This post is by staff writer April Dykman.
I’ve dropped a rather obscene amount of money on bodywork in the last few years. I’ve had an evolving team of chiropractors, massage therapists, and acupuncturists. I’ve bought books on physical therapy exercises. Some things have worked, others have not. In the end, the pain always comes back.
I have chronic shoulder pain. My arms also frequently go numb in the middle of the night. I don’t mean they tingle, I mean sometimes I literally cannot move my arm. I have to use my functioning hand to reposition it and get blood flowing back into the limb. It’s kinda scary.
Two (life-changing?) questions
When my shoulder bothers me enough, I usually get a massage to alleviate the pain. It’s a temporary fix — I know a 60-minute massage can’t cure a chronic problem that’s probably caused by structure and daily habits. But recently a new (to me) massage therapist asked me two questions that no one else had asked. First, she asked if I grind my teeth at night. Yes, I have in the past, and I have a TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder. She firmly suggested that I started wearing my night guard consistently, and in the past five days the pain has gone from a constant ache to a mild annoyance.
The second question she asked: “How old is your mattress?” Oh, man. So old, I didn’t want to tell her. The mattress my husband and I sleep on for (ideally) eight hours every night is 11 years old. I know it’s not in good shape. I just never thought it would make that much of a difference, but then, I never would have guessed that a night guard would, either. “You should think about replacing it,” she said. “Even a cheap new mattress is better than a worn-out one. One of my clients bought a $600 mattress from Costco and her back pain went away.”
The research begins
I know you’re probably thinking that a new mattress should have been an obvious solution. But after so many years of varying diagnoses, x-rays showing scoliosis (one chiropractor called it “severe,” another disagreed) and other spinal issues, I thought the pain was a given, something I’d have to learn to manage. I also didn’t realize just how old our mattress was.
I started my mattress search in my usual way, by reading mattress-buying guides like the one J.D. wrote a few years ago. (Interesting tip: According to Consumer Reports, you’ll know in 15 minutes if a mattress will be comfortable: “Panelists who took beds home for a month-long trial rarely changed the opinion they formed after the first night. On the whole, their opinions were the same as those of our in-store testers.”)
But I also had some other concerns, such as off-gassing. Most mattresses and box springs are coated in a mixture of fire-retardant chemicals, formaldehyde, glues, stains, and coatings, all of which release gasses into the air. There are a lot of parenting sites that recommend organic mattresses for baby’s crib, but the hard, scientific data is nonexistent or vague in most of those articles. Here’s what I was able to find:
- The most widely used flame retardant, PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), are a chemical of concern to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to their site, the “EPA is concerned that certain PBDE congeners are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic to both humans and the environment. The critical endpoint of concern for human health is neurobehavioral effects.” As soon as the EPA bans one kind of PBDE, another is created to replace it.
- Environmental Health News reported that because of widespread use in the U.S., Americans have PBDE levels in their bodies 20 times higher than Europeans. “Californians are the highest exposed,” says the article, “likely because manufacturers added PBDEs to polyurethane furniture cushions to meet the state’s stringent flammability rules.”
- In a University of California at Berkeley study, of 223 pregnant women studied, more than 97% had PBDEs in their blood, and each 10-fold increase in a woman’s blood was linked to a 30% decrease in her odds of getting pregnant.
- A Uppsala University study conducted 10 years ago found that two kinds of PBDEs led to neurological problems affecting learning and memory in lab mice. The lead scientist, Per Eriksson, also has shown that PBDEs cause neurological damage in lab animals at exposure levels just slightly higher than those found in humans.
For a more in-depth look at PBDEs, this Slate article outlines the studies and recent developments. I’m still not sure how much of a difference a mattress makes — is the amount of toxic gas negligible compared to, say, your laptop or carpeting? If that study exists, I couldn’t find it. In the end, you have to weigh the studies with the unknowns and decide if paying extra for an organic mattress is right for you. (Also note that if your mattress is a few years old, it’s possible that it’s finished off-gassing.)
My husband and I decided to go with organic, and we made some adjustments to the budget to cover it. After all, I’d spent much more during the past few years on chiropractic appointments — even an organic mattress looked downright cheap in comparison!
Shopping for a mattress
We’ve covered mattress shopping at GRS here and here, and those two articles have great advice for getting a good deal on a comfortable mattress. But if you’re interested in an organic mattress, the following are a few extra pointers to keep in mind:
- Manufacturers and retailers often use words like “natural,” that don’t necessarily mean anything. For example, sometimes synthetic latex is blended with natural latex, and the end-product is advertised as “natural.” Other labels to question: chemical-free (nothing is actually chemical-free, everything is made up of chemicals), nontoxic (again, nothing is truly nontoxic, even water is toxic if you drink too much), and green (there are no standards for using the word).
- While you’re at it, question the word “organic,” too. Some mattresses are sold as organic, when in reality the cotton is organic and the latex is synthetic. If you’re going to spend the extra cash on an organic mattress, make sure it’s made from wool (a natural fire retardant), organic cotton, and 100% natural, sustainably sourced latex.
- If possible, buy direct from the manufacturer. Cutting out the retailer is one way to mitigate the higher cost of organic.
- Always try before you buy. If you shop online, where organic mattresses and good deals are often easier to find, be sure to try out the mattress in a store first, or make sure that the return policy allows you to send it back. Usually there’s a restocking fee. Be sure you know the store’s policy and will be okay with the terms if the mattress doesn’t work for you.
We opted to buy our mattress from a Texas manufacturer. I found some great deals for organic mattresses online, but I liked that this was a local, 20-year-old business that had great reviews from customers. If we aren’t happy with our mattress, they’ll take it back and customize it based on our feedback, at no additional cost. “We’re in it together,” said the owner, who sold us the mattress. Additionally, if I get a note from a doctor about my back issues, the mattress store will refund us the sales tax we paid.
Next Thursday our new mattress will be delivered, and the old one will go to that big mattress store in the sky. I won’t be able to tell you with any certainty whether organic was worth the extra expense or not, but I have a feeling I’m going to owe that massage therapist a fruit basket or something.
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Well this article sure is timely for me.
For those of us currently in the market for a new mattress, would it be possible for you to share a link to the type of mattress you got? (Or perhaps to others that you almost purchased?)
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Hi Mike,
Mine is by a Texas manufacturer. I’m not sure where you live or if they ship to other states, but here is the link to their store: http://www.sleepworld.net/
We got the 520, which yes, uses the word “chemical-free” that I warned about in the description, but they are made of wool, organic cotton, and 100% natural latex. I think their website is being redesigned, too.
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Thank you!
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Great, we really need a new mattress. We are sleeping on an IKEA mattress that is 20 years old. It really needs to be replaced and I really need to get going on this task.
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Timely article. Thanks for providing the manufacturer’s name and website. I’ve been dealing with symptoms similar to yours for a few years. Chriopractic work helps tremendously as well as the TMJ mouthguard. I can also highly recommend Pilates for Dummies as a daily workout. I’m replacing my Tempurpedic which has only made things worse. I live in Houston and am contact with Sleepworld to see if there’s a local store option for me. If not…road trip!
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I live in Austin, so thanks for posting the link to where you go it. I’ll need to get a new mattress within the next couple years, so this is good to know.
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A family member of mine contracts for the EPA and she always says that if the EPA has a chemical listed as “of concern” or is on any list at all of theirs, you should know that it’s actually a really really bad chemical and that industry groups are holding up it being officially listed as a carcinogen, etc. In fact, the EPA is signiciantly behind in testing chemicals toxicity because they’re so tied up in litigations (mostly with industry, but also with environmental groups who don’t think they do enough). The point is, PDBEs are very bad and the fact that they’re listed as “of concern” should raise serious red flags in your mind. I congratulate you on going organic!
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Wow, that’s interesting to learn. I really wanted to find a study that measures off-gassing from things like various electronics, flame-retardant clothing, mattresses, carpet, etc., but as far as I can tell that study doesn’t exist. Would be nice to know just how much is being released into the air, and what steps are the most important. For example, does carpet off-gas at concerning levels? If so, should someone think about getting rid of carpet before they spend money on an organic mattress? (Personally, I hate carpet, this is just an example.
)
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In regards to studies on out-gassing, there typically aren’t any as it’s part of design and quality assurance. My company makes aircraft parts, and for stuff that goes into the passenger cabin, we are required to test for smoke, toxicity, flamability, out-gassing, etc. as part of the FAA approval process.
