What You Need To Know About Endocrine Disruptors and EMF Exposure

Photo Credit: John Cameron

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are toxins that can interfere with how your body makes hormones, and how your hormones work.

EDCs can cause cancer, are detrimental to the immune system, and can overwhelm your body’s natural detox systems, causing a wide range of health problems. EDCs also have negative effects on skin, inflammatory and immune cells in your body, and can lead to inflammatory and allergic skin conditions, disorders of skin pigmentation, skin cancer and skin aging.

We are constantly coming into contact with EDCs, and may not even realize it!

EDCs are found in pesticides, metals, additive or contaminants in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics, water, soil and personal care products. They can be found in conventional dairy, fish, eggs and meat. There are natural endocrine disruptors too, like soy, and they have even been found in breast milk.

The most common categories of EDCs are:

• PCBs and dioxins - found in pesticides

• Flame retardants - found in plastics, paint, furniture, electronics, and even food

• Dioxins - found in conventional meat

• Phytoestrogens - found in soy

• Pesticides - found in food, water, and soil

• Petrofluorinated chemicals - found in non-stick cookware and some food packaging

• Phthalates - found in plastics, food packaging, cosmetics, cleaning products (look out for anything with fragrance or perfume in it)

• BPA (bisphenol A) - found in plastics, food packaging, and food and drink containers

• UV filters - found in sunscreens and cosmetics

• Triclosan - found in personal care products and antimicrobial products

• Perchlorate - found in drinking water

• Parabens - found in deodorants, possibly polyester fabrics

• BHA and BHT - found as a preservative in food and gum

While this is an overwhelming list to avoid, all you need to do is use common sense to minimize exposure. Here’s what you can do now to help:

• Read labels on everything, including personal care/personal hygiene products (lotions, deodorant, cosmetics, perfumes, feminine hygiene products, etc.)

• Filter your water

• Avoid plastic (even if they say BPA free), and instead use glass, steel, or ceramic containers

• Detox!

  • Eat foods that support your detox pathways

  • Sweat/sauna

  • Hydrate

  • Eat organic where possible to eliminate pesticides in your diet

• Avoid using pesticides at home, on your lawn and in your garden

• Take your shoes off in the house so as not to track in toxins from outside

• Steer clear of chemical cleaning products, and anything with “fragrance” in it including candles, laundry products and air fresheners

• Open your windows regularly to let stale air out and increase natural ventilation into your living and/or work space

• When cooking, use your vent hood

• When showering, use bathroom fans

Photo Credit: Free To Use Sounds

EMF Exposure

Electromagnetic field exposure (EMF) has also been linked to skin rashes, and other skin problems (as well as numerous other health problems). EMF comes from electronic devices like cell phones and WiFi routers. EMF has been classified by the World Health Organization as a potential carcinogen.

Here are some strategies you can implement to protect yourself and your family from EMF exposure:

• Turn off your Wi-Fi before you go to sleep.

• Turn off your cell phone at night (or at least put it into airplane mode as much as possible). If you use your cell phone as an alarm clock, go buy an alarm clock!

• Try not to carry your phone on your body, especially near your reproductive organs. Put it in a loose jacket pocket, bag or purse.

• Charge your cell phones in a different room or away from your bed. Better yet, go old school and get a landline phone.

• Use a wired headset for talking on a cell phone, or use the speaker function.

• Unplug all electronics near your bed before going to sleep.

• Move your furniture away from the wall by 3-6 inches (wires in there emit EMF).

• Pay attention to how much you use your cell phone, how close you’re sitting to the router, and how much time you spend surrounded by EMF.

• Avoid having your laptop on your lap.

• Never let your kids talk on the cell phone with the phone against their head, and if your child is playing games on your phone, put it in airplane mode.

Stress Management and Mindfulness: Tips To Manage Your Child’s Stress, and Yours

Photo credit: Victor Garcia

Chronic stress is inflammatory. It doesn’t matter whether it’s physical, chemical, or emotional. The reactions triggered in your child’s body are the same.

