We have a complex supply chain network to bring along with us on the road to sustainability and health. In this blog post, we will share how Genial Day goes beyond toxin-free and why we use healthcare fabrics, silver and tourmaline in our pads and liners.
Ever wonder why and how specialty fabrics are designed for the healthcare industry? Or even how healthcare fabrics can be antimicrobial? Well, there’s a lot more to healthcare fabrics than meets the eye!
Specialty fabrics are part of our lives more than you might think. Textile has always been an important part of healthcare. Medical textiles (a.k.a. also known as healthcare textiles) are textile products and constructions for medical applications.
They are used for first aid, clinical or hygienic purposes and rehabilitation. Not all the textile fibers can be used here, because their performances depend upon interaction with the cells and different fluids produced by the body.
In which ways, you might ask, are medical textiles specifically different from ordinary textile products? Well, there is a number of strict requirements. The textile materials should have some specific properties to be useful as medical textile.
Why do healthcare fabrics stand out?
From leather upholstery to vinyl to cubicle curtains, most equipment and products, no matter how aesthetically pleasing, must tick a long list of boxes when it comes to healthcare.
There’s a need for toughness and endurance, resistance to fading, infection control, possible acoustic qualities, and more. Textiles materials that are used in medical applications include fibers, yarns, fabrics, and composites.
Depending upon the application, the requirements of textile material for medical applications are as follows:
- Biocompatible;
- Good resistance to alkalis, acids and micro-organisms;
- Good dimensional stability;
- Elasticity;
- Free from contamination or impurities;
- Absorption / Repellency;
- Air permeability.
Textiles are woven into the fabric of the healthcare built environment; draperies, privacy curtains, blankets, bedding, furniture and medical furnishings, floor and wall coverings are examples of the many fabric products used in hospitals.
If you take a moment to look at your local doctor’s office or hospital, you will see these specialty healthcare fabrics are utilized in your bed, gowns, curtains and even in the blankets and sheets you use!
So how do these healthcare fabrics work anyway?
Well, the way they are designed allows them to be antimicrobial which is important when it comes to hospitals and the prevention of bacterial infections.
These fabrics are coated or created with special chemicals that are either slowly released over time or are woven into the fabric itself. The demands of the contract marketplace, including healthcare, for durability and safety have fostered a fabric industry that puts chemicals and materials into the environment that may hurt, rather than protect, human health and the environment.
The intense and unique needs for cleanability, infection control, and fire safety combine to challenge the 21st-century fabric industry as it moves to safer, less toxic chemicals and designs that both safeguard building occupants and promote environmental and community health.
We are proud to admit that Genial Day has been a part of that industry, providing millions of women over the world with high-quality, skin-friendly, eco-certified liners and pads perfected by science.
The power of anion strip
At Genial Day, we have been working hard to fulfill your needs where science meets nature for obtaining hygiene, health protection, freshness and maximum absorbency for every period and every day – to help you stay healthy and confident at the most sensitive time of the month.
GENIAL DAY® is the first sanitary pad to incorporate unique PATENTED NEGATIVE ION (anion) strip, with natural silver and semi-precious stone tourmaline.
Negative ions are odorless, tasteless, and invisible molecules that we inhale in abundance in certain environments. Think mountains, waterfalls, and beaches.
Once they reach our bloodstream, negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our daytime energy.
Ions are molecules that have gained or lost an electrical charge, scientists explain. They are created in nature as air molecules break apart due to sunlight, radiation, and moving air and water.
You may have experienced the power of negative ions when you last set foot on the beach or walked beneath a waterfall. While part of the euphoria is simply being around these wondrous settings and away from the normal pressures of home and work, the air circulating in the mountains and the beach is said to contain tens of thousands of negative ions -- Much more than the average home or office building, which contain dozens or hundreds, and many register a flat zero.
Women health experts agree upon the fact that, in concerning the many challenges women have to face due to their reproductive system, negative ions certainly do help create physical and mental balance.
In Genial Day products, they are working inside the anion strip that contains silver and tourmaline – the two natural elements that are have been known for ages to kill harmful bacteria.
The Anion Strip provides natural protection against skin irritation, infections & odor. It prevents harmful bacteria from colonizing the pad. Developed to help soothe common symptoms associated with PMS, at the same time provide the best absorbency possible with the help of biodegradable superabsorbent material developed in Japan.
Why silver is beneficial for our health
Silver – a super precious metal that Genial Day liners with anion strip contain – plays a huge role in contemporary technology, health care and medicine, making people‘s life better in many ways.
As a metal, silver has significant health benefits that have been used across cultures for centuries. Silver has a proven track record as a powerful antimicrobial agent fighting infections and aiding in cold and flu prevention, wound healing, and more.
Scientists report that silver ions and compound can kill bacteria, algae, and fungi. Therefore, silver helps purify, sanitize, and filter water, as microdyn – a silver colloid – prevents bacteria and algae from building up in filters, helping to remove bacteria, chlorine, odor and other damaging substances.
Silver has a long history in antibiotics and sterilization, with many women and men wearing silver jewelry to stave off infection, cold/flu symptoms, and any other virus, bacteria, etc. This health benefit is one of the reasons why so many manufacturers choose to make medical devices and tools out of silver.
Silver also helps with internal heat regulation and circulation. Many have reported improvements in energy levels and balance in moods after wearing silver, as its natural properties may offset outside electrical disturbances, improve circulation and overall body temperature balance, and help maintain cleanliness and immunity. That is why the pharmaceutical industry makes use of silver’s antibacterial qualities, too.
Silver is also added to fabrics, appliances, carpets and air purifiers, killing harmful bacteria that would otherwise be treated with harsh chemicals. Amazingly, silver is also applied in innovative fields like green technology and nanotechnology.
What is tourmaline and how it works
Tourmaline gemstone is a semi-precious mineral similar to granite. Although it might be a stretch to say tourmaline has supernatural powers, it does have the uncommon and very special ability to generate an electric charge and emit negative ions and far infrared rays. That is why tourmaline is a powerful ally when your body is in need of detoxification.
The far infrared rays created by tourmaline actually produce the same resonance in the body that is normally found in water. This form of resonance absorption helps relieve stress, increase alertness, stimulate circulation, and boost the immune system.
It is generally known that tourmalines' beneficial effects on health are also due to the ions. Tourmaline crystals heat up as they are rubbed into the skin, because they are positively charged on one end and negatively charged on the other. Due to this reaction, tourmaline crystals are used in many moisturizers and exfoliants as a good anti-aging product.
As you can see, tourmaline generates a significant amount of negative ions when pressure (rubbing) is applied to it. From the scientific standpoint, tourmaline is known to generate a weak electric current, producing far infrared rays and converting moisture in the air to negative ions. And that is exactly how the anion strip with tourmaline in Genial Day liners works – simply when the woman‘s body rubs against it in performing its natural physiological functions.
Tourmaline emits far infrared rays and produces the best effects when your body is in close proximity. For that reason, tourmaline, like many energy-emitting stones, are commonly incorporated into jewelry.
Some people simply keep tourmaline in their home or office so its energy can broadcast right into their environment. We've included tourmaline in our Genial Day liners and pads to prevent toxins from getting into the body and support the removal of the ones that are already there.
To sum it all up, Genial Day sanitary products, due to tourmaline used in their anion strip, can contribute to purifying the blood, removing toxins, reducing fatigue, improving immunity, and promoting health and longevity in our customers.
