Latest / Health Unscripted / Ep. 31 - Endocrine Disruptors - Should I Be Worried?

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Ep. 31 - Endocrine Disruptors - Should I Be Worried? · Health Unscripted

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: All right, y'all.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to another episode of Health Unscripted with Dr.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Dwar.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: I am Dr.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Ashley.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm late this week, but that's okay because I am still sitting down to record a podcast episode.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: For those of you who like follow me on Instagram, you've seen that.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I went to Vegas recently for a seminar, which was amazing.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: The Real Coaches Summit.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: I got to listen to 16 amazing speakers in the industry all across different boards.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: So sleep, metabolism, business, you know, hormones, all the things.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh like brain info pack day.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like my brain hurt definitely.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: And then we had social events after, got to like network and build relationships with new coaches in the industry, make new friends, meet the speakers.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: It was awesome.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I literally told the person who ran the summit, like, yo, I will be on that stage next year.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like, hey, by the way, I know you run this thing, but like pencil me in for next year because I really want to do this.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: So it was amazing.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: And even though I heard 16 speakers, I think there was like 23 or 24 in total.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I still missed some and I'm waiting on the recordings to back that up.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: But it was really, really cool because it definitely showed me where Team VDN differentiates itself in the industry.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: So most coaches definitely focus on diet and nutrition, programming, macros, meal plans, uh working with women 30 plus, 40 plus, 50 plus.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we all have our own niche.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: And it usually revolves around like women who've been fad dieting forever and finding sustainable plans.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly what we do, right?
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: But we also incorporate the science piece into it.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: We work on metabolism and hormones and stress resilience, which most coaches, to no fault of their own, don't really know how to do that because they don't have either the knowledge, the experience, the medical background to go around with it.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And we do.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: So that's how we approach our client transformations is we do the inside out approach, which is what I call it, where we focus on rebuilding the inside so that you can see the results on the outside.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: We do blood work tests and ask you to do those.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: We recommend supplementation.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, we have clients check with their doctors first, but it was really cool to just see like, okay, this is what's really needed in the industry.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: We're doing things right.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so one of the talks at, or one of the one of the, not the talks, but one of the little topics that was just like a brief bullet point in one of the conversations was about endocrine disrupting hormones.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so important.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I've even changed most of what I do.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I realize I don't really speak about this.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like I've made content maybe once a year on it, but a podcast episode I think is needed because I think it's a missing piece that a lot of people don't think about.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not here to like fear-monger you or make you afraid of things like, oh my God, I need to be aware of all this stuff.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Everything is killing me in the world.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, kinda, kinda, because we're all here for convenience now.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: And unfortunately, a lot of convenient things are full of chemicals or are synthetic, which, you know, is chemicals, but they're processed really fast.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: They're done with speed, which isn't the best quality.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, we don't have long-term data on how that stuff affects us yet, but it's starting to come out now.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: So the foods and the things that our grandparents used to use and eat were full of vitamins and minerals, whereas now they're not really because of the soil and all of that.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Or the things that they did back then, they could eat a little worse than we could and get away with it because there weren't as many synthetic products and synthetic things out there.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: So, this episode, we're gonna really, really dive into endocrine disrupting uh EDCs.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what I'm gonna call them for the length of the show because endocrine disrupting chemicals is just still long.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna call it EDCs and how they affect the body, what they do, what they are, where you can find them so you know how to avoid them, and then how to make changes in your lifestyle right now so that we can steer clear away from those.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I really got into kind of changing around EDCs for myself when I got my thyroid diagnosis.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, okay, obviously we got something going on here.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Let's change up some things.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so if you've ever come into my house or been around like what I use, you'll see all the products that I use are like maybe the little more pricier ones or um non-parabin, non-phthalate type of things.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, the wash, like laundry detergent, the cleaning supplies I use, the products I use on my skin and my hair and all of that.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, makeup, not so much yet, because makeup's really hard.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna be honest.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Finding a liquid eyeliner pen that works, that doesn't bleed, that's not waterproof, yo, I will use whatever brand that is.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: And a good mascara, right?
