Endocrine disruptors

[OlgaSz]

Hi everyone,

I have been recently diagnosed with endo and try to make my head around it. I came across the study about the endocrine disruptors and endo. According to research EDCs promote the establishment and development of endometriosis. ( link to the study below).

I was wondering if any of you have taken steps to reduce EDCs in your households? What products do you use? Have you seen any positive changes?

I would love to read your thoughts and experiences.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/364...

[Avourneen]

Hi Olga,

I think this is just a theory but it may help. There is currently a lot more evidence for endo being caused by faulty genes

ox.ac.uk/news/2023-03-14-gl...

or by an untreateted bacterial infections

newscientist.com/article/23....

I don't think even the scientists are too sure. Chemicals that cause endocrine disruption are obviously bad for us but they are everywhere in our environment. You could throw out all your cosmetics , all your cleaning materials, all your cookware and that might reduce them but it wouldn't take them out of the water we drink.

There is a book that tells you how to do this called " The Autoimminue Solution" it has lots of tips for eliminating these things from your lifestyle, I read it but it didn't look too practical but it might be worth a try.It goes into a lot of detail on this topic but personally I thought it looked almost impossible to do. But maybe have a read...

[OlgaSz in reply to Avourneen]

Hi Avourneen

Thanks for the articles, they are very interesting. I will also have a look at the book you recommended.

All these theories may be connected. Faulty genes on their oen don't have to express disease until triggered by something in the environment - bacteria, EDCs, and other factors. It happens with many other diseases, so why not here?

Of course I realise I won't be able to ditch all EDCs, but I think it is worth a try to reduce them where I can. It is hard to remove all the plastics around the house, but it should be fine to switch to glass food containers. Or to change a toothpaste for something without SLS.

I find endo easier to deal with, when I can control it. So far the changes I introduced made a massive difference to my overall health (most importantly my pain reduced significantly), so I am looking for other ways to make it a little better. I know I won't cure it and that there is no golden pill that will sort it out, but all the small adjustments add up. 😉

Thanks again for the recommendation, I will order it straight away. 🤍

[Avourneen in reply to OlgaSz]

You are welcome, that is a very valid point that something could trigger the genes.The only thing that has helped with my pain was an excision op and cerazette which has really helped by stopping my periods , but even so I still have pain 24/7 but at a lower level. I also worry that the pill just masks it, but without it I can't do anything. Do let me know what has made a difference to your pain, I would be really interested.

Thanks

[OlgaSz in reply to Avourneen]

I am glad to hear that you are better on a pill. I tried it as well, but it didn't work for me - I was bleeding constantly for months and felt miserable on it. Every drug I was prescribed was giving more side effects than desired effects. Hence my research and tries to fix it without medications.

I do 30 minutes of yoga every day - that was a game changer. My lower back is so much better now. Other joints that are affected by endo are regaining mobility.

I ditched gluten - these are still early days, but I feel so much better - no more bloating!

I am vegan for years now, but also found research that it helps tremendously. I cannot comment on it though, as I switched such a long time ago. I am doing my best at eating whole foods, without any added sugar and oil. It works out most of the days, but I am not religious about it. After reading more research, I introduced certain foods that I haven't eaten/drunk regularly before, like pineapples, seaweed and green tea (decaf).

I ditched caffeine - I now only drink decaf coffee and either decaf or herbal teas. Again I found research that caffeine can disrupt hormones. It was a really hard transition - headaches were no joke, but I think it was worth it. Apart from helping with endo, I also sleep better and function better throughout the day.

I don't drink any alcohol, as it is just a plain toxin.

And of course right now I am working my way through EDCs, so I replaced all my beauty products for toxin free and where possible organic versions. I am still waiting on deliveries of cleaning things, so we will see.

All of these combined reduced my pain levels massively. I used to spend days in bed due to pain. Just before periods I was working from bed, as I couldn't even sit. Right now I am fine, living and working mostly without meds. On my worst days now I take over-the-counter pain killers (as opposed to previously used opioids) and a heat pad. I actually found an electric wireless one, that I can sneak under clothes when I am in the office.

All the changes were absolutely worth it. I can work, I can go out with friends. My life is better in so many different ways now.

[Avourneen]

Thanks Olga,

That's all useful info. The yoga sounds like a big help, my back is constantly very painful. The progesterone only pill sometimes does make bleeding much worse to start with but if you double the dose it just stops the periods completely quite quickly. Magnesium supplements helped me but probably just because they are a laxative. Coffee is my only vice not sure I could give that up but thanks for all the tips. Anything/everything is worth a try to reduce pain and make life more manageable.Good luck. xxx

[OlgaSz in reply to Avourneen]

Yoga changed everything. My back started to feel really bad after the laparoscopy (or maybe it was always bad, but my cramps were so bad that they masked it? I don't know.), but yoga made it manageable.

That pill was a kill for me. They gave me a plethora of side effects that were so severe, I had to start taking other meds to mask it. I went from zero meds to a full drawer pretty quickly... I also didn't want to take it long term due to increased chances of breast cancer.

Coffee was a hard one, but I stopped drinking it while recovering post operation. I was on very strong pain killers, so they masked the headache. Right now I still drink my favourite freshly ground coffee in the morning, I just replaced the beans for the decaf ones. Taste-wise I wouldn't tell the difference.

No problem, I am more than happy to share what worked for me. It has been a long and bumpy road, but now I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Take care of yourself and please let me know if anything helps you on your journey. 🤍

[SeaHorse6]

Hi Olga,

Thanks for sharing all this!

I wondered if you've you read about the link between endometriosis & histamine? I discovered it recently & think it could be a key part of the problem for me - endometriosis.net/clinical/... - maybe it's something you would be interested in as well.

I was diagnosed with endo by laparoscopy last year, & also suffer from painful bladder syndrome. About 6 weeks ago I started getting abdominal pain and a rash & burning sensation on my face when I ate, and also when I came into contact with certain chemicals, things like hand sanitizer, perfumed soap & cleaning products. I'd never had any allergies before.

I can't get a GP appointment for weeks, so I did my own research & started eating a 'low histamine', gluten-free diet plus taking some supplements & now I'm fine when I eat, and my bladder pain is not as severe. I've also started acupuncture, which is a powerful stress reliever for me :). I already bought quite a lot of eco friendly products and had a healthy diet, no alcohol etc. before all this happened but now I'm having to find alternatives for everything. I get a lot of things online from a company called Natural Collection.

Like you I take as few meds as possible, completely avoid hormonal contraception (even though my GP tries to persuade me at every appointment 😅). Hope you are doing well x

[OlgaSz in reply to SeaHorse6]

That is so interesting! Thank you for sharing I will read it for sure! 🤍