As a general rule of thumb, if you can’t smell it, it’s not out-gassing that much, or it’s already finished.
Think new car smell. That’s plastisizer (makes the plastic soft enough to form into those shapes with only 1 piece like your dashboard for example) from all the plastic parts that evaporating out. But, it goes away after a while, and that’s because most of hte plastisizer is gone. Same thing with memory foam pillows (which are made from polyurethane if anyone cared to know), smell goes away after a while.
The alcohol/acetone smell from paint and nail polish remover.Bleach/ammonia for short periods of time while cleaning aren’t going to hurt you either, but you don’t want to be inhaling it for hours.
Even latex will out-gas, but I think the by-product will be water (depending on how it’s processed of course), so no harm there =P.
Just my 2 cents.
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April, if you haven’t already, check out Environmental Working Group’s website. They do a lot of research about toxins so they may have the kind of info you’re looking for. Good luck!
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Thank you for posting this info!! – Really interesting…
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Sigh. The EPA is in business to stay in business and grow ever larger. They have long outlived their effectiveness. Their levels of “safety” are based on unsupported and unsupportable assumptions and the ability to measure something. As soon as they can measure something at a higher level, they ratchet down the allowable exposures. “Just in case, mind you.”
Almost everything is a known carcinogen, at high enough doses. If it isn’t a known carcinogen at high enough doses, it will simply kill you outright. This includes oxygen and water, and every “natural” vitamin.
Finally, association does not equal causation. Repeat this to yourself as many times as it takes for you to really understand it. Association DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION!!!!!! The older someone is, the more of the fire retardants you will have in your blood. The older you are, the lower your fertility. There are no known instances of 80-year-old women becoming pregnant. They will have a much higher level of fire retardants (and every other chemical) in their bodies than a 25-year-old woman. There are no know instances of two-year-olds becoming pregnant. They will have a much lower level of fire retardant in their blood than a 25-year-old woman. The 25-year old women will get pregnant at a much higher rate than the 2-year-olds. Therefore, it makes just as much sense to say that too low a level of fire retardant is associated with reduced fertility.
I say again, association does not equal causation!
Sorry, April, but you should get your money back ASAP and take some time to study science.
Consider finally, burning to death is a thoroughly unpleasant thing to contemplate, and most likely, to endure. I get furniture with fire retardants, so I hope to not actually find out.
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I can’t think of a way to express an opinion or fact more condescendingly than what you just wrote.
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Thank you! I had to make it so simple that even the most ignorant can understand my point. Seriously, people are being scammed, and I consider it important to try to educate them. I really do appreciate knowing that what I said is actually understood.
I have the advantage of a genuine science education, research experience and am a safety professional who understands that most basic of toxicology axioms: the dose makes the poison. If I can help others not be scammed, that makes my day.
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I actually mentioned the issue with the word “non-toxic” in my post when I said that even water is toxic in a high enough dose.
Second, the EPA admits there’s no evidence that those chemical flame retardants actually reduce fires, but wool is naturally flame retardant, self extinguishing, and doesn’t melt, so I’m not too worried about the fire aspect.
Also, the fertility study I referred to controlled for age, exposure to pesticides, irregularity of menstrual cycles, frequency of intercourse, pre-pregnancy body mass index, use of birth control pills before conception, smoking, alcohol, caffeine consumption and other factors. Yes, the findings need to be replicated, but Berkeley researchers found that each 10-fold increase in the blood concentration of four PBDE chemicals was linked to a 30% decrease in the odds of becoming pregnant each month. Those conclusions about fertility were not my own, they were the conclusions from the Berkeley researchers.
PBDE use is being phased out (and two of the formulations have been banned in several states) and now brominated compounds are taking their place. There are no studies on human effects of brominated compounds. Also, my main concern, like I said in my article, is that I can’t find any info on the “dose” that I’m getting from this “poison.” If you know of a study on that, I’d really like to read it.
Finally, I don’t care if you’re referring to me as ignorant, but let’s keep the conversation civil amongst readers.
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@Sharon One thing that worries me as a consumer is that it seems easy to prove something is “safe”, but a LOT harder to prove something isn’t safe. (The BPA debate, for example.) Experts change their minds all the time — first a medication is safe, then a few years later “well, it wasn’t so safe after all.” I’ve heard experts debate the HPV vaccine — most say “yes, it’s safe” and a handful say “well, we don’t have long term studies on this yet…”
There’s so much emotionally-charged rhetoric on both sides it’s hard to make sense of it all. Any suggestions? I’m interested in hearing your perspective.
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April, I wanted to clarify a couple of things. 1. The EPA does not do tests for flame resistance of fabric or mattresses. That is not part of their mandate. That testing is done by other agencies. The chemicals do, in fact, reduce the flammability of the fabrics and other substances as documented by independent testing labs using stated protocols by organizations such as the American National Standards Institutes.
2. The analogy I used with fertility and chemical exposure was chosen to illustrate the fallacy of equating association with causation. Even with the controls selected in the study as you clarified later, there are hundreds of other variables that may or may not have been controlled for. The fact remains that we are looking at association, not causation. Furthermore, what significance is “30%” less? Are we talking about a really major reduction, such as from 100 to 66? Or from one in 2 million to .66 in 2 million? Without any information on scale, the 30% is nearly meaningless in terms of accurately assessing risk.
3. People still burn to death in unintended exposures to flames while wearing non-fire retardant clothing. And mattresses still burn in unintended fires, and the vast majority are NOT caused by cigarettes. http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v2i17-508.pdf
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@Sharon, I suggest you go back and look to some science. Yes, the dose makes the poison. But there’s also the concept of testing and multiple interactions. Rarely, if ever, do we test for the effects of multiple chemicals on the human body (or animals). It is relatively simple to create new chemicals, but that doesn’t mean those chemicals are safe to be used around us. The point of the EPA is to regulate that testing. If you want to be on the side of safety, all new chemicals should be tested *before* they are introduced to the market and not removed from the market only after a multitude of tests are performed.
As for correlation not equally causation, this is true. But that doesn’t mean that correlations don’t give us an avenue for further research. And that research should be done.
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It is literally impossible to prove that something is safe. You have that backwards. There is always the possibility that due to some statistical fluke, another study will find that something is not “safe” when it in fact is. And once that study is done, that is the end of it all. The chemical is forever labeled dangerous, even if you would have to spend 27 hours a day ingesting it.
Furthermore, you have to consider this fundamental fact: life expectancies have been going UP for the past century. During this past century, literally tons of supposedly poisonous and evil “chemicals” and “radiation” have been released into our environment. If everything was so dangerous, it absolutely defies all logic to think that our life expectancies would be going up so dramatically.
Finally, I strongly suggest that you search “Thanksgiving menu” and “ACSH” before you panic about the evil chemicals we are exposed to.
This is the ignorance to which I refer. Our news media has no interest in showing that we are living in an ever-safer world. That doesn’t sell papers, get viewers or get people to click on the link. Teaching basic statistics so that people understand how books get cooked and studies get funded and how easy it is to deceive people just doesn’t happen, and people don’t seek out this information. The fact that we are all walking, talking, breathing, and occasionally thinking collections of “chemicals” is little-known. This is a disastrous and extremely expensive level of ignorance that I am trying to address.
The sole exception for actually needing to seek out minimal chemical exposure is those poor souls like the one poster whose name I have forgotten who have multiple chemical sensitivity. For them, spending the money does make sense. For the vast majority of us, buying “organic” is a waste of money, time, and brands us as suckers.
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@Sharon — I don’t think people living longer is proof in itself that the chemicals around us are safe. Diseases that used to kill people decades ago are now manageable. For instance, the fact that more people are surviving cancer doesn’t mean cancer rates have gone down — it means that medical science has found better ways to deal with it. We have vaccines to prevent illnesses that used to do serious harm and antibiotics to cope with infections that used to be deadly. None of that means chemicals are safe, but they do mean people are living longer.
I also don’t think the increase in cancer rates or rates of autoimmune disorders means we’re living healthier lives. (Though I think part of that increase is better detection.)
It’s also possible that people are more affected by chemicals because things like chronic inflammation in the body make said chemicals harder for our body to eliminate. Or maybe we have an overload of otherwise “safe” chemicals that our bodies have difficulties dealing with. (Yes, I’ve seen those arguments too.)
