Reverse PCOS Naturally: Eliminate Endocrine Disruptors in Water

 

To reverse PCOS naturally, you may have heard that you must avoid endocrine disruptors in your food. But, what you may not know is that endocrine disruptors are also lurking in your water.

Given that we cannot avoid drinking lots of water every day. You may be asking yourself, "how do I eliminate endocrine disruptors in my water?"

In this post, I will explain exactly why drinking water free of endocrine disruptors will help you reverse PCOS. As well as the method that I use to eliminate endocrine disruptors from my water daily.

Endocrine Disruptors, what exactly are they?

‘Endocrine disruptors' is a broad term for any chemical that can “interfere with the production, processing, and transmission of hormones in the body and disrupt the normal functioning of the endocrine system.”

In simple terms, this means chemicals found in your water can act like hormones that your body already produces naturally. As such this stops your ‘real’ hormones doing their job correctly. Which can prevent you from reversing your PCOS.

The fact that your water contains endocrine disruptors may come as a shock because your tap water looks clean.

But here's the kicker:

Just because your water looks clean, it does not mean it is healthy to drink.

Endocrine Disruptors in your Tap Water

Let me start by explaining why your tap water isn't safe.

Here's the deal:

Before water even reaches your tap, it goes through various stages. Each stage exposes it to endocrine disruptors. That inhibits your ability to reverse PCOS naturally.

The first stage of the process involves disinfecting the polluted water with chlorine. As well as fortifying it with fluoride at the water plant.

Chlorine and its impact on PCOS

Chlorine is a highly toxic chemical that is used to kill off certain bacteria and microbes to purify tap water. Now while this is crucial for having clean tap water, chlorine has its side effects on the body, most notably the thyroid.

Researchers have found a link between the thyroid and PCOS, with research showing around 25% of women with PCOS suffer from a thyroid condition. It is said that hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid, is one of the most common ‘hidden causes’ of PCOS.

Here’s the thing.

The thyroid is often referred to as a ‘hormone powerhouse’. This is because it has a role to play in various functions of the body, including metabolism, heart rate and ovulation. When the thyroid is affected, problems occur within the whole body.

How Chlorine affects your Thyroid

Amy Myers MD, an acclaimed functional medicine physician, identifies how chlorine impacts your thyroid function. Iodine is a crucial mineral needed to make thyroid hormones. She states that chlorine shares similar properties to iodine. As a result, it can override iodine, which leads to a decrease in thyroid hormone production. When the body does not produce enough of the thyroid hormones, functions within the body begin to slow down. Which often leads to a diagnosis of hypothyroidism.

Chlorine found in tap water can override iodine, which leads to a decrease in thyroid hormone production.Low thyroid hormone levels can lead to a diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Click to Tweet

Symptoms of hypothyroidism include weight gain, hair loss, constipation, muscle weakness, irregular periods, fatigue and dry skin. It has also been shown that women with hypothyroidism show high levels of testosterone and polycystic ovaries. As you can see many of these symptoms and signs are the same as PCOS. Which is often why a PCOS diagnosis can be overlooked.

What does this all mean?

Ultimately, removing chlorine from your water is critical to support the thyroid’s hormone production and reverse your PCOS naturally.

Dangers of Fluoride for PCOS

You may be thinking fluoride can't be too bad because it's found in toothpaste.

 

But the fact is, fluoride is an endocrine disruptor and PCOS women should eliminate it.

Get this:

Water is fortified with fluoride to help reduce tooth decay. However, research reveals fluoride only aids in the prevention of tooth decay by topical means. Therefore, you must directly apply fluoride to the outer layer of the tooth to see the benefit.

Furthermore, the inability to control how much fluoride you have ingested may pose some risks. Studies indicate consuming too much fluoride can lead to health problems. 

Minor effects could be vomiting, nausea, hypocalcemia, hypotension and hypersalivation. Though more severe symptoms could occur. These include numbness dental fluorosis (a condition where the enamel becomes damaged), muscular spasm, birth defects and cancer.

