Small things that are making a big impact on your hormone health
Your body is miraculous. As we know, it is comprised of many intricate systems that you have heard of such as; our Respiratory System, Digestive System, Muscular System, etc. One you may not be as familiar with is the Endocrine System. To keep it simple, the Endocrine System is how our hormones circulate around our body and help us to regulate things like our mood, sleep, reproduction, sexual function, metabolism, growth, and development.
Common issues with our endocrine system present in conditions like diabetes, fertility issues, hormone imbalance, insomnia, acne, irregular menses, mood swings, heavy menses, Pre-menstural Syndrome (PMS), and thyroid dysfunction.
A subclass of chemicals that we are constantly being exposed to are called Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and these can play a role in many of these pathologies and there are a few easy ways for you to avoid them.
1) BPA Free is not good enough
Sure, your plastics may say they're BPA free now-but many are just using BPF or BPS which likely have the same safety concerns as the BPA. This synthetic chemical compound is what we call a Xenoestrogen, meaning it can trick our body into thinking it is estrogen in our bodies. This can lead to a phenomenon called estrogen dominance in our bodies. This has been associated to many conditions including breast, prostate and testicular cancer, obesity, infertility, endometriosis, early onset puberty, miscarriages and diabetes.
So do your best in avoiding the use of plastics in your food and water containers (even when you do not intend to heat it up). Make sure your water filter isn't plastic because then your hard earned "filtered" water is just sitting in plastic all day and finally avoid paper cups with that waxy layer on the inside. That wax is made up of a similar plastic known as polyethylene and can also leach harmful substances into your drinks. Finally, get a daily serving of phytoestrogens! These are the "good" estrogens found in things like soybeans and flax seed which can have a balancing effect on your estrogen levels. In studies those who consumed phytoestrogens regularly seemed to have some protection against the harmful exposure to Xenoestrogens.
2) Avoid the charming smell of Phthalates
On labels this is also known as added "fragrance". Perfumes, make up, and various beauty products often use this. In animal studies these have shown to harm the liver, kidney and reproductive systems.
Although these are found from numerous sources a good starting place to avoid would be by buying fragrance free products. Better yet- downloading an app called Think Dirty. An app designed to help consumers know what chemicals are behind their purchases. With Think Dirty the consumer is able to scan a product and see the chemical risk of various products.
3) Crest over Colgate
Have you ever heard of Triclosen? This is a chemical that is added to some products to decrease bacteria growth within them, however, in animal studies it has also been shown to inhibit the release of thyroid hormones and increase risk of cancer after long term exposure. Studies in 2014 lead to Triclosen being banned by the FDA in all hand soaps. More recent studies also showed that long term Triclosen exposure is correlated with liver tumour growth and Triclosen has been found in almost 100 percent of breast milk samples. Despite this, some toothpaste companies continue to put it in their product. Colgate toothpaste still contains it. There are a number of all natural toothpastes you could switch to, but if you're not ready to make the jump to one of those, try switching to Crest over Colgate so you can avoid the Triclosen. Crest has removed Triclosen from all their products.
These are just three simple things you can avoid to work towards living in a less toxic world. In addition to avoiding chemicals when you can, making sure you are having healthy and regular bowel movements and eating lots of cruciferous vegetables and fiber can help your body metabolize and excrete some harmful substances from your body.
