Radiation"Radiation" in the context of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) refers to the process by which energy is emitted and transmitted through space or a material medium in the form of electromagnetic... More from electromagnetic fields (EMF) affects us in various ways. What many people don’t realize is that one of the things affected is the endocrine system.
In this post, we’ll take a look at what the endocrine system is, the environmental factors that disrupt it, and the role EMF has in causing hormonal imbalances, according to scientific studies. We’ll also take a look at what you can do to keep your endocrine system functioning in a healthier way.
EMF and The Human Body
The human body is a complex machine. When trillions of cells combine with absolute perfection, they make the curious and intelligent creatures that we are. It’s this intelligence and curiosity that lifted us from the state of fear and inferiority to become the Earth’s superior beings.
One of the many products of our exceptional thinking is EMF. And, when we discovered that we could make energy"Energy" is a fundamental concept in physics, often described as the ability to do work or cause change. In everyday terms, it's what is needed to move things, heat them... More travel through the air, it gave us a level of convenience our ancestors could only dream about. But on more than one occasion, we’ve noticed that the products of our intelligence can be detrimental to our well-being.
There are numerous scientific studies pointing out how prolonged EMF exposure affects all 11 of our vital organ systems. And the endocrine system is one of them.
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The Endocrine System
The endocrine system is one of the 11 vital systems in our body. It produces and secretes hormones which facilitate bodily functions like:
- Respiration
- Metabolism
- Reproduction
- Sensory perception
- Movement
- Sexual development
- Growth
The system consists of eight major endocrine glands that produce and release the necessary hormones into the bloodstream.
Here is the list of glands in the endocrine system that produce these hormones:
- Hypothalamus
- Pituitary
- Thyroid
- Parathyroids
- Adrenals
- Pineal body
- The ovaries
- The testes
The hormones these glands produce are responsible for regulating your body temperature, hunger, mood, testosterone/estrogen production, and insulin, and controlling calcium in the body.
In other words, the hormone-producing endocrine system is so important that minor disturbance to its natural working structure can have far-reaching consequences.
Hormones
Hormones are enablers of various functions throughout the body. The endocrine glands produce hormones, which then go into the bloodstream for distribution. When they reach the target site, hormones bind to receptors.
For instance, the adrenal gland is responsible for producing adrenaline. Whenever you face a stressful situation, the gland releases adrenaline into your nervous system, which increases your blood pressure, heart rate, and metabolism to better deal with the problem.
Upon adrenaline release, your body’s glucose breaks into smaller parts and gives your muscles a temporary boost in strength. Adrenaline is also the reason your fight or flight response gets triggered when you face a troubling situation.
Besides producing adrenaline, the adrenal gland produces other hormones, such as aldosterone, that controls your body’s salt and water balance, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA), which causes hair growth.
Different endocrine glands produce different types of hormones that are crucial in keeping your body healthy. If something disrupts these glands, they underproduce or overproduce these hormones. This triggers a condition in your body known as hormone imbalance.
Hormone Imbalance
Perfectly balanced hormones make you feel lively and energetic throughout the day. And if there’s even a slight disruption in those hormones, you’ll notice multiple mental and physical changes.
It’s common for people going through puberty, pregnancy, and menopause to suffer hormone imbalance. But, if you’re not going through any of these phases and suffer from this condition, it’s definitely something you need to address sooner rather than later.
Here are some of the symptoms that start to show if your hormones are not balanced.
- Rapid weight changes
- Sleep disorders
- Skin issues
- Lacking bone strength
- Unexplained changes in blood sugar and diabetes
- Irritability and anxiety
- Depression
- Migraines
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Reduced libido
- Thinning hair
- Infertility
- Reduced libido and ED
Endocrine Disruptors: What Disrupts Hormones?
After decades of research studies, scientists identified certain chemicals that interfere with the endocrine system. Those chemicals are named endocrine disruptors, or ED.
Everyday products like plastic bottles, plastic containers, metal food cans, detergents, flame retardants, food, toys, cosmetics, and pesticides contain endocrine disruptors. There are no restrictions on the use of these chemicals to date.
ED chemicals mimic natural hormones and trick your body to over-respond or respond at inappropriate times.
According to the Hormone Health Network, “Of the hundreds of thousands of man-made chemicals, it is estimated that about 1,000 may have endocrine-acting properties.”
