You’ve now been fueling your body with healthy, hormone-fixing, and pH-balancing foods for more than a month. You should be feeling lighter and more energetic, and your perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms should have greatly dissipated. My dearest hope is that your success with this new way of eating will motivate you to keep it up—making Keto-Green eating your way of eating for the foreseeable future.
Remember I said earlier that 75 percent of fixing your hormones has to do with lifestyle changes? That is where we are headed now—lifestyle corrections that will balance your hormones, restore your energy and sensuality, and rejuvenate your body.
Environmental issues can cause hormonal imbalance too—not just exacerbating your perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms but also putting you at higher risks of gynecological diseases (endometriosis, ovarian cysts, infertility, uterine fibroids, cervical dysplasia, fibrocystic breasts, and breast cancer, among others). I’ve also seen increases in conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and thyroid problems, which affect mostly women.
The unfortunate truth is that between the time you leave your house in the morning and when you go to bed at night, you’re exposed to hundreds of toxins that can cause hormone havoc, neurological disorders, cancer, and more.
The exposure may start the minute you wake up and jump in the shower. If you have a plastic shower curtain, it contains chemicals that can mess with your hormones.
Oh, and the average shampoo has more than fifteen chemicals in it, many of which disrupt our natural hormones. Antiperspirant packs in more than thirty chemicals. The most injurious is aluminum, which can cause free radical damage to brain cells. After you shower and apply makeup and skin creams, you have already exposed your body to nearly a hundred chemicals.
Commuting to work? Tiny particles from vehicle fumes and other airborne pollutants can trigger respiratory ailments, like pneumonia and asthma, and cause brain inflammation.
In your office, you might be exposed to formaldehyde, which lurks in carpets and furniture made of particleboard. Formaldehyde can irritate your skin and lungs, instigating rashes or aggravating asthma.
Tuna salad for lunch? If it’s made with canned white albacore tuna, it may be high in mercury, one of the most toxic substances on earth. That Georgia peach you packed for lunch may be coated with pesticide residues unless it was organically grown.
If you picked up your dry cleaning after work, you’ve come into contact with perchloroethylene, a chemical widely used in dry-cleaning solution that causes memory loss in humans.
If you need to do a little housework, be aware that many household cleaners are full of strong chemicals—so make sure there’s plenty of fresh air circulating while you tidy up.
Overwhelming, isn’t it? Over the last hundred years, more than seventy-five thousand types of chemicals have been released into our environment. The majority of these chemicals have never been studied for their cumulative effects on our health and on our children’s health.
Use an organic-fiber shower curtain instead of plastic.
Avoid deodorants that contain aluminum. In fact, try making your own deodorant using coconut oil, baking soda, and a little peppermint essential oil.
If you drive, make sure there’s plenty of space between you and other cars; their emissions can get inside your car and accumulate. Or take a less congested route to avoid vehicular pollution. Walking a lot in a city? Stand far from the curb to avoid bus and car fumes.
If you work in an office where the carpeting or furniture is new, open the windows and door to encourage good ventilation. Demand a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. It traps indoor air pollutants such as mold spores, dust, and pollen. Also, decorate your office with houseplants because they help remove toxins from indoor air.
Tear off plastic covers and air out dry-cleaned items before hanging them in your closet.
Pick up natural cleaners at a health-food store; they’re likely to be toxin-free. Better yet, try white vinegar. It’s a simple and inexpensive all-purpose cleaner.
For more toxin-free, natural self-care products, go to the Resources section at the back of this book, or to my website: dranna.com/resources.
In a study spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group in collaboration with Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories found a total of 287 chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from ten babies born in August and September 2004 in U.S. hospitals. Of those 287 chemicals, it is known that 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests. The dangers of pre- or postnatal exposure to this complex mixture of carcinogens, developmental toxins, and neurotoxins have never been studied.