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: But all of that is is really important.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: And we we kind of forget about this stuff when we're talking about our overall health, and these are becoming more and more prominent and they have detrimental effects.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I took some notes and I took a lot of notes because this is like a lot of info.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: And if we get a little bit too science-y, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna try and break it down as best as I can because I do want to explain how these impact us internally and what exactly they do inside of our body.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's not just enough to say EDCs are bad, avoid them.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: I want you guys to understand why.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe some of these things that they do, you'll like, oh my gosh, that resonates with me.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: I've been having these symptoms, et cetera, right?
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: So, what are EDCs?
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: So, endocrine disruptors are substances that can interfere with normal function of the endocrine system, which, if you don't know what the endocrine system is, it's responsible for regulating all of the body's hormones.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: So it's the insulin, it's the sex hormones, it's the thyroid hormone.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: That is the endocrine system.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: If you've ever been to an endocrinologist, that's what they focus on is literally all of the body's hormones.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: These disruptors can mimic or block the effects of our hormones, which can lead to obviously a range of adverse health effects.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like obviously, if we're mimicking or blocking hormones, it's not a good thing.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: That means we can have an excess of hormones or a depletion of hormones.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: So some of the things that EDCs can cause within our body are they can decrease sperm quality for men, they can impact fertility for men and women, which obviously sperm quality would be fertility for men, abnormalities in sex organs.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: So perhaps like having a testy and an ovary, because it can definitely impact you ingestation too.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're a pregnant woman, it can affect your baby if we have EDC exposure.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: Endometriosis in women, which is super painful if you know and you have it, very, very painful.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: It can cause girls to go into early puberty, um, some men as well, but usually women.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Nervous system dysfunction, so just out of whack CNS symptoms and just fight or flight responses.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: Immune function can very much decrease.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: And we don't want that, especially now with like, you know, not can't believe it's been three years since COVID, but we want our immune systems to be strong.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want any issues with our immune function, so it can impact immune function and decrease that.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: It can actually cause cancers and tumor growth, which are terrible, breathing problems with our lungs, asthma, et cetera, metabolic issues.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: So it can literally uh like lead to diabetes and some insulin-resistant issues, obesity, um, again for metabolic issues, heart health, cardiovascular events, growth in children, neurological and learning disabilities.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: There's actually a link between ADHD and certain chemicals in gestation, and then while children are young, uh, which is crazy.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna go over, you know, how they can interact things from a sciencey perspective.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: This is where we're gonna get a little sciencey, but it's not just like EDCs can alter gene expression and then that's it.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: They can do 10 things in the body, and that's terrifying.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: 10 things.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: So, of those 10 things and how they affect our body, number one is they can interact with and activate hormone receptors, which means they can have an influx of that hormone coming in.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: That can be bad for cancers like estrogen, for example, too much estrogen, estrogen dominance, all of that's not a great thing.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: Early puberty, uh, things like that, they can antagonize hormone receptors.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, meaning like blocking the hormone receptors from getting in the right hormones that you need.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: They can like sit there and make the body think that there's something there, but you're actually decreased.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: So that actually happens.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, this isn't an EDC, obviously, because it's gluten, but that happens with thyroid hormone and the protein galadin when Hashimoto's patients eat gluten is the gluten gets out into the bloodstream and then it mimics the thyroid hormone.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: So it takes the spot of the thyroid hormone.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: So the body thinks that it has a thyroid hormone, but it actually doesn't.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a problem, right?
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: It can alter hormone receptor expression.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, um, like how it's working in the body, it can alter signal transduction, which means it can change RNA expression and DNA expression, which is like this is the really science-y stuff.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: But if it's changing your RNA and DNA, this is where we're having the neurological things, the immune system totally changing, you know, uh sex hormones and sex organs, things like that.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um where's my list?