Here is a list of some common Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) and where we can find them.
| Common EDCs | Used In |
| DDT, Chlorpyrifos, Atrazine, 2, 4-D, Glyphosate | Pesticides |
| Lead, Phthalates, Cadmium | Children’s products |
| Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and Dioxins | Industrial solvents or lubricants and their byproducts |
| Bisphenol A (BPA), Phthalates, Phenol | Plastics and food storage materials |
| Brominated Flame Retardants, PCBs | Electronics and building materials |
| Phthalates, Parabeans, UV Filters | Personal care products, medical tubing, sunscreen |
| Triclosan | Anti-bacterial soaps, Colgate Total |
| Perfluorochemicals | Textiles, clothing, non-stick food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, old Teflon cookware |
Looking at a fraction of ED chemicals and where they are found in this chart, it’s safe to say that endocrine disruptors are everywhere. And even after decades of testing, scientists haven’t understood the maximum level of issues these chemicals can cause.
This is why we recommend avoiding ED as much as you can. This means making minor changes in your lifestyle and the products that you use.
How to Avoid Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
No matter how hard you try, you cannot avoid ED chemicals entirely. But what you can do is minimize your exposure to these chemicals, so the health risks are minimal.
Here are some ways through which you can do this.
1) Wash Your Hands Frequently
Frequently washing your hands helps a lot in avoiding ED chemicals. When you wash your hands, you rinse a massive amount of chemical residue down the drain.
Just make extra sure the soap you use isn’t fragranced or anti-bacterial because these soaps can themselves contain ED chemicals!
2) Dust and Vacuum Frequently
Due to the legal system’s flexibility in using ED chemicals, several manufacturers use these chemicals in everyday household products.
For example, flame retardants, one of the ED chemicals, are frequently used in household products such as electronics, couches, and baby products.
When you use these products, flame retardant chemicals escape and mix with your household dust.
The best action here is to get rid of all household products that contain flame-retardant chemicals and replace them with cleaner ones. However, I also understand that doing this can be costly and immediate changes may not be entirely possible.
This is why you should keep your house clean at all times. You can dust items with a damp cloth and, if you can, invest in a good HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter.
3) Avoid Fragranced Products
When a product says ‘fragranced’ on the label, it means that this product contains potentially hundreds of chemicals like phthalates, which is proven to disrupt your endocrine system and cause hormone imbalance.
When you think about it, the fragrance is not a crucial element in most products. So, keep this in mind when you purchase your next lot of necessary products.
For example, you can opt for non-scented skincare products and fragrance-free cleaning products and laundry detergents.
4) Say No to Plastic
Did you know that plastic contains a high amount of ED chemicals that harm your health too?
For example, impact resistance"Resistance" is a fundamental concept in the field of electricity and electronics, central to understanding how electric circuits operate. It refers to the opposition that a material or a device... More plastic contains Bisphenol-A, commonly known as BPA, and flexible vinyl includes phthalates. Both of these chemicals are known to cause endocrine disruption.
It’s scientifically evident that plastic contains endocrine disruptors. So, the more you avoid plastic, the more you’ll not only save the environment but also your health.
We’ve come to believe that the use of plastic is necessary for our daily lives. But this cannot be further from the truth. Plastic is convenient but not at all necessary.
Try making some of these changes in your daily life and see if you miss using plastic items.
- Swap plastic food containers with glass or stainless steel
- Avoid microwaving food in plastic containers
- Replace plastic bags with reusable lunch bags
- Avoid storing fatty food in plastic
5) Avoid Canned Food
Most cans contain a chemical called BPA (bisphenol-A), which keeps the cans from corrosion. And BPA is also one of the ED chemicals.
There are cans out there labeled BPA free, but those cans just replace BPA with something else not tested for endocrine disruptor compounds.
So, avoid the use of canned food as much as you can.
6) Filter Your Water
According to NRDC (Natural Resources Defence Council), tap water can contain a bevy of its own potential hormone disruptors, including residue from birth control pills. This is why you should only drink filtered water.
I recommend you buy water filters that are certified by NSF International. You can find these filters in your nearest home depot. NSF international examines water filters for everything, including their ability to filter out the endocrine-disrupting chemicals, before marking them as safe.
7) No Cosmetics for Children
There are hundreds of cosmetic and skincare products for children in the stores. Do they even need these products?
No.
Children’s cosmetic products contain a number of ED chemicals that make them smell good and easy to apply. These products may be irresistible to kids, but parents can limit their use of cosmetics.
Children have naturally soft and glowing skin. And these harmful chemicals retrain their natural skin development. Also, since these products contain chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system, they can also affect their hormone production, which can cause problems with their growth.
8) Smart Cleaning
Cleaning products contain harsh chemicals, which introduces indoor air pollutants in our homes.
In the US and also in most developed countries, the government doesn’t require manufacturers to list all the chemicals they use on the label. This makes it difficult for the buyer to know if the product they’re purchasing contains harmful chemicals.
This is why the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) recommends buying from companies that voluntarily disclose their ingredients. They also recommend looking for the Safer Choice label.
Additionally, you can always make the majority of your own cleaning supplies from safe household items like vinegar and baking soda.