What we do know is that many chemicals and pollutants are hormone disruptors. Technically, a hormone disruptor is any substance that alters or mimics normal hormone levels or function in the body. Many man-made chemicals, for example, can upset the normal activity of estrogens, androgens, thyroid, and other hormones. They latch on to hormone receptors on cells and activate them, blocking normal hormonal action or interfering with proteins that regulate the activity of hormones. They are hard for the body to break down and eliminate. Sadly, our bodies are becoming inundated with them. Further, they invade your neuroendocrine system, where they can cause estrogen dominance, reduced libido, sexual dysfunction, mood swings, inflammation, immune disorders, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and more.
So what should we do about these toxins? Well, we can’t force giant chemical companies to stop making them, but we can try to vote with our dollars by doing our very best to stop buying plastics, drugs, and chemicals, and we can take personal action to clean up our bodies. It can be done.
A patient of mine named Christy is proof. She came to me six years after having been aggressively treated with chemotherapy, radiation, and bilateral mastectomy for a very serious form of breast cancer diagnosed at age thirty-nine.
Now forty-five, Christy was really struggling. She was moody, felt fatigued, and complained of hot flashes that were relentless and a persistent brain fog. All of her hormones were low, especially vitamin D. Her body was not properly detoxifying estrogen, and she had very low levels of omega-3 fats. There was a lot of inflammation going on in her body, and heavy metal testing showed that she had toxic lead exposure.
In talking with Christy I learned that her exposure over the years to noxious chemicals had been intense. As a child, Christy had been on antibiotics for long stretches of time due to upper respiratory illnesses. So here was my first clue. Antibiotics can cause gut bacteria imbalances that can last for years because they destroy not just the bad bacteria but the good bacteria too, which is our first line of defense and supports a healthy immune system and healthy estrogen detoxification.
Christy also grew up in a farming community where crops were heavily sprayed with pesticides, which are known hormone disruptors. As a young adult, she worked in a factory that had a lot of formaldehyde in and on the premises. I learned she had had severe gastrointestinal symptoms and irritable bowel syndrome the entire time she was employed there. Additionally, she had been on birth control pills for many years. Birth control pills do cause hormone disruption. They contain synthetic progestins and utilize the body’s natural minerals and B vitamins for metabolism, further disrupting gut microbes and bringing on hormone havoc.
I can’t ever know for sure if any or all of these factors contributed to Christy’s cancer diagnosis at such a young age, but I didn’t want to wait another day to help her detoxify and get healthy again.
Together, Christy and I worked on improving her estrogen metabolism through detoxification, nutrition, supplementation, and reduced exposure to environmental toxins. Supplements that I added were diindolylmethane (DIM, a compound found in cruciferous vegetables and used for hormone balance), vitamins E, C, and D, omega-3s, methylated B vitamins, Mighty Maca Plus (my green superfood drink), a detoxification support supplement, and ultra-low-dose bioidentical hormone therapy that included estriol, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA.
After going Keto-Green for a month, Christy reported feeling “Ninety percent better!” Today she is in her midfifties and doing beautifully—no recurrence of breast cancer, thank God. I share her powerful story to let you know that we have a lot of control over hormone disruptors and other toxins and the quality of our lives. Like Christy, you can be empowered to heal and to live your best quality of life. As she puts it, “There is no better investment than your health.”
As my emphasis throughout this book has certainly made clear, investing in your health starts with your food! Shopping and eating the Keto-Green way will ensure that you steer clear of the toxic chemicals too often used in food production, but here is a rundown of other strategies for protecting yourself against toxins and chemicals in your food supply.
Buy organic fruits and vegetables grown without pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizer, or hormones. If you buy conventional produce, familiarize yourself with the Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen, put together by the Environmental Working Group. (See the latest list in the following box.)
Purchase organic, free-range, grass-fed, hormone-free meats, eggs, and other animal products.
Eat fish low in mercury, including sardines, anchovies, and wild-caught salmon. Most other seafood fits this bill, but there are exceptions: albacore tuna, swordfish, shark, king mackerel, red snapper, orange roughy, moonfish, bass, marlin, and trout. If you eat any of these fish, limit your servings to once a week.
Visit the Environmental Working Group’s website, ewg.org, for a list of foods lowest in pesticides and fish lowest in mercury.
