Striving4Zen

Yale researchers may have solved a fundamental medical mystery: how bisphenol A (BPA), a ubiquitous plastics component, changes genetic chemistry and impairs fertility.

The Yale team's findings, previewed earlier this month to the Endocrine Society, a 14,000-member scientific and medical professional organization devoted to hormone system research and treatment, have intensified scientists' concern that exposure BPA, a synthetic estrogen that disrupts the endocrine system, may have grave consequences for human reproduction.

In an interview, study co-author Hugh S. Taylor, M.D., professor and chief of the reproductive endocrinology section at Yale University School of Medicine, said his team injected pregnant mice with BPA for just one week. After those mice, and a control group, gave birth, the scientists found that the genetic chemistry of female offspring exposed to BPA in the womb had been irrevocably altered.

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Labels: BPA, endocrine system, hormones, infertility, synthetic growth hormone, toxic

The Obama administration is looking to restrict the use of antibiotics in livestock.

The principal deputy commissioner of food and drugs testified that feeding antibiotics to livestock to encourage rapid growth must stop, and that farmers should only be able to use the drugs with the supervision of a veterinarian. The reason behind this recommendation is that the rampant use of antibiotics has strongly influenced the development of bacteria immune to many treatments, rendering common antibiotics useless in fighting infections.

This point of view has long been accepted by the medical community. According to estimates by the Union of Concerned Scientists, chickens, pigs, and cattle receive 70% of antibiotics used in the United States. While the American Medical Association backs the proposed restriction, it is no surprise that meat producers are opposed to it.

Thanks Fit!

Labels: antibiotics, eating healthy, good news, hormones, meat, toxins

Conventional cattle ranchers and pig and chicken farmers routinely feed their animals a steady diet of antibiotics to prevent illness and help them grow fatter faster. But as consumers become more obsessed [or just aware] with what they eat, including an insatiable hunger for meat and chicken raised naturally, without drugs, more producers are promoting their products as antibiotic free.

But is there truth in advertising?

Even producers who have eliminated antibiotics may be using other bacteria-killing compounds in the anti-microbial family, which have a murky definition under the law. Although not all anti-microbials are defined as antibiotics by the Food and Drug Administration, their use opens up a minefield of issues.

Among them:

-- Anti-microbials are not listed on labels.

-- They work the same way as antibiotics.

-- Many people consider them to be harmful to the environment.

"The only way to know if a producer is using anti-microbials is to call the manufacturer and ask them," said Urvashi Rangan, a scientist for the nonprofit Consumers Union.

"A manufacturer doesn't have to list it on the label even if they're making an antibiotic-free claim. And as far as we're concerned, if you're using a drug to kill a parasite or a micro-organism and you're making a 'no antibiotics' claim, you're being misleading."

While scientists debate the pros and cons of using any bacteria-killing drug in food animals, most agree that the only difference between antibiotics and anti-microbials is purely one of semantics.

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Labels: antibiotics, eating healthy, hormones, meat, toxins

Peruvian research shows that Maca improves the function of neurotransmitters and increases libido, improves memory, and increases oxygen in the blood.

What is raw Maca powder?
Maca is a radish-like perennial that grows at high altitude in an environment of intense sunlight, high winds and freezing temperatures in the upper elevations of the Andes Mountains in Peru. Maca root was domesticated about 2000 years ago by the Incan culture who regarded the root as a very valuable commodity. Native Peruvians have traditionally utilized Maca since before the time of the Incas for both nutritional and medicinal purposes. Maca Root is an important staple in the diets of the people indigenous to the region since it has the highest nutritional value of any food crop grown there. The Root of the Maca plant is a true adaptogen with very positive and beneficial effects on the human body.

RAW MACA POWDER is HIGH OCTANE fuel for maximizing physical or emotional performance at home or on the job. Raise your daily vitality and sense of well being through the roof with this amazing superfood that restores and revitalizes our energy reserves by providing nourishment deep at the core of the body's endocrine system. This Amazing and potent Super-food is a gently dried and powdered raw organic root that tastes great can be used creatively in smoothies, deserts, drinks or straight into the mouth with a squirt of flax seed oil!

