How Environmental Toxins Cause Oestrogen Dominance
Sep 01, 2021
Anxiety, fatigue, headaches, migraines, brain fog, weight gain, insomnia - these are all signs of burnout. They are also signs of oestrogen dominance.
Oestrogen dominance occurs when there is a build-up of the sex hormone oestrogen in the body, especially in comparison to the sex hormone progesterone. And it can seriously make you feel a bit (or a lot!) like a Dragon Mum. Males are susceptible to oestrogen dominance too. Dads getting man-boobs, difficulty shifting the belly, lethargy, brain fog...Zombie Dad syndrome could literally be a result of having too much of the feminising hormone!
So what’s the cause of oestrogen dominance?
One major reason is environmental toxins. Things like nasty chemicals in skincare, hygiene & cleaning products, dangerous food additives, cigarettes, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, synthetic hormones (i.e. the pill), and even dirty electricity coming from mobile phones and electric blankets, all intensify the toxic dilemma of oestrogen dominance.
All of these toxins put a major burden on the liver, which is not only trying to detoxify from the toxins, but it’s also trying to metabolise and excrete excess hormones. The liver will always work on dangerous toxins first, which can lead to a build up of oestrogen in the body as the body fails to excrete it. Chuck in genetic mutations associated with detoxification (such as MTHFR, which is surprisingly common), and you could have a recipe for hormonal imbalance disaster.
Another reason why toxins cause oestrogen dominance is because many of these toxins are xenoestrogens - they mimic oestrogen as their molecular structure is similar to oestrogen. Chronic exposure to xenoestrogens, as well as the body’s natural oestrogen hormones, can lead to oestrogen dominance.
What Can You Do?
When I started looking into environmental chemicals and the impact they are having on our bodies, I was completely overwhelmed. How was I ever going to control my own toxic load, when we live in such a toxic world?!
I went into a cave of denial at first, not wanting to accept that my home (and the whole earth!) was making me sick and contributing to many of my burnout symptoms.
After a week or two, though, I took a big breath and started making small changes.
As my cleaning, skincare, and hygiene products ran out, I replaced them with natural ones. I was dubious about the ‘clean’ products in the supermarket, so I DIYed everything. I made my own laundry powder, moisturiser, toothpaste, even sunscreen, and makeup! This actually evolved into my natural cleaning & skincare range, Happy Biome. It was super empowering making my own stuff, as I knew exactly what was going into it.
You’re probably thinking...How the heck will I ever have time to make my own stuff? I get it - many of you mums & biz owners are super busy. So it’s totally fine to purchase from reputable natural brands. I would just encourage you to investigate every ingredient in a product, so you can make an educated decision about what you’re purchasing.
These are some resources I love using, which can tell you if an ingredient (or even a product) is safe or not:
Keen to discover other potential imbalances to hormone imbalances & burnout, as well as dive deeper into how the environment could be affecting your health? We’re running a free LIVE Webclass on getting to the root cause of burnout. I’d love you to join me! Register here.
Filipa Bellette is Co-Founder of Chris & Filly Functional Medicine. She is an accredited Clinical Nutritionist & Functional Medicine Practitioner. She is also a Ph.D. thought-leader, award-winning writer, and regularly published as a guest blogger & in the media. Together with her husband Chris Bellette, Filipa has worked with over 2,000+ busy, burnout clients in the last 10+ years, and specialises in producing healthy, balanced, and happy Mums & Dads...or as she calls it, a Power Parent! Filipa’s own passion for producing high-performance Power Parents came from her own personal experience of Mummy Burnout, after having babies and juggling the demands of business, family, and her failing health.
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