Second, the population-wide decline in normal hormone levels may be the result of certain medications we take.

For example, studies have shown that 35-50% of men will experience a decrease in their testosterone levels when on statins. Statins are a class of lipid-lowering medications. They are typically prescribed for those who have heart disease and high cholesterol.

Third, your diet and the foods you consume will affect your hormone levels.

High-grain diets are devastating. There is more sugar con- tent in a bowl of oatmeal than in a root beer float and a bag of Twizzlers combined. Consistent consumption of large amounts of sugar can cause Type-2 Diabetes, and those who suffer from that disease have a 57% decrease in their free testosterone levels.

We all know consuming substantial amounts of sugar is not good for us. Eating too much sugar causes a barrage of symptoms, including weight gain, abdominal obesity, decreased HDL and increased LDL, elevated triglycerides, high blood pressure, and increased uric acid levels.

The healthiest diets are paleo or ketogenic diets, which rely on healthy fats for energy rather than glucose. Anytime you eat complex carbohydrates, like the kind found in grains, it turns into glucose, which is essentially a form of sugar. It’s better for your health if your body is a fat-burning furnace rather than a glucose-burning furnace.

Fourth, BPA Plastics are dangerous and nearly everyone in this country faces exposure to them daily.

BPA stands for Bisphenol-A. It is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s, which are often used in containers that store food and beverages, such as water bottles. I would encourage you to use BPA-free products and to avoid microwaving plastics or putting them in the dishwasher, where the plastic may break down over time and allow BPA to leach into your foods.

Fifth, Lack of Sleep can cause testosterone levels to plummet.

Our bodies were designed to get consistent, quality sleep. When you don’t sleep well, it throws off your body, and one of the effects is a decrease in testosterone. When you are sleep-deficient, your body doesn’t replenish testosterone naturally, which can be a vicious cycle, because we need testosterone to enter REM cycles and to sleep well, but low levels of testosterone can also cause lack of sleep. We lose both ways!

Sixth, and finally, various Environmental Toxins are dangerous.

Everything from air fresheners to perfumes to pesticides are potentially life-altering.

A study in England found the chemical Atrazine in abundance in lakes close to certain pharmaceutical plants. Atrazine is an herbicide used by farmers to control destructive weeds. Researchers noticed there were no more male frogs in and around those lakes. They had all been converted to females during the embryo-genesis phase of their development. Guess where much of that Atrazine goes? In our corn, sorghum, sugar cane, and other foods.

We are all being exposed to dangerous chemicals daily. Everyone is familiar with Roundup, the world’s most widely used herbicide. Currently, lawsuits are being filed against Roundup’s maker, Monsanto, for a failure to warn farm workers and those in the forestry and landscaping industries of potential cancer risks related to Roundup exposure. But guess what? It’s not just those farmworkers who have been exposed. Studies have shown that 93% of us have traces of Roundup (Glyphosate) in our urine. When those life-altering chemicals get into our bodies, they wreak havoc on our systems.

Chemicals such as aluminum and mercury are hazardous to humans. Do you know the most common way those chemicals get into our bodies? It is not only through the environment but also through standard vaccines. We are the most vaccinated country in the world, but despite all our vaccines (or perhaps because of all our vaccines), there are thirty-three other nations with lower infant mortality rates. We have the largest number of fetal deaths and deaths during the first year of life of any wealthy, privileged Western nation. Stop and think about why that is and what might be the cause of this extraordinarily tragic statistic. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has finally admitted that “vaccines are not free from side effects or adverse effects.”

Aluminum and mercury are endocrine-disrupting heavy metals that not only cause hormone imbalance but create vita- min deficiencies within the body as well. Many of my patients have extraordinarily low levels of vitamin D. Scholarly medical research papers have been published linking low vitamin D to low testosterone. This latest information was presented at The American Urological Association’s 2015 Annual Meeting by Dr. Mary Ann McLaughlin, from the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Exposure to Fluoride is a controversial topic because fluoride is generally thought to be an essential component of dental hygiene and health. It is not only a common ingredient in toothpaste, mouthwashes, packaged teas, sodas, and pharmaceutical drugs, but many cities and towns add fluoride to their water supply. Only sixteen countries in the world put fluoride in their water. The United States is one of them, and the results are shocking. Fluoride has been shown to weaken skeletal strength, cause arthritis, compromise the thyroid, calcify the pineal gland (which produces melatonin), accelerate female puberty, harm male and female fertility, negatively affect kidney health, harm the cardiovascular system, and have adverse effects on the human brain and the ability to think clearly. The number one reason for poison control calls concerning fluoride is for children who have eaten toothpaste. Be aware of what is going into your body and the bodies of those you love!

Whether it is cosmetics you apply to your face or synthetic sweeteners added to your drinks and food, you are undoubtedly either ingesting or absorbing dangerous chemicals into your system to which previous generations were never exposed.

How to Protect Your Body Against Chemical Toxicity

The bottom line is that you can still manage to live a healthy lifestyle, even in our modern world, which has become a minefield of toxins! Our bodies are unbelievable filters. We are designed to be able to battle all types of infections and diseases. We are designed to age gracefully and handle the challenges of growing older, and that requires functioning optimally so we can thrive, not simply survive!

The engine oil and filter in your car were designed to lubricate and protect other parts from contaminants and wear. But over time, those elements become thin and no longer protect the same way. Have you noticed how your car engine sounds different when you start it after you have run it 4,000 miles on the same oil? You can tell something is not right. Only after you change the oil will your car return to optimal performance. Changing your car’s oil every 5,000-7,500 miles (except in rare cases where it is indicated more frequently due to driving habits) is crucial to its health.

Your body functions the same way. Over time, hormone levels decrease, and they must be renewed and restored. The pellet replacement therapy starts with an initial insertion. Each pellet insertion lasts four to six months until your body needs another oil change. Coming into Optimal Bio and receiving treatment will keep your hormone levels at their correct levels and your body functioning at its best.

Bioidenticals offer some measure of protection against the onslaught of environmental chemicals, food additives, preservatives, steroids, antibiotics, and growth hormones found in our meat products, against the pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and larvicides sprayed all over our vegetables, and against the fluoride, chlorine, and pharmaceutical drugs in our water. The lists go on almost endlessly.

You have the right to know these things are harming you. And you should have the right to do something about it.

I believe with all my heart in the principles of liberty and freedom, as well as in our constitutional form of government that protects liberty. These are the rights our ancestors intended. That includes being free as it relates to our health. We must be free to take control of our health matters.

Optimal Bio provides Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy for men and women. We provide hormonal imbalance testing and solutions to some of the most common medical issues associated with aging and current environmental factors.