I do agree people need to be better informed about science, statistics and what makes a good study, but I would also add a healthy dose of media literacy and study in the field of rhetoric.
Though I’m not sure any of that has helped me — I don’t really believe either side of the “it’s safe” versus “it’s not safe” argument. There’s big money to be made selling “natural” products, and there’s big money to be lost if a certain chemical is deemed unsafe. Who is really looking out for our best interests?
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Elizabeth, you ask who is really looking out for us. And you also miss my point about longevity.
1. Nobody is looking out for us. The EPA certainly isn’t; it is a bureaucracy whose primary purpose is to perpetuate itself and grow. It does not operate on science, it operates on “just in case” and “pick a number, any number.” So-called “non-profits” are certainly not looking out for us. We haven’t had a river burn since the 1960s in this country and our air has never been cleaner. Yet all you hear about is how awful everything is and you need to send us money, lots of it, to save the Earth from us vermin. Do you think that people would be sending the non-profits money if they said that things are better than they ever were before? Of course not! So, who is looking out for us? Well, it has to be each individual. This involves educating yourself, looking with skepticism at everything you see and realizing that the vast majority of what we think we know just isn’t so.
2. Longevity. I made an error when I said that tons of evil “chemicals,” most of which are described by the ulterior-motiviated as carcinogens are released into our environment. I should have said millions of tons. If our exposure to all these supposed carcinogens and “poisons” is so horrendous, regardless of increased efficacy in cancer treatment, the cancer rates would have soared (they haven’t) and life expectancy would be going down, not nearly doubled. This is simple logic, not requiring an advanced degree; just common sense.
Everyone has some common sense, but many have been intimidated into ignoring it. So, when it changes from “global warming” to “climate change” to accommodate the unfortunate lack of actual objective data, and the release of statements about concealing inconvenient data and preventing opposing opinions and data from being released, well, what does your common sense say? How would you react if your financial adviser were behaving this way?
Generally, if it doesn’t pass the smell tests, it stinks and you should ignore or run from it.
My smell tests are
1) does this make logical sense? If not, dig really, really deeply before acting or spending any money on it.
2)why are they doing/saying this? If the answer is to make them money or get donations, that is a huge red flag
3) exactly how big is this purported risk, anyhow? No answer equals probably either no risk or infinitesimally small risk, which is not worth worry or money.
Feel free to add in your own smell tests.
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@ Sharon – Thanks for the responses! I don’t want to hijack this thread any further, but I enjoy the exchange of ideas.
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“Association does not equal causation” (or the more usual correlation does not imply causation) does not mean the reverse is true. That is, association (or correlation) also does not mean that there is *never* causation, which seems to be what you’re implying.
High lead levels in kids’ blood tests were correlated with developmental/intellectual delays. Then, after study, the lead was found to be a causative agent.
The key there is “after study.”
So, if you can point us to studies that show in this case that PBDEs have been found to be unrelated to fertility issues, please do. I’m happy to read scientific studies. I’m less likely to just take it on the word of an internet commenter. (At least April linked to the EPA website, for instance, so one can peruse their links and see what studies they’ve looked at and what effects have been found).
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It is not possible to prove that something is “safe.” I know offhand of no substance or activity that is completely safe. Whatever you do or do not do has some potential negative consequence. What needs to be done that never has been done is to define a level of “safe enough.” Only then can meaningful tests be done. Check out how the statistics are used, and what is and is not controlled for. Without this information, we can’t make a rational decision.
Furthermore, it is generally almost impossible to get grants to validate someone else’s work. This is why one statistical fluke brands something forever, even if there is no untoward risk.
High lead levels, tobacco and disease, and cholera and water contamination are all issues that are significant. They were indeed found by correlations. However, mechanisms were then found. Levels below which greatly reduced risk were able to be defined, if such a level exists.
This is not happening with the “Oh, my God, it is a chemical!” hysteria. We can’t test everything, and if we did, nothing would be even remotely affordable. And every dollar we spend chasing a safety or health phantom is a dollar we can’t spend actually making things safer.
I’m guessing that you didn’t take a look at the Thanksgiving menu. You might want to try that.
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Can’t reply to yours, Sharon, so replying to myself!
Where did I write “safe”? You seem to have implied that studying observed associations was somehow related to deeming something safe or not.
Didn’t say that. I see no one here arguing that there can be a safe or not, an all good or totally bad applied to most chemicals. Obviously, dose, length of exposure, interactions with other chemicals, etc. are all ways that one agent may be more or less safe for any given person.
Also, your harping on the EPA as solely designed to perpetuate itself does certainly come off as a political stance rather than a scientific one. Isn’t that same argument true of, well, everything? Certainly just as apt for scientists like you present yourself to be, who need to chase grants and bring in funds, studentes, and with luck, positive news reports and prestige to your employer.
We all get that, but in a way you seem to be arguing against…yourself.
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Jen, I’m not working. Even if I were, have you ever seen me mention my employer so as to bring the organization prestige? I have never received a grant. However, you are quite correct to be wary of “scientists” as well.
I have done a lot of writing on occupational safety and health, which is my field. I do understand science, and I know that just because you have a new technique to measure something at exponentially smaller levels it does not mean that now the substance is exponentially more dangerous and you need to adjust the numbers to reflect the new measuring technology.
So no, I’m not arguing against myself. The EPA, unlike NIOSH, just pulls numbers from the air, and does not use research studies to establish reasonable exposure limits. OSHA levels are based on actual research from NIOSH. Does OSHA have problems? Sure. Last I checked it was run by human beings. But at least their numbers are justified and justifiable.
So you explain to me how it is that the EPA is so effective in protecting us from exposures. And yes, any organization is designed to perpetuate itself with the exception of about one that I know of. Unfortunately, I can’t remember which one it was, but when they had completed their task, they closed up shop and disbanded. Take the March of Dimes, for example. Their original mission was to find a cure for polio. Jonas Salk and Dr. Sabin obligingly did that, and did the March of Dimes close up shop? No. They re-purposed themselves to prevent birth defects. No real danger of having that mission completed any time soon!
For that reason, you must consider all motives of any organization when evaluating information that they issue. Nobody is going to get donations by telling the truth that things are actually the best they have ever been in this country with respect to health and longevity, and the least pollution we have ever had. Nor are they going to get more funding from taxpayers. Everyone has ulterior motives. (In this case, except me. I have no dogs in this fight. No money involved. No organization to fund. I’m just out to do some education. No charge!)
Unfortunately, the comment system here does not allow me to respond directly to everyone, and I have to combine responses. What I did say is that once something shows an association, even a randomly non-significant “association” that happened because of pure chance, there is no more research and even safe substances are now permanently branded. So yes, studying substances and associations does in fact brand them as “not safe.”
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Sharon, I absolutely appreciate this discussion and I hope that everyone reading it learns something new (or at least gets motivated to seek out more information). However, being condescending does not facilitate understanding. It encourages hostility and makes opinions *seem* less valid, no matter how valid they are. The best teachers are those who respect their students.
You’re absolutely right that correlation does not imply causation. But the study April mentioned controlled for several factors. While it’s impossible for any study to control for every single factor, controlling for several relevant factors is meant to help identify whether there is a possible causal link rather than simply correlational.
I think it’s ironic that you’re claiming people need to learn statistics, yet you’re implying that all these synthetic chemicals are not dangerous simply because people live longer. Common sense does not equal science. Medicine has improved. Nutrition delivery has improved. Modern improvements in meeting our physical, biological, and medical needs far outweigh the potential dangers of a mattress. No one is saying that a mattress will cut our lifespans in half. But if there are potential dangers, studies need to be done to see what those dangers are and at what levels of exposure.
You say that the EPA and non-profits are not looking out for us, that they just want money. Well, imagine how much the “for-profits” are not looking out for us since they’re definitely out for money. Again, I’m not saying mattress makers are out to kill us–after all, they won’t make money if their customers all die. I’m simply pointing out that for all the logic you’re claiming society doesn’t have, there’s no logic in saying non-profits are out to scare us in order to get money out of us. These organizations exist to help people, to provided needed services, and/or to educate people, ideally without conflicts of interest arising from seeking a profit. There ARE non-profit scams out there, but it has nothing to do with being a non-profit. It has to do with greedy leaders. For-profit businesses also have them.
