The Link Between Teflon, Thyroid & Birds
I’ve gotta hand it to technology and evolution. It has allowed us to create some pretty amazing things such as prosthetic legs that give people the ability to walk again, and smartphones that can secure the safety of our home and deliver information to us in just one touch.
Technology continues to thrive on the demand for smarter, more convenient devices and products.
What we may not be aware of though, is how some of these advancements in technology are wreaking havoc on our health.
Take teflon for example.
This seemingly harmless convenient cookware coating was introduced in 1945 and at first glance it seems amazing, right?
No more food crusted pans, pots or cookie sheets to scrub. Teflon has made life more convenient by reducing the time and energy needed to wash dishes and to clean ovens.
Teflon is a type of PFC (poly-fluorochemical) used to make water, grease and stain resistant coatings. Among non-stick cookware you can also find Teflon or PFC’s in many fast food or to-go containers used widely in all different types of food establishments.
For example, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently published a study showing the percentage of food packaging items containing PFC’s. Some favorite food establishments that topped the list included:
- Starbucks – 21 items tested and 76% contained PFC’s
- Chipotle – 17 items tested and 65% contained PFC’s
- Panera – 23 items tested and 43% contained PFC’s
- Local Restaurants – 7 items tested and 43% contained PFC’s
What is scary though is that exposure to Teflon and other PFC’s has been linked to…
- Abnormal thyroid hormone levels
- High Cholesterol
- Pregnancy induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia
- Obesity
- Kidney and testicular cancer
Veterinarians specializing in birds have known about the hazardous effects of Teflon-coated and non-stick cookware for decades.
In 1986 is was discovered that “Teflon toxicosis” was a leading cause of death for hundreds of birds that were exposed to fumes and particles being emitted by the use of Teflon cookware in the kitchen.
Birds might be small example in comparison to humans, but how is Teflon affecting your thyroid and overall health?
In this week’s blog and video I talk more about the hazards of non-stick cookware, Teflon, and what you can do to protect thyroid and overall health.
The biggest risk factors when it comes to PFC’s involves your thyroid.
Research has shown that PFC’s (aka Teflon) affect thyroid hormones by competing for binding proteins and altering Free T4 levels in the blood. Free T4 is converted into Free T3, so PFC’s lower overall thyroid hormone availability and production.
Your thyroid isn’t the only thing that is affected. Your liver takes a hit, too.
PFC’s also act like free fatty acids which means they can also bind to liver proteins as well as other hormone proteins such as sex hormone–binding globulin and corticosteroid-binding globulin, which greatly impacts the overall function of your endocrine system and hormonal balance.
It probably isn’t realistic to throw out all of your non-stick cookware and replace it with something less toxic right away, or to think that you’ll never eat out of a to-go container again.
Here’s what you can easily do now to reduce your exposure to PFC’s:
- Bring your own to-go mug to Starbucks – this is my favorite non-toxic tumbler cup by Healthy Human
- Line your baking sheets with parchment paper to provide a protective layer
- Slowly start swapping out pots, pans and baking sheets for stainless steel or cast iron – this is my favorite cast iron brand
What matters is that you become aware of these toxins in your environment, you take action to reduce your exposure where you can and support your body’s natural detoxification ability to excrete the toxins that you are exposed to. Making small shifts like this can greatly improve your health and healing.
Want to learn more about toxins, how they impact your thyroid, adrenal and gut health, and what you can do about them?
FREE Online Workshop – The Truth About Toxins & How To Detox Them
When: March 2nd at 6pm PT/ 9pm ET
What we’ll cover:
- How toxins are draining your energy by contributing to thyroid, adrenal, gut and overall health dysfunction
- Where toxins are hiding in your home and what you can do about it
- Why juicing doesn’t work for detoxing toxins and what you should be doing instead
- How to support your body’s daily detoxing abilities without expensive supplements and juices
REGISTER FOR THE WORKSHOP HERE!
If you can’t make it live, no worries! A recording will be made available to everyone who registered.
