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HORMONE DISRUPTERS; YOUR BODY’S WORST NIGHTMARE

GOTTA LOVE THOSE HORMONES

Let’s start with the endocrine system. Which, most likely you never think about. In fact, probably even know about. The endocrine system is a network of glands and organs that produce, store, and secrete hormones. Hormones are the chemical messengers that swim throughout our bloodstreams signaling every cell and organ what they are supposed to do to keep our bodies working the way they are supposed to. It’s not just that hormones are key to keeping us healthy. We simply couldn’t live without them. When something interferes with or disrupts how they function, we’re beyond out of luck. We don’t want to trash talk hormone disrupters, but well…they deserve it. So here’s the story…

GOTTA HATE THOSE HORMONE DISRUPTERS

Chemicals are an essential component of our daily lives. We know chemicals aren’t so great. But some chemicals, known as endocrine disruptors, can have harmful effects on the body’s endocrine (hormone) system. Chemicals that interfere with hormone actions—even at low doses– can knock your whole system out of balance. Endocrine disrupter chemicals (EDC’s), or hormone disrupters as they are more commonly referred to, have been around for a long time.  Over the last 70 years, more than 80,000 chemicals have been released into the environment through human activity. Yes, you’ve got the zeros right. Because of inadequate health and safety laws, more than 85% of these chemicals have never been assessed for possible effects on human health. But many have, which we’ll get to in a minute.

HORMONE DISRUPTERS; THEY’RE EVERYWHERE AND THEY LIKE IT THERE

They’re lurking where we can least suspect it. We’re being exposed to them in countless ways, and most of the time, we don’t even know it. They’re in our food (that supposedly good-for-you fish you ate), personal care products (that shampoo promising to leave your hair healthy and shining), cosmetics (not so beautiful), pharmaceuticals, pesticides (well, we all know those are baddies), soil, water and probably no surprise, plastics. To put it into perspective, global production of plastics grew from 50 million tons in the mid-1970s, to over 300 million tons today. They’ve got names you have trouble even pronouncing; BPAs, dioxin, atrazine, phlatates, perchlorates, fire retardants (PBDEs), lead, arsenic, mercury, perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), organophosphate pesticides, glycol ethers…

And the worst, is that hormone disrupters are very stable. In other words, they don’t break down quickly. They often hang around doing their dastardly hormone-imbalancing deeds for years. Scientists from around the globe have found that endocrine-related diseases and disorders are on the rise. A United Nations Panel formed to look into them, has called hormone disrupters a “global threat”.

EVEN POLAR BEARS SHOULD BEWARE

Just to put their far-reaching effects into perspective, decades-old chemicals may be threatening polar bear fertility. As if between climate change, human conflict and habitat loss they didn’t have enough to worry about. It turns out these vulnerable conservation icons also face a more unlikely threat: industrial chemicals that were banned almost 40 years ago. PBC’s (more about them below) reach them in long-range transport by air and ocean currents.

Polar Bears have hormones, too.

HORMONAL TRICKS

  • Hormone disrupters are especially skilled at turning things upside down. Here are just a few examples:
  • Increasing or decreasing the production of certain hormones
  • Imitating hormones
  • Interfering with hormone signaling
  • Promoting premature cell death
  • Competing with essential nutrients
  • Binding to essential hormones
  • Accumulating in organs that produce hormones

BODY TRAINWRECKS

  • Hormone disrupters have different effects on everyone, but they may be associated with:
  • Sexual development
  • Impaired immune functions
  • Cognitive, behavioral, and other brain development problems
  • Learning disabilities
  • Severe attention deficit disorder (ADHD)
  • Deformations of the body (including limbs)
  • Various cancers, including cancer of the breast, prostate,
  • Thyroid conditions
  • Lower IQ
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Before you run for the Valium, remember, these are pretty big “ifs and cans”.

