Chemicals & Your Health & Hormones

This week, we are going to talk about chemicals in your cosmetics and everyday products. This is an important topic that we cover in my program as many are completely unaware of the direct link from these products to you overall health, hormones and waistline.

Let’s start with your personal care products and cosmetics. They may contain several ingredients that often include a wide range of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like parabens, phthalates, toxic metals, & phenols These chemicals interact with your hormone system. They affect the synthesis, regulation, transport, and metabolism of hormones. Once these EDCs are inside our body, they have an estrogen-like effect that’s sometimes 1,000 times more powerful than our own indigenous estrogen. By locking onto estrogen receptor sites on our cells, they can either contribute to an excess of estrogen in our body or can block the effects of true estrogen. They can also block natural testosterone and progesterone activity.

Ingredients to watch out for and avoid:

Parabens

Phthalates

Benzoyl Peroxide

Triclosan

Resorcinol

Hydroquinone

Petroleum

Methylisothiazolinone

Did you know that it takes 26 seconds for these chemicals to reach your bloodstream once applied to your skin? Our skin is our body’s largest organ and whatever we put on it is absorbed systemically and eventually has to be detoxified by the liver. These toxins accumulate over years. Although we have built in detoxification abilities, eventually our bodies can’t keep up. It’s not just personal care products that contribute, it’s our environment, food, household cleaners, & air fresheners/fragrance. When our body can’t keep up with the elimination of these toxins, they accumulate in our fatty tissues and organs. This is one reason why many start to accumulate stubborn fat in the abdomen and back and find it so hard to lose.

When it comes to our hormones, there are harmful endocrine disruptors called Xenoestrogens. They mimic the effects of the estrogen that our body produces. They also bind to estrogen receptors and can prevent the action of the hormones that our bodies produce naturally. They can affect thyroid function, and have been associated with conditions such as endometriosis, fibrocystic breasts, and an increase in breast and uterine cancers. They have also been linked to early puberty in children.

As for everyday products, you also want to keep cleaners as “clean” as possible and avoid toxic air fresheners. The word “fragrance” on a label can be any one of or a combination of over 4,000 ingredients! Concentration of artificial fragrances in enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation, including most vehicles and offices, and many homes causes indoor “air pollution” from artificial fragrances and other sources. You are breathing these chemicals in and they are entering your bloodstream.

Here are 4 Common Air Freshener Chemicals:

Fragrance: This is an umbrella term and can include many, many chemicals that are mixed together, usually to mask the smell of the other toxins in the product.Fragrance is linked to allergies, asthma and other respiratory concerns, hormone disruptions and may be linked to reproductive issues.

Formaldehyde: A chemical used in many household products and building materials. It's also used as a fungicide, disinfectant and preservative in medical lab. It can cause skin irritations, coughing, burning in the eyes, nose and throat, or nausea. Chronic exposure can be linked to allergic contact dermatitis, respiratory lesions and even cancer. The National Cancer Institute outlines studies where researchers have found links between formaldehyde and leukemia.

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT): Can potentially damage our livers and kidneys. It can mimic the effects of estrogen and inhibit male sex hormones. And it can promote the growth of tumours.

Acetaldehyde: This compound is found naturally in nature and is produced by the body, however it is also used synthetically in perfumes and dyes, as a preservative in fruit and fish, and as a solvent in the rubber, tanning and paper industries. It has been connected to allergies, asthma, cancer and skin and respiratory irritation, plus it may cause problems to our reproductive systems.

There are amazing natural options that won't give you cancer or affect your hormones.

First, find the source of the odour. Air fresheners don't destroy odours, they just cover them up.

Discover what is causing the smell dirty laundry, a messy sink, a household pet that rolled around in the mud? - and clean it up (using non-toxic cleaners, of course).

Here are some Non-Toxic Air Freshener Alternatives

Open the windows: A natural fresh breeze - not a fake 'Mango Breeze' - can improve odours.

Essential Oils: Many of them are naturally anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Pop your favourite into a diffuser. We love using citrus oils in our home. If you're in a car, simple adding a few dabs in discreet places like on the dashboard, under the seats where they won't make direct contact with clothing. You can even use oils like peppermint, bergamot or lavender, which will freshen the air while also warding off motion sickness. Other great oil options would include white fir, pine, cedar, or even lemongrass. Just be careful with some of these if you have pets in your home.

DIY Sprayable Air Freshener: You can make your own natural disinfectant surface or air spray. Just mix a few drops of your favourite essential oil with water in a spray bottle. Shake before spraying.

Baking Soda: A natural deodorizer. Place some baking soda in a dish and leave it out. It has the natural ability to pull odours out of the air.

Clean: Some cloths and a bottle of white vinegar and will also effectively do the trick in most cases.

When shopping, look for fragrance free or “clean” brands for household items such as cleaner and laundry detergents. Also consider your foods. Try to avoid processed foods and buy organic when you can. Drink out of glass and stainless steel water bottles and try to store food in glass where possible.

There are many clean certified, quality cosmetic and personal care brands available. Personally, I find my skin and hair have both improved since I switched to clean only products a few years ago.

An improvement you can make in your diet to help clear out “toxins” is by adding cruciferous vegetables.