Partial list of benefits:
- Increase Physical Energy and Daily Stamina.
- Key Nutrients to Support Libido and Peak Sexual Functioning
- Helps Promote Physical and Emotional Well Being by Providing Key Nutrients for Hormonal Balance for Men and Women of All Ages
- Nutritional Support for Healthy Menopause Transition.
- Increase Mental Clarity and Focus

More about Maca

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Labels: Holistic Health, hormones, maca, maca root, natural health, natural products, neurotransmitters, Peru, superfoods

Yoplait, one of the largest yogurt manufacturers in the U.S., has announced that it will now only use milk products from cows that have not been treated with recombinant bovine growth hormone, or rbGH, reports Civil Eats. All of Yoplait's dairy products will be rbGH-free by August of this year. Yoplait says it's the first major yogurt manufacturer to go rbGH-free, though companies like Stonyfield, Nancy's, Cascade Fresh and Brown Cow have been using rbGH-free milk for years.

The use of rbGH has been linked to increased rates of infections in dairy cows, necessitating greater antibiotic use and furthering cycles of antibiotic-resistant disease. Some studies have shown that rbGH raises the level of a hormone called IGF-1 in cows's milk; higher than normal levels of IGF-1 in humans may raise the risk of breast cancer, though the link is far from clear.

Consumer demand has forced major grocery chains like Wal-Mart and Safeway to phase out the hormones in their own dairy products - some 70% of consumers say they are concerned about consuming synthetic growth hormones.

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Labels: antibiotics, Dairy, hormones, milk, rbGH, synthetic growth hormone, Yoplait

It's a hard reality for males of all species - pesticides and chemicals have put their genitals in jeopardy.

New research shows that the chemicals used in some food wrapping, cosmetics, baby powders and flame retardants have been identified as "endocrine disrupters" because they interfere with hormones.

These "gender-benders," as a new report calls them, can affect the male species in vertebrate animals, including baby human boys, who, when their mothers are exposed to widespread chemicals in pregnancy, are born with smaller penises and feminized genitals.

"This research shows that the basic male tool kit is under threat," says Gwynne Lyons, a former government adviser on the health effects of chemicals who wrote the report published by the charity CHEMTrust, which drew on more than 250 scientific studies from around the world.

Wildlife and people have been exposed to more than 100,000 new chemicals in recent years, and the European Commission has admitted that 99 percent of them are not adequately regulated.

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Labels: chemicals, hormones, pesticides, study, toxins

Yes. In fact, it's not surprising that dairy products are often the first foods shoppers buy when converting to organic. Frequently, parents find out about growth hormones in conventional dairy products — and they certainly don't want to expose their kids. Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH, aka rBST) has been associated with an increase in certain cancers, such as prostate, breast, lung, and colon. Although there isn't clear-cut proof that rBGH causes cancer, substantial evidence links rBGH with increased IGF-1, a hormone associated with higher cancer rates, says Martin Donahoe, MD, a member of Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility. Organic dairy is free of these hormones.

You might also buy organic dairy products to avoid antibiotics — which conventional cows are given prophylactically — and concentrated servings of chemicals originating from a dairy cow's diet. As with organic beef cattle, organic dairy cows are not allowed to eat feed that has been grown with pesticides. Many toxins — such as pesticides — are lipophilic, or “fat-loving,” so they accumulate in the animals' fatty tissues and are then released into their milk. Toxins can then pass into any products made from that milk, including butter, cheese, and yogurt.

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Labels: Dairy, hormones, organic, organic milk, pesticides, toxins

The belief that pizza, chocolate, and other teen-favored foods can cause acne has persisted for decades, even though most dermatologists maintain it’s a myth. But a new study suggests that some foods really do promote this scourge of young and old alike—only they’re not the usual suspects.

In a recent review of the dietary history of more than 47,000 women, it was “nature’s perfect food”—milk—that was linked to higher rates of teenage acne, not pizza and chocolate. The study found that those who drank more than three glasses a day as teens were 22% more likely to report severe acne than those who drank much less. The rate was even higher (44%) for women who had favored skim milk. (The researchers aren’t sure why skim milk would be more likely to cause pimples, but say that processing may cause certain problem components to become more active in the body.) They also found a link between acne and several other dairy foods, such as sherbet, cream cheese, and cottage cheese.

How does milk wreak havoc on your skin? The study authors think hormones may be the culprit. Most milk comes from pregnant cows, they say, which produce a laundry list of hormones that make it into their milk, including some that are known to trigger acne.

So what to do if you’re a pimply teen in need of calcium for healthy bones? You don’t need to swear off milk entirely, says Clement Adebamowo, study author and research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health; just get to know—and use—alternative sources of calcium. He also says the study found no connection between acne and yogurt and cheeses other than cottage and cream cheese. If you do cut back on dairy, be aware that it can take a few weeks for any improvement to show up.

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Labels: acne, Dairy, eating healthy, hormones, milk, skin care

So let's see if we've got this straight: the Monsanto company produces a synthetic growth hormone called Posilac, used by some dairy farmers, which juices cows to produce more milk.

