Nurturing Female Wellness Beyond Hormone Havoc
Are chemicals ruining your health?
As a Certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant, it is part of my mission to help women take charge of their health. Today, I want to shed light on a topic that is increasingly important in our modern world: Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals or EDCs. This sneaky substance can wreak havoc on our bodies in ways we don’t even realize. There are chemicals hiding that you are exposed to every day that may be having a negative impact on our health.
Let’s dive into what EDC’s are, where they lurk, their impact and most importantly what you can do to minimize your exposure and support your health through nutrition and lifestyle modifications.
What is an Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals (EDCs)?
EDCs can be man-made chemicals found in everyday products you use. These substances can interfere with how endocrine system functions. The endocrine system is responsible for regulating hormones that are critical for our overall health and wellbeing. EDCs mimic or block your hormones leading to imbalances that can contribute to health issues.
These substances can enter the body through various routes including inhalation, absorption through skin or food and water.
Where and What You Can Be Exposed:
Personal Care Products: Cosmetics, shampoo, lotions, and fragrance and often contain phthalates, parabens, and synthetic fragrance which can be absorbed through the skin and disrupt hormone balance.
Plastic Food and Storage Containers: Food and beverage containers made from polycarbonate plastics may leach BPA into food and drinks, especially when heated or exposed to acidic substances. These chemicals are found in many takeout containers as well.
Canned Foods: The linings contain beverages may contain Bisphenol A (BPA) or other Bisphenol’s, which can leach into food, particularly fatty and acidic foods may also contain.
Processed foods: These contain preservatives that often include parabens, including sauces, beer, and pop
Pesticides: Conventionally, grown fruit and veg may be sprayed with pesticides containing EC, such as atrazine and phosphates.
Water Supply: Tap water may contain traces of bisphenol, heavy metals, pesticides, and many other substances that do not get filtered out or neutralized. This varies widely depending on where you live.
Impact on Female Health
For women, exposure to EDCs can contribute to various health concerns including hormone imbalances such as estrogen dominance and a irregular menstrual cycles. Thyroid is a gland that has been identified in the research to be negatively affected by EDCs (5). This can contribute to further hormone disruption during perimenopause at a time that can already be difficult due to fluctuating hormones (7). EDCs have been known to affect fertility (2). Some research suggests there may also be a link between some EDCs and increased risk obesity, diabetes, autoimmune disease, and some cancers (10, 11, 12).
The problem is that over time we are repeatedly exposed to many chemicals that can have a negative impact even with small amounts of exposure.
Nutrition and Lifestyle Strategies
Educate yourself so you know where these substances are hiding. There are apps and companies out there that can help you determine the safety of a product.
Here are some changes you can make to decrease your exposure.
1. Choose organic when possible. As well as pasture raised to reduce the exposure to pesticides.
2. Skip the processed foods: they contain harmful preservatives.
3. Ditch as much plastic as possible:
o Avoid storing food and beverages in plastic containers, especially those labelled with recycling code #3 (which contains phthalates) and # 7 (which contains BPA).
o Opt for glass stainless steel or put a parchment paper in between the plastic and the food.
o Use silicone of paper bags instead of baggies.
o Use glass storage containers, mason jars or reuse glass jars from sauce.
o Never heat or microwave food in any plastic containers.
4. Swap out the chemicals: Look for or make natural and nontoxic cleaning solutions such as vinegar, essential oils or lemon juice and water. Baking soda works as well.
5. Invest in natural products: Decrease the amount of chemicals by switching to natural care products and cosmetics. Allow you skin to have breaks and go makeup free for a day occasionally.
6. Go fragrance free: Fragrance ingredients often contains harmful chemicals that manufactures do not have to disclose.
7. Filter your water: Invest in a water filtration system to remove chemicals from your water.
8. Mindful eating: Incorporates hormone balancing foods into your diet, such as cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli and include fiber and antioxidant packed berries. These foods are nutrient dense and support detoxification pathways.
9. Manage stress: This is a must, incorporating stress reduction practices is critical. Practice things such as deep breathing, walking in nature, yoga, and meditation to support hormone health because the impact of stress hormones on the endocrine system is significant.
10. Detoxify naturally: Herbs and supplements, such as dandelion root and N-Acetly L-cystiene (NAC) can support the bodies detox processes, however, ensure you’re working with a qualified healthcare practitioner prior to starting any new supplements.
Conclusion
As women living in a modern world where chemicals are everywhere you turn it is important to safeguarding our hormonal health. By adopting a holistic approach that encompasses mindful nutrition, lifestyle choices, and environmental awareness, we can minimize our exposure to endocrine disruptors and nurture our well-being from the inside out.
Reference List
1. Dhami, G. (2022, May 16). Phthalates and BPA: Inaction by the Government of Canada Poses a Health Risk to Canadians, Canadian Public Health Association, Retrieved 05/06/24 from https://www.cpha.ca/phthalates-and-bpa-inaction-government-canada-poses-health-risk-canadians#:~:text=Phthalates%20are%20on%20this%20list,children's%20toys%20or%20childcare%20articles.
2. Lauretta, R., et al. (2019, March 20) Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: Effects on Endocrine Glands. Frontiers in Endocrinology, Vol. 10, 178. Retrieved 05/06/204 from https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2019.00178/full
3. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFA) Fact Sheet. (2022, May 2). Webpage, Retrieved 04/03/24 from
4. EWG’s Guide to Endocrine Disrupts. (2022, August). Retrieved 0405/05/24 retrieved from https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2022/07/what-are-endocrine-disruptors
5. Shrestha, S., et al. (2018, September). Pesticide Use and Incident Hypothyroidism in Pesticide Applicators in the Agricultural Health Study. Environmental Health Perspective. Pg 126(9). Retrieved 05/04/24 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30256155/
6. Canada’s National Observer. (2023, November 16). Retrieved 05/05/24 from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/11/16/news/why-canada-among-worst-pesticide-rules.
7. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. (2024, April 25). Chemicals Materials; Endocrine Disrupters. Webpage, Retrieved 04/05/2024 from https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/endocrine.html#section-7-hdr
8. National Institute of environmental health and sciences, (2023, December 20) Pesticides, Webpage, Retrieved 05/05/24 from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pesticides
9. Wan, M., Anna, CA., El-Nezami, H,. (2021, April 5). Endocrine, disrupting chemicals and breast cancer: systemic review of epidemiological studies, Critical Reviews in Food Sciences and Nutrition, Vol. 62, No. 24, Retrieved 04/03/24 from https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.1903382.
10. Wang, X., et al. D. (2021, August 16). Exploring the Biological Activity and Mechanism of Xenoestrogens and Phytoestrogens in Cancers: Emerging Methods and Concepts. International Journal of Molecular Science. 22 (16), 8798. Retrieved 04/03/24 from https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22168798.
11. Soto, A. M., and Sonnenschein, C. (2010, May 10). Environmental causes of cancer: endocrine disruptors as a carcinogen. National Institute of health, 6(7), 363-370, Retrieved 05/ 07/24 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3933258/
12. Parks, c.g. (2019 July). Lifetime Pesticide Use and Antinuclear Antibodies in Male Farmers From the Agricultural Health Study. Front. Immunol. 10:1476. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6637299/
13. Thoene, M., Dzika, E., (2019, February 19). Bisphenol S in Food Causes Hormonal and Obesogenic Effects Comparable to or Worse than Bisphenol A: A Literature Review. Nutrients 2020, 12, 532, Retrieved 05/06/24 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7071457/