How Fluoride Affects Your Thyroid

Dr. Izabella Wentz, The Thyroid Pharmacist, explains that in the body fluoride is seen as iodine. Now, iodine is a key mineral needed by many significant functions in the body. Because the body thinks fluoride is iodine, our organs absorb it. Dr. Wentz states that we don’t remove much fluoride through urine or sweat. Therefore, fluoride builds up in the body and becomes toxic. The increase of fluoride then begins to cause damage to major organs which produce hormones, like the thyroid.

Given how important a well functioning thyroid is to reversing PCOS, removing fluoride from our bodies is a must!

Heavy Metals Acting as Endocrine Disruptors

In addition to the chemicals mentioned above, our water is also exposed to various heavy metals. These heavy metals are naturally occurring in the Earth’s crust. However, with the increase in consumer and industrial waste, as well as the weakening of soil caused by heavy rainfall or flooding, high levels of these heavy metals are making their way into our groundwater, lakes and rivers.

Heavy metals are a severe problem for humans because over time they build up in the body. But also, it is difficult for the body to break them down and remove them.

When these heavy metals enter the body, they act as endocrine disruptors. Below are 3 heavy metals that have been found to have an impact on your PCOS.

Arsenic is linked to Insulin Resistance

Around 70% of women with PCOS also suffer from insulin resistance. This is a condition where the cells in the body have difficulty absorbing glucose in the blood. As a result, there is a build-up of sugar in the bloodstream.

Research suggests that arsenic can cause insulin resistance. And can damage the part of the pancreas which releases insulin. The increased risk of developing insulin resistance and the reduction in insulin production can lead to Type 2 Diabetes. Getting rid of arsenic can, therefore, help treat insulin resistance and prevent Type 2 Diabetes.

Arsenic found in tap water can damage the part of the pancreas which releases insulin. This increases the risk of insulin resistance. Click to Tweet

Mercury’s Impact on Hormones

Research shows mercury can disrupt major organs in the body which produce hormones, such as the thyroid and ovaries. A recent 2019 study found that mercury exposure caused abnormal changes to the ovaries development and function. As well as high fasting blood sugar levels and signs of high blood pressure. All of which are signs of PCOS. Removing mercury from your water will help improve ovarian health, lower blood sugar levels and reverse PCOS naturally.

Cadmium’s Link to PCOS

A recent 2018 study found a link between cadmium and Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH). AMH is used to look at a woman’s supply of eggs in the ovaries. But Doctors also use it as a way to diagnose PCOS. The study found that cadmium may alter the AMH level, causing a lack of ovulation and infertility. Removing cadmium from your water is vital to help reverse your PCOS and improve fertility.

To Sum Up

As you can see, your tap water is not as safe or healthy as you might have thought. It has been exposed to toxic chemicals throughout its journey, starting from the water plant and while in the pipelines making its way to your tap. Your water is harming your hormones and health. To reverse your PCOS, you must eliminate these endocrine disruptors.

You might now be wondering, what about bottled water?

Well, unfortunately, bottled water also has its own issues.

Why Bottled Water is terrible for PCOS

Bottled water is a popular alternative to tap water, but it is still not a healthier option and won't help you reverse PCOS naturally.

 

 

While the label on your bottled water may say that it comes from the mountains, around 25% of bottled water sold is just tap water. Examples of bottled water brands selling overly priced tap water include Dasani and Aquafina.

So, unfortunately, your fresh ‘mountain’ bottled water still has the same exact chemical contaminants, like chlorine, fluoride, arsenic and mercury. But not only that, when you buy plastic water bottles, you are also getting yet another endocrine-disrupting chemical, Bisphenol A (BPA).

What’s Bisphenol A (BPA)?

BPA is an industrial chemical used to strengthen plastics. It can be found in everyday products, including; plastics bottles, the lining of canned goods, household electronic items and more.

