I have been swimming in the swimming pool for a month or so and now I am having headaches. How bad is the chlorine in the water? Killing microflora (good bacteria)? It is a cheap solution to stay in shape (outdoor swimming pool in the San Diego area, with warm water). Should I quit or should I go?

Hold up--you are getting headaches and link it to chlorinated pools and are wondering if you should quit?

Without being rude, what do YOU think? It really doesn't matter about opinions or studies--YOU are your own study.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/2013 06:11PM by banana who.

I don't like chlorine. I don't like lifting weights either. I know that chlorine kills good bacteria, cells everything. I know that swimmers have problems with teeth, all of them, due to exposure to chlorine. I just thought that if I swim three times a week, for an hour, it would not do so much harm and it would help me stay in shape. I wanted to improve my swimming so I am taking some tips from a local pro. So, in the summer I will be able to swim in the sea, hopefully, using a better technique.
But, I am very sensitive and maybe my head hurts simply because it is winter and the air is sometimes cold. Don't know.

Hey, I know chlorine gets a bad rap and it makes my skin dry and my eyes bloodshot but...

Now what were we talking about?

Seriously, if you react to it, then perhaps another low-impact exercise like rebounding?

As for me, even though it affects me, if I had access to a pool, I'd probably do it several times a week.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/2013 06:54PM by banana who.

I have the same problem BW. Headache, irritates eyes, and messed up hair for days. But I swim anyway because I like the easy & fun exercise. Plus the kids would revolt if I dont take them to the pool. On those rare occasions we get to go to a pool treated with salt instead of chlorine, it's such a huge treat. I actually feel so much more refreshed after swimming in a salt pool - no headache & no dry skin.

I'm not swimming much these days but when I do, I swim for hours at an indoor pool. It's heavily chlorinated so I use this right after the swim:

[www.babobotanicals.com]

I don't get headaches from the chlorine but I do lots of deep breathing yoga afterwards to clear the chlorine out my lungs anyway.

San Diego area? I'd say swim in the beautiful Ocean!

Mindy

Yeah Mindy, I was gonna suggest that as well.

Swimmer, I have heard about salt pools but never heard of them as public pools. Is this a private one you've been in?

I live in San Diego too. The ocean water comes down from Alaska. It's 57 deg today. That's too cold for swimming.

rab,
I use to swim in the La Jolla cove in the summer. Have you tried that?

Banana Who,
I think you meant to ask raw-curious about the salt pool.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/2013 11:53PM by swimmer.

Swimmer, LOL My head is...swimming...

Swimmer, I don't even know where that is (I will check). I moved here in September, live in Oceanside.

I would never swin in a chlorinated pool!! just saying.

welcome to North County. I'm in San Marcos, east from Oceanside.

Here is the tourist site on the La Jolla cove. It's pronounced "La hoy-yah". There's a map on the page.


[www.lajollabythesea.com]

It's a beautiful area.

when i go to the public pool in winter i coat myself head to toe with a slick coat of coconut oil including my hair

so far ive managed to get in do my thing an get out without anyone noticing any sort of oil slick floating around me lol

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I have no problem with chlorine. But maybe I am not as sensitive. I do have a shower filter (chlorine) at home. I swimm 4 times a week.

You guys should relize how much chlorine you are absorbing while having a swim, not good.

rab, you ought to find a chlorine-free place to swim. But if you love the swimming, and you are willing to live with the detox of chlorine, then enjoy.

We will always be toxic to some point and this is why some drink distilled water and eat organic vegies etc. To soak in highly toxic water is just too much for the body and I hope you guys and gals can find something better to do for exercise that is much healthier. Lead by example and they will follow, then we can all swim in healthier pools. Write a letter to the people who run the pool. Get a pettition going to change these things. I have a pool in my back yard for 11yrs. and have only been in it once. It's a community pool and highly chorinated. It is a proven fact that these pools cause illness, don't be followers be leaders. Don't fall for the bullshit that the government allows us to believe is ok, thats how we change things!

thanks for your concern. At this time, I need this type of exercise (strenghthen 'like new' muscles) . Maybe one day I'll be able to find me a better swimmingpool. Sauna (sweating) after swimming helps. I am becoming more and more sensitive to chemicals and smells. For example, I can smell the hand soap, body smell, etc, of people who walk by me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2013 10:17AM by Panchito.

Yes it is amazing how in tune a person becomes when clean, especially when that includes mind, body, spirit. I can only imagine how a person like Brian Clement thinks and percieves the world and interactions he has with people? This guy is doing sauna's daily, drinking distilled water, taking all kinds of algae's every day, wow I wish I could afford all that and live that clean of a life. In my esitmation he is about 67-68 and not looking to retire I imagine. He is going strong and doing what he loves, leading by example.

Chlorinated pools are extremely toxic; as much as I love swimming, I'd never swim in chlorinated water no matter what. Chlorine causes everything from a weakened immune system to cancer (via the trihalomethanes produced when it reacts with organic matter) and heart disease (by scarring the arteries).

Swimming in chlorinated pools has been linked to a greatly increased risk of asthma and allergies [among many other things]: [pediatrics.aappublications.org]
[oem.bmj.com]

Studies on chlorinated pools and cancer:

[www.pwtag.org] [for the not scientifically minded, all you need is this one sentence from the conclusion: "Our findings support potential genotoxic effects of exposure to DBPs from swimming pools."]

There's also this nice study which discovered over 100 mutagenic/carcinogenic compounds in chlorinated swimming pools: [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

^ If it makes you feel any better, there's over 600 in your typical drinking water.

Swim away!


-------
Sadly you have to be careful on beaches too these days, a lot of them are being used as municipal waste dumps. But beaches are still much better then chlorinated pools.

Thanks for the post Living food, all need to see this stuff! I have been lucky enough to swim in the HHI pools. The mineral pool and the naturally chlorinated pools. The mineral pool is like being in the ocean, well almost.

swimmer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I live in San Diego too. The ocean water comes
> down from Alaska. It's 57 deg today. That's too
> cold for swimming.

> I use to swim in the La Jolla cove in the summer.


Hence the name "Swimmer"

THeSt0rm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> also shower filters don't seem to filter the
> chlorine all that much...


If you are concerned don't use hot water as it renders most cheaper filters useless. The heat expands the filter element. A high quality filter should work with hot water but not much flow to start with.

Wow, learn something new everyday! Makes total sense about the chlorine...just another layer in this whole learning process. Got a long way to go, but not as long to go as several weeks ago!

Mindy