EMF Also Disrupts the Endocrine System and Causes Hormone Imbalance
Even though electromagnetic radiationElectromagnetic radiation refers to the waves of the electromagnetic field, propagating through space, carrying electromagnetic radiant energy. It includes a wide range of electromagnetic waves, from very long radio waves... More, or EMF, is not an ED chemical, research studies have found that EMF can alter the human endocrine system and cause hormone imbalance.
We are bathed by EMF in the modern world, and there are very few places we can go where EMF’s presence is minimal. Just think of all the cell phones, WiFi networks, BluetoothFrom the perspective of someone concerned about the health effects of electromagnetic radiation, understanding Bluetooth radiation is crucial, especially in our increasingly wireless world. Bluetooth technology, ubiquitous in our daily... More devices, smart tech and other EMF sources we’re exposed to daily.
The human endocrine system resides throughout the body, so the hormones don’t need to travel very far to take action. But this spread also means that most of our endocrine glands are prone to EMF exposure.
Let’s have a more in-depth look at how EMF affects some of our endocrine glands.
1) Pineal Gland and Melatonin Production
Our pineal gland releases a hormone named melatonin.
Melatonin is also known as the hormone of sleep. Our brain triggers a response when it feels that it’s night time. This trigger causes the pineal gland to release melatonin.
This hormone is crucial for our health, as it helps us get adequate REM and Non-REM sleep. If you don’t get enough quality sleep, your body can’t function properly in the day, and your health will start slowly deteriorating.
Besides helping you sleep, melatonin acts as an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-tumor agent.
Studies show that prolonged exposure to EMF affects the pineal gland’s ability to secrete melatonin, which leads to multiple health problems.
2) Pituitary Gland in Metabolism and Growth
The pituitary gland, also known as the ‘master gland,’ controls most hormone-secreting glands. The hormone this gland produces is involved in adjusting your metabolism and facilitating other physical developments.
In simple words, this hormone plays a huge role in your weight and height.
If the pituitary gland is overactive, it can cause issues like gigantism and obesity. And if it’s underactive, it can cause issues like dwarfism and problems with healthy weight gain.
In Serbia, a military medical academy published a study that shows how EMF operating on more than 900 MHz frequency"Frequency" in the context of electricity, Electromagnetic Fields (EMF), and wireless communication, can be thought of as the number of times something happens in a second. Specifically, it refers to... More interferes with the pituitary gland and causes substantial damage to a person’s natural physiological growth.
3) Pancreas and Gut Health
Enteric Nervous System (ENS), generally known as the ‘gut,’ is one of our body’s most important parts. The gut is also called the second brain because of its ability to operate independently from the brain and spinal cord, i.e., the Central Nervous System (CNS).
The gut is home to a community of 100 trillion microorganisms, called ‘microbiota,’ which helps you digest food, absorb nutrients, and excrete metabolic waste. However, it also plays a significant role in your immune system and facilitates gut-brain communication.
Did you know that the gut concentrates 70-80% of the body’s immune cells?
Besides that, the gut also produces insulin, which helps regulate your body’s blood sugar levels.
An animal study published in the Crescent Journal of Medical and Biological Sciences says that heavy EMF exposure decreases the insulin levels in the body, which leads to diabetes.
4) Ovaries and Testes in Sexual Function and Reproduction
Tabriz Medical performed a research study in 2015 where they exposed female rats to EMF operating in 50Hz frequency for 13 weeks. The goal was to observe how EMF exposure impacts their ovarian follicles.
After the assessment, researchers concluded that prolonged exposure to electromagnetic fields during fertilization of the egg could entirely change the ovary structure and increase the risk of infertility.
Additionally, many studies conclusively prove that EMF affects sexual function and reproduction in both men and women.
Statistics say that 1 in every 25 men suffer from infertility, and this number is even higher in women.
With multiple studies present on the subject, we can infer that prolonged exposure to any form of EMF is harmful and can interfere with a person’s fertility.
5) Pineal Gland and Hypothalamus Region on Mental Health
A 2016 study by the Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Iran says that EMF alters peripheral and central nervous system activities. This causes some significant changes in the brain, affecting both learning and memory.
The study further explains that prolonged exposure to EMF can damage a person’s ability to retain and recall information, leading to Alzheimer’s disease in later life.
This is because prolonged EMF exposure permanently changes:
- the basal forebrain, which produces Acetylcholine, an organic chemical crucial for wakefulness and REM sleep;
- the frontal cortex, which is involved in the motor function, problem-solving, spontaneity, memory, language, initiation, judgment, impulse control, and social and sexual behavior;
- hippocampus neurons that transfer the short-term memory to long term memory, and
- the brainstem, which regulates your heart rate, breathing, sleeping, and eating.