Lots of people don't want this in their milk, for compelling reasons. Dairy farmers that do not use the recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) almost invariably state that on their milk carton labels. You, the consumer, get useful info. But since the FDA would not allow Monsanto to ban rBGH labelling nationally, the dirtbags have been going state-by-state to pass legislation that would ban the labelling.

They're now trying to do it in New York; they need to be stopped.

Source

Labels: fight back, hormones, milk, Monsanto

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals affect your hormones, which control development and function in your body. There is mounting evidence that they can cause harm in the development of fetuses and children, who are particularly sensitive to the chemicals because they have not yet developed the protective mechanisms present in adult bodies.Where are these man-made chemicals found?
Bovine growth hormones commonly added to commercial dairy
Soy foods, which are loaded with hormone-like substances
Bisphenol A, commonly used in many plastics such as baby bottles, food-storage containers, and the lining of soda cans
Phthalates, also commonly used in plastics
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) -- better known as Teflon Other environmental chemicals like PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of the pesticide DDT) may also be associated with early sexual development in girls. Both DDE and PCBs are known to mimic, or interfere with, sex hormones.Some misinformed moms are even feeding their vulnerable babies soy infant formula, which exposes their child to the equivalent of five birth control pills’ worth of estrogen every day. For this same reason, it’s also important for pregnant women to avoid eating soy, as a high estrogenic environment in utero may increase their child’s subsequent breast cancer risk. Remember that your children can be exposed to these chemicals directly, or they can be exposed while they’re still in the womb. So if you’re a woman who is planning to have children, it’s crucial that you limit your exposure to these chemicals as much as possible by:

Storing your food in glass containers whenever possible, as it is the most inert container you can use.
Only using natural cleaning products in your home. Most health food stores will have these available or you can search online for them.
Buying and eat, as much as possible, locally grown, organic foods that do not contain pesticides and added hormones.
Avoiding processed foods, which are loaded with soy and other unsavory ingredients.
Switching to natural brands of toiletries, including shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants, and cosmetics. Use the same sources as above for these, either your local health food store or you can search online.

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Labels: healthy living, Holistic Health, hormones, Mercola, puberty, toxins

Scientific studies have been piling up since '98 saying that bisphenol A (BPA) leaches out of polycarbonate water bottles—those popular Nalgene bottles—and that it can lead to "chromosomal aberrations," IN YOU, and, no, they're NOT the super spidey-strength kind.

So the time is NOW to switch to a safer alternative... (these are all aluminum free too, if that matters).

*We stole this title from these fine peeps. More recent studies are cited here.
According to several recent studies, polycarbonate plastic readily leaches a chemical called bisphenol-A (BPA) into foods and liquids that are stored in containers made from it. BPA has been identified as an endocrine disrupting chemical, or a chemical that easily mimics hormones when absorbed by the human body. In the case of BPA, the hormone being mimicked is estrogen. Exposure to this compound at the wrong time can cause a cell division problem called aneuploidy in which chromosomes do not evenly split as a cell divides, leaving the two resulting cells with more or fewer chromosomes than normal. This uneven distribution of genetic material can in turn lead to cancer, miscarriage, and birth defects that include Down's Syndrome.

Sigg Oval Bottles 0.6L $19.99 Stainless Steel replica of 1941 Swiss Army Canteen—has FDA approved epoxy phenol resin coating to cut down on any possible mineral leaching
Guyot Shorty 24oz $14.95 uncoated stainless steel—wide mouthed so it will still fit your nalgene accessories—water filter, etc.
Klean Kanteen 27oz $19.95 w/stainless steel loop cap—uncoated food-grade stainless w/stainless cap even!

Unfortunately, polycarbonate plastic bottles and containers are identified by the plastic recycling symbol #7, which is used for a wide variety of plastics and plastic mixtures that fall into the "Other category." Unless this #7 symbol is accompanied by the letters PC, there's no sure way to tell if the container in question is made from polycarbonate or some other kind.

To be safe, environmental advocates suggest simply avoiding #7 plastics altogether and opting for safer choices for food and beverage storage. These better options include polypropylene (#5 PP), high density polyethylene (#2 HDPE), and low density polyethylene (#4 LDPE). No evidence has been found to suggest that these plastics leach toxic materials. Scientists advise against the repeated use of plastic water bottles made from plastic type #1 PETE as there is evidence to suggest that such bottles leach a compound known as DEHA, which is classified by the EPA as a possible human carcinogen, as well as acetaldehyde, which has received the same designation from the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Labels: BPA, hormones, Nalgene, polycarbonate, water bottle