In today’s world, we are constantly surrounded by various chemicals and pollutants, many of which we might not even be aware of. Among these hidden hazards are endocrine disruptors—chemicals that can interfere with the delicate hormonal balance in both humans and animals. From everyday household items and personal care products to the food we eat and the water we drink, these pervasive substances pose significant risks to our health and the well-being of our pets. Understanding what endocrine disruptors are, the health risks they pose, and protection we can take to mitigate their impact is crucial for safeguarding our health and ensuring a safer, healthier environment for our beloved furry companions.
Understanding Endocrine Disruptors
Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that pervasively interfere with the hormonal systems of both humans and animals, leading to adverse health effects. They can mimic or block hormones, causing a range of health issues including:
- Reproductive Problems: Infertility, developmental malformations, and hormonal imbalances.
- Cancer: Increased risk of breast, prostate, and thyroid cancers.
- Metabolic Issues: Obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
- Neurological Effects: Developmental delays and cognitive disorders.
Strengthening The Immune System
If your immune system is compromised or not strengthened enough, you will be more vulnerable to these effects. Today, we’ve seen children as young as five with hormonal imbalances due to the endocrine disruptors they’re exposed to. Men and women who’ve been unsuccessfully trying to shed weight, doing everything they can that we’re taught to do – eating a healthy diet rich in fresh foods, exercising regularly – and nothing seems to work; oftentimes hormonal imbalances are at the root of this issue, sometimes caused or exacerbated by endocrine disruptors.
So, what can we do to mitigate this and to shore up our own bodies, so we can ward off the effects of these silent killers? Several things. Here’s a short list of suggestions:
- Keep simple sugars intake to the absolute minimum you can. Sugar creates acidity in the body; acidity causes inflammation and chronic inflammation makes us more vulnerable to dis-ease. Find low sugar, tasty treats you can enjoy. We’re human after all and total abstinence is both not sustainable for most and definitely not fun! Balance is key.
- Eat as much fresh food as you can. Eating the rainbow of colors in fruits and vegetables ensures your body is getting the vitamins and minerals it needs to fight off incoming invaders. If you eat meat, try to source it from farmers markets, where you can talk directly to the farmers and make sure they don’t use antibiotics, hormones (we don’t need additional hormones that don’t belong to us in our bodies!), pesticides and herbicides. Try to shop where the animals are humanely raised, not only pasture fed but also pasture finished, meaning they’ve spent their entire lives in the pasture, not a cage or pen. This will mean not buying into the cruel and unhealthy factory farming system and that cortisol levels from the chronic stress of factory farmed animals’ lives won’t be at crazy levels in these animals and be passed on to you (or your pets), once consumed.
- Make vitamin C, D3, Zinc, Omega 3’s and Magnesium part of your protocol. They help shore up and support the immune system and most of us are D and Magnesium deficient (about 50% of the population is vitamin D deficient and 70% of Americans are magnesium deficient). Add additional C, Zinc and D when you feel something coming on and employ, if you can, using tinctures like echinacea and goldenseal and eating raw organic garlic. Echinacea is a great immune system booster, goldenseal is a great antimicrobial and garlic is an immune system booster, an antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal, and may help the body ward off other microorganisms.
- Drink a LOT of fresh water. Flush out your system and toxins with it. So many of us are dehydrated. I recently did an InBody scan and saw that I, too, am dehydrated, so I’m making an effort to drink more water.
- Herbs like quercetin, astragalus, ginseng, ginger, elderberry, cinnamon and oregano are other herbs that are great immune system boosters. Try incorporating one or two of these into your regimen, especially when you’re feeling under the weather or have been exposed to someone who’s sick.
- Powerful antioxidants are critical to help support the body to rid itself of these toxins. Glutathione is the body’s most powerful antioxidant. You can stimulate the production of more glutathione in the body by taking the supplement NAC. NAC stands for N-acetyl cysteine. It comes from the amino acid L-cysteine and in addition to stimulating the body to produce more of your own glutathione, it is also a great respiratory system tonic; an antioxidant and expectorant to loosen mucous so you can get it out of the body. It can also help with detoxification to prevent or diminish liver and kidney damage.
- Another great tool is the strongest antioxidant your body doesn’t produce but you can introduce into the body: Carbon 60. C60 has been shown to be 172-270 times stronger an antioxidant than vitamin C or E. C60 is great at absorbing free radicals, inhibits the toxicity of chemical toxicants (those endocrine disruptors), resists radiation, prevents ultraviolet damage, and prevents heavy metal–induced cell damage. It is a powerhouse of a supplement. I use it; it helps my stomach if it gets upset from a heavy meal as a bonus benefit. The one I like is produced by one of the two research scientists who were instrumental in discovering its health benefits, Max Champie. I buy through his distribution company, Pure Bella Vita. Please reach out if you want more information on C60.
- Strengthen and balance the gut microbiome. We now know all good and poor health stems from the gut. A healthy gut microbiome means a healthy body, able to fight off invaders. And, the gut-brain axis is real. The vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the body, runs from the gut to the brain and is like a hotline – they talk all day long. What goes on in your gut affects your brain – mood, mental health. 80% of your immune system resides in your gut and 80% of serotonin production happens in your gut. Stressing the importance of looking after your gut can’t be emphasized enough. A good pre and probiotic is important. The prebiotics are the natural foods to feed the bacteria strains so they can grow and propagate. Sometimes, when just probiotics are put into an unhealthy gut, they die…nothing to nourish them. Eating fermented foods is good, too. The gut loves fermented foods.
- Exercise! Moving our bodies not only gets the blood pumping so more oxygen gets to our cells to create energy and to repair and restore cells, it also heats the body. Raising the body temperature enough can kill off bacterial and viral invaders. It’s a great way all around to stay healthier and boost the immune system.