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I told you guys, I made a list.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: It can induce modifications in hormone-producing or hormone-responsive cells, so they won't respond as well or as easy.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, hormone synthesis, so the creation of hormones and how the hormones are distributed throughout the body, um, it can definitely alter that process.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: It can alter hormone transport across cell membranes.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: So, again, halting those or speeding some of them up, still not good.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: It can alter hormone distribution or circulating hormone levels.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: This can be like for the thyroid and sex hormones, estrogen, insulin.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: It can alter hormone metabolism or clearance.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: So, if we're not getting rid of those hormones, that's also not a great thing.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: We need to clear out hormones.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: For example, um, we ask our clients every week, and I've said this on podcast episodes before, are you pooping?
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: We want to know if you're pooping.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: And we want you to go once a day, especially ladies, because this is how our body clears estrogen is through fecal matter.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: So obviously, if we have a buildup of estrogen and we have estrogen dominance, we're not gonna, we're not gonna want that.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna have health problems, we're gonna have weight gain, we're gonna have, we're not gonna feel great.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: So we want to make sure we're clearing hormones accurately and efficiently.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: So if this process is altered, that is a problem.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then it can also alter the fate of hormone-producing or hormone-responsive cells.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: So if they work or not, what we're really doing.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: So all of that is, you know, there's a neat little diagram that I can't really show you guys right now, but all of that is super important to how the body works.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: And if any of those processes are thrown off, it can have dentrometrol detrimental words are hard today, guys.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm even doing this podcast episode a little early so that I'm not completely brain dead later today, but I don't really think it matters anymore.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: We just get on these tangents and I get rolling, and then my brain works faster than my mouth.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: Is that ADD?
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I still have some endocrine disrupting problems.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: So, some other real life examples of how these EDCs can affect us.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they can increase the risk, you know, pesticides.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go over the types of EDCs first, actually, and then I'll go over how they can affect us because I want you guys to know specifically which ones I'm talking about when it comes to disease states and illnesses.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: So the top, I'm gonna go over five EDCs because they're like the top five, and you know, we can avoid them.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: We can try and make changes in these areas first.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: So the big one, and you guys have all heard this, I know you're gonna know what it is, is bisphenol A or BPA, right?
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: BPA is a chemical used in the production of plastics.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's usually found in plastics.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: And now they have this like BPA-free, all-over stuff.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well, a lot of stuff, right?
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's also found in a lot of consumer products like food containers, so Tupperware, um, water bottles, thermal paper receipts.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're at the grocery store and you get a receipt, or if you work in retail or any type of thing like that and you're touching receipts all day, that is BPA.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of BPA.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: So BPA is the number one and sometimes the easiest to avoid, but also the hardest because everything is made up of plastic now.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: Remember when in the when I said in the beginning, like convenience is what Americans are after now?
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Everything is in plastic.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: Everything.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a hard one to avoid, but it's also something that we want to be cognizant of.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: So BPA is number one.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, and you guys are gonna hate me when I say this, but it needs to be said, are phthalates.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: Phthalates are a group of chemicals that make plastics more flexible and durable.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: So again, plastics, yay, but they are also found in so many personal care products and cleaning products.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: Phthalates essentially are chemicals that give things their smell.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: So if any product has a fragrance, they put a phthalate in there so the fragrance sticks.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: It makes the fragrance stick to things so that it smells, right?
