in recent years. Their venom, as it turns out, could help treat conditions like chronic pain and cancer. The big question is why. Why can venom, which is so painful when you’ve just been stung by a scorpion, snake, or spider, be used to alleviate pain at the same time? This contradiction is what enticed me at first, and perhaps it’s also what entices you. 

The reason venom can accomplish so much biochemically is because it contains such a large variety of peptides, each targeting a unique type of pore on the cell surface. These targets are called ion channels, and they control the flow of ions across cell membranes, shaping the electrical signals which are the stars behind muscle contraction and relaxation, blood pressure, neuronal signaling, neurotransmitter release, hormone secretion, and ensuring electrolyte balance.

Specifically when it comes to chronic pain, Medical News Today suggests that past studies have found that one of the most common pathways involved is Nav1.7, which is a sodium ion channel. By blocking this channel as some venoms do, researchers predict that the pathways controlling pain will basically be turned off. According to Professor Glenn King of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at The University of Queensland in Australia, a researcher in this study, “Previous research shows indifference to pain among people who lack Nav1.7 channels due to a naturally-occurring genetic mutation – so blocking these channels has the potential to turning off pain in people with normal pain pathways.”

Another application I mentioned was cancer, in which venom can be used as “tumor paint”, first developed by Dr. Jim Olsen. This would involve using the chlorotoxin peptide found in deathstalker scorpion venom to stick to cancer cells in the patient’s bloodstream alongside a dye which is fluorescent under laser light. This chlorotoxin peptide binds to glioma cells, a type of tumor found in the brain and spinal cord, and blocks chloride channels. This would allow a surgeon to clearly identify the type of cancer and which tissue is cancerous versus normal. Amazingly, this isn’t just a nice idea tossed around in the ether. The FDA has already approved this venom-based tumor paint for use in brain tumor clinical trials. 

Mind-boggling, right? And these are only a few examples! Other peptides with therapeutic potential are margatoxin, ω-CVID, α-GID, μ-PIIIA, ShK, χ-MrIB, and GsMTx4, which you can read up more on by using the sources at the bottom of this post. 

That said, one difficulty to synthesizing these medical tools is that such a small proportion of venom has actually been discovered. Dr. Julie Kaae Klint, a member of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience and another author from King’s study on applying venom to chronic pain, estimates that there are roughly 9 million spider-venom peptides and only 0.01% have been explored so far. Let’s just stop to think about this. Imagine you drew a line half the length of the Grand Canyon or about two times as wide as the English Channel. For every inch of this line, there is a unique spider-venom peptide out there. Now imagine a line only the length of two and a half London buses. For every inch of this line, there is one spider-venom peptide that has been discovered. That still leaves almost 9 million spider-venom peptides that have not been explored. What will we find when we do?

Willinger, M. (n.d.). [Online Image] Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-spider-3482977/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

On that note, there’s another challenge to synthesizing venom-based drugs- and that is how to actually identify the peptides that we can put to use. In a paper published online on February 11 2014 in Current Biology, a team of researchers led by Michael Nitabach, Yale Medical School, New Haven, US, described a “new approach to identifying novel peptide toxins, a method that could bolster the design of new drugs targeting ion channels”. This method has a name that I love, mostly because you can’t find it in the dictionary. It’s toxineering. 

This is essentially a method of screening all the different molecules in venom to find the ones that do the job you want. You can think of it as LinkedIn for venom, scrolling through the properties of each molecule until you find just the right candidate who will (1) bind and who will (2) bind to the receptor you want it to. In the Nitabach’s Yale study, researchers were specifically looking for a molecule to bind to the TRPA1 receptor and as a result of combing through their t-toxin library using toxineering, found the ProTx-I peptide which is now used for several clinical applications. 

This is very promising, but as always, there remains vast uncharted territory in the field of venomics and toxineering, and arachnid and snake venoms are not the only types to hold promise. There are also fascinating developments in the venoms of animals like komodo dragons, which have applications in treating strokes, heart attacks and pulmonary embolisms, and northern short-tailed shrews, whose venom is being used to explore cancer treatment. All in all, it is a field overflowing with questions, innovation, and potential. What will we find in the daunting ocean of undiscovered peptides? How will the medical industry work with nature to benefit human health? Who will brave the unknown in order to finally answer these questions for the world?

