Don’t Buy the Hype for Those Hygiene Items

A yeast infection saved my life 8 years ago. Being young, I did not go for routine checkups with my gynecologist. The infection got me there, and during the examination I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Early detection and treatment is why I am alive today.

As S. J. Diamond noted in her column, “A Ready Cure for What May Not Ail Them” (May 24), feminine hygiene advertising has been notoriously insulting for years, and until now I had just laughed it off.

But as any physician will tell you, beware of self-diagnosis. Feminine hygiene products for the most part are designed for profit, not safety. If a nice hot bath with soap and water can’t keep you “fresh,” then there is something medically wrong and you should see your doctor.

Otherwise, I would certainly not use commercial products to spray, douche, deodorize or in any way “freshen” that particular part of my body any more than I would pour perfume on an open wound.

The day of “truth in advertising” will probably never come. We will continue to have our intelligence insulted. The only way we can fight back is literally not to buy into the insecurities propagated through commercial hype. Be sensible.

NANCY ALLEN, Lancaster