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: You don't want a fragrance that just disappears really quick.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: So it's in perfumes.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's in, if anyone does like those scenty things in the dryer, so your laundry smells great, like it's in lotions, it's in diapers.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's anything that is scented has a phthalate in it, usually.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's also found in toys, and which is kind of crazy.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's found in a lot of children's things.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a problem.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, as well as food packaging, like uh vinyl, like Tupperware type of things, uh, I mean styrofoam type of things.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: So phthalates are my number, when I think of phthalates, I think of scent and fragrance.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's gonna be one of the hardest things, I think, for some of you to give up, but we're gonna give some alternatives at the end of this episode.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: But BPA and phthalates are the top two, all right.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: Number three is dioxins.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: Dioxins are a group of very, very, very toxic chemicals that are the like byproducts of waste incineration.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: So when we burn waste, I don't know if you guys, you know, I'm not talking about the world, the world problems right now, but the train that went over in Ohio, I believe, well, the burning of all of that stuff has released dioxins into the water supply more than it did before.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so these are not good.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's not good.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's also the byproduct of paper bleaching, which I find super interesting.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: But if they're not disposed of properly and they're in the world and we're breathing these in, so I do want to make clear because I forgot to say this in the beginning, EDCs are not only what you touch, like it's also what you breathe in, what you like, it's they're literally unavoidable in the environment.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: But the ones that we're gonna talk about today and the changes are things that we can do to decrease our exposure.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, if we have a train turnover and there's dioxins in the air from them burning things at the dump, we can't really help that.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: We can't, we can't do anything.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: We're not gonna avoid going outside.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: And then even if we do avoid going outside, your air conditioner needs to have like some crazy HEPA filter, right?
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: But we can do what we can to avoid other exposures of some of these.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's all a balance, it's all a balance.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm not trying, like I said, I'm not trying to terrify anybody here.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's just important to be educated and know what we're dealing with.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, polychlorinated bif, I can't say this word.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: Polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs is what we're gonna call them.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: They're a group of chemicals that were used in industrial applications, including electrical equipment and plastic.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: So PCBs are bad.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: Something else I don't have on this list, and I don't know why, are the forever chemicals, the PFAs, poof, PUFAs, PUFA.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: Hold on.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, why don't I have that on my list?
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's a big one.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um there we are.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: Hold on.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: PFAs, yes.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: So PCBs, I just went over, are a group of chemicals that are used in electrical equipment and plastics.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then for number five, we have PFAs, which are synthetic chemicals that have been used in like consumer products forever.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: So this is what you're gonna find in fast food packaging.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: This is what you're gonna find non-stick pans, like the aluminum coating.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and when I say they're forever chemicals, like they don't break down.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: They don't break down ever, um, which is a problem.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: They lead to like liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility issues.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: They are extremely persistent in the environment.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_00: So they just will never break down in the body.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: And that's kind of terrifying.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's terrifying to me.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: But they're kind of everywhere.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: So reducing our exposure to plastics and and conveniently packaged things like fast food containers and stuff like that will be really easy to switch out.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: But we have so to let me go over the list again.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: Let me pull back up my notes.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: So then our last one that I'm going to talk about is pesticides.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: And certain pestify pesticides, like we know glyphosate and things like that, have been shown to disrupt the endocrine system in animals and in humans.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: So avoiding pesticides is also going to be a biggie.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: Organophosphates is what they're called.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, or pyrethroids.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: I can't say these words today, or maybe I am saying them, they just sound weird to me, are going to be what we want to avoid.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll give you tips for that as well.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: So to reiterate, the six endocrine disruptors that I've spoken about on this episode are BPA, found in food containers, plastics, water bottles, and receipts, phthalates, mostly found in plastics and fragrance products, anything with fragrance, personal care products, dioxins, which are very toxic chemicals found from waste incineration and from burning of chemicals.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: PCBs, which are found in electrical equipment and again, plastics.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: There's a recurring theme with plastics here.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: PFAs, which are in nonstick cookware, um, food containers, and um convenience items like plastic as well.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then pesticides.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: So, how to avoid those things?