What's Wrong with BPA?

Let me explain.

BPA is a known endocrine disruptor. Researchers have found it can act like estrogen and disrupt your real hormones from doing their job.

You may be wondering, how can a chemical used to make plastic water bottles make its way into my water. Well, research shows BPA can seep from the plastic to the water they contain.

BPA can seep from the plastic to the water they contain. Once in the body, BPA can act like estrogen and disrupt your real hormones from doing their job. Click to Tweet

BPA's Role in PCOS

A 2017 study looked at the link between PCOS and BPA. The findings suggest that endocrine disruptors, such as BPA, play a key role in the development of PCOS. Therefore to reverse PCOS naturally or even prevent it, BPA must be removed from your life.

BPA linked to Insulin Resistance

Remember above, when I mentioned that 70% of women with PCOS also had insulin resistance? Well researchers looking at BPA in women with PCOS found that BPA was also positively linked with insulin resistance. The results show that getting rid of BPA from your water will help treat insulin resistance and reverse PCOS naturally.

In a Nutshell

BPA is a known endocrine disruptor and has been linked to the development of PCOS and insulin resistance. Women with PCOS must avoid drinking water from plastic bottles, which contain BPA. To help balance their hormones and reverse their PCOS.

Now:

I understand this may sound scary and you may even feel a little overwhelmed with all this new information. But don't stress!

You may be wondering, so how can I eliminate endocrine disruptors from my water to help reverse PCOS?

Here's what I do and what you can do too.

Filter Your Water and Eliminate Endocrine Disruptors

Luckily, there is a simple solution to this problem and that is to filter your water.

I use and trust Clearly Filtered

As I mentioned, the only way to ensure you are drinking the healthiest water, that is free from endocrine disruptors, is to filter your water.

Before I bought my current water filter, I had a Brita filter and this was the brand I used for several years. I decided to look into how effective it was at removing endocrine disruptors.

Surprisingly, I couldn’t find Brita’s water filter lab results on their website. However, I did manage to find a site that independently tested the Brita water filter to see how well it does at removing specific endocrine disruptors.

The results shocked me.

As you can see, the Brita filter pitcher lab results are poor. After finding this out, I decided if I wanted to reverse my PCOS and balance my hormones, I had to buy a new water filter.

Why I Chose to Buy Clearly Filtered

Once I found out my Brita wasn’t doing a good job at removing endocrine disruptors from my tap water, I was on a mission to find one that would. I spent hours looking to find out which brand removes the most endocrine disruptors. I ended up with a shortlist of five brands I thought had the best filtering systems. These were: AlexaPure, Aqauagear, Clearly Filtered, Propur and ZeroWater.

My Water Filter Pitcher Analysis and Findings

To help me make a decision on which water filter was best at removing endocrine disruptors, I looked into each pitcher’s performance. I created a table showing how well each pitcher did in removing Heavy Metals. As well as the Inorganic chemicals that predominantly impact PCOS, namely chlorine, fluoride and BPA.

The table below shows by brand how many contaminants were removed from tap water when tested in a lab. So, for example, the Alexapure removed 99.9% of all the arsenic when tested.

 

As you can see from the table, the Clearly Filtered and Alexapure pitchers perform the best with the most top results in green. This is also the case when we look just specifically at the endocrine disruptors we discussed in this post, shown in the smaller table below.

Ultimately I think the Clearly Filtered pitcher is superior. It removes nearly 8.8% more Fluoride than the Alexapure but only an insignificant 0.3% less arsenic.

 

 

Clearly Filtered Beyond the Results

Beyond just the lab results, there were a few other reasons that made me ultimately decide to go with the Clearly Filtered.

Here they are:

Eliminates over 220 Harmful Contaminants

According to the Environmental Working Group, there have been 250 contaminants found in America’s drinking water. Now Clearly Filtered's lab results show it removes over 220 contaminants whereas AlexaPure removes 92. The lab's results reveal the water filter removes a range of contaminants from chemical additives, microorganisms, chemicals, heavy metals, pharmaceutical drugs, radiological elements, pesticides, herbicides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile compounds. While retaining the healthy minerals such as magnesium, potassium and calcium. All round a superior product!