You’re right when you say individuals need to educate themselves. That includes finding information on what chemicals mattresses expose us to and how safe they are at what levels of exposure. You’re right that nothing is 100% safe, but again, a mattress isn’t gonna kill anyone after one sleep. But as consumers, we deserve to know what potential effects long-term exposure to these chemicals will have, especially since we spend one third of our lives on them.
I did look up the Thanksgiving menu and ACSH. (Again, ironic that you slam non-profits as not having our backs and out to get money, then you use a non-profit to back your information.) ACSH’s writing sounded extremely slanted to me. So I looked them up and I found both positive and negative information. I’m sure you’re aware of the positive, but here’s some of what makes me skeptical of their credibility: The Center for Science in the Public Interest found: “A detailed investigation of the ACSH reveals an organization whose activities seem to contradict its oft-repeated claim of being a ‘consumer health’ group.… ACSH is outspoken in giving chemicals the benefit of the doubt… ACSH feels that small risks can be essentially dismissed… no independent pro-consumer group of which we are aware shares this view.… ACSH apparently believes that cancer is overrated as a threat and a risk.” (1)The Washington Post says that “The American Council on Science and Health is an industry-friendly group.” (2) SourceWatch says ACSH “has taken a strong public position against the dangers of tobacco, one of the leading preventable causes of death in today’s society. However, it takes a generally apologetic stance regarding virtually every other health and environmental hazard produced by modern industry, accepting corporate funding from Coca-Cola, Kellogg, General Mills, Pepsico, and the American Beverage Association, among others.” (3) I highly doubt ASCH has our backs.
Again, you’re absolutely right that people need to educate themselves. And there IS an alarmist movement that dismisses all chemicals as dangerous while assuming anything natural is safe. But April’s post and the comments here suggest nothing alarmist or uninformed. Just the opposite–April provided scientific studies that, while not absolutely definitive about the chemicals in mattresses, they do show concern about potential dangers and side effects.
And like April said, “In the end, you have to weigh the studies with the unknowns and decide if paying extra for an organic mattress is right for you.” People who buy organic are not “suckers” getting ripped off like you claim. If people want to go organic and they can afford it, go for it. Like another comment said, buying a $400 pair of jeans is not stupid if you can afford it (conscious spending, anyone?). Like with investing (this is a personal finance site after all), it also has a lot to do with how much risk you’re comfortable with.
Sharon, I don’t mean to offend you. To reiterate, I appreciate the exchange of ideas and I hope people get more information from this discussion. But you’ve attacked people’s ideas and logic, yet I didn’t find much logic in lots of your ideas. As a safety professional with an educational background in science and research experience, can you provide any relevant studies?
1 – http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ftg33f00/pdf (This is from 1982, but still pretty revealing)
2 – http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/06/AR2010010605160_pf.html
3 – http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_on_Science_and_Health
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We got an Omni Midori (purchased out of state with free shipping special, didn’t have to pay sales tax).
The weird thing was that after we got it my sleep need dropped to 7hrs/night from 8-9 hrs before (all my life, even when we first had a fancy new non-organic mattress).
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Isn’t the average mattress supposed to be replaced every 10 years? 11 years old doesn’t seem embarrassingly old to me.
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I had heard every 5-8 years.
But when I started to research this article, I found varying “rules.” Consumer Reports says 5-7 years. Some sources say 5 years, others say 10 years. Since all mattresses are different, as are the people sleeping on them, I think there’s no way to say with any certainty how often you MUST replace it. In my case, I knew the mattress needed to be replaced. Even though we flip it and turn it, there’s an obvious sag in the center, and trying the new mattresses at the store only reinforced how bad ours was. I just didn’t know how much of a difference it could make until the massage therapist brought it up and I started doing research.
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If you want to save an “obscene amount” of money, drop the chiropractors and the acupuncturists. There’s no actual scientific evidence that either does anything beneficial.
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I did! I tried the MD route and was given a prescription for anti-inflammatory drugs, which I wasn’t willing to take. Also, I wanted a solution to the problem.
I tried chiropractic and it worked somewhat in the beginning, but then I didn’t notice any improvements. Acupuncture was really annoying and I didn’t notice any changes. Actually, throughout this process, massage therapists have been the most helpful — not just the massages but the advice on how to change habits and environment.
It has been expensive, but it’s also really painful, so I had to keep trying to find something that would work.
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Just to weigh in that I had a lot of relief from the symptoms of TMJ using acupuncture. It relieved the pain significantly. However, it wasn’t solving the underlying problem, so I decided it was too expensive for the long-term. I have also had some luck with chiropracty, some success with physiotherapy, and absolutely none from my primary care doctor who suggested anti-depressants. To treat a jaw problem. When I am not depressed.
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Sounds similar to my experience! I’m so thankful for life-saving advances in medicine, but it seems like many doctors just want to write a prescription for pills that don’t actually fix the problem. I also had a doctor suggest surgery for wrist tendinitis. Another massage therapist recommended the book “Pain Free” and after one week of doing the exercises the wrist pain went away. I’m glad I was skeptical about the surgery!
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Some cities have community acupuncture clinics that charge sliding-scale fees based on income, frequency of use, and other circumstances like ongoing medical treatments. Instead of private rooms, there might be a large, darkened room with 6 or 8 armchairs and a couple of private rooms. You might overhear fragments of the acupuncturist’s conversation with other clients, and you can see the other clients, but it’s all very quiet and relaxing. I used community acupuncture during my (successful!) in vitro fertilization cycle, It was a terrific experience and about 40% of the cost of twice-weekly sessions at the local women’s health acupuncturist. We had to pay out of pocket for IVF, so the cost of private sessions would have been an extra burden.
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To be fair, most patients who go to a doctor with pain symptoms just want a medicine to take away the pain. That’s why many doctors respond with a prescription.
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@ April – you just need a new MD. When I went to my GP with complaints of a creaky shoulder he showed me a few exercises to strengthen the rotator cuff. It wasn’t really creakiness, it was more of a snap when doing pushups & bench presses. Shoulder would get numb too in some positions.
The exercises were a lot like this:
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/prevention-wellness/exercise-fitness/injury-rehab/rotator-cuff-exercises.html
My shoulder no longer snaps or gets numb. I never took a pill for it.
–
Also we have a Sleep Number bed and oooohhhhh it’s deliiiiiiiciousssssssss.
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I came to say something similar. I always encourage folks who go to a chiropractor to consider a physical therapist. In my experience, the goals of the two professionals are different. PTs want to teach you the skills to keep you out of their office, and chiropractors want to fix you every time you come to their office. I also have regular back pain, but every time it flares up, I return to the exercises my PT taught me and the pain is reduced. It was a large initial investment (I paid $15 copay per visit for 3 visits a week over 10 weeks, and let’s not even talk about what my insurance paid), but it had definitely been worth it.
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Interesting! I had horrible problems with my shoulder about 10 years ago and the only thing that got me through it was my physiotherapist. He did acupuncture and ultrasound and that got me out of pain enough to build an exercise routine that he gave me.
Not all treatments work for all people. Even with people who stick to traditional medicine, sometimes you have to try a few medications before you get the one that works (or the right dose, or the right combination). I’ve had successes and failures with both traditional and alternative medicine. What works for me won’t work for everyone.
I hate to repeat the GRS mantra, but you have to do what works for you
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How about seeing a specialized Doctor, like an orthopedic, rather than an all purpose primary care physician or GP?
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There are great practitioners and a *lot* of very mediocre ones. The latter are a waste of money for sure. The former, I must say, (at least for acupuncture) made a huge difference for me. More than a 40K a year pharmaceutical that did nothing but gave me a ton of side-effects.
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I’ll echo the skeptical position that there’s no good evidence that such treatments actually work. Though this is mostly in regards to their abilities to ‘heal’ things that ar wrong with you. Especially when you consider some of the more increduolous claims like being able to cure brain injuries or treat cancer.
Personally I don’t see the harm in them as long as you don’t view it much differently than a spa/massage session. I think it definately can help relieve pain/stress. But as to treating underlying issues, it seems even most anecdotes here don’t support their ability to actually treat the issue. What I’m hearing is that generally making lifestyle changes (new mattress, wrist exercises) are what help fix the underlying problem
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I can see why people say there isn’t much harm. I think that’s wrong though. If you understand the difference between a physician and a chiropractor, then you’re OK. If you don’t, you are easy prey.
