Dirty Dozen Chemicals to Avoid for your Hormones, part 2

This is part 2 of the endocrine dirty dozen list: a deep dive into the 12 most toxic substances we are exposed to, and how to reduce your exposure. Check the blog for part 1! Also download the Healthy Home & Body Detox Guide to really get a good handle on cleaning up your health.

ARSENIC

Arsenic isn’t just for murder mysteries anymore. In fact, this poison is lurking in your food and drinking water. If you eat enough of it, arsenic will kill you outright. In smaller amounts, arsenic can cause skin, bladder and lung cancer. Basically, bad news. Less well known: arsenic messes with your hormones! Specifically it can interfere with normal hormone functioning in the glucocorticoid system that regulates how our bodies’ process sugars and carbohydrates. What does that mean for you? Well disrupting the glucocorticoid system has been linked to weight gain/loss, immunosuppression, insulin resistance (which can lead to diabetes), osteoporosis, growth retardation and high blood pressure. Recent discoveries show that it is in chicken, due to it being placed in their feed to increase their growth more quickly.

HOW TO AVOID IT?

Eat organic chicken and avoid chicken raised on factory farms. Reduce your exposure by using a water filter that lowers arsenic levels. For help finding a good water filter, check out EWG’s buying guide

LEAD

You may or may not like heavy metal music, but lead is one heavy metal you want to avoid. It’s well known that lead is toxic, especially to children. Lead harms almost every organ system in the body and has been linked to a staggering array of health effects, including permanent brain damage, lower IQ, hearing loss, miscarriage, premature birth, increased blood pressure, kidney damage and nervous system problems. But few people realize that one other way that lead may affect your body is by disrupting your hormones. In animals, lead has been found to lower sex hormone levels. Research has also shown that lead can disrupt the hormone signalling that regulates the body’s major stress system (called the HPA axis). You probably have more stress in your life now than you want, so the last thing you need is something to make it harder for your body to deal with it- especially since this stress system is implicated in high blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety and depression.

HOW TO AVOID IT?

Keep your home clean and well maintained. Crumbling old paint (prior to 1978) is a major source of lead exposure, so get rid of it carefully. A good water filter can also reduce your exposure to lead in drinking water. Check out this link by the EWG for better help finding a filter. If you need another reason to eat better, studies have also shown that children with healthy diets absorb less lead.

MERCURY

Caution: that sushi you’re eating could be hazardous to your health. Mercury, a naturally occurring but toxic metal, gets into the air and the oceans primarily through burning coal. Eventually, it can end up on your plate in the form of mercury contaminated seafood. We also get mercury from some vaccinations and amalgam fillings. Pregnant women are the most at risk from the toxic effects of mercury, since the metal is known to concentrate in the fetal brain and can interfere with brain development. Pregnant women are cautioned not to eat more than one can of tuna a month, as tuna is one of the highest fish with mercury contamination. Mercury is also known to bind directly to one particular hormone that regulates women’s menstrual cycle and ovulation, interfering with normal signalling pathways. In other words, hormones don’t work so well when they’ve got mercury stuck to them. The metal may also play a role in diabetes, since mercury has been shown to damage cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, which is critical for the body’s ability to metabolize sugar.

HOW TO AVOID? For people who still want to eat (sustainable) seafood with lots of healthy fats but without a side of toxic hormone disrupting mercury, wild salmon and farmed trout are good choices. See our fish handout for more options of fish with low mercury content. Try to avoid or replace silver fillings, which are 50% mercury. Also avoid vaccines that contain mercury, the “flu shot” for example.

GLYCOL ETHERS

Shrunken testicles: Do we have your full attention now? This is one thing that can happen to rats exposed to chemicals called glycol ethers, which are common solvents in paints, cleaning products, brake fluid and cosmetics. Worried? You should be. The European Union says that some of these chemicals “may damage fertility or the unborn child”. Studies of painters have linked exposure to certain glycol ethers to blood abnormalities and lower sperm counts. Children who are exposed to glycol ethers from paint in their bedrooms have substantially more asthma and allergies.

HOW TO AVOID?