Transparency

One of the things I really liked about Clearly Filtered is that they are very open and transparent. Not only do they provide a thorough list of the contaminants their water filter pitcher removes in their lab results. But they also explain on their website how their filtration technology works, some of the other did not reveal as much.

Long Filter Life

The Clearly Filtered pitcher has a filter life of 100 gallons, compared to AlexaPure’s 80 gallons. Which means buying replacement filters less frequently. As well as this the guys at Clearly Filtered have set up a VIP program. With this, you can schedule to have your replacement filters sent to you every few months depending on how frequently you will need a change. And get a tidy 15% off your replacement filters! Not only do I love a discount, but this is also super helpful as I always forget to order a new filter when mine has expired.

As you can see, Clearly Filtered is doing a lot of things right! It is for these reasons I trust and use them.

Which Filtration System to Buy?

While I have only looked at the pitcher in-depth here. Clearly Filtered has a range of water filtration systems to choose from based on your needs and budget. These include a bottle filter, an under-the-sink and in-line fridge filter system, showerhead filters and water tower filters.

I am personally looking to buy a showerhead filter very soon. I recently found out that we can absorb a lot of chlorine and fluoride through our skin when bathing!

The video below shows exactly how quickly our skin absorbs Chlorine.

Do You Really Need Clearly Filtered for PCOS?

Here’s the thing.

Endocrine disruptors are everywhere. And while we cannot avoid every single one that we come in contact with, we can certainly prevent the ones in our drinking water. So, if you are looking to reverse your PCOS naturally and live a symptom-free life, get Clearly Filtered’s water filtration system. In my opinion, it is a must. It is what I use and recommend it because it removes endocrine disruptors. So you are guaranteed healthy and safe water that will help your PCOS and hormones.

Clearly Filtered may not be the cheapest water filter, but for women with PCOS, I believe it is the best. And I don't think you can really put a price on good health!

Clearly Filtered Recap

Below is a quick recap of both the pros and cons of investing in the Clearly Filtered Filtration System.

Pros

Removes more contaminants - Clearly Filtered removes over 220 contaminants including chlorine, fluoride, lead, arsenic, mercury and BPA.

Keeps the healthy minerals - Clearly Filtered’s unique filtration technology keeps important minerals naturally found in water like magnesium

Improves the taste of tap water - The purification process makes the water taste noticeably better.

Easy to use - Clearly Filtered products are quick and easy to use.

Long filter life - Clearly Filtered's filter life is 100 gallons compared to Brita's 40 gallons.

Covered by a lifetime warranty - Most water filter pitchers may only have a warranty of a couple of months to a year. However, Clearly Filtered offers a lifetime warranty.

Covered by a 90 days money-back guarantee - If you find a better filter in 90 days, you are guaranteed your money back.

Free shipping - Clearly Filtered may be expensive, but they do offer free shipping.

Cons

Expensive - Clearly Filtered is more expensive than your standard Brita, it's an investment for better health.

Online purchase only - Unfortunately, Clearly Filtered's products can only be purchased online. So if you are someone who likes to see the product in person before they buy, this is not possible. Unless you know someone, who owns one.

In Summary

Endocrine disruptors are everywhere, they are in the food you eat, the water you drink and bathe in. Unfortunately, you cannot stop these endocrine disruptors from lurking in your everyday life. But you can limit your exposure to them. Women with PCOS suffer from a hormone imbalance. So eliminating these endocrine disruptors is important to help reverse PCOS.

The good news is there is a simple solution to removing these chemical imitating hormones from your tap water. The solution is filtering your drinking water.

Based on my research Clearly Filtered is the best water filter at removing endocrine disruptors on the market. And I personally use and recommend it.