Episode 20:
The Passive Income Nurse Podcast
Are these 2 very common things hurting your hormones?
Caffeine:
There has been studies done on caffeine and the effects it has o the human body — you may even be familiar with the popular Bulletproof trend right now to add a dollar of butter or gheee to your coffee — People seem to like this bio hack because it keeps you full, tastes great, burns fat, is energy-booting, craving busting and it can help amplify the effects of intermittent fasting (which I am an advocate for…especially during the Follicular phase of your mental cycle) and ketosis (which I am NOT an advocate for, however, it can be a beneficial diet to follow during your mensural cycle)
But much of the research on this has been done on MALES. So, what about the effects on females — our hormones are a BIG deal ya know (check out episode 17 & 18)
Did you know that caffeine can actually increase the tendency of cyst? We all know that it’s best NOT to consume caffeine while pregnant or breastfeeding, but science shows that caffeinated beverages, like energy drinks, sodas, are TERRIBLE for the female body at any stage —
5 reasons you should avoid coffee and caffeine in general (especially if you have symptoms like PMS, are trying to conceive or have a diagnosed mensural issue like PCOS or Endometriosis)
- Caffeine may lead to the development of great and ovarian cysts.
- Your genes impact your ability to metabolize caffeine safely — Emerging research on genetics has discovered a gene called CYP1A2 which controls an enzyme of the same name that breaks down caffeine in the liver. Variants of this gene dictate how well your liver is able to break down and eliminate caffeine from your system. You can either be a fast metabolize or a slow metabolize — which is why someone maybe able to drink k a double expresso with dinner and sleep at night and someone who has caffeine to late in the day can’t sleep at night — the population is about 1/2 and 1/2. Interestingly, the CYP1A2 gene is also involved in metabolizing ESTROGEN. If you’re a slow caffeine metabolize, you’re probably a slow estrogen metabolizer too. Any excess estrogen floating around in your body is NOT good…think about all the estrogen positive breast cancer diagnosis. (Go back and listen to episode 19 I talked more about the liver and it’s ability to eliminate excess estrogen hormones)
- Caffeine decreases fertility rates — in BOTH men and women. This got my attention, because I feel like there are an alarming about of women struggling with conceiving today. Research has linked caffeine intake to infertility and miscarriage — caffeine increases cortisol levels and stresses the adrenals, interfering with ovulation. Caffeine depletes vitamins and minerals — including vital B and folate — needed for ovulation and healthy fertility. Drinking 3 or more caffeinated beverages a day prior to conception increases the risk of miscarriage by 74%, according to 2016 research in Fertility and Sterility! ALARMING.
- Caffeine deplete micronutrients essential for hormone balance
- The acidity of coffee can alter the gut microbiome (episode 19 discusses these last 2 in more detail)
Synthetic birth control:
This next endocrine disruptor may do the most harm and it’s one we PURPOSELY choose to manipulate our hormones — Synthetic BC.
GYN’s routinely prescribe BC to control or manage hormonal issues — if you’re like me, you were probably on BC for YEARS — in my teens and 20’s, even into my 30’s after I had my second child, I got an IUD, which I HATED — it made me feel like I was constantly stuck in the PMS cycle and I was BITCH-Y.
But any way, you’ve experienced this or know someone who has been prescribed BC for things like, PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, and fibroids. Unfortunately, like most prescription drugs, it just mask the symptoms and it doesn’t FIX the problem. It’s a band-aid approach, like the I discussed in in the episode titled Nurse, do you agree? The Healthcare Business Model. And yet, it’s NORMAL to be on BC, or have your teenage daughter prescribed BC — I think you’ll be taken back by what is actually happening in your body when you take synthetic BC
How Synthetic hormones really works — it hijacks your cycle — They fool the BRAIN so the hypothalamus NEVER signals the pituitary gland to secrete luteinizing hormone OR follicle stimulating hormone, effectively prevention the follicles from swelling into mature the eggs they contain. The steady levels of synthetic hormones delivered by the pill through off the mid cycle surge of estrogen (which naturally can be used to our productivity advantage — go listen to episode 17!) — there is NO OVULATION — so when you bleed on the pill — t’s NOT even a REAL PERIOD! It’s completely ARTIFICIAL.
There is no natural rise and fall of estrogen, which can leave you feeling ‘flat” — Remember our hormones effect EVERYTHING!! Brain, mood, etc. AND it can even cause massive MICRONUTRIENT depletion (episode 19) which can set you up for an entire host of other issues like systemic inflammation and increased risk for autoimmune issues.
Remember, there is NEVER a MAGIC PILL. Prescription or non prescription — Our diet will ALWAYS have the greatest impact on our health and wellbeing. PERIOD. No pun intended hahahha
The pill makes the hypothalamic pituitary ovarian axis go dormant — plus has major side effects that your GYN probably NEVER warned you about like shrinking your clitoris and ovaries — YIKES — reduces your bodies ability to absorb micronutrients, and this is CRAZY, it can mess with your mate selection on a genetic level! Other side effects are bloating, weight gain, depression, shut down your sex drive long term, and decrease your fertility even after stopping —
The pill can impacts:
- Your brain, your neurochemistry, function and mood — it effects your emotions — and mess with your feel good hormones serotonin, dopamine and GABA — a cocktail for mood swings, anxiety, depression — scary.
- It affects your immune system, as I mentioned putting you at greater risk for autoimmune disorders. Linked to progesterone dermatitis , eczema, contact dermatitis, alopecia and acne.
- Metabolism – estrogen can cause you to feel less full after eating , causing you to eat more, in turn causing you to gain weight. It leads to fluid retention and there was even a study done on women who took oral contraceptives — gain 60% LESS muscle mass than women not taking it! The pill is NOT your workout buddy.
- Microbiome (episode 19 explains all about this) but the pill acts like an antibiotic in the gut, destroying the microbiome causing gut dysbiosis — which then leads to symptoms like bloating, nausea, constipation, IBS, acne, eczema, headaches —
- Stress Response- Taking the pill may cause effects in the body that mimic chronic stress, increase levels of cortisol and alter the HPA axis — the pill can jack up your stress level —
Why are women not told about all of these health risks associated with the manipulation of their hormones?!?