Start by checking out EWG’s Guide To Healthy Cleaning (ewg.org/guides/cleaners) and avoid products with ingredients such as 2-butoxyethanol (EGBE0 and methoxydiglycol (DEGME) Source

ORGANOPHOSPHATE PESTICIDES

Originally produced for warfare. Luckily, neurotoxic organophosphate compounds that the Nazis produced in huge quantities for chemical warfare during World War II were never used. After the war ended, American scientists used the same chemistry to develop a long line of pesticides that target the nervous system of insects. Despite many studies linking organophosphate exposure to effects on the brain development, behaviour and fertility, they are still among the more common pesticides in use today. A few of the many ways that organophosphates can affect the human body include interfering with the way testosterone communicates with cells, lowering testosterone and altering thyroid hormone levels.

HOW TO AVOID?

Buy organic produce and use EWG’s Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which can help you find the fruits and vegetables that have the fewest pesticide residues. Check it out here

PERFLUORINATED CHEMICALS (PFCS)

Chemicals used to make non-stick cookware can stick to you. Perfluorinated chemicals are so wide spread and extraordinarily persistent that 99 percent of Americans have them in their bodies. One particularly notorious compound called PFOA has been shown to be “completely resistant to biodegradation” In other words PFOA doesn’t break down in the environment-EVER. That means that even though the chemical was banned after decades of use, it will be showing up in the people’s bodies for countless generations to come. This is worrisome, since PFOA exposure has been linked to decreased sperm quality, low birth weight, kidney disease, thyroid disease and high cholesterol, among other health issues. Scientists are still figuring out how PFOA affects the human body, but animal studies have found that it can affect thyroid and sex hormone levels.

HOW TO AVOID?

Skip non-stick pans as well as stain and water resistant coatings on clothing, furniture and carpets.

If you want to know more about how to know your levels or how to detox your exposures, download the Healthy Home & Body Detoxification Guide from Natural Terrain. Click here to download.

Sources for this article include: http://www.ewg.org/research/dirty-dozen-list-endocrine-disruptors http://www.globalresearch.ca http://www.naturalnews.com/029720_hormones_health.html

Photos by tian kuan on Unsplash, by Ibadah Mimpi on Unsplash, by Alison Marras on Unsplash

Dirty Dozen Chemicals to Avoid for your Hormones, part 1

There is no end to the tricks that endocrine disruptors can play on our bodies: increasing production of certain hormones, decreasing production of others, imitating hormones, turning one hormone into another, interfering with hormone signalling, telling cells to die prematurely, competing with essential nutrients, binding to essential hormones, accumulating in organs that produce hormones. This imbalance has created sleep disorders, anxiety, weight gain, skin problems, cancers, and much more.

Here are 12 of the worst hormone disruptors, how they do their dirty deeds, and some tips on how to avoid them.

ATRAZINE

What happens when you introduce highly toxic chemicals into nature and turn your back? For one thing, feminization of male frogs. That’s right; researchers have found that exposure to even low levels of atrazine can turn male frogs into females that produce completely viable eggs. Atrazine is an herbicide that is widely used on a majority of corn crops in the United States, and consequently it’s a pervasive drinking water contaminant. Atrazine has been linked to breast tumours, delaying puberty and causing prostate inflammation in animals. Some research has linked it to prostate cancer in humans.

HOW TO AVOID IT?

Buy organic produce and get a drinking water filter certified to remove atrazine. For help finding such a filter, check out EWG’s buying guide: ewg.org/report/ewgs-water-filter-buying-guide

BPA

Some may say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but do you really want a chemical used in plastics imitating the sex hormone estrogen in your body?….NO!! Unfortunately, this synthetic hormone can trick the body into thinking it’s the real thing- and the results aren’t pretty. BPA has been linked to everything from breast and other cancers to reproductive problems, obesity, early puberty and heart disease. According to government tests, 93% of Americans have BPA in their bodies.

HOW TO AVOID IT?

Go fresh instead of canned- many food cans have BPA in their linings- or research which companies don’t use BPA or similar chemicals in their products, EDEN Organics is one such company. Say no to receipts, since thermal paper is often coated with BPA. Avoid plastics marked with “PC” (polycarbonate), or recycling label #7. Not all of these plastics contain BPA, but many do and its better safe than sorry when it comes to keeping synthetic hormones out of your body. Plastic water bottles can contain BPA and it is advisable to avoid these. For more tips, check out: ewg.org/bpa

DIOXINS

Dioxins are multi-taskers…but not in a good way! They form during many industrial processes when chlorine and bromine are burned in the presence of carbon and oxygen. Dioxins can disrupt the delicate signalling systems of male and female sex hormones in the body. This is a bad thing! HERE’S WHY: Recent research has shown that exposure to low levels of dioxin in the womb and early in life can permanently affect sperm quality and lower sperm count in men during their prime reproductive years. But that’s not all! Dioxins are very long-lived, build up both in the body and in the food chain, are powerful carcinogens and can affect the immune and reproductive systems.