START CLEANING UP YOUR HORMONE ACT HERE

Choose phthalate-free packaging, drink filtered tap water, dust and vacuum often, turn your nose up at fragrances, think twice about plastics, kick cans to the curb, be on constant pesticide alert…couldn’t hurt, except who can really live that way?  But here’ what you need to know. If the damage has been done and your hormones have been constantly hit and hurled out of balance, giving up sushi and that expensive bottled water –even if it has vitamins and electrolytes, isn’t going to cut it. But take heart, there’s help. It’s very difficult to measure many of these chemicals in humans, and there aren’t biochemical tests (like you could really take them) for most of them. What you can test, is if your hormones are in a healthy balance. And to check them, you want the most expert and experienced hormone pros you can find; Denver Hormone Health. The medical professionals at DHH, can pinpoint where your hormone levels aren’t where they’re supposed to be, and with personalized care can get them back on track. And you feeling the best you can be. All percolates aside. Call Denver Hormone Health for an appointment now.

WEIGHT GAIN; BLAME YOUR HORMONES

weight gain

If ever there was a time that created a collective weight gain panic, this is it. For weeks we were sheltered inside trying to get through day after day of feelings including panic, loneliness, sadness, and boredom, amongst others. Zoom saw a boom in bodies sheltered under sweats and jammies. From March 8-March 15, online views for homemade bread increased 342%, how to make banana bread by 171% and how to make sourdough starter-518%. Fat memes became pandemic. Curves fattened before the curve flattened.

SOCIAL DISTANCING FROM THE SCALE

Covid-crisis eating was understandable. As was gaining weight from non-stop snacking and becoming best friends with the Door Dash delivery person bringing you pizza and fattening meals you’d normally never chow down on.  But being overweight is a long-time crisis. The obesity rate in the US now tops 40%. Super-sizing everything has led to super-sizing of the national waistline. Belly fat has bulged beyond historical norms. Toilet paper may have been scarce, but people never stayed six feet away from the ice cream freezer or chips aisles.

SCALING UP DIET AND EXERCISE DOESN’T ALWAYS DO IT

But not everyone threw weight gain caution to the wind. And yet, they too gained weight. And this weight gain conundrum existed long before now.  In 2018, the US weight loss industry was worth a staggering $70.3 billion. This figure included couch potatoes with sour cream, cheese and bacon, but it also included the millions of people for whom diets did nothing to help them lose weight. And they tried every diet there was. Every crazy workout out there. Approximately 45 million adults in the United States (about 14% of the population) are members of a gym. But no number of crunches or miles in spin class led to significant weight loss. What the frustrated never knew was that in packing on puzzling pounds, the real enemy they were battling was unbalanced hormones.

A BIG FAT HORMONE PROBLEM

Unbalanced hormones and weight gain go hand in hand. When your hormones are out of balance, losing weight or maintaining weight is almost impossible. Hormones are important for regulating most major bodily processes, so a hormonal imbalance can affect a wide range of bodily functions. Hormones help to regulate heart rate, blood pressure, sleep, reproductive cycles and sexual functions, growth and development, mood and memory and yes, weight. Hormones cause willpower to go by the wayside and food cravings to call the shots.  The ability to metabolize food for fuel is directly connected to your hormones. Some of the worst weight gain hormone culprits are cortisol, insulin, estrogen, testosterone and thyroid. Even a slight disruption in the levels of any of these hormones can cause the body to put on weight and fight like lard to keep it there.

FIRE UP YOUR HORMONES

The medical professionals at Denver Hormone Health have just what it takes to reset hormone levels that have gone awry. With years of experience treating all types of hormone imbalance issues, DHH professionals are experts when it comes to weight management. At DHH they understand what you have been going through and have developed a novel Hormonal Weight Loss Support Program that has successfully helped patients lose, and more importantly, keep the weight off.  The program includes bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, B6, B12 and lipotropic injections, plus exclusive, highest quality weight management supplements. When combined with healthy diet and exercise—which DHH nutrition and fitness experts are there to help with, patients have reported having more energy, faster metabolisms, better weight loss and stronger immune systems. DHH physicians do a full analysis including simple blood tests that pinpoint your exact hormone levels. This allows them to customize a unique treatment plan tailored to each patient’s individual needs. Call Denver Hormone Health for an appointment now. Struggling with weight gain? Don’t wait a minute more.