Read 'n' Seed: Part 4 of Hormone Deception

For the last portion of Hormone Deception, I read "Part 3: What to Do about Hormone Disruptors" of the book which included chapters 12, 13, 14, and 15. To sum this part it, Berkson basically broke down where we can get all of these hormones and then presented ways of how to reduce our intake of them.

Chapter 12: Food and Drink
Dairy: Cows are typically given growth hormones to produce more milk and grow faster. They are also fed antibiotics to fight the infections that are caused by the growth hormone BGH (bovine growth hormone). These typically can act as hormone disruptors. People are worried that they will not be able to get their daily intake of calcium if they do not consume milk. This is not true as many other natural leafy greens and beans can provide the adequate amount of calcium.  To lessen your exposure, it is suggested that one should

• Eat less dairy, especially the products that are high in fat content
• Buy organic dairy
• Remove cling wrap immediately from cheese and meats

Meat and Poultry: also high in hormone disruptors, try to buy products that are organic or free-range/grass fed.

Fruits and Vegetables: Many are treated with pesticides and herbicides for better growth. One should be sure to wash them with "a mild solution of dish detergent or diluted vinegar" to get rid of some of the chemicals

• Best non-organic: avocados, corn, bananas, plums, green onions, watermelon, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, onions.
• Worst non-organic (try to buy organically if possible): strawberries, spinach, cabbage, pineapples, green beans, asparagus, apricots, red raspberries, cherries, apples, peaches, grapes, sweet peppers, celery, cucumbers, cantaloupe

Other suggestions from the chapter: limit the amount of food that comes from a tin can, plastic containers (replace with glass instead), has a lot of additives, and filter and test your water.

Chapter 13: Detoxification and Dietary Suggestions
Berkson provides simple suggestions to help promote the livers natural cleansing

• Drink 5-8 cups of filtered water per day
• Exercise daily to excrete chemicals through sweat
• Eat high-fiber, low-fat proteins. And make them organic
• Get adequate vitamins and minerals
• Avoid the "white" carbohydrates (white flour, white sugar, etc.)
• Try to consume a lot of antioxidants and amino acids which help support enzyme detox
• Avoid excessive amounts of alcohol and Acetaminophen

Chapter 14: Room-by Room Tour
Berkson breaks down each room and discusses ways to reduce the risk of ingesting hormone disruptors

Overall air supply

• Ventilate your house by opening windows for better air exchange
• Add house plants to increase oxygen production

At the Front Door

• Insist that visitors take their shoes of outside or right by the door
• Have a rug to wipe off the collected chemicals on the bottom of your shoes (which may be 75-100% as effective as taking off your shoes before entering)
• Dust the front door on a weekly basis
• If you work in a chemical environment, change your clothes before entering

Living Room

• Vacuum  the furniture and carpet on a regular basis to get rid of the dust that collects (preferably with a high-efficiency particle air vacuum cleaner)
• Wash all surfaces at least once per month that are frequently touched by others
• Clean thoroughly around fireplaces or woods stoves
• Check your house for lead paint that is toxic

Bathroom

• Use non-chemically based cleaners
• Reduce the use of air fresheners. They typically contain pesticides.
• When taking a hot shower or bath, open a window or turn on a ceiling fan as to not inhale the steam with chloroform in it that can be soaked in by the skin and taken into the lungs

Bedroom

• Let dry-cleaned clothes air out before you put them in your closet. Many chemicals are used in the process of dry cleaning
• Vacuum your mattress as it tends to harbor dust and skin particles

Kitchen

• Do not store cleaning supplies under the skin. The heat from the pipes can vaporize some of the chemicals into the air.
• Avoid using heavy-duty chemical cleaners
• Filter the water you drink and get it tested
• Use the exhaust fan over the stove
• Avoid using plastic containers, especially in the microwave. This goes for cling wrap also. They tend to have a lot of plasticizers in them which means more chemicals.
• Avoid using Styrofoam products

Laundry Room

• Attempt to by soaps and detergents that are free from nonyl phenol ethoxylates
• Use nonchlorine bleach
• Open a window when running the washing machine

Garage

• Try to carpool as often as possible
• Leave your garage door open several hours after parking in it and never let your car run while in the garage

Chapter 15: How Can You Help?
To sum things up quite shortly, Berkson basically says to be aware of what you are buying, eating, and what you are around on a daily basis. Read the labels, recycle, and avoid using anything that is simply more man-made than natural. Everyone should make themselves aware not only for themselves but for the future generations.

Overview of the Book
We have only been living with this many chemicals for about the last half of a century so it is century not too late to turn things around and live more simply and naturally. I never realized until reading this book what an effect the environment has on my body. I think it's really scary and it needs to come to an end. Berkson is basically saying that all of these chemicals and synthetic hormones are changing the way our body reacts naturally. It is actually changing the amount of femininity in men of all species which I think is pretty remarkable. We need to be aware that we do not fully know how we react to these chemicals in the long run so we need to be on guard and question what we are ingesting.

Three Most Significant Things from the Book

• We need to be aware of the chemicals that we are putting in our bodies through nearly everything we encounter. It is interfering with our natural hormone production.
• The chemicals that act as hormone disruptors is likely partially responsible for the uprising in nearly every disease, especially cancer. They are also responsible for developmental problems and lower IQ's.
• If we eat and buy everything as organic as possible, we can reduce our risk of developing a disease and be much healthier overall.

What Does It Mean to Me
I will not make more of an effort to buy organically and use less plastic on a daily basis. Now that I see how it I have had it all laid out and explained to me, I can really see the problems all of these hormone disruptors are causing. I know that it will not be a dramatic change at one time but a gradual one. I will also try to inform others about this issue in hopes that they will change also.

Would I Recommend This Book?
I think this book has a lot of good information but it seemed really repetitive to me. It also seemed like the author was a little bias since she has had so many issues in her life being a DES daughter. It made the book feel like a therapy session in a way. Overall, I liked the information but could have done without her personal story in it. I can't necessarily say I would recommend this book but it wasn't the worst thing I've read either.