Hormone disrupting chemicals

Could chemicals be disrupting your hormones, making menopause symptoms worse?

It’s so important to consider the environment our cells are bathed in for optimum health. A clean environment being so necessary to allow our cells to thrive, not just survive! The same environment that can disrupt the delicate dance of our hormones as the hormone receptor sites on the cells respond to that environment.

As the environment our cells are bathed in is something that is so often overlooked, here are a few words that will hopefully give you some ‘food for thought’, encourage you to consider how you may be polluting your own cellular environment, affecting your hormones and health, and what you can do to take clean up.

I’ve also shared a “How Toxic Are You Quiz” for you to determine how toxins may be affecting your body and symptoms.

Where do toxins that affect our hormones come from?

As a natural bi-product of cellular metabolism we produce toxins that (should be) easily and effectively filtered and removed by the body’s simple yet impressive elimination systems. However, in this ‘modern age’ we ask even more of these systems. But there are so many hidden external toxins that affect us too.

How many of the following can you personally identify as adding to your body’s natural toxic load?

Breathing ‘polluted’ air.
Eating foods containing insecticides, pesticides, artificial colours, flavours and additives.
Drinking fluids (other than pure water) that require ‘filtering’ of chemicals, including artificial sweeteners.
Plastics in bottles and food packaging leach chemicals into the water or food.
Taking drugs, both social and prescription.
The clothes that we wear.
The carpet we walk on.
Household cleaning products.
Not forgetting toiletries! Consider this scenario …

You arise in the morning and step into a steaming hot shower. This opens your pores allowing toxic chlorine in the water to enter your body. Then you add shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, soap, moisturisers, deodorant, antiperspirants, false tan, nail varnish, nail varnish remover, hair spray, hair gel, makeup, perfume, toothpaste, mouthwash … then you may decide to wash the pots and clean the house using household chemicals … all in the first 30 minutes of your day!

Here’s the bad news: Synthetic chemicals in products like plastics and fragrances can mimic hormones and interfere with or disrupt the delicate endocrine dance. As you can see we’re exposed to these chemicals daily their action further contributing towards the roller-coaster of symptoms during the menopause years.

Here’s a video that explains it really well:

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

5 Ways to Avoid Hormone Disrupting Chemicals

Being AWARE is the most important thing, making small changes that fit into your lifestyle as appropriate. Here are some suggestions:

Wash your hands. I know! It sounds so simple doesn’t it? Yet this is truly the most effective step you can make to remove chemical substances, even virus and bacteria, down the drain. If possible avoid over fragranced or anti-bacterial soaps.
Stop sniffing. Not completely, but please do try and choose fragrance free cosmetics, cleaning and laundry products. ‘Smellies’ contain a cocktail of chemicals including phthalates which are known to disrupt hormones.
Avoid plastics, they are EVERYWHERE! Have a look around you now and check how much plastic you can see. On your phone, in food wraps, cosmetic containers, the bottle that holds you water. Commonly used chemicals in plastic includes bisphenol-A (BPA). Some research suggest that even a small amount of BPA can have a significant effect on hormones. To reduce plastic chemical exposure swap food storage containers to glass, and if you do use plastic ones, don’t use them to store fatty foods. Look at beeswax storage bags or cloth, and never drink fluid from a plastic bottle. Always use a BPA container, glass or stainless steel.
Filter your tap water. Tap water can contain a concoction of potential hormone disruptors, including chlorine. Always run the cold water for a while, especially if it’s been sat in the pipes for some time for example overnight. You may notice the slight bleach smell from the chlorine disappear, then run through a water filter. This can be as simple as an inexpensive jug right up to a whole house reverse osmosis water filter. I personally don;t think you have to spend a huge amount of money on one, especially if taking other precautions to reduce your exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals.
Choose natural products. Some pesticides used on foods and in the food processed industry have been linked to hormone disruption. Eating only organic produce can be expensive, but you can reduce your toxic load by choosing locally grown, seasonal food and by choosing food as close to its natural state as possible, e.g. whole fish, not processed fish fingers

So How Toxic are You?

Here’s a How Toxic Are you Quiz to help you determine your own toxic load. If appropriate I hope it encourages you to make change that will help create greater hormone harmony in your body.

MRM Toxic Quiz

A full hysterectomy in her 30’s led nutritional therapist and health coach Clare on an amazing adventure exploring the many opportunities available to manage her enforced menopause and create long-term health.

Clare prefers the natural approach, and qualifying in nutritional therapy gave her the confidence to come off HRT, take back control of her life and health, and look forward to living the best half of her life free of prescription drugs. Understanding the importance of creating harmony of health of both body and mind through menopause and beyond, she’s now on a mission to inspire, educate and empower other women, too.

Click HERE to find out more about how Clare shares her years of exploring, experience and knowledge through 1:1 consultations and online programmes, and where you can request a FREE 30 minute consultation with Clare to discuss any personal menopause/health concerns you may have.