Toxins surround us–in the air we breathe, in the food we eat, in the products we use on our skin and in our houses. It is difficult to completely avoid chemical toxins. We live in a world full of toxins and chronic stress (which is a toxin) that do many things to our body. One of the most under recognized things that toxins do is disrupt our endocrine system. The endocrine system is made up of the different glands (that produce the hormones) as well as the multitude of hormones that are produced.
Hormones are simply chemical messengers that allow our different cells to communicate with each other. Hormones attach to the different cells through highly specific receptors and create a reaction in that cell that is specific for that hormone. Certain toxins can unfortunately mimic some of our hormones and disrupt our hormonal balance. These toxins come from so many sources that it is almost impossible to escape being exposed to them.
When you realize that stress also affects our hormone imbalance and you combine that with the numerous toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis, it is easy to see why most people require bioidentical hormones in order to balance out the equation. Our endocrine system is overloaded and can not keep us in balance without outside help. However, even if you are utilizing bio-identical hormones it is important to address your toxin exposure as this will help to minimize your risk for chronic disease, including cancer, etc. Toxins affect more than just your endocrine system.
Minimizing toxin exposure is often forgotten and I wanted to bring your awareness to its importance. Be aware that toxins can affect your health in many different ways–disrupting your hormones is just one of them. If you have a toxin overload there is also chelation available. Chelation involves either oral or IV therapy. Chelating agents bind to certain toxic chemicals that are stored in your body and allows your body to eliminate them. Chelation is a customized therapy and is done under close supervision.
Always keep in mind that there are many things that must be addressed in order to achieve optimal health and vitality: Hormone balancing, proper supplementation, exercise, adequate sleep, a healthy diet, healthy drink habits, mind set, and avoiding/minimizing toxin exposure. Each piece is important and affects each of the other pieces. Keep working on each piece a little bit each day.