Thought to Action 

1. For free, switch your search browser to Ecosia, the search engine which uses the profits produced from your searches to plant trees where they are needed most. Ecosia is currently using its profits to plant trees all around the world, a mission which supports biodiversity, helps to fight climate change, and gives you the chance to make a real difference. 
2. Don’t kill the spiders you find in your home. If you must remove them, use a jar to capture and release them outside. Why? In brief, because spiders are natural pest controllers and are important biological control of pests. If you want to read up more, check out the articles below:
   1. Here’s Why You Should Never Kill A Spider
   2. Don’t Kill Spiders
3. Plant native trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables, and herbs in your garden to promote biodiversity locally. 
4. Did you know that if every single person in France deleted 50 emails, the energy savings would be equivalent to turning the Eiffel tower’s lights off for 42 years or to New York City not consuming any electricity for 4 hours? If you want to contribute to saving energy on this scale:
   1. refuse unnecessary notifications that clog your inbox
   2. unsubscribe to newsletters/subscriptions you no longer find useful
   3. delete emails with large attachments
   4. clear out your junk mail folder regularly
5. Try Tru Earth’s laundry eco-strips to save space, money, and the planet. If not, at least watch their wonderfully amusing ads to put a smile on your face: Things You Should Never Mix with Water or Real Men do Laundry.
6. Replace your arachnophobia with arachnophilia. The Cornell Library’s Arachnophilia online exhibit explains the nuanced way spiders understand the world around them while discussing the diversity of arachnids, amazing properties of spider silk- which has a higher strength to density ratio than steel- and the use of spider venom in medicine. 

Sources

This is your gentle reminder to always fact check…always.

abc2.org. (2021). FDA Approves Scorpion Venom-based Tumor Paint for Brain Cancer Clinical Trial. [online] Available at: https://abc2.org/press-blog/2014/09/fda-approves-scorpion-venom-based-tumor-paint-brain-tumor-clinical-trial/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

Animals and Cartoonists. Http://Twitter. com/Johnrplatt Http://Johnrplatt.com Https://Www.instagram.com/Johnrplatt (2021). We Need to Talk About Spider Conservation • The Revelator. [online] The Revelator. Available at: https://therevelator.org/spider-conservation/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

Arachnophilia – Online exhibitions across Cornell University Library. (2020). Spider Senses. [online] Available at: https://exhibits.library.cornell.edu/arachnophilia/feature/spider-senses [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

britishspiders.org.uk. (n.d.). Arachnids and arachnology | British Arachnological Society. [online] Available at: https://britishspiders.org.uk/arachnids [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

Caba, J. (2013). ‘Tumor Paint’ Made From Scorpion Venom Could Be Viable Brain Cancer Treatment Option [VIDEO]. [online] Medical Daily. Available at: https://www.medicaldaily.com/tumor-paint-made-scorpion-venom-could-be-viable-brain-cancer-treatment-option-video-264133 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

Culin, J. (2020). arachnid | Definition, Facts, & Examples | Britannica. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/animal/arachnid.

EcoWatch. (2021). We Need to Talk About Spider Conservation. [online] Available at: https://www.ecowatch.com/spider-conservation-2652937580.html [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

Gui, J., Liu, B., Cao, G., Lipchik, Andrew M., Perez, M., Dekan, Z., Mobli, M., Daly, Norelle L., Alewood, Paul F., Parker, Laurie L., King, Glenn F., Zhou, Y., Jordt, S.-E. and Nitabach, Michael N. (2014). A Tarantula-Venom Peptide Antagonizes the TRPA1 Nociceptor Ion Channel by Binding to the S1–S4 Gating Domain. Current Biology, [online] 24(5), pp.473–483. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2014.01.013.