HOW TO AVOID IT?

That’s pretty difficult, since the ongoing industrial release of dioxins has meant that the American food supply is widely contaminated. Products including meat, fish, milk, eggs and butter are most likely to be contaminated. You can cut down on your exposure by eating fewer animal products.

PERCHLORATE

Who needs foods tainted with rocket fuel?! That’s right, perchlorate, a component in rocket fuel, contaminates much of our produce and milk, according to EWG and government test data. When perchlorate gets in your body it competes with the nutrient iodine, which the thyroid gland needs to make thyroid hormones. Basically, this means that if you ingest too much of it you can end up altering your thyroid hormone balance. This is important because these hormones regulate metabolism in adults and are critical for proper brain and organ development in infants and young children.

HOW TO AVOID IT?

You can reduce perchlorate in your drinking water by using a reverse osmosis filter. (You can get help finding one here: www.ewg.org/report-ewgs-water-filter-buying-guide). As for food, it’s pretty much impossible to avoid perchlorate, but you can reduce its potential effects on you by making sure you’re getting enough iodine in your diet. Using iodized salt is one good way.

PHTHALATES

Did you know that a specific signal programs cells in your body to die? It’s normal and healthy for 50 billion cells in your body to die every day! But studies have shown that chemicals called phthalates can trigger what’s known as “death-introducing signalling” in testicular cells, making them die sooner than they should have. Yep, that’s cell death -in your man parts. If that’s not enough, studies have linked phthalates to hormone changes, lower sperm count, less mobile sperm, birth defects in the male reproductive system, obesity, diabetes and thyroid irregularities.

HOW TO AVOID IT?

A good place to start is to avoid plastic food containers, children’s toys (some phthalates are already banned in kid’s products), and plastic wrap made from PVC, which has the recycling label#3. Some personal care products also contain phthalates, so read the labels and avoid products that simply list added ”fragrance”, since this catch-all term sometimes means hidden phthalates. Find phthalate-free personal care products with EWG’s skin Deep Database: ewg.org/skindeep

FIRE RETARDANTS

What do breast milk and polar bears have in common? In 1999, Swedish scientists studying women’s breast milk discovered something totally unexpected: The milk contained an endocrine-disrupting chemical found in fire retardants, and the levels have been doubling every five years since 1972! These incredibly persistent chemicals, known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDE’s, have since been found to contaminate the bodies of people and wildlife around the globe- even polar bears. These chemicals can imitate thyroid hormones and disrupt their activity. This can lead to lower IQ, among other significant health effects. Several kinds of PBDE’s have now been phased out, but this doesn’t mean that toxic fire retardants have gone away. PBDE’s are incredibly persistent, so they’re going to be contaminating people and wildlife for decades to come.

HOW TO AVOID IT?

It’s virtually impossible, but passing better toxic chemical laws that require chemicals to be tested before they go on the market would help reduce our exposure. A few things that we can try in the meantime include using a vacuum with a HEPA filter, which can cut down the toxic-laden house dust, avoid re-upholstering foam furniture and taking care when replacing old carpet (the padding underneath may contain PBDE’S). Find more tips here ewg.org/pbdefree

This is part 1 of the endocrine dirty dozen list. Look out for part 2!

If you want to know more about how to know your levels or how to detox your exposures, download the Healthy Home & Body Detoxification Guide from Natural Terrain. Click here to download.

Photos by Alex Kondratiev on Unsplash, by Kai Dahms on Unsplash

Environmental Detoxification

With the changing of a season upon us, many talk about doing a spring cleanse. It can be confusing as there is much misinformation about what this entails, the benefits, risks, length of time etc. Ideally, the body should be able to detoxify itself but we are bombarded with toxins from the environment: pesticides and chemicals in and on our foods, chlorine and other chemicals in our water, chemicals in cleaning products, perfume, lotions and make-up, as well as pollutants in the air we breathe. Our bodies weren’t designed to cope with the level of toxins we are exposed to.

