In this week's pillar of health, we delve into issues facing women - and men - in our modern environment. We covered how surprising everyday household items could be damaging our health. But we haven't explained exactly what happens in our bodies as a result of chemical exposure and toxic load.

A big issue for many of us is weight management. But the problem isn’t what we’ve been led to believe. In my essential health and wellness seminars I say that when it comes to weight loss only about 30% of the puzzle is attributable to the calories we eat. The rest? Hormones.

So what hormones are most at play when it comes to keeping us happy, healthy and functioning optimally? In today’s blog I’m going to talk about oestrogen.

Oestrogen is a hormone that both men and women have, although it is more commonly a hormone that is imbalanced in women.

Oestrogen dominance is a term used to describe a condition where a person can have deficient, normal or excessive oestrogen, but has little or no counterbalancing hormone to mitigate its effect in the body.

It’s a condition that we are seeing hugely amongst patients at the BePure Clinics. Many factors such as stress, our food choices, exposure to toxins and the state of our organ function affect our hormones.

What causes Oestrogen Dominance?

The problem is largely environmental. In our environment we have oestrogen-mimicking chemicals we are exposed to, and our body is less able to deal with oestrogen. These mimic-estrogens are called xenoestrogens.

They’re found in PCB’s - man made chemical compounds - such as BPA in plastic water bottles, parabens and phylates in skincare products, makeup and sunscreen.

This is a problem because these xenoestrogens sit on oestrogen receptor sites in the body and create an excess of oestrogen in relation to our other hormones.

Normally our bodies would process this extra oestrogen through our liver. But because of nutrition choices, stress and liver-loaders such as alcohol and caffeine, our liver function is often compromised and we struggle to clear it.

8 signs of Oestrogen Dominance

In Men;

1. “Man boobs” - softer tissue or inflammation around your chest and armpits which give the appearance of breasts.

2. Increased body fat in the upper chest and obliques.

3. Longterm associated risk of prostate cancer. If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, it is likely you are also Oestrogen dominant.

In Women;

4. Early onset of puberty is a sign of hormone imbalance. Puberty is happening earlier due to all the xenoestrogens in our environment. We are also seeing heavy periods in girls aged 13/14.

5. Use of hormonal birth control to assist with heavy menses. Subsequently this masks the symptoms of the heavy period and women coming off the pill in their late twenties to start a family are presenting with endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

6. Infertility

7. Weight gain, especially around the hips and stomach

8. Increased PMS

Tips for dealing with Oestrogen Dominance

Lifestyle

Avoid all plastic bottles and containers with food and water.  Plastics contain petrochemical molecules such as PCB’s and dioxins. This will drastically reduce your exposure to xenoestrogens.

Here’s a few sources of plastic you might not have thought about

• Tinned food – most tins these days are lined with plastic
• Non-stick frying pans – teflon is a plastic.  
• Box wine – has a plastic bladder which breaks down from the acidity of wine.  
• Plastic kettles… gets you thinking doesn't it?

Our blog on 10 Tips to Low-Tox Your Life has some great tips for swapping to healthier, low toxin options. 

Food

Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables.  These are vegetables like broccoli sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, collard greens, radish, bok choy, brussel sprouts and watercress.  These support the liver and are especially rich in di-indolylmethane (DIM), which help mop up excess oestrogens.  Try and eat some of these foods at least once a day.

Eat spray free produce, as many pesticides and herbicides are oestrogenic. Again meaning they mimic oestrogen in the body.  This is why they are so highly associated with increases in breast cancer, as the breast tissue is highly sensitive to hormone levels. Grow your own where possible.

Reduce or eliminate soy from your diet as they are also oestrogenic. If you still want to consume soy products, choose fermented soy such as miso, tempeh, tamari sauce or natto.

Reduce liver-loaders such as caffeine and alcohol to help clear excess oestrogen through your liver.

Nutritional support

Our liver has the capacity to detox all known toxins to man, however it does require adequate nutrient levels to do this. 

Adding high-quality multi-vitamin nutritional support to your daily routine helps this. As explained in our blog Are You Lacking Essential Nutrients? because of deficiencies in our soil, even healthy a healthy diet can still leave us lacking in vital nutrients. BePure One contains a range of essential nutrients to help detox from xenoestrogens. It contains broccoli sprouts in high quantities as well as nutrients to support optimal liver function.

If you have questions or would like more information on this topic, email us at  info@bepure.co.nz.

Ben Warren presents
'The Hormone Secret'   

Have stubborn weight that just won't budge, energy slumps, painful PMS or menopause issues? Join Ben Warren as he shares the secret role hormones play in your health, why our modern world is working against healthy female hormones and how to naturally heal your hormones and bring them back to balance. This is information every woman needs to know. Learn more and register here.