Hannon, H. and Atchison, W. (2013). Omega-Conotoxins as Experimental Tools and Therapeutics in Pain Management. Marine Drugs, 11(12), pp.680–699. doi:10.3390/md11030680.

https://www.facebook.com/thoughtcodotcom (2019). There Are at Least 10 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Scorpions. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/scorpion-facts-4135393 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

jversteegh (2022). Keep Your Bird-Watching—I’m a Spider Man. [online] Outside Online. Available at: https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/essays-culture/spiders-fears-misconceptions/?utm_source [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

Lewis, R.J. and Garcia, M.L. (2003). Therapeutic potential of venom peptides. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2(10), pp.790–802. doi:10.1038/nrd1197.

March 12, C.N., 2017 and Am, 9:22 (2017). On The Horizon: Scorpion venom as cancer treatment. [online] www.cbsnews.com. Available at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/on-the-horizon-scorpion-venom-as-cancer-treatment-tumor-paint/.

Oliveira, A.L., Viegas, M.F., da Silva, S.L., Soares, A.M., Ramos, M.J. and Fernandes, P.A. (2022). The chemistry of snake venom and its medicinal potential. Nature Reviews Chemistry, [online] pp.1–19. doi:10.1038/s41570-022-00393-7.

Peterson, J. (2012). Don’t Kill Spiders. [online] HowStuffWorks. Available at: https://home.howstuffworks.com/green-living/dont-kill-spiders.htm [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

Shaw, A. (n.d.). How venoms are shaping medical advances | BBC Earth. [online] www.bbcearth.com. Available at: https://www.bbcearth.com/news/how-venoms-are-shaping-medical-advances [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

Silva, W. da (2022). Venom: The New Miracle of Medicine. [online] ILLUMINATION-Curated. Available at: https://medium.com/illumination-curated/venom-a-revolution-in-medicine-d163eb065e28 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

src=”https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6a9e2dae2b328b5cdfa3221e8fa8f071?s=96, img class=”avatar” alt=”Kiersten H., #038;d=mm, Sep. 05, 038;r=g” width=”50″ height=”50″>Kiersten H. and 2022 (2019). Here’s Why You Should Never Kill A Spider. [online] Family Handyman. Available at: https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/heres-why-you-should-never-kill-a-spider/.

Weller, C. (2014). Tarantula Venom Promises Painkiller Development. [online] Medical Daily. Available at: https://www.medicaldaily.com/tarantula-venom-offers-hope-painkiller-development-thanks-novel-screening-method-269479 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

Whiteman, H. (2015). Newly identified compounds in spider venom could help treat chronic pain. [online] www.medicalnewstoday.com. Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290338 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

Yong, E. (2011). Why do scorpions glow in the dark (and could their whole bodies be one big eye)? [online] Science. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/why-do-scorpions-glow-in-the-dark-and-could-their-whole-bodies-be-one-big-eye [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].

The post A Tale of Toxineering & Tarantulas appeared first on Green Also Green.

The mouth is an underappreciated organ. It is the place where our voices leave our bodies, where food enters in. It allows us to give; it allows us to take. Think of all the interactions that happen there on a daily basis and how they influence your life. To narrow it down to the food we eat and the things we say, we’re already led to consider communication, ideas, diet, nutrition, taste, expression, comfort. It seems like a soap opera’s worth of drama. 

However the actual link between language and nutrition hasn’t really been analyzed on a deep level, and is often overlooked for other ties. For now, let’s explain why this connection is important by linking it to part of the system that brings us food in the first place: agriculture. 

First and foremost, how are nutrition and agriculture actually connected? Surely, wherever and however you grow a tomato, it is still, at the end of the day, a tomato. While this is somewhat true, from a biochemical perspective, there are huge variations in the nutritional value of a crop based on the soil it was grown from, the pesticides & herbicides used, and the stage in its growth at which it was harvested. However all of this is happening at an invisible level, so in the eyes of a consumer, these crucial changes are easy to overlook. 

Unfortunately, nutrition is one of those complicated political things that has one foot in the fads of diet culture, another in the world of biased research, another in medical journals, and yet another in tradition. So you will find that nutrition is not a normal two-footed beast. Instead, it’s a mammoth-octopus of an issue, with plenty of subjectivity to boot. 

For this reason, I won’t go into the pros and cons of any particular diet. Instead, I will analyze the agricultural system’s impact on the general nutrition of all food that it produces and its effect on the health of our bodies now and of future generations. Then I will discuss how modern day agricultural systems have affected these processes.