• Physical stress includes restricted diets, over-exercise, physical trauma, and health problems you may be experiencing.

• Chemical stress includes prescription medications, environmental pollutants, pesticides, and processed foods.

• Emotional stress includes personal, financial, and work-related concerns.

Stress is a complex phenomenon, and everyone has their tolerance for it. Like the abovementioned examples, various factors can trigger your child’s stress response. When they are exposed to ongoing stress it becomes chronic.

Your child’s body responds to stress by initiating a series of reactions that affect behavior, nervous system function, and the secretion of hormones and causes other physical and chemical changes.

Because your child’s body doesn’t discriminate between different kinds of stress, even chronic psychological stress is associated with the body losing its ability to regulate inflammatory responses.

Stress also burns through nutrients and steals them from the body's other needs, meaning chronic stress can lead to nutrient insufficiency and deficiency over time (it’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul).

Nutrients your child’s body needs to respond to stress include complex carbohydrates, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin E, B vitamins, magnesium, selenium, zinc, calcium, iron, and antioxidant nutrients. These nutrients play MANY roles in your child’s body in addition to helping them cope with stress, so make sure to include foods rich in these nutrients in their diet.

Stress also adversely affects the gut, leading to leaky gut and imbalanced gut flora. Hence, addressing gut health is crucial too.

You can help your child manage stress by:

1. Not over-scheduling activities. Kids nowadays don’t get much downtime between school, homework, and extracurricular activities. That downtime is important!

2. Making time for play and incorporating physical activity along with it. Think of going for a family walk after dinner, biking, hiking, playing catch, etc.

3. Emphasizing the importance of sleep, and make sure your child isn’t so over-scheduled that it cuts into getting enough rest.

4. Teaching your child to listen to their body and how to differentiate between normal or expected stress, like taking an exam, versus waking up regularly with stomach aches or headaches, which are signs there’s more going on.

5. Managing your stress. Remember, your child can feel yours.

6. Keeping things calm and organized in the morning can help everyone start the day on the right foot. Keep the focus on getting up, getting ready, getting nourished (super important), and getting out the door to where you need to be. Give enough time between waking and leaving so that no one feels rushed or anxious (tough one, but possible with some practice).

7. Helping your child understand that mistakes happen to everyone and it is ok not to be perfect. No one is perfect, no one knows everything, and no one does everything right.

8. Teach your child to be mindful and use meditation, breathing, and other relaxation techniques. Create a practice as a family.

Children may not have work, financial, or relationship concerns like adults, but they can feel your stress. Because your stress does affect your child, there are techniques to relax your mind and body that can help, including:

1. Stop hyper-focusing on your health problems. Now. What we think we manifest.

2. Write/journal about your stressful experiences for 10-15 minutes daily. Getting them out of your head and on paper can help. Once they are on paper, read them back to yourself. Some may not even seem realistic once you read it back. For those that are, list ways you may better cope with each of them. Develop your solutions.

3. Keep a daily list of 3 or more things that happened each day that made it a good day. Some days this may be easy. On other days it may be simply that you got out of bed or did your laundry. Always look for the positives.

4. Express your feelings. It’s ok to talk, cry, laugh, or express anger. Talk to friends, family, or a professional about your feelings.

5. Do what you enjoy. Set aside some time each day to do something just for you. Your favorite hobby, exercise, volunteer work, time with animals, time in nature, arts and crafts. This is not selfish. This is feeding your soul the fuel you need to show up for those who need you.

6. Be present. Living in the past causes depression, and living in the future leads to anxiety. Mindfulness and meditation focus your attention on the present. Anything that allows you to be present can help.

   • Whether you meditate cross-legged and chant “om” or can get into the zone during a cardio session at the gym, find your method for being present and do it regularly (most days, if not every day).

   • Be mindful. Use your senses and observe your body sensations, the sky, the grass, and the trees. Notice the colors around you, the sounds you hear, how your clothes feel on your skin, the smells around you, what your food tastes like in your mouth, and the feeling of your breath moving in and out of your body.

