https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/07/27/investigating-the-forever-chemicals-scandal.aspx
Minnesota Will Ban PFAS Starting This Year
Amara Strande passed away on April 21, 2023, just two days shy of her 21st birthday. However, through her testimonies, she has helped set off a plan that will put an end to PFAS and save the lives of future generations.
As Minnesota continues to work out how to deal with PFAS, one recent development they put into place is the "Amara Law" — basically, this legislation will require PFAS-containing products to be labeled and will ban nonessential use of these chemicals starting in 2024.
"All Amara was asking for in testifying at the Capitol was for companies who are using these chemicals, do the right thing and take responsibility for their use. Her life doesn't seem over … because she put so much in motion, and those things are still in motion," her parents said.
In 2018, Bilott also filed a class action lawsuit against several producers of PFAS. It's potentially bigger, as it could involve the entire U.S. population. He says:
"[T]he [chemical] companies immediately sought appeal, saying this was too big. Nobody had ever had a class action this large, involving millions and millions of people.
And our argument was, 'Nobody else has contaminated the entire United States and has put chemicals into the blood of everyone in the country.' This case is only this big because the harm is this big."
How to Reduce Your Exposure to PFAS
As part of her research, Kary had her blood levels tested for PFAS, and she found that despite being cautious of these chemicals and living in an area with low PFAS levels in the water, her results still came back with "higher than average levels."
In today's modern world, it is truly difficult to avoid these chemicals entirely. This is why experts like Bilott are calling for a ban on the entire class of chemicals, rather than one at a time. The good news is, you can make a conscious effort to avoid products with high levels of PFAS, which will minimize your exposure.
I recommend avoiding the products listed below — you can find more useful tips in the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) "Guide to Avoiding PFAS Chemicals."8
Pretreated or stain-repellent treatments — Opt out of these treatments on clothing, furniture and carpeting. Clothing advertised as "breathable" is typically treated with polytetrafluoroethylene, a synthetic fluoropolymer commonly known as Teflon. |
Products treated with flame retardant chemicals — This includes furniture, carpet, mattresses and baby items. Instead, opt for naturally less flammable materials such as leather, wool and cotton. |
Fast food and carry-out foods —The containers are typically treated with PFAS. |
Microwave popcorn — PFAS may be present in the inner coating of the bag and may migrate to the oil from the packaging during heating. Instead, use "old-fashioned" stovetop non-GMO popcorn. |
Nonstick cookware and other treated kitchen utensils — Healthier options include ceramic and enameled cast iron cookware, both of which are durable, easy to clean and completely inert, which means they won't release any harmful chemicals into your home. |
Personal care products containing PTFE, "fluoro" or "perfluoro" ingredients such as Oral B Glide floss — The EWG Skin Deep database is an excellent source to search for healthier personal care options.9 |
Progesterone
Lastly, progesterone will minimize endocrine disrupting chemicals' ability to activate your estrogen receptors, thus helping to reduce their impact on your biology. It's not a magic bullet though. You get the most benefit by implementing a Bioenergetic diet approach that allows you to effectively burn glucose as your primary fuel without backing up electrons in your mitochondria that reduces your energy production.
My new book, "Cellular Health: The Unified Theory of All Disease for Ultimate Longevity and Joy" comes out very soon and covers this process in great detail.
Once you have dialed in your diet, an effective strategy that can help counteract estrogen excess is to take transmucosal progesterone (i.e., applied to your gums, not oral or transdermal), which is a natural estrogen antagonist. Progesterone is one of only four hormones I believe many adults can benefit from. (The other three are thyroid hormone T3, DHEA and pregnenolone.)
I do not recommend transdermal progesterone, as your skin expresses high levels of 5-alpha reductase enzyme, which causes a significant portion of the progesterone you're taking to be irreversibly converted primarily into allopregnanolone and cannot be converted back into progesterone.
Ideal Way to Administer Progesterone
Please note that when progesterone is used transmucosally on your gums as I advise, the FDA believes that somehow converts it into a drug and prohibits any company from advising that on its label. This is why companies like Health Natura promotes their progesterone products as "topical."
However, please understand that it is perfectly legal for any physician to recommend an off-label indication for a drug to their patient. In this case progesterone is a natural hormone and not a drug and is very safe even in high doses. This is unlike synthetic progesterone called progestins that are used by drug companies, but frequently, and incorrectly, referred.
Dr. Ray Peat has done the seminal work in progesterone and probably was the world's greatest expert on progesterone. He wrote his Ph.D. on estrogen in 1982 and spent most of his professional career documenting the need to counteract the dangers of excess estrogen with low LA diets and transmucosal progesterone supplementation.
He determined that most solvents do not dissolve progesterone well and discovered that vitamin E is the best solvent to optimally provide progesterone in your tissue. Vitamin E also protects you against damage from LA. You just need to be very careful about which vitamin E you use as most supplemental vitamin E on the market is worse than worthless and will cause you harm not benefit.
It is imperative to avoid using any synthetic vitamin E (alpha tocopherol acetate — the acetate indicates that it's synthetic). Natural vitamin E will be labeled "d alpha tocopherol." This is the pure D isomer, which is what your body can use. There are also other vitamin E isomers, and you want the complete spectrum of tocopherols and tocotrienols, specifically the beta, gamma, and delta types, in the effective D isomer.
There are also other vitamin E isomers, and you want the complete spectrum of tocopherols and tocotrienols, specifically the beta, gamma, and delta types, in the effective D isomer. As an example of an ideal vitamin E you can look at the label on our vitamin E in our store. You can use any brand that has a similar label.
You can purchase pharmaceutical grade bioidentical progesterone as Progesterone Powder, Bioidentical Micronized Powder, 10 Grams for about $40 on many online stores like Amazon. That is nearly a year's supply, depending on the dose you choose.
You'll need to purchase some small stainless steel measuring spoons as you will need a 1/64 tsp which is 25 mg and a 1/32 tsp which is 50 mg. A normal dose is typically 25 to 50 mg and is taken 30 minutes before bed, as it has an anti-cortisol function and will increase GABA levels for a good night's sleep.
Unfortunately, this vendor frequently runs out of product, and if that's the case, then you can use Simply Progesterone by Health Natura. It's premixed with vitamin E and MCT oil. Again, while Health Natura states that its product is for "topical use only," I recommend applying it transmucosally, by rubbing it on your gums.
If you are a menstruating woman, you should take the progesterone during the luteal phase or the last half of your cycle, which can be determined by starting 10 days after the first day of your period and stopping the progesterone when your period starts.
If you are a male or non-menstruating woman you can take the progesterone every day for four to six months and then cycle off for one week. The best time of day to take progesterone is 30 minutes before bed as it has an anti-cortisol function and will increase GABA levels for a good night's sleep.
This is what I have personally doing for over a year with very good results. I am a physician so do not have any problems doing this. If you aren't a physician you should consult one before using this therapy, as transmucosal progesterone therapy requires a doctor's prescription.
- 1 U.S. EPA, PFAS Analytic Tools
- 2 Science of the Total Environment June 25, 2023, Volume 879, 163081
- 3 CNN March 20, 2023
- 4 Environ. Sci. Technol. 2023, 57, 50, 21016–21028
- 5 eBioMedicine October 24, 2023
- 6 Environ Res. 2024 Jan 1;240(Pt 1):117529
- 7 Front Toxicol. 2023; 5: 1244457
- 8 EWG's Guide to Avoiding PFAS Chemicals
- 9 Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Database
