I would refer everyone directly to the article, but we’re all lazy AF and it has got a bunch of medical jargon. So here, let me summarize. It is a pleasure.

It feels good to smell nice and it does add to the attraction when it’s all musky masculinity or sweet femininity (or whatever your personal preference is) when you bury your face into your significant other’s neck. But it isn’t natural. He is not sweating out musk and she did not wake up smelling like a rose. ‘Artificialness’ comes with synthetic chemicals that apparently have very negative effects on our bodies.

Evidence has shown that the fragrance compounds are endocrine disruptors – messing up our hormone axis and starting the process of a number of problems. Stay with me here: Perfumes = aroma compounds -> bind to aromatase enzymes -> increased aromatase activity -> oestrogen synthesis and inflammation.

Excess oestrogen is not good in males or females.

• Breast cancer and polycystic ovarian syndrome – Parabens, phthalate and nitro musks have oestrogenic properties and are the most concerning compounds. They penetrate the skin, enter the blood stream and disrupt the normal workings of our hormones. Essentially, the perfect breeding ground for cancer.
• Depression and Anxiety. There is a well-known link between smell and sex hormones. Smell receptors produce other hormones when stimulated which alter the production of neurotransmitters in our brain such a serotonin and dopamine which are key words in mental health.
• Skin conditions. Allergic reaction to the contact of certain perfumes on our skins. Yay rashes and pustules.
• Asthma or airway hype. Reactivity is known to be caused by many fragrances. Ever walked past someone and gotten a huge whiff of some perfume that lasts till they’ve left the country and you’re still coughing long after they’ve gone?
• Gynaecomastia or the enlargement of breast tissue in males. Fragrance laden toiletries seem to be contributors of the excess oestrogen that may cause this.
• Reproductive issues. Breakdown chemicals of synthetic fragrances find their way into breast tissue, and therefore into the milk that breastfeeding infants are then drinking. Would you want your baby to be drinking chemicals out of a bottle? No.

We eat clean and try to shove all the vitamin complexes down our throats when we are pregnant and breastfeeding just to optimize our children’s health. But have we ever thought about what we are putting on our bodies and how that may affect them?

• Diabetes. Caused by aromatase overdrive which causes inflammation. If you were not falling asleep while reading this, I have already explained why.

Of course perfume manufactures are excused from revealing the exact quantities of the fragrance compounds in the name of ‘trade secret’. That is very dodge to say the least. The solution here is a tough one, and the clear direction would seem to be heading towards purchasing more natural products. But a survey reported that hazardous chemicals are also emitted by products advertised as organic, green and eco-friendly. So call it trust issues or something less deep, but no-go on that front either.

The evidence is not great and it is more theoretical than definitive cause-and-effect evidence. But, fragrances and chemicals in our cosmetics and household items disrupt our hormone pathways to varying degrees. For me, I would rather stay away just by knowing this.

So we have one of two options:

• It sounds like wearing nothing would be best. But I am not that confident strutting around and hoping to draw them in with my charming smell of sweat.
• Alternatively, making our own products with raw ingredients is the next safest bet. This ensures that no chemicals are added without our knowledge and false marketing will not trap us in its ugly claws. This does not have to be too difficult and it can be done in a cost-effective manner. The home-made products might take a bit of time to adjust to but been there, done that and they work. If you cannot make your own, you can find a variety of these natural products (and environmentally friendly and waste free) at shops like Shop Zero.
  #chemicalfree #smellinglikeagardenfairy #feelinglikeawalkingchickpea

• Reference: Patel, S. (2017). Fragrance compounds: The wolves in sheep’s clothings. Medical Hypotheses, 102, 106-111. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.03.025

*Article written by a female Doctor friend.

Photo credits:

• Mpho Mojapelo
• Maxim Lozyanko 
• olga serjantu on Unsplash

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‘If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin.’ Maybe this does not make sense entirely, because I have some natural soap bars that I am not looking at going, ‘Mmmmm, supper time’ – but you get the point. Our skin is our largest organ and we don’t fully appreciate the transdermal absorbency potential that it has.

Parabens. The word that cannot be heard without the thought of ‘cancer’ crossing our mind. That is if you’ve been following medical articles. So maybe that is just me. So firstly, a brief summary of the research till present:

What it is:

A preservative found in many cosmetics. Take a couple of seconds to inspect the long put-you-to-sleep list of ingredients at the back of your cream, shampoo or make-up and watch that something-paraben pop out. I checked, my body lotion contains not only one, but three different types of parabens. The levels in our body are directly proportional to the amount of personal care products we use, with adult females having the highest levels.

Why it is a concern:

The research is not conclusive. Very few studies have been performed on humans. Parabens have not been shown to cause cancer. BUT (biiiig but) Oestrogen = Cancer (Particularly breast and endometrial cancer). We know this. And, parabens mimic the actions of oestrogen, but they do this to a weak degree which was why they were originally thought to be relatively safe.

