Daily Tip #12 Final
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[00:00:00] Welcome to Functional Medicine with Dr. Var. This podcast is to help you explore the underlying root causes of your chronic symptoms and health challenges. Reset your health and reclaim your life.
VARSHA: .
Did you know that the average woman absorbs five pounds of chemicals from personal care products every single year, and men aren't far behind absorbing an estimated two to three pounds annually? That lotion or shampoo you use every day might be silently disrupting your hormones, irritating your skin, and even increasing your long-term health risk.
Let's start with a reality check that might shock you. Your skin is not a solid shield, it's a sponge. In fact, your skin is the largest organ covering about 22 square feet on the average adult body. And here's what the beauty industry. Probably doesn't want you to know about [00:01:00] 60% of what you put on your skin can be absorbed into the bloodstream within 26 seconds. That means your shampoo, your lotion, makeup, deodorant aren't just sitting on the surface they're getting into your body and your liver, which is your detoxifying organ, has to work over time to process these environmental toxins.
And chemicals that have entered your body from your personal care products. Now, here's something that will blow your mind. The personal care industry is, one could say largely unregulated. The FDA has only banned 11 ingredients and cosmetics while the European Union has banned and restricted
over 1300 we're literally using products that other countries consider too dangerous, that they restrict or ban them for human use.
Let me walk you through five of the most common and concerning toxins found in everyday products and the [00:02:00] shocking ways they're affecting your health. Number one, are parabens. These are found in moisturizers, shampoos, makeup, deodorant, baby products. These chemicals can mimic estrogen in the body and they can actually bind to estrogen receptors.
So it's almost like your body is getting extra, estrogen. And that's why we call 'em hormone disruptors , because they can throw off your hormone balance, they can cause estrogen dominance, which can cause irregular periods. PMS symptoms, endometriosis
and even an increased risk of estrogen related cancers.
In fact, studies have found. Parabens in about 99% of breast cancer tissue samples. Now, while we can't prove causation, there is a correlation there.
Number two are phthalates. These are listed as fragrance on labels. They're in nail polish, perfumes, hairspray, uh, even flexible plastics. And it. [00:03:00] Matters because they are also hormone disruptors and they can even be linked to fertility issues. Early puberty in girls and metabolic issues such as insulin resistance, they interfere with your body's natural hormone production.
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VARSHA: In fact there's some research that Phthalates can be found in the umbilical cord of newborns.
We're literally being born pre polluted with toxins.
Number three are sulfates. These are found in shampoos .
, Body wash.
Cleansers bubble bath, and toothpaste. Sulfates, give foam to your personal care products.
Now this can strip away your skin's natural oils and natural protective barriers, so it can cause some chronic inflammation and can be problematic to anyone who has sensitive skin, eczema, psoriasis, in fact, [00:04:00] sulfates are so harsh that they're actually used in industrial settings as engine degreasers and garage floor cleaners.
Yet we put 'em on our skin daily. Number four are formaldehyde releasers. These are found in shampoos nail products, some baby wipes, eyelash glue, hair straightening treatments. So these matter because these can cause respiratory irritation, allergic reactions, and they have been linked to cancer development.
Many nail salons have formaldehyde levels that exceed what's considered safe for industrial workers. And we sit there and breathe it in for an hour or two during a manicure or pedicure. And if you work in a nail salon, you're breathing in all day, so you're at even higher risk.
Number five are P-F-A-S-P-F-A-S. These are known as forever Chemicals. They are found in waterproof makeup, long lasting foundations, mascara and nail polish. [00:05:00] These chemicals literally never break down in your body. Or in the environment, hence that's why they're called forever chemicals.
They can accumulate in your body, especially in adipose tissue. So if your body mass index is higher, you can actually store these in the, in the adipose cells.
And they are linked to hormone disruption, thyroid dysfunction, cancer, and immune system issues. These PFAS chemicals, they have a half life of over a thousand years. So every molecule of PFAS ever created probably exists on the earth somewhere.
We're all exposed everywhere. It is impossible to be a hundred percent toxin free and you can't even put yourself in a bubble because that's plastic. But not only does it matter how much exposure you're getting, it matters , how well you are detoxifying.
One person might be exposed to a lot of toxins, but if they're detoxifying [00:06:00] really well, then. They may not have a toxic load as great as someone who might be exposed to half the amount of chemicals, but detox poorly. So both of those are important.
The exposure and how well you're detoxifying this leads me to our daily habit challenge, . There are ways that you can check some of your personal care products and, and that's the Daily Habit Challenge today, and that is to swap one of your personal care products for something that's cleaner.
So you can do this by going on to certain websites like ewg.org. This stands for Environmental Working Group.
And you can actually look up your personal care products and they have ones that are EWG verified and they're usually all green.
They also have an app called Healthy Living. So you can scan your personal care products and check them out and see how many chemicals are in [00:07:00] there. And you know, if you can't get ones that are all green due to availability or cost, you could at least try to get the ones that have. The least minimal, chemicals At least it helps you make a better informed decision, and then you can make sure that you're doing strategies to optimize your detoxification.
If you don't wanna mess with the website or the app, you can just look on the on your personal care product and look for ones that might have USDA organic
and some of them will also have the label EWG verified. But I challenge you to swap one of your. Personal care products for a cleaner one.
So start small, swap with one product then another. Every small change compounds over time to dramatically reduce your toxin burden and give your body the break it deserves.
If you enjoyed this video, please follow or subscribe so you don't miss [00:08:00] out on any future daily tips and have challenges, and drop a comment below. Let me know if you've made any swaps or if there's any clean brands that you prefer that would help other people as well.
Thanks for listening and watching and have a fantastic day!
