Environmental Medicine is such an important topic for me, and should be for you too! Super basically, it’s all about how your exposure to certain chemicals can affect or change things in your body. Unfortunately, there are a LOT of chemicals out there that can be troublemakers.
People will often say, “oh but it’s the dose that makes the poison, because if we had too much water or oxygen that would kill us too”, but this is completely missing the point. Yes, many things in excess can be damaging to our health, but unfortunately studies are showing that even TINY doses of some of these toxicants are messing with our wellbeing.
Environmental Medicine can feel overwhelmeing once you start learning about all the things that could be bad for you, but take things one step at a time.
Don’t feel like you have to immediately go and throw all of these things out, but aim to work on replacing them over time—potentially once you’ve finished something and it needs replacing.
1. “Fragrance”
Think perfume, cologne, soap, air fresheners, laundry detergent, deodorant, makeup, candles, fabric softener, garbage bags, kitty litter, baby wipes, lotion, shampoo/conditioner, etc.
If you’ve got ANYTHING that lists “fragrance” or “parfum” as an ingredient, get it on your list to replace. To protect proprietary formulas, companies are allowed to have a mixture of ingredients included in the “fragrance” label and many of them aren’t great for health. The average product contains 15 ingredients that aren’t individually listed.
Some of the ingredients commonly used in fragrance have been linked to things like fatigue, weight gain, premature breast development, endometriosis, infertility and fibroids, decreased sperm counts, higher rates of allergies and respiratory ailments like asthma (among others!)
Look for fragrance free options, OR things that use essential oils to scent the products instead.
2. Plastic Tupperware
Unfortunately we live at a time where plastic is EVERYWHERE. It’s in our clothes, wraps our food, is in our toothbrushes and shower curtains and water pipes. It’s definitely a hard one to get away from. The more you can work to replace it everywhere, the better…but today, let’s talk about Tupperware.
The chemicals in plastic Tupperware have been linked to everything from infertility and low testosterone, to obesity, diabetes, allergies, asthma, autism and even mood disorders like depression.
There are now so many fantastic options on the market (whether glass, stainless steel, bees wax, or silicone) that we can use instead of plastic Tupperware. If you don’t want to throw out all the plastic Tupperware you bought, use it as a storage method that DOESN’T involve food.
3. Teflon or Non-Stick Cookware
PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) are the most common chemicals found in “non-stick” items, however they aren’t the only troublemakers. The extra awful part about these chemicals is that they’re VERY persistent in the body and quite challenging to get out.
PFOA is listed as a possible carcinogen in humans and an immune hazard. It’s been linked to lower bone mineral density (aka osteopenia and osteoporosis) and can adversely affect thyroid function, fertility and blood sugar regulation.
These chemicals have been found not only in non-stick cookware, but have also been found in “stain-resistant” clothing and waterproof sports gear.
The extra unfortunate part of non-stick cookware is that more of the chemicals are released once it’s scratched or damaged…so ESPECIALLY if you have damaged non-stick, aim to get rid of it ASAP.
Look to replace non-stick cookware with options like cast-iron or stainless steel.
If you’re wanting more help with toxicant chemical avoidance or how to best help your body deal with these examples and many more, book in for a visit and we can get you well on your way!