Our Pets Are Also at Risk
They share our environments, have four on the floor, direct entryways into their bodies, and can be exposed to the same harmful chemicals, leading to similar health issues:
- Reproductive Health: Hormonal imbalances and reproductive disorders.
- Chronic Diseases: Increased incidence of cancers and metabolic diseases.
- Behavioral Changes: Neurological effects impacting behavior and cognition.
How can we help them? Interestingly, through using many of the same immune system boosters we use for ourselves.
How To Strengthen Our Pets’ Immune Systems (and what we can share with them to do it!)
- Feeding a fresh food diet is the foundation of the house. Dogs and cats historically ate entire animals – flesh, skin, fur, the organs…everything. Each part has its own unique profile of vitamins, minerals, amino acids. Today, processed foods – dry, wet (canned) and some claiming to be fresh food I won’t name here – have no nutritional value, add their vitamins and minerals after the fact, synthetically, and those synthetic vitamins and minerals are hard for the body to recognize as their molecular structures are mirrors of the vitamins and minerals derived from fresh whole food. As mirrors, the body has a tougher time utilizing them and inflammation is created. As we know, chronic inflammation leads to all dis-ease. Finding a fresh food diet, whether raw, gently cooked or freeze-dried, is a better way to address nutrition and give the animal’s body the nutrients it needs to have a strong immune system.
- Making sure our pets get enough Omega 3’s is important for them, too. Our mutual diets are omega 6 heavy. Omega 6’s create inflammation. Sometimes, inflammation is needed at the site of an injury or when a foreign body has come in. Omega 3’s reduce inflammation. But, the balance is often out of whack – too much omega 6’s; too few omega 3’s. The best source is fresh food – small, oily fish like sardines, mackerel, anchovies. And, there are some good omega 3 oils made from these small fish on the market. Know your sourcing as much as you can; make sure the bottle is a dark blue or brown so it doesn’t go rancid. Feeding rancid fish oil is a great source of inflammation in the body and overall poor health.
- You can give your dog echinacea and goldenseal when they’re feeling under the weather. You can mix 10-12 drops of echinacea tincture (made with a glycerin not alcohol carrier) along with 3-5 drops of goldenseal tincture (same info re the carrier) and give a small amount in a syringe 3-4x/day.
- MCT oil is a great immune system booster for them and us! Another thing we can share. I love Cocotherapy’s MCT. Sisters Carmina and Charisa have a family coconut farm in the Philippines where they grow organic coconuts and have a responsible manufacturing process. I like knowing my sourcing, where I can. I regularly put MCT oil in my Chihuahua, Anabelle’s food, and in my morning smoothie!
- Herbs that boost the immune system we can share with our dogs include: astragalus, licorice, dandelion, Siberian Ginseng, ginger, milk thistle, slippery elm, cinnamon and oregano (in limited amounts). For cats, they can have ginger, astragalus, dandelion, licorice, milk thistle, slippery elm and others. Always double check before serving anything for the first time to your pet that it is safe for them.
- Our dogs and cats can also have C60. C60 Live is formulated for pets in a pump bottle that is mixed in their food, so they can also benefit from its powerful antioxidant and free radical busting properties.
- Our dogs’ and cats’ gut microbiomes are also the key to good and poor health. Like us, most of their immune system resides in their gut as does most of their happy hormone, serotonin production. A great pre and probiotic is essential. I like one that is also a postbiotic. I like this one because I’ve done the research into it, know the owner of the company and how it is made and have used it with my pets and…myself! MuttGut and KittyGut has, for the past four years, been healing the guts of dogs, cats, horses and their people. Owner, Michelle Griffin, formulated it with a scientist to hopefully cure her own autoimmune dis-ease, Myasthenia Gravas. It did and she decided to take her love of pets and introduce this way to heal their guts, too. Because it’s a human formulation, we’ve all taken MuttGut or KittyGut and have found tremendous benefits, as have the pets on it.
- Exercise is as important for our pets to boost their immune system as for us. For all the same reasons!
How We Can Mitigating the Effects of Endocrine Disruptors in Our Everyday Lives
- Choose Safer Products
Opt for products labeled as free from endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as BPA, phthalates, and parabens. Look for natural and organic alternatives for personal care and household cleaning.
- Reduce Plastic Use
Avoid using plastic containers for food and drink, especially when heating as they can leach into the food. Choose glass, stainless steel, or BPA-free alternatives.
- Filter Your Water
Use water filters that can remove endocrine-disrupting chemicals. This protects both you and your pets from contaminants in tap water. If you can afford a hydrogen water filter or use hydrogen water-making tablets, this is very healthy.
- Eat Organic
Select organic foods to minimize exposure to pesticides and herbicides known to act as endocrine disruptors. Washing and peeling non-organic produce can also help reduce pesticide residues. Be on the lookout for labels on fruits and vegetables. A five-digit code starting with the number 8 indicates genetic modification. These fruits are engineered to resist pests and may involve pesticide usage during cultivation. A five-digit code commencing with the number 9 signifies organic certification. The newer Apeel labels on some fruits and vegetables has some controversy around it. Do your research before purchasing.
- Ventilate Your Home
Ensure proper ventilation to reduce indoor air pollution. Use air purifiers and avoid using synthetic fragrances in your home. In some cities, using a dehumidifier is warranted where there’s a lot of moisture and mold. Mold is the silent killer and you don’t want to be living in a house with mold.
- Stay Informed
Keeping up-to-date with research on endocrine disruptors means you are armed with knowledge to make decisions wisely for you and your animal companions.
By taking these steps, we can reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals and use natural ways to mitigate that exposure, thereby protecting both our health and the health of our beloved pets. Let’s strive for a healthier, safer environment for us all! 🌿🐾
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