Toxins, Toxins Everywhere! What They are Doing to Your Hormones

Alicia Stanton, MD, October 14, 2009

Believe it or not, hormones are disrupted by the chemicals that we ingest with our food, absorb in our skin, and breathe in through our respiratory system. Obviously, we can not eliminate all of the outside toxins we take in. However, we can reduce the amount of toxins we are exposed to by eating the correct food and using the correct products.

As we discuss in chapter seven of Hormone Harmony, it is important to reduce our exposure to chemicals and toxins as much as possible because “Some toxins can mimic the action of hormones, such as estrogen and thyroid hormone, preventing our bodies from being able to use our own hormones and disrupting balance. In addition, toxic chemicals accumulate in tissues of glands and interfere with our ability to make hormones.”

An easy first step to reduce exposure to toxins is to avoid pesticides by buying organic foods. The Environmental Working Group identified the 12 plant foods with the highest levels of pesticides. These are especially important to buy organic: peaches, celery, apples, nectarines, sweet bell peppers, strawberries, cherries, pairs, lettuce, spinach, imported grapes, and potatoes. Remember the term “organic” used on packages is regulated, but it does not guarantee that everything in the package is organic. Whereas the term “natural” is not regulated at all. Be careful when buying water. Tests have shown that some bottled waters have more bacteria than tap water, while some others are tap water. Try using filtered water and a re-usable bottle.

Be weary of plastics. Chapter 7 has a plethora of information on this topic. Plastic should not be heated. Heat can trigger the release of chemicals. Plastic storage containers are marked to identify if they are re-usable or not. “Containers marked #2, 4 or 5 are designed to be re-used and do not leach chemicals. Those marked #1 are for one-time use and should not be re-used but otherwise, they are safe. However, containers marked #3, 6 or 7 can leach chemicals and should be avoided.”

Learn more about what surprising toxins and chemicals found in everyday household and beauty products you may be exposing yourself and your family to in chapter 7.

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