Gender Benders, Sperm Discount and Chemical Toxicity

I have heard a number of women mention that the younger men of today seem more feminine.  Is this perception, culture or environment?  The variables are too numerous to quantify. There is documentation that chemical toxicity mimics estrogen causing hormone havoc with gender bending effects. 

 The book, "Hormone Deception" by Lindsey Berskson, outlines an array of hormone disruptors that include wildlife/environmental gender problems.  Birds that bring pesticide contaminated food to their chicks created masculinized females that sing male mating songs.  Weird. 

In 1980 the Tower Chemical Company had a spill of DDT in Lake Apopka, Florida.  DDT is an insecticide in the biphenyl compound group that mimics estrogen.  Bisphenyls also include BPA and PCBs.  The result in alligator egg hatch was a change from 90 percent survival to 18 percent.  Male alligators were demasculinized with problems in reproduction including the absence of a phallus.  Remember most cities fogged the streets with DDT in the fifties and sixties. 

Another infamous biphenyl is Dethylstilbesterol (DES) that was given to pregnant women in the 1950's and 1960's.   The drug "designed" to increase the health of a baby caused miscarriages.  The result was devastating for some daughters that developed cancer.  There was also a study that found that forty two percent of DES exposed women had bisexual orientation verses 18 percent of their untreated DES sisters.

DES also caused men to experience low sperm count and problems with reproduction.  Other problems may include problems with the urinary tract, prostate, testicles, and enlargement of the breast.  There have also been some psychological effects including depression.   

It is interesting that during development, men require testosterone to develop their masculinity.  This testosterone converts to estrogen in the brain as an important part of their development.  So while men need testosterone, they also have a small amount of estrogen.

Biphenyl compounds are stored in fat cells and mimic estrogen creating a gender bending effect.  This is especially true if exposure takes place in the first trimester of pregnancy.  There is the possibility of hormone changes that happen during development.  Since these types of toxins are stored in fat, there is speculation that this problem has been passed down to subsequent generations.  This means that the baby boomers exposure to DDT and DES could produce gender problems for future generations.

PCB's and Hand-Me-Down Poisons

On April 9, 2013, the NC Department of Health and Human Services issued a fish consumption advisory for Lake Norman.  Due to elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) you should not consume Stripped Bass and Large Mouth Bass.  This is the first fish consumption warning for the 32,475 acres lake that was filled in 1963.  PCB’s have beenused as insulators for electrical transformers, lubricants and electric motors.  PCB’s are an environmental toxin that can cause neurological damage, reproductions, immune disorders and cancer.

Biphenyl compounds have been the chemical curse of the environment.  They also include diethylstilbesterol (DES), Bisphenol A (BPA), and DDT.  These chemicals do not readily break down, are fat-soluble, and readily penetrate the skin.  This means they can be stored in the fat of animals with an end storage point in humans.  Such a hand-me-down poison can be an underlying toxic load and a contributor for disease.  Theoretically, the larger and older fish will accumulate higher levels of toxins as they consume other contaminated fish.

The following are the chemical structures of these toxins, included only to demonstrate their structural similarity.

Picture of biphenyls

PCB



DDT


BPA

DES

It is not known why the Lake Norman fish have such elevated levels since there is no known contamination in the area.   They are made by electrically chlorinating a bisphenyl.  The most likely explanation could be related to the number of hydroelectric facilities or unauthorized dumping on the Catawba River.

At one time I was highly allergic to poison ivy as a child and adult.  I had mentioned this to Dr. Jack Hinze, a mentor and friend.  Questions led back to the DDT fogged in the summer streets.  He suggested homeopathic Addazen by Natural Creations along with herbal liver (Hepata Comp) and kidney (Kidney Comp) support as a possible detox.  I took his suggestion and, much to my surprise, my allergy to poison ivy decreased dramatically.  In theory, since homeopathy is based in “likes cures likes”, this product may be helpful in other biphenols. 

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Causes of Mental/Emotional Dis-ease: Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

While the mental emotional and spiritual can create disease, the opposite is also true.  There are physical situations that can create diseases of mental or emotional problems.  Heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, or mercury are well known for this.  Remember the Mad Hatter that got mercury poisoning from the making of felt hats.

Environmental toxins such as the pesticide DDT (see blog) mimics estrogen and can play hormone havoc.  The pharmaceutical product of the pre -1950’s diethylstilbesterol (DES), a synthetic estrogen, was given to mothers to aide in a healthier baby.  The female offspring receiving the drug in the first trimester suffered from a rare form of cancer, infertility, and an increased incident of lesbian or bisexual orientation.  Any health problem can bring on anxiety and depression.  These horrors of the past are not currently taught in medical or pharmacy schools so we will likely repeat these errors.

Steroids such as prednisone or food allergies that increase cortisol can lower the working threshold of neurotransmitters in the brain, which can contribute to panic attacks, emotional instability, and attention deficit.

Today, a common drug therapy (proton pump inhibitors) that prevents the stomach from creating acid for digestion is a potential setup for such brain problems.  Acid is needed to breakdown protein into small enough components to be absorbed and to create many of our brain chemicals, known as neurotransmitters.  Most of our neurotransmitters are created in the gut. 

Neurotransmitters control nerve conduction and are either excitatory or inhibitory. They either speed up nerve conduction or slow it down.  Epinephrine or adrenaline, known to be the “fight or flight” neurotransmitter is excitatory.  Serotonin and GABA are examples of inhibitory neurotransmitters.  Serotonin is associated with depression and GABA is associated with anxiety.

Common antidepressants allow the serotonin to remain available longer hence increasing the excretion in the urine, therefore actually contributing to its depletion.  Some targeted amino acid (protein) therapy works to help build such neurotransmitters.    This provides the building blocks (precursors) for the body to make it’s own neurotransmitters.  Natural Creations product Inhibitory Neurotransmitter is a helpful intervention for depression.

Gaba is another neurotransmitter that may be viewed as the brains natural tranquilizer.   The supplement approach is Gaba Calm which can be helpful in anxiety, panic attacks and sleep.   HPA Calm is helpful for high stress anxiety related to elevated cortisol and racing thoughts. 

Stay Well