Toxicity is a becoming a health crisis. We ingest new chemicals, use more medication, eat more sugar and refined foods and abuse ourselves daily with various stimulants or sedatives. The incidence of many toxicity induced diseases has increased as well. Many people suffer from ongoing fatigue, bloating, headaches, pain, skin irritations and constant colds and coughs. Most conventional doctors would look only for disease, and if the patient’s tests come back negative, the doctor says nothing is wrong. We investigate this further by recommended Environmental testing to patients.

Often, people with symptoms are out of balance because of poor diet and low nutrition. Their bodies are overloaded with toxins from their diet and the environment, as well as too much sugar which leads to an overgrowth of bad bacteria and candida in the digestive system.

To assist in the detoxification process, I prescribed a very gentle liver support that involves three steps:
Step 1: homeopathic remedies to start the “drainage” or removal of toxins
Step 2: glutathione to help the liver get rid of these toxins and
Step 3: a herbal combination to promote better liver function.
If the liver cannot keep up with the removal of toxins, the detoxification process spills onto the other organs and when the entire system is overburdened, symptoms appear.

A good detox is not just about cleansing the liver. It is about correcting the diet, addressing environmental toxins in your environment, removing bad bacteria, re-populating the gut with healthy organisms, re-balancing pH levels, ensuring the kidneys are working effectively and supporting the drainage and detoxification processes of the liver. This is known as an integrated detoxification. To get the best results, it is important that a cleanse be supervised by your Naturopathic Doctor so that we can address any concerns that may arise, as well as ensure that you are completing the steps of detoxification in the right order. Often, this approach results in significant improvement in one’s overall wellbeing. People who suffer from the previously mentioned symptoms, as well as conditions such as low thyroid function, eczema and hormone imbalances often find their symptoms completely resolve. Professional guidance is the key. Detoxes in the kit form are potentially dangerous. Many focus on only one aspect of liver function and should not be used if you are on medication. Detoxes don’t need to be unpleasant and if properly supervised you will have minimal discomfort, if any.

Remember a key step that most miss in detoxification is to eliminate your exposure to environmental toxins in the FIRST place. A book we recommend is “Get rid of the Toxins that make you Fat – Clean, Green and Lean” by. Dr. Walter Crinnion ND. We also recommend you schedule an “Environmental check up” appointment with Dr. Michael Mason-Wood ND who is one of the only practitioners in Edmonton who has completed Dr. Crinnion’s ND Environmental Medicine specialty training program. In the meantime, take our “Environmental Quiz” and we also recommend reading our article: Environmental Toxins Do you know your Body’s Levels

Environmentally Responsible Cleaning Recipes Part 1: Household Cleaners

A big part of our practice is working with Environmental Medicine, which we define as working with one’s environment with the intention of creating the conditions for health for yourself and the planet. We address the quality of the air, food, and water, as well as other products we put in or on our bodies.

Environmental medicine is powerful and important, and big gains in health can be created by small changes. This is the first part of a series of articles written to help you make little environmental changes that can move you towards health, by making your own household cleaners.

General Household Cleaners

Lemon Oil Furniture Polish
1 cup mineral oil
1 tsp. lemon oil

Mix the above ingredients together and store in a pump dispenser of your choice. Spray directly onto furniture and buff surface to shine. Use sparingly to prevent build up.

Olive Oil Furniture Polish

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. white vinegar
4 cups (1L) water

Mix ingredients and store in a pump dispenser. Place bottle near heat before use as polish will work better warm (e.g. place bottle in a pan of warm water). Apply to furniture and rub dry with a soft cloth.

Carpet Cleaner

2 cups baking soda
4-5 bay leaves, crumbled
½ cup cornstarch
1 tbsp. ground cloves

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Shake the cleaner onto your carpet. Leave overnight and vacuum thoroughly the next day. Note: this is more or less a carpet freshener (it will pick up dirt and dust and remove stains left by moisture)

Carpet Deodorizer

½ cup cornstarch
¼ cup borax

Mix cornstarch with borax. Sprinkle on carpet and leave for 1 hour. Vacuum.

Silver Polish

Aluminum foil
4 cups (1L) water
1 tbsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. salt

Put a piece of aluminum foil in an enamel or stainless steel saucepan. Pour in water. Add baking soda and salt and bring to a boil. Add your silverware and the tarnish will disappear from your silverware and coat the foil. Polish the silverware with a dry cloth as you remove it from the pan. Note: This formula works very well on heavily tarnished items. The only problem is that may leave a dull coating on surfaces. We do not recommend you use this method on patina design as it may remove the accents.

