HORMONES

They direct your choices more that any browser’s cookies or pop up advertisement and still hormones are something most people don’t tap into understanding and working on.

Let’s start from your environment

Yes, because unfortunately the lifestyle we have today presents us with more challenges (most times hiding in plain sight) than a game of tetris played at high speed.

If you eat meat and you have time and resources, get to know your local farmers and the organic markets around you and choose grass fed cows that you know how they are treated and raised, because in today’s world, as you are reading this, growth stimulants are being administered to cattle illegally (on top of antibiotics and antidepressants).

Growth stimulants can be administered without detection, as pharmaceutical companies have developed ways to avoid detection through blood tests performed five days before marketing.

And if you are vegetarian or vegan, there is hope (unlike what my mum thinks)

The other hazard comes from something omnipresent, which is petroleum based plastic, nonylphenol and bisphenol-A (BPA) that mimic estrogen due to their phenyl ring structure, and not only in its physical ‘bottled sized’ form, but down to the broken down particles in the water we drink, in the meat, fish and vegetables we eat.

Over the years it has been reported that the anogenital distance (AGD), which is the distance between the anus and the base of the genitals reduced.

AGD: the measure that has been studied in various mammals, including humans, to understand its relationship with exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), hormone levels, and other factors.

Meaning: testosterone levels go down, estrogen levels go up, we grow infertile generation after generation.

The solution: you can’t remove the problem if you can’t see it without a microscope, but you can minimise it. Using alternatives like glass, stainless steel, or BPA-free hard plastic will help you reducing your exposure to those chemicals.

Dress to impress heal

Plastic fabrics like acrylic, polyester, and nylon can have adverse health effects. These materials contain harmful chemicals that may affect the body. Choose like cotton and natural fibers and if you can, linen.

Linen goes back thousand of years: The bible was one of the first text to advertise linen through the scriptures doing a better job than Target in promoting it through the scriptures.

Have a look at all its properties and who carried linen through the Bible:

Everything is connected to everything else

You might have heard ‘you are what you eat’: In 1982 Puerto Rico went through an epidemic of children going through puberty at 5 years of age, linked to an anabolic agent given to chickens.

If you are Vegetarian or Vegan like me and you think you are off the radar because meat is not in your diet, let me introduce you to genetically modified soybeans, particularly those termed 'Roundup Ready’ (thanks to companies like Monsanto) are exposed to chemicals that may increase risks for certain cancers.

Back to the same old solution: choose Non-GMO, organically grown soy and food or grown your own.

HOW DO I DETOXIFY?

Glad you asked: Let me introduce you to an amazing tool you come equipped with: the liver. Most people are not familiar to how this underdog keeps you safe day in day out, like your mum until you live under her roof or Sam with Frodo on the way to Mordor. All wayyy under appreciated.

The liver plays a crucial role in detoxifying excess estrogen through different pathways.

Foods like cabbage family vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, bok choy, cabbage) and flaxseed, herbs like licorice, and vitamins like B6, B9, and B12 can stimulate the detoxification process.

And NOW the most important information

This should be taught at school and compulsory to tick in dating apps before you can use them. Unfortunately it’s not and here we are, 7+ billions and the Darwin Awards list growing bigger by the year with our health and the average lengths of marriages declining with it.

Let’s take dogs as an example.
Ever wondered why they smell each other ass’?

Information: anything like age, sex, health status, emotional state, suitability as a mate, social hierarchy, the quality of the food they eat/aka health status and potential underlying health issues is smelled by dogs.

Humans can’t go through the same routine nowadays (not in public places at least unless you are in Berlin) but our body is equipped with other extraordinary abilities that allow us to convert information in a feeling in a split second:

SWEAT: the chemicals transferred in a hand shake is converted in electric signal that becomes a feeling telling yay or nay. If you are good at listening things happening within yourself that hand shake will tell you a lot.

SMELL: and this will change whether or not you take contraceptives.

Unfortunately nowadays a large majority takes contraceptives and that mess the whole touchy/feely smelling game (on top of creating long lasting issues when you grow older and you enter into menopause, heat waves, which is caused by a prolonged use of the ‘pill’)

This is how it works: Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes determine our immune system's functionality. Studies have found that we're naturally drawn to partners with different MHC genes, as this diversity enhances the offspring's immunity (opposite immune system, stronger babies)

Women on birth control pills tend to prefer partners with similar MHC genes. Research conducted at the University of Liverpool revealed that hormonal contraceptives might disrupt this natural preference.

This phenomenon isn't just limited to humans. Dogs, and indeed many animals, use scent to detect compatible MHC genes. It's mama nature’s way of ensuring genetic diversity and robust offspring.

If you're in the dating phase and considering a long-term relationship, understanding these biological factors will influence your life.

While the choice to use or not use birth control is deeply personal (and I am not, I REPEAT, I AM NOT GIVING MEDICAL ADVICE HERE, JUST KNOWLEDGE) being aware of its potential effects on partner selection could help you making a more conscious choice on who you allow you to be your boyfriend/girlfriend.

Now, did someone say SMOOTHIE?
If you follow me on Instagram you know I promised a recipe, and this does not only come with a refreshing taste better than David Bowie starting a career in the music industry, but with some health benefits too.

It makes you smarter by removing toxic heavy metals from your body.
Like removing garbage from your computer that is taking 15% of your storage for no reason. Flush it out.

My routine is pretty simple: Wake up, shower (most of the times cold) followed by warm lemon water.
30 minutes later, this one takes the stage:

HEAVY METAL DETOX SMOOTHIE

• Wild blueberries (we use frozen ones)

• Fresh Coriander (1-2 bunches)

• 1 whole orange

• 1 whole banana

• 1 scoop of spirulina (1 teaspoon)

• 1 scoop of Barley Grass Juice Powder (1 teaspoon)

• 1 pinch of Atlantic (important due of low levels of pollution) dulse flakes (1 teaspoon)

To consume each day, for as long as you can.
P.S: if you try it this week, let me know how it felt.

And since you had to wait so long for this smoothie recipe, I’m attaching 1 more smoothie recipe to balance your hormones and a habit that I followed daily that will help equally (yes it’s cold showers).

^{HORMONE BALANCING AND LIVER CLEANSING SMOOTHIE}

• 1 cup organic kale or spinach (rich in chlorophyll for liver cleansing)

• 1 medium beetroot (contains betaine for liver detoxification)

• 1 medium carrot (high in beta-carotene and liver-supporting vitamins)

• 1 medium apple (provides pectin for toxin removal)

• 1/2 cup blueberries (packed with antioxidants)

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (contain omega-3 fatty acids for hormone balance)

• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds (rich in lignans for hormone regulation)

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (promotes liver enzyme production)

• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder (anti-inflammatory properties)

• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder (supports digestion)

• 1 cup coconut water or filtered water (hydration)

Enjoy and see you next week,
Prometheus

P.P.S: if you could spare a minute to give me any feedback, I would love your contribution. It will help shape this newsletter into a powerhouse of practical information you can take away each week.

You help me shaping the newsletter, I help you shaping your health.