Chemicals that Mess with Your Hormones Can Switch on Cancer

Too many connections between
chemicals and cancer

• Global rates of endocrine-related cancers have been rising for the past 40-50 years (these include breast, endometrial, ovarian, prostate, testicular, and thyroid cancer).
• Hormonal changes that result from chemical disruption to the endocrine system lead to earlier breast development for young girls in every country where this phenomenon has been studied. Early breast development is a risk factor for breast cancer.
• High exposure to polychlorinated dioxins and to specific PCBs also boosts risk for breast cancer, particularly in those women whose bodies lack a certain detoxifying enzyme.
• Occupational exposure to pesticides, certain PCBs, and arsenic increases prostate cancer risk.
• Workers involved in applying pesticides show an excess risk of thyroid cancer (as do their wives — proof that people in this profession carry pesticide residue home with them).

The bodily system you don't want to mess with

How to limit your exposure to
endocrine-disrupting chemicals

• Check your makeup and personal care products — choose all-natural products and toss out any that contain man-made, synthetic chemicals.
• Make sure the rest of your personal care products are free of synthetic fragrance.
• Buy organic. Follow the "Dirty Dozen" concept I wrote about in Issue #40. That means the following fruits and vegetables should always be purchased organic: Peaches and nectarines, blueberries, apples, grapes, cherries, strawberries, celery, bell peppers, spinach, kale and collard greens, and potatoes.
• Drink purified water.
• Use natural cleaning products. You can't beat vinegar and baking soda for most cleanup needs.
• Eat whole foods — nothing that's processed or laced with preservatives.
• Make smart seafood choices and go for low-mercury fish (like sardines).
• Buy VOC-free for your house when possible (VOC = volatile organic compounds). Whether you're buying new kitchen cabinets, a new mattress, or new flooring, purchase natural products if feasible.
• Start a kitchen garden and grow your own herbs (or buy organic herbs).
• Take off your shoes when you go in your house — and ask guests to do the same. This limits the amount of pesticides tracked into your home.
• Quit using insecticides and rodent poisons. Find a natural way to eliminate pests.
• Buy grass-fed meat. As a bonus, it tends to be leaner than meat from animals raised on grain.
• Cook with cast-iron cookware or stainless steel pots and pans. Avoid Teflon at all costs. (Learn more about Teflon risks from Issue #211.)

• Detox regularly. I'm a strong advocate of infrared saunas for detox purposes (learn more from Issue #51, and again in Issue #263).
• Take turmeric supplements. They've been shown to help filter chemicals like BPA out of your body.
• Eat plenty of fiber to ensure you have a minimum of one bowel movement a day.
• Take probiotics, or add kefir to your diet, to help your gut escort toxins through your body and out of it.
• Drink water: number of ounces should be equal to half your body weight in pounds. For example, if you weigh 150, drink 75 ounces of water (vs. the 64 ounces or 8 cups you sometimes hear about). This helps push toxins through your system.
• Appropriate levels of calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and iodine in your diet can help decrease toxin absorption.

Overcome this worldwide health failure