Your hormones are the cornerstone of your endocrine system-here’s the FDA approved ingredient that’s destroying it.
Hormone imbalance is unavoidable. That’s what modern culture wants you to think, anyway. It’s easy to believe this mainstream idea because we’re told hormone imbalance is “normal.”
Acne strikes at midnight on our twelfth birthday and we ride the waves of mood swings and sleep disorders for the rest of our lives. We tend to leave our symptoms unaddressed until something comes along that we can’t ignore like infertility or sexual dysfunction.
Even then, your doctor will tell you your symptoms are “pretty normal” and can only be addressed by synthetic pharmaceuticals. He might even be so bold as to claim your lifestyle has nothing to do with your chronic illness.
If you, as a conscientious human being, were to do your research, you’d find your doctor to be incorrect. Your daily choices have everything to do with your hormones. There’s a long list of factors that contribute to hormone imbalance such as processed foods, seed oils, and parabens, just to name a few.
If you bring this up to your doctor, he’ll brush you off. You might even believe him. He has a medical degree, right?
It’s tempting to believe you’re at the whims of your hormones. But are you really?
My Health Spiral
I used to think so. From the time I was fourteen, my cycle was a mess. Well-meaning doctors prescribed me birth control pills like Tic Tacs without mentioning the laundry list of side effects.
My hormone imbalance got worse. PCOS and endometriosis became my life. I was told a different dose of birth control (aka synthetic hormones) was the answer.
It wasn’t. I got sicker by the day.
And then, of course, was the inevitable, “There’s nothing more we can do.”
Translation: Learn to live with it. This is your life now.
For a while, I believed the doctors. I tried to manage my PCOS and endometriosis symptoms with natural remedies. My life wasn’t great, but if the doctors said there was nothing they could do, that must be the truth. Right?
Wrong.
My health spiraled out of control when I tried to get pregnant. After spending a decade on birth control pills, I hadn’t had a period for years. Because the doctors shut down my body’s natural cycles at such a young age, I never learned how to function properly. My body didn’t feel safe enough to menstruate, let alone bring a baby into the picture.
You’d think at this point I would have learned my lesson about doctors. But I hadn’t. I went back to my OB for fertility help.
That’s where it all went wrong.
I liked my doctor as a person, but without running the proper tests he prescribed me three pharmaceuticals I’m convinced would have killed me. Then, he threw a fit when I wouldn’t take them.
Getting yelled at by my doctor while sitting in a paper-thin gown led me to do two things:
- Break up with my doctor
- Travel down the rabbit hole of balancing my hormones
The Rabbit Hole of Synthetic Hormones
Synthetic hormones sound like the kind of thing given out by doctors. But how about your local grocer? Or beauticians?
Are you scratching your head yet?
I was too. Turns out, synthetic hormones are hiding in all kinds of everyday products under different names.
One of those names is parabens.
What are Parabens?
Simply put, parabens are preservatives used to prevent mold and bacteria from growing in products like soap, shampoo, and cosmetics. Your bathroom, thanks to parabens, is probably the most dangerous room in your home.
Parabens are found naturally in organic materials like fruits and vegetables but are manufactured synthetically from para-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA) for use in household products.
Why? Because it’s cheap, of course.
Parabens are an inexpensive way to preserve the shelf life of daily-use products like shampoo and lotion. You’ll see these synthetic preservatives listed on ingredient labels as methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, isopropyl-, butyl-, and isobutyl paraben.
For a long time, manufacturers have gotten away with lacing products with parabens, claiming that small doses of the preservatives have no lasting effects on the human body.
If your hackles just went up, you’re not alone.
The manufacturers lied. Parabens do cause lasting harm to our bodies.
And consumers are finally catching on.
Parabens are Endocrine Disruptors.
In case your human anatomy is a little rusty, here’s a brief overview of the endocrine system from Johns Hopkins:
“The endocrine system is a complex network of glands and organs. It uses hormones to control and coordinate your body’s metabolism, energy level, reproduction, growth and development, and response to injury, stress, and mood.”
The endocrine system is responsible for everything from sleep regulation to the reproductive systems of both men and women. So, it’s pretty darn important. And those sneaky parabens are messing with our endocrine systems by infiltrating our bodies and masquerading as synthetic hormones.
This sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it’s not.
Why are Parabens Legal?
If parabens are so harmful, why are they approved by the FDA? Isn’t the FDA supposed to keep consumers safe?
I’ve been wondering the same thing. Sadly, I haven’t come up with an answer that won’t earn me a tin foil hat.
Here’s what I do know.
Manufacturers, like parabens, are sneaky. Since they claim small doses of preservatives aren’t harmful, they’re able to use one or more in each product without causing immediate reactions in consumers.
But you didn’t use just one product this morning, did you? You used multiple personal hygiene products, detergents for your clothes and dishes, and maybe even processed foods that contain parabens.
Maybe one of these products won’t send your health into a downward spiral, but all of them combined? That’s a heavy dose of synthetic preservatives waiting to derail your health.
Still feeling skeptical? Read on.
How Parabens Affect Hormones
The proof of paraben toxicity is in widespread hormone imbalance.
Hormones are no joke. Women learn this truth in middle school and fight the battle until their elderly years.
Men are a different story. They often don’t pay their hormones much attention until something is wrong. Like when sex or fertility becomes an issue.
If you’ve walked the road of infertility, you know exactly where I’m going with this.
Infertility is at an all-time high. In the United States, about one in five couples experience infertility with one in four women experiencing miscarriage.
Am I suggesting these startling statistics are the fault of parabens alone? No. Several factors contribute to infertility like diet, lifestyle, and genetics.
Still, the research is clear. Parabens mimic estrogen. When our estrogen levels are thrown off, everything becomes out of balance (yes, even in men).
In women and girls, the effects manifest themselves as:
- Increased risk of breast cancer
- Decreased fertility
- Irregular and/or painful menstrual cycles
- Early puberty in young girls
- PCOS
- Endometriosis
- Birth defects in pregnancy
- Migraines
In men, hormone disruption from parabens can look like:
- Low testosterone
- Low sperm count
- Slow-moving sperm
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Low muscle tone
- Low energy
- Increased risk of cancer
Chances are, you’ve experienced at least one of the symptoms on this list and I’m guessing you were told your symptoms were normal.
Here’s a secret the medical system doesn’t want you to know: common is not the same as normal.
Common is one in five couples experiencing infertility or women suffering from painful periods month after month. Common is when something becomes so widespread, we accept it as unavoidable and call it “normal”.
Normal is when we leave our bodies alone and let them function naturally. Healthily.Normal is the goal, not the exception.
So, the next time someone tells you your hormone imbalance is normal, challenge them. Challenge yourself. Don’t accept poor health as a normal.
Instead, do your own research (like you’re doing now!) and follow the following instructions.
What to Do About Parabens
First, don’t panic. It’s overwhelming to learn how harmful our everyday products are, but I’m not going to leave you without a game plan.
Go through all your cabinets, drawers, and closets and take inventory of the ingredients in your products. Then, throw them directly in the trash.
Just kidding.
Financial health is as important as physical health. Derailing your budget could be as detrimental as the sneaky parabens. Instead of overhauling your house overnight, start small.
Every time you use up a product, replace it with something a little better. I like the EWG app for this. It helps you find clean products with a ranking of how safe the ingredients are. Plus, they’ll explain the potential side effects of everything on the label.
Each month, replace one or two items. If you follow this plan for a year, your home will be infinitely healthier and I promise your hormones will be more balanced, naturally.
Stop Living with Imbalanced Hormones
Maybe reading this article has fired you up to rid your life of all synthetic parabens. Maybe you’re skeptical and think I should, in fact, be wearing a tin foil hat. I’m OK with that.
I hope I’ve given you something to chew on. I hope the next time you’re faced with a health crisis, big or small, you’ll think back to my story and question everything you’ve believed to be “normal”.
Ask yourself:
- Is this a natural/normal chain of events, or just common?
- Do I feel fully informed about the treatment my doctor is suggesting?
- Is my doctor shaming me for asking questions?
- Does anything about this situation raise my hackles?
Never underestimate your intuition. Nobody knows your body better than you do. After examining your situation from all angles, do your research. Look for products that support your overall health without the use of harmful synthetics. Your health will thank you.
Jordan Thompson 