Endocrine Disruptors: What Women Need to Avoid

to Protect Their Hormones

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From the moment of conception all the way into adulthood and beyond, there exists an
unseen force inside you that keeps you alive, healthy, and vibrant: hormones. These tiny
chemical messengers comprise whats known as the endocrine system and control
virtually every system of the body from mood to muscle development to food metabolism
to reproduction, and everything in between.

Hormones are what facilitate the constant knitting together and sustaining of human life
both inside the womb and out. They spend all of their time traveling to and from organs
and tissues via the bloodstream performing important maintenance tasks and other
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necessary duties. Without hormones, human life would cease to exist. This is why its
vitally important to maintain healthy dietary and lifestyle habits to help support the proper
balance of your hormones and to avoid harmful endocrine disruptors.

The Correct Hormone Balance for Women Vs

Men
If youre a woman, this means aiming to achieve a homeostatic balance that favors a
higher level of estrogens compared to androgens (males sex hormones). The
opposite ratio needs to happen in men with men needing more androgens such as
testosterone and less estrogen. The key word here is balance though, as too much or too
little estrogen in relation to testosterone can wreak tremendous havoc on a womans body.
(An imbalance of testosterone respective to estrogen can do the same thing to a mans
body).

Its a delicate and complex nudging process that, thankfully, the human body is designed
to handle all on its own. At the same time, there are a number of endocrine
disruptors that can throw this hormone production autopilot effect completely out
of whack. Factors such as poor diet, stress, and exposure to toxins represent a few of the
more prominent examples of endocrine disruptors. When this scenario occurs, grabbing
hold of the hormone wheel and taking over may be necessary to help steer your
hormones back on course.

Signs & Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance

It all starts with identifying a hormone imbalance, which can paradoxically be both simple
and challenging. Simple in the fact that the symptoms of hormone imbalance are common,
but challenging in that many of these symptoms are shared by a host of other health
conditions. The hormone-related abnormalities that many women experience, in other
words, may point to a number of other health conditions. This is why its advisable that any
woman who believes that she might be suffering from a hormone imbalance undergo
proper blood work under the guidance of a qualified healthcare practitioner.

Some of the symptoms a woman can look out for that may point to a deficiency of
estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, thyroid function, or testosterone (yes, even women can
be deficient in testosterone) include the following, many of which cross over into the other
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categories:

Signs of Estrogen Deficiency

 Hot flashes / night sweats

Problems sleeping

Persistent headaches

Problems focusing and retaining memories

Heart palpitations

Dry skin

Depression

Low libido / painful intercourse

Osteoporosis / bone loss

Yeast infections

Signs of Progesterone Deficiency

Weight gain

Swollen breasts

Anxiety

Irregular menstrual cycles

Cramping

Acne

PMS (postmenopausal symptoms)

Depression

Mood swings
 Joint pain

Acne

Infertility

Signs of Cortisol Deficiency

Craving for sweets

Allergies

Signs of Low Thyroid

Constipation

Low body temperature / intolerance to cold

Cold extremities

Low blood pressure

High cholesterol

Brittle nails

Testosterone Deficiency

Muscle weakness

Incontinence

Fibromyalgia

Irritability

Lack of motivation
 Thinning skin

Vaginal dryness

Male-pattern hair growth

Insomnia

Loss of hair on scalp

General aches and pains

Chronic fatigue

It may seem strange, but many of these same symptoms are also associated with
having an excess of estrogen hormones, or with having an overactive thyroid. Once
again, its all about balance when it comes to hormones and how they affect the body. But
its also important to remember that fixing an imbalance isnt necessarily as simple as just
popping a pill to raise one hormone or decrease another. Doing this can actually make the
problem worse, especially when it fails to account for why the imbalance is occurring in the
first place.

The Big 3 Causes of

Endocrine Disruption in
Women
There are three primary categories that lend
to endocrine disruption which women need to
be aware: diet, lifestyle, and environment.

What a woman eats directly affects how her

body produces and expresses hormones, as
does the way she lives her daily life. The
environment in which a women lives and especially the types of toxins shes exposed to
on a daily basis are another major contributing factor to endocrine disruption.

#1: Diet

Lets cut to the chase: the average modern diet is an absolute nightmare for womens
hormones. All that sugar and all those cheap carbohydrates really do a number on blood
sugar levels, ramping up production of insulin and consequently altering the way estrogen
is metabolized throughout a womans body.

High-glycemic foods might as well be called high-stress foods, because the body tends to
respond in kind by producing more cortisol, aka the stress hormone. This results in a
systemic inflammatory response that further damages bodily systems, and the rest
goes progressively downhill from there.

When women avoid sweets and refined grains, and instead stick with low-glycemic,
higher-protein foods such as bone broths, grass-fed meats, and organic vegetables, they
help their bodies to better support a healthy inflammatory response. This also aids the
body in producing the right amounts and types of hormones for systemic balance in all the
right areas.

This further includes avoiding alcohol, which actively decreases human growth hormone,
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or HGH, as well as consuming foods that are naturally high in magnesium. And dont
forget to always stay hydrated, sticking with properly filtered or spring water whenever
possible.