Brass and Copper Cleaner

2 tbsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. vinegar

Mix above items into a paste. Rub on copper items and let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse and shine clean with a soft cloth. Note: This formula works okay with a lot of elbow grease. It was not effective on badly tarnished items. To quick-clean copper or brass, saturate a sponge with vinegar or lemon juice, sprinkle on salt and scrub vigorously. Leaves a nice shine!

Glass Cleaner #1

4 cups (1L) vinegar
4 cups (1L) water

Note: This works fairly well, but not as well as commercial cleaners. For best results, clean windows first using isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) to remove the residue from previously used cleaners.

Glass Cleaner #2

2 tbsp. borax
3 cups water

Mix ingredients together in a bucket. Clean windows using newspaper. Note: This works well, but be careful not to smudge any woodwork with the newspaper.

Spring Detoxification: 10 Ways to Detoxify Your Body

Ahh… Spring is here and no matter where you live, growth is all around. Plants are starting to bud, blossom and bloom. You may have noticed Canada Geese returning and birds chirping. And the days are getting longer. It’s a time of growth and regeneration. We want you to feel energized and ready to take on the tasks of spring time. Let’s start the spring cleaning by cleansing our body with a detox!

What is Detoxification?

Detoxification is the process of clearing, neutralizing or transforming toxins from the body, and therefore clearing excess mucus and congestion. Toxins accumulate as a result of poor digestion, colon sluggishness and dysfunction, reduced liver function, and poor elimination through the kidneys, respiratory tract, and skin.

Detoxification involves dietary and lifestyle changes that reduce the intake of toxins while improving elimination. The avoidance of chemicals from food or other sources, including refined food, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, helps minimize the toxin load. Drinking extra water and increasing fibre by including more fruits and vegetables in the diet are also essential steps. Below are 10 suggestions for you – pick one or two and get started today!

Top Ten Ways to Detoxify Your Body

Deep Breathing – Your lungs are an important organ of detoxification, so deep breaths are a wonderful way to begin this process. Practice it while driving, sitting at your desk, in line at the grocery store and in the bath. A great side effect is better mood and improved memory!
Saunas – We store a lot of toxins in our fat, and one of the only ways to get them out is through sweating. If using saunas, make sure you do four rotations of 15 minutes in the sauna separated by 2 minutes in a cool shower or pool for a total of 1 hour.
Castor Oil Packs – Castor oil helps to stimulate the liver and get rid of toxins in the gut, along with improving skin quality and sleep.
Exercise – Sluggish muscles and excess fat can store and create toxins from inactivity. When you exercise, the extra blood pumping helps to wash away the waste products and make your body healthier.
Drink Water – Water is necessary for diluting and bringing waste to the kidneys to be filtered out as urine. If you don’t drink water, the toxins stay in your body and lead to fatigue, muscle pain and irritability.
Lemon Juice – First thing in the morning, take the juice of one organic lemon and add it to some warm water to make a nice drink. This helps to clear away the mucus in your gut that has accumulated while sleeping and helps to kick start your liver for a good day of filtering.
Dry Skin Brushing – Dry Skin Brushing involves using a dry, natural bristle, soft brush to brush your skin prior to bathing. Start at the feet and hands and work your way up, always stroking towards the heart. This can be done every day, year round. This helps to clear toxins from the skin (the largest detoxifying organ of the body!).
Eat Organic Foods – If you decrease the amounts of pesticides, heavy metals and pollutants that are going into your body, you will have less to worry about removing. It’s just that simple.
Fresh Air – High levels of contaminants from the off-gassing of our houses can lead to higher levels of toxicity in our bodies. Try to open your windows as much as possible, and get outside for at least 20 minutes each day. As an added benefit, you will be getting vitamin D from the sun, which helps with mood and energy.
Natural Products – So many of the chemicals we are exposed to are applied by our own hand. Try to use organic, natural cosmetics, soaps and cleaning supplies. In this way, you will be helping the environment to detoxify as well as yourself.

Get Help

Health food stores do not know your individual characteristics and needs and may not support your body optimally during a detox. Consult a Naturopathic doctor to find a program that will suit your body and result in more vibrant health and fewer unpleasant side effects. Never attempt a detox without consulting your practitioner, especially if you suffer from any medical condition, are pregnant or nursing, or are in poor health.