Everyone has them,
but few people know what they are much less
what they do! Nevertheless, the importance of
hormones should not
be overlooked, for they play a major role in the
body's overall well
being. Allowing for their importance, let us
explore the wonderful
world of hormones.
HORMONES:
What are they?
Hormones are natural chemicals produced
in the body by a group
of cells or glands known
as the endocrine system.
There are
eight major glands in the system: the pituitary,
pineal, thymus,
thyroid, adrenal glands, ovaries, testes, and
pancreas. Though
these eight glands are distinctly separate, they are similar in
function and are intricately inter-related as
mechanisms of
influence.
HORMONES:
What do they do?
Hormones act as the body's chemical
messengers or
communication system
that travels via the blood stream to
tissues and organs, telling them what to do. The
endocrine
system can thus be considered as the control
center for
overseeing and coordinating important functions
in the body.
Some of these functions include
- metabolism
(i.e. homeostasis)
- energy level
- reproduction
- growth and
development
- mood
- sexual
function
- response to
injury, stress, and environmental
factors.
Hormones
communicate and instigate this range of functions
by
means of electical charges.
HORMONES:
Signs of imbalance
Hormones are tiny but powerful
substances thus too much or
too little of a certain hormone can cause health
problems,
compromising the body's well being. Hormonal
imbalance can
take many forms, and when an imbalance exists,
the body
responds accordingly by sending out warning
signs. The
following signs should not be ignored.
- Low
metabolism rate
- Unexplained
weight gain or loss
- Excessive
sweating
- Changes in
sensitivity to cold and heat
- Very dry skin
and/or rashes
- Changes in
blood pressure, heart rate
- Mood swings
- Low libido
- Insomnia/poor
sleep quality
- Depression
- Irritability,
anxiety
- Unexplained
and/or long term fatigue
- Increased
thirst
- Painful
menstration in women
- Headaches
- Brittle or
weak bones
- Fertility
problems
- Changes in
appetite
- Digestive
problems, bloating
- Blurred
vision
- Thinning,
brittle hair
- Puffy face
- Breast
tenderness
- Low sperm
count
- Erectile
dysfunction
- Reduced
muscle mass
- Deepening of
the voice in females
- Osteoporosis
- Transgender
issues
Left unchecked,
the above symptoms can lead to serious health
problems such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes,
emotional
distress, suicidal tendency, and more.
HORMONES:
Cause of imbalance
The well being of the body is largely
determined by the chemical
actions of cells and their environment, actions
which in turn create
what amounts to an internal eco-system. When
hormone levels are
balanced, the body responds favorably by
performing well. However,
if the body has hormone levels that are too high
or too low, creating
an imbalance, the body responds negatively.
Hormonal imbalances
are commonly the result of
- Poor
diet- consisting mostly of
processed, cooked,
animal-based foods: meat and dairy
products that contain
synthetic growth hormones, seafood
(farm-raised or open
water sourced) contain mercury and other
toxic substances,
white sugar is processed with ultramarine
blue dye (a toxic
substance), soy products, food
additives/preservatives (mono
sodium glutamate, aspartame), food
colorings, man-made
seasonings, hydrogenated oils, etc.
- Environmental
factors- poor quality drinking
water (tap
and/or contaminated well water), toxic
air, soil contaminated
by industrial waste, land subjected to
toxic fertilizers, human
sludge.
- Exposure
to toxins in the workplace-
petroleum-based:
paint, paint thinners, varnishes,
printing inks, fertilizers
- Household
cleaning products- dish soaps,
floor cleaners,
window/mirror cleaners, oven cleaners,
dryer sheets
- Personal
care products- soap, shampoo,
toothpaste, hair dye,
nail polish
- Synthetic
fibers- clothing made from
man-made fibers that
are largely petroleum-based: polyester,
nylon, acetate, etc.;
synthetic dyes formulated by man-made
chemicals that use
formaldehyde, etc. to set the dye.
- Pharmaceutical
drugs- man-made chemicals that
interfere
with the body's internal chemistry. All
drugs are toxic.
- Lack
of exercise- allows toxic
build-up in the body that
compromise the body's ability to function
properly.
Lifestyle factors
thus prove to have a profound effect on hormone
health. Since hormones are naturally-based
chemicals, the body
does not appreciate much less need competition or
help from
man-made chemicals that ultimately destroy its
ability to produce
hormones. Man-made chemicals contaminate the
body's natural
environment by causing confusion. These foreign
substances
scramble the body's hormone chemistry. They are
known as
endocrine disruptors.
Some of the more widely used and
popular endocrine distruptors are
- BPA-
chemical used in plastics imitating the
sex
hormone estrogen; linked to many forms of
cancer,
including breast cancer; linked to
reproductive problems,
obesity, early puberty and heart disease.
According to
government tests, 93 percent of Americans
have BPA
in their bodies
- Dioxin-
chemical formed during many industrial
processes
when chlorine or bromine are burned in
the presence of
carbon and oxygen; can disrupt the
delicate way that both
male and female sex hormone signaling
occurs in the body;
very long-lived, build up both in the
body and in the food
chain, are powerful carcinogens and can
also affect the
immune and reproductive systems; lowers
sperm count
and quality.
- Atrazine-
linked to breast tumors, delayed puberty
and
prostate inflammation in animals,
prostate cancer in men.