Grilling your meat on high heat, to the point where you cause charring, releases heterocyclic amines (HCAs). High intake levels are linked to an increased risk of pancreatic, colorectal, and stomach cancer. Marinating the meat and cooking it at medium or low temperatures will drastically cut HCA formation. So will serving your meat with a side of cabbage, which limits the creation of these chemicals by 17 to 20 percent, says a 2014 study published in Food Chemistry.
As I explained in Chapter 4, emphasize the cruciferous family of veggies (broccoli, broccoli sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, and so forth), as well as garlic, onions, and leeks. These foods enhance detoxification due to their high content of the sulfur-containing amino acids cysteine and methionine. They also contain the antioxidants DIM and indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which play a part in fighting off certain cancer-causing substances in the body. Their extra fiber helps escort pseudo-estrogens from the body.
Stay alkaline. Eat more vegetables that are high in alkalizing minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Avocados, unsweetened cocoa powder, and dried herbs such as dill, basil, oregano, turmeric, and saffron are rich in potassium (forgo the bananas and the beans because they’re high in starch). Green leafy vegetables are packed with magnesium, methylators, and more. Broccoli, sea vegetables, and collard greens are high in calcium. Don’t forget your bone or alkaline broth for a mineral boost. An alkaline diet helps greatly to remove toxins, reduce inflammation, and enhance overall health and energy.
Drink more fluids, especially water. Staying well hydrated daily flushes toxins from your body. Filtered water is best. You may have heard about the catastrophic contamination of the water supply in Flint, Michigan, which had increased levels of lead in the drinking water. This was a result of improper water treatment and water pipe corrosion. High lead is known to increase mental illness, ADD, irrational behavior, and anger, and children are especially vulnerable. Not coincidentally, Flint has been one of the most violent cities in the United States. Certainly toxins play a role in this. I feel strongly that physiology guides behavior. Bottom line: filter your water!
Get sweaty. Perspiration—a mix of water, salt, and waste—is a natural detoxifying system. So exercise at high intensity (I like hot yoga for detoxifying) or sit in a steam room or sauna. Infrared saunas are particularly helpful because they have been shown in studies to do an excellent job of releasing toxins from the body. See the Resources section for more information on detoxifying products.
According to the Environmental Working Group, these foods are heavily sprayed with pesticides and have pesticide residues on them. It is best to purchase organic versions of these fruits and vegetables.
1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Nectarines
4. Apples
5. Grapes
6. Peaches
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Tomatoes
10. Celery
11. Potatoes
12. Bell peppers
Although organic produce is best, it is safe to purchase conventionally grown versions of these fruits and vegetables, as these foods have very little pesticide residue on them or in them. Still, wash thoroughly.
1. Avocados
2. Sweet corn
3. Pineapples
4. Cabbages
5. Onions
6. Sweet peas
7. Papayas
8. Asparagus
9. Mangoes
10. Eggplant
11. Honeydew melon
12. Kiwi
13. Cantaloupe
14. Cauliflower*
15. Broccoli*
* I still prefer that you always buy organic versions of these two vegetables because of their detoxifying powers, breast-cancer-protective qualities, and nutrient density.
Above and beyond the general guidelines above, here is my advice for reducing your exposure to pesticides, chemicals, and other toxins in your environment and food supply.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are created in labs, using a cut-and-paste procedure for altering DNA. Genetic engineers take genes from one living thing (say, a bacterium) and insert them into the DNA of another living thing (for example, a type of corn) to endow it with new traits (such as pest resistance).
Today, genetically modified ingredients are found in at least 75 percent of all non-organic U.S. processed foods, including in many products labeled as “natural” or “all natural.” But are they good for us? Our government says GMOs are no biggie, yet the European Union, Australia, and Japan have restricted or banned them. Based on animal research, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM), an international organization of physicians, has stated that there are serious health problems linked to eating genetically modified foods, such as infertility, immune system problems, accelerated aging, insulin problems, cholesterol regulation, gut problems, and organ damage.