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: So now that we know what the EDCs are, what the major EDCs are, here are just a couple of examples of how they affect the body and what they can do.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: So, exposure to pesticides, for example, like DDT, can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and inflammation in women, um, especially who are childbearing age, so pre-menopause.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: So we don't want inflammation and cardiovascular disease, but it's been shown to cause that.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: So that's one area if you're a childbearing age and you're a woman, avoiding pesticides.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: BPA has been linked to a lot of issues like infertility, cancer, metabolic disorders like diabetes and obesity.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: BPAs are uh, again, found in a lot of plastic.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: So we really need to eliminate plastic.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, in fact, exposure to BPA during pregnancy has also been found to increase your baby's risk of developing diabetes or cardiovascular disease later in life.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: So you may just be born into this because of your mom's exposure to BPA.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: This is how crazy and how much these chemicals don't break down and how they affect us neurologically.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, early onset of menopause for women has been linked to phthalates and PCDs.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: So if you find that you're, you know, how women are going through puberty earlier and earlier, menopause might be earlier and earlier too, because of these phthalates and EDCs.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, PCDs can also interfere with thyroid hormone, which is a biggie.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it can affect pregnant women, which may affect fetal brain development.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: In gestation.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are exposed to PCDs while pregnant, it can affect your baby's brain development.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: Fun stuff, y'all.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then men, women, and children exposed to high levels of phthalates may have reduced levels of testosterone.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: So, men, this is a big one.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: And actually, this was spoken about at the summit that I was at too.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: If you are a man who loves cologne and you love smell good things, and you love it, you love it, love it, love it, it could be really affecting your testosterone levels.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: I actually knew a guy that I dated who was obsessed with all things scent and all things like had to have the laundry scent beads, had to use like four of those dryer sheet things to make them smell good, plus the beads.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't know what he's doing now, but I hope his testosterone levels are.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like it was a lot.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: Candles, candles were a big one.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, love candles.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: So it just makes you think like, oh my God, I do that stuff too.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: Phthalates, y'all.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: And then thyroid cancer, you have an increased risk of thyroid cancer with exposure to BPA and phthalates.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have hypothyroid, a nodule, graves disease, anything like that, getting rid of BPA and getting rid of phthalates is going to be your number one.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly what I did.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I didn't have a nodule, but my thyroid diagnosis, I was like, okay, let's get rid of scented shit and let's try and avoid plastic as much as possible.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: My vice that I still can't get rid of, and I really, really need to, and you guys have heard me talk about this on Instagram.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're listening to this podcast right now and you can find me my unicorn water bottle, I will love you forever and shout you out forever.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: But I still use plastic water bottles because they're a liter bottle.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: I want a liter bottle.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_00: They fit in my cup holder and they have a twist top.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: I do not want a handle.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: I do not want a straw.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: I do not want something that's too big that can't fit in my cup holder.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: I like want to be able to slap that thing.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: Here it is, if you're watching the video, slap it under my arm and go about my day.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to worry about it spilling.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: I need a leader because if I get a 20-ounce one like I've had or a 24-ounce one like I've had, I refill it way too often and it's annoying.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: These are first world problems.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: I understand.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: But this is why I call it the unicorn water bottle.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: I have no interest in getting a Stanley water bottle.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want a handle, I don't want it to leak, and I don't want a straw.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I still use these water bottles.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: However, and this what this will go into tips on how to avoid EDCs or PPA and stuff like that.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um anytime this is exposed to heat, because that's what also affects plastic the most, is exposed to heat.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: Anytime this is left in my car on accident, which A, I never leave it in my car.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: But if I do, even for like 10 minutes to run into the store, I get a new one.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I order these via Amazon by boxes because they're cheaper.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I get them delivered every month on subscription.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I generally change out my water bottle every two days.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm not using the same one all the time, but you know, it's probably still not good for me.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: I could do better, right?
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: So that's where my advice is still with things.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: But if you have a reusable water bottle, that is one of the game changers on how to avoid BPA and how to avoid some of these other chemicals.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get into other ways on how you can make changes and avoid EDCs as much as possible.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: Number one might actually shock you because it's super easy, but wash your hands like we did in COVID, and what we all did in COVID is we washed our hands more.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: And this really helps because when you touch chemical residue on plastics on things, it will wash off.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: It does wash off.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: Just avoid, and here's another thing, avoid the highly fragrant soaps.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_00: And you may actually even want to avoid antibacterial soaps if you can, because these can damage the gut lining too when you're when you're um that was actually a thing in COVID, is so much hand sanitizer was being used, and then we're eating the hand sanitizer because we're touching food or we're we're touching our face or mouth or whatever.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then all of that antibacterial properties were getting into our gut lining and then killing off the good microbios, good micro microbials.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: Guys, I love podcasting.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: Have I told you this?
