Remove toxins from your life

Many women want to have children but can't get pregnant. Many men loose their hair at an early age. Many teenagers suffer from acne and pimples. And who is responsible for all that? Right, hormones. As I mentioned Jillian Michaels' book in my last post, I decided to dig deeper into this topic. I want to call attention to all the areas of our life that influence our hormones. Hormones control your body, your mind, your metabolism, your love life; in short: your everything. Likewise, hormones are controlled by your entire life. Control and be controlled - is how it works. In order to be happy and make the most of life, we all need a well-functioning body that allows us to do anything we want. But in reverse, we have to take care of it and provide it with all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs. Our bodies are literally under assault in the modern world. On every corner are toxins waiting for us to get into our bodies. Some toxins are in our food such as artificial sweeteners, refined sugars, flavoring and coloring additives. Others are in our air, cosmetic products, clothes, medicines, industrial waste and heavy metal. We even inflict ourselves upon lack of sleep, continuous exposure to stress and overeating (unhealthy food). The more we surround us with these toxins or produce them within our bodies ourselves, the more we suffer from them. Naturally, smoking, drinking alcohol or taking other drugs transform us into living trash bagsthe quickest. The 'smaller', more hidden toxins are trickier to identify and get rid of. Let's take a look at some substances and chemicals that might influence you in your life, without your awareness.

• Polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC)

 These chloride is hormone-disrupting substances and cancer-causing dioxins leach out of PVC when in contact with heat, food (especially cheese and meat), water, air or our bodies. They can be found cooking-oil bottles, clear wrap around meat, cheese, deli meats and other food as well as in plumbing pipes and toys. To prevent their usage, store food in glass, never ever heat food wrapped in plastic in the microwave, and buy cooking-oil in glass bottles. 

• Polystyrene (PS or Styrofoam)

All known polystyrene are suspected carcinogens - which cause cancer. They can be found in egg cartons, disposable coffee cups, meat trays, packing peanuts, CD jewel cases, disposable silverware and transparent takeout containers. To avoid them never drink hot drinks out of foam cups or eat food out of foam containers. Pack food in glass or ceramic containers instead of plastic takeout ones. 

• Polycarbonate (PC)

Studies have shown the link between bisphenol A (BPA - look for it on products!), a chemical in polycarbonate plastic, with harmful effects such as early puberty, abnormal breast tissue and prostate growth, and lower sperm counts. PC can be found in baby bottles, microwave ovenware, medical storage containers, plastic liners of almost all food and soft-drink cans, water jugs and building material. Rinse your food thoroughly before you eat it and use glass baby bottles. If you ever smell plastic in a drinking bottle - do not drink it!
Plastic labeled PL (polylactide) is made from corn and sugar - and fully compostable. Look on the bottom of you bottle: PL is fine, PC is not!

• Polyethylene terephtalate (PET)
  found in 80% of all bottles and containers
• High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
  found in milk and yogurt containers
• Polypropylene (PP)
  found in underwear, diapers and plastic containers

-- Don't open the dishwasher while in process. That 'woosh' of steam releases toxic chlorine from the combination of detergent and water!

-- plastic grocery bags - NO!!


Stay away from: 

Chlorinated white paper towels

Bleached coffee filters

"Antibacterial" (dish) soap

Teflon pans

Artificial room deodorizer

Stain-resistant clothing

Weed killer

Lice shampoo

Plastic toys

Flame-retardant clothing

Soy formula for babys

BPA or chlorine-beached diapers 

 This is just a short overview of substances and effects on the human body. There are many more but to mention them all would take weeks. I know, I overwhelmed you with many chemical expressions and facts but my intention is to make you aware of their existence. They are everywhere! And yes, we still live although we consume them every day, but look at the cancer statistics, at the growing infertility worldwide. We are destroying our future, basically ourselves. Please, please look at the labels and bottoms of bottles. The abbreviations mentioned above have to be stated there by law and you can protect yourself by not consuming them. You might look at this now like this is nothing but a joke, but in a few years you may be struggling with your immune system, headaches, constant sickness or infertility; this is preventable!


For you to know what I'm talking about - these are the major hormones in your body, on which plastic and other chemicals have effects on. Of course, there are hundreds more than these:

#1 Insulin
The main function of Insulin is to control blood sugar. Shortly after you eat food, especially highly processed carbohydrates, your meal is broken down into simple sugars and  released into your bloodstream. By preventing a constant insulin roller coaster, you maintain a balanced energy level.

# 2 Thyroid Hormones
Thyroids perform many functions in the human body. They help control the amount of oxygen each cell uses, the rate at which your body burns calories, your heart rate, overall growth, body temperature, fertility, digestion and your memory and mood.

#3 Estrogen and Progesterone
Estrogen is responsible for the pubertic transformation of a girl into a women. And later for their menstrual cyrcle and fertility. Progesterone is the precursor of testosterone in men, which is more or less responsible for the pubertic process of boys. Both control blood pressure, appetite, mood, fertility, libido, digestive enzymes and the water and salt balance your body.

 #4 Testosterone and DHEA
Both hormones can be found in men and women. They take care of aging and renewing cells. Menopause, body fat, fertility are also controlled by testosterone and DHEA.

also:
Serotonin (controls mood, appetite and sleep)
Adrenal (controls oxygen and glucose supply for brain and muscles)
Melatonin (controls sleep and energy level)
Dopamine (controls heart rate and blood pressure)
Human growth hormone ( important for kids to grow, controls muscle growth and libido) 
Cortisol (transforms sugar into fat)




Julia

more reading and sources:
http://rejekine.blogspot.co.at/2011/12/hormones-in-human-body.html
http://healthychild.org/easy-steps/reduce-your-use-of-plastic/
Jillian Michaels' Master your Metabolism