Tag: hormones

  • Ladies, it’s time for some toilet talk

    Ladies, it’s time for some toilet talk

    Ladies, it’s time for some toilet talk

    How hormones and stress affect our digestion

    While women generally have an easier time talking about our health than do our male counterparts, one area in which we lag behind is being open about our digestive issues. Many women have chronic digestive issues that come with us to work and impair productivity, while reducing overall quality of life at home. Feeling stigmatization about digestive issues is associated with decreased access to medical care and greater psychological distress.

    Digestive disease in women

    Common signs and symptoms of digestive dysfunction include:

    • nausea
    • vomiting
    • trouble swallowing
    • heartburn
    • acid reflux
    • burping
    • bloating
    • abdominal pain
    • gas
    • constipation
    • diarrhea

    Women are less likely than men to develop gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcers, colitis, and gastric cancer. Research shows that estrogen may have a protective role in the development of these particular conditions.

    Women, though, draw the short straw with a higher prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), celiac disease, and colon cancer than men. Women with IBS tend to experience more abdominal bloating, nausea, constipation, depression, and anxiety than do men with IBS. But some evidence suggests that IBS pain may improve after menopause.

    Your digestion on hormones

    Since there are receptors for estrogen and progesterone in the gastrointestinal tract, these reproductive hormones have a bearing on digestion.

    • For premenopausal women, the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle begins with the first day of menstrual flow and ends with ovulation. This phase is marked by high levels of estrogen. Research suggests that motility of the gastrointestinal organs is decreased among women during this time, which could contribute to constipation.
    • The luteal phase of the menstrual cycle begins with ovulation and ends with the onset of menstrual flow. In this phase, estrogen and progesterone levels are low. It’s common to experience loose stools during this phase.
    • During menstruation, diarrhea is the most commonly reported digestive symptom.
    • Pregnancy is supported by high progesterone, which tends to slow down gastrointestinal motility. This may contribute to pregnancy-related constipation, reflux, and biliary dysfunction.

    Food: Friend or foe?

    For most people, fiber-rich foods (oats, asparagus, legumes), and probiotic-rich foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, plain yogurt) are helpful for a happy tummy. But these very foods can sometimes aggravate digestive distress, and this is when it can be helpful to consider small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), FODMAP intolerance (FODMAPs are specific carbohydrate molecules in some foods), and food sensitivities as underlying contributors to your symptoms.

    Along with your health care practitioner, develop a diet plan that works for you. Supplements may also help, which should be taken with supervision. Examples that may help digestion include:

    • probiotics
    • fiber
    • psyllium
    • turmeric
    • peppermint
    • garlic
    • ginger
    • L-glutamine
    • licorice root

    Article courtesy of Alive Magazine

  • 7 Hormone Disruptors that are found EVERYWHERE

    7 Hormone Disruptors that are found EVERYWHERE

    chemicals, poisons, hormones

    There are many things we try to avoid to stay healthy. We try to cut out sugar, steer away from additives, and keep watch on our carb intake. But even with a clean diet, there are toxins that sneak in and wreak havoc on our more sensitive systems. Our hormones are fascinating–they control so many things in our bodies, but hormones are not to be trifled with. Chemicals can negatively effect our sensitive endocrine system. These substances can make your body chemicals overproduce one hormone while depleting another. They can imitate hormones and interfere with signals your bodies needs to perform certain functions.

    Here’s a list of 7 chemicals to watch out for:

     

    Atrazine:

    Atrazine is one of the most widely used herbicides in the U.S. and is found in 94% of the country’s drinking water. An estimated 7 million people were exposed to atrazine in their water between 1998 and 2003. Atrazine has been linked to breast tumors, delayed puberty, and prostate inflammation in animals. Some research has linked it to prostate cancer in people. Avoid Atrazine exposure by buying organic produce and filtering your drinking water.

    BPA:

    BPA is a synthetic estrogen that can disrupt your endocrine system–even in small amounts. It’s been linked to all kinds of issues including: infertility, breast and reproductive system cancer, obesity, diabetes, early puberty, behavioral changes in children and resistance to chemotherapy treatments. In the last few years, people have been more aware of choosing BPA-free products for their homes. Canned food is a source that is slowly becoming BPA-free, but you still have check the label. Avoid plastic containers, especially ones marked “PC” or “Recycling Label #7”. Don’t handle receipts, and never let children play with them. (cool fact— Basil Bandwagon Natural Market only use BPA-free receipts!)

    Dioxin:

    Dioxins are a group of chemically-related compounds that are persistent environmental pollutants (POPs). Dioxins are found all over the world but they tend to accumulate in the food chain, especially in the fatty tissue of animals. Recent research has shown that exposure to low levels of dioxin in the womb and early in life can both permanently affect sperm quality and lower the sperm count in men during their prime reproductive years. Dioxins can build up in the body and are powerful carcinogens. Products including meat, fish, milk, eggs, and butter are most likely to be contaminated. The best way to cut down your exposure is by limiting these products and making sure they are the best quality.

    Fire Retardants:

    They sound like something positive but the chemicals that are used in Fire Retardants have significant health implications.These chemicals are known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs and have been found to contaminate the bodies of people and wildlife all over the world. These chemicals can imitate thyroid hormones in our bodies and disrupt their activity. While several kinds of PBDEs have now been eradicated, it doesn’t mean they don’t exist anymore! PBDE’s are known for their persistence.
    Avoiding them can be difficult, but using a HEPA filter while vacuuming is a good start. Doing so cuts down on the exposure to dust from upholstery and other household products. Being active in making sure their are laws to reduce these chemicals is another way to decrease PBDE’s influence!

    Lead:

    Another well-known poison, lead, is especially harmful to children. Lead can cause symptoms too numerous to list here. These include permanent brain damage, hearing loss, miscarriage, premature birth, kidney damage and nervous system problems, etc. This might not be new information, but the effect on hormones is not discussed as much. Lead can disrupt the hormone signaling that controls the body’s major stress system (called the HPA axis). To lessen your lead exposure, make sure your house is well-maintained, watch our for old, crumbling paint, and use a water filter to remove it from drinking water.

    Organophosphate Pesticides:

    Neurotoxic organophosphate compounds were produced in World War II as chemical weapons–pretty scary stuff. After the war, these chemicals were used in experiments to create sophisticated pesticides. They are still in use today, even though there have been many studies that show their adverse effects on brain health, fertility, etc.. Organophosphate Pesticides lower testosterone and alter thyroid hormone levels. To avoid this one, buy organic produce and be sure to stay knowledgable on which fruits and vegetable bear the lightest load of pesticides.

    Phthalates:

    Our cells rely on hormone signals to perform all the functions we need to survive–surely you wouldn’t want anything near you that told your cells to die, right? Well, thats something that Phthalates can trigger. It can trigger cell death in testicular cells which leads to low sperm count, birth defects, obesity, etc. Like BPA, you can avoid Phthalates by staying away from plastic containers, plastic wrap made from PVC and personal care items that list added fragrances. Look for Phthalate-free products in containers and body products!

    Want more info? Check out EWG’s article on this very subject. It’s full of links and info and even a PDF to keep handy.