Choose organic food. This is an easy way to steer clear of GMOs and suspected and unsuspected risks that may come with them. Organic farmers are not allowed to plant genetically modified seeds.
Buy local. Small farmers often employ organic practices, including shunning GMOs.
Stay away from packaged foods as much as possible, and avoid vegetable oils like soybean and canola oils—most of which are made from genetically modified crops. Most unprocessed whole foods are GMO-free. And the fact that whole foods are good for you is, happily, not up for debate.
If you buy any packaged or processed foods, look for a Non-GMO Project Verified label, which means the product has undergone a rigorous review and testing process.
When eating out, understand that Mexican cuisine (which uses lots of corn) and Asian cuisine (which uses lots of soy) tend to have a lot of genetically modified ingredients. By contrast, Greek, Italian, and Middle Eastern restaurants most likely use 100 percent olive oil and are thus much better choices for avoiding GMO meals. Find out what a restaurant uses; ask the server before you order!
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in plastics used to make compact discs, plastic bottles, the lining of metal food cans, and dental sealants. It leaches out of plastics into food and the environment. BPA stimulates estrogen receptors and has been linked to breast cancer.
Phthalates are added to plastic products to make them strong, yet soft and pliable. They are also used in carpet backing, paints, glues, insect repellants, hair spray, and nail polish. Phthalates are hormone disruptors and can suppress ovulation and normal estrogen production, cause premature breast development in young girls, and contribute to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to many studies performed over the last ten to fifteen years.
Avoid plastic products whenever you can. If you do purchase something packaged in plastic, transfer it to a glass container.
Store your food in glass or ceramic containers, rather than in plastic.
Do not heat or microwave food in plastic containers or with plastic wrap over the top. (Another reason to avoid microwaves as much as possible: they can decrease the antioxidant content of foods.)
Buy your condiments in glass containers instead of plastic.
If you buy canned food, look for “BPA-free” on labels.
Use an organic-fiber shower curtain instead of plastic.
Use cloth bags for carrying home groceries instead of plastic bags.
Avoid water, soft drinks, and baby formula sold in polycarbonate (clear plastic) bottles. If possible, use only glass bottles.
Know your local farmers and what they use on their produce. Try growing your own; a lot can be grown in small areas and planters.
Ask for your receipt to be emailed instead of printed. Printed receipts contain toxins (BPA), so it’s best not to handle them.
Forgo plastic straws and remove plastic lids from that to-go coffee, or use a reusable stainless steel cup or mug.
Dioxins are a by-product from the production of chlorine-containing products like pesticides, wood preservatives, and the bleaching of paper. They can linger in the environment for years and pile up in the food chain. They diminish thyroid hormones and testosterone, and mimic estrogen in the body. They are also linked to endometriosis as well as to increased rates of stillbirth.
Eat thyroid-protective foods such as natural iodine-containing foods, including sea vegetables (nori, hijiki, dulse, and kelp) and low-carb kelp noodles. Enjoy a wide variety of low-mercury fish a few times a week. My other favorite thyroid-supporting foods are oysters and Brazil nuts. I highly recommend two Brazil nuts daily, which will provide approximately 200 micrograms of selenium, a mineral that supports the thyroid, brain, and metabolism.
Ease off your use of bleached paper products. Unbleached coffee filters, for example, are available from several companies, as are reusable filters.
Choose earth-friendly clothes made of natural fibers for your wardrobe.
Avoid bedding and clothes treated with flame retardants.
When remodeling, avoid vinyl flooring. It may release harmful chemicals such as phthalates and dioxin, according to the Healthy Building Network. Install tile, bamboo, or solid wood flooring, if possible.
Dangerous chemicals such as DDT have been banned in this country for many years, but their residues still persist in the environment. DDT was an insecticide heavily used in agriculture and for killing mosquitoes. It is an estrogen disruptor and has harmful effects on memory and learning. In general, pesticides have been linked to infertility, spontaneous abortion, and breast cancer, according to reports in Fertility and Sterility, BCERF, and other scientific journals.