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: So avoid antimicrobial soaps.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: I personally, all throughout my house, I have the Myers like rain soap.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: So it's not antibacterial, but we're still washing things off, we're still cleaning.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, wash your hands more.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: Wash your hands, not just after the bathroom, but especially after the bathroom.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, dust and vacuum your house often.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: So flame retardant chemicals are found in like a lot of household things.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like mattresses are usually flame retardant, leather couches, like furniture that you buy, usually has a flame retardant coating on it.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: You can buy things without it, but most stuff comes with it because without it, which is funny, I'm like, you're you're not getting something added to it.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's more expensive because it's usually organic.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: But they're in a lot of household products or on a lot of household products.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so they can accumulate in your home by you know, dust and coming off of the furniture through touch and through wear and through use, and they they accumulate in our dust.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: So to prevent breathing those in, touching those, exposing yourself, make sure we are vacuuming and dusting often.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, if you do live in an older building, I think before 1970, something, especially in Florida, make sure there's no lead paint, make sure there's nothing lead anymore in it.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: That was a thing.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to be breathing in lead, but dust and vacuum often, and we should limit exposure there.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, no fragrances.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: I know, guys.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: They do make a lot of products now because the world is becoming more conscious of this issue that are phthalate-free.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: You can use essential oils.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: So, for example, candles.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: People love candles.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: If you're one of those people who run to Bath and Body Works for their candle sale or their Yankee candle or anything like that, stop.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_00: Stop it.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but they are the number one like horrible issue for EVCs and something you can change so, so, so easily.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: So if you do love candles, seek out a candle that's like a soy wax or some type of organic type of wax.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure it is scented with essential oils, not synthetic fragrance.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: Essential oils and it says phthalate fragrance.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: Another thing is make sure it has a non-lead wick.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to be burning lead and then smelling that and absorbing it in our body.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: So you don't have to give up candles, you just have to choose different ones.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: And no, they're not going to be sold by Bath and Body Works.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if you do your research, you can do all the candles you want.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely gonna have different scents, obviously, but you can also like spruce up your house with like fresh flowers or baking soda takes away nasty fragrances if you put like baking soda in your fridge.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: My mom always used to do that.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, why is there baking soda in the fridge?
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: And then now and behold, I know now that I'm older.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you can put something I do is put like lemon or lemon peel down the disposal and like grind it up so that it makes it smell like lemon.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: I've also boiled like peppermint or rosemary before to, and that makes the house smell.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: So there's different ways you can do fresh stuff without phthalates, but cleaning products, anything, lotions, kids' products, all of that stuff needs to be phthalate-free.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: So perfumes, they make some phthalate-free ones now.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: Or if you do use perfume, save it for a special occasion, not something you wear every single day.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: That might be hard.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: I know, but you'll thank yourself later when you start to feel better.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, plastics.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: Try and avoid plastic as much as possible.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: So getting a reusable water bottle and not using plastic water bottles, getting glass containers for our food instead of plastic Tupperware containers, especially if we're going to be microwaving them.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_00: We do not want to microwave plastic.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_00: We do not want to heat up plastic at all.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: So swap your plastic food containers for glass ones or stainless steel ones.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: I think they have stainless steel ones too.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but if you do keep a plastic one and you just want to store something in it, try not to do fattier foods as it kind of leaches.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe just some lean protein, some veggies, some carbs, and do not microwave them.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, plastic bags.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: They know they make instead of Ziploc now, they make these like silicone reusable baggies, which are pretty cool.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: They make uh this like beeswax cling wrap instead of plastic cling wrap now.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: So they do have alternatives now.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, they might be a little more expensive, but they're reusable.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe it'll like help over time, right?
