Chinese Herbs Bad - Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Good

[Guest guest]

Environmental estrogens. Endocrine-disrupters. Endocrine-modulators.

Ecoestrogens. Environmental hormones. Xenoestrogens. Hormone-related

toxicants. Endocrine-active compounds. Phytoestrogens.

 

These terms describe endocrine disrupters, the synthetic chemicals

and natural plant compounds that may affect the endocrine system (the

communication system of glands, hormones and cellular receptors that

control the body's internal functions). Many of these substances have

been associated with developmental, reproductive and other health

problems in wildlife and laboratory animals. Some experts suggest

these compounds may affect humans in similar ways.

 

Endocrine disrupters alter hormonal functions by several means.

 

Substances can:

mimic or partly mimic the sex steroid hormones estrogens and

androgens (the male sex hormone) by binding to hormone receptors or

influencing cell signaling pathways. Those that act like estrogen are

called environmental estrogens.

block, prevent and alter hormonal binding to hormone receptors or

influencing cell signaling pathways. Chemicals that block or

antagonize hormones are labeled anti-estrogens or anti-androgens.

alter production and breakdown of natural hormones.

modify the making and function of hormone receptors.

 

Environmental estrogens are the most studied of all the endocrine

disrupters. Natural compounds capable of producing estrogenic

responses, such as the phytoestrogens, occur in a variety of plants

and fungi. Many synthetic chemicals that also mimic estrogen are

commercially manufactured for a specific purpose or produced as a

byproduct.

 

Exposure to these substances occurs throughout our lives from food,

air, water, soil, household products and probably through breast milk

and during development in our mother's womb. The human health risks

that may be associated with these low-level yet constant exposures

are still largely unknown and highly controversial.

 

http://e.hormone.tulane.edu/edc.html

 

 

 

Why does Long Island, N.Y. have one of the nation's highest breast

cancer rates? A report on the study which helped trigger women's

activism and why answers to what's causing the higher rates must

await further studies on estrogenic chemicals and breast cancer.

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/nature/disrupt/

 

An overview of the growing concerns and continuing debate about man-

made chemicals, their effects on wildlife and the wildlife-human

connection.

And below, two different views on the state of science concerning the

link between endocrine-mimicking chemicals and human cancers and

reproductive problems:

 

" The jury is still out. " says Stephen H. Safe and Kavita

Ramamoorthy, toxicologists at Texas A & M University in their article

titled " Disruptive Behavior: Endocrine Disruptors, Sperm Counts and

Breast Cancer "

 

New studies involving extremely low doses of estrogen-mimicking

chemicals indicate there's " no safe dose, " reports Frederick vom

Saal, endocrinologist at the U. of Missouri at Columbia in his

article, " Risk Assessment of Endocrine-Mimicking Hormones Using

Traditional Experimental Models at High Doses Is Based on Erroneous

Assumptions. "

 

 

The 'Precautionary Approach' has become a driving force behind some

new legislative mandates for reducing risks from environmental

contaminants. It's also fostering new alliances in the scientific

community.

 

 

A summary of the legacy and continuing controversy surrounding Rachel

Carson's landmark 1962 book.

_________________

contributed by mrs joann guest

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest

 

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals are legal. Chinese herbs will be

illegal(along w all other suplements- except when prescribed and

bought from pharma industry). Wait a second, all the good is being

boxed up and portioned out at high cost, all the poisonous stuff is

being dumped out for almost nothing. It seems a priority worldwide is

to make the populace ill and uneducated as soon as possible, or as

Kissinger and the bilderberg group would have it, a stable population

for earth at about 2 billion would be nice and sustainable (at

present levels of greed!)

------------------------