To begin with, let’s talk about nutrition and agriculture. How does one influence the other and why does it matter? First stop: dirt. Zoom in and you will see a metropolis of microorganisms that work for the ecosystem by breaking down organic matter, filtering water, regulating the soil fertility, providing nutrients for plant growth and even controlling pests and pathogens. This goes back to the need for biodiversity, highlighting the incredibly complex world that nourishes our crops over their lifetimes. As an example, let’s say you were to take two soil samples, one from the chronically overworked soil found when farming the same crop with no break in between, the other from a smaller farm with a variety of crops that change based on season. On the surface, both seem pretty similar, but really the micro-metropolis of each is drastically different. In the soil from the monoculture, you will find a ghost town with little life, meaning the soil is less fertile and capable of carrying out all those processes I mentioned earlier. On the other hand, the second sample will be like a flourishing city filled with activity. 

Most modern highly-centralized agriculture today disregards this important part of a plant’s growth by prioritizing the need for control over pests and providing certain nutrients in excess. Not only does this pollute waterways, cause eutrophication, contaminate groundwater, and decrease the amount of nutrients per pound of crops, but it damages the rich diversity of our soil. 

Yet the barrage on soil doesn’t end there. It is compounded by the use of monocultures in most farm settings. This means that only one crop is grown year round without giving the soil any time to rest. Imagine the burnout you might feel after having no vacation from work or school for an entire year. This is similar to what’s happening to all the bacteria, fungi, protozoa & nematodes in the soil. The solution? Crop rotations or permaculture, which are both ways of giving the soil a greater variety of crops and a little more rest as a result. This adds more nutrients to the soil and restores the soil’s fertility, allowing every pound of crop harvested to be more nutrient-dense… and more nutrient-dense food gives more nutrition. 

You can think of it similar to a human diet requiring a diverse range of foods. Like this, the soil requires a diverse range of organic matter and living plants to cultivate a variety of microorganisms. Imagine if you only ate one food for the rest of your life. You would experience nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, and a mountain of other health issues. The soil is much the same and requires rest and diversity to stay fertile. Crop rotation helps achieve this, as it periodically changes the crops that are harvested from the soil..

Now onto why this matters at all. At first it might be obvious. “I need to eat more nutrient-dense oranges so I don’t suffer from night blindness and dry skin.”; “I need more iron so I don’t get anemia.”; “I need vitamin C so I don’t get scurvy.” While you would be spot on, there is a much scarier idea to consider here: What if our food changed the expression of our genes? What if it even affects how they are passed on to our children? 

If this is enough to send chills down your spine, then I suggest you take a look at Dr. Cate and Luke Shanahan’s book Deep Nutrition, which discusses the influence of food on epigenetics. 

To summarize, let’s start by stating what epigenetics actually is. According to an article by Hyeran Jang and Carlo Serra, Nutrition, Epigenetics, and Diseases, it is “the field dedicated to the heritable features that complements the genetic information stored in the DNA sequence”. In essence, this has to do with DNA modifications and the interactions of microRNAs with the genome. One way to think about this is by imagining a movie. Let’s call it The Single-Celled Soap Opera. The cells in your body would be the actors and the DNA in each cell’s nucleus would be the script. Now that we have actors and script, we need someone to direct the film. In this case, the director would be your epigenome. 

As we all know, a director can make or break a movie. The same is the case for epigenetics. So when we tamper with it by exposing ourselves to the wrong environmental stimuli, such as food which lacks nutrition, our epigenome acts as a less skilled director for all those cells and DNA, leading to undesired consequences such as disease, cancer, etc. Epigenetic changes occur all throughout our life, so it is important to be wary of how we influence these chemical signals. In Shanahan’s Deep Nutrition, she challenges her readers to shift their perspective of food as a source of calories to think of it as information that provides our bodies with the right building-blocks for development. When it comes to nutrition, the focus should be eating food that sends the signal to keep us young, healthy and intelligent by supporting tissues in places like our muscles, bones, and joints while not creating inflammation. The obvious way to implement this is by reducing our consumption of overly processed foods, but what if even ‘healthy’ foods have become less nutrient-dense?