Protection From EMF-Induced Hormone Imbalance
The first thing that you can do to avoid EMF-induced hormone imbalance is to minimize your tech use and maximize your distance from EMF sources. The power of EMF weakens with distance, so the further you are from EMF sources, the better.
However, it’s understandable that you can’t distance yourself entirely from tech, especially in this day and age. This doesn’t mean that you can’t reduce your EMF exposure. You may need some help, but it is possible.
Here are a few ways that you can reduce and mitigate your EMF exposure.
EMF Protection Clothing
EMF protection garments are amazingly designed products using a brilliant combination of fabric and conductive materials. They look and feel like your standard clothes, but these clothes have an added benefit, which is EMF protection.
Manufacturers like SYB mix materials like copper, aluminum, silver, stainless steel, and nickel with natural or synthetic fibers like cotton, rayon, silk, or polyester to design EMF protection clothing. Wearing these clothes, you can go around day-to-day assured that you’re protected from the EMF pollution in our environment.
Grounding
Grounding is a process of absorbing the earth’s energy to neutralize free radicalsThe concept of "free radicals" in relation to oxidation and EMF (electromagnetic field) exposure is an area of ongoing research and debate within the scientific community. Free radicals are atoms,... More in your body.
As metaphysical and spiritual as it may sound, that’s not the case. When I talk about earth’s energy, I’m referring to actual measurable energy. This process is similar to the body absorbing vitamin D from the sun.
The process of grounding helps you in multiple ways, from reducing stress and improving sleep to improving your blood circulation.
Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of grounding, i.e., walking barefoot on the grass or some other ground-level surface, every day.
Melatonin
Increasing melatonin levels may be a way to mitigate the negative effects of EMF exposure, according to some research.
One highly interesting study, published in January 2021, sought to investigate the effects of radiofrequency radiation and melatonin on the brain tissue biochemistry of rats. The RF group were exposed to 2,600 MHz radiation for 30 days (30 minutes a day, 5 days per week). This exposure significantly decreased levels of antioxidant enzymes and significantly increased levels of oxidative stress.
“RFR exposure also led to an increase in structural deformation and apoptosis in the brain tissue,” says the study.
Interestingly, a second group that were given melatonin injections fared much better. “This study revealed that exogenous high‐dose melatonin could reduce these adverse effects of RFR,” conclude the researchers. “Limiting RFR exposure as much as possible is recommended, and taking daily melatonin supplements may be beneficial.”
While further studies need to be done on the effects of melatonin supplements on humans, a good place to start is by doing what you can to protect and promote your body’s own melatonin production – for example, by staying away from blue light from screens at night and creating a sleep sanctuary to promote healthier sleep habits.
EMF Shielding Products
As technology evolves, EMF shieldingEMF shielding refers to the practice of reducing the electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure in a particular area by blocking or altering the electromagnetic waves with barriers made of conductive or... More manufacturers like SYB are working diligently to build products that help people reduce their EMF exposure and live healthier lives.
You can now choose from a vast catalog of EMF shielding products to protect yourself from EMF emitted by common sources like WiFi routers, cell phones, tablets, laptops, and smart meters.
Use the Airplane Mode Feature
Most electronic gadgets come equipped with an Airplane mode. This is the mode you should switch to when you’re not actively using your electronic device or at times when you don’t require a cellular network.
Airplane mode cuts your device’s communication with the cell tower, reducing unnecessary EMF exposure.
EMF Consulting
Sometimes using EMF shielding products for cell phones, laptops, WiFi routers and smart meters is not enough. Especially if you live in an area near cell towers.
So, it becomes necessary to block the heavy EMF from passing through your home. And for that, you can use the whole-home or whole-room shielding solutions.
In fact, we recommend whole-room shielding solutions for your bedroom even if you don’t live near cell towers. It’s important to create a sleep sanctuary so nothing can compromise your good night’s sleep.
But, shielding EMF on a large scale is prone to error. And a minor mistake in EMF shielding can have very negative consequences – like you can end up amplifying your EMF exposure rather than mitigating it.
To avoid this, the best solution is SYB EMF Consulting. You’ll have a conversation with an EMF expert who will provide you with solutions based on their professional assessment.
And, even if you are not planning to do a whole-home EMF shielding, it’s a good idea to try EMF consulting at least once. The expert will assess your home and give you tips to reduce your EMF exposure, which will produce noticeable results.
It’s Not Impossible
Reducing disturbance to your endocrine system for smooth hormone production is not impossible. You just need to make some healthy lifestyle changes.
You may need some help, and it may cost you a small amount. But this will be an investment in your well-being and a worthy expense.
I encourage you to apply my recommendations in this post to your daily life, and soon you’ll start noticing significant positive changes in your mental and physical health.
