• Guardian author, Hannah Betts, is inspired by British soap opera to discuss culture’s “weirdness about women’s private parts” in Mail got its knickers in a twist over Emmerdale’s ‘jam rags.’
• Psychology Today explores The Last Taboo: Menstruation and Body Literacy in a highly interesting article.
• Blogger Nevyn discusses her experience with reusable menstrual products coming from a place of embarrassment about her period.  Her article, Secret Women’s Business – Green Menstruation, includes lots of good times on using menstrual cups.
• Can menstrual cramps change the brain?  According to a preliminary study featured on ABC news they can!
• And last, but not least– 5 Reasons to Use a Menstrual Cup

Just to shake things up we are going to bring to a back-to-school rave review from one of our happy customers on sharing the joys of reusables with her daughter.

6 years later and I still couldn’t be happier using cloth pads. In fact, my daughter couldn’t be happier. Well–maybe—I just got her a beautiful Green Lunette cup for her 18th Bday!!! She has been using cloth from day 1 of her period—and I would hate to see her leave home and feel the need to switch to disposables or –gasp—tampons because of laundry issues etc. So I am giving her the gift of a lovely green cup to help her along with her ‘green’ and reusable future Gladrags were my very first purchase for myself and my daughter–and I am happy to order again! -K.B.

• Naked Faery shares her thoughts on why using a menstrual cup is one way that she can feel feminist in every day life on her tumblr.
• Blogger, Raising My Boychick, brings us a great review about Sea Pearls (menstrual sponges)!
• An interesting take on the Do Bears Love Your Menstrual Blood? urban legend that explores male fear of the unknown in a lighthearted manner from The Faster Times.
• Accidentally Mommy shares an honest, interesting blog entry about her thoughts and feelings regarding her period in That Cup Isn’t for Drinking, My Dearest.
• GladRags for Postpartum explains why and how GladRags are perfect during a time when you need some extra comfort and care.
  

Reviews and Giveaways!

• You have one more day to enter to win GladRags nursing pads and Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple butter from the Mommy Business blog on her Nursing Pad Review and Giveaway!

• An interesting new study finds support for the the idea that Ovulation Gives Woman’s Brains a Boost.
• Menstrual Cups have gained attention from those trying to help girls and women in Sub-Saharan Africa find a more permanent and healthy solution to menstrual care.  Researchers try out Another Sanitary Application (photo to the right).

Giveaways:
Check out Huppie Mama for a GladRags Nursing Pads Review and Giveaway.
Fun and Funky Mommy hosts a review and giveaway for GladRags Pads.

As temperatures rise, so does the temptation to do anything to cool off!  With the current East Coast heat wave, there is no better time to think about ways to cool down without cranking up the air and wasting energy.

• When you’re home, why conform to social dress codes?  Break out the hot pants and tank tops!  Don’t be overdressed inside your own home.

• Prepare!  Open your windows at night to let the cool air in.  Keep your curtains drawn during the day so the sunlight doesn’t heat up your house.

• Turn on a fan before the AC, as a fan will circulate the air and use less energy than an air conditioning unit.

• Relax!  Moving less will make your body produce less heat and keep you cool.

• Put a damp washcloth in the freezer for a bit to wear on your head or neck.

• Enjoy spicy foods!  While it may seem counter-intuitive, there is a reason Mexican, Thai, and Indian foods are so spicy — the spicy food makes you sweat!  When the sweat evaporates, you cool down.

• Try going to a communal place that will have air conditioning such as a movie theater –just like the old days– or a library.  Make sure you turn the fans or air conditioning in your house down or off when you leave.

• When you do need the air conditioning, keep it at a higher temperature.  Even if you set it at 75 or 80, you’ll still feel cooler and less humid when you come in from the sweltering outdoors.

A note about car air conditioning: When you are driving in the city (slower than about 45 mph), save energy by rolling your windows down instead of turning on the air conditioning.  When you reach highway speeds, roll up the windows and turn on that AC!  As explained in this Slate article, the drag created by keeping the windows down while driving at high speeds may use more energy than turning on the air conditioning.  Or take public transit!  Buses and trains are usually air conditioned.

What do you do to keep cool?  Anyone have any special recommendation for different climates?

Image: Hal Brindley / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Hannah is one of two interns who will be joining the GladRags Team for the summer.  We’re super excited to have her on board! 

Name: Hannah Forman
Age: 20
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Current location: Portland, Oregon
Occupation: GladRags Intern! almost college graduate, life-long student

Interests: Nutrition, Yoga, German, French, Feminism, French feminism, Performance Arts, Traveling, Photo Taking, Bicycling and the Sun.

How long have you used reusable menstrual products?: Haven’t started yet but I am looking forward to it!
Reason for making the switch to reusables: Well, GladRags makes a pretty clever case for it – I’m concerned about the well-being of the earth, especially in this near-apocalyptic age (2012). I’m also concerned about the well-being of my body and would like to remain toxin free as much as possible.

Funny anecdotes, deep thoughts, or anything else you’d like to share: I used to  try to hide the fact that I was on my period at all costs. (similar to June friend) Now, I think that’s a misuse of time that could be spent not only feeling great instead of feeling ashamed, but also talking openly about what alternatives are out there to support us.

