9 ways Plastics or Phthalates are Damaging your Health
Plastics are everywhere and are near impossible to avoid completely. They make modern living possible and have done some good, but must be avoided when they can be.
Phthalates in particularly can be detrimental to health and are used in plastic to make it more flexible, soft and durable.
Phthalates are also found in things that you would not consider a plastic, such as: Pesticides, Personal Care Products, Shampoo, Perfume, Cosmetics, Medications and Detergents.
Think about how much plastic is involved around an infant’s life. Wow! Please take care and start eliminating them when you can.
Plastics and associated chemicals are the most abundant toxin found in our bodies. Learn how to read labels and look for the word Phthalate.
Here are some ways that Plastic, especially Phthalate can effect our health.
1) Damage baby boys – Particularly dangerous to baby boys and their developing testes. Remember, plastic and its related chemicals are recognized as hormone disrupters by the EPA. Think of all the Hormone related cancers you can come up with.
2) Liver damage – The liver is our body’s biggest detoxifier and if it is damaged, can lead to toxicity to other chemicals and even medications that would otherwise be safe.
3) Interfere with our memory – Disruption of the biochemistry of Essential Fatty acids such as DHA that is found in large amounts in our brain and nerves.
4) Cause Zinc deficiency – This can lead to: Skin, Hair and Nail problems, Thyroid problems (zinc is needed to make thyroid hormone work), Stomach problems (zinc is needed to make stomach acid), and Zinc is needed in about 40% of our enzyme pathways.
5) Interfere with Cholesterol metabolism. Cholesterol makes up an important part of our Brain, Nerves, Cell Membranes and is the building block of our Hormones.
6) Kidney damage – Our Kidneys are the major organ for getting rid of toxins in our blood and also control our blood pressure.
7) Negative effect on a child’s IQ and behavior. Think about how prevalent ADD and ADHD are, or even Autism.
8) Obesity and Diabetes – Phthalates can injure pancreatic tissue leading to diabetes and poor digestion. One of the ways our body deals with excess toxins such as phthalate is to store it temporarily in fatty tissue. This is a way that the body will sequester the toxin, but can also lead to difficult weight loss.
9) Interfere with Testosterone in men. Phthalates can have an Estrogen type of effect in men and women.
There are many more ways that plastic can damage our health. Remember that heating plastic brings out the compounds that hurt our health. Therefore, don’t heat food in plastic or drink hot beverages in plastic. Heat puts these chemicals in vapor form and makes them much more absorbable for our lungs and digestive tract.
Get yourself a new stainless steel or ceramic personal cup to carry coffee or tea.
There is a simple Urine test that can detect the level and type of toxins in your body, in fact many plastics and plastic related chemicals can be revealed.
Know where your health stands with proper testing. Then find out how to safely and effectively eliminate the toxins from your body.