Hormone Disruptors: Zombie Molecules?

As an herbalist and teacher concerned with health and healing I spend a lot of time talking about and addressing issues of toxicity, both within our bodies and within the environment that we are part of and on which we depend for our existence. Although the causes of chronic illness are very complex, toxicity is a major causal factor in the development of most if not all chronic conditions.

Toxins can affect our health in many ways. They can promote oxidation of important metabolic and structural molecules in our body. They can also react with these substances in other ways that alter their chemical properties. In addition, many toxins have the ability to bind to chemical receptors in our body, such as neurotransmitter and hormone receptors, and alter our body metabolism in undesirable ways. This latter group, those that can interact with hormone receptor sites, are often referred to as "hormone disruptors" and they are a particularly important and common group of environmental toxins that have been getting a lot of attention recently. They include numerous petrochemical products, components of plastics, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and many other chemicals that are used in industry, agriculture and medicine.

How is our Earth Mother supposed to support and heal us if we keep poisoning her?

Hormone disruptors are known to negatively affect the health of endocrine and other organs, and many of them are carcinogenic. They also have some other properties that are of particular concern. For instance, there is some recent research that indicates that at least some of them may have stronger actions in extremely dilute doses that are well below the accepted "safety limits" than in larger concentrations (see: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=low-doses-hormone-like-chemicals-may-have-big-effects).

Hormone disrupting chemicals are also known to produce epigenetic effects. This means that they can affect gene expression, turning on or off the action of genes in ways that alter the way they are supposed to be behaving. Animal research has demonstrated epigenetic effects from as little as a single exposure to a chemical and that the results can be passed on through multiple generations (see: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-chemical-exposure-that-keeps-go). If they can have such a profound effect after a single exposure, imagine what they might do when they are floating around in our body tissues and fluids for most of our life - not just one but hundreds or possibly thousands of them!

As if these insidious microscopic nasties weren't bad enough, some new research indicates that they have yet another property that takes their nastiness to a whole new (and scarier) level: they can rise from the dead! Apparently it's true (hopefully this won't spawn a whole new genre of nano-zombie movies!). Of course, the zombie analogy is a stretch. What's really going on is that in the environment a certain percentage of these molecules are broken down when exposed to light during the day. However, after the sun goes down some of them have the ability to regenerate themselves (see: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=hormone-disruptors-rise-from-the-dead-like-zombies). This has profound implications concerning the persistence of these chemicals in the environment and also our ability to accurately assess their levels, since researchers tend to take samples to test for chemical pollutants during the day when their concentrations will tend to be lower.

This is me doing my zombie hormone disruptor imitation!

Lucky for us both the human body and the environment are extremely resilient. That isn't to say that they can take abuse indefinitely, but when I look at the level of abuse that we have inflicted on the Earth and that some people inflict on their bodies I am in awe of how much abuse living things, whether they are organisms or ecosystems, can take. It speaks to the incredible capacity of life to heal and regenerate!

So what can we do about it? Basically, do our best to minimize the amount of toxic crap that we put in and on our bodies and into our environment - and do it with a smile! There's no point getting stressed out about it (more toxic crap!). We can only do the best we can and try to keep a positive attitude. Gratefulness is a good place to start. We are less likely to pollute what we feel grateful for. Of course, it is best if we eat and drink certified organic food as much as possible; minimize consumption of canned foods; avoid food and drink that is packaged in plastics #1, #3, #6 and #7; use only natural cosmetic products; and minimize contact with thermal papers like those used in cash register receipts and cheaper fax machines. In addition, a bit of detoxing periodically is always a good idea. There are many herb friends that would be happy to help us along with that!

This burdock (Arctium x nothum) is the hybrid between common burdock (A. minus) and great burdock (A. lappa).

The roots of all three are excellent for helping to eliminate hormone disruptors and other toxins from our body.

One day I hope to do a post on herbal detoxification. In the mean time you can find more information in my previous posts More Bad News Concerning Phthalates, More Bad News About BPA (and Friends!), and More Bad News About BPA, Postscript. One of them has a link to an article on detoxing that I wrote a number of years ago.

More Bad News Concerning Phthalates

Here's another interesting link from the recent research literature:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120713083103.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

According to a recent study, phthalates may be associated with an increased risk of diabetes in women. This in a new addition to the growing list of negative health consequences associated with the consumption of phthalates, which are one of the many synthetic environmental toxins that are hormone disruptors.

Phthalates are found in plastics, especially in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) such as plastics designated with the number "3". They are also found in many commercial cosmetics and household products. Phthalates accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals and can also be found in significant amounts in dairy products and meats. Eating less dairy products and meats, which is a good practice for many reasons, and only eating those that are certified organic when they are consumed is one way to reduce consumption of phthalates. Also, it is best not to consume any food or beverage that is packaged in a #3 plastic, and to avoid the use of cosmetics that contain them. The more "natural" cosmetics that are available may contain less or none, but many of these products aren't very natural even if they are marketed as such. Also, although there is a growing trend to list ingredients on these kinds of products, regulations in most jurisdictions do not require full disclosure of ingredients on cosmetic products. So it's best to do some research and make sure that the products are being manufactured by a reputable company that does disclose all of the ingredients on product labels.

A good herbal detox and juice fasting can help to eliminate toxins like phthalates that accumulate in our body tissues. However, this needs to be accompanied by appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes to reduce our exposure to toxicity on a daily basis, as well as an increase in aerobic exercise for those who don't get enough. These are two sides of the same coin. As always, herbs will only work efficiently if we address the dietary and lifestyle patterns that contribute to the development of our health concerns as much as possible.

For anyone interested in a bit more information on herbal detoxification, here's a link to an article that I wrote a couple of years ago for Vitality Magazine:

http://vitalitymagazine.com/article/spring-detox/