I am an Endocrinologist, a physician who studies the function and dysfunction of various hormones in our body. Most people would have heard of Oestrogen, Testosterone, Thyroid hormones at least, but there are plenty others. The most common chronic disease of our times, Diabetes, is caused by the dysfunction of a hormone, Insulin.
Many of these hormones circulate in minute amounts. PICOGRAMS in some cases, micrograms in others.
So it is only natural that outside chemicals (increasingly entering our lives in the modern society) even in minute amounts can disrupt the cycle of our hormones in our bodies and cause illness or disease.
there is a slew of diseases attributed to EDC endocrine disrupting hormones, including the one that attracted my attention many years ago, Attention Deficit Disorders.
It all had started many years ago as I was walking around the centre of the town of Johor Bahru in Malaysia on a day trip from Singapore. As I passed the Hindu temple, I noticed that they were having a book sale and of course that drew me in. There for the first time I encountered the publications of Consumer Association of Penang which was headed tirelessly for many years by Mr Idris Mohammed.. a remarkable man indeed, whom I met many years later..
My blog from that visit in 2012 is here
https://medicoanthropologist.blogspot.com/2012/04/prophet-of-penang.html
This was the first time I read about Plastics and Toxicity and also the toxic substances coming into our diet through food manipulation and pesticides and herbicides among others. In 2004 all that was news and of course in 2020 we know about hormone fed cows and chicken and the antibiotic induced fatness in these animals
what can we do?
This morning I read about 5 simple tips published by a practising doctor who would bring up these points to his points one at a time, giving them time to incorporate that into their lifestyle
1. Mind your cookware. Nonstick pans contain perfluoroalkyl substances (best known as PFAS). Patients may have heard of the movie Dark Waters, which documents the consequences of industrial water contamination with PFAS. These chemicals have been shown to slow metabolic rate and promote the return of weight after a successful dietary intervention. Cast iron and stainless steel cookware are good alternatives.
2. Open your windows and use a wet mop. Flame retardants and other persistent organic pollutants used in electronics and other products accumulate in household dust and can impair thyroid function. Using a wet mop will help to better rid the house of these pollutants. Patients should also be on the lookout when buying new furniture. A California law now requires disclosure when flame retardants are added to upholstery.
3. Eat organic. Organophosphate pesticides are well-known thyroid disruptors, and multiple studies have shown their effects on cognitive potential. Some studies have suggested associations with an increased risk for cancer. Eating organic has become much less expensive because of growing market share, such that the big-box stores are displaying organic and conventional products side by side with competitive pricing. I focus on prioritizing organic leafy greens and vegetables, where pesticides are more likely to be ingested, and place foods like avocados, which have a protective outer rind, further down the list.
4. Avoid canned foods. Bisphenols are estrogenic, antagonize adiponectin, and make fat cells larger. Studies suggest that stopping canned-food consumption can decrease bisphenol levels in urine as much as 90% or more. BPA-free cans are misleading in many cases because there are 40 or so replacement bisphenols. What little we know about one BPS suggests similar estrogenicity and toxicity to embryos, as well as persistence in the environment. A doubling of type 2 diabetes risk was also observed among adults with higher levels of BPS in their urine.
5. Don't microwave or machine-wash plastics. Phthalates commonly found in food packaging can negatively influence lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, with exposure linked to increased weight gain over multiple years. The "microwave safe" label was intended for gross misshaping or warping. reality is that the polymers break down at the microscopic level and get into food, and the noncovalently bound additives are mostly not tested
(thanks to the advice tabulated by the practising doctor published in MedScape and Endocrine Society)
Food which for centuries meant Sustenance, symbolized friendship and family and spirituality has become a Poison and we now have to protect ourselves against it.
Many of these hormones circulate in minute amounts. PICOGRAMS in some cases, micrograms in others.
So it is only natural that outside chemicals (increasingly entering our lives in the modern society) even in minute amounts can disrupt the cycle of our hormones in our bodies and cause illness or disease.
there is a slew of diseases attributed to EDC endocrine disrupting hormones, including the one that attracted my attention many years ago, Attention Deficit Disorders.
It all had started many years ago as I was walking around the centre of the town of Johor Bahru in Malaysia on a day trip from Singapore. As I passed the Hindu temple, I noticed that they were having a book sale and of course that drew me in. There for the first time I encountered the publications of Consumer Association of Penang which was headed tirelessly for many years by Mr Idris Mohammed.. a remarkable man indeed, whom I met many years later..
My blog from that visit in 2012 is here
https://medicoanthropologist.blogspot.com/2012/04/prophet-of-penang.html
This was the first time I read about Plastics and Toxicity and also the toxic substances coming into our diet through food manipulation and pesticides and herbicides among others. In 2004 all that was news and of course in 2020 we know about hormone fed cows and chicken and the antibiotic induced fatness in these animals
what can we do?
This morning I read about 5 simple tips published by a practising doctor who would bring up these points to his points one at a time, giving them time to incorporate that into their lifestyle
1. Mind your cookware. Nonstick pans contain perfluoroalkyl substances (best known as PFAS). Patients may have heard of the movie Dark Waters, which documents the consequences of industrial water contamination with PFAS. These chemicals have been shown to slow metabolic rate and promote the return of weight after a successful dietary intervention. Cast iron and stainless steel cookware are good alternatives.
2. Open your windows and use a wet mop. Flame retardants and other persistent organic pollutants used in electronics and other products accumulate in household dust and can impair thyroid function. Using a wet mop will help to better rid the house of these pollutants. Patients should also be on the lookout when buying new furniture. A California law now requires disclosure when flame retardants are added to upholstery.
3. Eat organic. Organophosphate pesticides are well-known thyroid disruptors, and multiple studies have shown their effects on cognitive potential. Some studies have suggested associations with an increased risk for cancer. Eating organic has become much less expensive because of growing market share, such that the big-box stores are displaying organic and conventional products side by side with competitive pricing. I focus on prioritizing organic leafy greens and vegetables, where pesticides are more likely to be ingested, and place foods like avocados, which have a protective outer rind, further down the list.
4. Avoid canned foods. Bisphenols are estrogenic, antagonize adiponectin, and make fat cells larger. Studies suggest that stopping canned-food consumption can decrease bisphenol levels in urine as much as 90% or more. BPA-free cans are misleading in many cases because there are 40 or so replacement bisphenols. What little we know about one BPS suggests similar estrogenicity and toxicity to embryos, as well as persistence in the environment. A doubling of type 2 diabetes risk was also observed among adults with higher levels of BPS in their urine.
5. Don't microwave or machine-wash plastics. Phthalates commonly found in food packaging can negatively influence lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, with exposure linked to increased weight gain over multiple years. The "microwave safe" label was intended for gross misshaping or warping. reality is that the polymers break down at the microscopic level and get into food, and the noncovalently bound additives are mostly not tested
(thanks to the advice tabulated by the practising doctor published in MedScape and Endocrine Society)
Food which for centuries meant Sustenance, symbolized friendship and family and spirituality has become a Poison and we now have to protect ourselves against it.
