Xenoestrogens: A Culprit of Hormone Imbalance! The Warning Signs You Are in A State of Imbalance.

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We all know that the natural hormone estrogen is found in both men and women and plays an important role in maintaining proper health.  When the estrogen hormone is in a symbiotic state, many great things happen in the human body.  Strong bones grow, blood clots effectively, proteins synthesize, HDL (the good cholesterol) rises, LDL (the bad cholesterol) decreases, and it is also found to play an important role in a woman’s mental health.

Xenoestrogens.  What are they?

Enter into the equation the xenohormones, more specifically xenoestrogens.  Although the name sounds like it could be describing a band of warrior princess hormones (a xena reference for all you 90s kids out there) that you would expect to be battling the forces of evil in the health world, this group of hormones is nowhere near achieving this great acclaim!  In fact, these are a group of chemical hormones that are found everywhere and are creating a dangerous state of estrogen dominance in many people!

Where are Xenoestrogens are found?

Some of the more common places and products that contain xenoestrogens include:

  • 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), Benzophenone (both found in sunscreen lotions)
  • Parabens, BHA (different types of chemicals found in preservatives in food)
  • Bisphenol A(BPA – toxins found in plastics)
  • Polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs)(flame retardants used in plastics, foams, building materials, electronics, furnishings, motor vehicles).
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
  • Erythrosine / FD&C Red No. 3
  • Atrazine (weed killer)
  • Insecticides
  • Nonylphenol and derivatives (industrial surfactants; emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization; laboratory detergents; pesticides)

What role do these chemical hormones play in the body?

With the natural estrogen in the body already in balance, adding the chemical hormone xenoestrogen (which biochemically imitates estrogen) creates an overabundance of estrogen resulting in a condition called estrogen dominance.  The extra estrogen is not broken down by the body and is stored in fat cells.  The Journal of the National Cancer Institute has published a study recently proving the link between elevated estrogen hormones and breast cancer.  So it is imperative that you are able to identify if you, or someone you know is in a state of estrogen dominance and what can be done to help restore the natural hormone balance in the body.

Warning Signs of Estrogen Dominance

No matter what the cause is of your increased estrogen in your body, identifying the signs of estrogen dominance and taking action to balance out your natural hormones is an important step in your overall health.

According to Dr. Christiane Northrop, signs to watch for when wondering if you have an imbalance of hormones include:

Decreased sex drive

Irregular or otherwise abnormal menstrual periods

Bloating (water retention)

Breast swelling and tenderness

Fibrocystic breasts

Headaches (especially premenstrually)

Mood swings (most often irritability and depression)

Weight and/or fat gain (particularly around the abdomen and hips)

Cold hands and feet (a symptom of thyroid dysfunction)

Hair loss

Thyroid dysfunction

Sluggish metabolism

Foggy thinking, memory loss

Fatigue

Trouble sleeping/insomnia

PMS

How to treat Estrogen Dominance

The only solution to estrogen dominance is to balance out your hormones to a naturally symbiotic state.  Although this may happen without any intervention from you, it takes years of suffering the estrogen dominance side effects before your body can regulate itself without your help.  Although you could spend a lot of hours doing research, trying out many different diets and supplements to figure out which ones are effective to jump start your hormones into balance, a great place to start for advice, support,  suggestions and the steps needed to detox your body and return your mind, body and soul back to it’s healthy, strong state is http://thesupermandiet.com/detox

If you think you are suffering from estrogen dominance please check out these sites for support – you don’t have to suffer alone.  If you think a friend or loved one may have some of these symptoms, please share it with them.  If they are like most people who have estrogen dominance, they may not even know it.  They will thank you in the long run!

Sources for this article include:

http://thesupermandiet.com/detox

http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/104/4/326.abstract?sid=dfc20252-9b18-4154-97da-b3bbbc286741

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702765/

http://www.drugwatch.com/mirena/lawsuit/

http://www.drnorthrup.com/estrogen-dominance/#sthash.Xe6s5L6o.dpuf

Alexander Bloom