Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC)

EDCs enter your body in three ways: inhalation through your nose, ingestion through eating, or skin uptake (absorption through the skin). Here's how you can limit your exposure:

• Check your makeup and personal care products — choose all-natural products and toss out any that contain man-made, synthetic chemicals.
• Make sure the rest of your personal care products are free of synthetic fragrance.
• Buy organic. Follow the "Dirty Dozen" concept. That means the following fruits and vegetables should always be purchased organic: Peaches and nectarines, blueberries, apples, grapes, cherries, strawberries, celery, bell peppers, spinach, kale and collard greens, and potatoes.
• Drink purified water.
• Use natural cleaning products. You can't beat vinegar and baking soda for most cleanup needs.
• Eat whole foods — nothing that's processed or laced with preservatives.
• Make smart seafood choices and go for low-mercury fish (like sardines).
• Buy VOC-free for your house when possible (VOC = volatile organic compounds). Whether you're buying new kitchen cabinets, a new mattress, or new flooring, purchase natural products if feasible.
• Start a kitchen garden and grow your own herbs (or buy organic herbs).
• Take off your shoes when you go in your house — and ask guests to do the same. This limits the amount of pesticides tracked into your home.
• Quit using insecticides and rodent poisons. Find a natural way to eliminate pests.
• Buy grass-fed meat. As a bonus, it tends to be leaner than meat from animals raised on grain.
• Cook with cast-iron cookware or stainless steel pots and pans. Avoid Teflon at all costs. 

    And here's how you can work to get rid of EDCs already in your system:

• Detox regularly. www.fatbgone.org
• Take turmeric supplements. They've been shown to help filter chemicals like BPA out of your body.
• Eat plenty of fiber to ensure you have a minimum of one bowel movement a day.
• Take probiotics, or add kefir to your diet, to help your gut escort toxins through your body and out of it.
• Drink water: number of ounces should be equal to half your body weight in pounds. For example, if you weigh 150, drink 75 ounces of water (vs. the 64 ounces or 8 cups you sometimes hear about). This helps push toxins through your system.
• Appropriate levels of calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and iodine in your diet can help decrease toxin absorption.

 Overcome this worldwide health failure

    The scariest thing about it all is that we don't know the true extent of the chemical risks we face. There are still significant knowledge gaps when it comes to EDCs and endocrine-based diseases. Right now, there's a strong association between EDC exposure and endometrial and ovarian cancer, but health policy makers are waiting for "proof."

    There's a worldwide failure when it comes to addressing these health concerns. Even if we did know more, our current healthcare system isn't capable of managing these risks and dealing with these disorders, and won't be any time soon.

    So while we wait for the government to reduce exposure through bans and restrictions (don't hold your breath), the best we can do is independently limit exposure and detox regularly. I'll add to the tips above in the coming months.