When most people think of hormones, they too often think about hormonal teenagers. But recently, researchers and doctors are looking more closely at hormones and the role they play in the individual’s overall health. It seems that hormones may be responsible for far more than just a teenager’s moodiness. Hormones, it would seem, have a key role to play when it comes to a person’s health and even one’s overall sense of wellbeing. But how do hormones even work and what makes them work properly?
Endocrine Disruption
Hormones are responsible for sending chemical messages to different parts of the body. According to pbs.org, hormones are responsible for things such as “growth, metabolism, and fertility” and “can influence the function of the immune system, and even alter behavior.” The brain instructs the hormones to go to different glands of the body, known as the endocrine system. However, when hormones do not go to the different glands they are supposed to, it can wreak havoc on the person’s health. This is known “endocrine disruption.”
Causes for Endocrine Disruption
There are a few causes for endocrine disruption and most of them appear to have one thing in common–manmade chemicals! Without getting too technical, these manmade chemicals, when exposed to the human body, can mimic hormones, and disrupt the communication between the brain and the hormones. This leads to confusion in the endocrine system and hence, confusion to the entire body’s delicate system.
These chemicals can be found in all sorts of everyday items, such as skincare products, clothing, and even the very water that we drink. They are in our laundry detergent, toothpaste, and makeup. We are exposed to them when driving, walking our dogs, and at every meal that we eat! Essentially, we have made the world around us toxic, and we are paying a very heavy price for it. So, what can we do to help at least minimize our exposure to the chemicals that are killing us?
Limiting our Exposure
So what are we to do? How can we save ourselves from these chemicals threatening our hormones and in essence, our health? For starters, we need to educate ourselves on what exactly is in the products we purchase. A great first step is to look at the products with which we choose to clean our homes and ourselves. Most cleaning in the home can be done with vinegar and baking soda. There are many organic soaps available that contain no chemicals that are safe to use on ourselves. Purchase a water filter or a reverse osmosis system for your drinking water. Most can be found fairly inexpensively at a local hardware store.
Really think about the food you are putting on your plate and your family’s plates. Does it come in a can or a box? More often than not, these prepackaged foods contain mostly preservatives and chemicals. Buy organic whenever possible or make food from scratch (it will taste way better than the packaged, chemical laden “food” anyway). Try growing some of your own food. Even growing a few herbs or tomatoes on a balcony can limit your exposure to harmful pesticides that are sprayed on nearly all produce sold in supermarkets.
Hormones play such a vital part in our health. For example, using this PCOS webinar you can find out how to heal from PCOS and what hormones come into play with this condition. The good news is that we can help our hormones do the job they were meant to do to keep us feeling our best. Eat whole foods and limit exposure to manmade chemicals whenever possible. Lastly, make an appointment with an endocrinologist to get your hormones checked. By doing these small changes, it can make an enormous effect on your overall health.