Used widely on corn crops in the US; run
off turns male
frogs to female.
- Phthalates-
can trigger what’s known as
“death-inducing
signaling” in testicular cells,
making them die prematurely;
linked to hormone changes, lower sperm
count, less mobile
sperm, birth defects in the male
reproductive system,
obesity, diabetes, and thyroid
irregularities.
- Perchlorate-
a component in rocket fuel; contaminates
produce and milk supply; competes with
the nutrient iodine,
which the thyroid gland needs to make
thyroid hormones;
kniown to alter thyroid hormone balance.
- Fire
retardants- also known as
polybrominated diphenyl
ethers or PBDEs; contaminate humans and
wildlife; imitate
thyroid hormones in the body and disrupt
their activity; can
lower IQ, among other significant health
effects.
- Lead-
harms almost every organ system in the
body; linked
to an array of health effects such as
permanent brain damage,
lowered IQ, hearing loss, miscarriage,
premature birth, increased
blood pressure, kidney damage, and
nervous system problems;
disrupts hormones that regulate the
body's stress system
HPA axis) which implicates high blood
pressure, diabetes,
anxiety, and depression.
- Arsenic-
often found in food and drinking water;
arsenic can
kill; in small amounts can cause skin,
bladder and lung cancer;
also scambles hormones by interfering
with normal hormone
functioning in the glucocorticoid system
that regulates how the
body processes sugars and carbohydrates;
disrupting the
glucocorticoid system is linked to weight
gain/loss, protein
wasting, immunosuppression, insulin
resistance (which can
lead to diabetes), osteoporosis, growth
retardation, and high
blood pressure.
- Mercury-
a naturally occurring but toxic metal,
gets into the
air and the oceans primarily though
burning coal; contaminates
seafood; especially dangerous for fetal
development, since the
metal concentrates in the fetal brain and
can interfere with brain
development; binds directly to one
particular hormone that
regulates women’s menstrual cycle
and ovulation; may also play
a role in diabetes, since mercury has
been shown to damage
cells in the pancreas that produce
insulin, which is critical for
the body’s ability to metabolize
sugar.
- Perflurinated
chemicals (PFC's)- used in the
manufacture of
non-stick cookware; linked to decreased
sperm quality, low birth
weight, kidney disease, thyroid disease
and high cholesterol,
among other health issues.
- Organophosphate
pesticides- one of the more
common
pesticides; target the nervous systems of
insects; linked to
effects on brain development, behavior
and fertility;
interferes with how testosterone
communicates with cells,
lowering testosterone, and altering
thyroid hormone levels.
- Glycol
Ethers- can damage fertility or
the un born; linked
exposure to certain glycol ethers to
blood abnormalities and
lower sperm counts in painters; children
exposed to glycol
ethers from paint in their bedrooms are
more susceptible to
asthma and allergies.
The above
substances are widely used in products found in
the
average American home or business. Sadly,
endocrine disruptors
have become acceptable norms that belie their
harmful effects,
especially in relation to hormone health. Their
ability to alter the
production of hormones puts the body on a
veritable roll-a-coaster
ride of up's and down's that, if not checked,
never ends.
Endocrine
disruptors not only scramble the body's hormones
but
introduce synthetic hormones that counter natural
ones. For example,
a synthetic hormone called xeno-estrogen mimics
natural estrogen.
Xeno-estrogen is a chemical that results from the
manufacture of
of plastic. Plastic is a petroleum-based product
that is widely popular
with multifold applications: everything from
plastic bottles, tech
devices, plates, eating utensils, storage
containers, diapers, car
parts, siding, furniture, toys, industrial
supplies, and more. In today's
world it is difficult to find products that are
plastic-free. Plastic in any
form leeches harmful chemicals into the body and
environment
which in turn have a profound, adverse effect on
hormone health .
Men and women have
different hormone profiles. Women are
naturally estrogen dominate, while men are
testosterone dominate.
When this balance is upset in either the man or
the woman, the
effects can be traumatic, often destroying
relationships. An
excessive level of estrogen can lead to classic
female problems,
namely menstruation and menopause. These hormonal
imbalances
are often exascerbated by xeno-estrogens present
in products
used unwittingly by consumers. Thus it is no
surprise that most
female problems are the result of some form of
hormonal
imbalance.
While women have
hormone issues specific to their gender,
men do, also. Most common is erectile dysfunction
and the
development of breasts in men, the latter being
the result
of too much estrogen/xeno-estrogen.
It is important to
note that excessive levels of estrogen are
proven to be an underlying factor in the
causation of diabetes
and the emasculating of the male species.
To be continued...
___________________________________________________
Recommended
resources:
eBook: Hormonal
Imbalance: Hot Flashes,
Irritability & Brain Fog
e-Guide: Hormone Harmony Over 35
"How
Toxicity Undermines Adrenal Function and SOURCES
of Toxicity".
e-Book: The
Comprehensive Guide to Adrenal Health!
VIDEO: MANopause, What
Every Man And Woman Should Know About Treating
Symptoms Of Male Hormone Imbalance- WATCH IT HERE
BOOK: Excito Toxins: The Taste
that Kills-
by Dr. Russel Blaylock
PDF: Excito
Toxins: The Taste that Kills-
by Dr. Russel Blaylock
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