7. Relax your body with exercise.

8. Try breathing techniques, massage, tai chi, or yoga.

9. Find a favorite online mentor. Look to Facebook or YouTube for motivational people and videos, find someone you connect with, and subscribe to their feed. A daily dose of positive, professional motivation benefits a body and mind.

10. Put your phone away more often, and keep it on vibrate/turn the sound off. Being tied at the hip to our mobile devices creates a state of hypervigilance, which can lead to anxiety and stress.

11. Play frequency meditation music in the background during the day, while sleeping, or anytime you need to relax and take the edge off. Do an Internet search for “frequency meditation music” to learn more! This one works for adults, and children.

Other resources for managing stress overdrive:

• Solving the Autoimmune Puzzle, Dr. Keesha Ewers

• Stress Less, Accomplish More, Emily Fletcher

• 90 Seconds to a Life You Love: How to Master Your Difficult Feelings to Cultivate Lasting Confidence, Resilience, and Authenticity, Joan I. Rosenberg PhD

• Tapping (aka Emotional Freedom Technique) for Eczema, Psoriasis, and Other Rashes, The Healthy Skin Show

• Unbroken: The Trauma Response Is Never Wrong: And Other Things You Need to Know to Take Back Your Life, MaryCatherine McDonald

Resources

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402162546.htm

https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/nutrient-and-stress-management-2155-9600-1000528.php?aid=76425

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/61/3/631S/4652003?redirectedFrom=fulltext

https://psychcentral.com/lib/7-tips-for-helping-your-child-manage-stress/

10 Tips To Improve Your Sleep

Photo credit: Vladislav Muslakov

If you have problems sleeping you are not alone.

It is estimated that 50-70 million Americans have chronic sleeping problems. 

Getting enough sleep is crucial to good health, and unfortunately there is a wide range of medical barriers to it.

Health problems associated with lack of sleep:

• Lack of sleep is associated with weight gain. It can lead to poor food choices that affect weight gain, and it adversely affects hormones related to hunger (ghrelin) and fullness (leptin). Studies have shown that those that sleep less have lower levels of leptin and higher levels of ghrelin, so if you are lacking sleep, you may be hungrier, and therefore eat more. When we are sleep deprived we also tend to crave calorie dense foods that are higher in carbohydrates, and this can contribute to weight gain.

• Studies have shown that men who sleep 5-6 hours or less are twice as likely to develop diabetes. Also, short duration sleep times are associated with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in men and women. This means that optimizing sleep quality and quantity can have positive benefits for optimizing blood sugar control.

• Sleeping problems are associated with cardiovascular disease including heart attacks and stroke, and hypertension.

• Sleep loss is associated with mood and behavior problems.

• Adults with chronic sleep loss have more mental distress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and alcohol use.

Often issues with sleep are a symptom of another medical problem, and by addressing it, we can improve sleep.

There are a variety of reasons for trouble sleeping:

• Things we eat or take that can keep us awake include alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, decongestants like Sudafed, diet pills, Ritalin or other stimulants, herbs like ginkgo biloba, guarana, Siberian ginseng, ephedra, ma huang, bitter orange, and kola nut, and medications including beta blockers, albuterol, Wellbutrin, SSRIs (antidepressants), prednisone and other steroids.

• All sorts of health conditions can interfere with sleep:

  • Take anxiety for example. Diet, sleep and anxiety affect each other. Anxiety makes getting restful sleep challenging and difficulty sleeping can cause anxiety. Reducing levels of anxiety is important, and meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises are examples of interventions my clients find helpful in reducing their anxiety levels.

  • Depression is linked to poor sleep. Insomnia can cause depression, and remember that antidepressants (like Prozac or Wellbutrin) can adversely affect sleep.

  • Pain from any number of conditions can lead to poor sleep. Arthritis, headaches, reflux, and fibromyalgia, anything that causes pain can make it hard to fall asleep, and hard to stay asleep. Pain gets worse with lack of sleep. Addressing the underlying cause of pain can help improve sleep quality.

  • GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux, is a common problem, and reflux symptoms reduce quantity and quality of sleep. One of the first things we look at is how close to bedtime are you eating? Eating too much and eating too close to bedtime can cause GI symptoms like GERD. Ideally, you should wait 4 hours between eating and going to bed. There is a wide range of other reasons for GERD, so this is also something we explore when reflux is present, and GERD has many other problems associated with it aside from sleeping disturbances, and there are nutritional interventions to address it.

  • Insomnia is considered a symptom of menopause. There are nutritional and herbal interventions that can help. Talk to a professional to see what’s right for you.

  • Obstructive sleep apnea is disordered breathing during sleep. People that have sleep apnea have a greater risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, irregular heartbeat, diabetes, stroke, asthma, some cancers, cognitive and behavioral disorders in children and adults, and car accidents. Common symptoms include snoring or gasping during sleep, and feeling fatigued during the day. Many people that suffer from sleep apnea live in larger bodies, so nutrition plays a big role here. Appropriately nourishing your body to reach a healthy weight is a primary intervention for sleep apnea, and often helps resolve the issue.  There are numerous other reasons that someone may be experiencing sleep disordered breathing, and The Breathe Institute in Los Angeles, CA specializes in addressing all causes of sleep disordered breathing using a multidisciplinary approach.

  • Desynchronosis is a disrupted circadian rhythm. It’s common in jet lag, and it shift workers, so those who work at night. It’s when your body’s internal clock is out of balance. Our circadian rhythms tend to change based on our stage in life too. Teenagers generally like to stay up late and wake up late, and as we get older we tend to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. Often those with this condition have abnormal hormone levels, in particular cortisol and melatonin.

  • Cortisol is your stress hormone and it should be higher in the morning and lower at night. Stress is an unavoidable factor in our lives, and more stress leads to higher levels of cortisol. There are many other causes of high cortisol levels, and cortisol stimulates insulin release, and over time, this can lead to diabetes, and weight gain, especially around your middle. So managing cortisol levels by working on reducing stress is important for sleep and for overall health.

  • Melatonin, is also important to help promote sleep. Low levels of melatonin lead to problems sleeping.

    • To learn more about your unique circadian rhythm and sleep cycles, fill out this questionnaire (it's free and provides helpful information): http://www.cet-surveys.com/index.php?sid=61524. It estimates the time of your melatonin onset, and what your natural bedtime should be. Going to bed before or after this time could be a recipe for a poor night's sleep.

    • Melatonin production increases when it's dark and decreases when it's light. This is a reason why blue light/screen time before bed disrupts sleep. Avoid all screens 2-3 hours before bedtime. When we can’t avoid the screens, we can use glasses during those few hours before bed to help block the blue light:

I think you get a sense of the variety of factors that play roles in sleep problems. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

From a nutritional standpoint:

• We look for dietary triggers for the problem.

• We can look for underlying conditions that are preventing adequate sleep, like sleep apnea, and reflux.

• We can look to food as medicine to address any nutrient deficiencies that may be contributing to the issue. For example, food is a source of neurotransmitter precursors, where your neurotransmitter balance regulates your sleep, and mood in general. Deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals can also disrupt sleep, so we can address these deficiencies by choosing foods containing the nutrients and supplement where necessary.

As you can see, sleep disorders cause a lot more than just feeling tired during the day. If you have problems sleeping, it is worthwhile to check out why. Contact me and we can explore diet, food, nutrients and lifestyle interventions to help bring you relief, and a good night’s sleep. For expert sleep hygiene assistance, I recommend working with Jenni June, Certified Child and Family Sleep Consultant, CLC.

In the meantime, here are 10 of my favorite tips to improve sleep!

1. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and other substances that interrupt sleep

2. Your bedroom

   • Keep it set up for a good night’s sleep, and sex, only

   • Don’t eat, or watch TV in bed

   • Keep your room dark and quiet

   • Use something to create white noise to block out sounds that might awaken you

   • Use earplugs

   • Keep the temperature in your bedroom cool

3. Create a soothing bedtime routine to help you relax

   • Meditate

   • Relaxation exercises

   • Read a book (hard copy to avoid blue light, or get those glasses mentioned above)

   • Take a warm bath

4. Go to sleep when you are tired (work with your body’s natural circadian rhythms)

   • This is when you feel the first nudge of sleepiness (and when your melatonin is kicking in), don’t wait, you’ll miss the window (it’s short)

5. Don’t watch the clock, and if you are a clock-watcher, turn it around so you can’t see it

6. Keep a consistent sleep schedule and go to bed and wake up at the same time as much as possible (yes even on the weekends)

7. Keep fluid intake at a minimum about 60-90 minutes before bedtime

8. Make dinner a lighter meal, and earlier (don’t eat 2-3 hours before bedtime)

9. First thing in the morning, go outside and let the sunlight hit you, which stimulates and regulates your hormones that regulate your body’s circadian rhythms, and get plenty of natural sunlight during the day/let as much natural light into your workspace as possible

10. Exercise during the day, and at least 3 hours before bedtime

Sometimes we need more assistance. My favorite supplements are:

1. Cortisol Manager - Integrative Therapeutics

2. Best-Rest Formula - Pure Encapsulations

3. Insomnitol - Designs for Health

4. Sleep Reset - Integrative Therapeutics

5. Melatonin 3mg - Pure Encapsulations

You can get these supplements through my online dispensary. Try one at a time and give it a few weeks to see if it helps. Click here to register for a free account. Once you do, you can search for the supplement you are looking for.

5 Ways To Incorporate Exercise

Photo credit: Bruno Nascimento

Jennifer Caryn Brand Nutrition addresses your health and wellness holistically. That means in addition to addressing underlying imbalances in your biochemistry that can be contributing to your health problems and working with you to create your customized optimal diet and nutrient supplementation plan, we need to look at lifestyle factors such as exercise for overall balance.

Exercise is important. It can help reduce stress, it keeps your body healthy, and it can help manage your health conditions. If you don’t currently exercise, start slow and work up to these recommendations (Table 1).

1. YouTube has some awesome short and fun videos you can do in your own home, just search for your favorite type of exercise (yoga, pilates, stretching, tai chi, abs, etc.).

2. Going for a walk is always an option.

3. Look into your local YMCA or community college. Many have indoor swimming pools you can use year round.

4. Join a local gym.

5. Get your best friend or neighbor on board as your workout buddy and keep each other motivated, whether your exercise together or just hold each other accountable for doing it. 

Need more assistance? Contact me today so we can craft your customized lifestyle plan.

How To Stay Healthy During The Holidays

Photo credit: Julia Gomelsky

Are you nervous about the holidays and your diet?

I get asked often to provide tips on how to stay on track during the holidays.

Of course, we can:

• Not show up at holiday parties starving by having a healthy snack beforehand

• Fill up at the veggie tray at the party, and eat your vegetables first

• Chew thoroughly and eat slowly

• If drinking alcohol, alternate with water (stay hydrated!)

• Pay attention to your satiety (fullness) cues and stop before you are uncomfortably full

• Go for a walk after dinner with friends/family

• Enjoy your favorite treats in moderation

This is not news, right? We know what we are supposed to do.

My tip to you for the holidays is this:

Holiday time is wrought with stress and anxiety, and worrying about losing control around food only increases that stress and anxiety. This is no fun, and bad for your health. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that indulging may actually be the healthier option.

During the holidays we take the opportunity to spend more time connecting with loved ones, and often it’s around food. Give yourself permission to enjoy the experience! If you want to indulge, indulge.

If anyone asks, tell them your nutritionist said it was ok (your nutritionist also says to remember to take into account your health conditions and known diet related needs).

Once things don’t feel forbidden, there’s no guilt, and you become more in tune with your body’s hunger and fullness cues (and naturally less likely to way overdo it).

Hear it straight from me!

Happy holidays!
 
Your partner in health,
Jennifer, MPH, MS, CNS
Functional and Clinical Nutritionist