#2: Lifestyle

Speaking of stress hormones, paying close attention to work-life balance will do wonders
in helping a women to maintain a healthy hormone profile. Stress is one of the most
damaging factors that contributes to endocrine dysfunction, and it can arise from
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many different things. Overworking yourself or getting bogged down with anxiety over the
everyday affairs of life can contribute to an unhealthy stress response that leads to the
body feeling the need to compensate by producing more cortisol.
This excess cortisol production can place an enormous strain on a womans adrenal
glands, which can result in this important gland become fatigued and unable to produce
other needed hormones. Prolonged stress that isnt mitigated through proper rest,
relaxation, and prayer, meditation, or other calming activities that give the body and mind a
break is a recipe for hormone disaster.

#3: Environment

In the beginning, the earth was perfect and

free of chemical toxins that interfere with
human biology. But today, humanity faces a
barrage of endocrine-disrupting chemicals
(EDCs) that target virtually every glandular
system responsible for producing hormones.
These include the pituitary, pineal, thyroid,
thymus, and adrenal glands, as well as the
pancreas, testes (in men), and ovaries (in
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women).

Limit Your Exposure to These 8 Endocrine

Disruptors
EDCs can both supplant and mimic natural hormones, obstructing the way the body
responds to and uses the real thing. EDCs are essentially hormone impostors that
confuse the body into either producing too little or too many of its own natural hormones.
This results in all kinds of systemic damage, much of which starts out small and worsens
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over time.

While its certain to be an endless battle trying to avoid EDCs entirely, there are ways to
help minimize exposure, so long as a woman knows what to look for and what to avoid.
Start with minimizing your contact with these 8 categories of endocrine disruptors to the
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best of your ability:
1. Non-organic produce laden with pesticides Atrazine, organophosphates, and other
feminizing crop chemicals are prolific in non-organic fruits and vegetables. Theyre
almost impossible to avoid, in fact, which is why its important to stick with organic or
certified chemical-free varieties whenever possible. And dont be confused by the term
feminizing. These chemicals harm women just as much as they harm men, directly
interfering with both sexes ability to maintain optimal hormone balance.

2. Plastic bottles and other consumer products made from petrochemicals Whether
its the plasticizing chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) or phthalates like di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
(DEHP), many plastic-based products are loaded with EDCs. So are various other
common consumer products like food cans, personal care products that contain
fragrance chemicals, plastic wrap, and even thermal paper receipts at the grocery store.

3. Unfiltered water This is an important one because all sorts of chemicals and drug
residues are now being found in municipal water supplies, many of which arent being
properly filtered out using standard methods at the treatment plant. Such chemicals
include perchlorate, a byproduct of rocket fuel that displaces iodine in the body and can
cause thyroid problems. Another harmful chemical found in most municipal water supplies,
at least in North America, is fluoride, which is very difficult to remove except with activated
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alumina, deionization, or reverse osmosis water filtration systems.

4. Furniture, carpeting, non-stick cookware, and other household products Many

household products that people spend a lot of time either lying on or cooking in things
such as couches, carpeting, and cookware are often hotbeds of EDCs. In furniture, the
threat usually comes from fire-retardant chemicals like polybrominated biphenyl ethers
(PBDEs). In cookware, its often perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) that pose the greatest
risk.

5. Air fresheners, candles, hand soaps, laundry detergents, tampons, and diapers
Many scented household products are plagued by undefined fragrance chemicals that
existing law allows to be used as a blanket term to define more than 3,000 individual
chemicals, many of which are known EDCs. Hand soaps are also problematic, as many
contain a hormone-altering antibacterial chemical known as triclosan that studies have
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shown accumulates inside the body and interferes with hormone production. Then, there
 are laundry detergents, many of which contain highly toxic chemical byproducts known as
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dioxins that possess their own hormone-disrupting properties. Dioxins are also being
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found in tampons, as well as disposable baby diapers. The latter is exceptionally
concerning because tiny humans are most prone to suffering severe health consequences
from having their hormones disrupted during early childhood development.

6. Phytoestrogens in food Perhaps the worst phytoestrogenic food that millions of people
eat daily (whether they realize it or not) is soy. Besides often being genetically-modified
(GMO) and doused in toxic herbicides like glyphosate, this legume and its many
derivatives are highly estrogenic, containing phytoestrogens like genistein and daidzein
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that can mimic natural estrogen in the body and lead to hormone disruption.

7. Old paint and childrens toys Especially in older homes, wall paint is a common source
of lead, a known neurotoxin that can directly interfere with normal hormone production. Old
childrens toys are similarly problematic, though instead of lead they often contain arsenic,
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another hormone-disrupting compound.

8. Synthetic hormones Many women going through menopause are told by their doctors
to take synthetic hormones like diethylstilbestrol, a synthetic form of the female hormone
estrogen thats marketed as helping to re-balance hormone levels. However, some of the
latest evidence suggests that such drugs can actually do the opposite, which is why many
alternative practitioners now recommend bio-identical hormone replacement therapy
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instead. Anti-estrogenic drugs like estrogen antagonists and estrogen blockers also fall
into this category, as they inhibit estrogens like estradiol from mediating their biological
effects inside the body, potentially leading to an imbalance.