Summer is here, and so is our summer fun guide!  We’ll help you meet your menstrual needs for the most comfortable, eco-friendly summer ever!

The first thing I want to do when summer comes is go camping!  There is nothing like cooking over a fire, roasting marshmallows, and sleeping under the stars.  When I still used disposables, I went on a week long camping trip that started the first day of my period.  I didn’t know what to do!  If only I had known about the convenient Moon Cup: along with the Menstrual Cup  Bag, the Moon Cup provides a compact (for easy packing) solution that enables you to “leave no trace” while enjoying nature!

With record-breaking temperatures being reported in many cities this summer, Jade & Pearl Sea Sponge Tampons are perfect for when there is nothing you want more than to take a dip in a cool, refreshing lake. With no tampon string, you can wear any swimsuit you want without worry!  Easy to insert and remove, these comfortable tampon alternatives will win over even the most committed pad user.

 Just because it’s summer, it doesn’t mean that you should put your yoga practice on hold!  Yoga enthusiasts love the Keeper Cup for allowing a free range of motion and keeping your body free from the chemicals and toxins found in many disposable.  Exercise worry-free with this natural gum rubber cup that holds up to an ounce of flow — keeping you safe from leaks longer than any tampon!

Sometimes you just need to take a break, reflect, and enjoy a good book.  GladRags soft Night Pads and Day Pads are perfect for kicking back on a night devoted to taking care of yourself!  Brew a cup of Monthly Comfort Tea, soak in the tub with GladRags Bath Salts, or unwind with an Herbal Comfort Pac.  All three are specially formulated to soothe menstrual cramps, and are just the thing to help your body and mind relax!

Hi! I’m Alyssa, GladRags intern for the summer! My job is to create an informative and fun zine for young women, and another for young girls about alternative menstrual products. I am hoping you, fellow GladRags followers, can help me come up with a great name for each zine. I’m hoping to have the title be straightforward, but witty. Thanks for your help!

• Sewing blogger SlipStiches brings us a great article on making your own cloth pads out of scraps that you probably have around the house.
• The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) will be airing a documentary about menstruation called “Seeing Red: A Cultural History of Menstruation” on June 14th & 21st.  Hopefully we can find a way to watch it here in the States!
• CNN has a very fair-handed article about period-eliminating contraception titled Periods — Who needs them anyway? Women have mixed feelings.
• Endometriosis blogger EndoFriendo brings us two great article about why she loves the Keeper and GladRags!
• A short and sweet article from Today’s Natural Living on how Conventional Menstrual Products Get Revamped.
• This great, funny, interesting article, The Strangest Ads for Menstrual Products, from Rabbit Write is a must read!  See the ad to the right for a teaser.
  
• Excellent article and lots of discussion from University of York’s student newspaper, Nouse: Increasing our understanding of women’s natural cycles is essential.

May Monthly Friend: Sarah Fauber

Name: Sarah Fauber
Age: 31
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Current location: Louisville, Kentucky
Occupation: Self-proclaimed Jane of all Trades: nutrition and supplement specialist, childcare and pet-care provider, jewelry designer, soon-to-be self-published cookbook author, and seamstress.

Interests: Bicycling, party and small event coordinating and participating, VH1 “reality” TV shows, cooking and food research, reading.
Dreams: I have always wanted to own my own shop. It would be a place that could incorporate all the things I love to make and do and share with people. GladRags would definitely be available at my store.

How long have you used reusable menstrual products?: 8 years
Reason for making the switch to reusables: I made the switch after 3 years of hesitation. Primarily I was looking for an alternative to tampons that would alleviate vaginal dryness, be cost-effective, and not contribute to waste in the environment. It took a couple of months to get used to The Keeper menstrual cup but then I was so happy with it I bought one for a friend and she’s been using it for the last 7 years. I am continually enthusiastic about other benefits such as the reduced risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome, not having to remove my menstrual cup when I urinate, never having to worry about packing tampons with me because when I need it my menstrual cup is already on my person. And I love reusable pads as a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative to my menstrual cup or just as added protection. I’m always informing women I know or meet about reusables.

Funny anecdotes, deep thoughts, or anything else you’d like to share: For years I’ve had bouts of Menorrhagia, excessive menstrual bleeding. Sometimes my periods would be so heavy I would have to use two super-plus tampons and an overnight pad just to make it 3 hours. Occasionally my periods would last for over a month. The first time I was diagnosed with Menorrhagia I had never heard of a menstrual cup but wished something like it existed. The third and last bought of menorrhagia occured about 7 years ago and having my menstrual cup made going through it so much easier. During this time I finally correlated weight gain and consumption of hormone enhanced dairy with my bouts of Menorrhagia. After weight loss and a switch to organic, r-BGH free dairy it has never returned. It would be an amazing opportunity for women to be consulted about menstrual alternatives at their gynecological check-ups. And I’ve often wondered what possibilities would occur if GladRags menstrual alternatives could be a part of sexual education for young women. Here’s a funny little anecdote about a time at work when I was informing a female co-worker about menstrual cups she exclaimed “that sounds right up my alley,” and I replied “literally.”