Chemicals that wreak havoc on our health

with Dr. Anthony Jay

Did you know that there are chemicals that we encounter on a daily basis–in our food, water, even in our personal care products–that are detrimental to our health? The chemicals, called estrogenics, mimic estrogen and disrupt our bodies’ normal functions. You may have heard of BPA (Bisphenol-A), for example, which is a chemical found in some plastics that has been linked to health problems and has been therefore banned from baby products here in the U.S., but it is just one among many estrogen-mimicking chemicals that threaten our health.

On today’s episode, Dr. Anthony Jay, author of “Estrogeneration: how estrogenics are making you fat, sick, and infertile” explains how estrogenic chemicals are wreaking havoc on our bodies’ hormone balance. He tells us where these chemicals are found–from our drinking water to shampoos to sports drinks to sunscreen to grocery store receipts–and he gives suggestions for how to minimize our exposure.

Notes:

Highlights include:

How estrogenic chemicals are found in everything from our water and diet to our personal care products
Hormones do not get filtered out of the water, and therefore it is critical to filter your water. Use a filter with activated charcoal. Activated charcoal binds to lipids and hormones and filters them out of the water.
The most well-known estrogenic chemical is BPA, but there are thousands of others. Anthony’s book (link below) highlights the top ten chemicals we are exposed to daily.
Breast cancer is up 250% since 1980 due to estrogenic chemicals.
The information about estrogenic chemicals is fairly new. The effects on the body do not appear immediately (as with a food allergy). More often they show up over the long-term, developing into serious health conditions, including cancers and infertility.
Spending some time in a sauna can speed up molecular motion, which rids body of BPA, phthalates, and other chemicals in the body. One recommendation to detox would be to use a sauna three times per week, for ten minutes each time.
Another recommendation: look for alternatives to plastic, for food storage, for example (using a glass container when storing leftovers)
Avoiding red food coloring (like that found in sports drinks) is a good idea.
Eating high-quality meat from grass-fed cows is also critical because feed lot cows’ blood is filled with 700,000 nanograms per liters of atrazine (a carcinogenic pesticide)! The cows are fed corn which is sprayed with atrazine, an estrogenic.