This information is meant to be informative.  It does not replace medical treatment.  If you have hormone concerns, consult your physician before changing your diet or lifestyle.  Many doctors offer extended hormone profiling through blood or urine tests.  If you are interested in booking an appointment with Dr. Acesta, fill out or contact form.


Anti-Hormone Diet and Lifestyle

Dietary and environmental exposures of synthetic and natural hormones may influence and cause imbalance of estrogen and other hormones in our body.  We have a much higher exposure than we think.

Dietary Recommendations

Avoid all meats and dairy.  If you MUST eat these, choose ORGANIC and FREE RANGE.  This goes for all forms of meat, eggs, and dairy products.  Various hormones that are given and injected into conventionally fed animals is stored in their musculature and fat.  By eating their musculature and fat (meat and dairy products) you are essentially supplying a low dose of unnecessary hormone exposure to yourself through your food.  Stop the input.  Buy better quality meats and dairy products.  Not to mention the horrific environmental catastrophe that the conventional cattle industry is creating…

Choose organic foods whenever possible.  Many pesticides have been found to stimulate estrogen receptors.  If you are opposed to buying everything organic (I don’t blame you, it can seem expensive), make sure to at least buy the produce off the “Dirty Dozen List” organic.

Eat cruciferous (cabbage) family vegetables including arugula, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and brussel sprouts. Cruciferous vegetables contain sulfur based plant compounds that encourage the breakdown and removal of estrogen and other hormones. Generally speaking, sulfur compounds help our liver in it’s detoxification pathways.

Limit exposure to sources of BisPhenol A (BPA), an estrogen stimulating compound found in canned goods, most hard plastic drinking bottles (including 5 gallon), soda cans, polycarbonate lined baking tins and pizza boxes.  In reality, it is best to AVOID ALL PLASTICS.

Decrease caffeine consumption from colas, coffee, chocolate, and tea.  Caffeine has been found to increase circulating hormone and estrogen levels.

Shift to a more plant-based diet.  Synthetic estrogenic chemicals (in the environment, such as PCBs and dioxin) accumulate in the fat of animal foods such as meat, milk, cheese and butter

Household Cleaners

• Alkylphenols, a class of synthetic estrogenic chemicals, are found widely in household cleaners.  
  
• Non toxic household cleaners can be found at health food stores or in the natural foods section of most local grocery stores
  
• Vinegar is an excellent cleaner.  You can add essential oils for a better smell.
  
• Baking soda can be used instead of bleach.
  

Laundry

• Dryer sheets and fabric softener often contain plastics that can cause hormone disruption. Try using lavender bags (available at Trader Joes), go without fabric softener entirely, or switch to using fabric softener and dryer sheets once every 4-5 dryer cycles (this improves the health if your dryer as well, as plastic coatings can build up in your pipes and clog the air circulation)
• Look for hypoallergenic laundry detergent. These are fragrance free and are formulated for sensitive skin. The term "fragrance", found in ingredient lists, is a neurotoxin and hormone disruptor. When we wash our clothes in these chemicals, there is a higher likelihood that we will absorb them through our skin while wearing our clothes (especially while sweating in them). 
  

Cosmetics

• Most perfume is made from "fragrance", which is a known neurotoxin, along with being a hormone disruptor.  Try switching to essential oils, natural body sprays without "fragrance", or natural lotions and oils (coconut oil, apricot kernel oil, etc). 
  
• Potentially estrogenic chemicals, such as phthalates, alkylphenols, and parabens (methyl and propylparaben) are widely used in hair and skin care products
  
• Go to www.ewg.org/skindeep (Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database) to find out how to reduce your exposure to hormone like substances in your cosmetics, foods and household cleaners. This is a very well made database, searchable by brand, product, or name and gives simple ratings (bad, ok, good).
  

Plastics

• Limit all exposure to plastic
  
• Avoid #3 polyvinyl chloride (PVC), #6 polystyrene/styrofoam, and #7 polycarbonate plastics.  These correspond to the numbers you see inside the recycling symbol on plastics. 
  
• Never microwave or reheat food in plastic containers or covered with plastic wrap. Instead use glass or ceramic containers.
  
• A clever way to remember the plastic numbering system is #2, 4, 5, keeps you alive, #3, 6, 7 sends you to heaven.  I can’t remember who I learned this from.  Most likely Dr. John Hibbs, the most amazing environmental health doctor, mentor, and teacher.  You can still find him teaching and practicing at Bastyr University's Natural Health Clinic in Seattle, WA.
  

To learn more:

• www.ewg.org (Environmental Working Group)
  
• www.breastcancerfund.org
  
• www.preventcancer.com
  
• www.ourstolenfuture.org
  
• www.safecosmetics.org
  
• www.naturalstandard.com
  
• http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/i3c/
  

Sources:

1. Gray J.  Environmental Risks and Breast Cancer. DVD from Vassar College in partnership with the Center for Environmental Oncology of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.  Poughkeepsie, NY. 2006.

2. Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Oregon State University.  Available at:  http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/. Accessed August 28, 2006.

3. Natural Standard Environmental Medicine

4. Vogel S.A. The Politics of Plastic: The Making and Unmaking of Bisphenol A “safety”. American Journal of Public Health. 2009. 3:S559-66

5. Shu X.O. et al. Soy Food Intake and Breast Cancer Survival. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2009. 22:2437-43