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: You'll make that money back.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um choose like you know, even for kids, like cloth or wood or or different types of toys instead of a lot of plastic ones.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_00: So anytime you see plastic, just think of think of how much you're gonna be touching and exposing yourself to that.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, I know it's kind of impossible because even like shampoo and conditioner and plastic, right?
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_00: BPA free would be great to look at on labels as well.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: And then for steamed vegetables, like I'm even a bad, a bad uh person, not a bad person, but I have a bad habit of buying like frozen veggies and plastic, plastic frozen baggies, right?
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then throwing them in their microwave and heating them up.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: How much better is that than heating up plastic containers?
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's not.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: So now I've been buying the frozen veggies because I know they're organic and I know they're fresh, and I've been steaming them in my stainless steel pots.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_00: I have not been putting them in the microwave.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_00: So trying to do a little better on that as well.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, something else to avoid with food or items are canned items.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I know that canned foods can be like really, really convenient, but most cans are lined with BPA so that they don't like corrode.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's probably why they're self-shelf stable forever.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_00: So you can find products and and um companies that are BPA free.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: Their cans are BPA free, but just be cognizant of how much you're eating out of a can because canned foods are full of BPAs.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: And then obviously, I don't think we're sticking metal cans in the microwave, but don't heat up a can.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, we don't want to heat up BPA.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then as far as like what I was saying about the organic vegetables and being fresh, watch what you eat in regard to pesticides.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I know not everyone can afford organic.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: And organic doesn't necessarily mean there's not pesticides on it, but it usually means there's better pesticides on it and like no glyphosate, right?
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're wondering what type of foods you should absolutely buy organic, my rule of thumb, there's two.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_00: There's two rules.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: Number one is to check the dirty dozen and clean 15 lists.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: They're updated every single year.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: And what these are are lists of foods that are dirty, which means you absolutely should buy organic.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: And the clean 15s are the one that you don't have to buy organic.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's okay to buy conventional.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: So Google that list, it's updated every single year.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then my rule of thumb personally that I do if I don't have like the clean 15 or dirty dozen memorized, is if you eat the skin or the peel or the outside of the fruit or vegetable, buy organic.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: So apples, berries, um uh, you know, vegetables usually.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: I don't buy bananas organic because I don't eat the peel.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_00: I don't buy avocados organic because I don't eat the peel.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes, yes, the chemicals can leach in through the peel, but for the most part, you know, unless it's on the real dirty dozen list, I buy conventional for those items.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_00: So try to avoid pesticides as much as possible in your food choices.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, the organic frozen veggies, super easy, organic frozen fruits, super easy.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then I just steam those veggies in my pots instead of putting them in the microwave.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: Really easy.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, number seven, like a tip, another tip is to filter your tap water.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: So some of you might be listening to this in a place where you can drink the tap water and it's totally fine.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like when I was in Iceland, you could drink the tap water and it was awesome.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, damn, you can't do that in Florida.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I could also drink the tap water in Seattle, I believe, when I visited last year.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: But Florida tap water is disgusting.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: You want to filter out the chlorine, you want to filter out the fluoride, uh, you want to filter out dioxins and things like that.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_00: So get yourself a good filter, either an under-the-sink, you know, house filter, a fridge filter.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_00: I use a water drop filter, which is kind of like a Brita filter, but make sure you're filtering out your water.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_00: A Berkey filter is a great one.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, when I move again into a new place, I will invest in a stainless steel, probably Berkey filter.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_00: But for now, any type of filtering is better than tap water.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, number eight is to rethink the products you're using on your kids.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of kids' products are marketed to be smelly and colorful and fun and you know, synthetic.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the big thing, is they are synthetic and they are full of chemicals, which is the last thing you want for your children.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: So kids don't need like special lotion or um like bubble bath or whatever.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: So you can have them use the same products that you will use: phthalate-free, chemical-free, paraben-free, um, that won't interfere with their neurological symptoms, their hormones, anything like that when it comes to their development.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_00: So just be careful on what you're purchasing for your kids, even the diapers you're purchasing for your infants and your babies, all right?