According to this article from Scientific American, a Kushi Institute analysis of nutrient data from 1975 to 1997 found that average calcium levels in 12 fresh vegetables dropped 27%; iron levels 37%; vitamin A levels 21%, and vitamin C levels 30%. A similar study of nutrient data in Britain from 1930 to 1980, published in the British Food Journal found that in 20 vegetables the average calcium content had declined 19%; iron 22%; and potassium 14%. In addition to this, another study estimated that to get the same amount of Vitamin A as “our grandparents” would have gotten from one orange, we would have to eat eight!

After pondering all this, perhaps you’re feeling quite powerless. Where do we go to find nutrient-dense food that will produce the desired results epigenetically? Whose dietary advice do we follow? Who is making sure that everyone receives the right amount of safe, high-quality food that meets their nutritional requirements?

To be candid, there is no easy answer. The systems impacting food security globally are still facing high levels of malnutrition, undernutrition, and increasing levels of disease. However what is in place is a Universal Declaration of Human Rights that provides global leaders with the right priorities. Article 25 is of particular interest to me in regard to food security:

• Article 25: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control…”

In addition, we have the the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, many of which relate to the issue of food security (e.g. No poverty, zero hunger, good health & wellbeing, clean water & sanitation, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities & communities, climate action, etc.).

With all this in mind, we can conclude that improving agricultural practices in order to improve nutrition should be a priority. We all eat food and it impacts everyone’s epigenetics, whether you are an impoverished farmer earning below minimum wage, or a Hollywood actress with a personal dietician. 

Now that we know why it’s so important to build a system that supports everyone, let’s move on to how we can accomplish this in my next article. 

Thought to Action:

• Share this article with at least 3 people
• Contact your local MP/Congressperson
• Suggested reading: Deep Nutrition by Dr. Cate Shanahan
• Try out the Too Good to Go app, which aims to decrease food waste by allowing you to rescue surplus food from local businesses
• Ask local restaurants if they could donate their extra food to a foodbank 

Bibliography:

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). Nutrition. [online] Available at: https://www.fao.org/nutrition/en/.

Haddad, L. and Oshaug, A. (2002). Nutrition and Agriculture A R N E O S H A U G A N D L AW R E N C E H A D D A D NUTRITION A FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPMENT A FOUNDATION FOR DEVELOPMENT. [online] Available at: https://www.unscn.org/files/Publications/Briefs_on_Nutrition/Brief6_EN.pdf.

Jang, H. and Serra, C. (2014). Nutrition, Epigenetics, and Diseases. Clinical Nutrition Research, 3(1), p.1. doi:10.7762/cnr.2014.3.1.1.

Li, X. and Qi, L. (2022). Epigenetics in Precision Nutrition. Journal of Personalized Medicine, [online] 12(4), p.533. doi:10.3390/jpm12040533.

Niculescu, M.D. (2012). Nutritional epigenetics. ILAR journal, [online] 53(3-4), pp.270–278. doi:10.1093/ilar.53.3-4.270.

Scientific American. (2011). Dirt Poor: Have Fruits and Vegetables Become Less Nutritious? [online] Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/.

Shanahan, C. and Shanahan, L. (2018). Deep nutrition : why your genes need traditional food. New York: Flatiron Books.

Sharma, I.K., Di Prima, S., Essink, D. and Broerse, J.E.W. (2020). Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture: A Systematic Review of Impact Pathways to Nutrition Outcomes. Advances in Nutrition. doi:10.1093/advances/nmaa103.

Shekar, M. (2015). Nutrition and Agriculture: Bridging the Gap. [online] blogs.worldbank.org. Available at: https://blogs.worldbank.org/health/nutrition-and-agriculture-bridging-gap.

United Nations (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. [online] United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.

United Nations (2015). The 17 sustainable development goals. [online] United Nations. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals.

What is Epigenetics? (2018). A Super Brief and Basic Explanation of Epigenetics for Total Beginners. [online] Available at: https://www.whatisepigenetics.com/what-is-epigenetics/.

The post Dirt, DNA & Declarations of Rights: Why is food so tricky? appeared first on Green Also Green.