3 Simple Ways To Help Avoid Infertility And Eliminate Endocrine Disruptors From Your Life
Most Americans aren't even aware of the vast amounts of endocrine disruptors that we consume on a regular basis, which are known to cause infertility issues in some people. Dr. Jolene Brighten shares three simple ways you can eliminate these disruptors and avoid fertility problems.
Most of the world, including the US, is facing fertility issues that will certainly affect our future if things keep going in this direction. Global sperm counts have fallen 62% since 1973 and our country is barely at birth replacement rate. There are many different factors that could be contributing to this phenomenon, one of them being endocrine disruptors found in our food, cleaning supplies, clothing, makeup, etc. Dr. Jolene Brighten, board-certified naturopathic endocrinologist and hormone expert, urged women to take some simple steps to eliminate endocrine disruptors from their body in order to preserve their fertility.
3 Simple Ways To Help Avoid Infertility And Eliminate Endocrine Disruptors From Your Life
In her book Is This Normal, Dr. Brighten writes about the common endocrine disrupters that can contribute to a number of hormonal issues such as hypothyroidism, low libido, menstrual issues, and even infertility. The endocrine system is a system of glands and organs that use hormones to coordinate and regulate your body's energy production, fertility, metabolism, and response to stress and mood. The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that works closely with the endocrine system. Unfortunately, there are many disruptors in our day-to-day life that negatively affect our endocrine system, which in turns affects our metabolism, fertility, mood, etc.
Dr. Brighten shared some of the things she tells her patients to avoid as a starting point because things can get really overwhelming when you start to look into all the endocrine disruptors in our environment. You don't have to overcomplicate it, though.
First of all, stop eating and drinking out of plastic. "Drink only out of glass," she urged, whether it's water, coffee, tea, etc. Secondly, toss away anything with fragrance in it. If it's meant to "transform the smell" of your bathroom, car, house, clothes, it's an endocrine disruptor. "Get rid of it," Dr. Brighten said. "If it's in your hair product, gone... because those chemicals are disruptive to your hormones." You probably have some air fresheners or candles or laundry detergent lying around in your house that you can chuck.
"Number three is, drink your water, eat your fiber, move your body, breathe deep, do your dry skin brushing," Dr. Brighten said. She wants you to support the functions in your body that move out waste. Your body is an efficient system that is good at detoxing, as long as you give it the tools it needs to do so. She also recommends eating nutritious foods that "support liver detox pathways." Think high-quality animal products and fresh, organic fruits and veggies.
"Drinking plenty of water," she writes in the caption. "A general aim is half your body weight in ounces. Don’t forget your minerals!" You should be drinking filtered water (not tap water!) that has been remineralized, which can simply be done by adding some sea salt to your water bottle.
These are simply a start. Dr. Brighten says there is a lot more that can be done to preserve your fertility and avoid endocrine-disrupting things in your life, but if you start with these factors, you can build from there. Other things to add to your list would be to get plenty of direct sunlight, which will help regulate your hormones and boost your mood, and use an infrared sauna whenever you can, as this will speed up the process of eliminating toxins.