IMO, the worst that happens is when a chiropractor starts finding ways to give out dangerous treatment, with the hope of healing, while real science may have solved the problem sooner, with less pain or danger.
Also, people tend take one shot at all of scientific medicine (asking your PCP) and then are willing to try multiple rounds of different “alternative” options. Why is that? I think it probably has to do with the marketing “alternative” practitioners use, whereas doctors take a Hippocratic oath.
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@monsterzero – you’re a little misinformed. there is evidence out there that acupuncture is as effective or nearly as effective as prescription pain killers in certain patients. i am sure there is also clinical data out there about chiropractors. an MD will almost never send you to one, as they are not trained to. they’re trained to give you prescriptions or send you to rehab medicine. if you’re lucky, you’ll get a great rehab doc. if you’re not lucky, you’ll get a two minute consult and a scrip, or worse, unwarranted imaging and a huge bill.
just saying
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My previous bed was a $300 “deal” I purchased when I started school. It was cheap in every way expected. I used it for years and it was sleep able until two people started to use it and then it started to wear out exponentially. Years later my partner could no longer take it and went out to buy a high quality bed. We ended up with a Tempur-Pedic and wow is it an excellent bed. They cost more but if necessary you can usually spread payments over 4-years with zero interest (but its always better to buy things in cash). Only thing is I never considered the materials or the process in making it…. I’m certainly going to read up on it now.
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We finally splurged on a Tempur-Pedic mattress about 1.5 years ago to replace our worn out, 10+ year old mattress. It was expensive, but it is unbelievably worth it. Mr. DB’s periodic back pain is significantly reduced, and I am sleeping better than I ever have. But – now I too am wondering what it’s really made of, and how bad the off-gassing is.
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I’ve had a Tempurpedic for about 5 or 6 years and it’s made a huge difference for me. I used to have awful back pain, and it disappeared with this mattress.
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Thanks so much for this! I too suffer from TMJ and though I give a lot of thought to how to stop clenching my teeth at night, I’ve not really considered my mattress as part of that.
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A mattress is something you might spend 1/3 of your life on. Think about it, based on sleeping 8 hours out of 24. It’s more than worth investing in a bed that will help you get a good night sleep and will be conducive to a healthy back.
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Sleep (and a pain-free or at least less painful life) is so important – I’d say that mattress is a necessary expense. I hope this gives you some relief.
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I think this story really shows that the chiropractors were more interested in identifying your problem than curing it. If a mattress change would keep you from their office, no way they would suggest it.
I feel sad that this is what our for-profit medical industry has come to. Patients are merely consumers who must continue to darken their doors.
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Well, to be fair, any practitioner can only do what he/she is trained to do. A chiropractor with no other qualifications is only trained to do joint manipulations.
A chiropractor who is also a physical therapist, on the other hand, may be able to make a tremendous difference for a client who has structural issues, in terms of doing soft-tissue work to relieve accumulated damage and then teach corrective exercises so that the structural problem is actually fixed (or at least mitigated).
MDs know surgery and drugs. Acupuncturists know needles (and there’s quite a bit of evidence supporting use of acupuncture for very specific issues). A person with a chronic problem needs to look at different roads to possible solutions.
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It was my chiropractor that first suggested I get a new mattress. So, I suppose it also depends on the practitioner.
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We bought a “fancy” mattress (European Sleepworks) 8 years ago and it has been totally worth every penny. It has held up way better than the traditional one we had before and I like the low chemical, natural fiber-ness of it. I sleep so good on it every single night that I would do every thing in my power to get one of equal quality if it ever has to be replaced. It looks and feels exactly the same as it did when we got it 8 yrs ago. Our old Serta was sagging after half that time.
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My husband had back & neck problems for years. He was seeing a chiropractic for a while too, and it did alleviate the pain for weeks or months. He also got a special pillow from him that cradles his head & neck. The total solution for us came when we stopped sleeping on the inner spring mattress in our bedroom and decided to sleep on the IKEA mattress (I think it has a latex and/or foam core & wool and cotton covering) in the guest bedroom one night. We are still sleeping in that bed a year later, because we sleep so much better there – no pain, nothing. We can’t find an IKEA style mattress for our cal king sized bed in the master.
Inner spring mattresses are the worst for sleep (atleast for us). Anything else would be an improvement.
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April, do you know if there’s an organic alternative to wool? I’d love to pursue this as we need (desperately) a new mattress, but DH is extremely allergic to wool.
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Hi Laura,
Do you know if your husband is even allergic to organic wool? I’ve read that sometimes people are allergic to the added chemicals in non-organic wool, but not the wool itself. The other thing that came to mind is buying a 100% cotton mattress cover. I don’t know anything about wool allergies, though, so I’m not sure if that would be a solution.
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I’ve found online retailers that offer mattresses without any flame retardants (wool or chemical), but a doctor’s note is required to purchase. Good luck!
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Here is one example: http://www.whitelotus.net/organic-cotton-latex-mattress-rx-required/
Note: I have NO experience purchasing from them so I can’t speak on quality.
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I purchased a mattress from http://keetsa.com/ when I first moved to NC. It’s a fantastic mattress. They have mattresses that use cotton instead of wool for the fire barrier.
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We use an organic vinyl water bed filled with water made from glacial ice (no modern pollutants!) and it’s made a world of difference.
We have a solar powered mattress heater that warms the water during the day so that it’s warm enough to sleep on at night.
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How exactly is vinyl “organic”?
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There’s an organ player at the factory.
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When this continent was new, herds of vinyl roamed the fields and forests, wild and free. As the white settlers pushed westward, the defenseless vinyl were slaughtered. By 1900 there were only a few of these magnificent creatures left.
After muckraking journalists told a shocked nation of the plight of the vinyl, millions of schoolchildren sent in their pennies to support a conservation effort. Today, the population of vinyl has soared, and a thriving organic industry exists to carefully harvest their exotic fur and meat.
A close cousin, the Australian divinyl, is known for its ability to touch itself.
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I bought an organic mattress years in fall of 2008 and unfortunately, it already needs to be replaced, less than 4 years later. Now that we need a new one, I’m not sure what direction to take. I want one without the chemicals, but I really feel like I didn’t get my money’s worth this last time around.
I’ll gladly check out any brand recommendations anyone has. (Water beds are not an option, we rent.)
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You’re in Austin, correct? Would you mind telling me who your new massage therapist is?
My girlfriend and I recently bought a Tempurpedic (from Urban Mattress). She also got me a “Core Products Mid-Core Fiber Neck Pillow” (from Amazon), and a split ergonomic keyboard for work, and my chronic shoulder/back/neck pain has nearly disappeared.
She has a bulging disc and joint issues, but the bed has helped tremendously. She’s seeing a new PT at a place called CHARM (off of 360), and her pain is getting much better.
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Hi Phil! The therapist was Rachael at Castle Hill. (http://www.castlehillfitness.com/massage-therapists). I need to look into that keyboard. My next issue to address is working on a laptop all day. I know that’s not helping matters.
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Working at a laptop all day can be brutal! The solution for me was to buy a basic docking station, monitor, and shelf for the monitor to sit on. That way you are not slumped over, peering down at a screen, but instead sitting up better and looking straight ahead at an eye-level monitor.
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I used to wake up with back pain every day. Clearly my bed was too firm so I tried a bunch of different options for padding it and nothing worked for very long. Finally I gave up and I am sleeping on my Aerobed. I sleep so well on that thing and I still can’t believe I feel no back pain at all. I’m hoping it will hold out until I can afford a Dream Number bed.
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Apri,
Beyond the important issue of your new mattress, let me recommend something. I’ve had many of the back/shoulder issues you described, with two burst discs in my neck. I’ve seen chiropractors, accupuncturists, message therapists. They help, but don’t get rid out of chronic pain.
Recently, someone recommended that I try “Classical Stretch.” It’s on most PBS stations (if it isn’t in your area, buy a DVD; it’s worth it). It’s made a huge difference in my flexibility and back pain and seems to be a very safe way to stretch your body wihtout causing any damage. I highly recommend it to you or any readers with this problem.
Good luck! I enjoy your posts very much.
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Thanks, Lucy! I’ll see when that show is on in our area.
