Reproductive disorders, obesity, diabetes, cancer (especially breast and prostate), endometriosis, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s, thyroid disorders, and premature death… Do I have your attention? Do you know what endocrine disruptors are? Have you ever even heard that term before? If you’re not fully aware of what endocrine disruptors are and how they impact your health, then odds are you’re being exposed to an abundance of these little toxins every day. Here’s what you need to know.
Everyone knows about BPA’s negative effects. It’s the most well-known, well-publicized endocrine disrupting chemical. Companies love to boast about their BPA free products, but did you know BPA is only one of a thousand chemicals that can wreak havoc on our body’s hormones and cause disease? Bet you don’t see all those chemicals listed on the bottom of your water bottle!
Here’s the deal; I see people every day struggling to be healthy. They go to the gym, they try to eat a healthy diet, they take their vitamins, and... I’m sorry to say, it’s not enough. Why? Because they use too much plastic, they clean their homes with toxic chemicals, they use hand sanitizer, they cook with the wrong pans, they use poisonous laundry detergent and dryer sheets, and women… you’re the worst! Makeup, lotions, hair products, perfumes, nail polish, birth control, pretty much everything you use is packed full of endocrine disrupting chemicals.
We have nearly three decades of research directly linking endocrine disruptors to negative hormonal effects and disease. Yet, there are no laws preventing companies from using these chemicals in their products. Your best bet is to be aware and avoid them at all cost. Obviously, I can’t list a thousand chemicals, but here are some tips to help:
- Most importantly – Before you buy anything, research every ingredient. If you’re standing in the store holding a product and there are too many ingredients for you to look up on your phone, then it has endocrine disruptors in it. Don’t buy that product!!! EWG.org is a great resource that rates thousands of products.
- Minimize your use of plastics – and never, ever, heat your food in plastic. Go with glass!
- Don’t drink tap water, use an Reverse Osmosis system instead. - Scottsdale’s tap water contains 17 contaminants 4 of which are detected above health guidelines.
- Switch to safe household cleaners and detergents. – Dryer sheets are one of the worst endocrine disrupting products.
- Don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t put in your mouth. Your skin is your biggest endocrine organ. Your skin absorbs what you put on it. What goes on, must go in. If you see the words “fragrance” or “parfum” it’s means chemical S**t Storm.
- Extension to #5; watch out for sunscreens! – This is a separate tip, because we live in Arizona. Sunscreens are packed with endocrine disruptors and carcinogenic toxins, that actually contribute to the production of cancerous cells on the skin. What… #knowledgebomb. Thankfully there are some healthy options, do your research.
- How can chemicals be organic or natural? They can’t. – Many products containing endocrine disruptors claim to be natural and organic, because they have an ingredient in them that was organically grown.
Being healthy is difficult, to say the least. When most people discover what they’re up against, they say, “screw it!” I get it. It’s a full-time job trying to avoid toxic crap trying to kill you. Knowing what to look for is part of the battle, the other part, justifying the cost for safer products. It’s definitely an investment forking over one and half times as much to buy a better product, but it’s either that or die a miserable diseased death… It’s up to you, choose wisely.
To see how safe your products are and with help finding healthier alternatives, visit www.ewg.org
