Pesticides, plastics and fluoridated water: environmental toxins on Healing Hashimoto’s Summit

Lara Adler, environmental toxins expert, addresses the effects of environmental toxins on Healing Hashimoto’s Summit 2017 and how pesticides, plastics and fluoridated water impact the thyroid (and other endocrine systems) and what you can do about this exposure.   She sets the stage by explaining how it’s the environment that pulls the trigger: 

So there’s a common expression that I’m sure you’ve heard million times … our genetics loads the gun, but it’s the environment that pulls the trigger.

So even if somebody has a genetic predisposition towards autoimmune issues or Hashimoto’s, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are destined to develop Hashimoto’s or another autoimmune condition. There is sort of this perfect storm that this needs to happen in order for that to manifest in someone’s body.

And one of those things in a lot of instances can be this exposure to environmental chemicals. And that sometimes an exposure to a chemical, maybe it’s in an occupational setting, if you work in a hair salon or you work in a factory or an office that uses chemicals, sometimes it can be an acute exposure to a chemical that can actually trigger an autoimmune response. It can set your immune system on high alert.

Sometimes, that might not be the primary trigger, but it’s adding gasoline to the fire. It’s just adding inflammation. It’s adding chemicals that can interfere specifically with hormone production of thyroid hormones.

She shares that chemicals like chlorine, bromine, and fluorine – chemicals that mimic iodine – can trigger cell death and inflammation in the thyroid. Lara’s first very practical tip is to eat organic as much as possible because of organochlorine pesticides. She shares how:

studies in both adults and children have shown that when people switch to a mostly organic diet, they can drop their levels of circulating pesticides by 80-90% in 3-5 days. That’s it. That’s all it takes.

Lara’s second tip is to avoid the hormone-disrupting effects of plastic. She shares how we all have had that forever stained orange Tupperware container:

No matter how many times you try to clean it, you can never get the orange out. The physical line actually blurs, and so you actually get oil molecules from your sauce physically embedded into the structure of the plastic, which is why you can’t wash it because it’s not on the plastic. It’s in the plastic. And the inverse of that is that you’re getting molecules of plastic inside your sauce.

She provides plenty of practical tips for phasing out everything plastic in your kitchen  – items like food storage containers, plastic spatulas, plastic colanders – and replacing them with glass, wood, stainless steel and bamboo.

Lara’s third tip is to filter your water to remove fluoride using a water filter that is either a reverse osmosis system or one that contains a media called activated alumina.

I’m really pleased they addressed overwhelm, anxiety, fear and even the term “detoxorexia” and just taking one step at a time and doing the best you can do. 

I’d like to add this to the discussion: if all this information leaves you feeling much too overwhelmed, very anxious and fearful and even obsessive about making these changes, then I’d suggest determining if low serotonin and low GABA are possible factors and doing a trial of tryptophan (and possibly inositol) and GABA. Keep in mind that an animal study has shown that GABA reverses fluoride-induced hypothyroidism, so you’ll be getting those benefits too.   

Tune in to the Healing Hashimoto’s Summit 2017 to hear the entire interview and the other experts.

The Healing Hashimoto’s Summit 2017 is here to:

• Raise awareness about this chronic disease
• Help with early detection, testing and diagnosis
• Discuss the importance of physical, mental and emotional healing
• Advice for navigating the ups and downs
• Share success stories (it IS possible and you’re not alone!)

90% of all hypothyroid conditions are due to Hashimoto’s, and tens of millions of people world-wide are struggling from this disorder – it’s STILL one of the most common yet uncommonly diagnosed diseases in the world!

Your thyroid is important to every aspect of your health. Slight imbalances can cause problems all over your body. Symptoms range from hair loss, weight gain, depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue, cold hands and feet, excessive perspiration, dryness, irritability, brain fog, skin issues, hives, digestive distress, malnutrition, heart palpitations, hormone imbalance, decreased libido and sluggishness.
The Healing Hashimoto’s Summit 2017 is online from November 6-13, 2017. You can register here

Let us know what changes you have made in these 3 areas and if it’s helped your thyroid symptoms.