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I don’t want to start an arguement, but if the ‘alternative’ methods aren’t working, why not try a real doctor? I have no arguement against trying accupuncture and chiropractry first, but if they don’t work, try some western medicine. Don’t give up and assume you can’t get better because they can’t help you. Try a neurologist, a back doctor. It can be very likely that a pinched nerve caused by a bulging disk is causing your limb numbness.
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For me – I went to the ‘real doctor’ and he prescribed high dose painkillers – for pretty much forever. And an xray, not an MRI, an xray.
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Have you tried a gluten-free diet? I’m serious. Pain like that can often be tied to gluten and alleviated with a gluten-free diet.
Shirley
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I actually have tried a gluten-free diet, but it was because my body felt wrecked after indulging for two weeks in Europe.
I felt the change in energy levels — less peaks and dips during the day (I was also avoiding sugar), but no change in body aches. I did it for a few months, and these days I basically do the same thing, but every couple of weeks I’ll eat bread. I don’t think I have a gluten allergy, but I do feel really great when I avoid gluten and sugar.
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I think that one has to be on a 100% gluten-free diet for a long time to see full benefits, especially when the symptoms are non-digestive. Much of that has to do with the symptoms being caused by the vitamin/mineral deficiencies brought on by gluten issues. They don’t resolve overnight, or even in a month, or 3 months. I remember realizing that my knee pain was gone at the 6 months marker. Food for thought. Glad you have tried a gluten-free diet and are open to dietary changes though. Best of luck in your healing/recovery.
Shirley
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I really have to wonder about the whole gluten free diet – is it really the gluten or that restricting oneself so much pretty much eliminates all processed food from your diet. I wonder if this magic cure all gluten free diet will no longer be as effective when the big food manufactures really jump on the bandwagon and make cheap processed gluten free junk food.
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Lots of people wonder about the gluten-free diet. Those of us who are gluten free are used to skeptics. One has to actually go gluten free to see the positive effects. And as far as that gluten-free junk food, there’s lots of it. It might not be cheap, but lots of people are eating it, but they won’t necessarily feel much better than they did when eating gluten because of the processed nature of it. Gluten free by eating whole foods and dishes made from whole foods is definitely best.
Shirley
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Shirley@gfe,
Hi! I stop by your blog often.
I was surprised to see you here.
I read this post and, wondered if I should
So happy you beat me
bring up gluten.
to it!
You are so right, nutritional deficiencies can linger for many months or, longer if one does not attempt to increase the nutritional
quality of their diet.
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I’ve been gluten free for almost 7 years and it made a huge improvement in my skin, digestion, weight etc. I’m not full blown Celiac, but I do have an intolerance. When I eventually eliminated other grains, I saw further improvements. I see gluten-free foods as a stepping stone and that’s how I used it. Every now and then I’ll treat myself to a gluten free cookie or snack (there are a few bakeries in Portland that feature gluten-free snacks), but its not a regular thing for me.
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If you look into traditional recipes that have grain in them, most recommend soaking the grains overnight/over a long period of time (like how you make traditional sourdough). The lack of this pre-soaking combined with our consumption of new varieties of refined grains, it’s not surprising that so many people have developed gluten intolerances.
Root Simple posted a good series on heritage grains:
http://www.rootsimple.com/2012/02/is-modern-wheat-killing-us.html
http://www.rootsimple.com/2012/02/rules-for-eating-wheat.html
Other info on soaking:
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/04/whole-grains-grinding-soaking.html
http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/be-kind-to-your-grains
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Shirley wrote, “Those of us who are gluten free are used to skeptics.”
At first glance, I thought that said, “those of us who are gluten free used to be skeptics.” That was certainly my story.
Despite knowing my dad had celiac, I didn’t go gluten-free until my mom actually showed up in Chicago one day with 2 days worth of gluten-free food, telling me to eat it instead of whatever else I’d planned on eating. Boy I felt a lot better after those 2 days.
Also, Shirley, my wife Kalinda reads your blog regularly and speaks very highly of it. I remember enjoying your pumpkin soup.
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A lot of gluten-free food is highly processed, so a GF diet doesn’t get rid of processed foods. A lot of the flours are heavily refined — they’re low in fiber, as high in calories as non-GF foods and high glycemic index. (I.e. they digest quickly and raise blood sugar levels.) Refined flour is refined flour, whether it’s gluten free or not.
I follow a few gluten-free cooking blogs and that’s a common concern – keeping down the refined starches and adding fibre.
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That’s why I stopped eating grains altogether. Just stick with produce, proteins, nuts, seeds, etc and you should be fine with a gluten free diet. You don’t *need* bread, pasta, etc. I’ve been eating this way long before it became a trend (Paleo).
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I too generally eat a grain-free diet and find it eliminates a lot of inflammation. I has a month of eating some wheat (home-made bread and bought paratha) and my knee pain and PMS came back with a vengeance. Two weeks off the wheat and the knee pain was gone. Six weeks later the PMS didn’t recur.
I read somewhere that humans only have 2 enzymes for digesting grains, while typical grain eating animals have more than 10. I haven’t checked a reference on that, but if anyone knows of one I’d love to hear about it.
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I hope you will check back in and let us know whether the new mattress alleviates some of the pain. My husband and I both have neck/ back issues but a new bed is a pretty expensive troubleshooting method… Hoping for a follow-up.
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Sure, Marianne! It arrives next week. I’ll give it a couple of weeks and report back next month.
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Thanks for the great article. I have been slowly converting my home to organic products. I have an immune system problem that has seem to lessne as I remove the chemicals from my home.
Thanks Again
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I hope the mattress works for you April. We just bought a new mattress a couple of months ago. What a difference! We’re kicking ourselves for not doing it sooner.
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Thanks for this post! I’ve been looking for an organic/natural mattress as well.
Like you, I wondered if the off-gassing was enough of a concern to justify the price of an organic mattress. I’ve decided that for something I’ll be sleeping directly on for eight hours every night, I’d be more comfortable having my face buried in something organic.
Please do follow up with how the mattress works for you. I still haven’t made up my mind on what mattress to get (mostly because I haven’t yet moved into my own apartment, so I haven’t been forced to
), and the choices are overwhelming!
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Thank you so much for this article!! Perfect timing as I am in the market for new bedroom furniture and a mattress. I have been planning on buying organic but have been leary of the cost. This article helped me to remember how important natural/organic is to me and why would I buy anything else?
Also, to all people knocking chiropractors, my chiropractor and the others in his office(they specialize in chiropractic kinesiology) have helped me, my mom, dad, step-mom, sister, brother-in-law, niece, closest friend, and many other people I know with more issues than anyone can imagine. I will sing their praises forever. I’m sure there are plenty of quacks but some truly look out for their clients’ best interest.
One more thing – April, a long time ago my mother had a pinched nerve which seriously hurt and they only thing that gave her relief at that time was going to a woman who does Feldankrais (she went for individual treatments as well as group classes). It was not a fast process but helped her heal completely.
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This is a finance blog. Any word on
a) how much this cost
b) the difference between organic/nonorganic
c) a comparison to the cost of the various acupuncturists, doctors, massage therapists.
Your doctor prescribed antidepressants because many people who have TMJ simply have it due to anxiety. Doctors do the same thing for back pain.
As for the comments on gluten free diet, if you have no intolerance or sensitivity to gluten, you will still get some benefits as it is the equivalent of the paleo diet. However if you are sensitive or have an autoimmune reaction it will completely change your life and your pain. I have rheumatoid arthritis at 26 and the only reason I can move my hands every day is by going gluten free.
Good luck April!
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I would appreciate some real $ figures as well–and an explanation of what “organic” actually means in terms of mattresses. As far as food goes, the word basically has no one defined and clear-cut meaning, so I wonder if the same is true in other spheres.
An earlier post referred to “organic vinyl”–I looked it up and this is indeed a FDA-approved use if the term, even if it seems initially nonsensical. So, I wonder if “organic” when referring to a mattress might just be more of a bow to marketing than anything real.
One must also weigh the benefits of chemical fire-retardants (ie you don’t burn to death in seconds flat if your bed catches fire) vs. the unknown effects they may have on the body. In the best of all possible worlds we wouldn’t need fire-retardants, but as long as people do stupid things like smoke in bed and accessorize with a multitude of decorative candles they do serve a purpose.