However, a new study shows that they encourage the growth of certain breast cancer cells. Warning bells should be ringing everywhere.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females and the rates are increasing. The age at which females are being diagnosed are decreasing. The stats are honestly terrifying. What is worse is that we do not know how to prevent our risk. Oestrogen, our God-given gift that makes us beautiful or at least nicer to look at than our male counterparts, has become our enemy. But here is solid evidence that our cosmetic products are likely putting us at further risk.

Luckily, there are more natural alternatives that are not more expensive than what you would usually use. If you cannot make your own, you can find a variety of these natural products (and environmentally friendly and waste free) at shops like Shop Zero.

*Article written by a female Doctor.

Photo credits:

• Raphael Lovaski
• Roberto Delgado Webb
• Gustavo Spindula on Unsplash

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With every cigarette that you have it’s as if you are pushing yourself  a step backwards and are continuing to harm your body, inside AND out.  Smoking harmfully affects your body and your health in a myriad of ways yet people seem to continue to smoke without even thinking twice, and it even says so on the box.

You will most likely not see these negative effects straight away but for you to reverse the damage done by smoking, you would need to quit as soon as possible.  As the longer and more you smoke, the longer it will take to reverse all these bad effects.

It is a well-known fact that smoking reduces fitness. It does this in a number of ways, chiefly by reducing the amount of oxygen available in the body. Since oxygen plays a major role in energy production, even a minor depletion has an impact on physical performance. [1]

Some of the consequences to smoking are the following:

• It can cause dry, brittle hair and skin and increases wrinkles.

Smoking has a drying effect and can dry your body from the inside out.  Smoking can cause your skin to age at a much more rapid rate, thus increasing wrinkles and reducing tightness.  This is quite bad as this damage, particularly to your skin is very hard to reverse even after stopping smoking.  So here prevention of this habit will pay a lot more in the long term than giving in to the habit and then trying to stop it later on.

• It increases your risk of cancer

It increases your risk of cancer including lung cancer, cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer and oesophageal cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that smoking is responsible for 90 percent of all cancer deaths in men and 80 percent of cancer deaths in women. [2]

• It causes damage to arteries and narrowing of air passages

The tar in cigarettes coats the arteries and builds up with in these arteries and air passages damaging the lining and thus preventing efficient absorption of oxygen into the blood.  Smoking causes long term swelling of mucous membranes in airways which also leads to airway resistance.  All this leads to a shortage of oxygen and shortness of breath which is vital when exercising.  Also due to the high levels of carbon monoxide from smoking, the amount of oxygen absorbed into the blood from the lungs is greatly reduced, as when the level of carbon monoxide in the blood increases, the level of oxygen decreases.[1]

• It decreases your cardiovascular health and forces your heart to have to work harder than it should

By your blood vessels becoming narrower, your heart has to pump more blood around your body to try to ensure sufficient nutrients reach their rightful places within the body.  This can result in your heart becoming weaker and thus placing yourself at a higher risk for a heart attack, heart disease and a stroke.  This can also lead to elevated blood pressure levels.  When exercising with a weakened heart you may find it very difficult to exercise especially for long periods of time, and may even experience dizziness as well as shortness of breath.  Smoking causes shortness of breath as we have seen in the last point.  This shortness of breath results in you not being able to exercise efficiently or for a good enough amount of time.  And this will cause people to generally not exercise or to reduce their activity level drastically since they do not have the capacity to last.  This in turn can result in weight gain which poses even more health risks in addition to smoking, and decreases your cardiovascular health even more.

• It reduces lung capacity

The tar in cigarettes coats the lungs, reducing the elasticity of the air sacs and resulting in the absorption of less oxygen into the bloodstream. Oxygen is important for the functioning of all energy systems in the body, so any mechanism which interferes with oxygen transport and uptake interferes with energy production and therefore sports performance. [1]

• It can stain your teeth and skin

The tar found in cigarettes can actually cause slight yellow stains on your teeth as well as your finger tips.

So please, stop smoking and ensure you treat your body right as well as your environment, and the other people around you.  If smoking helps you relax, rather go for a massage!  And it is never too late to stop.

“Research has found that those who have not smoked for five years exhibit pulmonary health similar to those who have never smoked. This means that it is never too late to quit smoking, as there will likely be significant improvement in your health.” [3]

Stopping smoking can seem like a big task at the moment, especially if you are a frequent smoker but there are many steps that you can take to help the process be as easy and as efficient as possible for you without having to quit cold turkey!

References:

[1] http://www.nsma.org.au/facts/fitness.htm

[2] http://www.livestrong.com/article/367584-the-effects-of-smoking-on-health-fitness/

[3] http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/exercises/how-smoking-negatively-affects-your-overall-health.html

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