Today, our industrial food supply is mostly grown with a pesticide called glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weed killer called Roundup. Glyphosate is a very scary pesticide. It acts as an antibiotic that can kill bacteria, and emerging scientific evidence suggests that it may lead to a harmful imbalance in bacteria in soil and in the human gut. Researchers also believe it may act as a hormone disruptor.
Glyphosate has been associated with a host of health issues such as kidney disease, liver disease, reproductive problems, neurological diseases, and birth defects. The link between glyphosate and cancer is particularly unsettling. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, declared glyphosate a “probable human carcinogen.”
Steer clear of glyphosate-sprayed food by seeking out products that bear the USDA Organic label.
Avoid pesticides as much as possible. Instead, practice healthier pest management by sealing cracks, fixing leaks, and cleaning up food residues. Where infestations require treatment, follow least-toxic extermination practices.
Use organic pesticides. Boric acid is widely available. Neem leaves and oil come from a tree native to India and are well known for their ability to repel insects. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the outside of your home’s foundation. Diatomaceous earth is a substance made of crushed fossils from underwater marine life that is deadly to insects but harmless to humans, but please note, inhalation should be avoided.
Remove your shoes when entering the house to prevent tracking fertilizer or pesticide residues into the house.
Grow insect-repelling plants such as basil, chives, mint, and marigolds.
Formaldehyde is a chemical that was used in insulation in the 1970s. But its fumes caused depression, fatigue, poor memory, headaches, asthma, cough, skin rashes, and much more. Formaldehyde is no longer found in insulation, but it is present in many products we use daily: shampoo, conditioners, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, carpet, paper products, plastics, and more. It has been linked to reduced fertility, spontaneous abortion, endometriosis, and cancer.
Look for formaldehyde-free products; check labels.
Don’t purchase sheets that say “easy-care” or “permanent press” on the label; they are commonly treated with formaldehyde. Consider untreated organic cotton sheets.
If you own particleboard or plywood furniture, consider coating it with AFM’s SafeCoat Safe Seal, a sealant with a very tight molecular structure that prevents outgassing of formaldehyde.
Do not use e-cigarettes. Existing research suggests that dripping liquid nicotine directly onto the devices’ atomizers can expose users to formaldehyde in the vapors.
Avoid candles made with paraffin, a petroleum-derived wax that the EPA has found can emit trace amounts of chemicals like toluene and formaldehyde. Instead, burn candles made from beeswax and scented with essential oils. These do not emit toxins.
Make sure your home and work environments are properly ventilated—and don’t forget to use HEPA filters and air-purifying houseplants.
Although trace amounts of some metals such as copper, iron, and iodine are necessary for good health, in excessive amounts, metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead have been found to stimulate estrogen receptors and are therefore considered hormone disruptors. Sources of arsenic include some brands of rice, some seafood, and some well water. Cadmium is found in cigarettes and some yellow paint. Mercury is mostly in larger fish and old amalgam dental fillings. Lead is a component of air pollution, paint and dyes, and ceramic glazes, among other sources.
Various heavy metals are linked to many women’s health conditions. Exposure to cadmium, mercury, manganese, lead, and arsenic may limit fertility. Low to moderate lead exposures may increase the risk for spontaneous abortion.
I often test for heavy metals and minerals in my patients with difficult diagnoses or medical conditions such as autoimmune diseases, Hashimoto’s disease, cancer, endometriosis, memory issues, and infertility. I nearly always find elevated levels.
Supplement with natural chelators. Chelators bind with toxic heavy metals so they can be excreted. Vitamin C is a potent one. Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston found that adult smokers who took 1,000 milligrams daily of vitamin C dramatically lowered lead levels in their blood within one week.
Eat chelating foods. High-sulfur foods such as ginger, garlic, cilantro, onions, broccoli sprouts, and eggs help scavenge and safely remove from the body any toxic metals that they come in contact with. Curcumin reduces the toxic injury to the liver induced by arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, and mercury, according to research published in Food and Chemical Toxicology in 2014. And sesame oil is potently beneficial for treating lead- and iron-induced liver and kidney toxicity, says a 2014 report in Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Clearly, nutritious food goes a long way toward abating the toxic effects of heavy metals.