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Hi Andrew, so this is my understanding of the word “organic” in the mattress world. Some mattresses are sold as organic, but actually the cotton is organic and the latex is synthetic.
If you want an organic mattress, make sure it’s made from wool (a natural fire retardant), organic cotton, and 100% natural, sustainably sourced latex. You can ask to see their certifications to make sure you aren’t getting some sort of blend on any of the materials.
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Our mattress was $1300 for a queen box set. The reason I didn’t list price comparisons is because there aren’t two identical mattresses, one organic and one nonorganic, that I could find to compare prices. They’re all so different, and prices very wildly from place to place.
It’s hard for me to quantify the amount I’ve spent on doctors and other therapists — this has been a problem off and on for a few years, and I didn’t track all of my visits. Chiropractic is well into the thousands, easily. If I had to guess, I’d say the total would be several times the cost of a mattress.
My doctor didn’t prescribe antidepressants — that was another reader who had that experience. Also, I do something similar to Paleo, but on this diet you can have dairy if you aren’t lactose intolerant, and I definitely feel the difference even though I don’t think I’m gluten intolerant. It was going to be a short-term thing but I felt so great I didn’t want to stop. Every week or two I still eat bread or a regular dessert, so I’m not strict.
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My husband and I did the great bed debate about 6 months ago. We had a pillow top mattress that was only 3 years old but causing us both back pain. I said over and over, I don’t care how much it costs, I just don’t want to buy another bed for 10 years. After some extensive research I got it down to 2 options, the first was an organic latex bed that allowed you to customize each side from flobeds.com. They seemed to have an excellent reputation to really stand behind their beds. The second option was to buy the HD line Tempurpedic bed. We ended up going with the Tempurpedic since I could find them locally and really enjoyed our 15 minutes laying on it. I was worried I was just paying for the name, but after 6 months I love it and I just hope it’ll hold up for many years to come. I’ll caution anyone looking at Tempurpedics with two pieces of information. They really do take about 3 months to fully break in. I liked by new bed from day one, but by month 4 I loved it. The second was information on the multiple lines of Temperpedics, hopefully it wasn’t just a sales pitch. I was told anyone over 220 lbs really needs to go up to the HD line of beds to get the support they need. My husband is very tall and just above that weight so I sucked it up and bough the high end. Let’s hope that translates to lasting support for years to come. Best of luck to anyone out there looking for beds. It’s a harrowing experience laying out that much money and just hoping it’ll be right for you.
In the interest of the comment above, we were looking in the $4,000 range for both the Flobed latex mattress and the Tempurpedic HD Rhapsody we ended up getting.
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I paid a lot less for a furniture store-brand memory foam mattress, and I do love it. No back problems for the first time in years (neck problems are a different story, sad to say.)
I agree that it takes a while ( 2 weeks for me) to break it in but all of a sudden one night the process was complete and the positive difference between it and my old innerspring mattress became obvious.
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I got in 2010 a Simmons beautyrest (bora bora) plush for between $500-600. I also suffer from neck aches (from many years of poor posture). The new mattress made a big difference in sleep and neck/back pain.
I don’t think latex or spring in inherently superior to one or the other more a matter of preference. Skip the (nonremovable) pillow top unless you like replacing an expensive bed every few years. And I think most mattresses probably need to be replaced before the 10 year mark, simple matter of wear and tear.
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April, it sounds like you’re a side sleeper… if you are, you might want to try a contoured pillow rather than a standard-shaped pillow. I was skeptical at first, but it really made a difference in my sleep quality and back issues.
Do write again and tell us how you’re liking your new bed! I bought a memory/latex (not organic!) mattress about 2 years ago and really love it.
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My wife and I got essentia mattresses – they are the ‘world’s only natural memory foam’ mattress manufacturer out of Canada. They had a special when we ordered it – saved some money because they are $$$$.
April, regarding your pain, have you looked into ‘trigger point therapy’? Type this term into Amazon and you can check out some of the books on it. My wife and I started doing this (it is something you can do to yourself) about 6 months ago. Made a world of difference for her sciatica pain and my lower back pain. No drugs. No expensive doctors.
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Hmm. What a coincidence! I have the same shoulder troubles at night, only, I rarely get to the point where my shoulder goes numb. I also have TMJ. It may sound like a fairy tale, but I swear, I also recently started using my guard, and got a new mattress a year ago. And, no kidding, my shoulders have improved drastically.
Gees, I’m glad most of all that I now know these are related.
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I was suffering from a pinched nerve for 4 weeks. It created a weakness in my (left) arm and I had various levels of pain. I used heat/cold to reduce the inflamation, After two weeks, I did not feel better so I went to an orthopedist. He did an x-ray and ordered a MRI. It turned out I had a pinched nerve in my neck. I am taking a 5 day regimne of drugs that is finally helping. Although the cause may be unknown, there is a simple treatment to reduce the inflation and be pain free.
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You know I just finished a series of treatments with a physiotherapist, osteopath and massage therapist for my shoulder and neck. These specialists provided relief but not a solution to the problem.
The problem was caused by a series of things such as poor posture (since corrected) but the main culprit were my pillows.
I had purchased one of those fancy expensive memory foam pillows as well as two expensive latex pillows (the ones Dr Oz rants and raves about) and I got quite sore after a while. Then I went off to Thailand which is the land of fluffy pillows, really. Oh, and very hard matresses. The pain went away immediately. So I come back and sleep on my fancy shmancy expensive pillows and the pain comes back.
Fed up, I go to my local Target where they had a 40% off sale on pillows, bought a few cheapies that were fluffly like the ones in Thailand and my pain is gone.
So, latex pillows and fancy memory foam at 400$= Monumental fail.
5 Fluffy Target pillows at 40% off at 40$= happiness and relief. Yay.
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When caring for your health, it’s necessary constantly to experiment and look for creative solutions. The body’s ailments are not static, and neither are the remedies. Following leads as you have done with respect to finding and purchasing your new mattress is the best way to improve the quality of your life. (By the way, I have also had my arms go numb at night, and it is indeed scary.) Thanks for the tips!
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Thanks for the great tips. Think there are organic mattresses for futons?
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I was in the same position about a year ago–ongoing neck/back pain, not chronic but bad enough that it was becoming so, and a REALLY old mattress. For people who would like to go organic and still stay affordable, they might try transitioning to a Japanese-style futon mattress (or two!). They’re simple, portable, you can put them on a platform bed so you don’t have to sleep on the floor, and generally much cheaper most standard mattresses. I experimented with them, and while it took some getting used to–they offer very firm support–I no longer have backaches and pains!
The blog entry I wrote on the setup I ended up with is here for the curious: http://hopeofdawn.livejournal.com/263772.html (Side note: I ended getting some Ikea slats to use as support over the foundation, mostly for comfort/ventilation reasons, that I didn’t mention in the post)
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Everybody should watch Penn & Teller’s BULLS#!T episode about sleep. One of the most esteemed matress critics in the country just sleeps on an air mattress.
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I can’t think of a more uncomfortable surface to sleep on than an air mattress. I’d rather sleep on the floor.
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I slept on the floor for years until I was gifted with an air mattress. The air mattress was much better. It’s not that bad once you get used to it.
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Maybe I had the wrong kind. I felt like I was sleeping on an inflated balloon.
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Yeah, it does kind of feel like that. I placed mine directly against the wall and that helped to stabilize it. I also used a good mattress pad and sheets–I never laid directly on it–and that reduced some of the “ballooney” feeling.
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Ill keep that in mind next time I stay at my mothers house!
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My father-in-law slept on the same mattress for years. About nine months ago, he started waking up with debilitating back pain. He recently got a new mattress, and everything is back to normal!
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The cheapest and easiest matress is no matress!
A hard surface is a great way to unkink any irregularities in posture or sleeping position. It can take a few painful days as the body readjusts, but after that you hardly notice that you are not sleeping on a matress. I’m not sure of the science behind such claims, but it has worked for us.
People often freak out a bit when we say that we don’t use a matress. Sleeping on the floor is often not desirable due to dust and insects (depending on where you live), but it is possible to find solid base beds.
We have a standard slat bed. To turn it into a solid base bed, we found some roughly correctly sized pieces of scrap wood and nailed them to the slats. The slats support the pieces of wood and thus us.
