You may not have heard of endocrine disrupting chemicals, but they likely play a significant role in your daily life. Also known as EDCs, endocrine disrupting chemicals are natural or man-made substances that interfere with the way your endocrine system works.
Your endocrine system, which is made up of endocrine glands found throughout your body, is responsible for producing hormones for your body’s normal biological processes such as fertility, growth and reproduction.
Now here’s where the EDCs and your endocrine system come to butt heads. Found in the environment in our air and water, food sources and personal care products, EDCs interfere with the way our body’s hormones work. When your body encounters endocrine disrupting chemicals, hormonal imbalances and immune dysregulation can occur as these chemicals can block your natural hormone functions.
Minimising Your Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
Before you freak out, pause and take a deep breath because knowledge is power, and by knowing some common EDCs, what they can do and where they are often found, you can limit your exposure to them.
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Dioxins – linked to breast cancer and endometriosis, dioxins are found in chlorine bleached cotton of sanitary pads and tampons, as well as in the air from wildfires and waste burning. Dioxins are also byproducts of some manufacturing and farming practices, as well as being in chlorine. As chlorine is in all drinking water, and in most swimming pools, choosing to drink only filtered water and use saltwater pools are your better options.
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Bisphenol A or BPA – BPA can increase the risk of endometriosis and lower fertility levels. It is found in some plastics, especially heated plastics. Not using plastic takeaway containers or drink bottles and avoiding using plastic to store or reheat food in, can lower your exposure levels to BPA.
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Phthalates – these chemicals found in skincare and makeup products, usually labelled as being ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’ are linked to the creation of EDCs. Look at the ingredients in your personal care products when making your purchase decisions to avoid these nasties.
Is there anything else I can do to reduce my exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals? We’re glad you asked because yes, you can, by:
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Choosing to eat organic produce where possible
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Avoiding the use of plastic for storing or heating food and water
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Use only natural cleaning products – you can even make your own!
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Check the ingredients list when choosing makeup, skincare and other personal items to avoid those which contain phthalates
Neat is committed to manufacturing only EDC free skincare and perfume. We are very intentional with our ingredients, giving you the confidence to know that we care just as much as you do in reducing your exposure to EDCs. We are more than happy to chat about any of our products, and help you select from our range of natural, and NZ made skincare and perfume products.
Our friends at Endo45 are a dedicated team of specialist practitioners who have developed a pioneering evidence-based app to help women manage and treat their endometriosis symptoms. Being endo sufferers themselves, they truly understand how debilitating endometriosis can be. So, as they say, they’re on a mission to help endo sufferers reach remission, and they do so by bringing together all proven scientific endo treatments together in one place. Take some time to pop on over to Endo45’s website and check out their empowering app for endo sufferers today.
