Whilst it’s important to remove toxins out of the body, it’s also important to stop them coming in. One major source of toxins are endocrine disrupters.
WHAT ARE THEY?
These are chemicals that may interfere with the body’s endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological and immune effects in both humans and wildlife.
WHY ARE THEY A PROBLEM?
Research spanning the last 25 years implicates endocrine disruptors in many health problems, including male reproductive disorders, premature death, obesity and diabetes, neurological impacts, breast cancer, endometriosis, PCOS, female reproductive disorders, immune disorders, liver cancer, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s symptoms, prostate cancer, and thyroid disorders.
The endocrine system, made up of all the body’s different hormones, regulates all biological processes in the body from conception through adulthood and into old age. This includes the:
• development of the brain and nervous system
• growth and function of the reproductive system
• function of metabolism and blood sugar levels
Our hormonal systems are so delicate that even tiny exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals at key points of development could set us up for disease later in life.
The 12 most damaging endocrine disrupters:
• BPA – found in plastics, receipts, tinned food
• Dioxin – eat lower in the food chain as these build up in animal products
• astrazine – found on corn and in tap water
• phthalates – in conventional cosmetics, fragrances / perfumes and cling film
• perchlorate – most commonly in tap water
• fire retardants – often in sofas and the foam under old carpets
• lead – lead paint, tap water, if you eat healthy whole foods you’ll absorb less lead
• arsenic – commonly in rice, make sure you rinse it first and also tap water
• mercury – in large fish like tuna, swordfish
• PFCs – be careful of non-stick cookware, microwave popcorn ad stain resistant treatments on sofas, carpets, etc
• organophosphate pesticides – buy and/or grow organic food
• glycol ethers – avoid conventional cleaning products and look to use natural products like white vinegar, essential oils etc.
Start with removing one item and go from there…
To health and happiness,
Jade, X