Going Natural?

Typically, people who are diagnosed with chronic illnesses turn to diet and supplements, hoping to avoid the potential toxic side effects of medications. Sometimes that works. Often this approach does not work. While “going natural” may improve our condition, “going natural” may not be enough.

In my experience, “going natural” for many people means eschewing medication, changing diet, eating clean or going organic, and taking supplements. What many people fail to recognize is that endocrine disruptors are everywhere in our lives.

Endo what? The endocrine system is made up of glands that release hormones. Hormones are chemical messengers. Think insulin, estrogen, progesterone, etc. The chemical messengers, hormones, bind to specific sites in the body telling those sites to do their job. Endocrine disruptors are human made chemicals that mimic hormones so closely that they bind to those sites, preventing the organ from doing its job.

How do endocrine disruptors get into our bodies? Endocrine disruptors enter through the air we breathe, things we ingest, hygiene and cleaning products. We can’t control the air. We have some control over what we eat and drink. But hygiene and cleaning products are hidden sources of endocrine disruptors.

Think for a minute. There are hormone patches for birth control, pain management and tobacco cessation. All of these are absorbed through the skin. What are you putting on YOUR skin every day in the form of soaps, lotions, and other cosmetics? The biology is beyond the scope of this book, but if you want to reduce your exposure please visit the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) and their Skin Deep data base.

(c) Linda Ruescher 2018

From Life Recycled: Creating a New Normal in the Face of Chronic Illness to be released in April 2018.