Hormone Disruptors

[suzanne sanders]

Statement by Rosemary Gladstar

Women have been experiencing menopause for eons, so it amazes me that in our era menopause is so often designated as a medical condition, an anomaly that requires medical intervention.  menopause is a state of being, not a disease.  medical intervention should be the exception, not the norm.   

Many of the symptoms of menopause are similar to those of adrenal stress:  nervous disorders,severe depression, irritability, fatigue, and unpredictable mood swings.  The adrenal glands take over the biological function of the ovaries by producing small amounts of estrogen once menopause begins and continuing to do so until about the age of 70.  Because of stress, chemicals, chemical body products, and poor eating habits, the adrenal of many women are prematurely worn out by the time they reach teh age of menopause.  Exhausted and depleted, the adrenals are  unable to function in optimum capacity, and adrenal stress and or the symptoms of menopause results.  

http://www.flcv.com/endohg.html

A disturbing explanation for the increased numbers of women suffering from PMS and menopause, as well as the increased intensity of their symptoms, focuses on the exogenous or "unopposed, " estrogen's that proliferate in our modern-day society.  Our entire food supply is high in synthetic (man-mad) estrogen's  which are directly injected into farm animals or added to feed to make the animals grow faster and produce more milk or eggs.  These synthetic hormones are stored in the animal's fat reserves, and when we eat beef, chicken, eggs, and cheese  we also ingest the hormones.   Conventional Agriculture, the toxic way of growing fruits and veggies are  overloaded with chemicals that damage the hormones in women and men.  Because of these synthetic hormones being added or used to grow our food, it is vitally important to buy organic food as much as possible.  

Another potential cause of adrenal and endocrine malfunction is over-stimulation in the form of violence and explicit sex scenes in movies, television, and video games.  When the nervous system is subjected to excessive stress or stimulation  certain hormones (such as estrogen) are overproduced, while other hormones (such as progesterone)are rapidly depleted.   Think about limiting your movie, TV and video game use.  Get outside, take a hike, go camping etc... but, stay turned off from technology during your nature times.  Yes, even your cell phones, there is no reason to pull them out, unless there is an emergency. 

A growing reliance on toxic chemicals also contributes to an overly estrogenic environment.  Hundreds of chemicals used in our modern society --PCBs used to make electronics: polycarbonite plastics found in water jugs and baby bottles: chlorine compounds used to bleach paper, in your drinking water and swimming pools; surfactants used in dish-washing liquids, toilet paper, and various pesticides have molecular structures similar to the hormone estrogen.   It is time to start setting goals of weening these toxic things out of your life.  I suggest starting with our dish-washing liquid, laundry soap, shampoos, getting rid of the perfume and toilet paper.  The next step would be stop buying any lawn fertilizer  weed and feed, herbicides and pesticides.   You could also buy a water filter and start filling up your own water bottles for the day and use glass or stainless steel bottles.  

Herbal Remedies for Menopause: 

http://www.naturalmenopausenow.com/remedies/herbal-remedies-for-men...

Goddess Tea for PMS or Menopause: 

6 tablespoons raspberry leaves
4 tablespoons chamomile fresh edible flowers
2 tablespoons rose petals
1 tablespoon dried ginger
1 tablespoon ground licorice root
1 tablespoon rosemary

Combine all dry ingredients in a clean glass jar and label.

Pour 1 Cup of hot water over 2 teaspoons of herbal mix per cup.

Steep 5 to 10 minutes and drink hot or cold.

Sweeten to taste with honey.

Where to buy herbs:

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/

Not only unsustainable, but toxic to our bodies and the earth. 

Like the day or the year in nature, so every life, indeed every cycle of experience, is a continuity by which old and new are linked together.  --The I Ching

The transformative stages of a woman's 'life can be imagined as the seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.  With each passing month, a woman's wisdom deepens; with each new season her spirit expands.