Talk to your dentist about safely removing mercury fillings and replacing them with nontoxic options. Alternatively, find a holistic dentist who takes a more integrative approach. If you choose to remove amalgam fillings, I recommend that you:
Detox first
Increase your vitamin C to 4,000 IU daily
Use a probiotic daily
Increase intake of the omega-3s EPA and DHA to 3,000 to 4,000 mg daily
Additional supplements that I would recommend adding are Pura Detox support (2 capsules twice daily), liposomal glutathione, Mighty Maca Plus, and NAC.
Parabens are used as preservatives in thousands of cosmetics, foods, and pharmaceutical products, including bioidentical hormone creams. Parabens are known hormone disruptors. A 2004 study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology found a high concentration of parabens in human breast tumors.
Find products labeled paraben-free and phthalate-free, but always check ingredients. Look out for products containing hard-to-pronounce chemicals like methylparaben, ethylparaben, and butylparaben as well as dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), and di-n-propyl phthalate (DPP).
Switch to natural/organic cosmetics and grooming products. Or try making your own cosmetics and skin care products from natural sources. It’s easy to do, and there are many recipes on the Internet.
Wear a hat and tightly woven fabrics for sun protection. Sunscreens, even alternative ones, can contain chemicals such as cyclosiloxane, a hormone disruptor. Choose your sunscreen wisely.
Avoid hand sanitizers. These products contain two hormone-disrupting chemicals: triclosan and triclocarban. They’re marketed as germ fighters, but don’t work much better than soap and water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, their use can disrupt your natural bacterial defense.
Go to the Environmental Working Group’s website, ewg.org, or to goodguide.com for information on chemicals in various cosmetics.
Most of us consider our homes safe havens from what seems an increasingly toxic world. Oh, if only! Unfortunately, they are often filled with products and chemicals that may threaten health. And much of the time we’re not even aware of it. One study published in Environmental Health Perspectives indicated that consumers who use fragranced products (perfume, air fresheners, dryer sheets) and sunscreens expose themselves to an array of hormone disruptors that are potentially toxic.
Disinfectants are a nice idea, but they contain phenol and cresol, which can cause diarrhea, fainting, dizziness, and kidney and liver damage. Furniture and floor polishes are formulated with a nasty chemical called nitrobenzene, which if inhaled can irritate your lungs and if ingested can cause poisoning and death. The chemical has also been associated with cancer and birth defects.
Purchase the least harmful household cleaners available. Look for the words “biodegradable” and “nontoxic” on the label.
Clean the way your grandmother did. Stick with water, baking soda, and white vinegar. Or make your own natural cleaners; you can find many great recipes on the Internet. You can make a glass cleaner, for example, by mixing 1 tablespoon lemon juice in 1 quart of water. Spray on and wipe dry. A simple mixture of baking soda or vinegar, scrubbed on with a toilet brush, makes a great toilet cleaner. You can polish furniture with 1 tablespoon lemon juice in 1 pint mineral or vegetable oil.
Disinfect germy spots like toilet handles and doorknobs with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Or add plain old liquid dish soap to a bucketful of hot water and start scrubbing away the nasties.
Switch to natural cleaning products. I list brands I like in the Resources section.
Use an alkalinizing laundry water–filtration system. I have one and typically only wash my laundry with a little bit of boric acid or a natural cleaner.
The issues related to toxins may seem overwhelming, but pause with me a moment and take a deep breath. Yes, it is disheartening to hear about all the toxic and potentially toxic substances that we have been exposed to and which affect us and future generations.
Although you can’t completely avoid them, you can limit your exposure to hormone disruptors and other environmental contaminants, step by step. Start making the shifts I suggest, but do it now. If you apply even a few of these strategies, you’ll greatly minimize the effects of toxins on your body. Controlling your exposure to hormone-disrupting compounds begins simply with choices made at home and at the store. You can do it, and your ongoing health is well worth the effort.