Read 'n' Seed 3: Part 2 of Hormone Deception

For this portion, I have read about half of Part 2: How Hormone Disruptors May Affect You in the book which extends from pages 75-145. This included Chapter 5: In the Womb and at the Breast, Chapter 6: Children, and Chapter 7: Men's Reproductive Health. For this portion, I will be giving a summary of each chapter since so many different topics are covered.

Chapter 5: In the Womb and at the Breast
In this chapter, Berkson discusses how hormone disruptors can still pass through the placenta and may inevitably cause developmental problems in the future. This is due to the fact that xenoestrogens (compounds that mock natural estrogens) are able to pass through barriers freely while natural estrogens are bound to proteins so they are not able to pass through to harm the unborn child. The fetus' are more susceptible to more dramatic effects from the hormone disruptors since they are not fully developed with a liver and kidneys to get rid of the toxins. It was found through testing on rats that if a hormone disrupts the day of conception that the gender is decided, this could eventually cause physical developmental problems.
Once the child is born, many mothers opt to breast feed their child as it is the most natural way and is typically known as the healthiest nutrition source for infants. Though this is still believed to be true compared to other forms of nutrition, such as formula, there are some drawbacks that many do not know. Many of the toxins in our body is stored in our fat. When a woman breastfeeds, she releases much of the stored toxins into the milk, which is found contain more chemicals than the FDA allows in infant formulas. Berkson goes on to discuss how to get rid of these toxins before becoming pregnant with a detox and also what kind of products not to use with bottle feeding.

Chapter 6: Children
Berkson discusses how children are more prone to hormone disruptor'\s since they are still developing in many ways. In recent studies, it has shown that childhood cancers, asthma, birth defects, ear infections, and hypospadias (a male developmental problem) have dramatically increased at least within the last 10 years. It has even been found that children are reaching puberty at a much younger age, specifically girls starting with breast development. This is probably due to the fact that children are more exposed to harmful chemicals while their body and brain are not fully developed. This is by them constantly playing in dirt, putting toys in their mouth, and not being as concerned with hygiene as adults. Another study conducted in Mexico was done on two groups of children; one growing up around around pesticides and one growing up free of chemicals. Over several years of the study, it was evident that the children growing up in an organic environment were much further developed mentally as opposed to the children growing up around pesticides. In other studies, there is evidence that the newer generations have experienced a downward shift in IQ scores also and an increase in the cases of ADHD. According go the book, the United States uses 80% of the worlds Ritalin. I think this statistic is outstanding and unacceptable. The conclusion of this chapter discusses ways to protect children from harmful chemicals through hygiene and their food consumption.

Chapter 7: Men's Reproductive Health
The topic that was most prevalent in this chapter was gender-bending. Gender-bending is the when hormone disruptors with much estrogen in them interfere with the natural development caused by natural hormones causing men to become more feminine. These chemicals even have the ability to reverse gender from male to female. This is becoming more and more common and has even been suggested to cause some homosexuality. Other problems it has caused is lower sperm count (which could lead to fertility issues), testicular cancer, and sex organ developmental issues. These chemicals, overall, are making everything more feminine with the overabundance of estrogen and xenoestrogens.

From this portion of the book that I have read, I think it is clear that there is a serious problem with the chemicals and synthetic hormones we use so widely. Only now are we starting to see the affects of these on our bodies and I think we all need to take action against their use just like with smoking. It would be in every one's best interest to avoid using plastic, eat organically, and be aware of the environment you are in. If we can start eliminating our need and use of plastic on a personal level, eventually it will lead to less production on a larger scale. Who knows, if we don't change something, maybe we'll start slowly losing the male gender.