It can cost a lot to buy a solid base bed directly as the order may often be custom, so DIY in this case saved a lot of money.
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We have conflicting requirements on furniture chemicals because the government agencies that regulate very aspect of our lives is operating 20 years behind the times. The push for fire-retardant furniture (esp. mattresses) was because of a rash of deaths from people falling asleep while smoking and setting their mattresses (and homes) on fire. While some of us might regard this as a self-correcting example of Darwin’s finest work, do-gooders in power can’t help but want to help us. Unintended consequences be damned. It also didn’t help that some kids were killed too, so “It’s for the children”, the plaintive cry of unscrupulous buttinskies everywhere, helped push things along.
Of course, now that smoking rates have plummeted, we are left with the legacy of flame-retardant mattresses poisoning everyone, smokers and non-smokers alike.
It probably never crossed the statists minds that perhaps the market could have offered flame-retardant furniture to smokers, while giving the rest of us a choice to buy furniture that doesn’t cause birth defects.
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If we all lived in free-standing houses this argument might be valid. But until all apartment buildings are smoker-free it’s not practical.
Plus, there would be no way to ensure that smokers bought th fire-retardant mattresses, short of nicotine-testing everyone during the purchase process. Surely a libertarian wouldn’t want that.
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About 10 years ago I was suffering from chronic hip pain and tendonitis for about 5 years. Conventional doctors recommended surgery, physical therapy, etc. etc., none of which helped. I finally gave up and looked for ‘weird’ doctors, and I have to say I found the weirder the doctor, the more helpful they are. I saw a few doctors – naturopathic medicine practitioners and people practicing nutritional response testing, and they all told me I was allergic to wheat (not gluten, just wheat). I cut that out, and my hip pain, fatigue, and a host of other problems went away. It was quite amazing that no conventional doctor or specialist EVER thought to ask me about my diet.
Recently I suffered with chronic bronchitis for a year. I tried everything – a regular doctor who had no interest in finding the cause (no, an asthma inhaler is not the answer), and acupuncture and chiropractic (not really helpful). Then I went to an energy healer (a good one – I got recommendations), and a year’s worth of bronchitis was GONE after seeing her once. I just say this because just like April says in the article, sometimes the solutions need to get to the root cause of a problem instead of trying to cover it up.
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We went into a furntiure store once to pick up a futon for a spare room, and walked out with a Natura mattress and bed. Love it. It was a floor model, discontinued, clearance “find”. Bed frame is amazing; lots of capacity to customize – two separate halves where you can increase/decrease lumbar and upper body support – and the mattress has been great for our allergies, and very comfortable. Highly recommend.
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I’m going to echo comment 86- sleeping on the floor is actually pretty nice. When my dad had back/sciatica problems, he found that sleeping on the floor helped with his pain. That was almost 20 years ago and he still occasionally falls asleep on the floor.
When I moved across country, I sold my bed and for the first two weeks in my new place Islept on an air mattress. When I started having back pains and could not find an acceptable/affordable slat bed, I busted out my camping gear and some extra blankets and started sleeping on the floor. It was great. It’s been over a year and I still sleep on the floor, although now it’s a nicer camp mattress. As for the worries about bugs and dust… I vaccuum a lot, wash my bedding a lot, and wipe down my camp mattress with disinfectant but that’s because I’m a cleanfreak.
When we’re in Japan, we sleep on shikifutons. I have a friend in Seattle who switched over about 7 months ago to sleeping on a shikifuton (so NOT the same as a futon in the US) and she loves it. She had been suffering from lower back pain and it went away with the new sleeping arrangement.
So… sleeping on the floor isn’t for everyone, but it can help some people. If you’re averse to sleeping on the floor, try a platform bed.
And as for the TMJD, paying $600 for my night guard was the best medical decision I’ve had to make so far. When my TMJD started, I was lucky enough to be going to an awesome doctor who told me to meet with my dentist and also sent me to physical therapy as well as prescribing me prescription strength pain killers and muscle relaxants. Once I finished the PT, I was only taking about 50 of the pills a year. (as opposed to multiple doses every day.)
I was visiting a very unsatisfactory dentist at the time who wanted me to get surgery to fix my jaw. I finally found a dentist who viewed surgery as a last resort and he made a mouth guard for me. I have used the mouth guard every night since I got it and I have stopped taking the prescription medicines and I only occasionally have to take OTC painkillers.
One more thing…all this talk about mattresses, but what about your pillow? A lot of neck, shoulder, and jaw pain is triggered because of lack of head support from pillows.
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Pretty interesting topic for something that most people put little thought into. It’s amazing how getting a new bed can change your sleep and well-being so much. We went to a foam mattress about a year ago and I’ve never slept better. My back seems to really appreciate it as well.
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One of the key reminders for me from this article is that practitioners vary in style and competence. I have had chiropractors/ osteopaths who have been simple bone crackers while others have taken a more wholistic approach to working out root causes and suggesting exercises.
Likewise I’ve seen physiotherapists who have simply remediated pain, while other have worked on strengthening weaknesses.
For those with joint issues, I highly recommend a resource available on-line called IntuFlow: http://www.intu-flow.com/ There are 5 free beginners lessons on the site (and I think there is another one on YouTube that finishes the series).
It’s been described a western-style tai chi and is very gentle, while helping to re-lubricate the joints and increase mobility. It’s working well for me so far.
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I haven’t seen the Penn & Teller episode someone refers to up here, but I was reading all of these comments with a bunch of skepticism. I guess people could say – you can’t dispute the results of new mattresses. But I do think there are lots of psychological factors that play into our happiness with our decisions. I’m sure the placebo effect can work for things other than medicine. If you spend thousands of dollars on a mattress, I imagine even your body might be tricked into liking it. And of course all the sleep “experts” tell you how important it is to get that perfect mattress. And in their mind perfect = expensive.
But people have been sleeping since, well, forever. Does that mean that everyone who slept on the floor or simple feather or even hay mattresses had chronic back and joint pain? I highly doubt it.
I’m not trying to say that those who can afford it shouldn’t spend money on a mattress with all the bells and whistles. I also wouldn’t say someone who can afford it shouldn’t spend $500 on a pair of jeans, even though we know that the price tag there is associated more with style and status than actual improved functionality.
We have a $400 mattress that is six years old, and I’m going to sleep on it as long as I feel comfortable. I’m not going to change it in four years when the industry tell me I should. My parents have been sleeping on the same mattress for over 25 years. It’s just a simple firm mattress and has stayed firm for that long. Why should they switch it out if it isn’t bothering them? And if it does start to bother them, it’s possible the $400 variety of a different mattress might suit them as much as the $1500 variety.
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As far as the $400 being used for 6 years, it’s probably still has some life in it. You will know when it is time to replace (springs poking, pancaked, etc). I do feel that some of those older mattresses were made better. My mother had a sealy posturpedic (not cheap when she bought it) but she used it for over 20 years and it was surprisingly still comfortable (up until the end).
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I have to admit that the idea that one should buy a new matress every 10 years sounds outrageous to me. I think we just bought mattresses when we got married and expected to use them for ever. A good firm mattress always works for me. I have slept on the floor in different parts of the world but the floor gets too hard for old joints now and it is harder to get up and down.
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I agree. My mother’s mattress is older than I am…and not that long ago my BIL and SIL stayed at her place and slept in that bed. My SIL raved about the great mattress…and was more than a little shocked to learn that it’s likely 50+ years old!
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I certainly agree that mattresses should last more than 5+ years.
However, I also know that I searched Hampton Inn mattresses after we stayed on one last month. I didn’t consider the mattress at all when going to sleep, but when I got out of bed in the morning and my hips and back weren’t entirely stiff and locked into place, I sure thought about it then.
They do sell something described as their mattresses online, but it seems to be no returns and it’s not guaranteed that what they’re selling is exactly like what I slept on. Perhaps I should go back and buy the exact mattress?!
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I never knew that there’s such a thing as organic mattresses.
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Thanks for this post. For the last couple of months I’ve thought we needed a new futon, but this post was the reminder that I needed to get off my butt and buy one.
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Interesting, but the one thing I wish I had known when I bought my new mattress in 2007, was not to purchase a pillowtop. I would love to be able to flip over my mattress, in fact I may just try it even though you are not supposed to. If I had just purchased a standard mattress I could purchase a pillowtop to go on it and have more flexiblity.
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