Avoid Xenoestrogen Exposure

Dr. Michael Wald (www.intmedny.com/www.blooddetective.com)
Xenoestrogens are compounds found in nature and also made in the body that have the potential to modify estrogen function and or estrogen metabolism. “Bad” xenoestrogens boost the bodies use of a “bad” estrogen called 17-beta-estradiole (E2). Xenoestrogen contributes to “excess estrogen” or “estrogen dominance”.

Identifying and removing “bad” xenoestrogens from your life can lessen all health problems, or intolerable symptoms, ranging from breast cancer, endometriosis, pre-menstrual syndrome and postmenopausal symptoms. “Good” xenoestrogens should also be considered as they modify the disease and symptom producing effects of 17-beta-estradiole (E2).

If you are attempting to avoid xenoestrogen exposure, here is a list of substances to avoid. I compiled this from many sources and it’s the most complete list on the Internet.

Avoid:

1. Commercially-raised, non-organic meats such as beef, chicken, and pork
2. Commercial dairy products including milk, butter, cheese, and ice cream – use only organic products that do not contain bovine growth hormone
3. Unfiltered water, including water you bathe in – Use reverse-osmosis filtered water such as Dazani or get your own filter
4. Laundry detergent – use white vinegar, baking soda, or tri-sodium phosphate (TSP)… According to some experts, avoid even the Seventh Generation and Eco brands
5. Dryer sheets and fabric softeners – use white vinegar is a marvelous natural fabric softener, no smell after it dries
6. Avoid Primpro, DES, Premarin, Cimetidine (Tagamet), Marijuana, and Birth Control Pills.
7. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
8. Progesterone creams made with paraben preservatives
9. Soy (in some circumstances)
10. Ground flaxseed – if you’re looking for the Omega-3 effect, use fish oil instead
11. No sunflower oil, no safflower oil, no cottonseed oil, no canola oil – Use olive oil or
12. grapeseed oil
13. Avoid Tea tree oil (melaleuca) – I know, I love tea tree oil, this one is tough
14. No lavendar oil
15. Avoid coffee and caffeine
16. Sage and rosemary
17. Shampoos, lotions, soaps, cosmetics that contain paraben or phenoxyethanol – Almost all contain them, you have to look far and wide. Be diligent, you’re getting hundreds of times more exposure through your skin than through your diet. So far, I’ve found Kiss My Face brands to be okay.
18. Shampoos that purposely include estrogen (these are shampoos that cater to the African-American market)
19. Avoid reheating foods in plastic or styrofoam containers
20. Avoid drinking out of plastic cups and containers
21. Air fresheners that contain pthalates
22. Avoid naturally occurring plant estrogens:
24. Coffee
25. Clover, red clover tea, alfalfa sprouts
26. Sunflower seeds
27. Queen Anne’s lace (wild carrot)
28. Pomegranate – The Greeks used this plant as a contraceptive!
29. Dates
30. Fennel
31. Licorice, red clover, yucca, hops (beer) and motherwort
32. Bloodroot, ocotillo, mandrake, oregano, damiana, pennyroyal, verbena, nutmeg,
33. tumeric, yucca, thyme, calamus rt., red clover, goldenseal, licorice, mistletoe, cumin, fennel, chamomile, cloves
35. 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) (sunscreen lotions)
36. butylated hydroxyanisole / BHA (food preservative)
37. atrazine (weedkiller)
38. bisphenol A (monomer for polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin; antioxidant in
39. plasticizers)
40. dieldrin (insecticide)
42. DDT (insecticide)
43. endosulfan (insecticide)
44. erythrosine / FD&C Red No. 3
45. heptachlor (insecticide)
46. lindane / hexachlorocyclohexane (insecticide)
47. methoxychlor (insecticide)
48. nonylphenol and derivatives (industrial surfactants; emulsifiers for emulsion
49. polymerization; laboratory detergents; pesticides)
50. polychlorinated biphenyls / PCBs (in electrical oils, lubricants, adhesives, paints)
51. parabens (lotions)
53. phenosulfothiazine (a red dye)
54. phthalates (plasticizers)
55. DEHP (plasticizer for PVC)
56. Here is another list of things not to do that may potentiate the negative effects of 17-beta-estradiole.
    
57. Do not heat food or water with plastic in the microwave. Do not drink hot liquids in foam styrofoam cups or receptacles.
58. Change your laundry detergent because it cannot be fully washed from the clothes and
59. can be absorbed through the skin. Do NOT use dryer sheets or fabric softener.
60. Do not use anything on the skin with parabens or phenoxyethanol in them. This includes shampoo, soap, makeup, hand lotion, body lotion, and toothpaste. Oral substances are 90% filtered by the liver. Skin-absorbed substances are 100% absorbed by the body, thus, a skin dose is 10 times an oral dose.
61. Avoid coffee. Avoid decaf coffee. No caffeine. No tea. No colas. Caffeine increases estradiol levels by 70%!
62. No sunflower oil, no safflower oil, no cottonseed oil, no canola oil. (Guess that leaves olive oil).
63. Avoid shampoos that are “rich in hormones” and have estrogen added to them.
64. Avoid estrogenic herbs especially TOPICALLY such as sage and rosemary. (Good to know coming up on Thanksgiving!)
65. Avoid weak estrogens such as soy and ground flax seed.
66. Many sunscreens are estrogenic. Use a hat and long sleeved shirt.
67. Use cosmetics with minerals or grapefruit seed extract as a preservative.
68. According to Dr. Elizabeth Smith, MD, there are some things you CAN do:
70. Use glass or ceramics whenever possible to store food and water. Heat up your food using a glass or ceramic bowl covered with dish. When plastic is heated, it diffuses very rapidly into food.
71. Use a simple detergent with less chemicals; Nature Clean is a good choice for both laundry detergent and dish washing detergent.
72. Simple Soap is a safe choice for shampoo and a body soap.
73. Use natural pest control not pesticides.
74. Avoid Synthetic Chemicals – Healthy Living in a Toxic World by Cynthia Fincher PhD. is a good place to start.
75. Don’t use herbicides; use a cup of salt in a gallon of vinegar.
76. Buy hormone free meats to eat.
77. Buy “Organic” produce, produce grown without pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizer or hormones.
78. Use Condoms without spermicide for Birth control instead of Birth Control Pills. Use Natural Progesterone instead of HRT.

In general, the hormones taken orally are first pass metabolized by the liver 80%-90%.

However, when these hormones are applied to the skin, the hormones are directly absorbed by the body. Thus, any skin dose is 10 times that of an oral dose. The vast majority of skin lotions and creams use the parabens as a preservative. Avoid them at all costs. Instead apply a vegetable oil right after a shower to hydrate the skin and lock in the moisture.