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_00: Because a lot of them contain fragrances so that you don't smell the urine or smell the poop.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_00: Be careful and read the packages.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then last but not least, clean smarter.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_00: So using smarter cleaning chemicals.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: The easiest and greatest, safest household chemicals to use for cleaning are vinegar and baking soda, lemon, water.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_00: You can make your own concoctions using these items.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't want to like make your own cleaning supplies or you don't love the smell of vinegar either, right?
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: You can look at products like Seven Generations, Myers, Method.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_00: You can use the Yuca app.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: I think I've said this before, or I think there's another app called Think Dirty, something like that, where you can scan foods, you can scan products that you use, and it will give you a score and it will tell you what the chemicals and things are in those.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I personally have the Yuca app.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_00: I like it.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: If your product rate's terrible, it will give you an alternative that's even better.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_00: So that's super helpful because you're like, well, shit, now this is bad.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_00: What do I use?
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: You use that.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_00: So that is the end of my tips and kind of the end of this talk.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: I did want it to be, again, another quick digestible one, and I don't know how long I've been talking, but I really hope that this was informative for you guys.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so if you're dealing with any type of thyroid issue, metabolic issue, uh cardiovascular issue, PCOS, like anything like that, ADHD even, look around, write down all of the possible EDC exposures that you are getting, whether it's plastic water bottles, food containers, microwaving things, kids' toys, fragrances, candles, etc.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: See how many there are, and then see what you can change out almost immediately.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, I know that like the equate version versus the Myers version is probably one to two dollars more expensive in the store and money is tight, I get it.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_00: But down the line for your overall health, you are going to end up spending more on these diseases and illnesses than you are on the quick change of cleaning products or candles right now.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if it can ward off neurological diseases and it can ward off cancer and it can ward off metabolic issues, I think that's worth investing in the more expensive soap than just the$1,199 dial knockoff, right?
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_00: That's got all these like cucumber melon.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my God, that shows how old I am.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_00: Cucumber melon.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_00: By the way, all of us who grew up with all those scents back in the day, this is probably why we're having all these issues now, too.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_00: I used to be a Bath and Body Works chick as well and run in for those sales.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_00: So my my younger, my older self is screaming at my younger self right now.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have any questions about this episode, as always, please shoot me a message on Instagram at dr.wire dr.dwyer.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: Screenshot this, let me know you're listening, tag me, follow me.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if you guys could also give the podcast a rating or review, I would absolutely love it so more people could see it.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_00: I want to get this stuff out there and we are just gonna continue trucking on for these episodes.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you guys so much.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_00: Have an amazing week.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I almost forgot, big announcement launching on Monday, literally this Monday, 320, is our first, uh, well, our only evergreen group coaching option.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've ever looked into programs with Team BDN coaching, you know that we have one-on-one coaching.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_00: We do a six-week fat loss accountability challenge, and we've also had our master metabolism mentorship that we run twice a year.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_00: Well, now, because we know not everyone needs a one-on-one coach or can afford a one-on-one coach, or the timing of the NYM mentorships hasn't been ideal to your scenario.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_00: We are now opening up an evergreen group coaching option where you can come in, work with Team BDN, work with our coaches, work on how to eat, what to eat, building your day, programming, getting an exercise routine and just focusing on the things that matter that really cause results, but in a group setting where you can bounce ideas off of a ton of people.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_00: And it's gonna be freaking awesome.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: So that is launching on Monday to get early access to that and get an early access consultation call to make sure your results are streamlined and you're getting the best macros possible and the best plan for you possible instead of just filling out an application.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_00: Join the wait list.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to put the wait list into the show notes.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: And then if you do listen to this after Monday, 320, and you're interested in this, again, shoot me a DM or fill out our application that we have in the link in my bio on Instagram all the time, and we will chat with you and see if this program's a good fit.
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you guys again.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_00: Talk to you next week.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_00: Bye.