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Posts tagged ‘hormone-disruptors’

Bad Make-Up

Assorted cosmetics and tools

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What I mean by bad make-up is not how bad the way a person is made up (although, that gives me an idea on something to write about in the future). I’m actually referring to how harmful some of the make-up/cosmetics/personal care products are for our health. The cosmetic and even the perfume industry are industries that are not regulated. As such, some unscrupulous companies could use whatever they hell they want in their products. Some of these products are known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) and hormone disruptors. Some companies (even those that claim to be natural) state that the amounts of chemicals (used as preservative agents, among other things) found in their products are so minute to make a dent in someone’s health. Not if you’re getting a little bit of everything here and there. Who decides on what is too much or too little? An article on Time.com called “Toxic Cosmetics” is quite enlightening. Some examples of toxic chemicals include formaldehyde in hair-straightening agents, toluene in nail polish, mercury in skin whitening agents, parabens in shampoos and skin creams/lotions, coal tar in mascara and lead in lipstick. Men are not safe from these chemicals either. Some agents found in men’s personal care products are hormone disruptors, causing an imbalance in testosterone and estrogen. My advise is to use natural, organic products as much as possible. And don’t take a company’s word for it, do your research. Dr. Haushka’s form Germany, Jurlique from Australia and of course, Young Living Essential Oils are among the purest skin care companies on earth.

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Wow, that smells!

Shelves of perfumes

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I knew it! There’s something more to perfumes or colognes than the strong smell they give off. I often wonder why some people splash (or practically bathe) themselves with very strong scents. I guess some people use it to attract others while some use it to mask their body odors. It’s all good unless the smell is too strong or offensive. Ever gone to places where heavily perfumed people have been? Sometimes, the odor lingers for hours on end (maybe not that long). Apparently, there are other ways that synthetic colognes/perfumes could harm you. They could cause male infertility by damaging men’s sperm, according to a Harvard study done in 2006. This was also the conclusion made by the Environmental Working Group, who said that the secret ingredients in popular perfume brands are causing damage to sperm. One of the offending agents mentioned is diethyl phthalate (DEP), which is a xeno-estrogen or hormone-disruptor found in the colognes. So, if men want to stay virile (guys, if you wanna have babies) into their older age, stay away from those synthetic scented perfumes/colognes. A better option would be to use therapeutic-grade essential oils. They can be used as perfumes as well as for various ailments. In fact, the oils have been used since ancient times. Records their use have been found in the Ebers Papyrus and the Bible. However, don’t just get essential from anywhere including health food stores. Most of them are not prepared properly such that the oils practically no therapeutic value. If you’re going to use essential oils, make sure that they’re prepared properly. I know of a company that has the motto of “From Seed To Seal”. They have stringent quality control procedures in place such that I’m confident in using them myself and recommending them to my loved ones and my clients.

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No More Shopping….

Thin plastic shopping bags

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…in plastic bags, that is. In an interesting article on AOL News, it stated that California may be the first state in the nation to totally ban plastic bags. San Francisco enacted a decree banning plastic bags a couple of years ago. Anyway, it’s about time that plastic bags are banned altogether because as environmentalists and anti-littering advocates say, they are unnecessary, unsightly and dangerous to wildlife. More importantly, plastic gives off chemicals that act as hormone-disruptors in the body, otherwise known as xenoestrogens. We are seeing a lot of hormonal imbalances as early as the pre-teen years because of the environmental toxins that are all around us. Thank goodness, people are now becoming more aware of how the environment influences our planetary and personal health. The use of paper bags however, may not be the best solution. It takes 14 million trees to create 10 billion paper bags, according to the article. The solution is to use recyclable bags or better yet, a Y3 tote bag (or your favorite designer bag) when shopping. Fortunately, there are different ways to detoxify the body of the harmful chemicals that come from plastic. Among these include the use of an infra-red sauna and if this is not available in your area, make sure that you do sweat regularly (through exercise, using a sweat lodge, dry sauna or steam bath). Another way to detox the body of xenoestrogens is through the intake of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower or my favorite, bok choy. This can be accomplished through supplements such as Calcium D-glucarate or glutathione as well.

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