If you’re a woman and have symptoms like foggy thinking, trouble losing weight, fatigue, hair loss, digestive problems, and pain, you may not be aware that there are about 11 possible causes of your symptoms and health conditions. Your hormones could be too high or too low and that can be caused by numerous reasons. Today we are digging in deeper to toxins.
Toxins can include chemicals in the air, water, and food, environment, skincare and beauty products, cleaning supplies, etc.
These can be in the air and environment – you may think about it more when you breathing in gas fumes when you’re getting gas in your car or even artificial fragrances if you go into a specialty candle or bath store or maybe around someone who doesn’t realize how much perfume they’re wearing.
Let’s talk about the skincare products you use.. Women tend to use 80% more cosmetics, skincare, moisturizers, lotions, perfumes, and hair products than men. And we are getting ready to jump into summer in a few months so most of us use some type of suntan lotion, right?
If that’s you, I suggest you look at your labels. Just like I talk about reading nutrition and ingredient food labels, reading your skincare or makeup labels or hair products or deodorants, etc. is significant as well. Did you know your skin is like a giant sponge, absorbing everything you put on it?
I don’t know about you, but I get headaches and feel nauseous if I’m near artificial fragrances in perfumes, cleansers, bath products, and even shampoos with artificial fragrances and chemicals. But even if you don’t get a headache, these chemicals may be worsening your health conditions.
Why does this matter especially if you’re a woman?
These chemicals are endocrine disrupters. They can interfere with normal functioning of your endocrine system which controls most of your hormones. So if you use products having these disruptors, then your hormone levels could be increased or decreased – and not in the way you want them to be.
So basically they affect your hormones. And no one, no matter your age, wants that to happen. And many women I work with are over 40, in perimenopause or menopause. But some women I work with are younger and have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.) Because you may have estrogen dominance or even low estrogen (which can happen with thyroid or autoimmune issues as well) do you really want something as “simple” as a perfume or your shampoo to affect your hormones, your body, and mind even more?
In addition, long-term exposure to hormone disruptors may lead to long-term estrogen dominance, infertility, adrenal imbalances, autoimmune conditions, obesity and other metabolic issues, diabetes type 2, and certain types of cancers.
Types of Harmful Ingredients:
- Parabens – preservatives that can aggravate skin issues; acts like estrogen in the body
- Phthalates – create a sweet aroma but irritate skin, reduce testosterone and estrogen, block thyroid action, and may be associated with infertility and early menopause
- Formaldehyde – colorless but can cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, higher levels may cause changes in lung function; irritates eyes, nose, skin
- Fragrances – can cause skin blemishes, dullness, clogged pores, and can cause allergic reactions, headaches, nausea
- Triclosan – prevents bacterial and fungal overgrowth but can cause skin irritations and allergies, lower levels of thyroid hormones, and immune suppression,
- Oxybenzone – used in many non-mineral sunscreens but acts like an estrogen in the body; can cause skin allergies, damage to cells, irritation to eyes, affects estrogen and testosterone production
- Hydroquinone – found in some cleansers, skin lighteners, and moisturizers but may lead to liver and nerve damage, respiratory tract irritation, rashes, and facial swelling; banned in Europe and in over-the-counter USA products; however, you can still buy it in prescription products in the USA.
What are 3 steps you can do?
First, check your current products and see how they rate. There’s a site called the environmental working group or ewg.org. They also have an app. You can enter your product and see where it places on the scale of toxins, fragrances, allergies, etc.
Second, gradually start replacing the more toxic products. There are clean brands out there that don’t cost an arm and a leg that you can use instead. Pick one item this month to replace which will help make it easier financially and emotionally so you’re not so overwhelmed. Or the easiest step is when you run out of your current product, simply replace it with a healthier one. (You can look at healthier options on the ewg.org site.)
Third, you can reach out to me. I began using Mary Kay about a year ago because the healthier beauty brand I was using went bankrupt. Mary Kay actually follows the European Union standards which bans over 1400 toxic ingredients whereas the USA only bans 11! So Mary Kay is a cleaner, healthier brand for cosmetics and skincare. I’ll be happy to talk to you about any products and there is even a 100% guarantee!
Remember, just like with foods, you do have control over what skincare, beauty products, fragrances, hair products, etc. you use. So be your own advocate and make healthier choices.
I like this simple analogy. Think of your body and mind as a giant bucket. If it’s filled up with more of the healthier things than the unhealthier things, then your health will be optimal – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But if you eat unhealthy and use toxic products, it’s as if you are poking holes in your bucket. Eventually that bucket will be empty. Won’t be today and maybe not tomorrow, but do you really want to find out what happens when your bucket is empty? What would that mean for your health conditions? Your body, mind, and spirit?
I want you to learn how to do everything possible to support your overall health. And I’m sure you want that for yourself as well.
Leah Cheshire is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and a retired speech-language pathologist. She has been in the medical and health field for over 30 years. Due to her own health issues – Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (an autoimmune disease), parasitic infection, Epstein Barr Virus, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, and digestive issues including SIBO and IBS, she began a holistic journey to find alternative ways to improve her energy and digestion, optimize her thyroid functioning, and have better overall health. This led her to return to school to become a health and wellness coach with advanced training. She works primarily with women over 40 who have autoimmune, thyroid, and digestive issues using nutrition and lifestyle modifications. If you’d like a FREE 20-minute discovery call to see if you’d be a good fit to work together, click here to schedule that consult.
